Tuesday, March 18, 2014

American Muslims and Mosques Caught in Jihad Terror Plots

It would be nice if Islam were just another relatively benign monotheistic heresy merely challenging Christianity on the theological level, and articles on the abduction and ransom of 14th century Saint Gregory Palamas by Turkish Muslims, or on 7th century Saint Sophronius and his eyewitness descriptions of the Muslim devastation of the Christian churches and community of Jerusalem, were merely relating arcane fragments of history which Islam has moved beyond as it has matured into a modern 'religion of peace'.

However, this is simply not the case, as weekly and sometimes daily news reports prove time and time again.

Muslim communities themselves are often part of the problem, as four separate studies over the past fifteen years have consistently shown that 80% of mosques in America teach and advocate jihad and the overthrow of America and the replacement of the Constitution with Sharia law. Recent Pew Research polls show 75% of Muslims in Europe believe there can only be one interpretation of the Quran, and 65% believe Islamic law supersedes secular law. The numbers in America are hardly more encouraging:

There are reasons to believe that not all American Muslims are enthusiastic about religious liberty...  For example, a 2012 poll conducted by Wenzel Strategies found that fifty-eight percent of Muslim-American citizens believe that criticism of Islam or Muhammad should not be allowed under the U.S. Constitution. Forty-six percent said that Americans who criticize or parody Islam should face criminal charges, while one in eight respondents felt that such crimes merit the death penalty. Another forty-two percent said that Christians do not have the right to evangelize Muslims. (from William Kilpatrick, Has the Church in the U.S. Succumbed to the Charms of Islam?)

These are extremely ominous numbers which paint a picture of a hostile, alien culture in our midst, worse so in Europe.

Polls and studies attempt to trace the contours of the Muslim American mindset, but when deeply held beliefs manifest in behavior, the threat to society is seen to be real and serious. Here are some current stories of American Muslims striving to literally follow the example of Muhammad and the commands of the Quran: