The rule of life is that only owners can change what they own. If you don’t own it, you can’t change it. So, if we don’t take ownership of our problems, we condemn ourselves to living with them in perpetuity, until we decide to accept responsibility. This is our single biggest problem and the biggest cause of our dismal and very painful state as a nation. We must not allow what is not in our control to prevent us from doing what is in our control. We must take charge of our lives and contribute time, money, energy, thought and lives.

We hear two statements from well-meaning but confused people regarding politics. ‘I am not interested in politics’ and ‘Politics is dirty.’ Well, guess what? As someone said, ‘You may not be interested in politics, but politics is interested in you.’ It is like a deer saying, ‘I am not interested in the lion.’ If the deer wants to survive and thrive, there is only one way; get interested in the lion and influence the lion in your favor. That is what we must do with politics. As for politics being dirty, that is true as a statement of current state. But that doesn’t mean that it must necessarily remain that way. Anything dirty remains dirty for one reason only and that is because those affected by the dirt choose to remain with the dirt. If those affected by dirty politics do what they do when they encounter dirt in anything else, the dirt will go the same way. So, let us complete that statement, ‘Politics is dirty’ and add, ‘but we are going to clean it.’ Believe me, it will happen. It is waiting to be cleaned. That cleaning can’t happen without us getting our hands dirty. But once we start washing, both the fabric of politics and our hands, will become clean. Let us start working to change things that matter.

Politics is the art of influencing. Allahﷻ sent us to influence. Allahﷻ said that He sent us for the benefit of people to teach them how to live a life of virtue and goodness, compassion, and justice. Allahﷻ’s book is witness – whether for or against us, is for us to decide and work for.

A’al Imraan 3: 110 You are the best community ever raised for humanity—you encourage good, forbid evil, and believe in Allah.

Allahﷻ told us that our job is to clean society from all kinds of evil and to promote all kinds of good. Good governance comes at the top of that list. Society can only be cleaned by insiders. By citizens. Participating in society does not mean only living in the place and buying and selling things. To participate is to be interested in the welfare of the place. That means investing time, energy, money, talent, and all kinds of resources to help to do whatever is necessary to ensure good governance. It means to cooperate and collaborate with others to make this happen. It means to make societal change both our long-term and short-term goal. We can and must move from a position of deciding which of two bad choices is the least harmful, to deciding which of two or three good choices is the most beneficial. It can happen but not without participation. We must play the game. Not just be idle, even if interested, spectators.

What is the role of Muslim citizens who live in democratic countries? Should they participate in government, from voting, to standing for election to discharging their responsibilities in different capacities in local and national government? Or should they abstain from doing any of these things. And if they should abstain, then how are they to ensure that their rights, needs, and issues are represented and addressed by a government that they did not elect or show any interest in? We have multiple examples of what happens when you refuse to participate in governance. None of them, good. It is not about political parties but about being interested in and being willing to contribute to the nation.

We must understand that working to ensure good governance is the most important part of being good citizens. That is the secret of power. Not merely in casting our vote, important though that is, but in standing for truth and justice, advocacy of worthy causes, helping the weak, volunteering our time and talents for the benefit of society and putting our money and effort where our mouths are when it comes to helping others. This is a world of cause and effect. To achieve an effect, one must address the cause. Peace is an effect. Justice is its cause. Justice is the foundation of peace. Without justice any apparent peace is only a recess between wars. We must be and be seen to be beneficial to society because that is the reason Allahﷻ created us and that is the reason we will be appreciated and valued. People may be remembered for many reasons, but they are valued only for one: their contribution to the welfare of others. We, the people of the nation, through the ballot box have delegated the authority to run the nation to those we elected. But we retain responsibility for their success or failure. It comes back to my favorite political quote: “We get the government we deserve”.

We should realize that we have delegated authority. Not responsibility. So, if those to whom authority was delegated failed, we need to take back the authority and realize that to give ourselves good government is our responsibility, not anyone else’s.

In conclusion I would like to state clearly and unequivocally that Muslims living in democratic countries must participate in government in every way knowing that it is entirely in keeping with Islam to do so. They must participate because Islam orders them to support all that is beneficial for everyone, Muslim or otherwise and to do that in a way that showcases Islam for the rest of the world. Muslims must participate in democracy, because it is only by participation that can we ensure that our interests are addressed, and our needs met. We have seen many examples of what happens when we don’t participate.

That is the key. YOU MUST GO TO VOTE. Whether it is raining or not, whatever be the situation, you MUST GO AND VOTE. Remember this is the only opportunity that you have in a democracy to be heard, to influence your own future and to protect yourself from those who wish to hurt you. Remember, a party is not elected by the majority of the population of the country but by the majority of those who cast their vote. This is the key to modern democracies and the reason why you must vote. If you don’t enroll yourself and don’t go and vote, then don’t blame anyone else for the result. You are responsible, and you will pay the price.