13.5 Membership of the Council of the Ummah
Membership Of The Council Of The Ummah
Any person who holds the citizenship of the State, if He was mature and sane, has the right to be a member of the Council of the Ummah and the right to elect the members of the Council, whether the person was a man or a woman, a Muslim or non-Muslim. This is because the Council of the Ummah is the people’s representative in opinion only, and has no mandate to rule and legislate. Since the Council is the representative in voicing opinions, people in the Islamic State have the right to delegate whomever they wish from among those who lawfully qualify as representatives. This is just like the Muslim and the non-Muslim has the right to voice his opinion regarding the misapplication of the rules of Islam on him, and regarding any possible unjust act perpetrated against Him by the ruler. He therefore has the right to have any representative He wishes and to represent anyone He wishes. Accordingly, the representative and the represented do not have to be Muslims; they can be either Muslims or non-Muslims. This is why it is permitted for non-Muslims, just as it is for Muslims, to elect their representatives to the Council of the Ummah, whether Muslim or non-Muslim, as long as they hold the citizenship of the State.
Beside this, Islam looks upon the subjects under its authority from a purely human viewpoint, regardless of their sect, race, or sex. The ruling policies designed for them would be founded on this basis, so that the ruling is for the benefit of humanity, thereby taking it out of the darkness into the light. The citizens are thus equal in terms of rights and duties related to the human in his capacity as a human, as far as the implementation of the divine rules on everyone is concerned. When the judge settles the disputes and when the rulers rule, they cannot differentiate between people, they must treat them as equals in their quality as citizens and nothing else. Each citizen therefore has the right to voice his opinion and to choose his representative to express his opinion and those who elected him. This is because Allah (swt) has addressed all people with Islam in their quality as humans and nothing else. He (swt) says; “O you people, a proof has come to you from your Lord, and we have revealed to you a shining light.” [] And He (swt) also says; “O you people, I am the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) sent to all of you.” []