Crosstalk: December 8, 2016

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Islamic terror attacks around the world continue at an alarming rate. This is now stirring debate that revolves around the topic of Muslim immigration and whether or not it should be restricted.

Joining Jim to discuss this issue was Brian Farmer. Brian grew up in Appleton, Wisconsin, where he received his undergraduate degree from Lawrence University and a Masters from the American Graduate School of International Management in Glendale, Arizona. His studies centered on international trade and economics, finance, money and banking. Brian worked as a credit analyst with Hanover Trust and later worked at King Abdulaziz International Airport in Saudi Arabia where he spent 16 years working in the finance and procurement departments. He has also resided in Germany and Japan. Brian is a freelance writer with columns in The New American and on the website of the Constitution Party of Wisconsin.

Under George W. Bush we were told that Islam is a religion of peace. Then under President Obama, we were repeatedly told that the terrorism that we've been seeing has nothing to do with Islam. That's in spite of the fact that the common denominator in so many attacks is that the perpetrators follow Islam. What's going on here?

Brian began by noting that our leaders are concerned that if they tell the public that Islam is something other than a religion of peace, there's likely to be a backlash against U.S. Muslims.

President-elect Trump has come under fire for suggesting that we take another look at Muslim immigration. Are these criticisms unfounded? Brian believes the criticisms are the result of naivety on the part of the average American who doesn't understand Islam, the Qur'an or Mohammed and what he taught. They view Islam as being like Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism or other religions that apply peace, goodwill among men and the golden rule. The problem is, under Islam, the golden rule only applies to fellow Muslims.

Having lived in Saudi Arabia for 16 years, Brian understands the logic behind possible restrictions on Muslim immigration. After all, this isn't simply about religious freedom. This is due to the fact that Islam is not simply a religion. It's an entire way of life that guides every aspect of society while refusing to tolerate other religions.

While he admitted there are peaceful verses in the Qur'an, he described how they come from early revelations of Mohammed when Muslims were a small force in Mecca. Those peaceful verses, however, were abrogated by later revelations that became increasingly aggressive and belligerent as Muslim forces grew stronger in Medina.

That the average American still doesn't understand the distinction between what Muslims believe and what they're called to do is worrisome to Brian. He believes we need to spend more time educating ourselves about what Islam really teaches, what the Qur'an says and the life of Mohammed.