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May 21, 2008

Exclusive: Islam 101: The Aims of Islam

Ron Marlar

To virtually all of us in the West, even to those at very high levels in our government who are charged with the responsibility of knowing, Islam is poorly known and therefore not understood. It is our contention that, until we fully understand Islam, we will not be able to address it properly.

To begin our understanding, we should know that Islam is much more than a religion; it is a doctrine of law that governs all areas of life, and there exists within Islam no Western concept of the separation of church and state. Islam believes in the integration of mosque and state while the West believes in the separation of church and state. Therefore, the form of government under which many Muslims live is a theocracy...far from a democracy, which is the form of government under which we thrive in the West.

This vast disparity in how we organize our societies would not be a problem for us if it were not for the fact that Islam seeks to dominate. Simply put, the aims of Islam, according to Islamic doctrine, are:

1. To take over the world for Allah by establishing a worldwide caliphate
2. To rule the land by Shar'ia law (Islamic law)
3. To subjugate or kill infidels who are defined as:

a) those not born Muslim,
b) those who have not submitted to Islamic faith belief or
c) those who have left Islamic faith belief, and

4. To take - exile - any survivors to a safe place.

Mohammed put forth these aims early in his founding of Islam. They are repeated often in the history of the several resurgences of Islam, and most recently, loudly and clearly by most prominent Islamic voices. No true, adherent Muslim denies these aims. Rather they live by them, perhaps closeted, even living quietly among us here in the U.S.

Editor's note: For various reasons, others restate or misinterpret these aims thereby causing great confusion for the rest of us. They miss the simplicity of the aims as outlined above. They use adjectives such as "moderate" Muslims or "radical" Muslims to describe different varieties of Islam and Islamic believers.

Yet, for those who believe in the pure teachings of The Holy Qur'an, the Muslims whom we in the West deem to be "radical" are not at all radical. As an example, to the Qur'anic believer, Osama bin Laden can be seen as a "moderate" Muslim who believes in and follows the teachings of The Holy Qur'an. Indeed, bin Laden quotes The Holy Qur'an quite often to justify his actions.

To the same believer, the "radicals" or "extremists" are the very Muslims we in the West deem to be "moderate" - those who have interpreted the teachings of The Holy Qur'an to incorporate modernity. This allows them to live under other forms of law than Shar'ia (such as U.S. Constitutional law) and absolutely to reject violence and terror for reasoned debate to resolve disagreements, however serious or frivolous. To the adherent Muslim, however, these peaceful Muslims are apostates, and can be killed for their apostasy.

In quantifying into "moderates" and "radicals" what it means to be a Muslim, well-meaning people believe in their good motivations that they are being more fair and tolerant of diversity than those who stick to the simple basics, the heart, belly and soul of what it means to be a Muslim. But the truth is that when pushed, all adherent Muslims, regardless of variety or sect, cleave to Mohammed's simply-stated and oft-repeated (by his followers) aims for Islam.

We are all well motivated. We all - most Muslims and non-Muslims alike - want to live in peace and to have certain things for ourselves, children, grandchildren and all that follow in our lines of heritage. But a critical piece of understanding the desire to live in peace is this: we want to live in peace, yes, but with our own views prevailing. What could be more desirable for a true believing Muslim than a worldwide caliphate? What could be more peaceful for the same believer than a world ruled by Shar'ia law, honoring Allah and his wishes for the world as derived and described by Mohammed and others in the Hadiths? In comparison and contrast, what could be more desirable for the rest of us than living freely, enjoying our human liberty, in a Democracy?

Since Mohammed was illiterate in any language, the Hadiths are writings dictated by Mohammed to those who could write, and especially after his passing, by thousands of Ayatollahs, Imams, Sheiks, Muslim holy men by any other name. The Hadiths describe, as interpretation of the Qur'an in part, how Muslims are to live life as Muslims: like Mohammed, originally as interpreted by Mohammed.

To take over the world for Allah, to establish a worldwide caliphate, is to proselytize to convert non-Muslims (infidels, or unbelievers) to Islam. But would Westerners want to convert? We are seeing and hearing of Shar'ia law as our awareness of Islam grows. It is the cutting off of hands of thieves; the elimination of homosexuals; the stoning to death, burying alive or beheading of women, even those who are so slack as to be raped, even by multiple men at one time.

Likewise we are learning of Muslim killing of infidels. We can see Islam in practice in Indonesia, the Philippines and the Netherlands against those who dare to publish cartoons of Mohammed and Islam. We know of the man in Afghanistan who declared he had left Islam to be a Christian. Heads of state had to intercede for this man's life to be spared. He had to be declared insane for him to be allowed to leave Afghanistan for a non-Muslim state, but still hidden away from Muslims determined to kill him.

The fourth aim of Islam listed above - to take, or exile, any survivors to a safe place - appears confusing, especially given aims 1 - 3. But likely "survivors" are those who have converted to Islam, although not Arabs, and those who aid, abet, apologize for and support Islam knowingly or unknowingly. Among the ways they aid, abet, apologize for and support Islam are their being more "fair" to Muslims, tolerant of diversity, misinterpreting Mohammed's original aims, missing the simplicity of his aims, using adjectives to describe different varieties of Islam and Islamic believers and interjecting only selected Muslim practices.

It is way past time to wake up people, to stop aiding, abetting, apologizing for and supporting Islam. The burden is on Muslims - the believers in and practitioners of Islamic faith belief and its aims - to explain themselves to the rest of the world.

Let's listen carefully for Islamic leaders and followers to condemn Islamic terrorism, not to lead, participate in or sit by in silent celebrations of it. Let's see if we can hear an Islamic leader or even our Muslim personal friends utterly condemn the events of 9/11/2001 as the barbaric acts they truly were, and also condemn 9/11's perpetrators as the mass murderers they clearly were, at least as we view it in the West.

Since an adherent Muslim sees 9/11 not as a brutal attack of mass murder but rather as a way to advance Islam's aims, we may well be listening for quite some time.

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© 2008 Ron Marlar

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