On Dec 20, 1777, the Kingdom of Morocco became the world's first country to recognize U.S. independence. Sultan Mohammed III ordered Moroccan ports to open to American ships & an alliance was built.
Some ignorantly claim that Islam & Muslims are incompatible with America. In truth, America's longest global alliance is with Muslim majority Morocco.
So this July 4th—recognize that America’s greatness is as a secular nation that celebrates people of all faiths & no faith on the tenets of justice.
@QasimRashid What you said here is also a beautiful illustration of history, and what 'history' is. This is an indisputable fact. But if it has gone down the memory hole (I never knew all that before, and I'm 73), and it isn't taught to the kiddos,...
"Do not carelessly take the hope of others my friends.
We all derive that most precious gift from so many different sources. From deep within ourselves, from belief in good and benevolent supernatural forces, from belief in ordered and ultimately just natural forces, and from a plethora of other deeply held and personal beliefs uncounted.
Our fight is not with hope fellow citizens, it is with intolerance, despair, suffering, and death.
In fact, we need not fear the beliefs of others, only their imposition upon us."
SearingTruth
Christianity has as a basic tenet that everyone must "find Jesus" and they are obliged to make it happen. They have colonized and sent missionaries to "convert the heathens" all over the world. Of COURSE they want to convert the US.
@QasimRashid Officially, it was Morocco, but the Dutch at St. Eustatius’ Orange Bay, saluted the U.S. flag "Grand Union" on November 16, 1776 when the brigantine Andrew Doria arrived. This was considered by England as the first recognition of independence of the Colonies.
@QasimRashid I was visiting Morocco this past April and that’s when I first learned about their early recognition of the U.S. I didn’t learn about it in any history class.
@nancylwayne@QasimRashid
I feel that I had a pretty good American History education, and even mine didn't dive into the early geopolitics of the United States and the nations of northern Africa.
Which is a crying shame, because it was deeply entwined with the rest of the politics around early international trade and the lead-up to the War of 1812.
@QasimRashid Thomas Jefferson brought two volumes of the Koran while studying law. Historians attribute his purchase to his interest in other religions as well as a means to understand Islam’s influence on some of the world’s legal systems. The article from the Smithsonian also notes 20% of the enslaved Africans were Muslims, but it's not clear why Jefferson, who owned slaves, would have a Koran because of this. https://tinyl.io/8t88
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