Islam, like communism, has a beautiful theory of compassion, but also like communism, disgusting practices. The aspect of gardens of delight with wine and virgins is juxtaposed with the torment of flames and pestilent winds in Hell. The principles of reward and punishment sound as innocent as the discipline of children. Look again, and you discover the hidden agenda for divide and rule: are you with us? If not, you must be destroyed by God's orders.

Sounds like a rule of virtue, but we know how Maximilien Robespierre tried to create a rule of virtue and perished miserably.

Not many Christians read the Qu’ran and thus know little about Islam. I found this holy book to be confusing. It is as patched as Joseph's coat. There is a lot of overlapping, probably because the Great Prophet suffered from epileptic fits.

To increase my knowledge of the contemporary militant Muslims I recently read The Age of Sacred Terror by Daniel Benjamin and Steven Simon (Random House, 2002).

After wading through its 446 pages I felt stunned like a mullet! I had no idea how dangerous Usama bin Laden's network really is, how extensive are the hardcore fundamentalist Muslims’ aims to destroy the Western Way of Life and to create a Muslim World Empire. It all feels like going back to the antediluvian age: Saudi Arabia has a police squad dedicated to dealing with religious infractions — the Commission of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice — and it metes out traditional sharia punishments, such as death for adultery and amputation for thieves.

Who is Usama bin Laden?

The Warrior Prince Usama bin Muhammad bin Awad bin Laden was born in 1957 in Riyadh — as the seventeenth son of Muhammad bin Laden's fifty-four children, of his fourth wife of Syrian extraction whom he divorced. Muhammad bin Awad bin Laden had eleven wives, in accordance with Islamic law never more than four at a time. He would have multiplied even more, but was killed in a plane crash in 1967. Here is a blueprint for Islamic conquests by the sheer numbers!

Muhammad bin Awad bin Laden was an illiterate peasant, an immigrant in Saudi Arabia, where he ingratiated himself with the royal family and became the roadbuilder-in-chief and served as minister of public works. With many renovations of three holiest sites of Islam and Saudi Arabia the Binladin group of companies had a finger in numerous pies, including everything from selling soft drinks to building the Kuala Lumpur airport. Its business partners ranged from General Electric to Citigroup to the Carlyle Group. The sons, who carried on business after Muhammad bin Awad bin Laden died, had a Western education, married Western women, settled in the West, and contributed large sums to endow fellowships at graduate schools at Harvard, Oxford and Tufts. Twelve of the family members lived in the Boston area alone until September 11, 2001.

Strangely, Usama bin Laden was brought up in Saudi culture with references to the Qu’ran and Islamic history. He did study economics and engineering at King Abdul Aziz University in Jeddah and worked for a short time at the Saudi Binladin Group until he was caught up with the Jihad in Afghanistan, contributing war supplies.

Peshawar in Pakistan served as the command headquarters of the Holy War where he came to know sheik Abdullah Azzam, who thought that the Jihad was the greatest obligation upon Muslims after faith itself and it was the means for “the reformation of mankind.” Azzam's hatred was born of hatred of Israel. He lectured extensively in United States and he became a mentor for Usama bin Laden. He was in and out of the U.S. 20 times! Abdullah Azzam was also the terrorist who detonated the bomb in Nairobi in 1998 at the U.S. embassy.

In 1991 Usama bin Laden moved to Sudan with his $350 million where he invested in chemical productions, the technology for which appeared to come from Iraq. After the bombing of the USS “Cole”, Usama bin Laden's name cropped up when he was “calling the faithful to arms”. He was evicted from Sudan and went to Afghanistan in 1996 where he published a fatwa, known as the Ladenese Epistle — nineteen pages long! In it his hatred bursts forth in torrents against the U.S. and the Saudi royal family.

In his first video message after 9/11 Usama bin Laden rejoiced: “Those awesome symbolic towers that speak of liberty, human rights, and humanity have been destroyed.” He also asserted that Muslims have the right to possess nuclear weapons, that it is a religious duty of Muslims and an act of piety, adding: “God willing, the end of America is imminent.”

Is it?

Keep in mind, that there is no separation between politics and theology in Islam. This gives the hardcore fundamentalist Muslims an advantage and a solid platform of operation in altruistic, tolerant democracies - not only in the U.S. but also elsewhere. A mindshattering prospect, when you know that there are 6.5 million Muslims in Europe, and there is no limit to the possible.

Märkmed: