“When it says ‘Thee alone we worship,’ it means people aren’t allowed to worship any angel, any man of money, or any man of power,” explained Akram. “A Muslim submits only to God.” There. Right there lay the justification for everything from the Arab Spring revolts to the Islamic women’s movement. With breathtaking linguistic economy, sitting just inside the first verse of the Quran, lay the words that punctured tyranny. They were gentle weaponry against husbands who ruled over their wives, or presidents who tortured their people. In a God-centered universe, no person had the right to rule
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