Donald Trump recently announced his policy to keep America safe. His policy is to ban Muslims from entering the country. To some, this seems like common sense. If someone wants to harm you and your family, then naturally you do not let them enter your house. To others, this may sound disappointing, a path down a slippery slope, one which we have been down many times, each time ending up in regret, because we gave into our fears and wronged innocent members of our society. We did not live up to our own expectations as Americans. Finally, to a few, who are not even Muslims, Donald Trump’s plan sounds absolutely frightening. It unequivocally disqualifies him from the presidency.

As you read this post, I want you to become frightened. Trump’s policy is a catastrophe on so many levels.

America CANNOT ban Muslims. Here’s why:

Create More Extremists

Banning Muslims will create more extremists. There are 1.5 billion Muslims in this world. Less than one-hundredth of one percent have pledged their allegiance to ISIL. Banning Muslims only gives credence to the lie that ISIL wants to sell: that America hates all Muslims; that because America hates all Muslims, America is oppressing and killing Muslims.

A ban on Muslims will generate a lot of global backlash and resentment against America, which ISIL, will undoubtedly use to recruit even more members. One can almost guarantee that nearly all Muslims will be upset with this policy. An upset and marginalized population will be fertile recruiting ground for terrorists.

ISIL, undoubtedly, will respond to the ban by reaffirming their narrative that the ban proves that Muslims are being oppressed by America. It will say that the caliphate is the only place, where Muslims are free from oppression and can live properly. It will say that to join ISIL is to fight for the freedom of Muslims around the world. They will rebrand their mission as a fight for freedom and their members as freedom fighters. This message will be appeal to Americans, who are not even Muslims. Many Americans, who been marginalized themselves in the past, will undoubtedly be misled out of empathy.

ISIL has been very successful when it comes to past recruitment, but even if their chance of success is extremely low, the global numbers will be high. There will be:

  • 1.5 million new radicals @ 0.1% success rate (1.5 billion x 0.1% = 1.5 million)
  • 15 million new radicals @ 1% success rate (1.5 billion x 1% = 15 million)

A global influx of new recruits of this magnitude will be more than enough to give ISIL legitimacy and bring the whole Middle East under the ISIL banner.

Makes America Look Weak and Afraid

Resorting to extreme measures such as banning Muslims, will make America look weak and afraid. ISIL will argue that America is banning Muslims, because they are afraid of Muslims (most of whom are pacifists). Weakness and fear is something that can never, ever be shown to terrorists. They will use it to influence American public policy, and to stop American military action.

Showing weakness and fear will also embolden the foreign ISIL fighters, who will think that they are getting into our heads and who will see a glimmer of hope. It will demoralize our allies, who have been supporting us.

America will lose its respect and prestige around the world.

Will Result In More Attacks

If ISIL was directly involved in the San Bernardino mass shooting, they sure look surprised. Neither did they claim responsibility for the attack nor acknowledge the couple as members. This tells us an something. They did not have plans to attack America.

However, if the San Bernardino attacks can be provoke such a big reaction as a ban on Muslims, they may be misled into thinking that a bigger involvement, a Paris-style attack, will have a shot of influencing American public policy, and stopping American military action.

We will be inviting terrorists to attack us. This will make us less safe.

Alienates Our Most Powerful Ally

Muslims are no different than others. They want a good life.

ISIL is competing for the hearts and minds of Muslims all around the world. Their greatest obstacle is happiness and success of Muslims who are not under ISIL. Thus, ISIL will want to discredit this narrative. ISIL will want to show Muslims are happier and live better under its rule than in America. ISIL will say that Muslims in America do not properly follow the Quran, and therefore are not proper Muslims. To become proper Muslims, they must move to the caliphate and follow Islam as fundamentally practiced by ISIL.

By banning Muslims, America with be sending a message to Muslims around the world, that they are not welcomed here. This will only aid ISIL’s recruitment message, and push more Muslims towards ISIL.

ISIL bases its legitimacy on theological tenets found in the Quran. Lacking insight into the Quran and as non-Muslims, we cannot refute the theological claims of ISIL, without looking foolish. However, Muslim members of our society can forcefully challenge and renounce those legitimacy assertions. This will damage the credibility of ISIL.

Unenforceable

Banning Muslims is unenforceable. Muslims can be any nationality and speak any language. Being a Muslim as simple as affirming two tenets:

  1. There is no God but Allah.
  2. Muhammad is the Messenger of God.

I don’t see how it is possible to distinguish between people who believe these two tenets versus people who do not. Religion is not listed with any national ID. Even if it were, it would not be reliable. An Islamic extremist will get past with a simple denial that there has been a mistake; he is not a Muslim.

Perhaps the only way you can enforce this and have some measure of success, is raiding the census data of all countries. However, we don’t want to travel down this dark path. This is what Hitler did to round up the Jews.

Public Outcry

This is why in the aftermath of the Trump statement, numerous American policy makers, even members of his own party have come out to condemn Trump’s policy. I don’t think it’s as simple as Trump is not one of our guys, or that party members want to court wealthy Muslim donors.

This is why Clinton has said that Trump’s statements have ceased to be funny, and why the White House has said that his statement “disqualifies him from the presidency”. All this is more visceral and fundamental than lofty ideals such as the duty of the president to uphold the Constitution and to protect the freedom of religion.

Trump’s plan leads us down a dark road that will make us less safe.

A ban on Muslims will destroy that goodwill and credibility with Muslims, which Obama has painstakingly rebuilt after it got destroyed in the Iraq invasion. Their trust and belief in us as a nation is our best defense and watch against radical extremism.

ISIL Influence

ISIL has demonstrated the savviness of a twenty-year old, when it comes to social media and recruitment. It has also demonstrated the deviousness of a religious terror group, when it comes to destroying the gathering places of competing Muslim groups to stifle the opposition.

I do not know, who put this dangerous idea into Trump’s head, but if it was the work of ISIL recruiters or activists in America, I would not be surprised.