Born in Houston, Texas, Daniel Haqiqatjou is a scholar of Islam. He attended Harvard University where he majored in Physics and minored in Philosophy.
According to his Facebook page, Haqiqatjou completed a Masters degree in Philosophy at Tufts University. Haqiqatjou also studies traditional Islamic sciences part-time. He writes and lectures on contemporary issues surrounding Muslims and Modernity. He is also a contributor to the Muslim Debate Initiative.
On September 17, 2018 Daniel Haqiqatjou posted:
If I told you that Muslims should stay politically neutral on the issue of Palestine, that we should just know in our hearts that what Israel is doing to our Muslim brothers and sisters is wrong, but we shouldn’t speak out on it or protest or work politically to make a difference because it’s politically inconvenient and there might be backlash, what would you say?
If I told you that Muslims shouldn’t make a fuss about the treatment of immigrants and refugees, that we should just respect that there is a difference of opinion in the public discourse, so Muslims don’t need to get involved and they can just maintain their Islamic principles privately without speaking out, what would you say?
If I told you that Muslims should not take a stance on the rise of fascist politicians and we should not take a stand to oppose overtly fascist political actors because it is too politically complicated and if we oppose the freedoms of one political minority, that will affect our freedoms as Muslims, so better for us to keep our heads down and not get involved, what would you say?
If I told you that Muslims should refuse to speak out against tyrants in the Muslim world and we should not criticize dictators who kill and massacre Muslims because that is politically hazardous and it is best to just know in our hearts that massacring Muslims is wrong, but we shouldn’t speak out against this oppression because it isn’t going to change anything and why risk backlash, what would you say?
If I told you that Muslims must keep quiet on the issue of racism and not ruffle any feathers since a large percentage of the American population supports racist policies and we don’t want to face backlash or see our rights as Muslims taken away and we have to be pragmatic by remaining neutral and silent on police brutality and systematic racism against black people, what would you say?
In all those cases, you would call me spineless at best. You would rightly criticize me for violating Islamic principles and being shortsighted and not recognizing the devastating damage that is caused by Israel, by anti-refugee policies, by fascists, by tyrants, by racists, etc. You might even call me a coward for refusing to do my Islamic duty by enjoining good and forbidding evil.
But when it comes to LGBT and the spread of fahisha [evil/ immoral deed], this is precisely the directive given to us by some prominent voices. They tell us to be quiet, to not get involved, to not sign petitions, to not protest new legislation, to not be politically active, etc. But when it comes to those other issues where it is politically safe for them (and their careers), they give fiery speeches and push for activism and marches and involvement.
Isn’t the double standard clear?
In a comment to his post he added:
Muslims are living in society. If fahisha [evil/ immoral deed] spreads in society, Muslims are not immune to the impact. If I were living in the Muslim world, I would be extremely disappointed with how many Western Muslims have conceded so much to the LGBT movement because whatever is allowed to spread in the West will eventually spread in the East. India recently legalized a great deal of this fahisha [evil/ immoral deed]. Muslim countries will soon follow.