Hamza Yusuf, one of the most important Islamic preachers and intellectuals not only in the United States but in the entire English-speaking world, has been sharply criticized by many believers for his agreement to participate in the new Commission on Human Rights in International Relations formed by the Trump administration.
The commission is being formed by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and includes several representatives from America’s religious circles, whether Christian, such as former U.S. Ambassador to the Vatican Mary Ann Glendon, Jewish, such as Rabbi Meir Yaakov Soloveichik, or Muslim, such as Hamza Yusuf.
It should be noted that until now, the Trump administration has tried to ignore American Muslims themselves, even inviting only foreign ambassadors to the White House Iftar, which many rightly saw as a manifestation of ideological bias, according to which Islam is considered a foreign religion to the United States.
Given Trump’s blatant Islamophobia during the campaign, his «Muslim ban,» and the wave of anti-Muslim hatred it generated, it was not surprising that a large part of the Muslim community in the U.S. coalesced around an anti-Trump platform. In other words, Trump demonstrated hostility toward American Muslims, they responded in kind, and now one of their prominent representatives is breaking this boycott and collaborating with the enemy. Isn’t that treason and collaboration? But let’s try to understand the context of what is happening.
For a long time, the United States, under the leadership of the Democratic Party, has been an exporter, if not an inquisitor, of an understanding of human rights and democracy that includes positions that are completely unacceptable to religious and conservative people.
These positions include the defense of the rights of the so-called LGBT community, as well as women’s rights in their feminist understanding, including the «right» to abortion. And now that the new U.S. administration is fulfilling the pre-election promises made by Trump to the millions of Christian evangelicals who support him, the question arises: should the United States really defend such an understanding of human rights in international politics, or should it not necessarily demand the widespread holding of gay pride parades and the legalization of abortions? It is worth mentioning, by the way, that the Trump administration, despite its demonstrative conservatism, continues to do the former, while many of its critics fear that this may come to an end.
It would seem that from an Islamic point of view everything is obvious — at least countries with a Muslim majority are not interested in having the U.S. impose sanctions on them, demanding the recognition of LGBT rights, the legalization of abortions, and so on. But, of course, this is not the case for everyone.
Because the very people who loudly proclaim themselves defenders of Muslim rights against Trump’s Islamophobia are at the forefront of the fight for… LGBT interests, abortions, and so on. For these circles, Hamza Yusuf becomes a double enemy.
First, as someone who collaborates with the Islamophobe Trump. Second, as someone who threatens human rights, as understood by feminists and the LGBT community, because he does not hide his religious stance on these issues, which stems from his religion and not from party ideology.
For these individuals, «Islamophobia» and «protecting Muslims» are based on cultural identity (identity politics) rather than worldview and values.
As for Hamza Yusuf himself, it should be noted that he is consistent on this issue.
Unlike most Muslim defenders in American politics who are closely associated with the Democratic Party, which raises slogans to protect all kinds of «minorities,» he has been stating for many years, long before Trump appeared on the big political stage, that Muslims should seek dialogue with conservative Christian and Jewish circles close to the Republican Party in order to change their Islamophobic attitudes to a favorable attitude toward American Muslims.
Whether this task is realistic is a big question… But the problem is that those who assume the incurable Islamophobia of the Republicans and the conservative Christians and Jews behind them are fighting against it from positions that are very problematic for Muslims.
For example, for pragmatic reasons of maintaining a common front of minorities, political defenders of the rights of Muslim minorities might tactically refrain from attacking LGBT people and feminists in the secular Western societies in which they live, on the principle of «your religion is yours, ours is ours». But the point is that instead of pragmatic neutrality, these defenders have gone so far in their attitude toward these groups that it is no longer clear what their religion is.
In this context, the actions of Hamza Yusuf and his attempts to engage in dialogue with conservative Christian and Jewish circles close to the Trump administration look somewhat different.
Yes, it is doubtful that he will be able to turn enemies into friends, which brings to mind the well-known Quranic verse «…they will never satisfy you…». However, looking at some of the opposing «friends of Muslims», another Russian proverb comes to mind: «God, save me from such friends, and I will deal with the enemies myself».