Islam’s ‘Martin Luther’ Better Get Here Soon

CNN is reporting today that the Muslim population is going to double by 2030. Sometime between now and then, we better see a new theology rise up in Islam. If we don’t, it’s going to get bad. Very bad.

By ‘new’, I mean an Islam more akin to what Western Muslims have adopted. Peaceful, easy-going, and willing to work within the democratic process to live their lives and practice their faith. Unfortunately, there are other Muslims in the world that would burn these guys alive as traitors to Islam.

Islam is a divided religion. There are the obvious divisions between the Shiite (who are predominantly controlled by Iran), and Sunni (who generally owe their allegiance to the House of Saud). It’s these two schools that are currently vying for control of the faith, the Middle East, and the oil. But there are other groups at either end of the spectrum that are going to come into play over the next few years, and they are what we need to watch to see which Islam ends up claiming CNN’s projected 2.2 billion adherents.

On the one end we have the Muslims that we in the West know well. Whether Shiite and Sunni, they go to mosque, work, pray five times a day, and generally go about their lives like anyone else. These are the folks who are drawn to the West because it offers them the best chance to give their children a better life.

On the other end, we have Muslims like those in Pakistan and Indonesia. Ardent zealots who see any values but their own as an abomination. For them, the wealth and success of capitalism is a disease that has to be eradicated. These guys blame the West for their poverty, and genuinely believe that their only hope for a better life is to get rid of capitalism and instil a truly Islamic government world-wide.

While the Saudis and Iran battle it out for control of the faith, the heart of Islam rests in these two extremes. As the faith grows, it will be these extremes that determine whether a world with 2.2 billion Muslims will be prosperous or murderous. As of now, it could go either way.

What is needed is a Martin Luther; a charismatic reformer, respected by both sides, who creates a middle ground for Islam. If this happens, these 2.2 billion Muslims will be able to carry on and prosper. If not, the Holy War waged on the West will pale in comparison to the inter-Muslim war that will inevitably break out between the far- right and far-left factions of Islam…

…And they’ll both have nukes.