My younger brother, Hamraz, was arrested in Iran at 16. Two years later, the Islamic regime executed him. His death filled me with anger and a desire for revenge. But as I studied the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus challenged me to love my enemies and pray for those who persecute me.
God transformed my hatred into love. Rather than seek revenge against Muslims, I devoted my life to sharing the good news of Jesus Christ with them.
Love your Muslim neighbors. Befriend them, serve them, pray for them, and share with them the good news of Jesus Christ.
I love Muslims. And I love America. That is precisely why I am sounding the alarm.
I came to this country from Iran and discovered freedoms that religious tyranny denies. I know what it means to lose those freedoms. Americans who have never lived under such a regime should not assume their liberties will always be secure.
My purpose is to warn, not to stir hatred or violence. I want Americans to recognize the danger of political movements that seek to replace constitutional government with religious rule — and to confront that danger with truth, courage, and love.
Many Americans think of Islam exclusively as a religion. Historically, it has also supplied models for political authority and law. Muhammad was a religious prophet, a political leader, and a military commander. His followers in Mecca initially had little political power. In Medina, beginning in the 7th century, he governed a community and led military campaigns. His successors extended Islamic rule across vast territories.
For 1,400 years, movements seeking Islamic government have drawn upon that history: organize believers, build influence, gain power, and govern according to their interpretation of Islamic law.
Not all Muslims take the Quran’s commands and Muhammad’s example equally seriously. Many nominal Muslims love freedom and reject extremism. But I believe those who follow those teachings most closely see the extension of Islamic political rule as a religious duty. That is the ambition I mean when I warn of world domination.
The danger is not confined to terrorism. A movement can pursue religious authoritarianism through political institutions as well as violence. Its leaders may use freedoms of speech, worship, and political participation while seeking power to deny those freedoms to others.
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I watched a version of that tragedy unfold in Iran. Before the 1979 revolution, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini promised liberty and justice. Many Iranians believed him. After the revolution, his regime imposed religious law, crushed dissent, persecuted minorities, and executed political opponents. My brother was among the dead.
Judge a political movement by more than its promises before it gains power. Examine its history, its stated aims, and what it intends to do after winning.
Europe offers warnings of its own. Across Europe, Islamist movements have sought greater political and cultural influence. In some communities, disputes over religious arbitration, women's rights, freedom of expression, and the application of Islamic law have raised serious concerns.
America must learn from these experiences.
Political influence is not always pursued through violence. It can also develop gradually through organized, long-term efforts to influence schools, local governments, public institutions, and, ultimately, national policy.
Some Islamist movements seek to use the freedoms of democracy — free speech, religious liberty, and political participation — to gain influence while advocating systems that would deny those same freedoms to others.
Participating in civic life is every American's constitutional right, including the right of Muslim Americans. But when any movement seeks political power for the purpose of imposing religious law on others, Americans must recognize the threat.
We must never confuse religious freedom with permission to undermine the freedoms of others.
America’s openness, tolerance, and goodwill are tremendous strengths. But without knowledge and vigilance, these virtues can be exploited by movements that do not share our commitment to liberty.
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I often say that I worry more about America’s future than Iran’s. Millions of Iranians know firsthand what religious authoritarianism can do. Too many Americans know it only as a distant subject in a history book.
That concern led me and other Iranian-Americans to produce "The Great American Conflict," a documentary examining political Islam and what its ambitions could mean for this country.
My appeal is simple: Wake up. Study the history. Look closely at organizations seeking power in your community. Attend meetings, participate in elections, serve on school boards and city councils, and hold elected officials to the Constitution. Defend religious liberty, free speech, and equal rights for everyone.
Above all, act from conviction and love, never hatred or fear.
Love your Muslim neighbors. Befriend them, serve them, pray for them, and share with them the good news of Jesus Christ. I sometimes call myself Islamophilic rather than Islamophobic. I do not embrace Islamic teachings. I love Muslim people.
My brother's execution taught me the terrible cost of religious tyranny. Jesus taught me that hatred cannot answer hatred. We can love Muslims wholeheartedly and defend America's constitutional freedoms courageously.
The time to do both is now, while we still have the freedom to do so.