Ignoring the warnings of a self-described survivor of Sharia law, the McKinney City Council in Texas recently voted unanimously to allow the local Islamic association's mosque expansion.
In June, 30,000 Muslims took over the streets of Houston, Texas, and held an Ashura procession, a day of mourning for a Muslim martyr killed in the seventh century. Men beat their chests in a physical expression of solidarity.
Abraham Hamilton III says it was a show of power and control.
"It's happened all around the country," he said on his radio program. "We just had a rally in Chicago; you have the influence of Ilhan Omar and then the Somalian Muslims in Minnesota, New Jersey. We have Hamtramck, Michigan, the first majority Muslim city in the United States of America."
Hamtramck, where Muslims constitute a local majority and control elected government, demonstrates Muslim influence at the municipal level. Minnesota has a large, concentrated Muslim population with significant grassroots and electoral influence, particularly through its Somali community. New Jersey has a large and geographically diverse Muslim population that has developed considerable representation in local and state politics.
Muslim population estimates vary because the U.S. Census does not collect religious affiliation, but according to Pew Research Center estimates, the U.S. Muslim population continues to grow.
The legal and political concept of Dar al-Islam, which translates literally to the "House of Islam" or "Abode of Islam," refers to regions of the world where Muslims are the dominant population, where Islamic law (Sharia) prevails, and where Muslims can freely practice their religion and feel secure.
In other words, once a territory is conquered by Islam, it is Muslim forever.
Hamilton said they are using America's own democratic institutions to make that happen.
In Massachusetts, for example, the state legislature is considering a bill (Senate bill S.2134) to create a commission to advocate for and advance Muslims in governmental office. The 11-member commission would include people appointed by the governor and other state officials who are required to have a demonstrated commitment to the Muslim American community.
Supporters say the commission would help the state better understand the Muslim community and address issues such as Islamophobia, similar to existing commissions focused on other communities. Critics, including Republican gubernatorial candidate Brian Shortsleeve, argue that the bill could give Muslims special treatment in state government hiring and raise constitutional concerns.
"It's here, folks, and we have to tangle with this," Hamilton stated.
Fighting back, he said, must begin with understanding that Islam is not a religion; it is a political movement that is incompatible with American democracy.
"We require compliance with our laws," Hamilton noted. "We cannot have a competing legal system. The reality is that strict adherence to Islam is not merely a religion, it is a political supremacist ideology."
