In recent times, the MAGA movement has found itself embroiled in a divisive debate, with many of its followers perceiving Israel as an adversary.
While this internal conflict has been brewing, a more subtle yet significant shift has been taking place: the steady growth and influence of Islam within the United States. This development, largely overlooked amidst the heated discussions about U.S. support for Israel and the ongoing tensions in the Middle East, is a tale of two faiths with contrasting philosophies and approaches.
According to Gateway Pundit, Judaism has never sought to convert the world, asking only for peace and solitude. In stark contrast, Islam is inherently missionary, driven by a theological imperative to spread its message far and wide.
As American Jews grapple with resurgent antisemitism within their historic enclaves, Muslim populations are experiencing a surge, constructing mosques at a pace that outstrips synagogues, and integrating halal economies into everyday life. This is not merely a demographic shift; it's a clash of histories and ideologies, where one group has endured millennia of exile and slaughter, and the other has built empires through conquest.
The treatment of outsiders further highlights this contrast. Judaism extends decency to all, while Islamic doctrine has historically imposed taxes and second-class status on non-believers. Israel, a vibrant democracy, stands as a beacon of freedoms that are stifled or absent in nearly every Muslim-majority nation. As Republicans splinter over Israel, the real story is how Islam is quietly reshaping America from within.
At its core, Judaism is not a missionary religion. It lacks any doctrinal call to proselytize or expand beyond its own people. The Torah and rabbinic tradition emphasize the covenant between God and the Jewish nationa private pact, not a universal sales pitch.
Conversion to Judaism is possible but rare, arduous, and discouraged; rabbis often turn away potential converts three times to test their resolve. Jews have historically sought isolation from persecution, not conquest of neighbors. Be a light unto the nations, the prophet Isaiah urged, but this meant ethical example, not forced adherence.
On the other hand, Islam is built for expansion. The Quran commands believers to invite to the way of your Lord with wisdom and good instruction (16:125), a duty known as dawahactive invitation to convert. This isnt optional; its a pillar of faith, blending persuasion with, historically, the sword. Muhammads own life exemplifies this: from Medinas constitution protecting non-Muslims to later conquests that subdued Arabia.
Today, this manifests in organized outreach: Islamic centers host open houses, free Quran classes, and interfaith dialogues laced with conversion goals.
The demographic and institutional surge of Islam in America is undeniable. Jewish Americans, despite their outsized cultural influence, remain a small, stable minority. As of 2025, the U.S. Jewish population hovers around 7.5 millionabout 2.2% of the total populace. This includes everyone from Orthodox in Brooklyn to secular Jews in Los Angeles, but growth is flat or declining due to low birth rates and assimilation.
Muslims, meanwhile, are the fastest-growing religious group in America, fueled by immigration, higher fertility, and conversions. Estimates for 2025 peg the number at roughly 4 million1.2% of the populationbut projections show it doubling by 2050. From Somali refugees in Minnesota to Pakistani professionals in Texas, this community is young and dynamic.
The infrastructure tells the real story of entrenchment. Synagogues number around 3,500-4,000 nationwide, many aging and facing membership drops. Mosques? Theyve ballooned to nearly 4,000 by late 2025, up over 30% since 2010, with new builds in every state. Texas alone has seen the number of mosques increase by 47% in the last 5 years. These arent just prayer halls; theyre community hubs offering schools, gyms, and political organizing.
Even food economies reflect this. Kosher markets serve a niche: about 19,000 certified products in U.S. supermarkets, catering to 12 million consumers (many non-Jewish for health reasons) generating $12bn in sales. This is dwarfed by the halal food industry in the US which is projected to surge from US$ 100.11 billion in 2024 to US$ 226 billion by 2033, with thousands of stores, butchers, and chains like Halal Guys popping up in urban cores.
Jewish history is a litany of blood and banishment, a 3,000-year odyssey of being hunted for existing. It began in 597 BCE with Babylonian exile, where King Nebuchadnezzar razed Jerusalem and enslaved its people. Roman legions sacked the Temple in 70 CE, scattering Jews in the Diaspora. Medieval Europe brought blood libels, expulsions, and pogroms that left rivers red. The 20th century peaked in horror: six million murdered in the Holocaust, a systematic genocide that reduced Europes Jews by two-thirds. Persecution forged resilience, not aggressionJews adapted, innovated, begged for scraps of tolerance.
Islams story is very different. One relentless advance. From Muhammads Hijra in 622 CE, it surged through conquest: the Rashidun Caliphs toppled Persia and Byzantium by 651, carving an empire from Spain to India. The Umayyads and Abbasids followed, blending faith with firejihad as holy war subjugated Copts in Egypt, Berbers in North Africa, Hindus in Sindh. By 750 CE, Islam ruled 29% of the worlds population, often at swordpoint: convert, pay, or die.
Judaisms ethic toward non-Jews is straightforward: decency without dominion. The Torah mandates love the stranger (Deut. 10:19), extending charity, justice, and even burial to gentilesno taxes or punishment. No forced conversions; no humiliation. In Israel, Arab citizens (21% of the population) vote, serve in the Knesset, and enjoy equal legal rights.
Islams framework for non-Muslimsdhimmi statusis more conditional. The Quran (9:29) prescribes jizya, a poll tax on People of the Book (Jews, Christians) for protection and military exemption. It wasnt always crushingsometimes lower than Muslim zakatbut it symbolized subordination: public payment rituals could involve humiliation. Non-Muslims faced dress codes, bans on proselytizing, and vulnerability to mob violence if rulers faltered. In practice, it bred oppression: Coptic Christians taxed into poverty, Yazidis enslaved by ISIS as modern jizya echoes.
Today Israel shines for freedom: a multiparty democracy with press freedom, and judicial independence, scoring 74/100 on Freedom Houses 2025 index. Muslim-majority states lag: Saudi Arabia (8/100), Iran (12/100), even moderate Tunisia (51/100). Women drive in Riyadh now, but apostasy means death in 13 countries; blasphemy silences dissent. Israel debates in the Knesset; its neighbors flog in the streets.
As Islam plants roots in Americamosques rising, halal aisles lengtheningits history of expansion whispers a question: Will tolerance be reciprocal, or will the jizya follow?
Republicans, it's time to shift focus from the Israel brawl. The real battleline is the Islamisation of America.
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