What Are Islamists Doing in Non-Muslim Countries?

Okay, let's examine this topic in depth. We can use Islam in Europe as an example.

Before talking about Islam in Europe, we first need to understand how Islam views non-Muslims (kuffar) and how Islamic invitation (da'wah) works.

In the modern era, Islamism is often described as having two broad currents:

Modernist Islamists and Fundamentalist Islamists.

Why are there two different approaches, and what do they want?

Modernist Islamists seek to reform Islam and make it more compatible with modern civilization and contemporary values. Some Sunni Muslims label them as 'Ilmani (meaning secular) or Ahl al-Bid'ah ("people of innovation"), accusing them of changing Islam. If you research modernist Muslim thinkers or Atheists who take a critical view of Islam in Islam Countries, you will find cases where some have been attacked or even killed by Fundamentalists who considered them unbelievers (kuffar).

On the other hand, fundamentalist Islamists claim that they alone preserve ‘true’ Islam. They reject sectarian identities, arguing that Islam cannot be either Sunni or Shia. In their view, both Sunni and Shia traditions have incorporated cultural influences and are therefore considered bid’ah (innovation). Today, there are two prominent examples of groups advocating governance based on Islam (the Qur’an and authentic Hadiths): one is ISIS, the other is the Taliban. ISIS (Sunni-Salafi-Jihadist/Takfiri) claims to practise ‘pure’ Islam, basing its approach on the understanding of the first generation of Muslims from their own perspective. The Taliban governs according to Sunni-Deobandi-Hanafi Islam; consequently, as these two groups differ from one another in significant respects, they are also enemies.

Now, let's return to Islam in Europe.

Some Muslims actively promote Islam in Europe through da'wah. As many European societies have become increasingly secular, religion no longer plays the same political role as it once did. This situation is more pronounced in Central Europe and neighbouring regions, such as France and Germany, where many people are non-religious or atheist; consequently, Christianity has adapted to a more secular public sphere. As a result, many people no longer take much interest in the role of religion in politics.

We cannot show the same level of tolerance to every Muslim. If someone tells you, ‘I am a Muslim’, ask them these three questions:

1. What is your branches? (Sunni or Shia?) 2- What is your Fiqh? 3- What is your school of aqidah/kalam?

To give an example, if the answers include terms such as ‘Salafi-jihadi’ or ‘takfiri’, cease all communication with that person immediately. If the response is in order Sunni, Hanafi and Maturidi, there is no need for concern – this person is most likely Turk, as this tradition is the most widespread and dominant school of Islamic thought amongst Turks in Turkiye and the Turkistan countries of Asia. Within the Hanafi-Maturidi tradition, the establishment of an Islamic State is regarded as a social duty; however, this duty is not an individual obligation (fard al-ayn), meaning that not every Turk Muslim is obliged to fulfil it, and as can be seen, most Turkic republics have adopted republic and secularism for example, Turkiye and all other contemporary Turkic states are secular republic states. If you were to ask a Turk about this, he/she or whatever might well be confused, as they may not be aware that this is their own school of thought. What I am trying to say here is that a Turk Muslim will not view you as an enemy simply because of your religion or your country, but a Salafi or a fundamentalist of that sort would be very dangerous. You do not need to know what all religions do, but you do need to know the people around you.

So, what are Muslims doing in Europe?

Many Muslims simply wish to invite others to Islam. Have you ever seen someone invite people to convert to Islam? This is what I am referring to.

Traditionally, Islamic invitation (da'wah) is described in different forms:

Da'wah Sirriyyah – a secret invitation to Islam conducted under pressure or persecution. Muslims may invite others privately when they believe open preaching would expose them to discrimination or danger.

Jihad – In Islamic terminology, inviting people to Islam can be defined as a form of jihad. This may involve a violent struggle against kuffars to spread Islam, or it may take the form of non-violent dialogue. The word Islam means ‘submission’, In other words, as you can see, either believe in Islam and submit as a Muslim, or.... – Interpretations of jihad vary greatly amongst Muslims.

Da'wah Jahriyyah – open public preaching of Islam. Examples include street preachers or online speakers who openly discuss Islam and encourage others to convert.

Universal Da'wah – preaching Islam internationally across different countries and languages. Fundamentalist organizations such as ISIS have also attempted to spread their ideology globally through multilingual propaganda at the same time, they are waging jihad.

Why do Muslims move to non-Muslim countries and preach Islam?

Non-Muslims are regarded as kuffar, and states that do not apply Islamic law are described using terms such as Dar al-Kufr (“the abode of unbelief”) or Dar al-Harb (“the abode of war”).

According to Fundamentalist, because countries such as Germany do not govern according to Sharia, they are classified as Dar al-Kufr or Dar al-Harb. Within that worldview, secular governments are regarded as taghut (illegitimate authorities ruling without God's law).

consequently, fundamentalists argue that allegiance to secular institutions is not a religious obligation. Fundamentalists even go so far as to justify deceiving or attacking the state by invoking their own interpretations of Islamic law. These ideas explain why jihadist groups carry out attacks against secular governments and civilians.

Today, Muslims are far from being a single, unified group. Some adhere to traditional Islam, some follow different Islamic sects, schools of jurisprudence and Sunnah, some identify as secular Muslims, whilst others have very little knowledge of the religion. They all claim that their own sect is the most Muslim, and they are constantly arguing about which one is the most Muslim.

So where does Islam in Europe fit into all of this?

There are no doubt calls for Islam being made behind closed doors and in mosques, but this is not visible to the public. A few days ago, there were incidents of looting in Spain. What do you think really drove these people to loot innocent people? Was it to escape war? Poverty? Ignorance? Bigotry? Are they afraid of non-Muslims?

At the moment, Muslims might even be practising taqiyya just to enter Europe. In Islam, taqiyya—in short—means lying for the sake of Islam. It’s truly frightening to think how much we can trust Muslims entering your country as refugees when they answer ‘there’s a war in my country’ to the questions they’re asked. I've become so paranoid that I even suspect someone of Muslim origin who claims to be a ‘former Muslim’ of practising taqiyya. For example, modernists argue, based on so-called hadiths (fabricated hadiths), that Aisha married Muhammad at the age of 18, not 6. Fundamentalist Islamists may practise a form of taqiyya by adopting the language and arguments of modernist Muslims in order to avoid being marginalised by society. Can you believe it? Modernists are actually unwittingly playing into the hands of fundamentalists.

Or are civilisation and religions at war?