JAKARTA - Thomas Jefferson, as one of the founding fathers of the United States (US), played an important role in the drafting of the US Declaration of Independence text. He is the third US president to be a humanitarian fighter for minorities. Jefferson is a fighter for religious freedom. Because of his pluralism, Jefferson was called a "kafir" by his political opponents.
Thomas Jefferson was born on this day, April 13, 18th century or in 1743 in Albemarle County, Virginia. Jefferson was born into an affluent family. His father was a landlord who inherited about five thousand hectares of land. Meanwhile, his mother came from a prominent class. Jefferson received his law education in Williamsburg, Virginia.
As explained by the official White House website, Jefferson was not a public speaker. But he plays a lot more through writing. His pen contribution remains valuable even today.
As a "quiet" congressman from Virginia, at age 33, Jefferson made history as a compiler of the Decalaration of Independence text. That declaration was the basis for the founding of Brother Sam's Country.
In the following years, Jefferson worked hard to put his ideas into action, especially on religious freedom. Finally, in his hometown of Virginia, the idea was successfully realized through a law that was enacted in 1786.
Jefferson's career in politics continued to accelerate. He briefly replaced Benjamin Franklin as Minister of French affairs in 1785.
Then when politics began to develop sharply and the formation of two major parties, namely Federalist and Democratic-Republicans, Jefferson slowly but surely began to take the leadership in the Republican Party. Through the party he attacked Federalist policy by opposing a strong centralized government and fighting for the rights of the state.
Called kafir
Jefferson's successful political career trail became a red carpet for him to participate in the next presidential election. During the election for the third president of the United States in 1800, Jefferson competed against the incumbent, John Adams.
US Middle East history professor, Denise Spellberg, in the book Controversy of the Koran, Thomas Jefferson (2013), calls the general election the first "smear campaign" in the history of American elections. And that was the first time, a presidential candidate was accused of being a Muslim.
Republican Jefferson's religious conviction was the target of attacks by Federalists. Jefferson is mistakenly described as an atheist. Sometimes, Jefferson is also referred to as an infidel, a term that refers not only to a person who has rejected Christianity, but also a believer in a religion deemed to be against Christianity, which in specific Federalist narratives is called Muslim.
Meanwhile, Jefferson did quite intensively study Islam, even though this was considered insulting his faith, a common sentiment among Protestants in England and America at that time. The title may not be an exaggeration. The reason is, thoughts that are considered "weird" have been in Jefferson's head since 1776.
At that time, Jefferson envisioned the existence of Muslims as citizens who have existed and have had a place since the US was sovereign. For Jefferson, Muslims as a minority should have the same rights as the majority population.
In addition, Jefferson's own words made his 'Christianity' suspect. His famous pluralist remarks in Notes on Virginia were quoted many times by his opponents. The quote reads: It doesn't hurt me if my neighbors say there are twenty Gods or no Gods. It neither cheated me nor hurt me.
The term "kafir" as a synonym for Muslim remains one of the worst insults an American, whether to a certain figure or fellow presidential candidate from 1776 to 1800 onwards, can hurl.
According to Spellberg (2013) American Muslim civil rights symbolize the universality of religious pluralism in the United States. "As such, challenges to Muslim civil rights continue to pose a threat to the rights of all Americans," he wrote.
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