In the Middle East, as the Biden Administration seeks to unravel the extraordinary achievements of President Trump, start new wars, end our oil independence, and re-arm Iran, one can only wonder how long before Islamic fundamentalists re-emerge as a worldwide threat.

Concurrently, I had a strange dream. I was invited to a locale where everyone spoke well, dressed well, and seemed to conform to some belief standard that I couldn’t fully comprehend. As a friendly guide drove me about, it seemed that more and more people were conforming to this belief system. It was like The Stepford Wives meets The Wicker Man in The Twilight Zone.

Hail to the Party

The residents seemed nice enough, but when you didn’t tow the ‘party line,’ things got  dicey. Everyone was expected to adhere to the same views. Children were indoctrinated at an early age, and, most alarmingly, no one was allowed to leave without an extremely compelling reason.

I was induced to become part of this community, while I sensed danger if I stayed. In order to depart, I had to convince everyone that I would return to my soon-to-be former home, round up key items, sell off big assets such as my car, and tie up loose ends. As far as I know, they were buying my story. Then, I suddenly awoke and began to contemplate what I had just experienced.

Dreams are largely drawn-out dramas from unresolved affairs during the day.  What led me that day to such a dream scenario, with such detail? Beyond Biden’s blunders, I had encountered a Pew Research Center study which showed the religious preferences and cultural norms of Muslims, independent of sect, in regions around the earth.

Most compelling, among Sharia supporters, the median percentage of Muslims, by region of the world, who favor executing individuals who leave Islam is as follows:

South Asia              76%

Middle East            56%

Southeast Asia      27%

Central Asia            16%

SE Europe                13%

Defectors Beware

Depending on the region, one out of eight (as in Southeast Europe), to as many as six out of eight Muslims (in Southeast Asia) approve of execution for defectors of Islam. Even if the percentages are off considerably, shockingly, hundreds of millions of Muslims worldwide agree that anyone who seeks to forsake Islam should be put to death.

Imagine a cabal where between 13% and 76% of its members believe the group has the right to murder you if you if you seek to leave. Whether you were born into the group, married a group member, or voluntarily joined, you are in this group for life.

No Way Out – Given your experiences with the group, or based on your travels, suppose that you’re inclined to leave this group. According to the group’s code, you have no right to leave and if your intentions are discovered, your life is at stake. Would any civilized society tolerate such a group?

A Religion or a Cult?

In the U.S., we’ve witnessed cult leaders who, in their erroneous belief that they had God-like powers, would rather kill themselves and their followers than allow people to defect. We have seen fanatical leaders, such as the Reverend Jim Jones, and the Branch Davidian cult leader David Koresh, who believed it was their right to sacrifice their own people when they deemed fit.

Consider a group such as Islam that contains 24% of the world’s population – nearly one in four people on earth – approaching 1.9 billion. The leaders of this group believe they have the divine right to execute anyone who deigns to leave the group. Is this not a cult that enslaves its people – at least mentally, if not physically and emotionally – with little or no hope of making free choices?

Is this not a cult where the individual is subordinated to the will of who knows what? In civilized societies should a belief system such as this be deemed a religion at all?

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Jeff Davidson

Jeff Davidson is the world's only holder of the title "The Work-Life Balance Expert®" as awarded by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. He is the premier thought leader on work-life balance, integration, and harmony. Jeff speaks to organizations that seek to enhance their overall productivity by improving the effectiveness of their people. He is the author of Breathing Space, Simpler Living, Dial it Down, and Everyday Project Management. Visit www.BreathingSpace.com for more information on Jeff's keynote speeches and seminars, including: Managing the Pace with Grace® * Achieving Work-Life Balance™ * Managing Information and Communication Overload®

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