Thread by @FatimaBarkatula

We live in an age where the Believer is subliminally told that he/she can be a Believer, as long as they compromise & fit in to Western secular liberal norms. The West has its sacred cows which no one can blaspheme about. And it seeks to force its ideology upon the world.

The only acceptable form of Islam, is a watered down, toothless, meaningless Islam, which is in reality - not Islam at all.
“And they will not stop fighting you, until they turn you back from your Religion; if they are able.” [Surah al- Baqarah 2:217]

As Muslims we need to be aware of the forms that this ideological warfare takes, to avoid falling into its traps. As Sheikh Bin Baz rahimahullah said years ago, the ideological warfare is even more harmful than the physical warfare waged against the Muslim world.

1. “The attempt to conquer the minds of Muslim children.” By propagating secular liberal values such that these values are seen as the best approach to adopt in any matter. As parents we must provide the counternarrative to our children & be careful about what media they consume

2: “Custody of a large group of the children of the Muslims in every country”,so typically ruling classes from Muslim lands are educated in the West or in elite Western schools in their respective countries.They then are prepared for power & to do the bidding of Western countries

(By the way these points or subheadings are from Sheikh Bin Baz’s speech/treatise published in English as: The Ideological Attack...and I’m merely commenting/giving examples of the methods of ideological warfare he identified.)

3. The third he mentions is the introduction of English/western languages as the elite languages in Muslim countries & weakening of ppls connection with Arabic in particular & their native tongues. This weakens their connection to their heritage & strengthens secular messaging

4. “Development of western universities and missionary schools in Muslim countries and also initiating the role of kindergarten and playschools, hospitals and clinics...”
So typically this was the work of missionaries & the ruling classes would be educated in those institutions

5. “The attempt to control education curricula in Muslim lands and drawing out their politics..”
Nationalism & a weak sense of attachment to the wider Ummah has been the result of this as well as lack of connection to Islamic history, and greater connection to national history.

6. Orientalism and the increase in non-Muslims studying Islam, becoming ‘experts’ and then writing on Islamic topics, causing what he called: “ideological turmoil and confusion amongst the educated Muslims,” leading many to disbelief and deviated views and ideas.

7. “Missionaries” with large budgets in poorer and remote Muslim villages, preaching.
However, more than this type of preaching, in our times I think it’s big businesses with local branches, promoting certain messaging,using advertising & media to change ppls attitudes

8. Targeting Muslim women & girls & attitudes to marriage & family life, by introducing western beauty ideals as desirable, belittling traditional roles and encouraging separation from their menfolk. Making music & free-mixing the norm, eroding the morality of the public space...

This one is apparent in the West also...where as has been highlighted by others, magazines/websites/influencers/fashion brands have adopted modest fashion only to lead many Muslim women into rendering the hijab an accessory, a beautification even...

(I don’t know why I didn’t just write an article instead of this long thread!!)

...belittling motherhood, and now, quite brazenly...trying to normalise to Muslim women: promiscuity, same-sex relationships, abortion & transgenderism, via western backed websites & well-meaning but ignorant leftist Muslim activists.

9. The Sheikh mentions the building of churches & temples in Muslim lands. However I don’t think this constitute as much of an issue. I feel that the real ‘temples’ being built in Muslim countries are the mega malls! Where materialism & consumerism reign supreme...

...where the preachers are big brands..each one representing a different fantasy, a different value & lifestyle.

10. Lastly the sheikh identified media outlets as part of the ideological attack. Think Vogue Arabia and now MuslimGirl, think the satellite channels & cinemas blasting Hollywood & Bollywood propaganda sometimes mixed with local culture into the hearts & souls of Muslims....

It’s subtle, it’s subliminal, sometimes it’s brazen, but the Muslim asses who were not brought up with knowledge of their deen & culture- lap it up, see it as normal & sophisticated.

We must push back on this ideological warfare by not being a part of the problem. Our children must be protected & able to counteract & scrutinise this messaging. This is where parents come in, teachers come in, big siblings come in.
We must rebuild schools, institutions, media..

We have our work cut out. But educating ourselves Islamically, constantly referring to the scholars of Islam, contains within it a form of immunisation against this ideological warfare. Brothers & sisters- we are not immune...

We must protect ourselves & families by living & speaking the truth...as teachers, we must teach the truth, not fearing unpopularity, but tackling difficult topics with wisdom & firmness & concern. We must counteract fallacies & deviations in every front, picking our battles.

Whoops I meant *masses not asses! Typo.