Islam: A religion for Losers

You would think that a belief system where the most lauded members are those who blow themselves up would have some serious marketing problems. I mean how exactly do you get rational post-secular westerners to buy into an idea like that? But Islam is the world’s fastest growing religion none the less. And much of it's growth is owed to its rapid conversion of certain segments of western society.

At a glance it defies all logic, but it's true. It's a commonly held view that when a person stops believing in organized religion they don't then believe in nothing, but begin to believe in anything. This describes the state of many in the post-secular west. And for people in that mental and emotional state, divorced from their society without any common emotional ground to bind them to their family and community, Islam apparently has some intrinsic appeal. But this then begs the question "Who are these people?” Who would be willing to give up so much of the promise of the 21st century west for the cold restricted structure of 15th century Islam? Who would be prepared to trade the "We hope you believe but it's really up to you" optimism of western theology for the choice between unyielding submission to the political hierarchy of the faith, or the business end of the faithful's sword?

Well in a word... its losers. Islam is growing in the western world by picking the low hanging fruit of society. Those most lacking in the skills it takes to succeed in the west, are irresistibly drawn to Islam. In a single stroke, Islam provides not only the craved for structure of a rigid life and a ready political apparatus which blames others for their hardships, but provides the promise of eternal reward in heaven for the very characteristics which have brought them only failure in the west. In short, it's a religion which rewards the loser for the very things which make them a loser, and encourages them to use violence to bring the rest of society down to their level. This is why it's becomes such a popular faith in the US prison systems, and why it's growing so rapidly among the discontented portions of western society. Whatever your personal failure, Islam has an explanation that makes it clear that someone else is responsible.

In the history of man, no society has so successfully provided each individual with opportunity like the United States. In the US, the circumstances of your birth don't matter, nor does your race, nor your gender, or anything else other than your own personal initiative. In America, both men and women from every religious, racial, ethnic, and economic subgroup have continually reached the pinnacle of success in their chosen fields. And the world over it's widely regarded as fact that if you are truly extraordinary at something, then America is where you will receive the greatest reward for it. America loves a winner, and our society rewards them well. We recruit them in every slice of life, from athletes, to engineers, to writers to educators, and everything else. If there is a greatest ditch digger on the planet, then the odds would be that he's digging a ditch somewhere in the US. And it's the very idea “that success can come to anyone" which makes the US what it is.

But that isn't to say that it’s a perfect meritocracy where only those who deserve it are rewarded. It's still a society of men, and many of those men, for whatever reason, will do what they must to stand in the way of others as well. So while the opportunity is clearly there, that alone is not a guarantee of success. Some people, for whatever reason, lack the initiative, or the determination, or sometimes even the intelligence to achieve the same level of success as others in their chosen field. But the question of success is not what you start out with in life, but what you do with it. The people who achieve success are usually those who when faced with an obstacle will work harder, jump higher, run faster, and do whatever is necessary to get around it. Success isn't defined by talent as much as it is by determination. But some people don't react that way. Some people, when faced with an obstacle, will be quick to abandon their effort, and begin blaming others for their troubles. They fail to take responsibility, and instead look to find a scapegoat. And along comes Islam.

The very core concept of Islam is the unconditional surrender to the will of Allah. At its very heart, Islam encourages its faithful to not take responsibility for the circumstances of their life. And from that basis all other Islamic law follows. Have you had trouble with women? No problem... under Islam a woman is more a piece of property than a person, so you will be able to command, and they must obey, if not... it's the sword or stoning. Have you had trouble in business? No problem... under Islam, most worldly matters of commerce are left to the Dhimmi, those members of the unfaithful tolerated under Islam like slaves thanks to the high taxes paid by them for the right to survive. But if the taxes should stop flowing, or the Dhimmi become defiant, then Islam provides a solution that even a loser can understand, again, it's the sword. On and on, Islamic law makes it clear that if you are among the faithful, then anytime the world fails to meet your expectations, the perfectly acceptable and moral solution is violence.

In short, Islam is a belief system which codifies a theological structure where those people least capable of achieving success on their own gain the political means of either taking or restricting the success of others by force. It’s a triumph of violence as the means to realize the will of god, over the "reason" of the western world. And in the west, people who choose violence over reason are losers. And so it grows in the prisons of the US, and the suburban slums of Paris. It gathers strength from the bottom, speaking a language that the losers of the west can understand. "Obey" they say, "Obey, and we will give the means to take your revenge on a society that has left you behind. Obey, and we will make you mighty, obey and your violence will be the last expression of the will of god."

What those losers who convert fail to realize however, is that the price for their vengeance, and the cost of their scapegoat, is that they too become a slave. If they aren’t responsible for the bad things that happen to them, then they aren't responsible for the good that comes to them either. There may be no failure for them under Islam, but then there will be no triumph for them as well. And should they achieve some moment of greatness, then they will quickly find that they too may be guilty of some obscure violation of sharia, and that the sword of Islam cuts both ways.

For myself, I may not be the most successful man I know, or for that matter the most faithful, but my success and my failures all belong to me. And for that alone, I'll stick to the reason of the west over the violence of Islam, anyday.

I believe there is a fundamental difference between encouraging someone to take responsibility and authorizing them to take retribution.

Yes. We send missionaries to preach and educate and to convert through reason and spiritual motivation; they behead people, and send homicide bombers to convert en masse with the sword.

Both Christianity and Islam offer something hopeful for those with less, who some might characterize was 'losers.'

But Christianity and Islam offer different moral codes, rituals, conducts. They are clearly not the same, and they clearly take their followers to different places.

I think both religions have aspects that appeal to what most people would call 'losers.' That's not a bad thing, in itself. And I wouldn't characterize Christianity as a religion exclusively or largely for losers.

Good post. That's sort of what I was getting at but couldn't express.

I don't think Ted Turner's a good example of a deep thinker either. He is an example of what can happen to people when they think too much in terms of winners and losers.

I agree that radical Islam isn't a way to get what people want or need, and that Christianity and Islam are very different religions.

The thing is, though, that religions, especially Western monotheistic religions, don't focus on getting what you want but on conforming to some divine will.

I think that the "Muslims are losers" argument 1) isn't going to convince anybody who's decided to become a Muslim and 2) may have limited appeal for Christians who aren't focused on worldly success either.

So you too are saying that Christianity and Islam are the same because they are both religions? You're saying that they both must be equivalent because they offer an externally defined objective moral code? And if that isn't it... maybe you could elaborate for me on what way they are similar to you?

I think I've been pretty clear about my view on the whole thing and I don't think either of your arguments negates it.

No, I am saying that they are both religions, both believe in a God and both try to conform to his will. Just what God wants is different in Islam from in Christianity, as it's different in Judaism. There may be more overlap between the three religions than you're apparently willing to concede, but they aren't identical.

I'm not saying all religions are the same. I'm just saying that this whole "winners vs. losers" thing doesn't have much appeal for me, and that plenty of religious people would probably feel the same way.

The thing is, though, that religions, especially Western monotheistic religions, don't focus on getting what you want but on conforming to some divine will.

I don't think you can write a sentence like this unless you completely misunderstand the role of religion in a society. No disrespect intended, but maybe you had better go read up a bit before you try to carry this argument any further.

I don't read this as an endorsement against material achievement or as something that highlights the virtues of poverty v. wealth. It seems to me that Jesus was trying to say that you can't buy your way into heaven.

That's interesting, my interpretation of that line in scripture is a bit different. I always considered it to be mostly a matter-of-fact observation: in other words, as a matter of fact, it's easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. In other words, a lot of rich people have placed an undue priority on getting wealthy, at the expense of their spiritual development.

So I don't think it means being rich and getting into heaven is impossible. It's mostly a warning that making wealth the most important thing often (but not necessarily) comes at the expense of spiritual matters.

Didn't *wait* til some possible future moment to read this most excellent essay, which sets things down pretty dang well, thank you!

I would advise all who hobble along marking this and that for some future read to hurry back and read this NOW.

Well then you agree with me that it's not an endorsement against material achievement or wealth in an of itself, but rather a warning that a camel has a better chance of getting through the eye of a needle than someone who would TRADE his soul for riches. And you DO agree that virtue and wealth are not mutually exclusive. AND that the key point in that section of Scripture is that "With God all things are possible" rather than wealth being some sort of automatic barrier from heaven.

In either case, the writing is not about Christianity and its appeals, but about islam and its appeal to people of a certain mindset. The way I see it, people with a rather large chip on their shoulder and a compulsion to blame others for their misery and/or "get even" are good candidates for islam, as opposed to any other religion. For one thing, islam actually condones violence to non-muslims.

I also don't think that success, as in "winners v. losers" is all about financial success. It is about success in life, and that is something I would measure in terms of happiness and joy for living. Again, this is just my perception, but Christians to me seem like a generally joyful lot, whereas the only joy I've ever seen among muslims was the dancing and celebrating they did in the streets around the world upon hearing that the World Trade Center towers had fallen and thousands were dead.

I have muslim friends, but what bugs me about Islam, is that it makes some people (a minority, but a significant minority) totally nuts, and makes the rest of them week as water. The crazies take over, while the rest os the islamic world surrenders to a sort of "Dhimmitude" of their own, whereby the nastiest people rise to the top by intimidation and violence.

Yes, I think so. And your observations about Islam are accurate, I agree with them 100%.

I was just pointing out that if someone goes to the trouble of noting what Islam brings to the table for losers, it's only fair to point out that Christianity brings a lot to the table for losers, too.

Well since it's come up, let me take this chance to say that I have a lot of Muslim friends too. I'm not calling every Muslim a loser, I'm talking about the nature of the faith and the kind of decision making that the muslim world rewards. If your friends, like mine, have chosen some moderate view that lets them embrace the faith of their family and interpret it in a way that still lets them work in the western world, then there are MANY in Islam who would quickly accuse them of some sort of heresy. It's the nature of Islam to punish them for using reason and modifying their behavior in ways that make them more prone to success.

They are "weak as water" as you say because they know that the things they do that make it possible to assimilate in the west, under the doctrine of their faith makes them subject to criticism.

And how anxious would you be to put yourself up for criticism when you know that so much of the conflict resolution of Islam is done by removing someone's head.

(that's a great phrase by the way... I m afraid I'm going to have to steal it for later use.)

I see your point. Christianity does bring a lot to the table for losers (or shall we say the unhappy, the miserable, the lonely, etc.) But Christianity takes that misery and turns it into something positive and more meaningful, and enables the miserable to find joy.

Islam, on the other hand, seems to only fuel the misery and hatred, and advocates violence against those who aren't equally miserable.

This is just my perception, but Christianity seems to be full of positive energy (not excuses or blame) and islam is quite the opposite.

This is just my perception, but Christianity seems to be full of positive energy (not excuses or blame) and islam is quite the opposite.

I think that is exactly right and one of the big differences in worldview between Christians and Muslims. I wish I had said it as succinctly as you just did. Thanks!

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