As a wrap to this current week-long study of the alarming rise of Islam around the globe and the threat posed to Western Civilization, I bring you the following commentary culled from several sources and organizations whose job it is to steer a clear pathway through the seemingly endless barrage of demonic wickedness perpetrated by these terrorist soldiers of Allah. Consider that Al Qaeda, Hamas, IS, ISIS, ISIL, Palestinian Authority, Muslim Brotherhood, CAIR, and all the rest of the alphabet-soup Islamic organizations are all cut from the same dirgeful cloth first fashioned by Muhammad some 1400 years ago. Although the 1979 takeover of the American embassy in Tehran can be argued to have marked the beginning of the modern conflict between the Islamic and non-Islamic worlds, that view is in fact too narrow – Islam has been at war with the infidels and the non-Muslim world for 1,400 years, since Muhammad conquered the Arabian peninsula. That conflict has ebbed and flowed with the relative strength of its participants; the Islamic world is now awakening from a period of dormancy which began upon the fall of the Ottoman Empire nearly a century ago.
Fueled by billions in petrodollars and the apparent weakness and vulnerability of European civilization, the soldiers of Allah are again on the march – as recent events on that continent show. A convincing case can be made that the true watershed event in the modern resurgence of Islam dates back to the mid-1920s, when the Muslim Brotherhood was founded in Egypt by Hassan al-Banna. The ideology of the Muslim Brotherhood is the chief intellectual, moral and ideological driver of the modern pan-Islamic movement – including not only older groups such as the PLO-Fatah but newer entities such as al-Qaeda and ISIS.
Dan Calic in his piece today in American Thinker on this very topic (link coming up at the end) declares in one of his paragraphs: “Before going further, an important distinction should be made. Am I suggesting this war is with all Muslims? No. Not all Muslims are fundamentalists. In fact the majority are not.” The obligatory qualifier, the politically-correct genuflection toward approved lines of thought on the subject – disappointingly predictable, not to mention wrong-headed. Here’s why … If one studies mass movements in history, invariably one finds that Pareto’s Principle is in play, i.e., the 80/20 rule. While mass movements and ideologies such as communism, national socialism – and Islam – are comprised of many millions of followers, such movements are actually led and steered by a much smaller cadre of true believers – who are disciplined, fanatical and ideologically committed. In any given movement, the former comprise 80% of the total, whereas the latter is made up of the remaining 20%. Within the twenty percent who are the most active and committed, the 80/20 rule still applies – so the most-committed and driven members of a movement may comprise as little as 4% of its members.
Pareto’s Principle applies in the case of Nazi Germany for example, where a nation of some eighty million people, was taken over and utterly subjugated by a single charismatic leader – Adolf Hitler – and a committed, fanatical cadre of fellow National Socialists (Nazis). Pareto’s Principle would predict that the core cadre should number between three and four million people. Arguably, it took less than that for the Nazis to take over! Applying Pareto’s Principle to Islam, we see that it isn’t the “moderates” who matter – even if such a species exists – it is instead the fanatics, the true believers, who get things done. They are the ones who drive events. That is especially true within the Muslim world, a place in which deviation from orthodox belief is severely punished by harsh penalties, up to and including death.
Pareto’s Principle accurately describes the reality before us today – that it is the most-committed and driven members of a mass movement or system of belief who matter, not the great mass of relatively-passive people who follow behind them. We would do well to keep this truth in mind when interpreting the intentions of the Muslim world at large. Just remember that Islam has been at war with Western values for the entire 1400 years it has existed. Ask the Spanish how much they liked being ruled by Muslims. Europe owes a great debt to Charles The Hammer Martel for turning them back at the battle of Tours/Poitier in 732 AD and to the Poles for saving the day at the Gates of Vienna in 1683.
And finally as to “Islam: At war with the world (and itself)” – This description from the Bible some 4000 years ago says it all: And he will be a wild man; his hand will be against every man, and every man’s hand against him; and he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren .. And Hagar bare Abram a son: and Abram called his son’s name, which Hagar bare, Ishmael. ~ Genesis 16:12, 15
What does line upon line, precept upon precept mean? But the word of the LORD was unto them precept upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little; that they might go, and fall backward, and be broken, and snared, and taken. ~ Isaiah 28:13
PLUS…But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived. ~ II Timothy 3:13
Equals Tomorrow’s News Today. God’s Holy Word, in English, the King James Bible. Even so, come, Lord Jesus. Amen. Maranatha. In Him!
Dan Cali and “Islam: At War With The World (and itself)”…
The most significant undeclared war of our time — a war with Islam — began November 4, 1979, the day Iran took US citizens hostage in Tehran and held 52 of them against their will for 444 days. While 9/11 was the worst single event by far, it wasn’t the beginning.
Some may suggest there is no such war. Others claim it is the West that has declared war on Islam. Neither statement is correct. The fact is that Islam has declared war. War on democracy, the West, the US, Jews, Christians and all “infidels,” which includes other Muslims. We are in perilous times. The very fabric of the free world is under attack. Unless democratic nations, especially the US, acknowledge this and take steps to combat the threat, it’s possible Islam will eventually engulf everyone and everything.
The most important and powerful leader in the free world is the President of the United States. He should be at the forefront of this battle. Yet President Obama has steadfastly refused to correctly identify what everyone else knows — the United States (and the free world) is in the crosshairs of Islam. Their goal is to see the Islamic flag over the White House.
New normal
If you are one of those who don’t think we are in a crisis, consider this. Prior to the takeover of the US embassy in Iran, how often did you hear these terms: “Islam,” “jihad,” “Islamic fundamentalist,” “martyr,” “Allah,” “alluah Akbar,” or “Sharia law?”
Today they are commonplace and exemplify the new normal the US and the world lives with.
I recall when it was possible to walk out to the gate at the airport to meet an incoming passenger. How about when there was no such thing as an airport security check? I guess I’m only showing my age….
Not all Muslims
Before going further, an important distinction should be made. Am I suggesting this war is with all Muslims? No. Not all Muslims are fundamentalists. In fact the majority are not. Yet the terror from the minority is affecting almost everyone in one way or another.
An obvious question becomes how many fundamentalists are there?
Estimates vary widely. From as low as 3% up to as much as 50% or more, depending on your source. This is where some simple math is quite telling. Current estimates indicate there are 1.65 billion Muslims worldwide. For the sake of this article I’ll use a conservative estimate of 10% being fundamentalists. That means 90% are peaceful.
If 10% are fundamentalists, that translates to 165 million. If all of them lived in one country it would rank #8 in the world. These are numbers no one should dismiss or take lightly.
Dan Calic is a writer, history student and speaker. See additional articles on his Facebook page.