Should We Fear Islam?

Common sense, analysis of history, and sober assessment of current world circumstances allow for only one conclusion: Even though we have nothing to fear whatsoever from the vast majority of Muslims, we should be very afraid of Islam.

Should We Fear Islam?


Islam conquered most of the known world within 100 years of Mohammed’s death in 632, creating an empire larger even than Alexander’s.

Initially, Mohammed shared his experience of divine revelation peacefully. This was not successful. After 13 years of preaching in Mecca, Mohammed was unable to persuade more than 150 converts to the Faith. The Qur’an from this period, termed the “Meccan” Qur’an, otherwise considered the ‘peaceful’ Qur’an, contains the bulk of the Qur’an’s comforting ‘live and let live’ passages, including Mohammed’s revelations that “you have your religion and I have mine,” or “there should be no compulsion in religion.”

In 622, for unclear reasons, Mohamed was ejected from Mecca. He migrated to Medina. For unclear reasons and based upon a previously unsuspected skill set, once in Medina, Mohammed the Prophet underwent a transformation into Mohammed the Prophet and Warlord.

Within two years of his arrival in Medina, Mohammed converted, killed, or enslaved everyone in the city. On one day alone he executed 800 Jewish men and boys who refused to convert to Islam. At the time of Mohammed’s death seven years later, Mohammed had conquered all of Arabia and converted all Arabs to Islam. The Warlord Prophet Mohammed in Medina was clearly far more successful, spiritually and materially, than the lone but peaceful Prophet in Mecca. Interestingly, the Qur’an from this period, the “Medina” Qur’an, is the version of the Qur’an the Qur’an itself declares to be the genuine Qur’an. Unfortunately, the Medina Qur’an is the breathtakingly violent Qur’an.

Within slightly more than 100 years after Mohammed’s death, Islam conquered North Africa, Egypt, Arabia, the Levant, Turkey, Syria, Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, portions of India and Southeast Asia, as well as portions of Italy, all of Spain, and parts of southern France. In fact, Muslims advanced as far as Tours, merely 150 miles from Paris, halted against all odds by Charles Martel and the Franks in 732. Islam continued its assault upon the West, eventually besieging Vienna as recently as 1529, and returning to attack it again in 1683. At both Tours and Vienna, the Christian West prevailed, but not by much.

All in all, since 622 or so, believers in Allah and his Prophet, Mohammed, have been remarkably successful at conquering and converting people (many hundreds of millions). Muslims have also been successful at killing people (perhaps 270 million since 623), enslaving them (the most profligate slavers of the modern era), and destroying ancient libraries and antiquities. Even so, why should we fear Islam, or Muslims, now?

Why should we fear Islam, or Muslims: 9/11, ISIS, and an Iran with ICBM’s and nukes.
The easy answers: 9/11, ISIS, and an Iran with ICBM’s and nukes.

On a more fundamental level, however, there remain foundational elements of Islam implying much greater concerns than either 9/11, ISIS, or nukes.

These foundational elements are Islam’s very own holy works, including the three most prominent, the Qur’an (revelations of Allah to his Prophet), the Sira (Mohammed’s biography), and Haddith (traditions of Islam).

In particular, the smaller portion of the Qur’an, the Medina Koran, not only describes gratuitous violence and bloodshed on behalf of Islam, not only recommends it, but exhorts it. Moreover, the more violent parts of the Qur’an are the most recent. This is a crucial insight: It is well accepted that the more recent revelations “abrogate” (replace) the older ones. Unfortunately, this means most notions of “peace” or “there should be no compulsion in religion,” or “jihad refers to a spiritual journey,” are absent from any legitimate interpretation of the contemporary Qur’an.

Of course, one must distinguish between Islam’s scripture and its practitioners. Reason demands the belief we have no cause to fear most of the 1.7 billion Muslims in the world. Reason alone persuades us the overwhelming majority of Muslims are peaceful and intend non-Muslims no harm. Consequently, reason would also therefore persuade us that many/most Muslims do not interpret the Qur’an in the way the Qur’an directs them to, or are not intimately familiar with it or its companion texts (similar to the circumstance in which most Christians remain ignorant of the details of the Old or New Testaments). Reason would also suggest even were peaceful Muslims to study and correctly interpret the Qur’an, the doctrine of abrogation, and the consequent dangerous implications (for non-Muslims), they would not act upon these, i.e. they would still pose no danger to non-Muslims.

But.

The Qur’an, Sira and Haddith are consistent in their demands the believer pursue jihad (physically violent jihad), i.e. subjugation and conversion of all non-believers (Kafirs), and that all non-believers are to be killed or enslaved (other than for Jews and Christians who are permitted semi-slavery, i.e. Dhimmitude). The Qur’an, Sira and Haddith command compliance with Sharia Law (Islamic Law), which is derived from these sources. In particular, Sharia Law commands:

Relentless jihad (not the ‘spiritual journey’ kind) until all of Man is subjugated to Islam.
Subjugation of and second class status for all non-believers.
A guarantee of Heaven only for dying in jihad.

Death for apostasy (speaking against Islam or trying to leave the Islamic Faith).

Sanction for four or more wives (Great Britain currently permits a single man to receive welfare benefits for up to four concurrent wives).
Submission of all women to their husbands

Particular types of beatings meted out to wives who are not obedient (different varieties of beatings are suggested dependent upon nature of the disobedience).

Stoning to death for adultery.
Lying to Kafirs if necessary for self-protection but also in service of Islam (Sacred Deception).
Etc.

It should now be understood Islam does not allow for terms such as “Muslim extremist” or “moderate Muslim.” Instead, there are only those Muslims who do as instructed, comply with Allah’s commands and imitate the life of Mohammed (including the warlord part), and those Muslims who do not, and varying gradations in between. Understanding this permits the insight, then, that a “good” Muslim is precisely the kind of Muslim we find in service of ISIS. It is these Muslims who are most compliant with the literal commands of Islam’s holy works. Fortunately, these genuine (scripturally compliant) Muslims, ISIS Muslims, are the rarest Muslims.

In this context, then, non-believers should take heart that the overwhelming majority of Muslims interpret their foundational texts somewhat differently than these texts demand they be interpreted—which explains why the majority of Muslims are not driving planes into buildings or blowing up shopping malls.

Regardless, and even if we leave the Obama Iranian Nuclear Bomb Project aside, it seems prudent we fear, or maintain a healthy dose of respect for, the potential for Islam (1.7 billion believers) to become far more dangerous than it is now.

Even more than the potential danger implicit in a Muslim’s strict adherence to Islam’s scripture, the contemporary beliefs of many Muslims gives pause:

Pew research (8/2013) reveals, for example:

56-76% of South Asia and Middle-East Muslims believe people who leave Islam (apostates) should be executed.

87% believe a wife must obey her husband (the Qur’an/Haddith prescribe species of beatings recommended for different kinds of spousal insubordination).

A sizeable minority of Muslims believe suicide bombing is “often/sometimes justified”: Pakistan 13%, Bangladesh 26%; Egypt 29%. Read these numbers again.

Islam has 1.7 billion adherents. It has a 1000-year history of world domination. It was nearly successful in conquering Europe entirely, and in ending Christianity. Its foundational documents are unchanged—there is no Islamic “New Testament.” It still commands its adherents follow in the path of Mohammed (the Prophet and Warlord). Death in jihad is the only guarantee of admission to Heaven. Thus, the “game of chicken” between the US and USSR in the Cold War, (the doctrine of MAD, i.e. Mutually Assured Destruction) is unlikely to be helpful in a potential nuclear exchange with Iran. If one party to MAD does not fear destruction, or actually aspires to destruction in service of jihad, MAD will fail. Ultimately, then, there is no foreseeable constraint upon Iran’s use of nuclear weapons. This is frightening.

Common sense, analysis of history, and sober assessment of current world circumstances allow for only one conclusion: Even though we have nothing to fear whatsoever from the vast majority of Muslims, we should be very afraid of Islam.


By Dr. Brad Lyles