Is there any connection between Islam and terrorism? Honestly, it should be a rhetorical question by now. Still, for whatever reasons, many resist connecting the dots.
Within minutes of news reports that there was an explosion at a concert in Manchester, social media lit up. There were those who quickly raised the terrorism question. Others just as quickly chided them for “jumping the gun” and thinking the worst.
As soon as it became impossible to dodge the fact that it was a premeditated terrorist attack perpetrated by a Muslim, the narrative changed. I followed the flood of twitter comments: This isn’t about Islam etc, etc. Even before the details of the Manchester explosion emerged, one fervent resident recounted that the Muslim community was out there helping the injured.
Now I can neither confirm the account nor judge the intention of the Muslims. Does the Muslim community regularly deploy itself to minister to scenes of disaster? I don’t want to be cynical. I prefer to be cautiously realistic.
What is crystal clear is the obsessive desire to disassociate Islam from terrorism. This, once again, was evident in the more recent “London Bridge” terrorist attack. London Mayor Sadiq Khan and self-described Muslim Progressive Reza Aslan quickly responded to President Trump’s tweets about border security. The latter peppered his response with off-color language.
Khan warned Trump that he should let Muslims in or they will Attack America. It’s hard to reconcile his reasoning. America was attacked long before Mr. Trump’s attempt to introduce his immigration policies. And would these be the same Muslims who adhere to the tolerant Islam of the Qur’an? France and Germany have had the immigration welcome mat out for years. Yet they’ve sustained a series of terrorist attacks.
Perhaps potential terrorists might consider providing their western hosts a list of grievances so there’s no danger of offense. But the really important thing to remember is that this isn’t about Islam. Just follow the bouncing ball and sing along as you wave your peace lilies. My sarcasm is showing.
People want to defend Islam at all cost, even some Christians at the expense of their faith. One twitter comment I encountered was from a “Christian” pastor who called himself an aspiring theologian. For the record, many theologians are also accomplished apostates.
One should expect a pastor to hold some reverence for Scripture. Not in this case. He tweeted: “So, the Qur’an is violent, you say? Let’s take a look at Christianity’s holy scripture.”
What followed was a sampling of verses taken from the Qur’an and the Bible. His selection of Bible verses could have been taken from any Village Atheist’s play box (and probably were). These have been addressed in commentaries and by apologists, ad nauseum. Why would a “pastor” do that (James 3:1)? It was a rhetorical question!
Let’s keep it simple. Muhammad perpetuated his Islamic ideology through fear and bloodshed. The Qur’an is replete with verses admonishing Muslims to fight the infidel. Even today, non-Muslims are treated as second class citizens in Muslim dominated countries. Do your research.
Someone recently asked me whether these Qur’anic verses are misinterpreted (see links below). That’s a great question. Some Christian scholars allegorize violent passages in the Book of Revelation. They find a wrathful God distasteful, so they assign innocuous meanings to these “apocalyptic” verses. Ironically most of them recognize that Christ died on the cross to spare us from God’s wrath.
But the fact is that Christians are commanded to love and pray for their enemies, unlike the Qur’an (Matt 5:43-48). There are no violent biblical verses regarding Christian action which need to be allegorized.
On the other hand one wonders why there are so many violent jihad verses in the Qur’an which allegedly don’t mean what they plainly state. Why should violent verses be used to portray a peaceful jihad, and how did Muhammad’s own life reflect the Qur’an?
It’s vitally important that our opinions be informed.
We are living in an increasingly post-modern, pluralistic world. Islam is intrinsically resistant to pluralism. The Qur’an forbids the faithful Muslim to integrate into infidel society. Furthermore the larger the number of Muslim representation, the greater the odds the community will produce Muslims who are faithful to Muhammad’s legacy.
What’s the solution to terrorism? David Goldman has chewed the cud on this. I don’t agree with all his thoughts. However the following are examples worthy of note:
Ordinary Muslims live in fear of the terror networks, which have infiltrated their communities and proven their ability to turn the efforts of western security services against them…They are less likely to inform on prospective terrorists and more likely to aid them by inaction…western European Muslims fear the terrorists more than they fear the police.
Most Muslims are peaceful people who disapprove of terrorism, but many are not. Opinion polls show a large and consistent minority of 20% to 40% approves of at least some form of terrorism. Support for ISIS generally is low, but much higher for Hezbollah, Hamas and other terrorist groups. By any reasonable count there are a few hundred million Muslims who in some way approve of terror, although very few of them would take part in terror attacks. But they are the sea in which the sharks can swim unobserved.
One fairly significant outcome from the latest attack in England has been the refusal of a number of Imams to perform funeral rites for deceased terrorists. According to Fox News:
“We, as Muslim imams and religious leaders, condemn the recent terror attacks in Manchester and London in the strongest terms possible,” the Muslim leaders said in a statement.
We (including me) must remember to keep these Muslim communities in our prayers. The antidote for Islamic terrorism isn’t appeasement or numerous other placations. It is Christ’s gospel.
Ironically, this world is increasingly hostile to Pure Christianity. And, tragically, there are also too many examples of Christian leaders who welcome non-Christian faiths as equally valid. This presents a watered down Christianity, which is no Christianity at all.
This dying world desperately needs Jesus Christ. He is the only final solution to this world’s problems.
Maranatha!
For further research:
Robert Spencer – What is Jihad?
What Does Islam Teach About Violence?
Time for a Terrorism Accord, Not a Climate Accord
Why I refuse to Lie about Islam
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