Western sources, always careful not to offend, describe Ramadan as “a month of intense spiritual renewal, focused on devotion,” while Islamic clerics offer a completely opposite directive.
Am Thinker | March 13, 2026
Western sources, always careful not to offend, describe Ramadan as “a month of intense spiritual renewal, focused on devotion.” In contrast, Islamic sources and clerics instruct devout Muslims to view it as a time for jihad, conquest, and martyrdom. This message is spread by madrasas (religious schools), school systems in Muslim countries, and mosques worldwide.
In fact, the common belief is that the call to wage jihad intensifies during Ramadan and that the divine reward for martyrdom during the daylight fasting month is greater. The Taliban’s main spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, whose surname means martyr and is derived from the word jihad, once said: “Our fight is jihad and an obligatory worship. And every obligatory act of worship has 70 times more reward during Ramadan.”
Therefore, it is troubling that government offices, military bases, public schools, and many corporate-run businesses across America celebrate Ramadan, and have been doing so for decades. This persists even though the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment prohibits favoring one religion over others. No other religious holiday receives such special treatment.
The history of Islam demonstrates that war during Ramadan has been a long-standing aspect of the faith, dating back to the times of Prophet Muhammad. The Battle of Badr (624 AD), led by the prophet himself during the second Ramadan, the conquest of Mecca (630 AD), the war for Al-Andalus (711 AD), the Battle of Hattin (1187 AD) to seize Jerusalem, Ain Jalut (1260 AD) against the Mongols, the Yom Kippur War (1973), and many more — Islam has directed the fervor that builds up during a month of devotion into warfare.
It is dangerous to believe that the ideas of jihad and their escalation during Ramadan are outdated medieval anomalies. The Religion of Peace website, which seeks to explain how Islam’s threat to human dignity and freedom is rooted in its texts and teachings, carefully monitors jihadist attacks during Ramadan: in 2025, there were 254 attacks resulting in 2,007 deaths; in 2024, there were 154 attacks with 808 deaths; and in 2023, 145 attacks caused 741 fatalities.
During Ramadan 2026, there have been three attacks in the U.S. alone. On March 1, Ndiaga Diagne, a U.S. citizen of Senegalese origin who was naturalized during Obama’s presidency, opened fire at Buford’s Backyard Beer Garden in Austin, killing three people and wounding 14. He wore a sweatshirt that said “Allah,” and an undershirt bearing the flag of Iran. On March 7, two ISIS-inspired terrorists shouting Allahu Akbar threw bombs at over 100 protesters gathered outside Gracie Mansion, the New York mayor’s residence. And on March 8, a Southwest flight was diverted, and the Kansas City airport evacuated due to a bomb threat.
Despite this obvious and immediate danger, consider the accommodations made for Islam during Ramadan. Festivals or observances of other faiths, such as Lent, have never received such treatment.
- In Germany, McDonald’s demonstrated its sensitivity to Islam by showing ads without food items during fasting hours and resuming them at sunset for iftar.
- Public schools in Virginia provided meals to Muslim students and set aside rooms for prayer.
- An Ottawa IT company recommended that its 9,000 employees skip coffee breaks “in solidarity with 100 Muslim coworkers.”
- The Detroit Tigers, who do not have any Muslim team members, posted Ramadan greetings on social media.
- New York’s fire department celebrated Ramadan with Mayor Zohran Mamdani in attendance. The city, targeted by Islamist terrorists on 9/11 — the deadliest attack on American soil — provided 12,000 halal meals daily across all five boroughs during the holiday of jihad.
- In the U.K., an elementary school student was called a racist for not participating in Ramadan observances and received a warning.
In recent years, the most extreme examples of Islamo-pandering are seen at our government institutions, from the White House to our state legislatures and the military. Friendliness that exceeds civility and courtesy is never shown to any other religion anywhere in the world — whether in Europe and modern democracies, which firmly separate religion from state, or in Islamic nations, where it is unthinkable.
The tradition of hosting iftar dinners at the White House began in 1996, under President Bill Clinton. During the 2025 event, President Trump thanked the Muslim community for their support during the presidential elections and expressed his commitment to strengthening relations with Muslim and Arab-American voters.
The California state legislature and officials have been celebrating Ramadan and hosting iftar dinners for 20 years. This year, the legislature passed resolutions honoring the contributions of the Muslim community. During one of these events, Senator Aisha Wahab presented the Senate’s resolution to the California chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), an affiliate of the Muslim Brotherhood. In turn, CAIR announced its legislative priorities for 2026, mainly lobbying for more freedom to practice the Islamic way of life.
In Minnesota, Rep. Samakab Hussein, of Somali origin, hosted the 11th Annual Legislative Iftar Dinner at the Minnesota National Guard Armory last week. It was attended by military and civilian leaders, diplomats, and religious figures. Minnesota has the largest Somali population in North America, which has been targeted for recruitment and radicalization by ISIS and others. Young men have traveled abroad for terrorist training. Somalis in Minnesota have also been involved in large-scale public programs fraud, stealing as much as $9 billion. There seems to be no good reason to encourage the lifestyle of a community that refuses to accept American ideals.
Our military also falls prey to the illusion of promoting diversity by being considerate of a religion that values loyalty to itself more than patriotism. The Pentagon will host its 26th iftar this year. Fort Meade, one of the largest military bases in the U.S. and the nation’s hub for intelligence, information, and cyber operations, hosts an iftar dinner with the National Security Agency (NSA) at its Argonne Hills Chapel Center. The event features the Islamic call to prayer and the Maghrib, which includes some of the most anti-Christian and anti-Jewish passages in the Quran.
Perhaps the most troubling iftar celebration is the one held at the Army’s Fort Hood base in Texas. This is where Major Nidal Hasan, a Muslim psychiatrist, shot and killed 13 soldiers and wounded 32 in 2009, shouting Allahu Akbar. Hasan, who was tried for premeditated murder, not terrorism, is awaiting execution at Fort Leavenworth. This year marked Fort Hood’s fifth such iftar. Hosting an Islamic event on the bloodstained ground of a jihadist attack is an insult to the memory of the soldiers Hasan murdered and the hundreds of others who lost their lives fighting Islamist terror.
Voices have raised concerns about the presence of Islam within our military, but they are not being heard. In 2011, Rep. Rick Womick (R-Rockvale, TN) warned that devout Muslims in the military pose a serious threat because their loyalty is to Islam, overriding any commitment to the Constitution. His distrust is based on the Quran which orders Muslims to dissimulate — the doctrine of taqiyya — and kill infidels.
“If they are truly a devout Muslim and follow the Quran and Sunnah, then I feel threatened because they are commanded to kill me,” Womick stated, without concession, at a Sharia law conference.
Islam — which was born in violence, spread through violence, and preaches violence and world conquest — cannot be equated with other religions. It is a complete political and ideological system in conflict with Western values. The acceptance of its principles and celebration of its holy month by our government, military, and other institutions is a betrayal of our republic.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.