The Decline and Fall of Islam

The Canada Free Press ^ | October 20, 2003 | Alan Caruba

[quidnunc]

Islam is dying. In its death throes, it has turned not just on its perceived enemies, the modern world, but upon itself, killing with seeming indifference both Muslim and non-Muslim as it thrashes about, filling each day with new corpses, the last of which will be its own.

It took hundreds of years for the Roman Empire to be built and to come to an end. During that long period in the early history of Western civilization, the populations under its control throughout the Mediterranean and up into England were largely permitted to worship any of the many gods in local areas, although they were expected to also honor the state gods of Rome.

By 312 AD, the emperor Constantine began his ascendancy, attributing it to the God of the Christians and, in 325 AD, he called the Council of Nicaea, the first council of bishops to formalize a Christian creed. After that, Christianity, one of many faiths in the vast empire began its path toward becoming, not just the religion of the empire, but one that now numbers more than two billion people worldwide.

In 610 AD, Mohammed began to create Islam to gain control over the desert tribes of Arabia. He built his religion on the wealth acquired through raids on caravans and attacks on cities such as Medina and Mecca. Islam’s text, the Koran, was said to supercede both the Old and New Testaments, disputing the laws of Judaism and the divinity of Jesus.

Following Mohammed’s death in 632 AD, the religion, a warrior cult built around adoration of Mohammed, quickly spread throughout North Africa and into Spain. Today, Islam is estimated to have more than 1.2 billion adherents around the world, although most are largely located in the Middle East and Africa. There are some 31 million in Europe, more than 845 million throughout Asia, and 323 million in Africa. A little over a million are in South America and approximately 2.9 million in North America. It remains a distinctly "Arab" religion.

Islam has literally been at war with all other religions since its inception. It looks at the world as being divided between Islam and the world of the infidel, the unbeliever. The central prayer of Islam, the Kalima, spoken daily, states "There is no God by Allah and Mohammed is His Prophet." A militant religion. Mohammed said, "The sword is the key to Heaven and Hell." By contrast, six hundred years earlier, Jesus said, "He who lives by the sword shall perish by the sword."

A Muslim’s first allegiance is to Islam. One’s nationality and other allegiances are secondary. In the latter half of the last century, Middle Eastern Arabs strove to establish a national identity and it proved a failure from its inception. In late October, 35 heads of state will gather for a meeting of the Organization of the Islamic Conference in an effort to achieve a unified voice for Islam and to try to offset perceptions that Islam is linked to the violence being perpetrated worldwide. Observers, however, note that the OIC is unified only in its support for the Palestinian attacks on Israel.

-snip-

[LoneRangerMassachusetts]

The death of Islam was written into its birth

How so? Why hasn't the trigger event yet happened? I fear the death of Islam needs a strong helping boot in the a$$ to move it along and grind it into Hell where it belongs.

[sc2_ct]

I think that Islam has two choices. They can either enter a period of Reformation (such as the Catholic church did) and re-enter the modern world, or they can slowly wither away and die as a religion. I rather suspect that they will choose the latter of the two options.

[philosofy123]

Islam urges its believers to convert others even by force. On the other hand, it forbids its believers from converting to other religion. Moslems kill their children/their mothers if they converted to Christianity. It is like the mafia; you can get in, but you can't get out.

[EUPHORIC]

The death of Islam and all of its fanatical adherents might be a nice thought. However, it happens to be the fastest growing religion in the U.S. according to Cond Rice from a program this weekend.

I keep hearing that Islam is the "fastest growing Religion" here and abroad but I never hear any definitive proof... Just Muslims claiming it is and others parroting what the Muslims say. Abroad I have no doubt it is. After all when you consider that in most countries it is "believe it or die" of course a lot of people are going to submit to Islam.

I remember how happy the USA Muslims were right after 9/11 with CAIR and others gloating about how many Korans were suddenly being sold... Of course they were too stupid to realize that most were being bought by the curious and by those like me who wanted to see what it REALLY said as opposed to the watered down "religion of peace" mantra everyone was repeating 10 times an hour.

[Aquinasfan]

Islam has literally been at war with all other religions since its inception.

That's a fact. As true today as in the beginning.

[Aquinasfan]

I hope Mel Gibson's movie (due out next March) will be widely broadcast in Muslim nations!

Me too, but I'm sure it will be banned. It will certainly be a great tool for evangelization.

[VOA]

bump

[Modernman]

Islam, at its inception, was a very dynamic force. For a religion to rise from a few tribes in Arabia to the second largest religion in the world, it needs to be attractive to acquire so many converts. Certainly, Islam was spread through conquest. However, swordpoint conversions tend not to last for too long if the only thing imposing belief is the threat of violence. That leads to the conclusion that Islam used to be a religion that could pick up a lot of converts through its ideology.

Keep in mind, the Mongol Hordes conquered much larger swathes of territory than Islam or Christianity ever did, but very little of Mongol culture or religion remains in those conquered territories because Mongol culture and religion held little appeal for non-Mogols.

In the 14th century, Baghdad was probably the most advanced and civilized place in the world. However, the internal contradictions of Islam led to the overthrow of the open, advanced version of Islam present at the time and replaced it with a more fundamentalist version that is very bad at dealing with modernity.

Unless and until Islam goes through something akin to the Reformation, it is simply not able to meet the demands of a modern, advanced civilization. Adherents of literal Islam are forever doomed to live in backward societies that will constantly be passed by more dynamic cultures.

[x]

Shoddy work. Caruba doesn't prove his point. Islam has been growing in Africa, and growing precisely because it's seen as an alternative to modernity and the West. Saying that the West has won or is better won't change that. The very success of Western economies may motivate some to choose another alternative.

Are the ability to change the "hallmarks" of Judaism and Christianity? Maybe, but why? Because of the destruction of the Israelite kingdoms, exile, and the shock of confronting other dominant civilizations. Because of Church schisms and the opportunity to expand to new, sparsely settled continents. It would be a mistake to write off Islam's ability to change.

If Muslims fail to destroy Israel and its long history as the birthplace of Jesus and Christianity, that means Allah has failed. If Allah fails, Islam fails with him for Allah is neither the Jewish, nor Christian God.

We'd find it offensive if a Muslim put things in these terms. It's doubly offensive when Carnuba does so. It heats up already inflamed conflicts and presumes to speak for others in doing so.

When enough Muslims conclude Allah cannot protect them, they will conclude in the decades and centuries to come that the God of Judaism and Christianity has triumphed.

This is stupid. What would the author think of a Jew or Christian who abandoned his religion simply because another faith was more successful in worldly terms?

It's also foolish to talk of some "Judaism and Christianity" or "Christianity and Judaism," given how long the two have been in opposition. It's more likely that Islam will survive and perhaps fit in with other religions, but if it doesn't who's to say that the Caruba's of the next century won't be pitting Christian against Jew or Protestant against Catholic and vice versa.

[John Frum]

Finally, a clear, concise and lucid description of what ISLAM actually is. But of course, if you talk to any islamist, they'll deny it all and put their "pretty" spin on it to make it all seem rational.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

How do you hear from Allah without listening to Mohammad ?

[Blzbba]

Agreed. I despise Islam, but don't see it weakening around the globe.

It's the perfect religion for uneducated 3rd World nations anyways, as it embraces ignorance and deplores independent thought.

[wylenetheconservative]

Islam is growing very fast. This article is wishful thinking. While Christians produce 2.1 children Muslims are producing 10+ and indoctrinating them with the hate and venom of Islam. This is a dangerous situation in the world. Muslims are flooding Western Europe and are on their way to invading the U.S. in great numbers as well. We should all beware. This article is nothing but wishful thinking.

[Thebaddog]

That is a growing group. I agree.

[Thebaddog]

That is a growing group. I agree.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

Who is Jimmy Swaggart ?

[oyez]

dystopia

An imaginary place or state in which the condition of life is extremely bad, as from deprivation, oppression, or terror.
A work describing such a place or state: “dystopias such as Brave New World”.

Lov'it.