Most of the world is watching in horror as Afghanistan continues to be overrun by Islamic extremists. Many people are shocked at the extreme violence being displayed by the Taliban, especially towards women and children. There is an overarching cry of “How did this happen?”
Bestselling author Dr. Michael Youssef discussed the dangers of Islamic extremism in one of his newest books, Hope for This Present Crisis. Born in Egypt, Youssef grew up surrounded by different world religions. Being a Christian in the Middle East provided Youssef with a great understanding of the potential concerns the extremist Islamic viewpoint poses.
Youssef states in his book, “One Muslim scholar told me, ‘Islam spread throughout the Middle East and North Africa by the sword. But Western culture will be handed to us on a platter. The people of the West are led about by their feelings and sentimentality. Their passions rule them. Soft and undisciplined, they are no match for the determined soldiers of Islam. The West will fall into our hands like overripe fruit.'”
These frightening assessments are merely foreshadowing the current catastrophe happening in Afghanistan now. While world leaders struggle with how to respond to this threat, Youssef urges the government to remain strong in the face of such adversity.
“We in the West have assumed that our democratic institutions, culture and way of life would go on forever,” Youssef says. “We expected our economy to always be strong, our military to remain invulnerable and our traditions to endure. But empires and civilizations have collapsed again and again in the past.”
Only by staying strong and pushing back against those who hope to overthrow the American government will Western ideology continue to thrive.
Youssef adds, “I have had many conversations with Muslim thinkers, and they believe the fall of the West is already well underway—a result of the decline of Christianity. They tell me that, as Christianity disintegrates, it is leaving a spiritual vacuum in the West. Their extreme form of Islam is already rushing in to fill that void.
“The blind spot that both the Obama and Biden administrations have to that ideology will only embolden them,” he says. “Weakness on our part is always an open invitation for Islamists to strike against everyone. We must remain steadfast and strong in the face of these trials.”
In addition to being born in Egypt, Youssef lived in Lebanon and Australia before coming to the United States and fulfilling a childhood dream of becoming an American citizen. He holds degrees from Moore College in Sydney, Australia, and Fuller Theological Seminary in California, with a Ph.D. in social anthropology from Emory University. He founded The Church of The Apostles, which was the launching pad for Leading The Way’s international ministry. Youssef has authored more than 50 books, including popular titles like Saving Christianity? and Hope for This Present Crisis.
Youssef hosts the popular TV and radio broadcast, Leading The Way with Dr. Michael Youssef, which airs more than 13,000 times every week across six continents in 27 languages—reaching audiences in nearly every major city in the world. His programs attract tens of millions of viewers weekly in the U.S. on major TV networks, including TBN, Daystar, Fox Business, Lifetime, GOD TV, CTN, NRB TV, and more.
Equipped with a keen understanding of the Bible, the Middle East, sociological trends in the Western world and popular Christian worldview issues, Youssef is a sought-after voice whose expertise is regularly requested on both secular and Christian media, including Huckabee, Fox & Friends, Eric Metaxas, The Hugh Hewitt Show, The Christian Post, Fox News, Hannity, Glenn Beck, The 700 Club and more. He and his wife reside in Atlanta and have four grown children and 11 grandchildren. {eoa}
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