The Muslim terrorists who shocked Paris by their brazen murders in early January provoked a massive reaction. Three and a half million people marched through the streets of the French capital on January 11 with forty-four heads of the nations and their representatives leading them. America was absent.
Then came the investigators report that the terrorists had ties to Islamic terror groups in Yemen. The very next day President Obama announced the release of five terrorists held at Guantanamo. Guess where they were from: Yemen. They were sent to Oman, Yemen’s next door neighbor. Think this is just a coincidence? Yeah, just like you and I believe the Moon is made of green cheese. In effect, Mr. Obama is restocking the enemy’s leadership.
Let’s do a little history lesson about Islam.
630s AD. Mohammad rises to power, establishing his new religion and introducing his new god, Allah, which he imposes on the Arabian Peninsula by force.
633-42. Muslim armies take Egypt, Syria, Palestine, Mesopotamia, the North African coast, and parts of the Persian and Byzantine Empires. North Africa had been strongly Christian over the preceding 600 years. In the Muslim conquest, Christianity was wiped out by persecution, executions, and imposed conversions.
732. The Muslim empire rapidly reaches its furthest extent. The Battle of Tours prevents further advance northward.
late 900s. West Africa is converted to Islam by military force.
- Christian Crusaders take Jerusalem. The crusades are often viewed as an example of brutal religious violence by Christians. The reality is that the crusades were a pan-European military response to the Islamic threat.
- Death of Saladin. The great Muslim general had recaptured the Middle East forcing most of the Crusader states to revert to Islam.
1221. Genghis Khan and the Mongols enter Persia. 1241. Mongols take the Punjab. Islam is thrown back. 1258. Mongols capture Baghdad, sack the city and kill the caliph, ending the Abbasid caliphate.
1453. Constantinople falls to the Muslims, Christians are slaughtered, the magnificent Hagia Sophia Cathedral is turned into a mosque. The remaining eastern Christian empire crumbles.
1492. Castile and Aragon (Ferdinand and Isabella) capture Granada. All Muslims are expelled from Spain and Spain is delivered from Muslim control. Christopher Columbus sails off across the Atlantic in search of a new (Christian) world.
1500-1700s. The Siege of Vienna in 1529 is the first attempt by the Ottoman empire (Turkish Muslims), led by Suleiman the Magnificent, to capture the city of Vienna, Austria. The siege marks the pinnacle of Muslim power and the maximum extent of Ottoman expansion in central Europe. One hundred fifty years of bitter military tension and reciprocal attacks follow, culminating in the Battle of Vienna in 1683. This victory saves Europe from Muslim domination. The Venetians, Habsburgs, and Russians pursue their advantage and divide among themselves the European lands held by the Ottomans.
1858. The Last Mughal (Muslim) ruler in India is deposed and India comes under British rule. The Christian missionary movement follows the expansion of the British Empire across the world.
1918 During World War I Muslims committed genocide against the Christian Armenians, but with the war’s end, the Ottoman Empire falls. The League of Nations grants Britain mandatory status over Palestine and Iraq, and France over Lebanon and Syria.
1945-60s. Islam spreads into Europe by mass migrations from Asia, Africa, and India.
1990s. A campaign of Islamic terrorism against the West begins with suicide bombings in 1991. The Taliban come to power in Afghanistan late in the decade. Al Qaida emerges as the face of organized terrorism.
2001. Muslim terrorists attack the United States, bringing down the Twin Towers in New York City. America goes to war against Iraq,
2010s. The Muslim campaign of terror repeatedly strikes Europe and the United States. The United States unilaterally withdraws from Iraq and Afghanistan. ISIS conquers much of Iraq and Syria.
A little perspective helps, doesn’t it? Islam has been at war with the world since its founding. It has surged forward and fallen back and driven forward again. But Islam has never deviated from its determination to dominate the world and impose its religion upon every person. The Christian West has for centuries recognized the threat Islam poses and has countered accordingly, sometimes for better, and sometimes for worse..
Now speed to January 16. Realizing that he made a mistake by ignoring the Paris March, President Obama belatedly dispatches Secretary of State John Kerry to Paris. Accompanying him is singer and songwriter James Taylor. Taylor sings to the French people his 1971 hit song, “You’ve Got a Friend.” I’ll bet that terrifies the terrorists!
We are in a war and have been for 1500 years. To keep perspective, Christianity emerged as a world religion in the 300s AD. Islam appeared as the enemy of Christianity 300 years later. Do you detect the underlying spiritual struggle that conflicts our world?
The gospel of Jesus Christ has many opponents. Islam is merely one. Ultimately it is a tool wielded by the Evil One against the true and Living God. That God tells us not to despair or fear. He says, “You will only look on with your eyes and see the recompense of the wicked.” (Psalm 91:8)
But in the meantime, the Bible calls all men to look to Jesus Christ., “Whoever believes in him shall not perish but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16) Western civilization-the laudable things about it-has been heavily influenced for good by Christ’s gospel. It is the most powerful force in the world.
Civilization presently hangs in the balance-again. All the songs of James Taylor combined will not deter the terrorists.. And Armies, while entirely necessary in this struggle, will not finally bring the victory. It is the gospel of Christ that will sweep peace into warring hearts.
Dr. Rick Perrin is a minister in the Presbyterian Church in America and Chairman of the Board of World Reformed Fellowship.. He writes a weekly blog called ReTHINK which may be accessed at www.rethinkingnews.wordpress.com.
