1. In Islam, power comes through elections. Elections that are free, transparent, informed.
2. We elect the person we think to be the best for the job. Not our relatives; not our friends; not our party people; not those whose color, race, nationality or gender we share; not those who pay us to vote for them; but people we sincerely and objectively, and before God, think are absolutely the most suited people for the job.
3. Once elected, obedience to that leadership is no less important than obedience to God.
4. But when the leadership asks us to do things that are clearly Haram -- contrary to the clear directives of Islam itself -- we say no to that leadership and we disobey.
5. Pretty much the same goes for prioritizing the Law of the Land -- in the lands in which we may be living, regardless of whether those lands and countries and societies are Islamic or non-Islamic, and whether or not their populations are mostly Muslim or non-Muslim -- over the wishes and directives and commands of the leadership. That means, should our leadership ever ask us to do things that violate the Law of the Land, that are clearly illegal, we do not obey the leadership. We decisively say "No!" to the leadership.
6. Thus, when a directive issued by leadership is neither Haram, nor illegal, obeying that directive from the leadership is Fard or Wajib or compulsory, or whatever it is that Muslims call these things.
Meaning, you simply got to do it. For, your very Islam hangs in the balance with your attitude to that directive coming from your leadership.
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