REFLECTING ON 250 YEARS: AMERICA’S FOUNDING IDEALS AND THE UNFINISHED JOURNEY TOWARD JUSTICE FOR ALL

SUMMARY: Justice For All reflects on the unfulfilled promises of the United States’ foundation and the Quranic principles in common with American values that have yet to be fully resolved in American society.

As the United States commemorates the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, we at Justice For All pause to reflect on the profound principles that shaped this nation and the deep contradictions that remain unresolved.

The Declaration of Independence, ratified on July 4, 1776, was a revolutionary document that proclaimed the inherent rights to “Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness.” Yet history teaches us that this promise was not extended to all. America was founded on two major injustices: the systematic displacement, destruction, and genocides of Indigenous peoples and the enslavement of African Americans. The legacy of these injustices persists today, unresolved and demanding accountability.

In recent years, we have also witnessed a troubling rise in Islamophobia, a betrayal of the very principles of religious freedom that the Founders championed. As an organization accredited to the United Nations, Justice For All works tirelessly to protect the human rights of Muslim and other religious and ethnic minorities worldwide, and to stop genocide before it starts.

The Quranic Roots of Democratic Principles

The Declaration of Independence, while a monumental and historical achievement, was in many ways a rediscovery of principles revealed in the Qur’an over a thousand years earlier. Thomas Jefferson, the principal author of the Declaration, was profoundly influenced by Enlightenment thinkers like John Locke. But the foundational ideas of governance by consultation, religious freedom and justice are central to the Quran. We can find verses that tell Muslims to “conduct their affairs by mutual consultation” (Qur’an, 42:38); verses that remind us that there “shall be no compulsion in religion: the right way is now distinct from the wrong way” (Quran 2:256); and verses that teach us that “Oppression is worse than murder” (Quran 2:191). These, and many other verses, enshrine the very democratic principles that America’s Founders sought to establish: consultation, religious freedom and the rejection of oppression.

The Founders and Islam: A Forgotten History

Contrary to modern misconceptions, many of America’s Founding Fathers explicitly included Islam in their vision of the republic. As James H. Hutson, Chief of the Library of Congress Manuscript Division, documents:

• -Thomas Jefferson owned a Quran and fought for religious freedom for “the Jew and the Gentile, the Christian and Mahometan.”
• -George Washington declared he would welcome “Mohometans” to Mount Vernon if they were “good workmen.”
• -Benjamin Franklin ensured that a pulpit in Philadelphia would be available “even if the Mufti of Constantinople were to send a missionary to preach Mohammedanism to us.”
• -John Adams affirmed that the U.S. government “has in itself no character of enmity against the laws, religion, or tranquillity, of Musselmen.”

These are not footnotes, they are foundational truths. They have been forgotten these days.

A Call to Action: Independence as Interdependence

True independence is not merely freedom from tyranny, it is freedom to build a just and inclusive society. It is the affirmation of our interdependence: Indigenous, immigrant, Muslim, Christian, Jewish and all peoples. The 250th anniversary of the Declaration must not be a celebration of hollow rhetoric, but a recommitment to the unfinished work of justice.

Justice For All calls on the the U.S. government and our fellow citizens to:

1. Acknowledge and address the legacy of genocide and enslavement in America.
2. Combat rising Islamophobia and other forms of xenophobia and discrimination against all religious and ethnic minorities.
3. Uphold the principles of consultation, religious freedom and justice enshrined in both the Quran and the Declaration of Independence.
4. Hold other governments accountable when they violate the human rights of their citizens.

As we reflect on the past 250 years, let us work toward a future where the rights of all people, regardless of faith, race or origin, are fully realized.