Brad Alles

Answers are always sought in the aftermath of an Islamic terrorist attack.  One thing is for certain: Islamic jihadists have an agenda.  They desire a global Islamic state, because it is Allah’s will.  My book, Starting at the End,  reveals all people submitting to Allah in a global Islamic state. And that’s why it’s essential to understand the Islamic worldview.

According to Islamic teaching, we are all born in submission to the laws of Allah, and then we’re corrupted by our upbringing into false religions. We need to be put on the right path; hence we have need for Allah’s prophets through the centuries, beginning with Adam and culminating with Mohammed. Allah gave His final revelation, the Quran, through Mohammed. It is through submission to these laws in the Quran that salvation is achieved, not by grace through faith in Jesus’ perfect life and sacrifice for our sins.

Specifically, Islamic life centers around the Five Pillars of Allah’s will: the Creed, Prayers, Alms, Fasting, and Pilgrimage. The Creed states, “There is no God but Allah, and Mohammed is his prophet.” Every Muslim must confess this at least once in his or her lifetime, but in reality, devout Muslims recite it many times a day. Prayers are said five times a day: sunrise, noon, mid-afternoon, sunset, and at night. These are done almost anywhere, and are said facing Mecca in Saudi Arabia, the birthplace of Mohammed and the location where he received his revelations. Alms, or offerings, are given to the poor and needy. Muslims are required to give 2.5% percent of their income as alms. Fasting is done during the month of Ramadan. During this period, from sunrise until sunset, Muslims may not eat, drink, smoke, or have sexual relations as a method of purification. Pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabia is the last of the Five Pillars. If health and finances permit, Muslims should make this trek to the birthplace of the Islamic faith at least once during his or her lifetime.

There is a sixth Pillar that the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 brought to people’s attention—it is Jihad.  While only a minority of Muslims subscribe to this, it is an existential threat to us all.  Of all the Pillars, only jihad insures salvation—automatic entrance into Paradise.  That is why people can be recruited to kill in the name of Allah: jihad is a guarantee of heaven.

Yet terror and violence are not the only weapons. Other groups have the same agenda, just different means. University of Delaware professor Muqtedar Khan writes, “I believe that moderate Muslims are different from militant Muslims even though both of them advocate the establishment of societies whose organizing principle is Islam.” Groups that advocate a slow, incremental change to Islam are described as using “stealth” or “civilization” jihad. The Muslim Brotherhood and the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) are, according to World magazine, “two rising examples of potent groups that use economic saavy and ‘lawfare’ —law as a weapon—to impose Islamic law and push toward a global caliphate.

According to Islam, all people were born Muslim but were led astray. The goal is for all to submit once again to Allah. This can be achieved through the spreading of the Islamic faith, or, according to the minority view, by jihad. In the end, a global Islamic state, a theocracy, or rule by Allah, will ensue. Heaven or hell will follow this inevitable Islamic government.