What makes Islam formidable

One of my cousins has strong views about Islam and the Kashmir dispute. He disagreed with the tone of my 3 articles on Kashmir and sent me 2 links to YouTube videos. These videos contained debates featuring Ayaan Hirsi Ali who is a learned Lady with first-hand experience of Islam and its drawbacks. She had escaped from Somalia and now lives in the USA. She has studied the subject intensively and is the author of 3 books on Islam.

Here are the links to the 2 videos. The first is about 42 minutes in length and the second about an hour and 14 minutes. But the videos are engrossing and if you have an interest in the subject then you will be entertained as well as instructed.

Mrs Ayaan looks upon Islam as a threat to Western, liberal capitalistic society. She says that Islam is both a religion (of fasting and prayer) and a political movement. As a political movement it poses a threat to western civilization. There are passages in the Islamic scriptures that exhort believers to convert non-Muslims to Islam and also to wage war (jihad) to establish an Islamic state with world supremacy. They are prepared to use violent means and are extremely sophisticated in their approach.

At the same time, she says, there are now at this time, 1.6 billion Muslims in our planet and most of them are moderates who practice Islam as a religion. Most Muslims now living have no interest in the political aspects of Islam. 

Now I would like to say at the outset that Mrs Ayaan is much more of an authority on the subject than me. I am just a part time blogger whereas Mrs Ayaan has studied the subject and also has first-hand experience of living in an Islamic country. Rather than argue with her, I would like to make some points which, I think, would be conceded by her as well. The points are relating to the appeal of the Islamic way of life and this appeal is what makes the Islamic movement all the more formidable.

1. The first point is obvious. The religion and culture of Islam has survived for about 1,400 years. In comparison The United States and modern capitalistic society have been in existence for about 240 years. The United States fought a war against Communism and was able to defeat that ideology; as a result, Communism survived for only about 70 years or so. But the longevity of Islam means that it is excellent as a way of life and has deep understanding of human nature and its needs. It means also that although jihadists and militants need to be defeated, the Muslim culture needs to be respected and preserved.
2. The second point is relating to climate change. In the 230 years or so since capitalism came into existence along with the USA the human race has developed an economy that is threatening the existence of life on this planet due to global warming and climate change. The Muslim culture on the other hand does not threaten the environment. Osama Bin Laden left Saudi Arabia and went to live in a cave in Afghanistan. If the entire human race were to live like Osama (basically as a member of a tribe) then life on this planet can continue indefinitely. But if everybody started to enjoy the standard of living of the American then the natural resources of our planet will be exhausted in a few decades.
3. The third point is that mankind has evolved from the time that it was living in tribes and we have the same impulses and instincts that we possessed at that time. Islam recognises these instincts and is a culture or way of life that enables its adherents to satisfy these deeply felt impulses.
4. The fourth point is that Islam (or rather the Islamic scriptures) may be regarded as divinely inspired. Prophet Muhammad was – amongst other things – a mystic. I have some sympathy for the view that mystical revelations are a better guide to our actions than unaided reason. The holy books of all major religions were divinely inspired and may be regarded as the word of God. The human race and the churches have made errors in interpreting these teachings but the fact that these scriptures were divinely inspired may be conceded.

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