Transcript [00:00] Hey everyone, I'm still on the road. I'm [00:01] here in Washington D.C. And I just saw a [00:04] clip [00:06] of Ayaan Hirsi Ali. I've discussed her [00:09] in the past, uh shown some videos of [00:11] her. She's really an amazing woman. She [00:14] grew up in Somalia as a Muslim and [00:16] suffered greatly as a Muslim and then [00:18] she escaped and she went to the [00:19] Netherlands [00:21] and uh and eventually, you know, moved [00:23] to the west. She left Islam and she's [00:25] one of the clearest voices on the [00:28] dangers [00:29] of Islam to the west. And in this clip [00:32] here, [00:33] she says something about democracy [00:37] and Islam. And I think I could add [00:39] something to what she says that she [00:41] doesn't quite get to. She She identifies [00:43] a real problem, but the explanation she [00:45] gives is kind of incomplete. And I think [00:48] when we fill out the explanation, [00:50] uh it could be it's even more powerful [00:52] than she lets on. I'm not saying that [00:54] I'm disagreeing with her in any way at [00:56] all. I'm just really expanding on what [00:57] she says. [00:59] And uh what really it [01:01] it really gets down to the foundations [01:03] of what makes Islam [01:06] fundamentally different than biblical [01:09] faith. And that's what I want to discuss [01:12] in this video. So, let's go ahead and [01:15] pull that up here. [01:17] And here's Ayaan Hirsi Ali. [01:20] Do you think Islam [01:23] is compatible with democracy? Certainly [01:25] western democracy the way we practice [01:27] them. Are they compatible in any sense? [01:30] If you define democracy as holding [01:32] elections, Muslims will hold elections [01:34] to come to power and then uh they will [01:37] um abolish democracy and they will say [01:40] no more elections. [01:41] >> Yeah. [01:42] And so, the ultimate destination [01:45] of Islamism is the end of democracy. It [01:49] is the end of democracy. It's the [01:50] application of Sharia law. It is to say, [01:53] an Islamist does not believe that human [01:55] beings can make laws. An Islamist wants [01:58] to apply God's law, Sharia law, as he [02:01] sees it. [02:02] And so, wherever Islamists take control, [02:05] that's the first thing that they do. [02:07] They come in and they say, "As of now, [02:10] you know, when the Islamic State in Iraq [02:12] and Syria, the Taliban in Afghanistan, [02:15] and in places people don't care about, [02:16] and never looked to, but places like [02:18] Mali, parts of Niger, parts of the DRC, [02:21] the Democratic Republic of Congo, um [02:24] parts of Somalia, um everywhere where [02:27] when the Islamists come out of Aceh in [02:29] Indonesia, [02:31] when they come to power, what they try [02:33] to do is to apply Islamic law or Sharia [02:37] law. And they spell that out. They say, [02:39] "This is an It's one of those really [02:41] important things where you shouldn't be [02:42] listening to experts who talk and speak [02:46] and analyze Islamists. You should listen [02:48] to the Islamists themselves and what [02:49] they tell you." [02:51] >> Which is the anti- antithesis of free [02:52] speech, obviously. So, just bringing it [02:55] to the UK, if I may, for a second, the [02:58] 2021 census had the UK [03:02] with [03:03] Okay, [snorts] so we're going to you [03:05] know, I'm going to stop it there. [03:08] And uh [03:10] you know, cuz I think I think I have [03:11] enough there to talk about what I want [03:13] to share with you. So, Ayaan Hirsi Ali [03:15] here is saying that Islam is [03:17] incompatible with democracy because [03:18] Islam rejects the notion that human [03:21] beings have the authority to make law. [03:24] In Islam, law comes from Allah. [03:26] Human legal authority is illegitimate. [03:29] Only Sharia, divine law, is legitimate. [03:32] And therefore, a system built on the [03:34] idea that people can make their own laws [03:36] through elected representatives is from [03:38] an Islamic theological standpoint, um it [03:41] just doesn't work. It's It's wrong. It's [03:42] a kind of heresy. [03:44] Putting human authority where only [03:46] divine authority belongs. [03:49] Now, the first thing I want to say is is [03:50] She's right. And this is not a slur [03:52] against Muslims. It's not Islamophobia. [03:54] It's a straightforward description [03:57] of the very basics of Islamic political [04:00] theology. [04:02] And if you understand that theology, her [04:03] statement is not controversial. It's [04:05] obvious. Here's what I want to add [04:07] because here [04:09] Hirsi Ali, she she identifies the [04:12] problem. Islam rejects human legislative [04:14] authority, but she doesn't fully explain [04:16] why. [04:17] She doesn't tell you where that [04:18] rejection comes from, what it's rooted [04:20] in, and what it means about the [04:21] fundamental difference between Islam [04:24] and biblical faith. And that difference [04:26] is what I want to talk about in this [04:27] video because it's one of the most It's [04:29] one of the most important things you can [04:30] understand about the world we're living [04:31] in right now and the threats that we're [04:33] facing. [04:35] So, the word I want to focus on now is a [04:37] word that we talk about, but it's never [04:40] fully explained. [04:42] And that is the word covenant. [04:44] A covenant is not a contract, okay? A [04:46] covenant is a [04:48] it's not a set of rules. It's not even [04:50] really a law in the ordinary sense. A [04:51] covenant is a binding relationship [04:53] between two parties, [04:55] both of whom have standing, both of whom [04:56] have obligations on the table, and both [04:59] of whom enter the relationship by [05:00] choice. [05:02] Now, [05:03] the entire structure of biblical faith, [05:06] Jewish and Christian, [05:07] is based on the concept of covenant. God [05:09] doesn't just issue commands to human [05:11] beings. He enters into a relationship [05:15] with them. He makes promises. He [05:16] receives promises in return. [05:19] Uh and in that relationship, something [05:23] something something amazing happens. [05:25] Human beings are empowered by a [05:27] relationship to the God that they [05:29] worship. [05:30] They're given genuine standing. They're [05:33] treated as partners [05:34] in something larger than themselves. [05:37] Not merely as God's subjects and slaves [05:40] to be commanded, but as partners in the [05:42] product in the project of building a [05:45] world. [05:47] Islam is built on a completely different [05:48] foundation, meaning the posture of the [05:50] human being vis-a-vis God is [05:52] fundamentally different. The very word [05:53] Islam means submission. [05:57] Don't let anyone tell you it means [05:59] something else. That's what it means. It [06:00] means submission. Not It doesn't mean [06:01] covenant. It doesn't mean relationship. [06:02] It means submission. The highest status [06:05] that a human being can achieve in Islam [06:06] is Abd Allah, a slave of God. [06:09] And we also say that in the Bible that [06:10] we want we want to be servants of God, [06:12] but we'll get into that in a bit. [06:13] There's a very big difference. [06:15] Now, this isn't a criticism of Islam. [06:17] It's their theology. It's a compliment, [06:19] right? To be a slave of God. The goal of [06:21] human existence is perfect submission to [06:24] the will of Allah. [06:26] Now, I want to be very clear about what [06:28] I'm saying here. [06:31] I want to make sure I'm not I'm not [06:32] misunderstood. The structural difference [06:35] between a covenantal relationship with [06:37] God [06:38] and a submission relationship with God [06:41] has enormous consequences for how you [06:43] think about human authority, [06:45] by human law, of a government, [06:48] whether or not government is legitimate. [06:50] And Ayn Rand, her silly whether she uses [06:52] this language or not, is pointing [06:54] directly to that difference. Now, I want [06:57] to put this in biblical terms. [07:00] Um [07:01] even people who read the Bible don't [07:03] necessarily notice this. In In [07:05] Deuteronomy chapter 17, [07:08] talks a lot about human authority. [07:09] First, it talks about the courts, then [07:11] it talks about the king. And in the [07:12] section about the courts, it talks about [07:15] a situation where there's a legal [07:16] dispute and [07:18] and [07:20] and the and the local judges have a hard [07:22] time with it. They have to go to the [07:23] Supreme Court. [07:25] And it it says that you're supposed to [07:26] listen to the rulings of the court [07:30] uh in the place that God chose, which [07:32] means it was a euphemism for Jerusalem. [07:35] Okay. Now, now God is telling the nation [07:37] of Israel, "When you have a legal [07:38] question that can't be resolved, go to [07:40] human judges." Okay? Islam also has [07:42] human judges. [07:45] But then the the the sages, the Jewish [07:47] sages in the Talmud, take this even [07:49] further. They derive from this passage [07:52] that the human court has authority to [07:54] make laws, [07:56] to make rulings, [07:57] even interpretations of biblical text [08:00] that often take it away from [08:03] the simple meaning of the text because [08:04] of the needs of the moment in this [08:05] world, that there's a covenantal [08:07] relationship between God and man, [08:09] where God gave us general rules, but [08:11] it's up to human beings [08:13] to have authority on this earth, the [08:15] authority of the human legal system. [08:18] That's the point I want to make here, [08:20] whether it's the letter of the law of [08:22] the of the text talking about legal [08:23] cases or it's the way the rabbis [08:25] interpret it talking about even [08:27] legislating law. [08:29] Um the idea is that the human legal [08:31] system is real, it's divinely [08:33] sanctioned, human beings have real [08:34] authority on this earth. And that's part [08:37] of the structure of the covenant. It [08:38] means that people have a partnership [08:41] with God in governing this world. [08:43] In a covenantal relationship, [08:46] here's the best way to sum this up, [08:48] in a covenantal relationship, God [08:49] empowers human beings [08:52] right, to exercise their own judgment, [08:54] their own human agency. [08:57] Okay, he gives human beings real, [08:59] fallible, limited human beings, right? [09:01] He gives human beings the authority and [09:04] the responsibility to govern themselves [09:07] according to the principles of justice [09:09] that he has taught them. [09:12] Okay, and that's the concept of [09:13] covenant. Again, covenant is [09:16] is this is is is a partnership. It's an [09:18] empowering relationship. [09:21] Let me give you another example of this [09:23] uh of where authority derive where human [09:25] authority derives from [09:28] in biblical faith. [09:31] The appointment of king in ancient [09:32] Israel, okay? In most ancient cultures, [09:34] the king was either divine himself or [09:37] was understood to be directly appointed [09:39] by the gods. His authority was absolute [09:41] and unquestionable [09:43] because it came directly from the divine [09:45] realm. Like you have that's the concept [09:47] of a king was. People The people had no [09:49] say in who's their king. They were [09:51] subjects. [09:52] But look what the Bible says. In [09:53] Deuteronomy 17, the passage about [09:55] appointing a king begins with the words, [09:57] "When you come to the land and you say, [09:59] I will set a king over me." [10:02] Meaning [10:03] only if the people say that they want to [10:06] set a king over them, [10:08] "I will set a king over me." Only when [10:10] you say that, do you then appoint a [10:12] king? Meaning [10:14] the I the whole appointment of a king [10:16] derives only from It emerges only from [10:21] the people's choice to have a king. [10:23] Without the hu without the human [10:25] initiative to appoint a king, there is [10:27] no king. [10:29] The initiative comes from the people. [10:30] God is not commanding the nation of [10:32] Israel to have a king. He's saying, [10:34] "When If you desire to have a king, if [10:36] you want to be governed by a king, then [10:38] this is how you do it." [10:42] It's huge. [10:44] And then when you get to the actual [10:45] stories of kings in the Bible, in the [10:47] book of Samuel, [10:48] uh for example, the pattern is is is [10:50] right there. Saul is anointed [10:53] and yeah, and he's presented to the [10:56] people and the people [10:57] accept him. David is anointed, but then [10:59] the elders of Israel come to him and [11:01] make a covenant with him. The text [11:03] actually uses that word. [11:05] And then he becomes the king. [11:07] Authority flows not just downward from [11:10] God, but also upward from the people. [11:12] That's the concept of a covenant. [11:14] This is the biblical foundation of [11:16] consensual government. The consent of [11:18] the governed is right there in the book [11:20] of Deuteronomy. We only appoint a king [11:22] if the people want one. [11:25] Right? The The idea that rulers derive [11:28] their authority not just from God, but [11:30] from the consent of the people. It's a [11:33] biblical concept. Think about that. [11:36] It's not a modern Western invention. [11:38] It's right there in the book of [11:39] Deuteronomy. [11:40] When you decide that you want a king, [11:43] you shall appoint a king over you. And [11:45] that king is subject to the laws. [11:48] And in Islam, the caliphate, the idea of [11:50] Islam is that the world is governed by a [11:52] caliphate. And who's the caliph? The [11:54] caliph is a direct descendant of [11:55] Muhammad who's chosen by God. [11:58] There's no ability to change [12:00] who the who the human authority is [12:02] because it's not really human authority. [12:03] It's just a choice God made imposed on [12:05] the people. [12:09] Okay, the [12:11] the choosing of your own king is only [12:13] possible in a covenantal framework. [12:16] I want to put all this together. When I [12:17] say covenant, I mean look at the [12:19] authority of the court, the authority [12:22] of of the king. [12:24] In the biblical framework, there is real [12:27] human agency that is being empowered [12:30] by by God [12:32] to really take [12:34] uh [12:35] the reins of governance of this world. [12:38] If the relationship between God and [12:40] human beings is covenantal, if human [12:41] beings have genuine standing, genuine [12:44] agency, genuine partnership in the [12:46] running of the world, [12:47] then it makes sense that human beings [12:50] have a role in authorizing their own [12:52] rulers, their own system of government. [12:55] >> [snorts] [12:55] >> But in a submission framework, this [12:57] makes no sense. [12:59] If the relationship is pure submission, [13:01] if the only legitimate authority is [13:02] divine authority, [13:04] and human beings are slaves whose job is [13:06] to implement divine authority alone, [13:09] with no agency of their own, [13:11] then the idea of the people choosing [13:13] their rulers, of law emerging from human [13:16] deliberation, of a parliament voting on [13:19] legislation, all of that is not just [13:20] politically wrong. According to Islam, [13:23] it's theologically wrong. It's putting [13:25] human will where divine will alone [13:29] is supposed to be [13:30] sovereign. [13:32] And that's exactly what I and her CL is [13:34] saying. [13:35] Now, I want to be precise about the [13:36] Islamic side of this because [13:39] precision matters here. In classical [13:41] Islamic political theology, sovereignty, [13:43] hakimiyya, [13:45] belongs to Allah alone. This is not a [13:47] fringe position, it's mainstream. The [13:50] Quran states it [13:51] explicitly in multiple places. Judgment [13:53] belongs to Allah alone. No human being, [13:56] no parliament, no court, no people [13:59] has the authority to make law that that [14:02] that [14:04] you know, that is independent of the [14:06] divine law. [14:08] Human beings can only administer divine [14:10] law. [14:12] Sayyid Qutb, the intellectual godfather [14:15] of the Muslim Brotherhood, of modern [14:17] political Islam, [14:19] his influence runs through Hamas, [14:21] Al-Qaeda, all the Muslim Brotherhood [14:23] offshoots. Qutb is is is the guy. [14:27] He made this idea that I'm describing in [14:30] this video, he made this idea the [14:31] centerpiece of his political thought. [14:34] He argued that any system he had he had [14:36] disdain [14:38] for democracy. And he said that any [14:39] system in which human beings make law is [14:42] a form of jahiliyyah, pre-Islamic [14:45] ignorance or barbarism. [14:47] Democracy, nationalism, socialism, he [14:50] said all of them are jahiliyyah because [14:52] all of them place human authority above [14:55] divine authority. [14:58] I mean it it meaning they're all in his [15:01] framework, they're all like a kind of [15:02] idolatry, they're a kind of heresy. [15:07] And and that and that idea, I mean Qutb [15:10] was a bit extreme, but that idea was not [15:11] extremism. That's a direct application [15:14] of Muslim theology. So, if Allah is the [15:17] only legitimate sovereign, [15:19] and sovereignty means the authority to [15:21] make law, [15:22] then any system that gives that [15:24] authority to human beings is a rebellion [15:26] against Allah. [15:28] That's kutub. [15:29] So, Ayaan Hirsi Ali is not inventing [15:31] this. She's reading the theology [15:34] correctly. Now, I can hear some of you [15:36] thinking, [15:38] "Wait a minute. [15:40] The Bible is also divine law. The Torah [15:42] is God's law given to Moses at Sinai. [15:44] Don't Jews and Christians also believe [15:46] that God is the ultimate authority, that [15:48] his law is above human law?" [15:50] So, what's the difference? It's a fair [15:51] question. [15:52] And it's a And it's a good question, but [15:54] he But the difference is everything. [15:56] Listen carefully. [15:58] Yes, biblical faith absolutely affirms [16:02] that God is the ultimate authority, that [16:05] his law is higher than any human law, [16:07] that no king, no parliament, no court [16:10] is above God. The prophets of Israel [16:12] spent centuries making exactly that [16:14] point, rebuking kings, challenging [16:16] rulers, [16:18] holding power accountable to a standard [16:20] higher than itself. [16:23] Okay, but here's what biblical faith [16:25] also affirms. And this is what the [16:26] Islamic framework does not affirm. This [16:28] is the difference. [16:30] God chose to share In the biblical [16:32] faith, God chose to share his authority [16:34] with human beings. [16:37] Okay? He didn't have to, [16:39] but that's what the covenant means. [16:40] Let's go back to Deuteronomy 17. God is [16:42] not saying, "Here's my law. Now [16:44] implement it exactly as written with no [16:46] room for human judgment." He's saying, [16:48] "When you have a question, [16:50] go to the human court. Follow their [16:52] rulings. They can even pass new laws." [16:57] Okay? [16:59] The [clears throat] rabbis in the Talmud [17:01] have a remarkable story to illustrate [17:03] this theological point. [17:05] There's a passage in the Talmud where [17:06] the rabbis are debating a point of law, [17:09] and a heavenly voice, a bat kol in [17:12] Hebrew, speaks from heaven and declares [17:14] that one of the rabbis is correct. And [17:16] the other rabbi, who's actually speaking [17:17] for the majority [17:19] cuz the Bible also says we're supposed [17:20] to follow the majority in the case of a [17:22] dispute. [17:23] And the other rabbi stands up and says, [17:24] "We don't listen to heavenly voices. [17:26] That's not how we determine law. [17:28] The Torah God gave us says we're [17:30] supposed to follow the majority. [17:32] So now you're giving me a heavenly voice [17:34] and they rule against the heavenly [17:36] voice. [17:38] The Torah was given to us at Sinai, says [17:40] the objecting rabbi. It's no longer in [17:42] heaven. [17:43] Human beings have the authority to [17:45] interpret it and apply it. You, God [17:47] yourself, you gave that's that [17:48] authority." [17:49] And in the story, God himself laughs and [17:52] says, "My children [17:54] have have have defeated me. They've won. [17:56] They're right." [17:59] And I think about what that story is [18:00] saying theologically. [18:02] God gave the Torah to human beings. [18:04] And in giving it, he transferred [18:07] real interpretive authority to human [18:10] beings. He gave us the ability to look [18:12] at the world and apply the law [18:14] and to govern ourselves. The law is no [18:17] longer in heaven. [18:18] That's actually what the rabbi says, "It [18:20] is not in heaven. [18:21] It belongs to the human community." [18:24] And God delights in that because that is [18:26] what a covenant is. [18:29] That's what a covenant is. [18:31] It empowers. [18:34] It empowers us. So when God enters a [18:36] covenant with human beings [18:38] and he gives them his law, he's making [18:40] them genuine partners in the legal and [18:42] moral enterprise. [18:45] Okay? We're not merely administrators of [18:47] a fixed code. They're It's a covenantal [18:51] living relationship. That's And that is [18:53] categorically from the Islamic framework [18:55] in which al-kimia, the sovereignty [18:58] belongs to Allah alone. Human beings [18:59] have no [19:01] genuine legislative authority. Any [19:04] system that grants them legislative [19:06] authority is considered a rebellion [19:08] against God. That's good to [19:13] Right? And what's [19:14] the biblical tradition and the Islamic [19:15] tradition say that God is the ultimate [19:17] authority, but the biblical tradition [19:19] says that God chose to share that [19:21] authority with human beings through a [19:24] covenant. The Islamic tradition says [19:26] that authority cannot be shared, it can [19:28] only be submitted to. [19:31] And the difference between sharing and [19:32] submitting is the difference between a [19:34] civilization [19:36] that can produce democracy, and that's [19:37] why biblical faith [19:40] has always produced democracies. Israel [19:42] is a democracy. [19:44] Uh Western nations that are based on on [19:48] a on a Christian civilization are [19:51] democracies. [19:52] It's only when they really stray from [19:55] faith that they start also straying from [19:57] democracy. [19:59] Right? [20:01] A civilization that can produce [20:02] democracy [20:04] comes from a biblical mindset. [20:07] So, when Ayaan Hirsi Ali says that Islam [20:09] is incompatible with democracy, she's [20:11] not being provocative for the sake of [20:13] it. She's not just saying, "Oh, they're [20:14] a bunch of backward fanatics." [20:17] She's identifying a real point of [20:19] theology. [20:22] And what I want you to take away from [20:23] this is something more than just a [20:24] political point about Islam and [20:25] democracy. I want you to see the deeper [20:27] structure. [20:29] A biblical faith, Jewish and Christian, [20:31] is a covenantal relationship with God. [20:33] The covenant empowers human beings. It [20:36] gives us standing and agency and [20:38] authority and dignity. [20:40] It produces free people. That's why God [20:43] God liberates us. I am the Lord your [20:45] God, who brought you out of the land of [20:47] Egypt from the house of bondage. That's [20:48] the opening line of the Ten [20:49] Commandments. God liberates us. [20:53] And then we govern ourselves under God. [20:57] Not instead of God, but with God as [20:59] partners in a covenantal project. [21:02] Submission [21:04] submission, Islam is the opposite of [21:06] that. [21:08] A civilization built on submission, [21:10] however sincere, however spiritually [21:12] serious, [21:14] if it's [21:15] that cannot produce what a covenant [21:17] produces. So, democracy is just it it it [21:21] it it's anathema [21:24] to Islamic [21:26] theological thinking about how society [21:29] is ordered. [21:32] Right, the theology doesn't allow for [21:34] for that type of human freedom and [21:36] agency. [21:38] This is why I keep saying on this [21:39] channel that the conflict we're in right [21:41] now [21:42] is not primarily political. It's not [21:44] even primarily military. It's a [21:46] civilizational spiritual conflict. It's [21:48] a conflict between two fundamentally [21:50] different ideas of what a human being is [21:54] and what a relationship and what [21:55] relationship do human beings have with [21:57] with God and with authority. What's the [21:59] posture of the relationship? [22:02] >> [snorts] [22:03] >> And understanding that distinction is [22:05] the first step towards defending what we [22:08] have. [22:09] Please make sure to like and subscribe [22:12] and share. I hope this made sense. [22:14] Please drop a comment below. Let me know [22:16] what you thought of what I had to say [22:17] here. [22:18] A little bit different than a lot of my [22:19] videos. [22:21] Um [22:22] and uh and please make sure that you're [22:23] subscribed to our newsletters, Israel [22:25] 365 Action and Israel 365 News. Go to [22:29] israel365action.com [22:31] so you could really stay abreast of [22:32] everything that we're doing. [22:34] And uh [22:36] and and and you know, one of the main [22:38] focuses of Israel 365 Action in our [22:40] messaging, in our programming, in our [22:42] education [22:43] is is the defense of Judeo-Christian [22:46] Western civilization, the biblically [22:48] based I don't even like the term [22:49] Judeo-Christian, biblically based [22:51] Western civilization because that's [22:52] really the the whole framework of our [22:54] thinking. The theological differences [22:56] between Jews and Christians are are are [22:59] internal disputes within two groups of [23:02] people who share a general understanding [23:05] of what God is and what it means to have [23:08] a relationship with God. [23:10] And and that's what I'm trying to [23:11] explain [23:13] in this video. And and when we see that [23:15] in the Muslim world, democracy just [23:18] never takes hold properly. They just [23:19] don't get it. [23:21] It just doesn't work. You understand [23:22] that it's because this there's a [23:24] fundamental lack of belief in human [23:27] agency in the [23:29] in the in the ability of human beings [23:32] or the the legitimacy of human beings [23:34] governing themselves, making laws for [23:36] themselves, [23:37] having real freedom and real agency to [23:39] build their own society. [23:41] There's a kind of disdain for it built [23:43] in to the theology that they're dealing [23:45] with. [23:46] Um that's what I'm trying to explain [23:47] here. I hope this made some sense. [23:49] Again, please drop a comment. Let me [23:50] know what you think of this. [23:52] And uh yeah, we'll see you in the next [23:53] video. God bless.
