A ‘must-read’ for our politicians and church leaders
DAWA: The Islamic Strategy for Reshaping the Modern World
by Patrick Sookhdeo
Isaac Publishing, £15
This is a book to alert both the public and the Church. Dr Sookhdeo brings a timely explanation of the threat that Western democracies and the world at large face from modern-day Islam. This, his latest in a long line of books and articles on this subject, should be a ‘must-read’ for all democratic political leaders, but above all for church leaders, because in my view the country risks slipping incrementally towards an Islamic state.
Some hold the view that the great British public, tolerant as it is, will call a halt to any infringement of our hard won democratic rights when their own freedoms are threatened, whether by Islam or any other anti-democratic movement. The danger, however, is that we could be caught unawares through its gradual incursion.
The author explains that Islam is not just a religious faith seeking to win converts by persuasion; it is also a social and political movement which seeks to establish the umma or worldwide Islamic state across the whole of human society. In attempting to do this it believes it is acting according to Allah’s will.
The method it uses is summed up by DAWA. This literally means ‘call’ or ‘invitation’ to Islam. At a personal level it is Islamic missionary outreach. This first approach in itself is perfectly reasonable: it is what Christians do when persuading people to turn to Christ. However, DAWA embraces more than this. Its second approach is the political one of infiltrating non-Muslim societies with a view to gradually spreading Muslim rule and Sharia law.
Those who seek to change society rather than convert individuals are known as Islamists. They will use the democratic procedures of the host country and its institutions to elect leaders who then institute Muslim practice. We have seen this with governing bodies in the ‘Trojan Horse’ events in Birmingham schools.
The author describes a particularly disturbing incident where a Christian school in South Africa was taken over by a Muslim governing body. The school had a thousand, mostly Christian, pupils. The governors immediately stopped Christian worship, removed Christian literature and set about replacing Christian teachers.
Within two years the majority of the students were Muslims. The Islamists packed the school’s Annual General Meeting just prior to the event and were able to outvote the Christian parents, many of whom did not bother to attend. They used democratic procedures to achieve an undemocratic outcome.
Another method, also used in Britain, is to encourage Muslim communities to grow and remain together, gradually making the area a no-go area for non-Muslims. Once achieved, it is much easier to institute Sharia (Muslim) law for civil matters. The inhabitants, especially women, can then be intimidated from going outside the community and then to the police. Some police forces stay away from these areas.
The psychological technique used to intimidate the host nation is to create a sense of victimhood and invoke ‘islamaphobia’ with a view to restricting any criticism of Islam. British institutions have become so politically correct now, that this threat frequently ushers in attempts by Government, the media, the police and the churches to placate the Muslim population when in many instances we should be challenging them.
This is in complete contrast to the way society now treats Christian values. Thank goodness we have organisations like Christian Concern and the Christian Institute to stand up for Christians when they are banned from wearing a cross in the workplace!
The third way of DAWA is jihad which means ‘striving’. The form we are familiar with is military war against non-Muslims with the aim of spreading Islam. This happens, as presently seen in the Middle East, where the Islamists are in a position to do this, and Dr Sookhdeo realises there are many peace-loving Muslims who certainly would not exercise DAWA in this way.
However, the message of the book is that there are many leading Muslims across the world in numerous Islamic organisations who believe passionately in the establishment of umma or worldwide Islamic rule. It is these, rather than the peace loving Muslims, who will dominate the spread of Islam in whatever way they think appropriate.
Several times the author reminds us that Muslims are not allowed to leave their faith; it is considered apostasy and is severely punished.
Dr Sookhdeo’s book is a scholarly work with a worldwide knowledge of Islam, an excellent glossary for beginners, extensive notes and an index. Its concluding chapter on how to tackle the threat posed is brief. The book is a clarion call rather than an answer.
My own view is that all Christian leaders should read it and begin to think how we should tackle the problems posed for this country. Prayer would be high on my list. Muslims are faithful prayers and one cannot help but say: “Look where it is getting them!”
Mark Dunman
Mark Dunman is the author of ‘Has God really finished with Israel?’
David Pawson’s view: Britain could become Muslim
In his teaching series, recorded just after 9/11 in 2002, ‘The challenge of Islam to Christians’, David Pawson revealed that he had received a very clear spiritual warning that Britain would become Muslim. He shared it initially with just two men, one being the director of the Evangelical Alliance, who agreed with David that this would come to pass if things did not change. The teaching contains very helpful comparisons of the roots of Islam and Christianity, with statistics about the Bible compared to the Qu’ran. Available from Anchor Recordings, 72 The Street, Kennington, Ashford, Kent, TN24 9HS.