Conflicted about the origins of radical Islam, struggling with insecurities

[Todd Eganwood]

I have become increasingly anxious and insecure in the past few years. Part of this has to do with my fear of terrorist attacks and large scale violence. Watching the news I have seen many such atrocities have been linked to ISIS and other radical Islamic groups and people who are attempting to honor these ideologies. I know some Muslim people and they seem nice and I can't imagine that they would ever do any stuff like that.

I always pray for our leaders and ask God to give them wisdom so that I may look to them for guidance on these issues. President Trump said not to trust them and banned immigration but then he is also friends with some Saudi Arabian Muslims and said they could still come here. President Obama said to be nice to them and would never say the term "radical Islam." He was friends with some of them if they gave him monies but would also bomb some of them if other people gave him monies. So looking to our supreme leaders has me very conflicted here as well.

I started to do some more research by reading the Qur'an in hopes of becoming more educated. I have noticed certain areas of condemnation within the text such as apostasy. I read the entire book and it doesn't seem to advocate for any particular sort of punishment, however, some of the Hadiths do suggest that the death penalty is appropriate. This seems very extreme and I wonder how many of them believe this? Is this at the root of the violent sects of the religion? Does this make it easier for the radical groups to recruit new members?

I am really conflicted about all of this and have struggled to have face to face conversations with other people. It seems that every time I suggest that this might be something to address people are quick to label me a racist or an islamaphobe. But I promise I am neither...I know some very nice Muslims like I said and they would never do any violence to anyone and they just want the American dream just like anyone else. But nonetheless I struggle with my fears and insecurities and am just confused about why all of these attacks have happened.

 

[Not me]

I have become increasingly anxious and insecure in the past few years. Part of this has to do with my fear of terrorist attacks and large scale violence. Watching the news I have seen many such atrocities have been linked to ISIS and other radical Islamic groups and people who are attempting to honor these ideologies. I know some Muslim people and they seem nice and I can't imagine that they would ever do any stuff like that.

I always pray for our leaders and ask God to give them wisdom so that I may look to them for guidance on these issues. President Trump said not to trust them and banned immigration but then he is also friends with some Saudi Arabian Muslims and said they could still come here. President Obama said to be nice to them and would never say the term "radical Islam." He was friends with some of them if they gave him monies but would also bomb some of them if other people gave him monies. So looking to our supreme leaders has me very conflicted here as well.

I started to do some more research by reading the Qur'an in hopes of becoming more educated. I have noticed certain areas of condemnation within the text such as apostasy. I read the entire book and it doesn't seem to advocate for any particular sort of punishment, however, some of the Hadiths do suggest that the death penalty is appropriate. This seems very extreme and I wonder how many of them believe this? Is this at the root of the violent sects of the religion? Does this make it easier for the radical groups to recruit new members?

I am really conflicted about all of this and have struggled to have face to face conversations with other people. It seems that every time I suggest that this might be something to address people are quick to label me a racist or an islamaphobe. But I promise I am neither...I know some very nice Muslims like I said and they would never do any violence to anyone and they just want the American dream just like anyone else. But nonetheless I struggle with my fears and insecurities and am just confused about why all of these attacks have happened.

A couple of speakers I like concerning islam are Joel Richardson and Walid Shoebat. They have quite an few you tube videos. They make quite and interesting listen.

The book “the Islamic Antichrist” is a great read.

 

[Creekwalker]

I agree. Joel and Walid are very good.

 

[SolomonVII]

Islam is a religion that arose some fourteen hundred years ago, when the models of government that were available to emulate were all theocracies. The Byzantine Christian empire and the Persian Zoroastrian empire ruled their world from religious points of view.
When Arabic raids against these empires who had weakened themselves in their fight against each other met with unprecedented success, Arabs found themselves with vast regions to rule, and there was nothing in marauding Arabic culture that prepared themselves for such a task. So instead, the looked to the empires of the day, and fashioned themselves a theocracy.
The Koran itself is an eclectic mix of literature based in Persian and Jewish and Christian lore and wisdom literature. And the Hadiths explicitly concern themselves with creating a theocratic form of government, specially adapted to rule the people that made up the new empire. Arabic marauding values were written into the system through jihad, and the perpetual lack of women as a resource in polygamous societies ensured that young single men would always have adequate motivation to expand the empire in search of booty of the feminine variety.
Of course any religion can grow out of its literalist roots through symbolic and allegoric and metaphoric reinterpretions of the text and traditions, and Islam can and has changed from its theocratic roots too. However, as a result of a severe diminishment of world power and influence that culminated in the fall of the Ottoman Empire at the end of WWI, there has been a reactionary movement in Islam to reach back to its roots and the values that were held during its glory days in that somewhat mythic Golden Era when Islam was the most powerful empire in its known world.
This literalist, political movement of Islamists returning to their theocratic roots have had a lot of success in seizing the power of the state in many lands where Muslims predominate. Its cultural success however is not due to any strengths inherent in theocratic Islam. Comparing modern technological society and its systems of science and government and education and production to a Islamist society returning to its seventh century roots is like comparing nuclear bombs and stealth jets to swords and men on horseback wielding swords. However, the weakness of western culture lies in the weakness of its belief system. Nihilism and hedonistic consumerism and a general lack of belief in anything worthwhile gives the simplistic belief system of the Islamist a comparative advantage in converting many to a system where belief has reached a fervour pitch.
Western society has reached the point where it has gained the whole world and lost its soul, and Islamists have got 'souls' for sale. That defines the area of concern far more than terrorist attacks ever could.

 

[Todd Eganwood]

You make some very good points. As I dig deeper into the source of my insecurities and become more educated on these issues I have gained some clarity.

For me, this is less about people and more about ideas. The Bible has a lot of bad stuff in it but it is more contradictory in nature and as a result is not a dangerous weapon in the sense that the Qur'an is. The Qur'an is much shorter and more focused in terms of the idea. The Hadiths supplement this text with more extreme ideas and suggestions. Perhaps this is why most Muslim people hate woman and gays but Christians have progressed to love woman and gays and include them in communion and church stuff.

And now where I am conflicted the most is about not being able to have a discussion about these ideas and make progress. Liberal people have been brainwashed to automatically cry racism and Islamaphobia at the slightest mention that some of the ideas in the doctrines of that faith might be dangerous ones. Conservative people make it worse by actually being racist and Islamaphobic so there can't be productive conversations there either.

I guess I'm just still confused and conflicted about all of this.

 

[hedrick]

Religions are more than their sacred texts. They all have long traditions of interpretation. There are certainly things within the Quran that support an aggressive approach. But they exist in the Bible as well, particularly the OT. The difference is that Christianity has mostly gone beyond this kind of interpretation, and Islam has not. But as you know from your friends, there are many fine Muslims who are not a risk.

Christianity also has its dangerous side. The KKK and its current equivalents are an example. It's just that they don't have the influence that radical Islam has. So we're not having to come up with plans for how to deal with Christian terrorism.

Here's an explanation of Obama's refusal to use the term "Islamic terrorism." I disagree, but I think his reasons are understandable. President Barack Obama: Why I won't say 'Islamic terrorism' - CNNPolitics

There are enough Muslims in the world that this is an urgent problem. We're not about to convert them all to Christianity, so a better approach is to cooperate with and encourage peaceful Muslims.

 

[Todd Eganwood]

Here's an explanation of Obama's refusal to use the term "Islamic terrorism." I disagree, but I think his reasons are understandable. President Barack Obama: Why I won't say 'Islamic terrorism' - CNNPolitics

Thank you for your reply, Hedrick. I understand that President Obama had to walk a tight rope to be politically correct, but I think it is important to look at what people do in addition to what they say. More Muslims were bombed under his watch than any other president. So what do you think he really thinks about the threat of radical Islamic terrorism?