Islamic terrorists

Islamic Terrorism: If We Don’t Go, They Will Come

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Last week I mentioned that the expulsion of ISIS from their self-styled capital in Raqqa, Syria would lead to an increase in lone wolf attacks in the West. I had hoped the next event would not occur so soon. But it did.

So on behalf of all those affected by Tuesday’s attack in lower Manhattan, I tell you this: if we don’t go to Muslims with the good news of the gospel, they will come to us with the bad news of Islamic jihad.

If We Don’t Go, They Will Come

We see this principle in the Old Testament where God wanted His people to reach out to other nations and be a witness to them. But they (the Israelites) did not do it. He even sent Jonah by force to show His love for the nations. But then because Israel did not go to the Assyrians and Babylonians, those nations came, attacked them, killed them, and took them to captivity.

This same consequence is what is happening today to America and much of the Western world. For centuries the Church has ignored the Middle East and Muslims. Only 3 percent of the Church’s mission budget is spent to reach out to 1.6 billion Muslims. Because we did not go to them with the love of Christ, they are coming to us with the hatred of Allah.

Terrorists coming with the hatred of Allah is exactly what happened on 9/11, and it is what is happening now. So the same OT principle is still valid: If we don’t go, they will come—and it will not be pretty. If we continue to disregard reaching out to Muslims of the Middle East, they will continue to come to us with violence and acts of terrorism.

Love or hate

It Is Impossible to Monitor All Terrorist Threats

Government officials feel helpless to stop it. Representative Chris Collins (R-N.Y.) said yesterday that stopping terrorism in the USA is impossible. Terrorism is impossible to stop completely because an act of terrorism easily could happen on any street corner, any movie theater, any stadium, any concert, or in any shopping mall in the US.

A few months ago, after my presentation at a conference about reaching out to Muslims with the love of Christ, I talked to a top homeland security officer. He said, “We are on the defensive in America, and that is a weak position. It is impossible to monitor all potential terrorists and stop them before they do their acts of terrorism.” He then continued, “There are many threats that Homeland Security thwarts before they happen, but unfortunately it takes only one person that we miss to bring terrorism to the US.”

Moving to the Offensive

Being on the defensive is a weak position. Jesus commands us to go (Matthew 28:19). We must be on the offensive with the gospel and love of Christ towards Muslims. We must go. The gospel is powerful but only if it is shared (Romans 1:16). Perfect love casts out the Islamic spirit of fear only if it is expressed (1 John 4:18).

Living on the defensive, in constant fear, or in search of ways to protect ourselves against inevitable attacks is not the answer to Islam. Neither is it the answerto return violence with violence. The only response with long-term impact is to aggressively love Muslims and share the gospel with them.

The good news is that God has done His part by opening the hearts of millions of Muslims towards the gospel already. The bad news is that the Church is pretty much asleep and is not doing its job. And yet the worst news is that, as a result, terrorism will increase in the USA. The news we get in the future will be based on the choices we make and the actions we take now.

We can be fearful of Islam.

We can be indifferent to Islam.

Or we can proactively obey Christ
and go share the gospel with Muslims.

Please join me in going on the offensive.

Related articles:

Henney, Megan. “New York, Terrorist Attacks ‘impossible to Stop’: Rep. Collins.” FOXBusiness, October 31, 2017.

Shariat, Hormoz. “Defeating ISIS—Quenching the Flames of Jihad.”

Photo: Copyright: paktaotik2 / 123RF Stock Photo

Defeating ISIS—Quenching the Flames of Jihad

Hormoz Shariat Battling Terrorism, Current Events , , , ,

Some people hear me talk about Islam and think I hate Muslims because I want to offer them something other than their beliefs—and because I speak truth about what the Quran teaches. Do you think I hate Muslims? Islam was mine from birth. I practiced it for many years. These were and are my people. I have received the threats on my life. And I love them still. They are God’s treasure. I am giving my life for them.

Do you love Muslims? Perhaps you fear what they might do in your city and around the world. Perhaps you fear that they might spark a blaze of terrorism that destroys all that you own and love. What can you do when the threat of jihad presses in like an uncontrolled fire that turns on a whim and consumes everything in its path?

soldiers against a sunset
Islamic soldiers

Two recent events are pressing on my heart this week: the California wildfires and the war on ISIS. They are completely unrelated…and yet the same.

We Have Backed ISIS into a Corner

Last week, American-backed forces drove ISIS out of the caliphate’s self-proclaimed capital of Raqqa, in Syria. You probably have seen the news reports. While some Western officials are celebrating, the mood for many is somber. European officials tasked with protecting their citizens from attacks—like the Champs Elysees killings, the Manchester concert bombing, the Barcelona van ramming, and the London subway bomb—know that the battle is far from over. American forces, hopefully, have learned from the Taliban and Al Qaeda what happens when a void is left in Islamic jihad leadership. The battle is far from over.

The reality is that when you kill a Muslim, 100 more will rise up in his place. The theology and culture of Islam—the Spirit of Islam—is anger, violence and revenge. Allah asked Mohammed to take revenge. Islam gives honor to those who kill and die for the faith. An Islamic jihadist facing defeat and dishonor is like a cornered animal—he’s at his most dangerous state.

The Enemy Is Not Just ISIS; It’s the Theology of Islam

Let’s make no mistake—ISIS is not the sole enemy. The enemy is the Spirit of Islam. There have been many “lone wolf” attacks, and yes, many have been connected with ISIS. But ISIS is not the common denominator; Islam is the common denominator. Islam makes people captive to fear and anger.

As Islamic State spokesman Abu Muhammed al-Adnani said before his death last year, “True defeat is the loss of willpower and desire to fight. We would be defeated and you victorious only if you were able to remove the Quran from the Muslims’ hearts.”

We may have pushed ISIS back, but we are far from claiming victory. Lone wolves and sleeper cells will continue to be inspired by whichever leader or organization takes up the mission of the Quran: Taliban, Al Qaeda, ISIS—or whatever we will call ISIS 2.0.

The Gospel Solves the Problem of Revenge

Yes, it is good to make terrorists weak. Yes, we must stand up and fight. I’m not saying we shouldn’t. A nation must defend itself. Military might can be a good thing. But it will never be a long-term solution to peace. For this enemy, defeat only kindles more anger and fanaticism.

In past weeks, a video of a tree in California burning from the inside out went viral. This tree and this wildfire that killed many and destroyed much is like an observant Muslim lit up by the Spirit of Islam. You can attack the flames and spray them with water, you can build barriers and backfires to contain and defeat, but hot spots will smolder and rekindle and flames will leap from one place to another. The heat will sustain itself under the ashes, in the heart of a tree—wherever it can find protection.

The only way to truly put out the fire is to quench its burning desire to reignite—for a Muslim, this means we must solve the problem of revenge. We must love them with the gospel. As the Bible teaches us, we have to overcome evil with good (Romans 12:21).

I often feel people think my message sounds like a pastor’s broken record, an empty solution that ignores the realities of terrorism and war. But I have seen the results over and over again. The love and self-sacrifice of Jesus cools the ground and quenches the flame in the Muslim heart. They no longer have to be angry and seek honor through revenge. The good news is that millions of Muslims are also fed up with the message of hatred, violence, and revenge. They are questioning the teachings of Islam and are open to the message of the gospel.

When a Muslim hears and accepts the gospel, Jesus transforms them. He puts out the destructive fire and makes them a light to hundreds. And right now, Jesus is turning many fires into lights in Iran and the Middle East. The mainstream media won’t tell you this. The Iranian government won’t tell you this. But Jesus is the great firefighter for the Muslim world. So the violence is causing Muslims—who aren’t allowed to question—to question Islam. And Jesus is drawing people to him.

Do you love Muslims? God does. He sees all the destruction caused by fire and jihad, whether in California, Europe, or the Middle East, and he weeps for the many people here and there, who are his treasure. They need the gospel. If you have it, help me share it.

Related articles:

Coker, Margaret, Eric Schmitt, and Rukmini Callimachi. “With Loss of Its Caliphate, ISIS May Return to Guerrilla Roots.” The New York Times, October 18, 2017, sec. Middle East.

McDermott. Matthew. “Watch an Eerie Tree Burning from the Inside in California Wildfire.” Video on NationalGeographic.com. October 17, 2017.

ISIS—True Muslims or Not?

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In my last post, I showed how ISIS is causing Muslims to question their faith. At the core of their questioning, they must decide who the true Muslims are—themselves or the brutal members of ISIS.

Many people around the world are asking, “Are the members of ISIS true Muslims or merely terrorists seeking religious legitimacy?”

President Obama has repeatedly stated that the religion of violent extremists savaging Iraq and Syria is irrelevant. ManyISIS-poses-for-photo-Twitter-640x480 have criticized him for refusing to call ISIS Islamic terrorists. But he insists, “We are not at war with Islam. We are at war with people who have perverted Islam.”

Yet ISIS unashamedly claims that they are true and great Muslims.

So who is the true Muslim?

If we ask this question about Christianity, isn’t it logical to say whoever most closely follows the teaching of Jesus and His example is the most true Christian? The definition of a good Christian is not subjective, but comes from solid criteria. Whichever people follow the example of their holy book and their leader, they are the better adherents to that faith.

This same criteria will tell us who is a good Muslim: the one who lives out the teaching of the Quran and follows the example of Mohammed more closely.

Using that objective criteria, we must conclude that the members of ISIS are very good Muslims. What they are doing is based on numerous Quranic verses and the practices of the Prophet Mohammad. Yes, indeed they are following Islam more closely than “Moderate Muslims” who ignore those call-to-violence verses in the Quran, and downplay their own historical record of what Prophet Mohammad did.  

ISIS is challenging all Muslims to have another look at their faith. Many Muslims are taking up that challenge, looking at the Quran more objectively, and coming to the conclusion that the root of their problem is not ISIS but Islam itself.

What ISIS is doing to Sunni Muslims, the Islamic Republic of Iran has done to Shiite Muslims in Iran. After over 35 years of Islamic rule, Iranian Muslims have come to the conclusion that the root of their problems is not political but spiritual. They vast majority have come to believe that the problem is not with the Islamic government but with Islam itself.

Please pray for the many Muslims that are seeking refuge—physically and spiritually—from the ravages of the Islamic world. They are open and ready for the Gospel. Pray that the Church and the nations will be open to them. Let’s pray that all of us be free from fear and hatred towards Muslims, and instead, be filled with God’s immense love for them.

And pray for the hundreds of thousands of Muslim-background believers in Iran. Through Iran Alive Ministries, I have seen multitudes of Muslims in Iran seek refuge in Jesus. They are repulsed by the violence and hatred and are attracted to the love, joy, and peace that Jesus offers. Coming from darkness, they value the light even more. They value their new faith in Jesus so much that they are ready to live and die for Him. And they are closely living out His example, enduring persecution with humility and honor, loving their enemies, and spreading the Kingdom of God.

Join me in supporting these true Christians.

Related:

President Obama Says ISIS ‘Not Religious Leaders, They are Terrorists’