RUTHFULLY YOURS

While some or all of the above may have played a part, they are all delusions when it comes to the real issue of resurgent Islam (see Kidding Ourselves About Islam). There was, however, one factor that is common to this and similar terrorist events: the perpetrator is reported to have shouted “Allahu Akbar”.

Yes, we need to talk about Allah.

Who is Allah? Allah is regarded as the spiritual monotheistic god who revealed himself to Muhammad through the angel Gabriel over about a 30-year period around AD 630. These revelations form the Koran, which contains the precepts that direct Muslims in their daily life. It is possible that the following precepts of the Koran may have had a bearing on Omar Mateen’s actions.

You who believe, do not take the Jews and Christians as allies: they are allies only to each other. Anyone who takes them as an ally becomes one of them—Allah does not guide such wrongdoers. (The Feast 5:51)

The believers should not make the disbelievers their allies rather than other  believers— anyone who does such a thing will isolate himself completely from Allah—except when you need to protect yourself from them. Allah warns you to beware of Him: the Final Return is to Allah. (The Family of Imran 3:28)

With these thoughts in mind, Mateen may have been encouraged in his actions by the following or like directives.

[Prophet], tell the disbelievers that if they desist their past will be forgiven, but if they persist, they have an example in the fate of those that went before. [Believers], fight them until there is no more persecution, and all worship is devoted to Allah alone: if they desist, then Allah sees all that they do, but if they pay no heed, be sure that Allah is your protector, the best protector and the best helper. (Battle Gains 8:38- 40)

You who believe, fight the disbelievers near you and let them find you standing firm: be aware that God is with those who are mindful of Him. (Repentance 9:123)

These precepts are very challenging. How do you convince people to behave in this fashion? A good way is to give them an incentive and Allah does so by offering the joys of paradise: it is possible that these could have been attractive to Mateen.

As for those who believe and do good deeds, We shall admit them into Gardens graced with flowing streams and there they will remain forever. They will have pure spouses there, and We shall admit them into cool refreshing shade. (Women 4:57)

They will have familiar provisions—fruits— and will be honoured in gardens of delight; seated on couches, facing one another. A drink will be passed round among them from a flowing spring: white, delicious to those who taste it, causing no headiness or intoxication. With them will be spouses—modest of gaze and beautiful of eye—like protected eggs. (Ranged in Rows 37:41- 49)

However, those joys of paradise will only be available to a person worthy of them. A Muslim becomes worthy by three actions. First, they must say they are sorry for their wrongs. Secondly, they must believe in the fundamentals of Islam — Allah, his angels, the Qur’an, Muhammad, the last day, and that no good or evil comes other than from Allah. Thirdly, they must do good deeds, specifically the following: praying, almsgiving, pilgrimage, fasting, and testifying. Good deeds are crucial to being declared righteous and worthy of paradise.

On that Day the weighing of deeds will be true and just: those whose good deeds are heavy on the scales will be the ones to prosper, and those whose good deeds are light will be the ones who have lost their souls through their wrongful rejection of Our messages. (The Heights 7:8- 9)

The Crashing Blow! What is the Crashing Blow? What will explain to you what the Crashing Blow is? On a Day when people will be like scattered moths and the mountains like tufts of wool, the one whose good deeds are heavy in the scales will have a pleasant life, but the one whose good deeds are light will have the Bottomless Pit for his home—what will explain to you what that is? –a blazing fire. (The Crashing Blow 101:1- 10)

However, there is a difficulty here in that Allah never defines how many good deeds a person needs to perform, or how ‘good’ the deeds have to be to qualify them for paradise.  So Muslims may be easily convinced, either by others or by their own uncertainty, to increase the quantity and/or quality of their ‘good deeds’ in their desire to please Allah and achieve paradise. In some cases, through the actions of an astute handler, an individual may be convinced to ratchet up the level of their ‘good deeds’.

The former ‘good deeds’ could then be enhanced to include wearing a berka in public places, supporting ISIS, or recruiting people to go to Iraq, or singing protest songs, and so on. It is not hard to see that good deeds could escalate to the point where we see quite horrific ‘good deeds’ being perpetrated for Allah. This is coercive management of the highest order.

In considering all the above it is possible to envisage why Omar Mateen carried out the Orlando massacre: as his life expired did he see paradise? We can also understand why Muslims are reluctant to get involved when an incident of this type happens. In the big scheme of things, as far as Allah is concerned, couyld Mateen’s and other similar acts be considered ‘good deeds’?

It is Allah and his precepts that require Australian citizens to cope with the following.

• Billions of dollars being spent on overseas conflicts, anti-terrorist activities, special police task forces, deradicalisation programs, border security, and programs aimed at placating Allah’s community.
• Being directed to be on the alert for signs of terrorist activity. Clearly 9/11, London, Bali, Paris, Brussels, Ankara, Orlando, Baghdad and the like are front of mind of our security services.
• In spite of the above, innocent Australian citizens have to accept that they are at risk from physical harm or death at the hand of resurgent Islamic fighters: hostages to terror in their own country.
• The Australian community is being continually subject to abuse and disdain by people who will not stand up for the Crown, who preach abusive sermons in mosques that bring people to tears, and who employ mischievous language in media events.
• Stand-alone suburbs, complete with mosques for Allah’s followers, are said to be being considered. A form of tribalism.
• Financial institutions are said to be considering incorporating Allah’s financing strategies into the Australian financial system for the sake of petro-dollar investment.
• The Prime Minister of the day holds a banquet on government property at taxpayer’s expense to celebrate a religious festival to curry Islamic voters’ favour. Australians are offended by such discriminatory displays.
• The rise of a number of organizations of dubious origin who are stirring up hatred and dissention against Muslims and Islam: counterproductive but indicative of a disturbing restiveness in the community.
• Islamic leaders question some outcomes of Australia’s recent electoral process.
• The media continually awash with Islamic related issues.

It has been implied that Australians have to grin and bear these and like situations indefinitely: perhaps for 100 years! This is both unacceptable and utterly impractical. Australian’s have become a hostage to Allah in their own country. How has it come to this?

By way of background, it is generally accepted that Australia’s secular democracy is founded on the Judeo-Christian heritage found in the Bible. The Koran states that Allah is one and the same spiritual person as the god whose precepts are found in the Bible: God. A previous article (see Islam and the Constitution) examined how the precepts of God compare with the previous precepts of Allah we looked at in relation to Mateen’s rampage in Orlando. The referenced article demonstrates the gulf between the precepts of Allah and God. A more complete study of the theology of the Koran and the Bible shows that the respective precepts of Allah and God are diametric opposites. The idea that Allah and God can be one and the same spiritual entity, as the Koran implies, is fanciful. Consequently, by association, Islam and Australia’s secular democracy are incompatible.

Unfortunately, Australia’s leadership and the elite, either by ignorance or common accord, ignore 1,500 years of Islamic history – a blind eye compounded by a lack of understanding of the theologies and differences between Islam and Christianity. This has made it easy for Islam to claim to be a “religion of peace” and receive approbation under the sheltering arms of political correctness and multiculturalism at all levels of public life. Whatever the latest Islamic outrage, apologists and rationalisers will line up to deny any connection with Islam.

Some time ago the late Colonel Gaddafi noted that Islam would conquer Europe simply by weight of numbers and birth rates. With a significant and ever-growing Muslim population, Australia is not immune to the same outcome. Demographically, Islam’s influence on both politics and daily life – bag searches at major stadiums, for example, are now standard operating procedure – are inevitable over the years and decades to come.

There is little point in expecting politicians or the media to step up to the truth: they are the captives of their desire to please all their constituents. Allah thrives on this weakness. Last week, Premier Mike Baird, together with Laborites Foley and Burke, made the pilgrimage to Lakemba to take part in celebrations for the end of Ramadan. What message does that send, other than an acceptance and approbation of Allah’s precepts? No counter views were expressed by this gutsy trio.

The most important task of leaders is to keep their populations safe from harm. This should not only be in respect of physical harm or subjugation but also from moral and spiritual harm. I challenge Baird, Foley, Bourke and any other politician or would-be leader to outline their plans for eliminating the behaviors itemized earlier in this piece and for ensuring that their children’s grandchildren will not have to contend with an Islamic caliphate and Sharia law. Islamic leaders are also welcome to chime in.

Jim Campbell, an engineer and consultant, is the author of The Logic of the Qur’an