A vain hope for deliverance Islam, Terrorism and Christian faith

No king is saved by the size of his army; no warrior escapes by his great strength. A horse is a vain hope for deliverance; despite all its great strength it cannot save. But the eyes of the LORD are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love, to deliver them from death and keep them alive in famine. (Psalm 33)

Idolatry Two aspects: Trusting in our own strength to overcome Exaggerating the size of the problem Compare with Jeremiah’s warnings

Wrath God uses the kingdoms of this world Nebuchadnezzar & Cyrus Chastisement from outside

Living in the Kingdom Come let us return to the Lord… Do not place your trust in princes

About Sayyid Qutb Born 1906 in S. Egypt Highly intelligent – memorised Quran at age 10 Joined Egyptian Ministry of Education Sent to US Radicalised by experience, & joins Muslim Brotherhood

About Sayyid Qutb 2 MB suppressed by Nasser; SQ imprisoned & tortured SQ writes commentary ‘In the shade of the Quran’ Now single most read commentary on Quran Also ‘Milestones’ Hanged in 1966

"Mankind today is on the brink of a precipice… because humanity is devoid of those vital values for its healthy development and real progress.”

Qutb’s critique The criticism of the West Secular, academic account of faith – unrelated to practice Family is destroyed by sensuality Material wealth is idolised, leading to social injustice

Jahiliyyah Obedience is freedom –Quran is final guidance –Shari’a law, not human law –So, eg obedience to Queen or President is jahili Direct influence on Khomeini, bin Laden & al-Zawahiri Much of what he writes is true…

"Islam cannot accept any compromise with jahiliyyah, either in its concept or in the modes of living derived from this concept. Either Islam will remain, or jahiliyyah..."

Jihad External first (compare Khomeini) A movement of hope and liberation Violence against institutions is imperative –Against people is not… Dying for Islam is triumph –Root of suicide bombing

Some criticisms All about control in this world Kingdom is effectively human-led –Quran is gift – all else is human No sense of creativity or open-endedness No sense of play or exuberance Primarily an ethic

The Islamist declaration of war 23 rd February 1998: “The ruling to kill the Americans and their allies - - civilians and military -- is an individual duty for every Muslim who can do it in any country in which it is possible to do it…”

Islamist strength 1: ideology The War against “terror” Ideology cannot be destroyed with bullets The ideology is coherent and attractive Success breeds success

Islamist strength 2: Oil

Islamist strength 3: terrorism Low cost, high impact Self-sustaining and self-reproducing Financially independent

The nature of Christian response Isaiah and trust Pray for your enemies Abominate Abomination Prepare to be without oil

Bernard Lewis and ‘face’ Civil War and Reformation Many different strands of Islam, even Islamism: –Qutb vs Wahhabi vs Khomeini Islam profoundly weak –And dependent on oil income A brief moment, with 25 million young men

Islamist strength 4: immigration “Europe will be Islamic by the end of this century at the very latest.” (57% of babies in Brussels) …or maybe not (7% of babies in EU) A caveat: not all muslims are the same –2004 poll: 60% want Shari’a But a new settlement is essential, to avoid conflict

A new Elizabethan settlement The public square The oath of allegiance One rule of law (NB it took 100 years to bed in…)

Reassert roots Acknowledge the Christian context as essential for our society Abandon the indulgence of self-hatred Speak plainly and passionately Do not be afraid

No king is saved by the size of his army; no warrior escapes by his great strength. A horse is a vain hope for deliverance; despite all its great strength it cannot save. But the eyes of the LORD are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love, to deliver them from death and keep them alive in famine. (Psalm 33)