What Are the Reasons for the Fear of Islam?
The answer to this question is quite long, but I will try to be concise. First, keep in mind that I grew up in a traditional family and witnessed an Islamic revolution within my own household in 1975. This experience allowed me to live the life of a “righteous” Muslim, which eventually led me to Shi’ism, then Islamism, and finally to fundamentalism and terrorism—all in pursuit of the ultimate goal for every devout Muslim: dying as a martyr.
Islam’s foundation on the principle of jihad is what grants it continuity and strength. Believe me, anyone who calls themselves a Muslim but does not strive to attain martyrdom, nor does everything in their power to achieve it, is—according to Islam—nothing but a hypocrite, a coward, and a corrupt individual who only hinders the progress of Muslims. I won’t engage in a theological debate with you, but I speak from deep knowledge and understanding of Islam.
Islam lost its power when it began to abandon jihad, and it will remain in a state of stagnation and decline unless it reinstates it. However, the world has changed, and humanity has evolved, leaving Islam in a state of crisis—where it once believed it would dominate the entire world before humankind reached this level of progress.
For this reason, I see no solution other than abandoning Islam, as it is no longer capable of granting dignity. Islam without jihad is not Islam, and weak Islam only drags us backward. Today, we are witnessing a deadlock at all levels due to an Islam that shuts the doors of ijtihad (independent reasoning) and sees jihad as the only way forward. This leaves us with two options:
- A diluted, moderate Islam that changes its external appearance while keeping minds closed from within, leading to personality fragmentation and hypocrisy. This results in a vast gap between individual aspirations and the reality of life. Such a version of Islam can easily shift into jihadism at any given moment.
After much contemplation and reflection, I have reached the conviction that the only way forward is to dismantle everything in order to rebuild from scratch. Islam is in such a state of ruin that every attempt to reform it is nothing but futile. There are Islamic schools of thought that one may follow, but ultimately, they remain individual choices, nothing more and nothing less.
Thus, I became a critic of Islam—a decision I made based on personal conviction, which allows me to analyze and critique it from top to bottom in search of a way out of this crisis.
You can also read: Has Islam Oppressed Men?
