Does Trump's Muslim Ban Make Sense?

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Wailing Wall, Jerusalem, by Gustav Bauernfeind (19th century). (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Warning:  This Post Gets Extreme!

       The post that follows is a continuation of Is Donald Trump Islamophobic?--visit that post for the full set-up for my current post.  However to briefly summarize, I would maintain that nothing that Donald Trump said during his campaign would deem him to be Islamophobic in any way and that furthermore the term "Islamophobia" is an absurd derogatory label that the left and others assign to those who disagree with Islam.

        Also I would like to emphatically state that in no way do I condone any mistreatment of Muslims or their property for what they believe.  They are free to believe as they wish.  By the same token, I and others are free to have and state our opinions about Islam.

        As promised in my previous post of my President Trump Acclimation Series I am going to explain why I believe that one of the most brilliant things that I think Donald Trump said during his campaign for president was “Donald J. Trump is calling for a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States until our country's representatives can figure out what the hell is going on,” 

Why Brilliant?

        Most Americans know little to nothing about Islam.  In fact it seems apparent that most of the non-Islam world knows much about this religion and they seem more than willing to accept great numbers of Muslim "refugees" into their countries with the expectation that they will all assimilate just fine into their cultures.  Many in fact do and tend to live side by side without too many problems--on the surface of things that is.

         Most Muslims living in the United States present little threat, but they are also very much a minority.  In areas where their numbers are higher the problems sometimes become greater.   The Council on Arab-Islamic Relations has become a somewhat radicalized advocate for Muslims making demands on communities, employers, schools, and other places to provide more accommodations for them rather than assimilating.  Okay, I can understand this to some extent, but that is a beginning of something that could have more ominous future repercussions.  

         Much on this is well documented and can be found quickly through internet searches. Since I want to keep this post as short as I can I won't offer specific examples here, but perhaps in some future posts I can delve more deeply into the issues.  However I will make reference to the numerous problems that have arisen in Europe with the rising numbers of Muslim immigrants.   You've undoubtedly heard accounts in France, Germany, Belgium, Sweden, and many other countries.  The clash of cultures has become an issue of great concern throughout the world.  Why?

There is a History

         The root of the problem is within the belief system.   After the appearance of the Muhammadan belief in the seventh century, the movement spread quickly and often by violent conquest and forced conversions.  A stated objective of the followers of Islam early on included a conquest and conversion of Europe.  Through the Moorish invasion they were successful to some extent until Europeans regained control.  The Crusades were a campaign to wrest control of the Holy Lands from the Islamic conquerors.   There has been an ugly history between Christian and Muslim nations for centuries.

        Many Americans are not aware that the first international conflict that confronted the newly founded United States was with Islamic terrorists in the Barbary Wars from 1801 to 1815.   You may know this not as a war, but as attacks by the Barbary pirates.   These were not pirates like we typically think of, but they were Islamist aggressors who attacked our merchant vessels, enslaving sailors, forcing them into conversion to Islam, or killing them.  The line in the "Marine Hymn" that references "to the shores of Tripoli" is in regard to that particular conflict.

         Our country has had various confrontations with Islamic aggressors over the the centuries, but it has reached the most serious proportions in recent decades.  The United States has spent trillions of dollars fighting in Islamic countries and I think the issue that Donald Trump's question raises is why are we doing this?   Oil?  Our national security?  Building democracies?   What the hell is going on and why do we insist on interfering?

          Islamic extremists have become a threat to the United States and other countries, but haven't we brought a lot of this on ourselves by our interventions?   The biggest threat from Islamic terrorist groups is probably to Muslims.   There is so much disagreement and infighting among them that it's probably very unwise to get involved.   Perhaps they need to sort this out among themselves and then the rest of the world needs to decide where things go after that. 

          Even certain reformers within Islam such as Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi have said that Islam has an internal problem.    The United States nor any other non-Muslim country has little business in deciding the affairs of the Islamic nations unless those nations are a direct threat to us.  Right now with Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, and so many other hotbeds of contention we see Sunnis and Shiites fighting for control.  We shouldn't be arming any of them or taking sides if we are not Muslim.   Syria's Assad is an Alawite whose government has protected Christians and yet our government wants to oust him from the presidency even though there had been a relatively stable government there for years.

         Let's face it, the Middle East is a mess and much of the world where Islam is in control is of a questionable nature in context with the rest of the world.   With all of the Muslim nations that are available, why should Muslim refugees want to go to the non-Muslim nations?  Once again this becomes part of the "what the hell is going on" question.

        When you get down to the heart of it all, Islam and Christianity and probably any other belief system are incompatible.   Islam and Christianity are in direct opposition to each other when you delve into the beliefs of the two.  To a Muslim, any one who isn't a believer of Islam is an infidel, lesser than they and deserving of death if they will not convert or subject to special taxes or other punitive measures.  This may not be something that is necessarily made much of when they are in the minority, but nevertheless it is at the very core of the belief.

          If one is a follower of Jesus Christ and adheres to the words that Jesus spoke then there is, in the end, no tolerance for Islam since Jesus is the only way to the Father.  The Christian should love the Muslim with hopes to reach them with the truth of the Gospel, but can a true Christian accept the Koran and its teaching?  

           The common solution is to live and let live.  Don't talk about it or if we do talk about it then accept each other's beliefs in some way--whichever way works.   But in reality, if one is a true believer, does any way but One Way work?   That is a problem that cultures living together must confront and ultimately can they?

           If a Holy War such as what the groups like ISIS are striving to achieve actually came to pass, then would it be wise to have large numbers of non-western-conformed Muslims among us?   Even Muslims who have been raised in our country: What happens when they become radicalized?   Islam is planting a seed that can sprout with a vengeance when nurtured with extremist teaching.  We've seen it happen.

A Call to Figure It All Out

          Hatred is not a good solution.  But realistic thinking has to come into play.  We must become better informed and discuss these issues among those with whom we agree as well as those on the other side.  The governments of Muslim nations need to understand what divides them and what unites them as well as what divides and unites all of us.   One world government and one world religion is an ominous solution that might be proposed by some and we must beware.  This will likely be coming soon and what do you think that would entail?

          Donald Trump's simplistic call to figure out "what the hell is going on" is in reality very complex when taken in view of the world and all of its systems of beliefs.  Of course we may be seeing that "Holy War" coming sooner than many of us have hoped for if Trump's plan to move the United States embassy in Israel to Jerusalem.   From a historical perspective I agree with this move. Bibically speaking I think it's an outstanding move since I am 100% pro-Israel.  And right there I'm in dire opposition with many Muslims.   If we do have a Holy War then we should not be harboring great numbers of Muslim refugees in the United States, Canada, Europe, Russia, or any other non-Muslim country.

          Perhaps my thinking is going to an apocalyptic extreme, but as a Christian I believe what I believe.  It's there in the Bible (and not in the Koran or to my knowledge any other Islamic text).  You can read it for yourself.  Or you can dispute it as nonsense, fantasy, myth, or whatever.   However I will leave you with this to think about:   The situation with Israel and Jerusalem was foretold three thousand years ago.  A prophecy that old should hold some credence even for those who don't believe it.   I guess we'll see and the way things are shaping up we may be seeing soon.

          Do you think the prophecies about the Jews, Israel, and Jerusalem are more than coincidence?   Why do you think Muhammad based his belief system on the same story as recounted by the Judeo-Christian tradition?   Do you think it would make more sense for the Muslim refugees to relocate in other Muslim countries if safe zone cannot be established in the countries from where they are coming?

Is Donald Trump Islamophobic?

       If someone doesn't agree with an agenda they might be tagged with the label of a "phobia" in order to discredit their mental health and portray them as a not very reliable loon.  This is a tactic typically used by the left and seems to easily take hold by a gullible society, a propagandist media, and the disingenuous agents of academia.  False labeling that sounds clinical on the surface is nothing more than a dishonest ruse to promote leftist thinking and destroy those who disagree.

Islamophobia and Xenophobia and Donald Trump

A number of terms with the suffix -phobia are used non-clinically...Such terms are not phobias. They are derogatory terms for negative attitudes towards certain categories of people or other things, used in an invalid analogy with the medical usage of the term. These terms were coined with the purpose of shedding a negative light on the people within these opposing groups, by suggesting that everyone within has an irrational fear towards the objects of the terms. Usually these kinds of "phobias" are described as fear, dislike, disapproval, prejudice, hatred, discrimination, or hostility towards the object of the "phobia".^{[47]    
Wikipedia}

      Now to continue with another installment of my  President Trump Acclimation Series.

      In this post we come to the final entries in what I've been referring to as "the litany of labels" that have continued to be assigned to Donald Trump and his supporters--xenophobic and Islamophobic.   The first of these is a legitimate term in psychology which has been misused by proponents of the Trump bashing movement.  In truth there is no actual phobia at play in anything that Trump has been saying.

       Building a wall and addressing the issues of illegal immigration are matters of law enforcement and have nothing to do with race or any fear of foreigners.  Even though some undocumented workers and others illegally in the U.S. might contribute to the tax coffers, there is no denying that the illegal immigrants and migrants of refugee status place a burden on the already overly encumbered American taxpayer. Beyond the financial aspects, which in some cases can be argued from a positive standpoint as much as a negative, there are still important issues of national security and stability of the nation.  I won't get into depth on this extensive subject other than to point out that this is not an issue of xenophobia.

        However the deceptive accusation of "Islamophobia" might be not well understood by many.  After all we have been repeatedly reminded that Islam is "the religion of peace" and terrorism has nothing to do with Islam.

        Now before I continue, as an aside and to reiterate the sentiments I expressed in my previous post, we should not harass or hurt those with whom we disagree.  What I am saying in my post does not in any way condone verbally or physically attacking Muslims or vandalizing their property. They are entitled to believe as they wish as long as it doesn't interfere with what you and I wish to believe.  Likewise I think that President-elect Trump would offer this same consideration.

        Most Muslims are just plain folks like you or I.  They want to work in their jobs, aspire for comfortable lives, and raise their families in peace without threat from their neighbors.  The typical Muslim has been raised in their faith and most are likely moderate believers just like a good many of people who think of themselves as Christians.  Probably the majority of Muslims in the United States have been westernized and do not isolate themselves from the rest of us with any religious garb or ostentatious prayer routines.  Of course this is my guess and I can not actually verify this statement, but I think I'm probably correct.  In all likelihood, if you had a Muslim neighbor you might never even know their religion unless they told you.

        I can't say that I've had many long ongoing close relationships with any Muslims.  A couple of them live in my neighborhood and though we are congenial when we encounter each other (which is rare), we don't have any close relations.  But that is true with all of my neighbors--I don't socialize with any of them and that's just the way my wife and I are.

      Once there was a beautiful young Muslim woman who was part of a study team I led at the University of Phoenix where I received my degree in 2007.  This team consisted of three men--a Mormon, a Roman Catholic, and an atheist--and this one Muslim lady. We all got along very well and worked together to produce an excellent presentation for our class project.   The lady was extremely nice, and though originally from Iran, she was very westernized and moderate in her practice of Islam.  We had some interesting uncontentious discussions about our different religions when we weren't focused on working on our project.

        I have nothing against Muslims on a one on one basis and would not desire to be in conflict with a Muslim any more than I want to be in conflict with anyone.  I've always tried to be a peacemaker as well as a peaceful person.  I like to listen to reason and take a rational approach to anything that I don't know much about in order to learn more.

         From the things Donald Trump said during the campaign I think he sounds like he takes a similar approach to other people.   More than once Trump stated that he had good relationships with many Muslims and admired many of their accomplishments.   His concern was always stated to be radical Islamic terrorism.  To me this is a totally rational statement and has nothing to do with so-called "Islamophobia".  

          Now, some will say that the phobia part comes from Trump's declaration of calling for a ban on Muslims coming to the U.S. from primarily Islamic countries.  The "Muslim Ban" is how this came to be called.    If you'll recall this ban was proposed immediately after the massacre in San Bernardino, California by two Muslims at a work-related Christmas party.  The ban was offered as a security measure to prevent potential terrorists from coming to this country.

        Not Islamophobia in my estimation, but wisdom.   One of the most brilliant things that I think Donald Trump said during his campaign for president was “Donald J. Trump is calling for a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States until our country's representatives can figure out what the hell is going on,” 

         Why do I say "brilliant"?   I'll tell you in the next part of my  President Trump Acclimation Series.  This upcoming post just might be the most inflammatory of all of the posts in my series.  You can decide for yourselves. 

          That next part will come next week--Wednesday maybe, since Friday is Inauguration Day, and I'm aiming for another post on that day.   Of course this Sunday January 15th will be my special Battle of the Bands Inauguration Day post so I might be stepping on that post by having another so soon after, but I'll put a BOTB reminder on any subsequent posts I might do that week.

          Please do stop by on Sunday or shortly thereafter to vote on the BOTB post.   I've got one heck of a classic song in store and I don't want anyone to miss that train before it leaves the station.

          Does using "phobia" as a derogatory reference annoy you?   Do you think it's appropriate to use clinical terminology to describe things you might not like or agree with?   Have you ever disliked someone for what they were rather than who they were?

Refugees, Migrants, or Invaders?

       There has been much debate concerning issues of immigration of late.  Donald Trump unleashed a firestorm of controversy about illegal immigrants in the United States, but now much of this story has been superseded by the waves of humanity flooding into Europe.  Who are these people that we are hearing about?

         The U.S. network news media sources seem to portray this as mostly a humanitarian crisis spawned by the war in Syria.  Most of the news footage that I've been seeing shows a preponderance of young males.  Oh, sure, they'll focus on the occasional female in Muslim attire and the innocent looking children, but when they show the masses, most of those shown are young men.  Often they aren't behaving very peaceably.   Why aren't these men fighting to defend their countries and preserve their own heritages?

         Many of those coming to Europe are from countries other than Syria.  They also hail from Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Senegal, Somalia, Libya, and other predominately Muslim countries.  Can we truly refer to all of these groups as "refugees"?   Or are they migrants "looking for a better life"?   Or might they be invaders settling in to prepare for the future Islamization of Europe?

       Consider some of the following quotes by Muslim leaders if you will:
   

       Islam will take over Europe without violent force within a few decades.We have 50 million Muslims in Europe.  There are signs that Allah will grant Islam victory in Europe without swords, without guns, without conquests. The 50 million Muslims of Europe will turn it into a Muslim continent within a few decades.
      Europe is in a predicament, and so is America.  They should agree to become Islamic in the course of time, or else declare war on the Muslims.
      Muslims view Muhammad the prophet not only of the Arabs or Muslims but of all people.   He superseded all previous religions.  If Jesus were alive when Muhammad was sent, he would have followed him. All people must be Muslims.

 Late Libyan Leader Moammar Gadhafi in a speech aired on the Arab satellite network Al Jazeera on April 10, 2006.

“We swear by the Quran and Sunnah, and we will not compromise with any infidel....Islam is the truth and all else is falsehood.” ―Abu Bakar Bashir

"Islam must win and Westerners will be destroyed...If they want to have peace, they have to accept to be governed by Islam.  Muslims who don’t hate America sin.  There is no iman [belief] if one doesn’t hate America."

Abu Bakar Bashir, a leading Muslim cleric

Sheikh Muhammad Ayed called on the refugees to “breed children with them (the Europeans),” and by doing so, “we shall conquer their countries – whether you like it or not, oh Germans, oh Americans, oh French, oh Italians, and all those like you.”

“Take the refugees! We shall soon collect them in the name of the coming Caliphate. We will say to you: These are our sons. Send them, or we will send our armies to you,” he concluded.

---As cited by The Daily Mail and other sources.

        Just something to consider on this Columbus Day.  You can draw your own conclusions.  Feel free to leave your thoughts about this in the comment section.