Muslim, Islam, Islamic, versions of the Quran, sharia law, jihad, dawah

The above words have very different meanings, and there are a lot of misunderstandings of them. Muslim varied ideology has led US policy makers down harmful and destructive paths.  Ayaan Hirsi Ali, an Islam defector, who testified before a Senate hearing, gives important insights into the deep meanings of these words in her book, The Challenge of Dawa. 

She divides the 1.9 billion Muslims on the planet into three kinds. 1. She calls them “Medina Muslims” wanting to carry forth the seventh-century mentality imposing their beliefs on everyone; they are the most problematic.  2. She calls the “Mecca Muslims” composing the clear majority wanting to be peaceful. 3. Muslim reformers – knowing that changes are needed.

The Quran coming from Mecca is religious. Ten years later as Mohammad went to Medina the Quran included political and military overtones. In 1981, I was invited to give a talk in New Delhi, India.  Islam is the second largest religion there, and I learned from their history how the first kind of Muslims mentioned above had imposed their religion on the population of India.

The Hoover Institution Think Tank

The Hoover Institution at Standford University is a public policy think tank promoting the principles of individual, economic, and political freedom.  It is one of the top “think tanks” in the nation. Peter Robinson, who is with the Hoover Institution, is currently the host of Uncommon Knowledge.

Robinson, is a particularly interesting guy. He wrote the famous speech for President Reagan when he declared, “Yes, this wall will fall”, and that, “As long as this gate is closed, as long as this scar of a wall is permitted to stand, it is not the German question alone that remains open, but the question of freedom for all mankind.”

I knew nothing of dawa (dawah) until I heard Peter Robinson interview Ayaan Hirsi Ali, who defected from Islam to escape a forced marriage.   Much can be learned about Ms. Ali in her Wikipedia article.

What is Dawa?

As developed by Mohammed in Mecca and in Medina, Islam is a religion but it is also has a political and a military agenda in its goal of converting the world to Allah.  “The ultimate goal of dawa is to destroy the political institutions of a free society and replace them with the rule of sharia law.” (p3, THE CHALLENGE OF DAWA by Ayaan Hirsi Ali) Her book can be downloaded for free from the Hoover Institution.

Because Islam is a religion it has the protection of the US First Amendment, and now uses any means, which can include political activities, indoctrination using the media, cultural activities, educational activities, and jihad terrorist activities, as examples to achieve its goals.

Because of this broad base of activities, Islam through dawa has much more power than communism or Nazism to achieve its proselytizing goals using force or by whatever means.  When Ms. Ali testified in a US Senate hearing she declared “The biggest challenge the United States faces is combating political Islam and the extent to which agents of dawa can exploit the constitutional and legal protection that grants American citizens freedom of religion and speech – freedoms that would of course be swept away if the Islamists achieve their goals.”  You can view Ms. Ali’s six minute powerful testimony before the Senate committee, 23 June 2017)

Why Past US Tactics have Failed

As Ms. Ali points out, the Bush and Obama administrations were only adding fuel to the fire by fighting terrorism.  It is a battle of Islam ideology against individual liberty given Americans by the Declaration of Independence and the US Constitution.  Islam dawa is an ideology, which comprises a religion, a political system, and a military system, again with a design to accomplish their goal by any means “…to destroy the political institutions of a free society and replace them with the rule of sharia law.”  Does it concern us that Islam is the fastest growing religion in the world?

She powerfully points out on page 42 of THE CHALLENGE OF DAWA that the moral difference between the constitution of political Islam and the constitution of liberty is: “The US Constitution grants individual human beings natural, inalienable, God-given rights.  The job of the US government is to protect those inherent rights.”  In contrast, she quotes analyst Cheryl Benard that Islam is, “totalitarian in its negation of a private sphere, instead believing that it is the task of state authorities to compel the individual to adhere to proper Islamic behavior anywhere and everywhere.  And ideally, it wants this system – which it believes to be the only rightful one – to expand until it controls the entire world and everyone is a Muslim.”  On page 17 Ms. Ali lists the six main elements of Dawa.  One of which is “to reduce women to the status of reproductive machines for the purpose of demographic transformation.

The Gospel of Jesus Christ is the Answer

The good news of the gospel is, “Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” (John 8:32)  We become free individually from sin as we come unto Him, and are blessed with His promise of a free and sinless society in due process called Zion (the pure in heart).

Because of the inability to do missionary work among the Muslims, the Lord is reaching out to them anyway in fascinating and miraculous ways.  Javid, who was a devout Muslim, is now a devoted Christian missionary having great success.  He reports that there are about a thousand Iranians converting to Christianity each week. I am sure the Lord is having similar success with other Muslim nations.

God loves all of His children, and so should we.  The core principle of Heavenly Father’s perfect plan of happiness is agency (free choice).  This is beautifully explained by the ancient prophet, Lehi (2 Nephi 2:25-27)

Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy.  And the Messiah cometh in the fulness of time, that he may redeem the children of men from the fall.  And because that they are redeemed from the fall they have become free forever, knowing good from evil; to act for themselves and not to be acted upon, save it be by the punishment of the law at the great and last day, according to the commandments which God hath given.  Wherefore, men are free according to the flesh; and all things are given them which are expedient unto man.  And they are free to choose liberty and eternal life, through the great Mediator of all men, or to choose captivity and death, according to the captivity and power of the devil; for he seeketh that all men might be miserable like unto himself.

God’s Perfect Plan

Interestingly, in God’s perfect plan – in the midst of all our imperfections – in our premortal sphere all of us born into this world chose to follow Heavenly Father’s plan – knowing that the Messiah would provide a way back to our heavenly home with a glorious resurrected body and an opportunity for a fullness of joy if we would continue to follow Him on our mortal journey.  Because God is perfect, the Apostle Paul tells us that where and when we were born is optimized for our best chances to get back home. (Acts 17:26)  We participated with our Loving Heavenly Father in that choice and our life’s plan. (See Chapter 2 of www.ItsAboutTimeBook.com .

Do we choose to love or not to love?  To love God and our neighbor are His first two great commandments.  How we answer that question makes all the difference in our lives.  The gospel of Jesus Christ is the greatest love story ever.  The lack of love and the bigotry between cultures and nations are the main causes of wars.  If we truly love, we will respect the agency (free choice) of all Father’s children.  Anything that takes away from individual liberty and from the nation’s liberty is adversarial. Islam dawa is designed to do just that.

Ironically, Muslim, Jew, and scattered Israel are all the children of Abraham. These children of Israel have been scattered among the Gentiles. However, when studied carefully, all three of their major celebrations are tied to the infinite atonement of the Messiah.

Genesis 22:8 in the Hebrew translates “God will provide himself a lamb…” to provide our Savior’s infinite atonement, so that all three cultures focus on the ONE TRUE GOD.  Only He will bring final peace to all three.

David W. Allan