ISLAM AND WORLD DOMINION

INTRODUCTION

Christians in western Europe have seemingly submitted to the anti-Christian relativist secular paradigm that relegates their faith to the margins of society. They seem to have come to terms with the privatisation of religion and its removal from the public debate on morals and society. Muslims, in contrast, are in the process of regaining their lost confidence and have embarked on a strategy aimed at reintegrating Islam and politics. This process is taking place not only in Muslim states but also in countries of the non-Muslim developing world and of the West that contain Muslim minorities.

Of course there are many faces and variants to Islam, and there are many Muslims sincerely working for democratic values and human rights. Many Muslims in the West want only to live a peaceful life enjoying the economic benefits of Western society as well as its freedoms and opportunities. However it is also true that the majority opinion in Muslim states is very much impacted by radical Islamist concepts. Liberals in Muslim states are a minority that is cowed by the vehement drive against them which includes physical violence and the threat of being legally labelled as apostates with all that entails. The limits of the possible in all Muslim countries are determined by Islamist discourse, and most regimes submit to Islamist demands because of their fear of destabilisation and of deligimitisation. In the West, Muslim liberals have the freedom to express their views, but still face the ire of community leaderships heavily influenced by the power-centres in their countries of origin and by the resource-rich Wahhabi Saudis who fund much of their activity.

The aim of Islamist movements is to emulate the early model of universal Muslim hegemony in politics and culture. “We aim to establish Allah’s religion in its entirety, in every soul and upon every inch of this earth, in every home, institution and society”.[1] The later decline of Muslim power is blamed on a deviation from true original Islam. A result of this view is the labelling of all systems not based on Islam and its law (shari‘a) as evil, corrupt or apostate, thus meriting destruction.

Abul A‘la Mawdudi, one of the fathers of modern Islamism, stated that “The aim of Islam is to bring about a world revolution . . . the Muslim Party should not be content just with establishing the Islamic system of government in one territory, but should extend its sway as far as possible all around . . .if the Muslim Party commands enough resources, it will eliminate unislamic governments and establish the power of Islamic government in their place”. [2] This then is the ultimate goal – a worldwide Islamic government based on shari‘a – and modern Islamists have developed a many-pronged approach to achieve this goal.

REASONS FOR INCREASING MUSLIM CONFIDENCE

Oil riches and growing dependence of West on oil from Muslim states.

Islamic Revolution in Iran

Successful Jihad in Afghanistan

Disintegration of Communist world

Growing size of Muslim communities in the West

Success of radical terrorist attacks

Sense of being under siege by a Western-Christian-Jewish conspiracy

A MANY-PRONGED STRATEGY

Many groups are involved in the drive to re-establish the old glory of Islam, revive its fortunes and bring it to a position of world hegemony in all areas. There is a plurality of movements and organisations, many seemingly innocent but in danger of being manipulated and infiltrated by the more radical groups.

Here are some of the strategies and tactics employed:

The Islamisation of Knowledge. This is a drive to change basic western categories of knowledge bringing them into an Islamic framework. Funding academic chairs and encouraging and funding Muslim academics to take up lecturing posts in western universities is one method used with the goal of influencing students and the teaching of academic subjects by Islamist concepts of science, knowledge and religion. Another method is the founding of Islamic think tanks, research and academic institutions particularly in the West, using them to disseminate Islamic views on the integration of all human knowledge into an Islamic system based on the principles of Qur’an and Sunna and on the legacy of Islamic civilisation. Some of these institutions are linked to Islamist movements while presenting a moderate face to their western audiences. They develop links to Western academia and liberal Christian institutions that tend to co-operate with them because of their academic credentials, ignoring their hidden agendas.

Active Da‘wa (Islamic mission), especially in the West, leading to the conversion of a small but ever growing number of Westerners to Islam. The conversion of celebrities is especially effective as a tool to further encourage this trend and make it acceptable to the Western media and public opinion. The production and distribution of Muslim missionary material – print, audio-visual, and internet – is being pushed by a well-funded and extensive network of da‘wa organizations. However, the ultimate goal of Islamist da‘wa is the establishment of Muslim dominion – Islamic states – in every country of the world.

Demographic Changes. The population explosion in Muslim countries as compared to the West, coupled to the growth in the number of Muslims immigrating into Western states, is seen as being in God’s providence, tilting the balance decisively in favour of Islam, and giving Muslims a more effective political lobby worldwide and within the Western democracies. The hope is that this will effect legal changes in favour of Muslim issues (such as the introduction of blasphemy laws to protect Islam from criticism); increased Islamic education; and the introduction of shari‘a laws as binding in the personal affairs of Muslim citizens as part of a state-recognized Muslim community.

The Full Islamisation of Muslim-Majority States, destabilising secular regimes and replacing them with an Islamic state based on shari‘a is the goal of all Islamists. Some seek to further this goal by legitimate use of democratic avenues, while others engage in violent means to hurry the process along. Iran, Sudan, Algeria, Egypt, are but a few examples of this process.

Destabilisation of States with large Muslim Minorities, especially on the fringes of Islam (the Bloody Borders of Islam)

This is happening right now in states like Nigeria, Ivory Coast, Kenya, the Philippines and India. It takes several forms:

1. The demand for implementing shari‘a in Muslim–majority regions even when Muslims are a minority in the country as a whole. This is seen as a prelude to imposing shari‘a on all the population. The northern and central federal states of Nigeria offer a good example of this trend.

2. Support for Muslim demands for independence or autonomy as well as for outright rebellions against central governments. This is practised in Kashmir and the Philippines. The reasoning is that Muslims believe they should never be under non-Muslim rule and the aim of both tactics is the expansion of the area under Muslim political domination.

“The Islamic Movement should consider itself at the ‘beck and call’ of every Islamic Cause and respond to every cry for help wherever that cry may come from. It should stand with Eritrea in its jihad against the unjust Marxist Christian regime . . .by Sudan against the treacherous Christian racist rebellion . . . It should support the Muslims of the Philippines against the biased Christian regime . . . it should also help the Muslims of Kashmir . . . support the Muslims of Somalia . . . mobilise the Muslims of the world for the Palestine Cause . . . ”. [3]

Infiltration of all Western Systems. This effort is subsidised by vast amounts of money from Muslim oil rich states, businessmen and charities. Islamic lobbying groups are founded to put pressure on state ministries and bureaucracies, the media and political parties. Huge investments in the West underpin demands for the introduction of Islamic financial tools. Governments are put under pressure to follow Muslim-friendly internal and external policies or forego economic benefits. In education school textbooks, especially those teaching history and Islam, are being rewritten so as to present a sanitised view of Islam and its history as always non-violent, peaceful, tolerant and equitable. “Politically correct” views on Islam are fostered and any critique of Islam is attacked as Islamophobic. Legal action is taken against those criticising aspects of Islam, alleging they are inciting religious hatred.

NOTES

[1] Ibrahim, Abdul-Maajid, & Darbaalah, In Pursuit of Allah’s Pleasure, London: Al-Firdous, 1997, p. 55).

[2] Abul A‘la Mawdudi, Jihad fi Sabilillah”, Birmingham: U.K.I.M, 1997, pp.12-13.

[3] Yusuf al-Qaradawi, Priorities of the Islamic Movement in the Coming Phase, Swansea: Awakening Publications, 2000, pp. 163-167.

The Institute for the Study of Islam and Christianity (ISIC) is the educational arm of BARNABAS FUND.