We are entering another federal election season. This means there will be many politicians, masajid members, community activists and groups that will be encouraging Muslims to vote. Given the uncertainty around the trade war with the US, an escalating attack on pro-Palestine protesters, the rekindling of the brutal aggression in Gaza, and increasingly restrictive immigration policies, there are a lot of issues of concern on the ballot.

As a community, how should we understand our relationship with the Liberal Democratic system, and what can we hope to gain from engaging with it? More importantly, what are we at risk of losing?

The Reality of Secular Politics

As Muslims, before we determine how to proceed with any action, how to try to solve any problem, how to face any dispute, we have first to refer to what Allah (swt) has revealed to us in the Quran and in the example of RasulAllah (saw). It is also crucial, when seeking this guidance, to understand the reality of our situation. Just as we cannot determine whether a certain kind of food is halal or not without knowing what are its ingredients, we cannot determine how to engage in any political action without understanding what it is that we are doing.

In the Liberal Democratic system, in which we live, individuals are given the choice to vote for one political party among a few every few years. Key issues about how to deal with the economy, society, or the environment are left to what is essentially a popularity contest. Because we live in a hyper-individualistic system, in which each person is encouraged to act based on their own self-interest, political parties know that the way to win this popularity contest is not by adhering to any set of fixed principles. Rather the way to victory is to cater to the interests of the economic elite, who will then give them the resources (donations) and exposure (media) necessary to win these campaigns. Political parties will also try to win by aggregating special interests –trying to cater to as many contradictory policy positions as possible. 

In short, political parties cannot be relied upon to abide by any principle and therefore will sacrifice the well-being and interests of any community if they think that it will help them electorally. It should be clear that this not only deprives them of any consistency in their own positions, but it more importantly means they are oblivious to the Divine solutions to society’s social, political and economic challenges. Instead of politics being the legacy of the Prophets, as described by our beloved Prophet (saw), it becomes a manipulative and predatory exercise.

Having lived under such a system for the past few decades, this conclusion is not surprising to us. We remember when, following the attack on the Afzaal family (may Allah swt have mercy on them) in London Ontario, there were many promises made by the Liberal government to combat Islamophobia. But when the government’s own “Rapporteur for Islamophobia” (a symbolic position within the government) raised the obvious fact about there being a culture of anti-Muslim bigotry in Quebec, the Liberal party was quick to pressure her to apologize to the people of Quebec. Even the NDP, which appears to have a much more organic relationship with anti-racism efforts, refused to criticize Quebec for its anti-hijab laws. This is all because Quebec is a large voter bank, and those political considerations override any moral concerns.

Since the Zionist entity’s latest rampage in Gaza, it should become even clearer what the distance is between basic human values and Canada’s political elite. While the Conservatives find glee in celebrating the entity’s relentless bombing of children and have begun to threaten those who protest against it with arrests and deportation, the Liberals are not much better. The Liberal government has characterized those who wish to protest or even boycott the Zionist entity as antisemitic, while the previous prime minister has openly called himself a Zionist. Even the NDP, while it has supported an arms embargo on the Zionist entity, have affirmed the Zionist entity’s right to defend itself against the people it has been displacing from their homes and lands for generations.

The Islamic Ruling on Voting in a Liberal Democratic System

As we have mentioned, the deeper problem with the Liberal Democratic system is not that it is inconsistent, but that it is based on the speculation, self-interest and whims of human beings. Even the most well-intentioned of people do not have the wisdom, objectivity, or depth of knowledge to design a complete system that can justly manage the issues of an entire society. They will inevitably fall into unjust practices one way or another.

“And whoever does not rule by what Allah has revealed, such people are the oppressors.” [TMQ 5:45]

In contrast, as Muslims, we believe that the systems that govern humanity should not be based on the whims and desires of people. Instead, these systems should be based solely on what Allah (swt) has revealed:

“Rule between them by that which Allah has revealed to you, and do not follow their vain desires.” [TMQ 5:49]

When we vote for a politician who has already informed us that they will be relying on other than Allah’s (swt) revelation to try to manage societal affairs, we are encouraging them in their heedlessness to Allah’s Word, and we are delegating them to do so on our behalf. We should not then be surprised when they promote a riba (interest) based economic system, or a social system that prioritizes individual fulfillment over individual and collective responsibilities. We should also not be surprised when these politicians make excuses for their imperial war machine. If we have supported them in making these decisions, then we have a share in their sinfulness. 

Even more troubling is that by engaging with the larger society through the support of one of these secular parties, we have lost the opportunity to live according to our purpose as Muslims, which is to share Islam’s unique visions for society and specific guidance for the issues people are facing. Allah (swt) tells us:

“You are the best nation produced [as an example] for mankind. You enjoin what is right and forbid what is wrong and believe in Allah.” [TMQ 3:110]

Our purpose in life is to enjoin what we are guided to by Our Creator, not the political platforms of the Liberals or the NDP. Our purpose is to speak to people’s reason so as to guide them to the truth of Islam, and not to partake with them in their misguidance. Our involvement in the liberal democratic system is a direct endorsement of its corruption.

How to Defend Our Interests

It should be clear that lending our support to those who do not refer to Allah’s (swt) guidance to manage our affairs is not permissible. This leads to an obvious question: If we are living in Canada, and will obviously be affected by the socio-political conditions in this country regardless of whether we vote or not, how can we ensure we are defending the interests of the Muslims without selling out our deen to one of the political parties?

It is crucial to note here that refusing to politically support secular politicians does not mean withdrawing from the political arena. Muslims should collectively organize to arrange legal advocacy, political education, protests, to be actively engaged with the political issues in this land, from the lens of Islam. 

This means engaging with politicians who have already been elected and holding them accountable, even when we do not vote for them. It means running campaigns to educate school boards, city councils, and federal and provincial agencies on how best to understand and engage with Muslims in a manner that is respectful of our dean, dignity and interests. It means supporting legal associations that can ensure that the just rights of a Muslim can be fought for if they are being trampled upon.

Also, election season is a dawah opportunity, as it creates a pretext to have more complex conversations with non-Muslims. We should use the run-up to the elections as an opportunity to engage with non-Muslims about the corrupt nature of the Liberal Democratic system which favors the rich and powerful at the expense of the rest of the Canadian people. In fact, since about 1 out of 2 Canadians do not vote, many people in the wider society will be expressing dissatisfaction with the current system and would be seeking alternatives. As Muslims, we should see this as an opportunity to carry dawah and show them how the Islamic aqeedah provides the correct policies and creates a mindset that is suitable to govern all of mankind with justice.

More importantly, it is crucial to understand that if we see our situation as a minority in Canada in isolation from the rest of the Ummah, we will be overcome by assimilation. Rather, we must understand our struggle to protect and convey Islam in our community is part of the larger struggle to revive the systems of Islam in the Muslim lands. Just as we try to implement what we can of the guidance of Islam in our homes and community, we should be striving to support the return of Islam as a complete system of life and governance in the Muslim lands.

The link is clear: our adherence to the concepts of Islam, and to conveying them, broadcasts a message to the Ummah, where we can use our relatively better convenience, resources and privileges to advocate for a transformative Islamic change in the Muslim lands. And when Islam is established in the Muslim lands, and there is an Islamic Khilfah state which implements, protects and conveys the guidance of Islam to the world, this will impact our condition as minorities in the non-Muslim countries. The non-Muslim nations will know that if they persecute us or trample on our rights, there is a powerful state that they will have to answer to. When the Ottoman Khilafah was present, even in a weakened state, it forced the European powers to stop a play that mocked RasulAllah (saw). using political pressure.

And the Muslims will have the confidence of knowing that they do not have to assimilate into the values and systems of a different ideology, as they will always have the option of living under the shade of Islam.  May Allah (swt) make us among those who are steadfast in His Path and make us part of the victory He has decreed for this Ummah. (Ameen)

“They want to extinguish the light of Allah with their mouths, but Allah will perfect His Light, even though the disbelievers dislike it.” [TMQ 61:8]