From the time I arrived in Brookings 14 years ago in 2002, in conversation, I mention Islam and Muslims.  Like any religion, many are adherents simply because they grew up in a family espousing that religion.  Other than the “name” they do not know much, nor have any conviction, let alone deep conviction about their named religion.
     On one trip returning from Russia about 15 years ago, a young Muslim man (American citizen) sat next to me.  When the stewardess asked if we wanted anything to drink, I refused the alcoholic beverages.  The Muslim asked me why.  I told him I was a Christian and drinking alcohol did not glorify Jesus in my life.  He said, “I am a Muslim and I drink.”  We had some more conversation, but it was evident he was a Muslim only because he followed his family tradition.  Because of the severe Muslim “discipline” few walk away from the family religion.  That said, can you have a true friendship with Muslims?
     Perhaps, but the patriarch calls the shot in the family.  I learned this in studying with a young Muslim in Turkey over 30 years ago.  Usually they will not forsake the family, thus they adhere to the family religion, even though it is not in their heart.

     When you see the imams on the evening news espousing whatever about Islam and its peacefulness, can you trust them?  In a word, regardless of what they say, the goal of Islam is to control the entire world under a caliphate eliminating all other religions.  They have a right to kill all non-Muslims and any Muslim not of their particular brand of Islam (there are five Muslim sects).
     Since Islam is a system of works religion, i.e., in the day of judgement Allah will weigh a persons good vs evil deeds then determine if the Muslim will go to heaven.  The exception is if a Muslim dies in a holy war (Jihad), then he / she is guaranteed heaven.  This doctrine makes the jihad very appealing to the serious Muslim.  The Jihadist is not radical, he / she is orthodox, doing exactly as the Quran commands.  The so-called moderates are either hypocrites or ignorant of the Quran.*
     The goal is all will “submit” to Allah (“Islam” means “submission”, not “peace”).  The process of Islamization of the world involves deception on a grand scale.  Below is a list of the five types of lies authorized in Islam.  So the question becomes, can you trust any Muslim?  How does one know if a Muslim is orthodox or a so-called moderate?

     There are only two lies which are unacceptable in Islam:  Lies against Allah and lies against Mohammed.  Islam has five types of authorized lying.
     • The most common and commonly known is taqiyya.  In general, it is lying to forward the cause of Islam.  An example is challenging Jihad murderous violence cruelty of the “holy war.”  The average Muslim will say the holy war is a spiritual struggle with in one’s own spirit.  That is a lie, protecting the goal of Islam.
     • Taysir is the second type defined — “In other words, far from ‘liberalizing’ Muslim life, taysir allows only for insincere conformity.  As Qaradawi made clear, to practice taysir is not to renounce Shariah’s otherwise harsh obligations; it is to put them on hold till circumstances are more accommodating.”
     • The third type is Muruna which appears to be living a lie for the cause of Islam.  For example Huma Abedin (her mother is a major player in the Muslim sisterhood and her uncle a key Muslim brotherhood figure in Egypt) has been the closest aid to Hillary Clinton since 1996 when she was an intern working for First Lady Clinton.  She married Anthony Wiener, a Jew!  How is it a Muslim can marry a Jew when the Muslim command is to kill Jews?  Muruna!  The living lie to forward Islam.  Note this insider Muslim was the closest aid to Hillary as secretary of state.**
     • The fourth type is a relatively new doctrine — tawirya is creative lying.  Here is the definition by a Islamic scholar - “Tawriya is permissible under two conditions:  1) that the words used fit the hidden meaning; 2) that it does not lead to an injustice” (“injustice” as defined by Sharia, of course, not Western standards).  Otherwise, it is permissible even for a Muslim to swear when lying through tawriya.”
     The example given by an imam was “Because it is a ‘“great sin” for Muslims to acknowledge Christmas, this sheikh counsels Muslims to tell Christians, “I wish you the best,” whereby the latter might “understand it to mean you’re wishing them best in terms of their [Christmas] celebration.”  But — here the wily sheikh giggles as he explains — ‘by saying I wish you the best, you mean in your heart I wish you become a Muslim.’”
     • The fifth type is Kitman.  It means Muslims are permitted to tell half-truths, or partial truths, while concealing the greater whole truth.  Discussion of “jihad” as being only an “inner” or “spiritual” struggle is an example of Kitman, is technically true that jihad refers to a spiritual struggle, but also conceals the very real physical struggle that is also encompassed by jihad.

     The question:  Can you trust a Muslim?

     *EGW editor:  This thought… a faithful Muslim is willing and seeking to die in Jihad (via suicide bombing, military attack, civilian terrorism, political espionage, etc.) in order to go to Islam heaven… does beg several valid questions we might ask these so-called faithful.
     For example, what about all those trusted Islamic leaders who teach and command their followers to die in holy war (Jihad), but yet fervently go to all extremes to avoid dying themselves?  Leaders such as the Ayatollah Khomeini, King Saddam Hussein, Osama Bin Laden, President Hassan Rouhani, Colonel Muammar Gaddafi; ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, Caliph Whatever-His-Name-Will-Be; and the many others struggling for leadership positions?
     Can they be considered truly faithful to Allah if they vehemently absolutely refuse Jihad for themselves?  In refusing to die themselves in Jihad, are they not lying to Allah and showing disrespect to Allah through their disobedience?  Do they know something terrifying about Islam heaven that they are avoiding to share with their followers?  Is cowardice why they’re so willing to lie to Allah and their followers by pretending to be faithful to Him when they know they are not?
     And, why would faithful Jihadists want to avoid death by NOT telling the full truth to outsiders about Jihad’s real meaning and Islam’s actual goals, anyway?  Why not truly anger their chosen enemies to the point of extremely violent resistance so as to ensure their own deaths… guarantee their own reward of heaven?
     Or, if Muslims dying in Jihad is so great then why not save time & effort for themselves, skip all the bombings and kidnappings, by instead simply arming and begging their enemies to shoot them?
     Finally, wouldn’t the most noble and honorable Jihad for a faithful Muslim to die in be the overthrow of their unfaithful Allah-disobedient leaderships?

     **EGW editor:  Conceivably, a non-American Muslim… practicing Muruna, Tawirya, and other Islam-approved forms of lying… might forge documents & life history pretending to be an American Christian, profusely deny being a Muslim when asked, doing this in order to obtain and keep some high-ranking American public office.  After taking the oath of office, although sworn to protect American citizens and their civil liberties, then this person would then gradually work to betray and “peaceably” surrender those same citizens and liberties over to forces who more openly profess the Islamic cause.
     By Islamic standards, a disguised Muslim working so covertly in this necessary deception would still be considered a faithful Muslim rightly fighting the holy war to further the spread of Islam.  Quite likely, as a Jihadist, this person’s ultimate goal would be to die in office in order to be guaranteed heaven… a death ideally so finagled as to blame “Islamophobic extremists” even though actually performed by another Jihadist also pretending to live either as a Christian or else as some other non-Muslim.
    This Islamic standard of convenient deceit is a far cry from the Bible's standard of absolute truthfulness.
    In Zechariah 8:16, God instructs, “These are the things which you should do: speak the truth to one another; judge with truth and judgment for peace in your gates.” (NASB)
    Psalm 15:2-3 describes those who live according to God’s instruction, “He who walks with integrity, and works righteousness, and speaks truth in his heart.  He does not slander with his tongue, nor does evil to his neighbor, nor takes up a reproach against his friend; in whose eyes a reprobate is despised, but who honors those who fear the LORD; he swears to his own hurt and does not change; he does not put out his money at interest, nor does he take a bribe against the innocent.  He who does these things will never be shaken.” (NASB)
    Ephesians 4:14-16 explains, “As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming; but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ, from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.” (NASB)
    Ephesians 4:25 reminds us, “Therefore, putting away lying, ‘Let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor,’ for we are members of one another.” (NKJV)
    In John 8:42-447, Jesus explains that lying does not come from God… “If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and have come from God, for I have not even come on My own initiative, but He sent Me.  Why do you not understand what I am saying?  It is because you cannot hear My word.  You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father.  He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him.  Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies.  But because I speak the truth, you do not believe Me.  Which one of you convicts Me of sin?  If I speak truth, why do you not believe Me?  He who is of God hears the words of God; for this reason you do not hear them, because you are not of God.”