Now that a shockwave of Islamic fundamentalism has once more hit London, should we not ask some basic questions about what it is, where it comes from and the threat it poses to our society?

If we listen to most politicians and the news media, we never seem to get to these key questions. A veil of compromise descends over the real issues, neither exposing the true intent of the Islamist movement nor helping the multitude of Muslims who do not align themselves with aggression, but who were nevertheless born into a religion that is somehow begetting it.

Is it time for a high-profile discussion across the nation led by skilled media presenters from the main TV channels and also by those in government? Let these issues be clarified, so that we all know what we are facing and so that the expectations on all Muslims are known, for their sakes as well as ours.

Here are some questions we should all be asking.

What is Jihad – and is it the Duty of Every Muslim?

Those carrying out such atrocities as London witnessed on Wednesday are often termed ‘jihadis’ or ‘jihadists’. But what exactly is jihad?

Jihad is the struggle on many different fronts to assert the predominance of Islam.

‘Jihad’ is an Arabic word that means striving or struggling, and is often classified into two parts: ‘inner’ jihad (one’s internal struggle against evil) and ‘external’ jihad (outward struggle against unbelievers – whether in argument or in warfare).

Listening to politicians and the media talking about terrorism, a veil of compromise descends over the real issues.

Many see jihad as the sixth pillar of Islam and therefore the duty of every Muslim. If that is the case, then how jihad is defined is extremely important, for every good Muslim is duty-bound to follow in its path! Whilst Islamic scholars are quick to explain it away in terms of peace, with violence only justifiable when absolutely necessary to defend the faith (and even then only under certain conditions), it is unavoidable that jihad has become the key driver behind Islamic extremism such as results in acts of terrorism.

Is Militant Jihad Truly Islamic?

We are given the impression by politicians and the media that these extreme terror acts are being committed by ‘fundamentalists’ (or, to quote several recent BBC interviews on the subject, ‘evil people’) who have been deceived into following a ‘warped’ version of Islam – and that as such, they are ‘not true Muslims’.

However, it is clear from the trail attackers leave behind as well as the publications of so-called Islamic State, that these people would not see themselves as radicalised to evil but as striving for ‘good’ – faithfully fulfilling their part in the struggle to promote true Islam – even sacrificially. The idea that radical Islam is somehow ‘false’ and ‘not real Islam’ is a lie – at the very least, it is one legitimate interpretation amongst several others. Many see it as the only authentic interpretation of Islam – Islam returned to its true roots, as it were.

For bemused and frightened non-Muslim Western onlookers, the following is certainly true: if jihad leads some Muslims to the sorts of war that we see in Syria and yet does not lead others in this way, then we must ask for a clearer definition of jihad. Let us have an open discussion as to what Islam really teaches.

There is, of course, the doctrine of abrogation, which says that some Islamic doctrines of the past are now no longer relevant. Has military jihad been abrogated? Let’s ask the question of Muslim clerics and see if they have one voice on this. I have never heard that military jihad has been abrogated, but let’s clarify it.

If jihad leads some Muslims to warfare and not others, then we must ask for a clearer definition of jihad.

What is the Intention of Islam in the West?

Meanwhile, whilst terrorists are denounced publicly as solitary lunatics – exceptional cases who have no place in British Islam or in Britain more broadly, attention is diverted away from the fact that there has long been an ‘Islamic movement’ in the West seeking to not only establish Islam, but also to extend its influence in Western culture.

Here is a quote from Islamic Movement in the West published by the Islamic Foundation (a research and education group based in Leicester) in 1981. The Islamic movement is defined on p3 of the document as:

An organised struggle to change the existing society based on the Qur’an and the Sunna and make Islam, which is the code for entire life, supreme and dominant, especially in the socio-political spheres. [emphases added]

The Islamic movement was further defined as comprising four key elements: “total change, the supremacy of Islam, the socio-political aspects, and the organised struggle.”

In relation to immigrant communities, the document states:

Another important objective relates to the Muslim immigrant communities. Being already Muslim, their Islamic and social needs should have a high claim on the Islamic movement. Though a movement in the true sense will not develop unless spearheaded by the locals, the immigrant communities will provide the springboard, function as the main vehicles for drawing and rallying them and provide a significant measure of support for them. Similarly, they have an important role to play in reinforcing the struggle for Islamic revolution back home. (p12)

Because of our research on this and other documents in the 1980s, we at Prophecy Today warned of what was coming – and the possible impacts it could have on our society. Now terror is on our streets and the threat is growing, yet the mainstream media still persists in ignoring the fundamental questions, failing to clarify for the general public even the basic teachings and beliefs of Islam, let alone what the real intent of the Islamic movement is.

The mainstream media persists in ignoring fundamental questions and failing to educate the general public on the basics about Islam.

Of course there are many other questions, but one more for now:

Is the Principle of Dhimmi Applicable Today?

If jihad is an obligation for all Muslims with the intent of bringing society under the influence of Islam, is the principle of ‘dhimmi’ to be enforced? Dhimmi refers to non-Muslim citizens living under Islamic rule and the way they are treated:

A dhimmī is a historical term referring to non-Muslim citizens of an Islamic state. The word literally means "protected person." According to scholars, dhimmis had their rights fully protected in their communities, but as citizens in the Islamic state, had certain restrictions, and it was obligatory for them to pay the jizya tax, which complemented the zakat, or alms, paid by the Muslim subjects.

Dhimmis were exempt from certain duties assigned specifically to Muslims, and did not enjoy certain political rights reserved for Muslims, but were otherwise equal under the laws of property, contract, and obligation.¹

In other words, non-Muslims under Islamic rule have a recognised status, but it is an inferior one. History proves that this all too often descends into full-blown persecution.

If the Islamic movement in the West intends to extend its influence in the UK, the struggle (jihad) will be uncompromising. At times it may seem that proponents of Islam only want to be one voice amongst many - negotiating for their own small place in a diverse society. Yet, ultimately, if the principle of dhimmi has not been abrogated, then outside of conversion to Islam, all other people are seen as second-class citizens deserving limited freedom.

If the Islamic movement in the West intends to extend its influence in the UK, the struggle (jihad) will be uncompromising.

A Christian Response

It is time to ask such fundamental questions as those above of Islamic clerics and scholars. I would personally like to see the following clarified through public interviews with Muslim clerics:

1. What is jihad?
   
2. Is jihad the obligation of every Muslim today?
   
3. If Britain came under the influence of Islamic law, would non-Muslims be treated as dhimmi?
   

It is also timely to make clear what the true commission of the Lord Jesus is in our society. We have also been commissioned to transform society, but not by crusading and warfare - through love, holding out our hands as the hands of the Lord to win people to the salvation offered through his atoning blood. Because of this witness, the Gospel has impacted Britain and shaped our nation’s constitution – and it could still win out now, if Christians were prepared to stand up and be counted.

Let us clarify the intent of the Islamic movement in our midst. Let us hear this in national media debates and stop fudging the issue. Let us thereby make a way for those Muslims who would choose, given the opportunity, not to follow in that path, to hear the unfudged truth that can transform them for eternal life.

Extra Resources

If you are interested in following up these themes further, we recommend the following groups and websites who have dedicated themselves to exposing the truth about Islam:

• The Gatestone Institute
  
• Jihad Watch (a project of researcher and author Robert Spencer)
  
• Melanie Phillips (secular journalist and blogger)
  
• Middle East Forum (US)

References

1 Dhimmi, Wikipedia.