Tuesday August 24, 2010
Militant Islam Versus the West
By Steve Jalsevac
August 24, 2010, (LifeSiteNews.com) - Militant Islam's rapidly growing influence within Western democratic nations has become a serious concern. Most Westerners have a very poor understanding of Islam as we already stated in one 2008 article. In another we reported on Bill Federer's views on how multiculturism has fed Muslim radicalism in the West. Most Westerners do not realize Islam is not only a religious belief system, but also one that demands an all encompassing Islamic form of government and, in some Islamic societies, harshly enforced rules for daily living and thought. Because of the concerning developments on this issue, we present today a variety of news briefs and links for readers to consider.
LifeSiteNews does not necessarily endorse all of these information items, but we hope they will spark readers to consider the implications of the likely large future role of Islamism in their lives. These links and excerpts are mostly alternative to what is presented in the mainstream media. That media, because of its often intense hostility to traditional Christian culture, tends to overlook many of the excesses of Islamists, who should actually worry it far more.
Modern fundamamentalist Islamism, a religious ideology that rules Iran and to varying degrees other Muslim nations or areas, such as the Taliban controlled regions of Afghanistan and Pakistan, is frighteningly totalitarian in practice. Saudi Arabia is another, different type of oppressive Islam. Thankfully, not all Muslims ascribe to these extreme interpretations of Islam, but those forms of Islam are now becoming increasingly dominant. Read When Islam Abandoned Reason to for a view of how much of today's Islam developed into the current threatening belief system.
There is increasing pressure from the Islamists to convince, threaten or brainwash all Muslims to adopt or to at least cooperate with their campaign of violent hatred against all non-Muslims and uncooperative Muslims. They are also becoming adept at exploiting the freedoms of western democratic political and legal systems to gradually impose Sharia law within non-Islamic regions of the world. They are skilled at using television, radio, Internet and any other media to propagandize the masses and incite violence and hatred.
The implications of this struggle regarding the issues that LifeSiteNews covers are substantial and worrisome. Judeo/Christian civilization has been by far the strongest advocate for the dignity of every human person. The associated right to life and other basic human rights eminate from our understanding that every person, regardless of race or creed, is made in the image and likeness of God, who Christians believe is a God of perfect love. Not so with much of today's Islam, a radically different religion, with a radically different concept of God, of which most in the West have not the slightest comprehension.
However, the expansion of militant Islam, and other dangers to the democratic West, is actually a story of the near total rebellion in the West against its Judeo/Christian foundation and its consequent self-inflicted decline in almost every respect. The West is weak, corrupted, in catastophic demographic and consequent economic decline and therefore very vulnerable. It is naturally a target for forces that have long wished to dominate it. The rise of militant Islam seems to be occuring in direct proportion to the corruption and collapse of the Christian West. We are bringing possible Islamic domination upon ourselves.
Militant Islamists, Communist China and Russia, the depopulationist, world government secularists - all observe our self inflicted decline and are seizing the opportunity - as should naturally be expected. Our abandonment of the strengths of character and social unity that our religion gave, our grossly immoral behaviours and media and crumbling family life, all spur on those seeking conquest. These things give even fanatical outlooks a veneer of credibility. They need only point to our violent killing of millions of our own unborn babies, rampant porn, indecent dress and other destructive behaviours that we present or tolerate and say, "see the infidels."
Some pro-life lobbyists at UN conferences have in the past reported to LifeSiteNews Muslim delegates indicating that, although Muslims are forbidden abortion, homosexuality and other immorality, they really don't care if we indulge in these deadly practices since that behaviour will logically make our defeat much easier.
However, by no means are most Muslims or all forms of Islam evil or a danger to what little is left of Judeo/Christian civilization. Human nature being what it naturally is, there are many Muslims of good will who are not prone to hate those of different beliefs.
Muslims have a high regard for family, for children, the elderly and share many basic moral tenets with Christianity. Many who emigrated to the West are happy to be in free and prosperous nations unlike the oppressive Islamic regimes that they left. At the United Nations, Muslims have often allied with pro-life and pro-family delegates and without their cooperation, major victories would not have happened.
Pope Benedict's Regensberg address on the necessity of dialogue between Islam and Christianity resulted in a firestorm of reactions. In the end, despite the orchestrated violence and media hostility in response to the Pope's statements, much good resulted in that some serious dialogue was finally begun between the two religions. LifeSiteNews reported in depth on that 2006 controversy and the often thoughtful responses to it.
Benedict did not grovel in the face of Islamic intimidation as so many have been doing. While being respectful of Muslims and their beliefs he also publicly affirmed his belief in the truth of Christianity.
We encourage you to read scan the links noted above and today's Newsbytes pages and do your own additional research on this issue. Then consider what you can personally do to play a part in the renewal of our culture and its very beneficial religious heritage for all persons, so that there will eventually no longer be a spiritual and moral vaccum that threatening forces can so easily exploit.
NewsBytes for Aug. 24 - Militant Islam Today
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2010/aug/10082402.html
NewsBytes for Aug. 24 - Obama and Islam
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2010/aug/10082404.html
NewsBytes for Aug. 24 - Ground Zero Mosque
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2010/aug/10082403.html