On September 11, 2001, nineteen Muslims hijacked four airplanes and used them as missiles in a terrorist attack against the United States. They targeted and destroyed the World Trade Center buildings in New York City, killing 2,753 innocent civilians. Now, nearly 25 years later, the same city elected Zohran Mamdani—a Muslim—as its next mayor.
After the 9/11 terrorist attacks, many Americans viewed Muslims as the enemy. Now, New Yorkers have voted for a Muslim to lead their city. Note the vast change in American sentiment about Muslims. The pendulum has swung to the other side.
The election raises a concern for many of us as Americans, but it offers a tremendous opportunity for us as Christians. First, the concern.
It’s not surprising that many Americans are troubled about seeing a Muslim rise to power in a prominent American city to the cheers of Muslims in America and throughout the world. Islam does not separate its religious and political ideology. It’s one and the same. Islamic rulers throughout history have routinely incorporated religious ideology in their jurisdiction. There’s no reason to think they wouldn’t try to do the same in the United States. Even if Mamdani has no stated aspirations to implement religious ideology, it’s likely that other Muslims who rise to power will.
Muslims are candid about their beliefs and their plans. There is no hidden agenda. According to Islamic jurisprudence, they divide the world into two houses: Dar al-Islam and Dar al-Harb. Dar al-Islam is the “house of Islam” or “house of peace.” The lands in these regions have been subjugated to Allah and Islamic authority. Muslims can practice their faith freely, and sharia law (Islamic laws) can prevail. The remainder of the world is Dar al-Harb, or the “house of war.” These are lands not under Muslim rule that need to be subdued.
Historically, Islam has seized non-Muslim lands through jihad—violent conquest. This was especially true in Mohammed’s day and for centuries after his death. But jihad can take another form where Muslims immigrate to a non-Muslim land, grow in population, and then progressively take control through political means. Muammar Gaddafi, former Libyan ruler, echoed this sentiment in 2006 when he said, “There are signs that Allah will grant Islam victory in Europe—without swords, without guns, without conquests. The 50 million Muslims of Europe will turn it into a Muslim continent within a few decades.” Census data today suggests this is what’s happening.
We see changes occurring in the United States as well. The small city of Hamtramck (in Michigan) became the first Muslim-majority US city (now 60%–70% Muslim) over a decade ago. I remember walking through Hamtramck and hearing the Islamic call to prayer blasted by loudspeakers across the city. Dearborn, Michigan is also around 50% Muslim and is home to a thriving Muslim community. The city that elected Mamdani—New York City—contains around 750,000 Muslims (about 9% of the city’s population).
The modern Muslim strategy is to exploit existing constitutional systems to gain power. German scholar and Islamic academic Christine Schirrmacher writes that Islam “exploits democratic mechanisms and freedoms for its own cause in order to conduct what we might call a ‘march through the institutions’ more than to present a direct declaration of war with the aid of armed force.” As Muslims rise to power, we can expect their goal will be to imbed Islamic values into the fabric of our nation over time.
At this point, you might be wondering if I’ve bought into a conspiracy theory or become Islamophobic. On the contrary, I’m offering a sober but alarming assessment precisely because I’ve studied Islam for decades, monitored Muslim activity, and interacted with Muslims. Remember, though, I’ve only spoken so far about Mamdani’s election from the perspective of an American. Christians have dual citizenship. We are citizens of an earthly country, but we are also—and more significantly—citizens of Heaven.
As a Christian, I have a different perspective on Mamdani’s election. God is sovereign, and we have nothing to fear. Jesus promised that the gates of Hell will not prevail against the church (Matt. 16:18).
The rising tide of Islam in America signals an opportunity for the gospel to reach the largest unreached people group on earth: Muslims. According to demographic data, there are approximately two billion Muslims in the world. That means about one in four people on the planet is a Muslim. Approximately 40,000 Muslims die each day and enter eternity without Jesus. With more Muslims coming to our doorstep, we no longer need to cross the ocean to do cross-cultural missions. Sometimes we need only cross the street. But are we taking advantage of this opportunity?
I recently met with the pastoral team of a megachurch near one of the largest Muslim communities in America. I was honestly surprised to hear one pastor confess that though they have 170 ministries, not one is dedicated to reaching their Muslim neighbors. In fact, a large Muslim family was sitting next to us in the restaurant as we were talking. How is it that a megachurch virtually ignores followers of the second-largest world religion who live right in their own neighborhood?
What does the Bible tell us to do about our Muslim friends and neighbors? Scripture provides simple instruction. In 2 Corinthians 5:18–20, the apostle Paul tells us our identity and mission. According to this epistle, Christians are ambassadors for Christ—that’s our identity. Regarding our mission, we are commanded to proclaim the message of reconciliation—that’s the gospel message. Therefore, when it comes to Muslims, as Christ’s ambassadors we’re commanded to share the gospel message with them.
How do we fulfill that identity and mission? Think of how a political ambassador would fulfill his role. Typically, ambassadors learn and engage. First they learn about the country’s people, and then they engage the people. The same principle applies to Christian ambassadors to Muslims: learn and engage. First learn about Islam, then engage the Muslim people.
With the rise of Islam threatening to overthrow Christianity as the largest religion in the world, it’s past time for churches to begin that process. As you know, Stand to Reason has developed excellent resources to help believers learn about Islam and engage Muslims in their communities.
As an American, you may feel apprehensive about Mamdani’s election. As a Christian, though, you see things differently. You have an opportunity to reach Muslims with the gospel of Jesus Christ, a message even the gates of Hell cannot prevail against—no matter who gets elected.