April 28, 2007
By Ibn Iblis

Non-religious and Religious Ideologies: Why They are Different

The issue lies in the state vs. God. God, to the faithful, is the eternal creator of the universe, not just of matter and energy and all the laws that govern them, but also of just and unjust, right and wrong; the source for all morality. How can the laws, commandments, and judgments of God-almighty ever be wrong, immoral, or outdated? For the truly faithful, this is simply not open for discussion. The Qur’an most notably, to devout Muslims, is the uncreated, eternal, perfect Word and Law of God Allah. It sits on a guarded tablet in heaven where Allah guards it from corruption the way Christians corrupted the Gospels (Injil) and Jews corrupted the Torah (Taurat) ¹. It is not merely a piece of paper documenting ideas and philosophical points of view, such as Mein Kampf and the Communist Manifesto.

Further, the laws of non-religious ideological movements are enforced by the State. God enforces the laws of religion. The State may be able to kill, torture, or throw you and/or your family in the gulag, or levy various other injustices for failing to comply, but it cannot send you to hell for all eternity, nor can it grant you everlasting bliss.

Therefore, religion cannot be examined with a secular mentality. I myself am agnostic, so there is nothing written in any religious text that moves me to faith. But I cannot dismiss religion’s impact on other peoples’ lives simply because I do not believe. People of faith believe they are obeying the Being that created them; the One who holds the keys to their salvation in His hands.

In this essay, in comparing religious and non-religious ideologies, I’ve used Islam as an example almost exclusively, making little mention of Christianity. Before I get into the comparisons between Islam and other non-religious ideological movements, I will discuss the differences between the crimes committed in the name of Christ and the crimes committed because of Islam. The differences are stark.

Islam vs. Christianity: A Scriptural Analysis

But Jesus teaches Christians, "You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth], but I say unto you, resist not him that is evil: but whosoever strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if any man would sue for your coat, give to him your cloak also. And whosoever shall compel you to go one mile, go with him two. Give to him what is asked, and from him that would borrow from you do not turn away." ² In fact, the teaching of Christ was of total peace, love, tolerance, and pacification--strictly in conflict with the reasons and practices of those who fought the Crusades: "Put up again thy sword into its place: for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword." ³ Thus we can say that the Crusades were fought by Christians who ignored the core tenets of their Christian faith, even though, from a secular point of view, being that they were, in principle, self-defensive in nature, they made perfect sense. Christ welcomed persecution, and taught that those who follow him should welcome it as well:

Blessed are they that have been persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when men shall reproach you, and persecute you, and say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets that were before you ⁴.

With the teaching of Christ in mind, we can say that pretty much any act of violence or hate committed in his name was expressly against his teachings.

Many people point to the Old Testament while trying to show moral relevance between the Bible and the Qur'an. This is folly on several levels. For one, if you're a Christian, if what is written in the Old Testament is later conflicted with the teaching of Christ, common sense tells us that Christ's word is the authority. For example, during the Salem Witch Trials, Christians point to Exodus 22:18, which says Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live. And of course, many excuse the practice of stoning adulterers in Islam because the Old Testament endorses death for adulterers ⁵, ⁶. But most of us are familiar with the story of the adulterer in the New Testament, who the Pharisees brought before Jesus and dared him to condemn her to death as per Moses' law. Jesus did not deny the fact that the Law clearly states that adulterers be put to death, but said, "If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her." ⁷ In this Jesus teaches that, whatever the law says, only the sinless have the right to pass judgment through God's law. Jesus speaks of this again:

Judge not, that you not be judged. For with what judgment you judge, you shall be judged: and with what measure you mete, it shall be measured unto you. And why do you notice the splinter that is in your brother's eye, but ignore the beam that is in your own eye? Or how will you say to your brother, Let me cast out the splinter in your eye; and lo, the beam is in your own eye? You hypocrite, cast out first the beam in your own eye; and then you will see clearly to cast out the splinter in your brother's eye ⁸.

It is easy to apologize for Islam's crimes by pointing to Christianity when one knows little or nothing about either. One knowledgeable about Christianity knows that Christ was exclusively a man of peace and thus the true Christian lives a life of peace, hating not his or her enemies but praying for them ⁹. There is nothing in the Gospels to contradict or dispute this. This is not to excuse or apologize for anything evil that has ever been done in the name of Christ. The list of crimes is long. But in order to render judgment on the religion itself you first have to show what exactly it was about their particular faith that led them to commit the crimes in the first place. The only way to do that is to examine scripture. If the scripture contains nothing that could lead anyone to cruelty, and, particularly in Christianity's case, should have led the truly faithful on a path to love and peace, even towards those who hate you and want to hurt you, then logically there are no grounds to blame the religion. It is simply the evil that all men are capable of.

This same methodology should apply to all faiths, including Islam, ignoring the conventional wisdom that teaches us that all religions are equally good and/or equally bad. Bin Laden doesn't make Islam evil anymore than the peaceful Muslim makes Islam peaceful, and the percentage of the so-called "extremists" should not be weighed against the percentage of the so-called "moderates". Argumentum ad numerum - the argument that the more people who believe something to be true, the more likely it is to be true - is a logical fallacy. Many things that people once believed to be established truth, such as the flatness of the Earth, or that the Earth was at the center of the universe, have been proven untrue, even though at one point practically everyone believed in them.

Conversely, the crimes committed by Islam are strictly in accordance with the commandments of Allah in the Qur’an and the example of the prophet Muhammad in the Sunnah. Many Islamophiles believe that Islam is simply the Qur’an, but the example of Muhammad is an essential guideline for Islam and no one can call himself “Muslim” who does not consult both Qur’an and Sunnah ¹⁰, which includes the hadiths such as Bukhari and Muslim, among many others, and the sira, such as the Sirat Rasul Allah. A simple exercise in deductive reasoning easily settles the issue, though I will provide further analysis to solidify my point further.

The Qur'an says that Muhammad was unerring and not compelled by human emotions or desires ¹¹; a "good example [also interpreted to mean 'beautiful pattern' or 'an excellent exemplar'] to follow for him who hopes in (the Meeting with) Allah" ¹², and that if Muslims love Allah, they must follow Muhammad and Allah will love them and forgive their sins ¹³. This is why Muslims have the Sunnah, or 'Trodden path'; the prophetic tradition, and essentially what it means is everything Muhammad did in life is acceptable behavior for all Muslims for all time.

For this reason it is critical to examine closely what Muhammad did in life, for Muslims are required by their faith to emulate him in every facet of their lives, from the waging of jihad to blowing your nose. This presents a problem for Islamic moderates and reformers, as well as apologists who try to excuse what is written in the Qur'an - much of the disputed text in the Qur'an is cleared up by Muhammad's example in the sunnah. Because of this, contemporary Islamic jurists are now trying, futilely, to discredit the authenticity or marginalize the importance of the hadith in interpreting Islamic jurisprudence.

The Sunnah, in particular the sound (sahih) hadiths of al-Bukhari and Imam Muslim, as well as Sunan Abu Dawud and the sira Sirat Rasul Allah by Ibn Ishaq--a Muslim theologist - depicts Muhammad in a way that the word 'unflattering' inadequately describes.

Authentic, authoritative Islamic scripture describes Muhammad as guilty of:

Pedophilia

• [BUKHARI 005.058.236] Narrated Hisham's father:

  Khadija died three years before the Prophet departed to Medina. He stayed there for two years or so and then he married 'Aisha when she was a girl of six years of age, and he consumed that marriage when she was nine years old.

• [MUSLIM 008.3308] 'A'isha (Allah be pleased with her) reported: Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) married me when I was six years old, and I was admitted into his house at the age of nine.

The previous chapter quotes Muhammad as saying a virgin's silence is her consent ¹⁴. Also take notice that the section in Sahih Muslim dealing with Muhammad's marriage to Aisha is titled It is permissible for the father to give the hand of his daughter in marriage even when she is not fully grown up. This, as the links show, is due to the fact that Muhammad married Ai'sha when she was but 6 years old and had sex with her at 9.

Bloodlust

• Men of B. Makhzum assert that Ibn Mas'ud used to say: He [Abu Jahl] said to me, 'You have climbed high, you little shepherd.' Then I cut off his head and brought it to the apostle saying, 'This is the head of the enemy of God, Abu Jahl.' He said, 'By God than Whom there is no other, is it?' (This used to be his oath.) 'Yes,' I said, and I threw his head before the apostle and he gave thanks to God ¹⁵.

• Yazid b. Ruman from 'Urwa b. al-Zubayr from Aisha told me that the latter said: 'When the apostle ordered that the dead should be thrown into a pit they were all thrown in...As they threw them into the pit the apostle stood and said: "O people of the pit, have you found that what God threatened is true? For I have found that what my Lord promised me is true!" ¹⁶

• When the apostle ordered him killed, Uqba said, 'But who will look after my children, O Muhammad?' 'Hellfire,' he said, and Asim b. Thabit b. Abu'l-Aqlah al-Ansari killed him according to what Abu Abayda b. Muhammad b. Ammar b. Yasir told me. ¹⁷

Murdering those who spoke against him

Abu Afak was one of B. Amr b. Auf of the B. Ubayda clan. He showed his disaffection when the apostle killed al-Harith b. Suwayd b. Samit and said:
Long have I lived but never have I seen An assembly or collection of people More faithful to their undertaking And their allies when called upon Than the sons of Qayla when they assembled, Men who overthrew mountains and never submitted, A rider who came to them split them in two (saying) "Permitted", "Forbidden", of all sorts of things. Had you believed in glory or kingship You would have followed Tubba.

The apostle said, 'Who will deal with this rascal for me?' whereupon Salim b. Umayr, brother of B. Amr b. Auf one of the 'weepers', went forth and killed him. Umama b. Muzayriya said concerning that:

You gave the lie to God's religion and the man Ahmad! By him who was your father, evil is the son he produced! A hanif gave you a thrust in the night saying 'Take that Abu Afak in spite of your age!' Though I knew whether it was man or jinn Who slew you in the dead of night (I would say naught). ¹⁸

Abu Afak was over 100 years old.

When Abu Afak had been killed [Asma bint Marwan[ displayed disaffection. Blaming Islam and its followers she said:

Fucked men of Malik and Nabit And of 'Awf, Fucked men of Khazraj [clans and tribes of Medina]: You obey a stranger who does not belong among you, Who is not of Marud, nor of Madh'hij [Yemenite tribes]. Do you, when your own chiefs have been murdered, put your hope in him Like men greedy for meal soup when it is cooking? Is there no man of honor who will take advantage of an unguarded moment And cut off the gulls hopes?

When the apostle heard what she had said, he said, "Who will rid me of Marwan's daughter?" Umayr b. Adiy al-Khatmi who was with him heard him, and that very night he went to her house and killed her. In the morning he came to the apostle and told him what he had done, and the apostle said, You have helped God and His apostle, O Umayr!' When he asked if he would have to bear any evil consequences the apostle said, 'Two goats won't but their heads about her!' ¹⁹.

Not two goats, but perhaps her five sons, one of which was still at her breast when Umayr drove his sword into her as she slept.

Genocide, Ethnic cleansing

The apostle said, 'Kill any Jew that falls into your power.' Thereupon Muhayyisa b. Mas`ud leapt upon Ibn Sunaya, a Jewish merchant with whom he had social and business relations, and killed him. Huwayyisa was not a Muslim at the time though he was the elder brother. When Muhayyisa killed him Huwayyisa began to beat him, saying, 'You enemy of God, why did you kill him when much of the fat on your belly comes from his wealth?' Muhayyisa answered, 'Had the one who ordered me to kill him ordered me to kill you I would have cut your head off.' ^{20; ]21}

Muhammad also exiled two Jewish tribes from the ancient Jewish city of Yathrib (pre-Islamic Medina) and put to the sword all males above the age of puberty of a third, the Banu Qurayza. The women and children, having just witnessed their sons, fathers and husbands beheaded and tossed into a mass grave, were sold into slavery. I've documented these crimes fully here.

Rape

Abu Sirma said to Abu Sa'id al Khadri (Allah he pleased with him): 0 Abu Sa'id, did you hear Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) mentioning al-'azl? He said: Yes, and added: We went out with Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) on the expedition to the Bi'l-Mustaliq and took captive some excellent Arab women; and we desired them, for we were suffering from the absence of our wives, (but at the same time) we also desired ransom for them. So we decided to have sexual intercourse with them but by observing 'azl (Withdrawing the male sexual organ before emission of semen to avoid-conception). But we said: We are doing an act whereas Allah's Messenger is amongst us; why not ask him? So we asked Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him), and he said: There is no harm if you do not practise it, for it (the birth of the child) is something ordained (by Allah) ²². (Other hadiths attest that Muhammad not only said there was no harm done, but encouraged them not to do it at all ²³.

Of course, the first question that comes to mind is, why is it that Muhammad's followers felt it was OK to consult the prophet of God on whether or not it was appropriate to rape their female captives?

Rape is also sanctioned by the Qur'an, which consults Muslims that all married women are forbidden to them, except those that your right hand possesses ^{24; 25}.

If Muhammad was an evil person, as these Muslim accounts testify to, why is it unacceptable that the religion he gave birth to is vicariously evil? Similarly, if Muhammad was an evil person, and Allah says he is a good example for all mankind, why should it surprise us that there are Muslims who follow his example and thus commit acts of evil?

Indeed, not only should we not be surprised by this outcome, we should expect it. The example of Muhammad alone not only puts the rest the issue of whether or not the jihadists are practicing their religion properly - how much more properly can one practice a religion than to fully emulate its own prophet? - but also settles the question of whether or not Islam is worse than Christianity.

Yes, those who call themselves Christians are still capable of doing bad things, but only if they disobey their faith. For those still not convinced that Bin Laden holds the religious moral high ground based merely on the example of Muhammad, you may find an extensive analysis of the scriptural roots of jihad here, including the violent and tolerant verses in their proper context (abrogation and progressive revelation), as well as the writings of classical Muslim jurists, far more schooled in Islamic thought than I, whose verdicts nonetheless echo my own.

Despite the many different sects of Islam, all schools of Islam agree on the meaning and theological nature of Islamic jihad, including Sufism, a sect of Islam that, because of their poetry and so-called mysticism, is often given as an example of enlightened Islam. Two Sufis, one considered the most important Muslim ever to live besides Muhammad, Al-Ghazali, and another, considered to be one of the more “radical” jurists in Islamic history and whom is said to have influenced Bin Laden, Ibn Taymiyya, both give nearly identical verdicts on the nature of jihad and the required conditions for non-Muslims (dhimmis) living under Islamic rule.

Islamic Enlightenment? Reformation?

Islam represents the greatest scourge mankind has ever witnessed, because not only is it a religion which makes it more difficult to eradicate like other non-religions ideologies - Nazism, communism, et al - but the criminals today and of centuries past represent Islam in its most funamental and pure form. They are the true Muslims. And they represent Islam’s historical mainstream. Starting with the proto-jihad razzias (raids) of Muhammad, continuing with the unprecedented expansion under the Rightly Guided Caliphs - those first rulers of the Islamic empire that served and fought with Muhammad himself - who spread Islam from Egypt to Persia, Palestine to the Caucasus, through Islamic Spain, through India, where Muslims decimated the Hindu and Buddhist population and wrecked one of the great civilizations of all time, through the massive crimes of the Ottoman Turks, to the Palestinian jihad, to Bin Laden. Crimes committed by Christians, even taken in their entirety, pale in comparison to Islam, and the conquest of India alone compares with - if not exceeds - the most notorious regimes of the Twentieth Century combined, most notably Hitler and the Nazis, the Soviet Union, the Khmer Rouge, and Communist China.

Many wrongly believe that, because Christianity went through a “Dark Age” (or “Ages”), and emerged from them reformed and enlightened, that Islam will some day do the same. But, as we have already witnessed by comparing scripture, this is extremely unlikely in Islam’s case. Christianity reformed by moving towards the core teachings of Christ, which were peace, love, tolerance, and pacification under any and all circumstances. Resist not him that is evil. In order to reform Islam, Islamic thought would have to move away from Islam’s core teachings, which are, first and foremost, Lâ ilaha illallâh wa Anna Muhammad-ur-Rasűl Allâh (none has the right to be worshipped but Allah and that Muhammad is Allah's Apostle). That no god but Allah has the right to be worshipped is the root of jihad. Muhammad said,

Fight in the name of Allah and in the way of Allah. Fight against those who disbelieve in Allah. Make a holy war ... When you meet your enemies who are polytheists, invite them to three courses of action. If they respond to any one of these, you also accept it and withold yourself from doing them any harm. Invite them to (accept) Islam; if they respond to you, accept it from them and desist from fighting against them ... If they refuse to accept Islam, demand from them the Jizya [discriminatory non-Muslim poll tax]. If they agree to pay, accept it from them and hold off your hands. If they refuse to pay the tax, seek Allah's help and fight them. ²⁶

And,

Allah's apostle said, "I have been ordered (by Allah) to fight against the people until they testify that Lâ ilaha illallâh wa Anna Muhammad-ur-Rasűl Allâh (none has the right to be worshipped but Allah and that Muhammad is Allah's Apostle), and offer the prayers perfectly and give the obligatory charity, so if they perform all that, then they save their lives and property from me except for Islamic laws and then their reckoning (accounts) will be done by Allâh." ²⁷

As was mentioned before, to Muslims, the Qur'an is the uncreated Word of God, sitting on a guarded tablet ²⁸, where Allah will protect it from corruption. A footnote to Qur'an 15.9, cited earlier, expands on this fact:

This Verse is a challenge to mankind and everyone is obliged to believe in the miracles of the Qur'an. It is a clear fact that more than 1400 years have elapsed and not a single word of this Qur'an has been changed, although the disbelievers tried their utmost to change it in every way, but they failed miserably in their efforts. As it is mentioned in this holy Verse: "We will guard it." By Allah! He has guarded it. On the contrary, all the other holy Books [the Taurat (Torah), the Injeel (Gospel)] have been corrupted in the form of additions and subtractions in the original text ²⁹

It should be noted that Islam claims all Biblical prophets as its own ³⁰, and thus the true Taurat and Injil were Islamic texts that Jews and Christians corrupted; therefore Judaism and Christianity are merely vile corruptions and distortions of Islam. For example, Christians believe Jesus was God or the Son of God; this represents shirk, the opposite of Islam and the only unpardonable sin before Allah's sight. Those guilty of shirk are called Al-Mushrikűn:

Surely, they have disbelieved who say: "Allâh is the Messiah (Jesus), son of Maryam (Mary)." But the Messiah (Jesus) said: "O Children of Israel! Worship Allâh, my Lord and your Lord." Verily, whosoever sets up partners in worship with Allâh, then Allâh has forbidden Paradise for him, and the Fire will be his abode. And for the Zâliműn (polytheists and wrong­doers), there are no helpers. Surely, disbelievers are those who said: "Allâh is the third of the three (in a Trinity)." But there is no ilâh (god) but One Ilâh (God -Allâh). And if they cease not from what they say, verily, a painful torment will befall the disbelievers among them ³¹.

And of the Mushrikűn, Allah commands Muslims:

...kill [them] wherever you find them, and capture them and besiege them, and prepare for them each and every ambush ³².

Islam places a great deal of emphasis on who the true Muslim is, what true Islam is, and the prospects of changing or reforming the religion. The concept of reform, innovation, or progress in Islam is called bid'ah. Bid'ah is addressed specifically by both the Qur'an and Muhammad as a heresy.

• [Q005.003] This day, I have perfected your religion for you, completed My Favour upon you, and have chosen for you Islâm as your religion.
• [Q006.038] We have neglected nothing in the Book...
• [Q007.003] [Say (O Muhammad SAW) to these idolaters of your folk:] Follow what has been sent down unto you from your Lord (the Qur'ân and Prophet Muhammad's Sunnah), and follow not any Auliyâ' (protectors and helpers, etc.), besides Him (Allâh). Little do you remember!
• [Q016.089] And We have sent down to you the Book (the Qur'an) as an exposition of everything, a guidance, a mercy, and glad tidings for those who have submitted themselves (to Allâh as Muslims).
• [Q028.050] And who is more astray than one who follows his own lusts, without guidance from Allâh? Verily! Allâh guides not the people who are Zâliműn (wrong-doers, disobedient to Allâh, and polytheists).
• [BUKHARI 003.049.861] Allah's Apostle said, "If somebody innovates something which is not in harmony with the principles of our religion, that thing is rejected."
• [MUSLIM 004.1885] The best of the speech is embodied in the Book of Allah, and the beet of the guidance is the guidance given by Muhammad. And the most evil affairs are their innovations; and every innovation is error.

Creating new concepts is not going to go over well with the vast majority of Muslims. Can Muslims remove or ignore parts of the scripture that they disagree with?

[Q002.085] Then do you believe in a part of the Scripture and reject the rest? Then what is the recompense of those who do so among you, except disgrace in the life of this world, and on the Day of Resurrection they shall be consigned to the most grievous torment. And Allâh is not unaware of what you do.

There's no way to expect that Muslims will, especially under pressure from non-Muslims, who the Qur'an says are Najasun ³³ (unclean), the descendants of apes and pigs ^{34; 35}, reform the word of their god and the example of their prophet, who god's word says did not err. Do not look at it from a secular point of view; imagine you're a Muslim: Allah holds the keys to heaven and hell in his hands - and if you've ever read the Qur'anic depictions of hell, this is serious; do you dare say his word and law is immoral or unjust? This is your Creator we're talking about here.

Even if it could be reformed, should it be reformed?

It is wrong to desire a reformation within Islam even if it were possible. The biggest difference between Islam and other defamed ideologies, besides the overwhelming difference in number or people killed, tortured, disfigured, and/or displaced, is the fact that Islam is the only one not universally accepted as a murderous death cult. Nazism is evil. If you ran into a person claiming to be a Nazi, you would not think kindly of him. If you ran into a Klan member, you would not think kindly of him. Islam as an ideology is worse, yet many people think there are good Muslims and bad Muslims. Are there good Nazis and bad Nazis? Good Klan members and bad Klan members? Of course not. These are vile, disgusting movements and they deserve the social rejection they have earned. Islam should not be any different.

Islam was established by the sword. It was spread by the sword. And it was maintained by the sword. The Rightly Guided Caliphs, the first four leaders of the Islamic state who learned Islam directly from the prophet, conquered Egypt to Persia; Palestine to the Caucasus. Their successors conquered all of North Africa and Spain. They pushed into France but were defeated. They conquered Asia Minor and eventually Constantinople. These were all Christian lands, and the Christian population of those lands were systematically wiped out and persecuted; pilgrims to the Holy Land were harassed, abducted, murdered, and robbed of their possessions. Thus the Crusades were spawned. They devestated India, at the time one of the three greatest civilizations in history. Tens of thousands of temples were destroyed and their remains were used to build mosques on top of their foundations. The riches stolen from India and dispersed throughout the Muslim world are impossible to put a price on.

The cruelty of the Ottoman Empire is one of the great untold - or should I say covered up - stories in history. Constantinople, the last vestige of the Roman Empire, was conquered and pillaged in 1453. Non-Muslims, particularly Armenians, were victims of a century-long genocide that became a template for Hitler's holocaust (Thus for the time being I have sent to the east only my Death's Head units [Totenkopfverbände], with the order to kill without pity or mercy all men, women, and children of the Polish race or language. Who still talks nowadays of the extermination of the Armenians (Wer redut heute noch von der Vernichtung der Armenier?) ³⁷ For over half a century the entire Muslim world has been united behind the destruction of Israel, based on a fabricated story of a fake race of people that supposedly had their lands stolen from them by Zionist invaders.

The conditions of non-Muslims in Islamic societies have never been acceptable. EVER. Not in North Africa under Muhammad's successors. Not in Spain. Not in India. Not in Asia Minor. These conditions are based on the Qur'anic mandate ³⁶ that Jews and Christians must be fought against until they pay the jizyah (disciminatory poll tax) in humiliation recognizing the superiority of Islam, as well as the first recorded dhimma, the Covenant of Umar, which, among other humiliations, forced the dhimmi to wear discriminatory clothing and barred them from openly practicing their religion, building new churches or maintaining their existing ones. These restrictions were set upon non-Muslims until the Caliphate was dissolved in the aftermath of WWI.

Even today, Christian populations are persecuted in Egypt and the Palestinian territories; Buddhists and Christians are under attack in Thailand. The murder of Theo Van Gogh (carried out with scriptural validation and historical precedent), the cultural festering in Sweden, the home-grown jihad in Britain, the riots in France: everywhere Islam has held sway, death and cruel persecution have accompanied it.

Nazism and Communism were defeated, in large measure by appealing to Western ideas of human rights - life, liberty, the pursuit of happiness - or what Roosevelt termed The Four Freedoms: freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom from want, and freedom from fear. Yes, blood was shed, but it was for their belief in these freedoms that previous generations were willing to shed that blood and lay down their lives. And in the end we must ask ourselves: if the Nazis and Communists were fighting for their Creator - their God - would we have defeated them so easily?

Islam does not recognize the same fundamental human freedoms we in the West do. The only freedom is from Allah. We will witness this in the coming decades in Iraq and Afghanistan. Trying to introduce secular democracy into a religion that does not recognize the separation of Church and State (Muhammad was, after all, the commander of the Islamic armies and leader of the first Islamic state, and his law was Islam) will prove to be an exercise in futility, because Islam was masterfully designed to keep its adherents in control through fear of painful punishment for disobeying and want for eternal bliss for satisfying their god. We cannot change it through democracy and, unless we commit acts of unspeakable horror, we can never defeat it militarily. Islam is here to stay, and thus the crimes associated with it throughout its history will continue.