UI – Part 313 – Peace at Hand for Muslims

The Islamist Warrior – Invincible

The battle lines were drawn.  Each side claimed they were defenders of the faith.  With weapons held at their side, bandoleers strapped to their ribs and over shoulder as a school crossing guard, the warriors were prepared to aim and fire and to deal with the rebuttal from their actions. A leader spoke, “Know Allah is with you.  When you attack claim his name, Allahu Akbar.” Disguised by colorful and checkered head scarves these men of faith hid their identity.  Was it out of embarrassment, doubt as to their cause, or simply not wanting others, like family members and peers, to know them and the view they represented. Did they themselves know?  As an NCAA Division 1 football team or an NFL footballer they were encouraged, stimulated and with chants and jumping prepared to die in the arena. Many were so young that death was far from any consideration.  They were among the invincible.  Were they right?

Those of the opposition were provided similar encouragement.  Assurances were made that virgins awaited those who succumbed in battle against the infidel.  Looking very much like those they faced, except in dress, they too wore similar gear and shouted the same decree, “Allahu Akbar” as they pulled the trigger of an AK-47 firing with abandon skyward and in the direction of their enemy.  Those on the field, both sides, were considered infidels by the other. They were hypocrites and thus they must ‘prepare to die.’ “Strive (jihad) hard against unbelievers and hypocrites (moderate Muslims)” (Sura 9.73)

Who is the Enemy? Any Infidel Will Do.

Enmeshed in conflict they saw their brother’s drop. Confined among skies ablaze with piercing bullets it was difficult to reload so poking and grabbing at their enemy with their knives, useful in the aftermath for beheadings, aided in filling each other with blood splattered as a Pollack canvas.  Bodies covered in wasted plasma, twisted and crumpled, became the mat of the floor upon which grunts and groans and shouts continued.  There were no medical technicians to aid the wounded. There was little effort to bring the dead home.  It was all offense with little defense.

To the victor will go the heads of the conquered, as any reconciliation, any forgiveness of this infidel now made obvious as the weaker, was not considered.   They would lose their lives, be eliminated as a foundation for dissent or doubt as to the objective of the winner, providing thrills for those made barbarians by their on-going acts of disgust to any normal human.

Disenfranchised from their base they regard killing others as a means of restoring their self-respect and position with a god they most often know little about. Jobless, feeling hopeless, it provides something to do.  What else was available?  Gathering on corners of falling cities corners and chewing ghat was one alternative.  But indolence was not what they seek.  They wanted to be a part of something.  Joining Al Qaeda or ISIS or another rebel Islamist militant group was available.  Joining the force most effective, having the better chance at success, or those of their parentage, made the most sense as their rewards would be greater and their lives might continue longer.  Peer pressure is a factor, acceptance, to join a marauding band, the benefits of the spoils offered by Muhammad, including sex, food and fortune, incentives difficult for a male libido absent love to resist, clouds their brains as a heavy stimulant.  They march forward in a trance. It’s their holy ritual – jihad – making them even more devout. Which army is the representative of Satan?  Or are both sides his, as an enemy of the true God.  Clearly any Christian or Jew or pagan they meet is gum to chew and spit out.  They were fighting as called for by the Scripture they knew, the teaching received from Imam’s and military commanders, where doubt was not permitted.  The areas to which they were pointed were as insolent faith fields to be extirpated for the glory of Allah.

Some said they were killing Muslims, believers as they in Allah, but they insisted they were killing infidels, those not believers, not as devout as the man with the gun.

The aftermath of war is silence.  Is there remorse?  In their case, however, there is a cry, more ‘Allahu Akbar’, to find those who disagree and behead for show, or align kneeled in rows to be shot from behind, a mass murder, and fill ditches prepared for those they only see as infidel, even when they pray to the same god.   To instill fear in those who live they raise an upper hand for all to observe those who claim superiority.  Weapon in hand, an army standing beside them, they feel strong, but indeed they may be the weaker.  The Islamist warriors are cowards unable to defend themselves peaceably, having no argument, no ability to discuss what they believe as they only know what they are told to do, how to shout and the thrill of the kill; they feel strong and act through coercion.

What is Missing?

Here is what the Islamist and most Muslims, if not all, miss.

Peace is nearby.  But they need to remove the scales of hatred from their eyes.  They need to close their ears to the constant din of ‘Allahu Akbar’ and understand Islam.  I disagree with President Obama who said, “The sweetest sound I know is the Muslim call to prayer.” I respectfully disagree.  The Quran is not a clarion call for a peaceful world.  Oh how elusive for the Muslim is their independence.  Even to question their ideology demands rebuke.  No freedom? Yes, there is no freedom.  It is anathema to this confused cultural phenomenon borne from the sword of Muhammad. But the message is one they need to comprehend so clarity is possible. They are caught in a web of deceit.  Allah is the best at that.

The scarf that hides the fighters for a cause célèbre they feel justified in is but a barrier to the truth.  The foundation of that truth is found in the Bible.  It is also the foundation, the root, from which grew Islam.  But the offshoots, from a self-proclaimed Prophet, were grafted into defective trees that bear little fruit.  When that fruit falls and is eaten it rots the soul and causes anguish that Satan uses.  Satan becomes the antacid, the pill of Allah, to calm the ache, muddy the mind, and grab the heart of everyone they can to build an army to defeat God.  Christ is the competition.  But Christ fights without a weapon.

Sword-free Peace

It is through peace that the Christ follower sees a world secure and safe for family, children and friends.  It is not all the same for all the people.  There is freedom, to include freedom which allows for the Islamists.  We can pray, however, that the misguided find the path that was laid for them too.  It is the way to salvation.  Through the gates that remain open to all who believe, God made an eternal life possible.  No virgins are promised.  But peace is.  The Bible does not call for war; there is not one passage in the New Testament that wants a theocracy, thus allowing for secular governance.  But the Bible does want leaders to have a heart for God, to lead their people in truth, accepting the moral and ethical values presented and demonstrated.  It paves the landscape with stones of peace.

God is loving, even if you do not accept Christ at the moment, even when you resist the offer of salvation, even when temptations overwhelm you, some to the point of destruction.  God is patient.  Is Allah?  God will love you always.  But there will be judgment.  If you want to be judged favorably by God you do not behead like a member of ISIS. You do not support the efforts of Islamists to declare their superiority and call for a world only for Allah.  That is Satan’s doing.  You reach out to friend and neighbor in love instead.  The golden rule of treating others as you desire for your family, friends, neighborhood and self is most applicable.  You assist in restoring those areas destroyed or harmed in calamities.  You volunteer to be charitable and give to the needy.  However the doors to understanding Christ cannot be closed; that is just what Satan wants.  Closing such doors is as the scarf covering the face and heart of the barbaric Islamist hunter cajoled to hate Christian and Jew (Sura 60.4).  No tolerance means no peace.  A black heart allows little light to shine on the truth. Christ’s light is under attack.

The peace at hand for the Muslim is the saving grace offered by the God of our universe, our creator, the provider of truth and freedom.  God is well aware there are those who will never accept his truth, the salvation he provided for all who seek.  God is well aware too of the serpent deceiver who will fight until judgment day.  It is as if the Quran is the Scripture of the serpent requesting those who choose this guide to fight, fight, fight and to deny, deny, deny, the target.

That target is the peace that paseth all understanding.  It is the one who died for our sins.  We all sin.  We are all sinners.  There cannot be salvation without forgiveness.  Forgiveness comes with punishment.  God can do all things.  He did.  He provided for the punishment we deserve for our sinful nature.  He sent himself in the form of Christ to teach, inform and accept the punishment we all deserve.  It was the perfect lamb sent to shed blood for out errors. Christ felt there was more he could accomplish on earth; he wanted more time.  But the decision was God’s.  It is finished.  Christ died a horrific death; but it was all of us on that cross, all our bad deeds received lashes and gashes.  The thorns pieced our heads too.  He did what he did for all people, not the chosen, but all those created, those he calls his children.  Be a child of God and believe.  A child of the true God accepts Christ’s sacrifice.

No One is Greater than God

Challenging Christ as a prophet is a foolish act of ignorance, self-reliance and machismo.  It attempts to place an individual or persons above God, making them superior. That is the biggest mistake.  No one is greater than God.  No one can assume the role of God in punishing others for their sins, even blasphemy or apostasy.  That is God’s purview.

If everyone believed in Christ, the world would be peaceful.  It is not expected that everyone would believe, but the prayer and hope is that the joy that is possible is made known and that hearts can and will be altered. Certainly we can only pray that the Muslim, Islamist or moderate, fully understand what is written and said in their Scripture. They must not fear the sword at their throat if they challenge this Book.  How else can doubts be erased?  Ask why it is so war oriented.  Can’t there be peace with a neighbor that does not believe as you do?  Not just being friendly, but as a friend?  Islam is not a religion of peace.  The pagan city of Mecca (if that was the home of Muhammad) was more peaceful than Islam is today. That is until Muhammad returned and destroyed all the idols maintained in the Kaaba for all who visited the city in peace. Rome, city of many religions and ideologies, before and after Christ, was more peaceful than Islam is today (Pax Romana).

It is impertinent I know, but I ask all Muslims who may read this blog to consider the truth.  You too can be saved.  Peace is at hand.  Reach for it and God may take your hand.

Grace and Peace.