Questions about Islam surface often in the work of Help The Persecuted.
- Why do some Muslims persecute Christians while others live peacefully?
- Is Islam a religion of peace or violence?
- And why do moderate Muslims in the Middle East warn the West about threats that Western leaders dismiss?
These questions matter because the answers shape how we pray, how we respond, and how we understand what persecuted Christians truly face.
To comprehend what Islam is as a religion, one must think critically about why Islam produces both peaceful neighbors and violent extremists and why Western nations now face threats they once dismissed.
Islam Functions as a Political System
An emerging perspective on the Islamic system is that it’s not a religion at all, but a system of government.
Making this statement disrupts common, mainstream assumptions. Muslims pray and fast, so Islam gets classified as a religion like Christianity or Judaism. But the comparison fails because Islam was never designed to function that way.
Muhammad was not only a religious figure. He was a military leader and head of state. He commanded armies, conquered territory, and executed enemies. Islamic law governs not just worship but also politics, economics, family life, and criminal justice. It prescribes how governments should function and who deserves power.
Christianity is a faith that transforms hearts and calls believers to live under earthly authorities while serving a heavenly King. Islam offers a comprehensive legal and political system designed to govern entire societies.
When Islam controls a region, it does not simply coexist with other belief systems. It structures society so that Muslims hold authority and non-Muslims live as second-class citizens or worse.
Persecution is not incidental in Islamic-majority regions. It is built into the system.
Two Types of Muslims: Mecca and Medina
Not all Muslims interpret Islam the same way. In fact, there are two major streams: Mecca Muslims and Medina Muslims.
The distinction comes from Muhammad’s life and teachings. In his early years in Mecca, Muhammad was relatively powerless. He had few followers and faced opposition. During that time, his message emphasized coexistence with Christians and Jews. He claimed to affirm what God had already revealed through Moses and Jesus.
Many passages from that period sound peaceful. Some Muslims read those early teachings and conclude that Islam promotes tolerance and respect for other faiths. These are Mecca Muslims.
But Muhammad’s message changed after he fled to Medina. There, he gained power, built an army, and returned to Mecca to defeat his enemies. The teachings from that period are different. They command Muslims to fight, to show no mercy to enemies, and to establish Islamic rule by force.
Medina Muslims follow those later teachings. They view coexistence as weakness and tolerance as compromise. They believe Islam must dominate, and they are willing to use violence to achieve that goal.
This distinction explains why some Muslims live peacefully in pluralistic societies while others commit acts of terror. Both groups claim to follow Islam. But they follow different parts of Muhammad’s life and teaching.
Understanding this difference matters. It clarifies why persecution intensifies in certain regions and why some Muslim-majority nations actively resist Islamist movements while others embrace them.
"After Saturday, Sunday"
A popular phrase in Egypt, just before the Six-Day War in 1967, was “After Saturday comes Sunday.”
Muslims aligned with the Muslim Brotherhood walked the streets chanting this phrase, which meant: “We’re going to finish Saturday, and when we finish them, we’re going to turn on the Sunday people.”
Saturday refers to Jews. Sunday refers to Christians.
The phrase reveals the strategy of the Medina Muslims. Israel is not their only target. Christians are next. The goal is Islamic dominance over everyone who refuses to submit.
The ideology behind this chant is still alive. And the threat is not hypothetical. Christians across the Middle East live under that reality every day. In regions controlled by Islamist movements, believers face relentless pressure to convert, pay penalties, or flee. Those who refuse often lose their lives.
The phrase also exposes a dangerous assumption in the West. Many Western leaders believe that if Israel falls, peace will follow. But Medina Islam does not stop with Israel. It targets anyone who refuses to bow to Islamic authority, including Christians.
This is why persecution of Christians often escalates in regions where Israel is viewed as the primary enemy. The same ideology that seeks to destroy Israel also seeks to eliminate or subjugate Christians. The targets differ only in sequence.
The Muslim Brotherhood Moves West
The Muslim Brotherhood was founded in Egypt in 1928 by Hassan al-Banna. It began as a nationalist movement but quickly adopted the rigid theology of Wahhabism from Saudi Arabia. The goal was clear: establish Islamic rule through political power and, when necessary, violence.
For decades, the Brotherhood was outlawed in Egypt and other Middle Eastern nations. Leaders recognized the threat it posed to stability and religious minorities. Yet while banned in the Middle East, the Brotherhood found refuge in the West.
The Brotherhood and its affiliates now operate openly in Europe and North America. They build mosques, schools, and cultural centers. They influence politics and demand accommodations for Islamic law. In some regions, they are establishing communities governed by Sharia rather than civil law.
Cities like Dearborn, Michigan, and Paterson, New Jersey, are already seeing Islamic influence reshaping public life. Even parts of Texas are seeing a massive influx of Medina Muslims.
Moderate Muslims in the Middle East watch this expansion with alarm. They fled or resisted the Brotherhood in their own countries. Now they see Western nations welcoming the same ideology that destroyed peace and security in the Middle East.
These moderate Muslims understand what Western leaders often miss: the Muslim Brotherhood does not seek coexistence. It seeks dominance. The accommodations granted in the name of tolerance become tools for establishing parallel systems of authority that ultimately reject pluralism entirely.
Why This Matters for Persecuted Christians
Understanding Islam as a political system clarifies why persecution happens and why it will not stop on its own.
Christians are not persecuted merely because of theological differences. They are persecuted because their allegiance to Christ challenges the authority Islam demands. In regions governed by Islamic law, that allegiance is treated as treason.
This is why converts from Islam to Christianity face the most severe persecution. They are not simply changing religious practices. They are rejecting the political and social system that defines their identity. Families disown them. Communities threaten them. Governments imprison or execute them.
The distinction between Mecca and Medina Muslims also matters for how we pray and respond. Mecca Muslims may be open to the gospel because they do not view Christianity as a political threat. Medina Muslims see any allegiance to Christ as a challenge to Islamic authority that must be crushed.
Help The Persecuted works in regions where Medina Islam dominates. Believers there face systematic persecution because the political system views their faith as rebellion. Understanding that reality shapes how we provide support, advocate for change, and pray for both persecuted Christians and those who persecute them.
Our Response
Understanding Islam does not lead to fear. It leads to clarity and faithful action.
We pray for believers suffering under Islamic rule. We support them materially and spiritually. We also pray for Muslims to encounter Christ, knowing that God is drawing people to Himself even in the hardest places.
History proves that God can save anyone. The Apostle Paul persecuted Christians before Christ confronted him. Muslims today are meeting Jesus and leaving Islam at great personal cost. Our hope is that Muslims who follow the violent teachings of Medina Islam would instead encounter Jesus and experience transformation.
The Church must remain vigilant, informed, and faithful. Persecution is real, and it is spreading. But Christ has already won. Our calling is to stand with persecuted believers and to proclaim the gospel without fear.
Join the Prayer Network at Help The Persecuted to stand with Christians who follow Christ at great cost. Your prayers strengthen them. Your generosity provides safety and hope.
For those who want to dig deeper into understanding Islam, you can listen to the full conversation between Josh Youssef and Dr. Michael Youssef—father and son—on our Prisoners Of Hope Podcast, available today on your favorite podcast platform.
