Four Truths About Islam Many Don't Know

     Decades ago, I purchased a coffee table book ranking the most important individuals in human history. With Christianity boasting a billion followers, I assumed Jesus would lead the list. Wrong. Even back then, the verdict belonged to the Prophet Mohammad, founder of Islam, based on its enormous growth over the centuries. I am not an expert here, but I uncovered a few basic truths. Here’s some:

1.      It has been an aggressive colonizer. Following early setbacks, Mohammad became a military leader, a role reinforced by the sayings in the Quran. That method worked. Starting some seven centuries after Christianity, it has spread to more than 50 countries today. Once converted, countries do not revert except in the case of intense military conflict over a long period, in Spain for example. There the struggle took some 700 years, ending in 1492.  More recent conquests, like Lebanon and Egypt, show no signs of going back.

     Usually, the penalty for apostacy has been death. This makes an organic peaceful reformation very difficult.

2.      The Quran is not organized by categories or topics, but in chronological order. This is an important fact. In the early stage of his effort, Mohammed proselytized in Mecca, with only mixed success, using conventional persuasive arguments.  However, he then moved to Medina for his next stage, where he became much more aggressive, using military force to overcome his opposition, and this laid the foundation for the long-term success of the religion. This is crucial to understand, since the early doctrines of the Mecca period were relatively nonviolent and contained sayings that are non-threatening. These are quoted by those who argue Islam is a “religion of peace,” to quote President George W. Bush. The later doctrines, from the Medina time, are much more threating for apostates, Jews and infidels, often calling for their death.

      A second crucial fact is that the Quran is considered the direct word of God, using Mohammed as a conduit. As such it cannot be questioned, unlike other sacred works written by fallible human scribes. The only exception is that in case of a perceived doctrinal conflict, a rule called Abrogation states the more recent edicts prevail over the older ones: this usually means the aggressive sayings are controlling.

3.     An unexpected problem is that the faith permits socialization between unmarried first cousins of the opposite sex, unlike the strict prohibitions in all other cases. This loophole has caused centuries when large numbers of marriages occurred between first cousins, notably in countries like Pakistan and Egypt. As a result, many mental and cognitive deficiencies have occurred, including lower IQ functions. The problem continues.

4. Their formula for taking over a culture has been perfected over the years. Initially, when they first arrive in the new place, they are very compliant with local customs and quickly claim victim status in case of real or imagined mistreatment. This works with Western cultures, who have been taught that different religious beliefs are to be respected and tolerated. Islam is seen as “just another religion,” overlooking their aggressive history over the centuries in other locations. Very few Westerners understand Arabic, and those who do and raise concerns are dismissed. A key strategy is to have a high birth rate, which brings political power over the longer term. Once that is achieved, a culture of intolerance towards other faiths becomes more and more dominant.

     It is important to mention that many followers do not have aggressive motives and search for a good life.

5        For additional thoughts, there are several sources: Ayaan Hirsi Ali, who grew up in a Muslim community in Somalia but has become a critic of modern Islam, Douglas Murray, the British writer who notes that the lack of civilization achievements in the Islamic world is a major weakness, and Canadian Mark Steyn who first raised the alarm in 2006 in his book, America Alone, followed by Lights Out: Islam, Free Speech and the Twilight of the West (2009).  Books by Ali include: Infidel (2007), Nomad (2010) and Heretic (2018). By Murray: The Strange Death of Europe (2017), The War on the West (2022), and On Democracies and Death Cults (2025). All commentators are active on the Internet.