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Guest Commentary: “Islam in the U.S.: A Call to Prayer, Education, and Action”

Guest Writers September 1, 2026 0 Comments

LTRP Note: The following guest commentary is written by a long-time Lighthouse Trails reader. For other related information, please see the links at the bottom of this post.

The Islamic Center of America, the largest mosque in the United States, located in Dearborn, Michigan. (Wikipedia, public domain)

By Jesse Marshall

With the recent democratic primary win of Abdul El-Sayed for Michigan’s upcoming senatorial race, those aware of trends in news and on social media note a marked uptick in activity and posts related to Islam.

El-Sayed, a progressive member of the Democratic party, placed second to Gretchen Whitmer in Michigan’s 2018 gubernatorial primary race. El-Sayed’s primary win follows Zohran Mamdani’s installation as the 112th mayor of New York City. Both El-Sayed and Mamdani are Muslims.*

“Buzz” around these political races has caught the attention of an increasing number of Bible believers and others who understand the implications culturally, religiously, and politically of a growing Muslim population in the United States who hold to Islamic doctrines and practices and their increased presence in elected offices. Over 4.5 million Muslims reside in the U.S.¹

That Muslims have obtained an increasing number of elected offices in the U.S. was highlighted in a recent FaceBook post by CAIR, the Council on American-Islamic Relations. The post boasted of a record-breaking year for Muslims’ success: 255 elected officials in 26 states.²

Founded in 1994 “…to enhance understanding of Islam, protect civil rights, promote justice, and empower American Muslims,” CAIR’s manifold mission encompasses research, civil rights work, lobbying efforts, media relations and more.³ Combating ‘Islamophobia’ in CAIR’s vision “…looks toward the time when being Muslim carries a positive connotation and Islam has an equal place among many faiths in America’s pluralistic society.”⁴

CAIR’s aims, associations, and practices led it to being designated a terrorist organization by Texas Governor Greg Abbott recently who stated, “The Muslim Brotherhood and CAIR have long made their goals clear: to forcibly impose Sharia law and establish Islam’s ‘mastership of the world;” he continued, “The actions taken by the Muslim Brotherhood and CAIR to support terrorism across the globe and subvert our laws through violence, intimidation, and harassment are unacceptable.”⁵

In July, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis moved similarly._⁶Such a move by state governors is unprecedented; these designations are normally made federally.⁷

Though not entirely taught or observed monolithically, Islam’s doctrines, aims, and practices—and their effects on others—are well documented over 1,400 years to the present. Political scientist Samuel Huntington states, “Islam’s borders are bloody.”⁸

Islam’s followers must hear the gospel of Christ that they might believe on Christ and be saved (see 1 Corinthians 15:3-4, Romans 1:16). The times call us to equip ourselves to spread the gospel among Muslims and become informed about Islam and its incompatibility with western values and our constitutional rights and freedoms which afford protections for all.
We ask God for wisdom to appropriately evaluate these things, to steward our roles as voters, and to talk and act regarding these things in a Christ-honoring way.

This is a call to prayer, education, and action.

* CAIR backed their candidacies – https://freebeacon.com/democrats/cair-quietly-puts-100k-behind-zohran-mamdanis-bid-for-nyc-mayor/ – https://thenationalpulse.com/2026/08/06/dem-candidate-el-sayeds-campaign-funded-by-members-of-terror-linked-cair-organization/