Growth Of Islam in the UK
The ÿfollowing ÿcommentary was taken from the Christian_Net ÿecho (an international Fidonet bulletin board echo)
SUBJECT: GROWTH OF ISLAM IN UK
Greetings ÿKevin. ÿÿI ÿÿwanted to contribute a response ÿto ÿyour inquiry concerning the growth of Islam in Britain.
I am an American, currently resident in the UK, with professional research ÿexperience ÿin ÿmatters ÿinvolving ÿthe ÿMiddle ÿÿEast. Statistics ÿclearly infer that over the past 20 ÿyears Islam ÿhas been the fastest growing religion in Britain.
The ÿlargest ÿmosque in Western Europe is ÿsituated ÿin ÿLondon’s Regent ÿPark, ÿand there is an Islamic university alongside. ÿÿIn 1945 ÿthere was one mosque in England, in 1950 there were 25, ÿin 1960 ÿthere were 80, in 1976 there were 200, etc. Muslims here in Oxford were finally given permission to establish a mosque a ÿfew years ago, and it is located near where I live.
Within the past couple of years in one part of Birmingham one has been able to hear above the urban din the electrically ÿamplified calls ÿto prayer of a Muslim muezzin, ÿjust like in cities in ÿN. Africa and the Middle East.
In ÿone ÿsense these facts are terribly disconcerting. ÿWhen ÿone passes ÿthrough the English countryside it is the spires ÿof ÿthe parish ÿchurches which are most prominent above all the villages, yet ÿin recent years the abandonment of church buildings ÿbecause of ÿdisuse ÿhas ÿbeen ÿa topic of much concern. ÿÿOne ÿthinks ÿof England, ÿand one thinks of a *Christian* nation. ÿThe imprint of Christianity ÿis everywhere. ÿLast Saturday I attended a memorial service in the University Church for a don who died last ÿsummer, and ÿthe ÿparticular congregation was predominantly ÿagnostic ÿor atheistic, ÿÿbut ÿthe service itself was ÿChristian ÿthrough ÿand through…a tradition.
England ÿis an Islamic target. ÿDuring an ÿinternational ÿIslamic conference ÿin Longon in the late 1970s the keynote speaker said, ‘If ÿwe ÿcan win London for Islam, ÿit won’t be hard to ÿwin ÿthe whole Western world.’ ÿBut all this evidence is only part of ÿthe picture. ÿMuslims are not noticed proselytising here…but, then, Muslims ÿÿdo ÿnot ÿgenerally ÿproselytise ÿthe ÿway ÿÿevangelical Christians do. ÿ*Jihad* means ‘struggle’ ÿrather more than ‘war’, and *influence* can be part of it.
If ÿMuslims ÿare able to induce ecumenical attitudes ÿin ÿWestern Christians, ÿit can prove advantageous for them. ÿYou may be sure you ÿwill ÿnot encounter any reciprocal fair-mindedness in ÿSaudi Arabia, ÿmuch less in Iran. ÿThe influence of the oil and markets of ÿMuslim countries has been awesome. ÿThis has however ÿshifted with ÿdevelopments in international affairs. ÿOil lost its ÿsway. Terrorism went too far. ÿBritain and the rest of the West shifted their ÿperspectives considerably. ÿIt must also be said that ÿthe growth ÿof Islam in Britain has mainly been due to large ÿnumbers of ÿÿÿMuslims ÿÿmoving ÿÿhere, ÿÿÿrather ÿÿthan ÿÿthrough ÿÿmany converts…though there have been, ÿunhappily, ÿconversions ÿ(Cat Stevens, the singer and composer, is a devout Muslim now).
Finally, ÿif you are in Washington, ÿDC, ÿyou should take note of the 160 ÿft. ÿhigh minaret above the mosque of the Islamic Center on ÿMassachusetts Ave. ÿAnd consider also the alarming growth ÿof the Black Muslims in our country, the USA, and their links to the most radical Islamic nations.
Read the Koran. ÿ’Allah’ ÿis demonic, ÿand has NOTHING to do with God. ÿBut Muslims in our midst are not to be feared or hated. ÿWe must prayerfully, confidently, show them the Love of Christ, ÿand speak the Truth to them without compromise.
David Canfil
Trinity 3 (Reading), UK
SUBJECT: Re: GROWTH OF ISLAM IN UK
Greetings, ÿDavid. I ÿappreciated your words of encouragement and faith.
Islam ÿis a formidable seducing spirit and a murderous one in the world ÿtoday…and ÿno evidence is lacking in ÿsupport ÿof ÿthese conclusions. ÿI empathize with some of the testimonials of others which ÿpreceded my words about the threat of Islam to the UK; ÿÿI would ÿagree ÿwith ÿthem that encounters with ÿunbelievers ÿ(i.e. people who have no faith in any religion) ÿoften seem more common and ÿproblematic ÿthan confrontations with Muslim ÿproselytising, etc. ÿÿBut whatever Muslims may seem to have in common with us is attributable ÿto the fact that Muhammed selectively borrowed ÿhis values from Judeo-Christian revelation.
This ÿinfers ÿwhat it is that makes Islam one of ÿhistory’s ÿmost evil systems: ÿmost of the other so-called ‘great religions’ ÿare not ÿknown to have originated amongst peoples who ‘exchanged ÿthe truth ÿof ÿGod ÿfor a lie’; ÿthere’s no evidence that ÿBuddha ÿor Confucius, ÿfor instance, ÿever knew the truth of God; ÿprimitive tribes around the planet have variously created and developed all manner of unusual and imaginative religious systems; but Muhammed KNEW Christians and Jews, ÿhe was also exposed to the Old and New Testaments, ÿand the religion satan spawned through him was, ÿÿin other words, a Judeo-Christian heresy from its inception.
The ÿspiritual ÿbondage ÿof Islam is ÿtremendously ÿsinister ÿand strong. ÿÿIslam ÿis ÿno ÿless ÿdevoted ÿto ÿworld ÿconquest ÿthan Communism. ÿÿAnd ÿIslam is very, ÿvery cruel. ÿAs ÿthe ÿhistorian Toynbee ÿonce ÿput it, ÿwhile believers in Jesus and Buddha ÿhave sometimes ÿwaged ÿmurderous, ÿunjust wars in the names ÿof ÿtheir religions, ÿwhen they did it they were not following the examples of the founders of their respective faiths; ÿbut, ÿhe said, ÿwhen Muslims ÿdo ÿit they follow the example of Muhammed ÿhimself…he wiped out whole communities of peoples who resisted him, allowing debased ÿsensuality, ÿpillage and slave-taking as enticements ÿto his followers.
All unbelievers are equally dead in their sins while they ÿremain unbelievers, ÿÿÿbut ÿIslam ÿBEGAN ÿas ÿa ÿheresy. ÿÿMuslims ÿÿare consistently ÿthe most difficult of peoples to convert to Christ, and this explains why.
David Canfil
THE MUSLIMS WAY TO ALLAH # # ——————————————————#### # [GOOD DEEDS] [ 5 PILLARS ] [PROHIBITIONS] # # ——————————————————# # X X X X X # # X X X X X # G # X X X X X # M O # X X X X X # A D # X X X X X # N # X X X X X # # X X X X X # # X X X X X # # X X X X X # # X X X X X # ################################################### 5 4 3 2 1 (1) Belief [Shahada] (2) Alms [Zakat] (3) Fast [Ramadan] (4) Pilgrimage [Mecca] (5) Prayer [5 x a day]
The ÿritual prohibitions together with the 5 pillars and as ÿmany good deeds as is possible do not guarentee that paradise will ÿbe attained.
The ÿKoran ÿhas no assurance of a ‘heaven’. ÿIt relies ÿon ÿman’s doing and all the failures associated with it.
How like the nominal christian who believes in a creed(1), ÿgives to charity(2), ÿgoes to church, birth, ÿmarriage and death , with the odd christmas and easter thrown in(4), ÿand prayer, ÿwell yes if pushed or maybe every now and then at bedtime(5).
Jesus says “I AM THE WAY” “I GO TO PREPARE A PLACE FOR YOU” “TODAY YOU SHALL BE WITH ME IN PARADISE” “NO MAN COMETH UNTO THE FATHER BUT BY ME”
Christianity does not rely on MAN, ÿGod sent HIS SON an ÿatoining sacrifice for our sins (1 John 4:10)
The ÿGULF has been crossed by Jesus himself at Calvary and we can have eternal life here and now, recieve it and be sure of it, ÿno one can take it away Jesus promise “none shall pluck them from my hand”
The KEYS may look the same but only JESUS fits, only JESUS is the sinless, ÿÿspotless SON OF GOD. ÿTHE GOD-MAN, ÿGod incarnate ÿin human flesh, JESUS is the only way.
I pray this Lord Jesus is your Saviour and your Lord now.
David Rance
ISLAM
“It ÿis commonplace today to speak of the battle of the ÿeighties to be between Islam, Marxism and Third World Christianity.
Western ÿChristianity is on the whole too flabby to ÿdo ÿanything about it. One of the clearest symptoms of this is the sad decline in true spirituality amongst the majority of Western Christians.
We have neglected our prayer life; ÿwe have stopped listening ÿto God; ÿwe have been caught by the covetous spirit of our ÿaffluent society, ÿÿand worshipped the false god of materialism. ÿWe ÿhave exchanged our knowledge of *Theos* (God) for heady disputes about theological words, ÿor for religious or social activism. ÿWe have forgotten how to be still before God, how to meditate, trapped as we ÿare in the vortex of modern life. ÿWe have lost our sense ÿof direction; ÿand, ÿconfused and bewildered, ÿwe know little of the exhuberant ÿjoy ÿof celebration enjoyed by God’s people down ÿthe centuries, even in tough and depressing situations.
There ÿis ÿlittle to attract the unbeliever in ÿthe ÿtraditional, organized ÿChurch. ÿÿThe tragedy is that most people outside ÿthe Church ÿtoday are hungry and thirsty for God or for some form ÿof spiritual reality, but the Church as an institution has little to offer in terms of living bread or the wine of the Spirit.
It ÿis hardly surprising, ÿtherefore, ÿthat a growing number ÿare turning ÿto ÿthe ÿcults, ÿÿto eastern mysticism, ÿÿor ÿto ÿoccult practices ÿin ÿpursuit of a basic spirituality that ÿthe ÿWestern Church no longer seems to provoke.
From ÿDavid Watson’s foreword to ‘Celebration of Discipline’, ÿby R. Foster
David Canfil
Dear ÿAnton – Just a note here: ÿMuslims most emphatically do not believe the same things as Christians, ÿthough they share some of the same moral values…along with many other religions.
And even more emphatically, the Koran does NOT contain ANY of the same books as the Bible.
Some of the historical figures from Scripture are mentioned in the Koran, ÿÿbut ÿtheir characters and ÿsignificances ÿare ÿradically altered, particularly the Person of Jesus Christ.
Islam is an anti-Christ system, ÿplainly and simply. Jesus is the Son ÿof God. ÿIslam explicitly denies the fact, ÿand many ÿothers which are absolutely essential. The question here is not what you or ÿI ÿor ÿanyone think about Jesus or about ÿMuhammed ÿor ÿabout anything. ÿÿIt has to do with what God has revealed. ÿThere is no way that one can be a Christian and admit the relative merit of a seductive, satanic deception… which is precisely what Islam is. If there are any doubts, read the Koran.
I ÿtoo ÿknow ÿmany Muslims personally, ÿfrom a ÿwide ÿvariety ÿof backgrounds. Many are warm, hospital folks on personal terms.
But ÿdon’t be deceived by that which has deceived generations ÿof their people. ÿStand firm under the Banner of Christ. ÿJesus died on the Cross for YOU! Muhammed didn’t.
The ÿsimplest ÿway ÿto ÿdeal with this, ÿÿfor ÿanyone ÿwho ÿfeels confused, ÿis to personally submit the matter to God, ÿthe God of the Bible, ÿin prayer. ÿHe is Lord! ÿHe will clarify these points very ÿsatisfactorily, ÿand in a personal, ÿloving, ÿÿand ÿutterly convincing way, I assure you.
In Him, David Canfil
From: David Canfil
To: All Msg #301, 25-Nov-87 03:59pm Subject: THE KORAN V.S. THE BIBLE
Some quotes from the KORAN concerning Jesus and Christianity:
“Those who say: ÿ’The Lord of Mercy has begotten a son,’ preach a monstrous falsehood, ÿat which the very heavens might crack, ÿthe earth break asunder, and the mountains crumble to dust. That they should ascribe a son to the Merciful, when it does not become Him to beget one!” 19:88.
“…of Jesus, who said to the Israelites: ‘I am sent forth to you by ÿAllah to confirm the Torah already revealed and to give ÿnews of an apostle that will come after me whose name is Ahmed'” ÿ61:6 (Note: ÿÿ”Ahmed” ÿÿis another name of Muhammed’s, ÿÿmeaning ÿ”The Praised One”).
“The Jews say Ezra is the son of Allah, ÿwhile the Christians say the Messiah is the son of Allah. ÿSuch are their assertions, ÿÿby which they imitate the infidels of old. ÿAllah confound them! How perverse they are! They worship their rabbis and their monks, and the Messiah the son of Mary, ÿas gods besides Allah; ÿthough they were ordered to serve one God only. There is no god but Him” 9:30 (Note: ÿÿThe charge that Jews say Ezra is the son of Allah has no known basis in Jewish religious tradition).
“To ÿMoses ÿWe gave the Scriptures and after him ÿWe ÿsent ÿother apostles. ÿÿWe ÿgave Jesus the son of Mary ÿveritable ÿsigns ÿand strengthened him with the Holy Spirit. ÿWill you then scorn ÿeach apostle whose message does not suit your fancies, ÿcharging ÿsome with ÿimposture ÿand slaying others? ÿThey say: ÿ’Our hearts ÿare sealed.’ But Allah has cursed them for their unbelief. ÿThey have but ÿlittle faith. ÿAnd now that a Book confirming their own ÿhas come to them from Allah, ÿthey deny it, ÿalthough they know it to be ÿthe ÿtruth ÿand ÿhave ÿlong ÿprayed ÿfor ÿhelp ÿagainst ÿÿthe unbelievers. May Allah’s curse be upon the infidels!” 2:86.
“With ÿthose ÿwho ÿsaid they were Christians We made ÿa ÿcovenant also, ÿÿbut ÿthey ÿtoo ÿhave forgotten much ÿof ÿwhat ÿthey ÿwere enjoined…People of the Book! ÿOur apostle has come to reveal to you ÿmuch ÿof ÿwhat you have hidden of the ÿScriptures, ÿÿand ÿto forgive ÿyou ÿmuch. ÿÿA ÿlight has come to you from Allah ÿand ÿa glorious ÿBook…Unbelivers are those who declare: ÿ’Allah is the Messiah, the son of Mary'” 5:14-17
“Believers, ÿÿtake neither Jews nor Christians for your ÿfriends. They ÿare friends with one another. ÿWhoever of you ÿseeks ÿtheir friendship shall become one of their number. Allah does not guide the wrongdoers” 5:51.
“Unbelievers are those who say: ‘Allah is the Messiah, the son of Mary.’ ÿFor the Messiah himself said: ‘Children of Israel, ÿserve Allah, ÿÿmy ÿLord ÿand your Lord.’ ÿHe that worships ÿother ÿgods besides Allah shall be forbidden Paradise and shall be cast ÿinto the fire of Hell. ÿNone shall help the evildoers. Unbelievers are those that say: ‘Allah is one of three.’ There is but one God. If they do not desist from so saying, ÿthose of them that disbelieve shall ÿbe ÿsternly ÿpunished. ÿÿWill they not turn ÿto ÿAllah ÿin repentance ÿand ÿseek ÿforgiveness of Him? ÿHe is ÿforgiving ÿand merciful. ÿÿThe ÿMessiah, ÿthe son of Mary, ÿwas no more than ÿan apostle…” 5:72-75.
- Origin: Trinity 2 – Faringdon, Oxfordshire (511/113)
ine’, ÿby
R. Foster