I’ll always remember the Twin Towers! I will never forget waking up one morning and watching two planes crash into the buildings. The world suddenly changed. The images and emotion will remain with me forever.
God had already called me out of the New Age. This was another wakeup call.
A confession
I’m writing this partly out of frustration. Aside from the obvious terrorist attacks, I distinctly recall how some immediately began to whitewash Islam and excuse the attacks.
I also recall those incidents where people celebrated the attacks. I’m not just talking about terrorists in other nations but so-called moderates in the West.
Yes, the world changed. The most powerful nation in the world was successfully attacked from without. In trying to understand what happened I read and listened to a lot about Islam “the Religion of Peace.”
Cognitive Dissonance
I remember the pious folk who pointed to lack and “income inequality” for desperate measures. That’s the root cause of terrorism, they said. The folk who perpetrated the attacks were, in fact, privileged. One Rock Star even petitioned the Australian Prime Minister to raise taxes for more money to poorer nations, in order to prevent future terrorism.
Remember the BLM riots? “They do this because they’re poor and can’t afford food.” Some of these apparently well-fed folk stole TV sets and other luxury items – just saying.
Then there was the celebrity moderate Muslim who insisted Islam was essentially peaceful or could be interpreted as personal Jihad. His obfuscation fell apart for me when he was caught on camera obstinately refusing to denounce the Twin Tower attacks.
Why would a “moderate” Muslim decline to condemn a terrorist attack? Is that question in itself Islamophobic? Some will insist it is. Perhaps skeptics ought to read about how 9/11 affected one moderate’s community HERE. It’s another case of an Islamic scholar telling the world all that it prefers to hear…with an all too familiar twist!
See also Jihad Through Michael Scheuer’s Eyes and The Corrupt University and 9/11
Questions about Islam ought to include the definition of “moderate” versus what the religion really teaches. Are moderates the ones observing Islam or are they the backslidden? What about Muhammad and history? How do you know Islam is a religion of peace if you haven’t studied it?
I can’t conclude this section without mentioning Nabeel Qureshi’s book “Seeking Allah Finding Jesus.” He was an example of a peaceful Muslim who abhorred the attacks and worried about the backlash. But, as it turned out, Qureshi’s understanding of Islam needed to be corrected.
The New Terrorists within
There are new terrorists in town. They may look ordinary, but you had better be wary.
Just to be clear, we’re not talking about the Antifa and BLM rioters. They have legitimate excuses to do what they do, right? On 9/11/2021 I came across the first bizarre Tweet proclaiming that the alleged Jan 6 Capitol Insurrection was much worse that the events of 9/11. This is the new truth…
Those storming the Capitol were (apparently) the real terrorists. You know; the far right; the bitter Trump supporters; the “conspiracy theorist” conservatives, those who refuse vaccination, those who oppose abortion rights and CRT etc, etc.
That Tweet rightly drew plenty of sober criticism. But then the same sentiment seemed to bleed into various talks around the nation, given by people who I presumed knew better. One wonders whether these folk are really that obtuse or worse. Either way it’s a problem.
The real terrorists
Who are the real terrorists within America? Aside from the obvious – you can figure it out – might I suggest it is the totalitarians who dictate to others how and what they should think? They are the ones who decide “truth” and punish those subversives who dare question it.
For a number of years American influencers have worked hard to purge Christianity from the public square. One reason for this is because Christians teach that unchanging truth is found in the Bible. In that sense it is an intolerant faith which opposes the constant shifting to the culture’s goal posts. It is counter-culture.
As Christians we are to stand firm on God’s Word, to be witnesses for Christ, and speak up against evil. We must do this in love and patience. However that won’t prevent Christians from being numbered among the New Terrorists.
Remember that God is always in control and we are called to pray. I like that quote from Mary Queen of Scots: “I fear John Knox’s prayers more than an army of ten thousand men.”
Maranatha!
Further resources:
An Interview with Mark Durie on Islam
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