Since 2021, almost 100 Somalis have been indicted for welfare fraud in Minnesota, 375 suspected Islamic terrorists have entered the US illegally, and hundreds of American flags have been burned at demonstrations in support of Hamas terrorists. This year, there’ve been six Islamic terror attacks on American soil, and Iran has sent thousands of drones and missiles to hurt its neighbors. If that doesn’t scare you, then nothing else will. That’s all the reason US citizens need to have an honest discussion about Islam now (when Muslims are less than 1.5% of the US population).
The philosophical foundation of our Republic are the constructs of the Enlightenment and Reformation, which do not inform the Islamic world. Believe it or not, what’s currently at stake are the Founder’s ideals of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. This is true, because Sharia (Islamic law) is not compatible with our constitution’s Bill of Rights; specifically, the 1st, 5th, 8th, and 14th amendments. Fewer regulations and lower taxes are good, but America First means the guilt-free preservation of truth, justice and the American way.
The “American Way” Is Not for Everyone
The Enlightenment ideals of liberty, progress, and tolerance are where Islam falls short. Liberty and tolerance? No Muslim country openly supports abortion, and 34 of 50 Muslim nations still criminalize homosexuality (source: World Population Review). Progress? Not one of the world’s top 5 producers of aircraft, automobiles, computing hardware or software (including AI), consumer electronics, entertainment, food and beverage, or pharmaceuticals are headquartered – or were founded – in a Muslim-majority nation.
American dynamism and exceptionalism are for real. Successful colonization and independence required bravery and ingenuity. Over 250 years, E Pluribus Unum required the assimilation of many individuals and newly added states. Becoming “American” added value. Look at median household incomes: African-Americans are $43,000 a year better off than Africans, Italian-Americans are $56,000 a year better off than Italians, and Japanese-Americans are $50,000 a year better off than Japanese (sources: World Bank and USCB). And of the world’s 500 most valuable companies, 320 (64%) are American.
These prosperity numbers are what make the “Somali Immigrant Fraud” scandal so disturbing (82 of 92 indictments involved Somali-Americans). Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) can cry “racist” until she’s blue in the face, but this is a democracy and a super-majority of Americans – the non-Muslim (98.5%) and native-born (85.2%) – have questions. Fact: the contrast between Somali-Americans and African-Americans (see table below) is a red flag.
| African-Americans | Somali-Americans | |
| Average Household Income | $50,000 | $46,800 |
| Get SNAP Benefits | 25% | 42% |
| Get Medicaid | 33% | 70% |
| Get Some Form of Welfare | 40% | 80% |
| Are Muslim | 2% | 95% |
| Are Refugees | 1% | 60-80% |
| Data Sources: Al Jazeera, EPI, and Washington Times | ||
Somali-Americans are $44,800 better off, because the average household income in Somalia is $2,000 per annum (source: World Population Review). So why are so many (80%) getting some form of welfare? Why is the Somali-American welfare rate double the African-American rate? Hard to say for sure, but the numbers beg for better vetting of refugees and Muslims by our state department. That last phrase would enrage the woke left, that’s too ashamed of our country to deny a commercial drivers license to someone who cannot read English.
Back to the Enlightenment’s ideals of tolerance and progress, because what’s gone on in Minnesota is institutional indulgence and waste. 80% of Somali-Americans getting some form of welfare AND so many Somali-Americans involved in entitlements fraud should have Democrats hopping mad…but it hasn’t…and it’s time to have that conversation too. Is America safe in Democrat hands?
The Great Divide
Most western historians agree that Islam has not undergone a singular “reformation” in the mold of 16th-century Europe, but stop short of suggesting Muslims are poor fits in western nations. That’s a reasonable view because Turkey and the UAE have embraced modernity, but it cannot be a sweeping view. Because the modern era of Islamic “reform movements” has resulted in radicalization rather than secularization.
Since the 2001 Al Qaeda attacks, the religion’s predominant political movement, the Muslim Brotherhood, has tried to implement Sharia in nine Muslim-majority countries, most notably Egypt. Its predominant evangelical movement, Salafism, has tried to eliminate non-Islamic influences and rebuild society based on the strict traditions of the Salaf al-Salih from the 7th century. In short, those movements are at war with modernity because of the history taught in so many madrasas (Islamic schools for true believers).
In that history, the Islamic world was the pinnacle of civilization in the 7th century, when Europe was mired in the Dark Ages, and remained arguably so until the 16th century. From the Early Islamic Golden Age (7th-10th centuries) to the Early Ottoman peak (15th-16th centuries), Muslim nations advanced mathematics and science, and controlled trade. Where the madrasa-educated stumble is with post-1600 world history.
Mostly missing is an appreciation for modernity and how Europe (1) advanced the scientific method, (2) democratized information, (3) created public capital markets, and (4) adopted protections for personal property rights. Mostly emphasized is the study of western sins; colonization, slavery, territorial wars, and taking Arabic oil (buying it on the cheap until the OPEC embargo). It’s not unreasonable to suspect Salafa clerics hate “modernity” simply because it was not their idea (meanwhile Buddhists, Hindus and Taoists are modernizing with alacrity).
Immigration Control and Enforcement
This year’s Nobel Peace Prize recipient, Maria Corina Machado, has publicly identified the “immigration threat” to the US; America’s enemies (China, Iran and Russia) have united with Latin American drug cartels to “weaponize immigration” in order to weaken the US from within. Her words add valuable context to the illegal-alien surge under President Biden – 6.1 million more “getaways” than under Trump (illegal aliens encountered at the border and released into the US) – and the current Democrat war on Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) was established in November 2002 to consolidate 22 federal agencies into one department; thereby providing seamless protection within our borders. It was enacted by a majority of Democrats (47 to 2 in the Senate, and 133 to 86 in the House) who, years later, stayed mum when Obama “deported” 2.5 million undocumented immigrants and 600,000 non-citizens, and Biden “removed” at least 2 million. That history has not, however, prevented Democrats from flip-flopping on immigration enforcement.
More troubling still is the Democrats’ aversion to citizens-only welfare benefits and voting rights. Hmm…open borders, welfare benefits, defunding immigration enforcement, and no “citizenship” questions for driving and voting privileges…that’s a magnet for illegal aliens. This is not the time for permissiveness; by 2016, 20% of US immigrants (and 46% of refugees) were from Muslim-majority countries, compared to 1% before the 9-11 attacks.
Increased vetting as suggested by Secretary of State Rubio is simply “responsible” governance to prevent national insecurity. The view here is that America is the cradle of Global Modernity, and that its enemies are clear and present threats (“Death To America” is all the hint I need). Let down our guard for too long, as occurred under Biden-Harris, and that cradle will fall.