As part of this introduction, I want to make my position about Islam perfectly clear, after which much of this study will set out the Biblical reasoning for my stated position, preceded by an attempt to put Islam into some kind of context with both its formation, history and present day trends.
So I will start this study by stating that the Bible identifies Muhammad as a false prophet. It cannot identify him by name, simply because Muhammad was born some 600 years after Jesus, but by identifying Mohammad’s personality, characteristics and behavior as stated in the Quran, the Bible clearly identifies him exactly for what he was.
We will also see that the god that he followed was either invented by Muhammad himself or was in fact a demon sent by Satan to deceive him. We will never know the truth of that. What is very clear is that Islam is based on deception and is a false and blasphemous religion.
Islam teaches that the Quran is the fulfillment and completion of the Bible:
Surah 5:15-16
O People of the Scripture! Now hath Our messenger come unto you, expounding unto you much of that which ye used to hide in the Scripture, and forgiving much. Now hath come unto you light from Allah and plain Scripture, Whereby Allah guideth him who seeketh His good pleasure unto paths of peace. He bringeth them out of darkness unto light by His decree, and guideth them unto a straight path. (1)
This quote from the Quran speaks directly to both Jews and Christians (“People of the Book/Scripture”). It expounds “this book” meaning the Quran, as being the next work of god/Allah to bring us “out of darkness”. Through the Quran, Islam goes to great lengths to both recognise the validity of Jewish “Taurat” (Torah) and Christian Scripture “Injil” (Gospel) and yet reduces Jesus to the role of prophet and raises the status of Muhammad and his followers to be superior to all.
Muhammad and his followers have tried very hard to present the Quran in the most exalted fashion, placing it above the Bible or any other scripture. This is simply not true. There is no evidence whatever to support Islam’s claim. The Bible itself (as we shall see) closes the door to any and all further “revelations” and additions.
The world today is told by many that Islam is a “religion of peace”. We will see that the exact opposite is true. While the majority of Muslims are peaceful in their daily lives, there is a significantly high proportion of Muslims who are willing to resort to anything from mild to extreme aggression and violence to further the spread of Islam.
The reason for the disproportionate levels of violence and aggression among Muslims comes from the very teachings of the Quran.
The book that Muhammad supposedly wrote, the Quran, is actually a collection of sayings that were passed down by word of mouth and were never actually written by Muhammad, because he was illiterate. Some parts were written by a scribe during Muhammad’s lifetime and others written by later Muslim preachers over the next two or more centuries after Muhammad’s death. These writings were falsely said to be the words of Muhammad.
Racism & Islamophobia
Before we continue, I want to make a couple of very important points. The attitude of Western society today is to label and accuse individuals as “racist” for even mentioning minority groups from other ethnic backgrounds. In this study we will be discussing Muslims coming from various countries around the world. Therefore, it is important to appreciate that Islam promotes itself as a religion, not a race. Therefore, to discuss Islam and Muslims cannot possible be deemed as racist, especially as there are a large number of white (in my case British) people who are Muslims. So as a white man, it would seem a very strange thing indeed to call me a racist in such circumstances!
The other label of “Islamophobia” must be given the level of attention that it deserves, which is none. The word is what is known as an “oxymoron”, which according to the English Oxford Dictionary means “A figure of speech in which apparently contradictory terms appear in conjunction”.
It is nonsensical in that a “phobia” is a term used to describe a psychiatric condition (irrational fear). Given that it can be proved beyond any doubt whatever that Islam has been connected to terrorism and other violence by a very high statistically significant level, then there is absolutely nothing irrational about being afraid of Islam.
It should be noted here that this word is always used to label and denigrate anyone who makes any criticism of Islam. As we have the right to our own opinions and free speech, then this label should be ignored, especially (as we will see) there are a great many reasons to criticise Islam.
Chapter 1 – Islam and Muslims Today
There’s a well known idiom in English that says “Don’t tar everyone with the same brush”. Its meaning is fairly easy to understand. When we discuss a topic, we shouldn’t generalize and accuse everyone in a particular group as having the same attitudes, beliefs or behavior.
Of course this applies equally to Islam and its followers. I have heard many people say to me that they have Muslim friends and they are so very nice in many ways. Others say that they have lived near Muslims for years and they have never given them any problems.
So let me start this study off by saying right at the start that I agree. The majority of Muslims are peaceful and want nothing more than to get on with their lives with the least amount of difficulty. I love Muslims and so should you as God instructed us to love our enemies and our neighbours.
That does not mean that we ignore the fact that there is a hugely disproportionate number of Muslims who engage in acts of aggression and violence in the name of their god and religion. It’s important that we see this, because we need to exercise caution if our task is that of bringing Muslims to Christ.
This study is about understanding Islam as a system (political; social; legal; religious) and the effect of that system on the people who follow it (Muslims). There is great variance in attitudes and behavior among them, but taking Muslims across the world as a whole, certain factors can be seen that are highlighted that are only seen in Islam and nowhere else. These things will become apparent as we continue the study.
One very important fact to keep in mind is this quote from Sun Tzu, The Art of War:
“If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle.” (2)
While Sun Tzu was a warrior and was referring to engaging in a physical battle, the concept of knowing your enemy is a vital one. Knowing yourself is important too, that way you can recognise your own responses to the behavior of your enemy.
In case you are wondering, yes Islam is the enemy of Christians. While we are not looking to engage in physical warfare, our “battle” is a spiritual one. The enemy (Satan) has many helpers. Once we recognise that Islam is nothing more than an agent of our enemy, then we can see the battle before us. It is the battle for the souls of Muslims.
The purpose of this chapter is merely to provide some pertinent information that is rarely ever addressed. The fear in society of criticism of Islam is so great that information is suppressed and in doing so, the ignorance of the general public is huge on this subject.
I cannot possibly cover all aspects of Islam in this study, but hopefully what you read in this chapter will provide you with sufficient information to help you to see Islam in a new light.
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