is known as the Pledge of Allegiance. Instead of declaring fidelity to a monarch, the pledge is made to the flag, the republic, and to the core values of the country, specifically liberty and justice. The reciting of the pledge in the United States is voluntary because of the rights guaranteed to the people under the First Amendment to the United States Constitution - specifically, the guarantee of freedom of speech, which inherently includes the freedom not to speak. In Islam The word used in the Arabic language for allegiance is bay'at (Arabic: بيعة), which means "taking hand". The practice is sanctioned in the Quran by Surah 48:10: "Verily, those who give thee their allegiance, they give it but to Allah Himself". The word is used for the oath of allegiance to an emir. It is also used for the initiation ceremony specific to many Sufi orders. See also Impressment Legitimacy (political) Mandate of Heaven Renunciation of citizenship Treason Usurpation War of 1812 Winfield Scott References Further reading Salmond on "Citizenship and Allegiance," in the Law Quarterly Review (July 1901, January 1902). Nationalism de:Loyalität es:Lealtad ko:충 no:Lojalitet sv:Lojalitet