WORLD CHRISTIAN LEADER ON ISLAMIC PERSECUTION

In an interview with www.virtueonline.org the Rev. Dr. Patrick Sookhdeo, the director of the Institute for the Study of Islam and Christianity expressed his belief that Islamic State wants the destruction of Christianity and the West. Their interpretation of Islam is that violence is a means to their end. He thinks that the immigration policy of Germany to allow in 1.5 million Muslims is potentially disastrous.

He said that recently the Patriarch of Antioch, Cardinal Bechara Boutros al-Rahi, said that radical Islam has a clear, two-pronged strategy to take over Europe: religion and procreation. That is, Muslims want to conquer Europe with ‘faith and the birthrate.’ He said that Muslims look on Christians as weak and believe that since they have no children and barely practice their faith, Islam will easily conquer them. Given that many of those coming into Europe are young men and the population in refugees is young, the exponential growth is unstoppable.

In answer to the question what can be done about dealing with Islamic State he said that it is like a virus entering the body. Mr Cameron (UK) and Mr Obama (USA) have chosen to degrade and contain it. This is a grave mistake. They must change their strategy.

First, they should recognize that the ideology must be defeated and the ideology comes principally from Saudi Arabia and the Salafist interpretation of Islam.

Secondly, they must deal with the narrative.

Thirdly, it must address the social media of IS and find a way of countering it.

Finally, they must face up to the need for the deployment of ground troops and enter into a coalition of all willing partners. The Islamic State poses an existential threat to all of us.

ISIS has an eschatology which basically believes that their Jesus (called Isa) will come again, but he will come as a Muslim, and will marry and have children, and die alongside Mohammed by doing four things:

1. He will kill all pigs, signifying pagans.
2. He will destroy all crosses. IS says there is no one on the cross.
3. They will convert all Christians to Islam.
4. They will kill all Jews.

ISIS is currently destroying Christianity in the Middle East. The only solution to an ISIS ideology is the Christian faith.