At a time when most Americans were uninformed, misinformed, or simply afraid of Islam, Thomas Jefferson imagined Muslims as future citizens of his new nation. His engagement with the faith began with the purchase of a Qur’an eleven years before he wrote the Declaration of Independence. Though Jefferson was a harsh critic of Islam as a religion and of the hostage-taking and ransom-seeking practices of Muslim states in the Mediterranean, he also was a staunch advocate of religious freedom, even for those falling outside the conventional spectrum of Protestant Christian believers, including Catholics, Jews, and Muslims.
Posted on: Mon, 07 Oct 2013 11:10:01 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015