It is often said that Islam is a religion of peace, which respects and honors life. Yet, the message spread by the words and actions of ISIS and other terrorist groups in the name of Allah indicate otherwise. Although these vocal terrorists are only a small percentage of the Muslim population, what troubles many Westerners is that only a few of the vast numbers of peaceful Muslim groups are expressing disapproval of ISIS’ savage activities.
Is their silence the silence of good people intimidated by the raging madness of these murderers, or is their silence the silence of an enemy that clandestinely supports the terrorists’ political-religious practices?
On September 19, 2014, Fox News reported that a few thousand Muslims gathered in Berlin to protest the crimes committed by militants in the name of Allah. This protest came after Germany learned that ISIS would soon spread terrorism into Europe, specifically into Germany. On September 12, 2014, Deutsche Welle published what the head of the Federation of German Police Officers, André Schulz, told the business news website, Handelsblatt Online: “In security circles, the talk is no longer of whether an attack will occur in Germany, but rather when.”
Similar threats of imminent terrorist activities have been reported in North America as well. These news-breaking threats should have been enough to alert every concerned Muslim group around the world to take a stand against ISIS and show solidarity with the West against the terrorists. What we got instead was silence. There are 1.6 billion Muslims around the world. Of this huge population, the only ones primarily making noise are the jihadists who represent about 15 to 20 percent of the Muslim population.
If the majority of the Muslims, the peaceful ones, spoke out, their combined voice would be deafening. Why isn’t this happening? Why are we instead only hearing from a few?
Is this because Muslims fear, if they become vocal, it may lead to reprisal? Surely this can’t be completely true. Not all of the over billion Muslims are intimidated by the militants. There must be enough peaceful ones in the West willing to speak out – willing to protest against the brutal crimes against non-believers. Why aren’t they?
Today the rules are changing. Rebellious groups are coming to America to impose their laws on it.
Many Muslims don’t live in Islamic countries. They live almost everywhere, and in many countries where they can speak out without fear of reprisal. Why does it take a major threat for only an insignificant fraction of good Muslims (as in Germany) to speak out? Is this because this is all there are?
It is true, of course, many Muslims around the world live in packs outside the mainstream of their non-Muslim host country, where they are being taught to think by mullahs and taught to obey laws by the religious police. For many such Muslims, there is no such thing as free choice. Within these tight packs, they are expected to obey Sharia Law or suffer the consequences (Sharia Law 5:33). Consequently, instead of blending into the mainstream of their newly adopted country, they are being encouraged to impose their culture on it.
In America, for example, Muslims have succeeded at claiming positions of influence in communities like Dearborn, Michigan. This newly acquired power in such communities has led to serious tension between the Christians and Muslims. This is rare in America, which has always been the great melting pot. People have come to America to become Americans and to dedicate their lives to achieving the American Dream. Tolerance for different religions has long been the rule, providing these religions respect the laws of the country. Today the rules are changing. Rebellious groups are coming to America to impose their laws on it.
The real impact of all this change is being concealed by the media. What we are hearing, when the story is too significant to hide, are half-truths. For example, many of the crimes by Muslim terrorists (when reported) have been reported as crimes committed by loners: The recent beheading of a woman at work (CNN report) in Oklahoma; the shooting of a soldier in Ottawa Canada (Yahoo! News); and the hatchet man in New York who attacked police officers (CNN report). By treating these acts of violence as crimes by loners, the media (and the government) are able to conceal the true affiliation of the terrorists and the true size of the organization behind them.
No one in authority seems to be willing to examine the possibility that these crimes may be connected to the 15 -20 percent of organized terrorists or the 80-85 percent of the peaceful Muslims around the world.
It is reasonable to believe, if thinking Muslims were concerned about terrorist activities, large numbers of them would be publicly protesting such terrorism or leaving their faith in large numbers to demonstrate their support of the West. The fact that neither is occurring, especially in the West, where they are free to express themselves openly, allows one to conclude that they must be sympathetic to jihadist activities.
If this continues, if the West doesn’t soon address the potential magnitude of its internal problems, what is occurring in the Middle East today will soon occur in the West, and just as tragically. This could eventually wipe away Western civilization by a tribe of black flag swaying ISIS lunatics.
What is happening in Syria and Iraq in the name of Allah is beyond outrageous. It is war against everything that is decent and humane.
It is time that those huge numbers of Muslims, proclaimed to be peaceful, if they exist, step out of their cloisters and join the civilized world. Failure to do so will only convince the West that they are united – butunited against “infidels.”
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Joe David is the author of The Infidels, a moving story about the World War I genocide against Christians led by the Ottoman Turks. A long-time critic of our schools, he has also written three books on education, The Fire Within. Glad You Asked! and Teacher of the Year.