Excerpt:
When it comes to Muslim participation in the U.S. war against terror, some prominent Islamic scholars sound ambivalent or downright hostile. In recent years, rulings on the issue have been posted on the website of the Assembly of Muslim Jurists of America (AMJA), which offers online responses to public questions about Islamic law.
The Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) reports that Khatem al-Hajj, an Egyptian cleric living in Minnesota, recently answered a question from a man wanting to know whether it was permissible for a Muslim to enlist in the U.S. Navy. The questioner asked if enlistment might be considered "loyalty to the infidels and leaving the fold [of Islam.]"
Al-Hajj responded by referring the questioner to a detailed document he drew up for the fifth annual AMJA convention held in Bahrain in November 2007. The document outlined arguments for and against Muslims serving on the police force. Problems included the fact that serving on the police force constitutes "aid to perpetrators of crimes and aggression." Most who seek to join Western police forces "do not stand up for truth or help the oppressed," al-Hajj added.