Loyalty to Country

While addressing German military leaders in Koblenz, Germany His Holiness Hadhrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad ^{(may Allah be his helper)}, the fifth Khalifa of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, noted that loyalty to one’s country of residence creates peace in society because it demands each citizen to fulfill their pledges, regardless of the difficulty involved. As the Holy Qur’an states, “And break not the oaths after making them firm” (16:92).

In this spirit of loyalty, the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community USA launched a nationwide campaign in 2011 called “Muslims for Loyalty.” Hundreds of thousands of flyers were distributed, detailing Islam’s teachings on loyalty to one’s country.

Some fear that as a Muslim is primarily loyal to his faith, a Muslim may sacrifice the best interests of his country for Islam. But His Holiness noted that, in fact, sincere patriotism is a tenet of Islam. Prophet Muhammad stated, “Love of one’s country is a part of faith” (Sakhawi). There is no conflict between one’s pledge to religion and their Pledge of Allegiance because exhibiting loyalty to one’s country of residence itself becomes a religious practice.

If the state is unjust, a citizen can peacefully criticize injustice because a loyal citizen wants the best for their country. But as the smallest act of disorder or unrest has the potential to cascade, Islam also forbids fomenting any form of rebellion. His Holiness noted that if no change results despite informing the state of alleged injustices, the Holy Qur’an (4:98) instructs those affected to migrate to another land. Accordingly, when the Meccans persisted in persecuting Prophet Muhammad and his followers for more than a decade, Prophet Muhammad peacefully migrated to Medina.

His Holiness also pointed out that loyalty to one’s country also demands a citizen to exhibit no hypocrisy. As an immigrant or a native, loyalty to one’s country forces each individual to behave in the best interest of the country. As personal interests and partisanship are cast aside, the society believes each individual has every other individual’s best interests in mind and peace becomes widespread.

The most potent way to foster such an environment, His Holiness remarked, is for the world to link every loyalty to God. Then, the greater good takes precedence over short-sighted interests because if everyone’s loyalty is linked to the same God, how can any individual usurp another’s rights?

Sadly, if this sage advice is ignored, individual states will create an internal environment of “distress and frustration”. In today’s interconnected world, deepening the divide will only further the creation of political blocs and threaten global peace.