Behind each element of attack lies, in most cases, entire systems and machines designed, researched, and re-researched. They are "focal" because each entity, in and of itself, has its own experts, its own funding, and its own goals. And one of the goals of any institution, whether stated or not, is to preserve itself. So, this is not to say that there is a roundtable of old white, wealthy men meeting every two weeks to conspire and manipulate the world. Instead, this is a partial list of institutions and groups who, in looking out for their own perceived self-interests, attack Islam. Any institution working to preserve itself will resist and fight that which stands against it, for better or for worse.

It is important to emphasize, early on, that casting blame on each of these entities for the wretchid condition of our Ummah would be quite misdirected. We have none to blame but ourselves. That being said, we must know our enemies. And in addition to that inner enemy that wants to place blame externally, we must also recognize the truth in the following:

Materialism is the primary prong of the multifocal attack against Islam. It is the onslaught's predominant paradigm. For this reason, many of the other foci may be better described as barbs on the prong of materialism. A good illustration of this is the Islamic concept of Christ (peace be upon him) versus AntiChrist.

In Islam, Jesus, the son of Mary (peace be upon both of them), is regarded as the word of God, the Messiah or Christ; he was born of a virgin, he performed miracles, and he will return again in the End of Time. The references to Jesus (peace be upon him) in the Qur'an and ahadith clearly describe a very ascetic and spiritual individual. They describe him as one who gave up the life of this world for the life of the Hereafter. In one narration, he (peace be upon him) is told to have had only two possessions, a comb for his beard and a container for water. Upon seeing someone combing his own hair with his fingers, Jesus (peace be upon him) gave his comb away in charity. Then, he encountered someone drinking out of the river with his hands cupped, and he (peace be upon him) gave away his water container. We know that he did not marry, he fasted often, and he spent much time in prayer.

This is in direct contrast to the person we know to be the AntiChrist, or al-Masih ad-Dajjal, the Imposter Messiah. He will call to salvation and fulfillment through the life of this world. While Jesus (peace be upon him) was the embodiment of spirituality, al-Masih ad-Dajjal will be the embodiment of materialism. The system being put in place to pave the way for al-Masih ad-Dajjal, the Dajjal System, is a calling to the material. Being happy and at peace means having things, consuming, and entertaining oneself. This is materialism. It is the religion of the AntiChrist, the main paradigm of the New World Order.

"Western materialism, at the level of the individual, focuses on the senses and on pleasures and desires. Then, in spite of all that Western civilization has accomplished in terms of physical comfort and pleasure, the individual finds him/herself enveloped by psychological maladies; and society finds itself subject to the negative effects of these maladies as they multiply and become more acute." (Crisis in the Muslim Mind by Abdul Hamid A. Abu Sulayman & translated by Yusuf Talal DeLorenzo, International Institute of Islamic Thought, Herndon, VA, 1997, pg 114)

It has its impact on every facet of life. While we may recognize it in commercials and in movies and television programs, we often fail to recognize it in other realms, such as science, medicine, history, social studies, ethics, and psychology. We see materialism manifest in the teaching of history when historical events are reduced to being results of an economic gradient; that the Civil Rights or Womens' Liberation Movements in the US were attempts to reach economic parity. In science and medicine, we see it when social ills are described in terms of receptors and receptor sites in the brain. Many groups, disciplines, individuals, corporations, and sciences are calling us to the religion of al-Masih ad-Dajjal. They are insuring that materialism becomes the grand narrative of our day, the force which drives us...in our studies, in our careers, in our interpersonal relationships, in our eating, our drinking, and even in our death.

We are living in an age some have called the Information Age. Technology is advancing at tremendous rates. We've gone from the first computer which took up an entire room to one able to be carried on a belt. We've seen fast computers become faster, phones become fax machines, and automatic teller machines sprawl the landscape.

It is often thought that these "advances" are put into place to make our lives easier, to make work easier, and to improve our general quality of life. However, I would argue that rather than making our lives easier, it has made us impatient. Rather than making our work easier, it has made workers expendable. And rather than improving our quality of life, it has made us forget the purpose of life.

Some call our technology "progress", and in a sense it is. But at what cost? Sure, now we can send a document to someone across the globe through the fax machine rather than the lengthy, laborious process of mail, but has this act made us impatient? How many times have we stood by the fax machine, or checked it three and four times, infuriated that a document has not yet arrived? How many times have we gotten upset when a bus or a plane was late? How about when the copier jams and sets us back four or five minutes? We have become more and more impatient with each movement "forward" with technology. And impatience breeds more impatience, and finally anger.

Regarding patience, Allah says,...

And seek help in patience and in prayer, truly it is hard except for the humble-minded. Holy Qur'an 2:45

By Time. Surely, man is in loss, except those who believe and do righteous deeds, and call one another to truth, and call one another to patience. Holy Qur'an 103:1-3

Abu Hurairah reported that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said:

"The strong is not the one who overcomes the people with his strength, but the strong is the one who controls himself while in anger." Sahih Bukhari, vol 8, #135

With corporate and commercial influences on technology combined with the pervasiveness of the entertainment industry, a tremendous but subtle change has been occurring. A change from the prophetic worldview to the materialistic worldview. The purpose of life is being redefined. Quite clearly, Allah informs us in the Holy Qur'an that the purpose of our existence is to worship Him Alone.

And I (Allah) created not the jinn and men except that they should worship Me (Alone). Holy Qur'an 51:53

Nowadays, however, we move from fashion to fashion, weekend to weekend, movie to club to video game, etc. Our lives have become planned and structured around our entertainment. Almost as if entertaining ourselves were to be our purpose. Our technological advances, our loss of patience, our shortening attention spans, and our general lack of direction are all contributing to a diffuse decline in religious knowledge and concern...pulling us away from our intended purpose.

It should be noted that this is not an arguement against furthering technology. It is more a call to stop and think about the role that any one particular machine or gadget plays in our lives. It is also a call to patience. We should take these everyday interactions with machines, traffic, and computers as an opportunity to develop patience and to control our anger.

Language is a dynamic tool, a brilliant weapon, a blessed gift, and a difficult test. It can express Truth or it can be an agent of falsehood. Language can change one's heart rate and blood pressure, and it can make one sweat, scream, laugh, or cry. Language and expression are a portion of what makes us human....

And, if controlled and manipulated, our hearts, minds, and souls could potentially follow suit. It should come at no surprise then, the next facet of the multifocal attack against Islam, and perhaps the fiercest of all, is language.

An interesting comparison and contrast to draw revolves around Turkey, Malaysia, and West Africa on one hand, and Pakistan and Iran on the other. All are Muslim-majority regions, complete with "Muslim" names, Islamic scholars, Islamic traditions, mosques, and at least some semblence of Shari'ah. However, the populations of Turkey, Malaysia, and West Africa are witnessing a very subtle, but tremendous divorce from their Islamic roots. While the entire globe is feeling the impact of "Western" culture's globaliztion (and with it, soaring crime rates, profound poverty, widening generation gaps, tremendous national and local debt, and general moral decay) majority Muslim regions, such as Turkey and West Africa are harder hit than countries such as Iran and Pakistan. All of these regions once utilized Arabic script as their primary expression of the written word. With some variations in pronunciation, and perhaps an extra letter or two, children in these regions grew up learning Arabic letters and pronunciation. With very little extra instruction, the Qur'an, ahadith, and the works of scholars were all accessible.

This remains the case in Iran and Pakistan, at least for now. However, in Turkey and some parts of West Africa, the Arabic script has been abandoned in favor of the Latin script. The language of the Qur'an, the Prophet (peace be upon him), and the scholars is no longer accessible.

"In order to nullify the effects of Islamic culture on future generations, the Arabic script was abolished and replaced with the Latin alphabet. The common people were forced to adopt European dress, women were required to discard the hijab, and even Islamic rituals like the call to prayer were required to be performed in Turkish." (Crisis in the Muslim Mind by Abdul Hamid A. Abu Sulayman & translated by Yusuf Talal DeLorenzo, International Institute of Islamic Thought, Herndon, VA, 1997, pg 9)

Generations of children are growing up without the tools to read about their religion on their own. Furthermore, their desire to do so is being stripped out from under them by the likes of television and materialism.

Once enticed, their language is further manipulated. Definitions are changed and become laiden with emotion and preconceived notions. Undesirables are easily pegged into categories and branded. A few examples, as they pertain to Muslims...

In their hearts is a disease (hipocrisy) and Allah has increased their disease. A painful torment is theirs because they used to tell lies. And when it is said to them, "Make not mischief on the earth," they say, "We are only peacemakers." Surely, they are the ones who make mischief, but they perceive it not. Qur'an 2:10-12

Another subtle tactic of the enemies of Islam is to selectively emphasize certain aspects of a people's history. This method is most frequently utilized by missionaries and Orientalists, but has, over the years, found its way into grade school textbooks.

In teaching African history for example, North Africa is often divorced from sub-Saharan Africa, despite their links via trade and common religious heritage. Kenya and Tanzania have large Muslim populations, as do most of the West African nations such as Sierra Leone, Ghana, and Nigeria. In fact, some of these regions represent the last places on earth that Shari'ah was implemented with Islamic courts, judges, etc. Teaching this history though, the cultures and histories of Egypt, Algeria, and Sudan are taught separately from those of countries south of the Sahara.

Far worse than an historical separation of Muslim lands is the attempt to separate the Muslims from their history. Quite deliberate attempts have been made by missionaries and Orientalists alike to emphasize ancient Egyptian civilization as a source of pride for the modern Egyptian and as a source of awe for the rest of the world, thus overshadowing its Islamic past and present.

This is also the case in Iraq, Turkey, and Iran. The ancient civilizations of these regions are also emphasized as a source of pride for the local population. Prior to the period of Western imperialism the people of Iraq did not identify with the Babylon of old. Nowadays, when you ask an Iranian here in the US where they are from, the usual response is "Persia".

In short, emphasis of pre-Islamic history in many regions serves to de-emphasize their connection to their rich Islamic history. And instead, these times of learning, high culture, and deep religious understanding have fallen out of favor and/or out of memory.

The same goes for the European, Social Darwinistic concept of "race". When "teaching tolerance" and "race pride", the Islamic history of African diaspora is almost entirely ignored. This is apparent in grade schools and daycare centers and all the way up to the institutes of "higher" learning. I, myself, graduated from Cornell University with a degree in Africana Studies. The curriculum there was almost totally devoid of the Islamic impact and contribution to African cultures.

Much of the modernist attack against Islam, and indeed most religions, centers around the "tales of the ancients" argument, in which the doctrines and laws of a particular faith are regarded as history. In other words saying that such practices or customs no longer apply to our society or our age.

And when Our verses are recited to them, they say, "We have heard this (the Qur'an); If we wish we can say the like of this. This is nothing but the tales of the ancients." Holy Qur'an 8:31

This argument comes more so in the "small" details of law, rather than in the basic teachings or understandings, making the attack a subtle one. A good example is the denial of the forbiddance of pork. This often comes from the mouths of atheists and Christians, though it may be heard from more "modern" Muslims and Jews as well.

Pork is quite clearly forbidden in both the Biblical text and in the Qur'an. Muslims and Jews, upon refusing to eat pork are often confronted with statements like, "That law was written back when people could get serious illnesses from the pork meat. That no longer applies to us because we have a better understanding of the illnesses, their modes of transmission, and their cures. Plus we store the meat better with refridgeration and we cook the meat more thoroughly."

Though subtle, and often brushed off by the pious as a minor issue, such statements are extremely dangerous. Be it pork, modest clothing, women covering their hair, or whatever, this approach presents a deep danger. You see, it's not the pork that our enemies are concerned with. It is the rejection of a portion of the deen. For Muslims to accomodate such statements, and even accept them as true, brings all of Islam into question.

I will illustrate this point with a discussion that I had with a Christian. I don't remember how or why, but I brought up the concept of bid'aa (religious innovation) and why it is an evil practice. To help him understand I brought up the subject of Christmas. I mentioned that Jesus (peace be upon him) never celebrated his birthday. Nor did his mother (may Allah be pleased with her), nor did his disciples. Like most, he shrugged his shoulders and said, "Who cares?" I responded, "Who cares?! If Jesus (peace be upon him) never celebrated his birthday, and it has become part of the religion to do so, then that, in effect, says that what he brought was not complete. There were deficiencies in the message. Do you believe that there were deficiencies in his message?" And, as expected he replied with a resounding "No."

Similarly, if we accept or even accomodate the modernist arguement against not eating pork, then we are, in effect, saying that the Qur'an no longer applies. The same is said of modest clothing. As the times change, clothing styles change, sure. But that does not give us the green light to expose that which Allah has told us to conceal. Anyone older than 20 or 30 may have noticed the change in dress of the nuns. It used to be that they covered their hair and wore long plain skirts. Now, many do not cover and some even wear short skirts or shorts. So what do people think when they look at their graven images of Mary, with her hair covered? A sign of the times, or a commandment from Allah? I even heard from a Muslim's mouth that wudu (ablution) is not required for prayer, saying that it was because back then lack of cleanliness was a concern and a major cause of the spread of communicable diseases! What's next? Prayer?

These subtle arguments against fine details, ultimately serve to dismantle the deeper foundation. Causing one to compromise even one of the fine details brings all of the details and even the basic concepts into question. A very dangerous thing, indeed.

One of the interesting aspects of the attack against Islam and its adherents is that the attacks are nothing new. Attempts to divide and conquer, spread rumors, and distort the prophetic teaching have been used for millenia. Their intellectual and theological arguments often take on the same flavor as the arguments of the pagan Quraish. And they repeat themselves in aspects of governance and control as well. It has been attributed to the leadership of ancient Rome, that with respect to controlling the masses they instituted a policy of "Give them food. And give them sport." Does this not apply today? Are we not encouraged to stuff our faces with addictive foods? Do we not go from one season of football to basketball playoffs, from one Sunday of football to the next, from one political scandal to the next, etc, etc? Are we not encouraged to "work hard and play hard"? But what does Allah Subhannahu wa Ta'aala say about "play"?

And We did not create the heavens and the earth and all that is in between them for mere play. Holy Qur'an 21:16

One of our exemplary predecessors, Imam An-Nawawi (May Allah have mercy on him), was noted, as a child, to avoid playing with kids his age. Rather, he devoted himself to worship and study. And when asked why he would not play with the other children, his response was "We were not created for this." Now this is not to say that children should not play, but it illustrates a point...that we were not created to entertain ourselves. Allah Ta'aala says:

And I (Allah) created not the jinn and men except that they should worship Me (Alone). Holy Qur'an 51:53

So long as we are kept entertaining ourselves and indulging our senses, we will be distracted from the very reason for our creation.

Indeed a very interesting contrast is struck by the two words used in the Qur'an to denote "world". The first one we encounter has to do with Allah Subhannahu Wa Ta'aala when He is described as the "Lord of the worlds" (Rabbil-'aalameen). In this case, the word for worlds is 'aalameen which is associated with the root which implies "to come to know". On the other hand, there is a reference to "world" as dunya. At its root, it implies "distraction".

So as the world is forced to choose one of two camps, Islam or kufr, Christ or AntiChrist, Afterlife or this life, it is useful to again quote one of our pious predecessors... The grandson of Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with both of them) was once asked his opinion on the permissibility of lewd music. His response was with a question. He asked the questioner, "On the Day of Judgment, Allah Subhannahu Wa Ta'aala will separate things into Truth and Falsehood. On which side do you think he will put lewd music?" The person responded that he thought it would be put on the side of Falsehood. He then said, "Then take a fatwa from your own heart."

In short, we should take fatawa from our own hearts. And if we're honest, we will all come to the same conclusion...

Scientific pursuits, in and of themselves, are not the issue. The issue is pursuing science in the absence of religious understanding. All knowledge, whether worldly, say for a career or hobby, or religous...all of it... must be knowledge which reminds us of our Lord, Allah. And, our quest for knowledge must be with the intention of pleasing Allah.

This is where our current system breaks down. Because it is not only the state which they have separated from "church" (religion or deen/"way of life"). They have also divorced science from it. Were we to truly actualize the word deen, as a way of life rather than a "religion", then we would not find ourselves in this situation.

As it stands now, the pursuit of scientific knowledge and expertise tends to follow a course of isolation and analysis. What I mean by this is that a "subject" or "specimen" of study is isolated from "variables". Once the variables are eliminated, then the subject is studied and conclusions are drawn and extrapolated to real life, where the subject is once again faced with variables. This is an attempt to isolate the variable in question and study the response of the subject to it - thus extrapolating that the reaction is due solely or in large part to that particular variable.

Well that's all fine. No problem. The issue however is in the manner in which the "experts" are created or developed. Let's take an expert botanist as an example. We may see him or her one night on a news program about, say, the problem of pesticides. So, looking at his or her training, we would find someone who did pretty well in middle school "science" class. Then he or she probably excelled in high school biology, chemistry, and physics classes. Then, upon entering college, he or she took classes in honors biology, followed by classes in botany, then classes on flowering plants, etc. Then, in pursuit of a masters degree, he or she completed a thesis on one particular type of flowering plant which died out after the industrial revolution reached Detroit and its surrounding communities. And finally, en route to "expert" status, he or she isolated a particular environmental poison thought to be related to the extinction of the that particular flowering plant and thus becomes a PhD.

You see, the expert was not called an expert in botany until they studied one specific chemical related to one specific plant in one specific time and place. How then are they to be considered experts in the entire field of "plants"?! Furthermore, and perhaps more importantly, how does one maintain a view of the big picture?! In particular, that these complex lifeforms called plants are not merely chemicals strewn together in a fashoin which allows them to obtain nutrition, excrete wastes, and reproduce. And how does all of this fit into the circle of life? Or even a bigger picture, Who put all of this high order into existence?

Another problem with today's pursuit of scientific knowledge lies in the realm of intentions. In one of the first ahadeeth listed in Arba'een an-Nawawi, the Prophet (peace be upon him) said:

"Deeds are judged based on their intention..."

If, in pursuing the study and practice of medicine, I intend to seek the pleasure of Allah, and to know Him through the awe inspired through the complexity and orderliness of His creation, then I will, insha'Allah, get just what I intended. Indeed, seeing health and sickness, birth and death, and disease and cure, to not gain beautiful lessons from these is an injustice I bring on myself.

So what are the intentions for seeking knowledge of the planets and galaxies, or developing new medicines, etc? Are we just trying to be the first one to discover such and such a thing? Are we trying to make money for pharmaceutical companies? Or are our intentions higher?

The current pursuit of science also seeks to label and categorize things. While this may aid in some forms of study, it becomes problematic when labels become definitions, and there is little room for things which do not fit those labels. This carries over into other realms of life. In the political realm you are a liberal or a conservative - no middle ground. In the realm of economics, you are capitalist or socialist - no third option and no middle way. In media and history, one is either a freedom fighter or a terrorist. Well, who makes these decisions? This is when labelling becomes dangerous.

And things get even more (spiritually) dangerous when materialism creeps in. How does materialism creep into science? Well, it is now so ingrained in science, that anything non-materialist is considered non-scientific. An example from my own field, medicine...A person comes into the office in tears, crying over the anniversary of the death of a loved one. It has affected her sleep and she took off some time from work. My "science" of medicine tells me that a year is too long to grieve and now that things are affecting her social functioning, she must have a disease. That being the case, she must be given something to alter her serotonin uptake in the synapses of her cerebral neurons.

The materialism in medicine says that each medical problem has a concrete, physical reason behind it - and this physical reason can be found in the form of a vitamin deficiency or a specific receptor on certain cells (as in the example), etc. Why can't her ailment be of a spiritual nature? Well, it could, but you see, spiritual matters are things which cannot be touched, grabbed, or measured. If they can't be quantified or measured, then they can't be labelled. And if we can't touch them, quantify them, or label them, then they must not exist. This is the materialist approach. And in its current state, it is in direct conflict with the approach of the prophets (peace be upon them all).

And still worse, is the assumption that things were brought about by accident - that there was no directing Force, no Creator. Only pressures and statistics. Knowledge comes to be for knowledge's sake, or money's sake, or one's boss's sake, but never for Allah's sake, and herein lies the danger.

There are two main aspects of secularism which deserve mention here. The first is the separation of religious law from the law of the land. Unfortunately, in their praise of the wealth of the US and Europe, many Muslims fall into this trap as well as those without the teachings of this great deen of ours. You see, power is not for the people, as the saying goes. Power is for Allah Alone. Sovereignty is not for the people. Sovereignty is for Allah Alone.

Many of us forget this. We survey the world situation and we see oppression in the Muslim lands, so we feel as though the US and Europe are the only places in which we can practice our deen. But this is a grave error. You see, it is a deen, a way of life. In fact, it is a way of life enjoined and commanded by Allah. As such, it speaks to our manners of prayer, fasting, marriage, divorce, burial, etc. But it also speaks to economics, politics, war, treaties, and trade. To separate religion and deen from politics, economics, and law is to put the laws and regulations of man over those of Allah.

Are we really better off in the US? Are we? How many of us cannot make it to the prescribed regular salah in the masjid? How many of us run into problems trying to go to jumuah on Fridays? These things are fard. Are we in a better state than our poor brothers and sisters overseas? I am not so sure.

And what of the laws? Some of them make a mockery of the Shari'ah of Allah. In the state of Maryland, the crime of adultery, if ever prosecuted, results in a fine of $10. Just ten dollars. Homosexuals can marry and adopt children, fornication is not considered a crime, pornography is legal, adultery brings a fine of $10, and the divorce rate is over fifty percent. Does this sound like a family environment? Does it sound like a just society? A homosexual can come on TV and bash Christianity or Islam, but a Christian or a Muslim cannot speak out against homosexuality.

Allah is Just. Secular law is unjust.

The second point is that regarding freedom of religion, a concept for which many praise the US and many European nations. Freedom of religion sounds good. It is a concept which many would argue should never be questioned, and many readers are likely shocked that I am mentioning it here. But the fact remains that because every religion is permitted to express itself, no one religion, like say the True Deen of Allah, cannot be expressed in its fullest. It is not permitted to be the ruling factor in any aspect of one's life outside of ritual worship, food choice, and cultural practices such as marriage and burial. That everyone, almost unanimously accepts and defends the freedom of religion is precisely what allows secularism to take control and remain in place. The freedom afforded by freedom of religion is only freedom for the powers-that-be to continually supplant the Law of Allah with the law of man.

Cognitive dissonance is essentially the tension or uncomfortable feeling that arises in oneself when one holds two apparently contradicting or conflicting beliefs or thoughts. A cognition is a thought or a belief. Cognitions that conflict are "dissonant". When faced with such a discrepancy or dissonance, the theory of cognitive dissonance holds that the individual feeling the dissonance will be compelled to acquire or invent new thoughts or beliefs, or to modify existing beliefs.

This is a huge weapon used against the Muslims nowadays. You see something in the media about "Islamic terrorists" or "fundamentalists" or "extremists" and you say to yourself, this isn't Islam. You say, "Islam is a religion of peace." But you see CNN, NBC, BBC, CBC, CBS, Fox, and Al-Jazeera showing examples of Muslims who are doing things you know are not part of our religion - dispicable things - inexplicable things. You see a video allegedly of the Taliban shooting a woman in the back of the head - shown on numerous anti-Islam websites and you are horrified, disgusted, and upset. You see video footage of Muslims burning the likeness of the Pope, and you say to yourself, "The Prophet (peace be upon him) would never do such a thing." The examples are seemingly endless nowadays, and you can only do this for so long. At points of low imaan, you are vulnerable to cognitive dissonance turning you the other way.

Think for a second about all of the murders in the cities of the US. Baltimore, Boston, Philadelphia, DC, Houston, LA, Chicago, etc. Hundreds, often over 500 per year in each city. Add up the totals and you come to something that is greater than the death toll in countries at war. But do you know what is different? The religion of each of the murderers is not mentioned. More often than not - purely by demographics - these are Christians, at least in name or upbringing. The news does not say that "sectarian violence erupted among militant Christians in downtown Baltimore today."

The same goes for the average American. In general, the vast majority of individual Americans are good people - kind, courteous, well-intentioned (I am one of them). But most of them are seeing horrific acts from all over the globe, sometimes in countries with 3 times the population of the US. And most of these things on their news is broadcast with Islam, Muslim, and Islamist as prefixes. So if you were watching the same stuff, you'd feel angry, disgusted, upset. And you'd ask, "Well, what the heck is up with Islam?! Why are these psychos doing this stuff?!" So there is no cognitive dissonance felt when the US invades a Muslim majority country or their favorite preacher says that the US should nuke the Middle East and make a parking lot. Although they would normally abhor violence, it seems appropriate, because "these Muslims must be evil."

But, what if those same news channels changed their language a little bit. As of now, they say Islam or Muslim when someone commits an act of violence, but when a Muslim is a victim, they identify that person by their nationality.

If the news channels start saying, "50 Muslims were killed by US troops today...Russian soldiers slaughtered 60 Muslims this morning..." Then the normally good-hearted American populace might say, "Wait a minute. These people are reacting to violence, not starting it." They may realize that it is Israel who invaded Lebanon, not the other way around. It is the US who invaded Iraq, not the other way around. It is the Russians who invaded Chechnya, not the other way around. If this were to happen, these normally good folks would begin to feel cognitive dissonance, and would likely change their voting habits.

Essentially, cognitive dissonance, when experienced with regards to Islam, should be confronted with an inner response that says, "Wait a minute. Maybe I don't have all of the information." Maybe their acts have nothing to do with Islam. Or, maybe that footage is from some other place and time (as in the supposed report of Palestinians celebrating on September 11th). Or, maybe that person commiting that horrible act is as close to Islam as that murderer in downtown Baltimore is to Christianity. Or, maybe these news media outlets have an agenda.

It is related in Sahih Muslim that the Prophet ('alayhi salaat wassalaam) said that the people of Iraq will recieve no food and no money due to oppression by the Romans(Europeans).

Many Muslims are baffled by the union of Jewish Zionists and evangelical and "born again" Christians. To many of us it seems strange that a people who believe that Jesus (peace be upon him) was the Messiah, the Word of God, and that he will come again in the End of Time would unite with a people who say that Jesus (peace be upon him) was a liar and the son of an adulteress. On the surface this is very strange, especially considereing that Muslims attest to the fact that Jesus (peace be upon him) was the Messiah, the Word of God, that he will come again in the End of Time, and that his mother was pure and chaste. Though we differ with Christians in what we mean by "Masih" and "Word", we still share something in common. Yet both Jews and Christians unite to fight Islam.

But to understand Zionism is to understand the twisted reasoning behind it all. You see, many Jews believe that the Temple must be in place for the Messiah to arrive. Having not accepted Jesus (peace be upon him) when he arrived 2000 years ago, they do not recognize the fact that this already took place - namely, the Messiah did come while the Temple was in place.

Now, many Christians believe, as do Muslims, that an AntiChrist will precede the return of Jesus (peace be upon him). And many Christians believe, as do Muslims, that the Jews will accept the AntiChrist as their Messiah. Yet again, another point on which Muslims and Christians agree. However, we Muslims believe that we must not only do what is right, but also forbid what is wrong. The forbid what is wrong is missing from a lot of religious teaching among the Christian Zionists. Many feel that because the AntiChrist must come before the coming of Jesus, then they might as well assist efforts of the Jews to welcome their false Messiah. After the false Messiah comes, then Jesus (peace be upon him) will come.

It is said that the two blue stripes on the Israeli flag represent the Nile and Euphrates, and that Zion, or the land promised the Jews, occupies the land between these two rivers. If that is true, we are guaranteed perpetual war until the Messiah, Jesus (peace be upon him) returns. And indeed, many ahadeeth of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) seem to indicate that. Allah knows best.

As implied in the title and stated in the introduction, Islam and its adherents are being attacked from many angles and at many levels. The attack is a multifocal one, which outwardly appears accidental, unorganized, and at times even chaotic. But the Prophet (peace be upon him) warned us that kufr is one deen.

"Perhaps the most pressing question is: Who is to blame for the present situation? The answer to that question, however, is that there is no place for such a question." (Crisis in the Muslim Mind by Abdul Hamid A. Abu Sulayman & translated by Yusuf Talal DeLorenzo, International Institute of Islamic Thought, Herndon, VA, 1997, pg 60)

Though this article describes the outside portion of the attack against Islam, we truly have no one to blame except ourselves. To blame the woes of the Muslim Ummah on the Dajjal System, the Masons, the Zionists, the Jews, the media, etc, is to miss the big picture. I point out the above portions of the attack, not to attribute blame, but more to convey a sense of urgency regarding the state we are in, individually and collectively.

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