Muslims Should Never Be Conservatives: A Lesson from Transgenderism

Since around the time of the recent Tokyo Olympics, there has been some considerable furor around men claiming to be women competing in women’s sports. As with any advancement of the “gender theory,” we as Muslims naturally oppose it, as does any rational observer.

What is interesting is that after conceding every hill and trench in the battle for their nation’s culture and soul, this seems to be the issue American Conservatives have chosen to stand and fight for.

As if to signal their solemn oath to the Left that they will not mount a substantive opposition, they love to trot out their official transgender mascot, the gold winning decathlete “Caitlyn” Jenner.

I would quote from this FoxNews article, but I highly doubt anyone needs to hear reiterated the fact that men have inherent physical advantages due to their biology. It is just common sense and as written above, that is not the point of this article. To my mind the only thing Muslims can truly learn from “Caitlyn” is how little vainglory of such trifles as gold medals counts in life.

RELATED: Transgender Muslims in the Subcontinent? Making Sense of Hijras

So why does the American Right seem much more concerned with their ability to trot out their daughters in immodest clothing to do physical feats for the enjoyment of onlookers than to defend the moral and biological basis of any healthy society, that is the acknowledgement of the gender dichotomy? The answer is twofold:

For starters, the American Right no longer has an actual substantive moral basis to base any rhetoric or opposition. They have long conceded their Christianity (outside of hating Muslims and the unconditional Evangelical support for Israel, of course) in favour of of “Enlightenment values.”

Their commitment to vague notions of “classical liberalism” and individual freedom limits them from one side, and from the other they are limited by the fact that these half-baked secular moralities have nothing of and can offer nothing to the human soul.

That is why nobody can or will be able to offer any kind of spirited defense of these vague notions or stand their ground in any substantial way, especially not when what is at stake is not entirely material. Their half-understood commitment to Enlightenment empiricism prevents them from recognising inherent values of good and evil, right and wrong.

The second leg of the answer is both distinct but inherently intertwined with the first one: It is the inherent flaw of the idea of “Conservativism.”

As a brief history, Edmund Burke is considered the father of Conservativism. He lived after the liberal revolutions of Great Britain and during those of the US and France. His ideology has to be considered in contrast to what developed: Rather than embracing the new wave of liberalism and advocating for it in London, or joining the reactionaries in their religious opposition to liberalism, Burke sought to chart a middle ground which sought to go in neither direction, essentially “conserving” the status quo.

That “no more progress but the progress we have” attitude still remains the basis of the “Conservative ideology.” That is why you will see even the most right-wing FoxNews host defend the gains of older feminist or LGBT movements. Conservative, therefore, conserve nothing.

RELATED: Are Muslims Liberal or Conservative? Are They Woke or Based?

Under the Conservative ideology, any ground lost is thus lost forever. Societies where the right wing is content with being conservatives and cannot bring themselves to be reactionary will never see moral recovery or religious rejuvenation. This problem is even more pronounced in democracies, as being inherently predicated on concession and compromise, democracy ensures the steady progress of liberalism.

The conservative mindset is alien to Islam and should remain alien to Muslims. We have immutable principles and are commanded to action whenever we see evil. Only when we see how low those who don’t have such blessings fall can we truly appreciate Sharia.

وَٱلْمُؤْمِنُونَ وَٱلْمُؤْمِنَـٰتُ بَعْضُهُمْ أَوْلِيَآءُ بَعْضٍ ۚ يَأْمُرُونَ بِٱلْمَعْرُوفِ وَيَنْهَوْنَ عَنِ ٱلْمُنكَرِ وَيُقِيمُونَ ٱلصَّلَوٰةَ وَيُؤْتُونَ ٱلزَّكَوٰةَ وَيُطِيعُونَ ٱللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُۥٓ ۚ أُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ سَيَرْحَمُهُمُ ٱللَّهُ ۗ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ عَزِيزٌ حَكِيمٌ

The believing men and believing women are allies of one another. They enjoin what is right and forbid what is wrong and establish prayer and give zakāh and obey Allah and His Messenger. Those – Allah will have mercy upon them. Indeed, Allah is Exalted in Might and Wise.

al-Tawbah 9:71

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