Apologists, both Western and Muslim, claim that Islamist extremism and terrorism have been bred by resentment of Western power. The military dominance of Israel, the roots of the Kashmir dispute, the megalomania of the Shah of Iran, and Suez are all seen to be examples of Western hubris and ill-will towards the Muslim world.
We can acknowledge that these have contributed to anti-Western sentiment in the Muslim world, but it would be a serious mistake to believe this provides a complete account of the extremism and the terror that has resulted from it.
At the heart of extremism is an ideology, a world-view ”“ and not just concerning the perceived wrong done to the Muslim Umma (or people). Such an ideology expects Islam to dominate rather than to accept a subservient place in world affairs. It promotes pan-Islam and the ultimate rejection of nation-states, even Muslim ones. It may be that some extremists chatter about an Islamic state, in this part of the world or that; however, its ultimate aim is a single Islamic political, social, economic and spiritual entity.
The article incisively reminds us that although Western ascendancy
may have something to do with Muslim grievances, Islam itself is
ab initio an aggressive, expansionist creed which seeks to
carry all before it, with ready resort to coercive means. Spain
labored for more than 700 years to free itself from the Muslim yoke.
There are many Muslims who still seethe over this loss.
The thrust and history of Islam does not seek accommodation – it
seeks the subjugation, and ultimately the extirpation, of all other
creeds, replacing them with barbarism masquerading as a culture
and religion, and also seeks an Arabic hegemony over all peoples.
If history teaches us anything it is, that Islam is only ever stopped when it meets a stronger, more committed force. Any weakness will be taken as proof of victory.
The Knights of Malta, though outnumbered by a vast amount fought off the Muslim siege by making the besiegers fear their dedication. There is an account of one watch tower defended by three Knights, the invaders were sure of victory until the knights dressed some of their servants in the order’s surcoats. Thirty Knights were apparently too many to tackle, and the invaders withdrew. There is also an account of how three gravely wounded knights sat in the breach awaiting the last assault on their position. The sight of these three, calmly awaiting their doom caused the attack to falter, and eventually fail. Sadly our ardor has cooled while theirs has grown stronger.
#1 and #2. OK, so what are you doing about it?
3. No, John A., what are [b]YOU[/b] doing about it?
John A,
To respond to your query, when involved in a serious discussion
regarding Islam, I point out that Islam seeks not so much to become
part of the cultural or religious mix, but to reformulate cultures
into a homogeneous entity solely along Islamic and Arab cultural
lines. Furthermore, as Islam is not homogeneous, it has frequently
indulged in horrific internecine warfare between the Shia and Sunni
branches. The whole notion of “honor killings”, seems firmly rooted in
the soil of those countries and cultures in which Islam holds sway.
In brief, I use discussions to remind others that Islam is not just
another religion which can be added to the cultural mix, but one
which seeks to replace and extirpate all aspects of western culture
and religions. It is entirely illiberal in its approach to the non-Islamic.
Cennydd13, Not sure what you mean by starting your question with a “No” but I am glad to answer your question. I have recently attended a weekend conference on the launching of a new outreach ministry to Muslims, am participating in weekly interdenominational prayer meetings as often as I can make it and attending another conference in a couple of weeks.
The most important thing though is to listen to what Muslims and mid easterners have to say and to share the Gospel at every opportunity. I would like to figure out how I can do that more often.
I don’t raise this question to be obnoxious and I hope it didn’t come across that way but in the blogosphere it seems we all spend a lot of time pointing out what is wrong in the world and not much time proposing solutions and we should be able to do better than that.
#5 IK On the whole I agree with what you are saying about the strategy to form a single “entity” but I would put a finer point on your comment about “not just another religion”. It is most certainly not just another religion. It is also traditionally a totalitarian political ideology. The current political strategy in the west, which the press never seems to overtly acknowledge, is to define Islam as a “peaceful religion” and to define those that hold to the traditional political view of Islam as being “Islamist”.
‘Moderate’ Muslims is a label that applies to a broad spectrum of views and I suppose the Western strategy, if there is one, is to encourage a dialog within the Muslim community with the hope of fostering an apolitical version of Islam. I think our personal strategy, as Christians, should be to discuss amongst ourselves and the wider global community whether this is what is going on and if it makes sense. It gives us the opportunity for us to hear other people’s beliefs and for them to hear ours.