Pharoah claimed he was only trying to help Musa. Prophet Musa replied by pointing to Pharoah’s *actions* not his words: “And is that a blessing that you enslaved Bani Isra’il?"
We too should begin measuring the “adala” or uprightness and trustworthiness of people and political bodies before taking them at their word. Look at their actions. If their actions are against you, their words mean nothing.
Obama had the sweetest words towards Muslims, but his actions tell us that he killed more innocent civilians through drone strikes than even his predecessor Bush. Even my gut says 'he seems like a genuine guy.' But intellect has to rise above gut.
A guy like Trump is actually easier to analyze because he's consistent: his words are as vile as his actions.
The British were master liars and manipulators. Whenever they colonized a land, they claimed the desire to "preserve your tradition" by managing and funding certain institutions such as the Sufi Administration in Egypt and the Samurais in Japan. Of course, it was a bait and switch that always ended up in the destruction or irrelevance of that institution.
These claims by the British elevated the soft-minded who actually believed them. They were trying to kill you only months ago, and now you believe they're trying to help you? Must be a severe state of denial. In the case of the Muslims, some shaykhs accepted British management, registered their orders with them, and recieved nice funding. Others, like Shaykh Abul Aza'im and Muhammad al-Hisafi, refused, knowing that nothing that issued from the colonizers could be trusted.
In time, the British managed to pit the registered shaykhs against those who refused. Shaykh Abul Aza'im was banished from Egypt.
In any conflict, the loser's options are:
1 Confrontation 2 Avoidance 3 Submission 4 Alliance 5 Support 6 Conversion
Some Egyptians went quickly from Confrontation to Support, for only a few years later, a number of Egyptian soldiers fought alongside of the British in the bloody Battle of Omdurman in Sudan.
In the discussion of if/how we should engage with politicians, we ought to keep in mind that the words of people in power mean very little in comparison with their actions. Whether or not to trust someone should be based on their record of action, not claims.
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