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Are Muslims in America more loyal to the Quran or the Constitution?
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This question is often asked as an accusation rather than a simple inquiry. For many Muslims, God's revealed scripture, the Quran, is the ultimate source of authority, just as the Bible is for many Jews and Christians. Most Muslims, like other citizen-believers, accept the authority of the state and its constitution. At the same time, like others, if and when a country's legislation appears to be contrary to God's word, they reserve the right to oppose that legislation and seek to have it changed. Like people in other faiths, Muslims today hold diverse positions on many questions. Thus, on a controversial issue like abortion, many (though not all) Muslims join with their conservative Jewish and Christian counterparts in opposing legislation that permits abortions.
Many Muslims came to America to enjoy its freedoms, rights, and opportunities. They and their descendants have become lawyers, judges, members of the military or local police departments, and elected officials. Although they recognize distinctive religious and cultural differences, most nevertheless affirm the essential compatibility of Islam and the West.
