January 4, 2026

The New Atheist movement insisted that religion was not just useless but harmful. They painted with too broad a brush. It is true that some religious ideas are backward and damaging. This brings us to another factor which has contributed to the increase in interest in Christian faith. The rise of Islamic immigration and politicization, especially in Europe. 

We already noted the practice of female genital mutilation with Ayaan Hirsi Ali, this is just one example of the oppression of women in Islamic majority countries. Many other examples could be given. I understand there are moderate Muslims who have no interest in or desire to enforce every teaching of the Quran. Pew Research indicates that in secular western countries around 20% of Muslims are not moderates. Even among moderates’ research in France found that 70% of Muslim residents were in favour of nationally recognizing Sharia Law. Further the Quran allows for Muslims to conceal their beliefs if they feel there is some risk in sharing it openly. Further, 15% of Muslims in Britain and France believe that violence is sometimes justified in relation to faith. As with other areas touched on in this series of notes some debate could be had related to specific Muslim populations living in western countries. What is less debatable is the historical result in countries where Islam becomes a majority of the population. Most are aware of countries like Iran or more recently Lebanon or Nigeria where Islam has gained prominence. This has resulted in societal, economic, and quality of life issues as well as severe persecution of Christians. Gad Saad who teaches at McGill University in Montreal has recounted his escape from Lebanon with his family in several of his books. 

The increasing number of Muslims in western nations such as England, France and Sweden has brought some serious problems. This situation is not the primary aim of this note. But I would urge readers to get a Quran and see what it says. That aside, what can’t be denied is that a greater presence of devoutly religious people has caused some to consider religious truth and seek greater understanding. Certainly, Ayaan Hirsi Ali as mentioned above believes that in order to limit the influence of fundamentalist Muslims, Christianity needs to be embraced in greater numbers and by social institutions. No doubt the increase in Muslim immigration to the west coupled with the political action taken by some of those immigrants have caused some to look to Christianity. 

As with the other notes in this series the result for the Faithful is the same. We need to seek and save the lost. This includes both Muslims and those who are seeking greater religiosity due to the influence of Islam.

~ Kevin Cleary