Inside Islam: A Guide for Catholics

(Jacob Rumans) #1

relief action in Somalia, a predominantly Muslim country.
Some Muslims resent the continued American military
presence in Saudi Arabia (dating from the 1991 Gulf War),
as this is Islam’s holy land. Muhammad clearly told his
followers that only one religion — Islam — should ever be
allowed there, but the vast majority of the American soldiers
stationed in Saudi Arabia are non-Muslim. Their mere
presence is offensive to many Muslims.


Others decry what they view as the immorality of
Western secular societies and resent the West’s
technological superiority and cultural influence. If Islam is
the final, perfect revelation, then many Muslims believe that
Islamic society should also be preeminent in all facets of
life. When Muslims see how far they are from this ideal,
their resentment only grows.


In addition, because Muslims are called to support
Islamic causes and fellow Muslims, they typically support
the Palestinians in their conflict with Israel. In the Muslim
world it is widely believed that the United States (and the
West as a whole) is an uncritical supporter of Israel. Since
the vast majority of Palestinians are Muslims, all Muslims
are called to support them and, indeed, all causes that are
perceived to be causes of Islam. It does not matter to most
Muslims whether individual Americans support war with
Muslim countries or not — all Americans are part of the
West and, as such, are considered to be ‘‘crusaders’’ against
Islam no matter what.



  1. If it is a religion of peace, why does Islam impose

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