The Religion of Peace

With all the fuss being made about the Pope's comments about Islam, it wouldn't hurt to take a look at Islam's fruits, rather than just its protests to the contrary.

The Pope recently quoted a 14th century emperor who criticized Islam for its practice of forced conversions. Islamic apologists deny Islam teaches anything of the kind.

It is on this basis that they have launched the current wave of violent protests against any suggestion that Islam is a violent religion.

Members of a Palestinian terrorist group kidnapped two Fox news journalists recently. The two were put before a video camera while in captivity and given a choice. They could be filmed converting to Islam. Or they could be filmed being beheaded on camera.

One of them described a big knife that was set just in front of them off camera. Both Fox reporters chose Option One and converted to Islam.

Centanni and his cameraman, Olaf Wigg, were filmed wearing Islamic robes. They read from scripts from which they announced they had become observant Muslims and asking Bush and Blair to do likewise.

"Islam is not just meant for some people. It is the true religion for all people at all times," said Mr Centanni. "I changed my name to Khaled. I have embraced Islam and say the word Allah."

It was only afterwards that Centanni admitted his conversion was not heartfelt. But neither, evidently was his denial.

He told Fox News in a post-release interview: “We were forced to convert to Islam at gunpoint. . .” but then he added, “"Don't get me wrong here. I have the highest respect for Islam, and I learned a lot of good things about it, but it was something we felt we had to do because they had the guns, and we didn't know what was going on."

There is one thing that we've learned from the journalists' ordeal about what IS going on is revealing. The West has been trying to convince itself that Islam is just another religion, like Unitarians or Buddhists. Or Christians.

But Jesus didn't tell Christians to force people to come to Him at the point of a gun. Or under the threat of a sword.
Jesus promised that the power of conversion would come through His Holy Spirit.

Jesus told the Apostles, “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. (Acts 1:8)

Compare that to Islam's version of the Great Commission: Said Mohammed to his apostles; “I was ordered to fight all men until they say, ‘There is no god but Allah.”

Jesus send His followers out to live according to His example, which He said would draw men to what they could clearly see to be the truth.

Mohammed told his followers to fight all men until they convert to Islam's version of the truth. Osama bin Laden quoted Islam's great commission during the post 9/11 Afghan campaign: “I was ordered to fight all men until they say, ‘There is no god but Allah.”

Part of the reason that we are in for a generational war is that America has not yet recognized the enemy. America still believes that Osama's Islam is a distortion of what is, at its heart, a religion of peace.

Steve Centanni and Olaf Wiig saw the religion of peace in action. Mohammed himself gave the great commission to Islam to fight ALL men until they do what Centanni and Wiig did.

And until we see, as they did, the big knife laying off-camera, America will fight this war as if it were only against al-Qaeda.

And Osama will continue to franchise out his jihad without anybody knowing who the enemy is until it is too late. And this war will go on for a generation.

Or even longer.

By: Hal Lindsey