It’s in the Book

November 24, 2002

by John F. Schmidt

Sheik Abu Hamza - affiliated with London’s Finsbury Park mosque - has recently been caught on tape (now available on the Internet) urging his followers to kill non-Muslims and to commit acts of terrorism.

As reported by WorldNetDaily on November 19, 2002, Sheik: It’s OK to kill non-Muslims, this “cleric” was born in Egypt and grew up in England. Despite the influence of the mild British culture to which he had been exposed since youth, the Sheik exhibits a cold hatred of all things non-Muslim. He denies, of course, that he has said or done anything that would incite anyone to violence, and scoffs at the taped remarks as being “out of context.”

But then taking a different tack, he claims that he cannot be accused of inciting violence because he is a cleric who only preaches Muslim law. "I say the reality that’s in the Muslim books anyway. Whether I say it or not, it’s in the books."

Seemingly blind to the inconsistency of his remarks the Sheik breezily dismisses the terrorist implications of his words on his audience because they come from the Koran. Perhaps the rest of us will be forgiven our obtuseness if we don’t accept them simply because they come from his “holy book,” especially when they advocate mayhem against the rest of us. But the illogic of his defensive statements is jarring. He plainly admits that the things he is accused of saying are indeed “in the books.”

All of this is stands in poignant contrast to U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell’s remarks this week against some in the U.S. Christian community who criticized Islam itself as the source of terrorism. While describing extremism and violence as America’s greatest enemies, Powell went on to attack those American Christian leaders as “…bigots, extremists who cloak themselves in false spirituality in an attempt to divide and to weaken us.”

His words are all the more remarkable when set against the Sheik’s. Abu Hamza denies that he is an extremist and a bigot, yet freely admits that his statements are inherent to the Koran. When Christian leaders point to the same kinds of statements in Islamic holy literature, senior American government officials describe them as bigots and extremists.

There were more examples of Muslim intolerance of non-Muslims this week. Violence erupted Wednesday, 11/20/02 when a Nigerian newspaper published a suggestion that Mohammed would have liked the beauties in the Miss World pageant being hosted there. See Miss World Riots Spread to Nigeria’s Capital. At last count over 200 have been killed in rioting. The targets of the Islamic mobs were Christians. A quote from one of the Muslim women in Nigeria sheds some light on their attitude: “We are calling on the government to stop Miss World, this show of shame. For women to expose herself to men other than their husbands is forbidden,” said one of the protesters, Hadiza Usman.

Exactly. Forbidden by what? The Koran, of course. But what are we to do when the Koran contradicts the Bible, or the Constitution, or our culture? The Muslims have a nice answer: “Submit or die.” And that is the very definition of intolerance and bigotry.

Western culture has reached an implicit agreement that we won’t kill each other over differences of opinion, even though they are deeply held. Muslims have no such qualms, either in their cultures or in their holy book. That is because their “holy book” commands them to butcher their opposition and promises rewards for those who do so.

Why has our government been so careful to avoid offending Muslim sensibilities while simultaneously trashing those of Christians? Evidence supports the conclusion that the gratuitous treatment of Islam by U.S. leaders is motivated not so much by tolerance, but by fear. To that extent the attack of 9-11 achieved its intended result.

Evidence of this fear is clear even in society at large. Conversions to the Muslim religion rose considerably in the U.S. following 9-11. This is certainly not accountable to the peaceful tendencies of Islam. I believe it is simply fear. Many apparently are seeking shelter under the umbrella of Islam to avoid becoming a target. And that is precisely the modus operandi of Islam.

Still, some dare to speak the truth. Russia’s Vladimir Putin made a frank statement at the European Union summit in Brussels on 11/12/02. He said that the West is in “mortal danger from Islam.” Why haven’t our American leaders been so forthright? Have we departed so far from our faith that the only thing we have left is guns and bullets - and fear? Dr. Laura Schlessinger pointed out this prevalence of fear in a recent article America is Afraid. She attributes it to political correctness; I attribute it to a loss of faith in God.

Observe that American policy statements on the “war on terror” are profoundly “faith-free.” We are called to endure some costs and ever more restrictions on our freedom, but we are not called to oppose the faith of the terrorists. The Russians have done so. Faith encourages people and confusion saps their will to fight. A national re-statement of our faith would unite us.

This is asymmetrical warfare, and we are on the weak end. We fight an idea, not an army. Islam has attacked us. And only a stronger faith can resist and overcome another faith. I know that “God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and a sound mind.” It is high time that we publicly return to the God who takes away the spirit of fear. If we don’t, we will lose. It’s in the Book.

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John F. Schmidt has written numerous articles over the last decade. Politically, he is an Alan Keyes-type Republican. Along with his wife, he has organized voter drives in Pennsylvania, and been active politically since the 1990 elections. His livelihood, until recently, was spent in automation engineering for a large global equipment manufacturing company, specializing in coal mining. WANB in Waynesburg, Pennsylvania hosted Schmidt's weekly talk radio program "Issues and Answers." His writing is intended to relate the headlines of today to the foundation of eternal truth - the Scriptures. He currently resides in Palm Beach County, Florida. Visit his website at: Inalienable-Rights.org

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