Ergun Caner: Islam is not a Peaceful Religion {Former Muslim}
CBNnews.com | March 7 2002 | Ergun Caner
Ergun Caner: Islam is not a Peaceful Religion
Ergun is the oldest son of a Muslim mwazien. The mwazien is
similar to a preacher. In 1982 when he was 16 years old, he
attended a revival service in Columbus, Ohio, at the invitation
of a high school friend and accepted Christ. Ergun started
attending church on Monday, accepted Christ on a Thursday -- and
had his first piece of ham at a Youth Afterglow activity days
later.
When Ergun attended the mosque the next day, his youth group of
Shiite Muslims "beat the tar out of me," he says. Ergun's
parents were separated at the time (prior to a divorce), and
when his father found out about his salvation, he confronted
Ergun. When Ergun refused to repudiate his faith in Christ, his
father disowned him -- by facing Mecca and praying a prayer of
abandonment because it was embarrassing that his oldest son
would accept Christ. Sadly this effectively ended their
relationship. Ergun didn't see his father for 17 years, until
three days before his dad's death in 1999.
Ergun's Swedish mother met and married a Turkish man . They
relocated to the U.S .where the younger brothers were born.
Ergun says he was called to preach one year after salvation (he
began college at 16), becoming a pastor at age 17 to a small
country church in Manchester, Kentucky.
He says it was a mystery to him that God would call him because
at the time, Ergun didn't speak English very well and didn't
fully understand the Scriptures. He felt that he was all alone
because neither his mother, nor his grandmother, were
Christians. But he gladly accepted the call, and led his
brothers to Christ the same week of his salvation.
Islam Is Not A Peaceful Religion
As the son of a mwazein, Ergun had to learn the hadith (the
sayings and traditions of Muhammed, the Prophet of Islam) in the
Qur'an. In these teachings, Ergun says the central thesis of
Islam does in fact have an essential tenet of militaristic
conquest at its heart. The infidel, or unbeliever, must be
converted or conquered. If the Muslim dies in such a struggle or
declaration of war (jihad), he is promised immediate translation
into the highest level of paradise. Therefore, when pressed most
Muslims would say that Mohamed Ata is in heaven according to the
Qur'anic teaching.
The Qur'an, supposedly from the mouth of Allah, takes a dim view
of the non-believer and a strict view of jihad as a warfare
against them. In Surah 2:190, Allah says, "Fight in the cause of
Allah those who fight you. And slay them wherever you catch
them." Physical warfare is an absolute necessity so that Allah
is honored and worshipped. Jihad is one of the highest calls of
life for a Muslim. "Not equal are those believers who sit (at
home) and those who strive hard and fight in the cause of Allah
with their wealth and lives." Surah 4.95
According to the doctrine of jihad there are three waves of
jihad. The first wave is the shock -- which was Sept 11.
The second wave is to show a people that they are vulnerable. It
has to be public. "Daniel Pearl was killed on videotape," says
Ergun. There is no question that group who killed Pearl is a
subgroup of the radical Muslim fundamental group, Mujahdeen.
The third wave is to humiliate your enemy, to "cut the legs out
from under them." "Thank God President Bush responded as he
did," Ergun says. "If he had not, the second wave would have
been much, much worse than the first." The Koran teaches that if
your enemy is weak -- conquer him. If he is strong -- respect
him. That means they keep going until they meet with resistance.
When asked if he believes Osama bin Laden is still alive, Ergun
says yes. "He is considered to be a martyr in their faith. If he
were dead, they would be hailing him." Peace With Allah, Not Us
"I must take this opportunity to side with Pat," says Ergun. "He
cannot take these hits (from the media and press) alone." Ergun
says the word "Islam" means "peace with Allah" not "peace with
us." "We are the infidels and therefore the enemy," says Ergun.
He further explains that when a Christian blows up an abortion
clinic, he does that in spite of the teachings of Jesus
Christ. "Muslims perform jihad because of the teachings of
Muhammed," declares Ergun. "Make no mistake, they are at war
with us and these are not just radical Muslims."
Osama bin Laden is a Sunni Muslim, not a Shiite, which is
considered the more radical of the two. When bin Laden is on
television, he is quoting the Qur'an. "It is difficult to take
the Qur'an out of context," says Ergun. Even to the casual
reader, jihad is more than just an intellectual exercise of
struggle, but rather an engagement in battle and struggle and
warfare with death as a conclusion for the Muslim blessing.
Muhammad echoed this conclusion in Hadith 4.73 "Muhammed
said, "Know that paradise is under the shades of the sword." For
the Muslim apologists who redact the terminology to indicate
that fighting is perhaps an intellectual debate must read Surah
2:216, "Fighting is prescribed for you, and you dislike it. But
it is possible that you dislike a thing which is good for you,
and that you love a thing which is bad for you. But Allah knows
and you know not." It is impossible to determine that the text
means anything but fighting in the traditional sense of combat.
A Muslim is a Muslim by birth, but many are illiterate.
Therefore they must take the word of the imam, equivalent to a
pastor, as truth. They cannot question the validity of what the
imam says. With reference to the recent Gallup poll, "they hate
us," says Ergun. "And they cannot make the distinction between
an American and a Christian because of the way they are brought
up culturally. When you say a man is a Turk, it is understood
that he is Muslim."
Ergun believes that the United States did not finish the job in
the Gulf War. He believes that we will not end the war on
terrorism without including Saddam Hussein, who is the major
fundraiser for Islam. "If we do not go after him, this will
never end," he says. "He will continue the jihad."
Incredible Opportunity
But in the midst of this turmoil, Ergun says this is the most
incredible opportunity to witness to Muslims. They are beginning
to understand their religion. Many do not want to be part of the
violence and are coming to Christ. The difference between
reaching them and not reaching them depends on the teaching of
grace.
"The single most important thing to do is teach on grace," he
says. To Muslims, the intimacy of God is so new. Teach them that
they don't have to live in fear of the "scales of Allah," which
are seen as actual scales (2 Surah 4). For the Muslims who fear
the scales that measure their eternal damnation if weighted
heavier for evil than good, this is the only true eternal
security they have.
Christians should also know that Allah and God are not the
same. "No serious or intellectual Muslim would say that Allah
has a Son, that He is a Triune, nor that He is personal," Ergun
says. Allah is Creator and Judge. Christ's attributes are so
totally different. He is loving, kind, gracious, and forgiving.
As a Christian, Ergun is offended when he hears people say that
God and Allah are the same. Many think getting to God is like
getting to Chicago. You can get there by plane, train or auto.
It doesn't matter what path you take, as long as you get there.
Ergun calls this the "Oprahization" of American culture.
On October 19, 2001, Ergun spoke before the UN at the
Subcommittee on Cultural Affairs. As an expert on Islam and one
who speaks Arabic, he is being invited to participate in even
more high-level projects on this area. There are only 20 former
Muslims who are now preachers in America; there are only eight
(and Ergun is one of them) who are professors of theology.
