Digging deeper The thing that brings Islam to our attention is not so much the different clothing worn by some, or the occasional Mosque, or what we might have learnt at school, but the violence carried out in its name. Hearing 'Allahu Akbar' should not be a cause for fear - a word of humble praise should be a positive thing. But when it is used in the context of some violent act deemed by the speaker to be in Allah's will, then there is cause for great concern.
Two MPs have been attacked, Stephen Timms (2010), David Amess (2021) (fatally). These attacks were inspired by Islamic teaching. There are numerous other well-known incidents.
We also have the attack on Salman Rushdie (2022) which is discussed in context in a 2019 article and current discussion. This incident lead to self-censoring of issues around Islam - is it right that it's feared?
In Islamic majority countries, non-muslims are discriminated against (in line with Quranic teaching), in a 'systemic' way (video). This includes death for those who leave Islam. The response to complaints of bias by Muslims in non-muslim countries should be properly investigated but should always be met by an injunction for equal treatment for non-Muslims in Muslim communities.
There is also the situation of women in strongly Islamic countries like Iran who feel oppressed by restrictions imposed on them, sometimes violently.
Tim Dieppe says :
'In short, the answer is that while most Muslims are peaceful and law-abiding people, the teaching and history of Islam cannot be described as peaceful. A significant minority of Muslims are therefore radicalised when the teaching of the Qur’an is explained to them. One can hardly say that the founder of Islam was a peaceful person, for example, in sharp contrast with the example of Jesus.’
'Prayer is vital for our security and the hard work of these critical services [Prevent et al].. Evangelism is also vital. We need to love our Muslim friends, and love them enough to share the gospel with them. The surest way to convert a potential terrorist is for them to see the falsehood of Islam and the truth of Christianity. There is a harvest of Muslims who need Jesus out there on our doorsteps. What we need are Christians who will fearlessly and confidently proclaim the gospel to our Muslim neighbours. Prayer and evangelism are the hope of the nation.‘
There are many British Muslims that accept the values of free-speech, tolerance, respect and peaceful coexistence. Still, the Islamists (the political side) are a mixture of: activists prepared to use violence, non-violent activists (such as the Botley school teacher incident), and those who work through legal or quasi-legal means, to advance a partisan cause - sharia, suppression of criticism, political control.
The Government, Police, and Prison Service have all overreacted to cries of 'islamophobia' by not taking appropriate action - which is to apply the law without fear or favour. Instead in Rotherham and elsewhere we've seen toleration of grooming gangs. At Speakers Corner we have Muslim protestors allowed to attack a Christian woman speaker. In prisons we there is too much control by Muslim 'gangs', including intimidated 'conversions' (see Government Report on Terrorism in Prisons). Recent Terror attacks were all carried out by ex-inmates.
A key aspect of Muslim behaviour is a desire to be true to the Quran. Studies have shown however that this is a document that has many problems, including its historicity and the variability of the text.
Our response is that it's the State's God-given mandate to reward good and punish evil (
Law There have been calls by Muslims for Sharia to be applied in the UK, if only for Muslims. But the actions of any Sharia council (not a court) have no legal weight in the UK, whether civil (as in marriage) or punitive.
A UK Parliament debate took place on this.
