Two years ago I wrote a book entitled Lions of the Faith: Saints, Blesseds, and Heroes of the Catholic Faith in the Struggle with Islam. I wrote it because I wanted to learn, in part, what things the great men who are models for Christian life and practice in the existential survival against Islam all have in common.
These Catholic men and women, mostly from the West, were the ones who converted, resisted again, were martyred by, or went to war against the armies of Islam and many times achieved crushing victories that were nothing short of miraculous. The Spanish Reconquista (and the many, many battles therein), the resistance at Poitiers, the Siege of Jerusalem, the Siege of Belgrade, the Battle of Lepanto, the Battle of Vienna, and many others were either won or lost based upon the state of the Faith held by the people who went to battle.
Overall, I found five common traits:
- They believe in the Faith
- They sincerely strive to practice the Faith to its fullest form
- They will fight for the Faith
- They will die for the Faith
- They will kill for the Faith.
As much as I despise ISIS and Islam, I can say the following about them and their supporters:
- They sincerely believe Islam is true
- They sincerely strive to practice Islam to its fullest form
- They will fight for Islam
- They will die for Islam
- They will kill for Islam
Once upon a time, during the Middle Ages, European Christendom was as strong in its Catholic Faith as was the Muslim world in Islam. However, that is no longer so. Instead, the state of not just Christianity, but practically any religion in Europe except Islam is nonexistent. John Lennon captured this in his song Imagine, especially in the following line (starting at 1:30 in the link here):
…Imagine there’s no countries, it isn’t hard to do, nothing to kill or die for, and no religion too.
Compare this new ISIS video as the face of Islam, and John Lennon’s Imagine as the face of Western religion today. If these two religions were in a boxing match (forget about what the stakes could be, such as the fate of the entire Western world) which one would win?
You decide.
First, ISIS’s new video (with transcribed lyrics; the main song starts at 1:40):
For the sake of Allah we will march to the gates, of the paradise where our maidens await; We are men who love death as you love your life, we are the soldiers that fight in the day and the night, we are the soldiers that fight in the day and the night;
Going forth, preparing to roar, we are brothers of light with kuffar in sight; Their ranks are many and weapons are heavy, but the soldiers of Allah are more than ready, the soldiers of Allah are more than ready;
For the sake of Allah we will march to the gates, of the paradise where our maidens await; We are men who love death as you love your life, we are the soldiers that fight in the day and the night, we are the soldiers that fight in the day and the night;
Defending the pride of our sisters who have cried, for fearing the but that the almighty is one; Their voices motivated, the men who migrated, to fill their duty of making god’s word the greatest, to fill their duty of making god’s word the greatest;
For the sake of Allah we will march to the gates, of the paradise where our maidens await; We are men who love death as you love your life, we are the soldiers that fight in the day and the night, we are the soldiers that fight in the day and the night;
O my brother, jihad is the way, to bring back the honor of our glorious days; the promise of all will always remain, that fighting for his sake is the ultimate gain, that fighting for his sake is the ultimate gain;
For the sake of Allah we will march to the gates, of the paradise where our maidens await; We are men who love death as you love your life, we are the soldiers that fight in the day and the night, we are the soldiers that fight in the day and the night;
And now the time has come for the battles to be won, shahada on our tongues as our hearts beat as one; The Sunnah is alive, the khilafa is on the rise, the flag of tawhid shining bright before our eyes, the flag of tawhid shining bright before our eyes.
Then, John Lennon’s Imagine:
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