“If you alienate the Muslim young people from America, that is dangerous,” said Fareed Siddiq, a Muslim father of two, living in Ohio. He told Newsweek he was concerned that anti-Muslim sentiment in America was getting worse. He said, “I’m not so much worried about myself. It’s the young people I’m concerned with. Those are the people we need to try – not only as Muslims but as Americans – to make them feel part of America. If you alienate the Muslim young people from America, that is dangerous.”[1]

            Dangerous? Siddiq’s choice of words is telling. Surely it is regrettable, unfortunate, and frustrating when minorities feel estranged fromAmerica’s “melting pot.” But Siddiq warned that alienated Muslims are “dangerous.” Why would that be?

            President Bush tells Americans, “Islam is a faith based upon love, not hate.”[2] Bush said, “Islam is fully compatible with liberty and tolerance.”[3] So why would alienated Muslims be dangerous?

            There is a bias in the President’s rhetoric to paint an unduly favorable picture of Islam. While it is politically expedient to whitewash Islam with cultural buzzwords like “liberty” and “tolerance,” it does not change the content of Islam’s constitution, the Qur’an.

            The Qur’an promotes alienation of Muslims in America. They feel tension in being “Muslim” and “American.” It is greater than the Christian struggle of being “in the world, but not of the world,” simply because the Bible reveals the God of love (1 John 4:8) – not a god that hates unbelievers (Surah 3:31-32). The Bible values human life as that created in the image of God. It reveals the golden rule. Universal Life and Liberty stem from Biblical principles. However, the Qur’an says non-Muslims are perverse (Surah 9:30) and without rights (Surah 9:29).

            The Qur’an is full of hate, violence, and incitement. Islam is dangerous.

The Danger of Denial

            Despite terrorist attacks on U.S.soil, many Americans refuse to acknowledge that Islam teaches violence. They enable terrorists at home and abroad by swallowing the lie that Islam has been “hijacked.” Western society stubbornly rejects the possibility that Muslim terrorists are genuinely devout. They are portrayed as war mongers who project their agendas on a defenseless religion. But the fact is that many terrorist acts are planned (or executed) by Muslim doctors, architects, and graduate students. Well-educated, professional Muslims read the Qur’an and conclude they should be jihadeen! Yet our nation either cannot see (because of willful ignorance) or will not admit (because of Political Correctness) that Muslims are obeying violent precepts such as:

“Fight those People of the Book who do not believe in God [Allah] and the Last Day, who do not prohibit what God and His Apostle have forbidden, nor accept divine law, until all of them pay protective tax in submission.” – Surah 9:29[4]

Christians understand that intelligent, faithful people obey scripture. They believe the Bible is God’s Word (2 Timothy 3:16-17). Likewise, Muslims believe the Qur’an is Allah’s revelation. Christians trust God meant what He said. Islamic terrorists feel the same way. The “Islamists” give book, chapter, and verse for their violence. Societies cannot continue to deny that Islamic “scripture” decrees domination of non-Muslims: Christians, Jews, Atheists…whoever.

The Danger of the Unknown

            Westerners often don’t see the danger. Many acts of Islamic violence go unreported by major media outlets in the U.S. In their defense, it would be difficult to report every Islamic murder, every day of the year. But websites like http://www.thereligionofpeace.com chronicle daily Islamic terror attacks from all over the world – countries diverse as Somalia,Thailand, and Canada, besides Israel and Iraq.

Even when major media outlets do report on Islamic violence, there is double-talk. For instance:

• The “tribal” genocide committed in Darfur, ongoing since 2003, has been perpetrated by Muslims.
• The Chechen “rebels” attackingRussiasince 1999 are Muslim.
• The November 2007 riots in France by “immigrant youths,” were all Muslims.

            People might think Islam is dangerous if stories clearly identified the genocide, rebels, or rioters as Islamic.

The Danger to Non-Muslims

            The Qur’an commands able Muslims to fight non-Muslims (Surah 9:29; 2:216). Jihad distinguishes true believers. Better Muslims fight in Allah’s cause.

 “The faithful who sit idle, other than those who are disabled, are not equal to those who fight in the way of God with their wealth and lives. God has exalted those in rank who fight for the faith with their wealth and souls over those who sit idle. Though God’s promise of good is for all, He has granted His favour of the highest reward to those who struggle in preference to those who sit at home.” – Surah 4:95

The Jihadeen wants forgiveness of sins and Paradise. It’s not all about Paradise’s promised pleasures though. Death in Jihad is the only assurance of forgiveness. The Qur’an declares that fighters are forgiven and rewarded (Surah 4:96; 4:74).

The Danger to National Sovereignty

            The natural progression of Islam in any society, ultimately, is to establish Shariah Law. Historically, Islam developed with the life and times of Muhammad. Initially he was an outsider, preaching monotheism and social reform to the authorities of Mecca. But through a series of wars, he came to rule Mecca along with the entire Arabian Peninsula. Once he became Caliph (emperor) his recitations set government policy. Today, Islam intends to be a Theocracy – just like Muhammad established. Shariah Law is the blending of Qur’anic verse and Muslim tradition (Hadiths) as national law and policy.Saudi Arabia and Iran are examples.

            Shariah Law denies freedom of Speech, Religion, and equality of the sexes. It imposes dress codes and daily prayers. It punishes theft with severing hands and the list of capital crimes includes adultery and conversion to Christianity!

            Warfare is not always necessary to enact Shariah Law. In a democracy, it can be voted in. Such efforts are underway in America. Consider the words of Omar M. Ahmad, founder of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), an influential lobby group. He said, “Islam isn’t in America to be equal to any other faith but to become dominant. The Quran should be the highest authority in America, and Islam the only accepted religion on earth.”[5]

            “Free” nations have chosen Shariah Law. After the Taliban was ousted by American forces and Afghanistan was democratized, the nation used their elections to instate Shariah Law. The Afghanis may have disliked the Taliban but they were still Muslims. Since “freedom” came to Afghanistan, at least one man – Abdul Rahman – has stood trial for his life, charged with being a Christian.[6] The court-appointed defense pled insanity and Rahman was deported.

The Danger in America

Of all the Muslims in the U.S., Fundamentalists hold the greatest influence. The Pew Research Center interviewed 55,000 Muslims for their views about life, religion, world affairs, and America. They published their findings last May in the report, “Muslim Americans: Middle Class and Mostly Mainstream.”[7] They learned:

• There are approximately 2.35 million Muslims in America.
• 65% of Muslims in America are foreign born.
• 26% of Muslims age 18 to 29 believe that suicide bombing can be justified.
• 39% of Muslims age 18 to 29 believe that newly arrived Muslims should remain distinct from the society at large.

Young Muslims in America are sympathetic to fundamental interpretation of the Qur’an. This is because Fundamental Islam is taught.

“There are so few homegrown Muslim clerics in America today – and almost no institutions for training them – that prayer in most mosques is led by a scholar fresh off the plane from Lebanon, say, or Saudi Arabia, someone with no connection to America and no affinity for its culture….More unsettling is the question of what these foreign-born imams preach… The danger is obvious: if Saudi Arabia is exporting its Wahabi Islam to this country via imams, pamphlets, Qur’ans and buildings, how long before a warped version of this extremist ideology intersects with a vulnerable group of teenagers?”[8]

            Oversea support of the growing Muslim-American community is mostly Sunni and Wahabi from Saudi Arabia. The nation has sponsored Islamic Studies departments in universities and colleges.[9] Additionally, about 8 out of 10 mosques in the United States are under Saudi Wahabi control.[10]

            Infamous Muslims are here. Investigative journalist Paul Sperry learned, “All told, al-Qaida has trained up to one hundred and twenty thousand terrorists around the world, and as many as five thousand terrorist operatives are said to be inside the U.S., according to U.S.intelligence.”[11]

Facing Danger          

Remember, as in all Faiths, Muslim individuals pick which commandments of the Qur’an they will obey. And Muslims don’t have to conquer this country to instate Shariah Law. They just need a majority vote.

Christians should not be fearful of Muslim-Americans. But they should be informed about Islam. Christians should not be bigoted toward Muslims, but they should be active in prayer and evangelism. The only weapon that can prevail against an ideological, and religious enemy, is the Sword of the Spirit, the Word of God. Victory cannot come by taking lives, only by winning souls.

Near The Word is the web home for the preaching and teaching ministry of Andrew Roberts. This site operates with the conviction that the Bible is the Word of God, understandable and applicable to life today. Please look around, listen to some messages, and study along in your Bible.