“God tells us that we can never be friends with nonbelievers”. That fear has turned to hate in a small number of extreme radicals. The majority of Muslims don’t hate.
History
In 1949, a popular American song “Baby It’s Cold Outside” was playing at a church dance. A deeply conservative Egyptian Muslim peered in and then wrote about it. He hated everything about America, especially how men and women interacted. He was a narrow racist. Subsequently, in the 1950s, he wrote 24 books encouraging a return to Sharia law and terrorism. He was eventually executed in 1966 for plotting to overthrow Nasser. Many extreme Muslims were jailed – this was the birth of Al-Qaeda.
In 1979, radical Islam exploded. The Iranian revolution ousted the Shah, the American Embassy was sieged and hostages taken. In Mecca, the Grand Mosque was taken over and the overthrow of America was demanded. In Saudi Arabia, the Wahhabi were given control of mosques and schools and have since spread poison throughout the Muslim world. Saudi calmly presents itself as the leader of the Muslim world and a friend of America, but share the ideology of ISIS. 15 of the 19 terrorists involved with 9/11, Osama bin Laden and the wife of the 2016 San Bernardino killings were all Saudi. Pakistan imported radical Islam paid for by Saudi Arabia.
How Many Extremist Muslims Are There?
Whereas the general consensus around the world (especially America) is that there are 300 million Muslim extremists, the general consensus is that in reality there are only about 100,000 – 1/100 of 1% of all Muslims. Contrary to popular opinion, a frequently quoted Pew poll did not say that 27% of Muslims would go to war.
Four out of five Muslims that have become radicalized are from former French colonies. And France has been the prime target of most terrorist attacks in Europe, eleven since January 2015. Why? France has more Muslims than any other European country. Possibly there is resentment about colonial power issues. Maybe it has to do with the French passion for completely separating church and state. In how it treats Muslims, France is an apartheid country – Muslims stand out, are treated as second class citizens, have high unemployment with little prospects for the future, many young Muslims become alienated and radicalize.
Apostasy: 81% of Egyptians favour the death penalty for apostasy {Apostasy in Islam includes within its scope not only the wilful renunciation of Islam by a Muslim through a declaration of their renunciation of the Islamic faith (whether for another religion or irreligiosity), or if lacking a declaration, then by specific deed of undergoing the rites of conversion into another religion, but also even denying, or merely questioning, any “fundamental tenet or creed” of Islam, such as the divinity of God, prophethood of Muhammad, or mocking God, or worshipping one or more idols.} The vast number of Muslims believe that you deserve to die if you write a book, draw a cartoon or leave Islam. Declaring atheism is punishable by death in many Arab countries.
But there is a difference between sharing a fundamental belief and acting on that belief. The vast majority of Muslims would never act on that belief.
Sharia. Most Muslims do not want Sharia law imposed, especially if they have immigrated to a non-Muslim country. Most left those places to escape Sharia law. Only 1% of Americans are Muslim, most Americans don’t know any Muslims and it is thus easy to conflate any act. Islam has a tribal background – one can forgive your own tribe rather than extremists in another tribe.
Why Do They Hate Us?
In 2014, 30,000 people around the world died from terrorist attacks. But the vast majority of those murdered were Muslim. Extremists don’t just hate the West – they hate anybody that doesn’t think like them including other Muslims like Shiites. They particularly don’t like Muslims who favour the West.
Is violence inherent in Islam? It is not part of the religion but of its politics. Radical religious ideology has been exported elsewhere. How do we end conversion to extremism? Be compassionate and help fellow Muslims in your community.