I’ve seen a number of suggestions that countries like the UK should respond to the perceived threat of Islamisation with force. Not, of course physical force but a muscular legal, cultural and political response.
I tend to disagree with these suggestions because as a Christian, I’ve got different priorities. My concern is to see God’s kingdom grow. However, as a British citizen who cares about my country, I also disagree because I would argue that these are the wrong kinds of tactics in terms of understanding what is going on culturally.
In that respect, my argument here is perhaps similar to the one I made against imposing cultural sanctions on Russia at the start of the Ukraine War. I argued that if we saw western businesses, food franchises, sports and arts pull out of Russia then it would break our connections with ordinary Russians and encourage a sense of national isolation and siege mentality. That’s quite important when thinking about Muslim cultural mindsets
Think about some of the things that are suggested by those demanding a robust response. There are some examples in this video.
So, the suggestion is that we should encourage Muslims to leave the UK by in effect creating a hostile environment for them by
- Ending Sharia Law
- Banning marriages between cousins
- Banning head coverings
- Banning forms of public worship including the building of mosques.
- Banning Halal meat(it is worth remembering that this would also affect Jewish kosher laws as well.
Why does this potentially backfire? Well first of all, remember that Muslims identify as part of a wider community, the Ummah. Community is important as is the sense that Islam affects all aspects of life. The big question for a Muslim living in the UK is whether or not they can be a Muslim and part of society here. The answer given is “no.”
The second thing to remember is the doctrine of Taqiyya. I’ve heard a few people suggest that this doctrine means we just cannot trust Muslims because they are allowed to lie to unbelievers. However, it’s important to remember that Taqiyya, properly speaking is about being permitted to deceive those seeking to oppress you by continuing to practice Islam secretly.
So, if we create a hostile environment where you Muslims will be hindered from peacefully practicing their religion, then we create the conditions for Taqiyya to kick in. In other words, you drive Islam underground. The Shariah courts still meet but in secret and Muslims get married but not legally, just religiously. Mosques become house meetings where we have no way of knowing what Imams might be saying to people who feel marginalised and oppressed. Finally, whilst there may be some legitimate arguments against full face covering, an all out ban will more than likely mean that many Muslim women and girls will simply not be allowed or feel able to leave their homes. I guess we could make state education compulsory but a lot of the same people who want to confront Islam in this kind of way are keen to preserve the right to home educate their kids.
Indeed, it is worth remembering that many of the things being used right now to create suspicion of Muslims are the same kinds of things that would cause suspicion of some Evangelical approaches. This is already the case in a lot of European countries where if you are not Catholic or Lutheran then you are seen as part of a dangerous, outsider sect.
So, for Christians who also care about the well-being of the country, the best solution is to keep first things first, focus on sharing the good news of Jesus and stay clear of nationalist political methodology.
Faithroots 