33 How to Explain Islam to People

“It’s easier to fool people than to convince them they have been fooled” – Mark Twain

When I first learned the truth about Islam, I was shocked and wanted to explain it to people. What I wasn’t prepared for, was the reaction I would encounter. My quieter friends seemed to suddenly avoid me whenever possible. 

The more outgoing ones berated me. They accused me of everything from racism and intolerance, to outright bigotry. This was somewhat surprising and it took me a while to figure out what was going on. In order to understand this reaction, you need to know a little about a process which is commonly referred to as brainwashing.

Brainwashing is a process by which people’s thoughts and actions are manipulated by a third party. This process involves the use of a variety of different techniques, but at its core, it is a process which takes advantage of a human survival mechanism.

When we hear things from many people, constantly repeated, our brains tend to believe it is true. This is an important survival mechanism because the majority is usually right. When everyone tells you “Don’t go into that cave there is a huge bear in there,” it is wise to listen. That is why our brains work this way.

Religious cults take advantage of this fact and amplify its effectiveness by using techniques such as sleep deprivation and the changing of meal times etc. (many of these techniques are found in Islam, especially during Ramadan). There is however a much more common way in which this process is used by those with access to mass media.

Advertisers understand that if they constantly bombard our brains with messages such as, “our product is good” they can gradually alter our opinions. We all like to pretend that we are not susceptible to this kind of manipulation. The facts however, suggest otherwise.

Political Islam has been applying this technique very successfully. Over the last few decades we have repeatedly been told that “Islam is peaceful” and “it’s just like Christianity” etc. 

We have heard this message from presidents and prime ministers, we have heard it from teachers, the press, church leaders and just about everyone in authority. Consequently, most people have come to believe it is true.

There is a problem with trying to brainwash people with a lie however. Once people have seen the truth, no amount of brainwashing will convince them to believe the lie. Once people have looked into the cave and seen that there is no bear in there, it is impossible to convince them otherwise.

Clever brainwashers know this of course and so they use another cunning trick to “insulate” people from the truth. As well as brainwashing you with “the lie,” they also brainwash you with another belief. This belief is that those trying to tell you the truth are “evil/dangerous/malicious” and must not be listened to. 

Those who do listen to them will become as bad as they are and will be cast out from society. Muslims vilify people with terms such as racist, bigot, Islamophobe, intolerant, ignorant etc. We have heard them so many times that we begin to believe them.

This process has been so effective that now, when people hear someone criticizing Islam, they instinctively believe that person to be an evil, racist and dangerous bigot. Consequently they will do anything they can to avoid listening to your arguments.

For people to come around to your point of view, they will have to admit that they are the ones who were wrong. Sadly, threading the proverbial camel through the eye of a needle is easier than forcing such an admission from most people.

This reaction came as a shock to me. I still find it hard to believe just how effective this process has been. Listening to otherwise intelligent and rational people refusing point blank to listen to a perfectly logical statement is an eye opener. It is as if they might become infected by it. This will probably come as a shock to you also. Once I understood this reaction however, I found ways to get around it.

This book was originally sent out as a series of emails to friends. Many wrote back criticizing me for being so intolerant and bigoted. I therefore carefully rewrote it to be as neutral as possible. I studiously avoided criticizing Islam, especially in the early sections to prevent people’s brainwashed reactions kicking in. This careful approach has worked well and many people have learned the truth who would otherwise have been hostile to it.

At first glance, this approach may seem wrongheaded. After all what’s the point of telling people about Islam if not to criticize it?

The advantage is however, is that once people understand Islam, you don’t need to tell them it is bad. You simply let them make up their own minds. Having explained how Muslims are obliged to emulate Mohammed’s behaviour, all you have to do is show them his biography. Then, even the most politically correct will understand the problem.

Whenever I want to introduce someone to the subject of Islam, I always tell them that I have “been researching Islam” or have been “reading a lot about it” and tell them how interesting it is. Most people are keen to know more about Islam as much of what they have heard doesn’t seem quite right.

At this point I try to avoid getting into much discussion outside of the basics. I might tell them that Muslims must emulate Mohamed and how the Koran is so difficult to understand. Then I offer to give them some interesting material.

I always recommend this book because it is the best introduction to the subject of which I am aware. It is especially useful for convincing sceptics. It also carries the advantage of being available for free on the net at:

http://thestoryofmohammed.blogspot.com.au

Few people will read a book this long on the computer unfortunately.There are other books, by people like Bill Warner, Daniel Scott, or Brigitte Gabriel which are superior in different ways. As an introduction to the subject however, it is the best I am aware of. By all means recommend a different book, but be sure it is not too confronting, especially in the early parts. This can be a real turn off, especially for the more politically correct.

Above all, avoid criticizing Islam until you can see that a person has come to see the truth. Even then allow them to take the lead so to speak. If people are not interested don’t push it on them. Often times something will happen which will cause them to question things. Hopefully then, they will come back and ask you about it. Having planted the seed, it will often grow down the track without any further help from you.

Any time people are hostile to the truth, again don’t push them too much. Leave them with suitable material and let them decide. Drop the subject and keep your friendship. Later on, it is surprising how many will come to the truth on their own. If you push them it will only strengthen their barriers. Taking this approach will save you much heartache. It will also make you far more effective in spreading awareness of the dangers of Islamic expansion.

Glossary of Islamic Terms