Janet Jackson. Muhammad Ali. Kareem Abdul Jabbar. Everlast. Dave Chapelle. Mike Tyson. Ellen Burstyn. What do all these people have in common? Simple – they are Americans who converted to Islam.
Of course, famous names are only a part of the picture. The American Islamic population is growing by leaps and bounds. According to Islam 101, between five and eight million Muslims are currently living in the USA. Pew Research indicates that by 2050, Islam will equal Christianity as the most popular religion and the world, and supplant Judaism as the second most popular in the US.
US Census Bureau data indicates that 100,000 legal Muslim immigrants enter the US every year, and the majority of the 70,000 refugees and asylees admitted yearly speak Arabic as their primary language. Over 90% of the refugees are also on welfare.
Among the most prominent illegal immigrants, Islam is also a growing trend. Pew research indicates that 4% of American Muslims are Hispanic, and conversion rates have been rising sharply since the ‘80s. PBS calls Latinos the fastest growing segment of the American Muslim population.
Given the concurrent fears of radical Islamic terror and the rise of multiculturalism and the cult of PC, these undeniable demographic trends have given rise to sharply divergent philosophies to cope with new realities.
On the one hand, Texas recently became the ninth state to pass laws that have been characterized as anti-Sharia. The bill doesn’t name a religion, country, or set of laws specifically, but mandates that no external laws will have bearing on Texas legal code. In other words, existing state and federal laws are all that matter in Texas, and attempts to appeal to other law codes, like Sharia, are explicitly outlawed.
At the other end of the spectrum, major cities like Chicago and Seattle are passing laws to accommodate Sharia and encourage Muslim population growth. Since Sharia prohibits usury, or the payment of interest on loans, those and other cities have explored lending arrangements that don’t charge interest.
Last week, Seattle Mayor Ed Murray made a proposal to require Sharia-compliant mortgages from lenders. “For our low- and moderate-income Muslim neighbors who follow Sharia law – which prohibits the payment of interest or fees for loans of money – there are limited options for financing a home,” says Murray’s plan. “Some Muslims are unable to use conventional mortgage products due to religious convictions.”
The most likely way for a bank to realize profits on a Sharia compliant home purchase is through something Islam calls ijara, in which the bank purchases a property, then leases it back to the “buyer,” with a portion of the rent payments counting toward the purchase of the property. Murubaha is another Sharia compliant finance process that allows for banks to sell property at a profit and accept installment payments.
Movement towards Sharia compliance has drawn sharp criticism from lawmakers and financial experts in the past, with parties of both stripes expressing concern that Islamic friendly financing arrangements could be easily manipulated to funnel liquid funds to terror operations.
Worldwide, Sharia compliant finance has grown to over $1.6 trillion, and many financial analysts see continued growth as Islam continues to spread, especially into developed nations. International financiers have shown a habit – in Greece, China, Spain, and elsewhere – of ignoring any potential human cost in favor of profits. Sharia compliant finance is another area in which the goals of the banksters can and will be in direct conflict with national and humanitarian agendas.
As the Islamization of America continues apace, we will find out – one way or the other – whether the big liberal cities or the conservative states have the right approach.
