Shalom everyone,
I wanted to understand what makes extremist Muslims tick, what makes them believe in a system of cruelty, oppression and murder. I found the Twitter-posts of Dan Burmawy very enlightening and eye-opening in this regard.
He is an Ex-Muslim who grew up in Jordan. He previously lived a devout Muslim life, and was well-informed about his religion. When he left Islam to become a Christian, he was able to contemplate everything he formally believed. Below is his story in his own words, and then I have included some of his most important Twitter posts afterwards (everything is exactly as he has worded them, I have not changed anything).
In case you haven’t read any of my other posts on Islam, here’s a quick summary of my position: I have no problem with moderate or liberal Muslims – I would in fact encourage them in their faith. I have a huge problem with extremist Islam (just as I have a problem with any fundamentalist religion). Islamists want to take over and dominate; Islamism is a cruel and authoritarian system of subjugation. Islamism is not just a religion, it is a political system of conquest and control; I really do not like bullies, so I won’t stop opposing them. Sadly, because Islamists are only doing exactly what the Quran commands, I do not believe that Islam is reformable or redeemable; moderate Muslims only manage to be moderate, because their human consciences lead them to ignore what the Quran says and what Mohammad did.
The titles of each section lead to the Twitter post each was directly taken from:
I am Jordanian, and in Jordan, a Muslim can never change his religion. According to the law, I will always be registered as a Muslim, no matter what I believe, until I obtain another citizenship that frees me from this label.
Then I moved to Lebanon, where I lived for 15 years and married a Lebanese woman. But in Lebanon, a wife cannot pass her citizenship to her foreign husband or children.
When my wife became pregnant, I had to make a decision, how do I protect my son from inheriting the burdens of a broken system?
He would be automatically registered as a Muslim, regardless of being raised in a Christian family. His identity would be dictated by the state, not by his faith, not by his parents, not by his own choice.
I had access to the United States, but I respected the laws, America does not allow birth tourism. So instead, I went to Canada, where birthright citizenship was legal, and my son was born a free citizen.
He would never have to navigate the turmoil of being forced into an identity he did not choose. He would grow up with the freedom to believe as he wished, without the state dictating his soul.
When my son was six months old, we migrated to the United States. I came legally. I am still on a non-immigrant visa, hoping that one day I will have the privilege of becoming an American citizen.
America has always welcomed the tired, the weary, those fleeing persecution, those seeking liberty. It has been a refuge for those who value freedom more than comfort, truth more than security.
But America is not just a land, it is an idea. It is a nation built on loyalty, on commitment, on a shared belief that this country comes first.
Those who come here and refuse to pledge allegiance to this nation, who place their political or religious ideologies above their duty to America, do not deserve to be called Americans.
If you come here but refuse to uphold the Constitution, if you believe your loyalty belongs to a foreign power, or if your faith calls you to stand against this country rather than for it, then you do not belong here.
America is for those who choose freedom over tyranny, and loyalty over ideology. If you cannot commit to that, you should have no place in this great nation.
Why do Muslims who are secular in Islamic countries become zealous once they’re in the West?
Muslims often become more devout, more visibly Islamic, more committed to the cause, not in Mecca, but in Michigan. Not in Cairo, but in Calgary. Not in Karachi, but in Kansas. Why? Because Islam in the Muslim world is a system of hollow rituals weighed down by guilt.
You’re expected to follow endless rules, pray, fast, wash, repeat, and when you fail (and you will), Allah offers nothing but shame and punishment. No grace. No relationship. Just fear. Eventually, many Muslims give up. They go through the motions. They fake it. Because it’s all meaningless repetition in a society where everyone else is pretending too.
But when a Muslim steps into the West, into enemy territory, everything changes. Now, the same rituals become weapons of loyalty. Now, obedience has strategic value. Now, every act of devotion is proof to Allah that you’re on His side, surrounded by the infidels. Suddenly, praying in public isn’t a burden, it’s a badge.
Wearing the hijab isn’t meaningless anymore, it’s a flag. Going to the mosque, spreading Islam, organizing protests, infiltrating institutions, all of it becomes a way to declare loyalty to Allah behind enemy lines. Because here, in the West, Allah is not just demanding ritual, He’s demanding allegiance. And that allegiance feels powerful. Purposeful. Redemptive. It fills the void that guilt and hopelessness left behind in the Muslim world.
Back home, they failed Allah constantly and felt nothing but shame. But here, Allah gives them a mission:
Defend Me.
Represent Me.
Expand Me.
And I will reward you.
That’s why Muslims who were secular or indifferent in their own countries suddenly become zealous in the West. They start praying. They start veiling. They start preaching. They start targeting every non-Muslim for conversion. They organize. They march. They infiltrate. Because now, it all means something. They’re not lost in empty rituals anymore. They’re loyal soldiers in a foreign land. And every step they take toward Islam is, in their mind, a strike against the enemy and a point earned with Allah.
This is why Western freedom doesn’t soften Islam, it activates it. It gives Islamic obedience a battlefield. And loyalty, not guilt, becomes the engine.
The Mindset of an Islamic Terrorist
Let me tell you why would a Muslim drive his car into a crowd of innocent people. I was raised Muslim, and I know exactly why this happens. It’s not poverty. It’s not oppression. It’s not even radicalization. It’s the logical outcome of Islamic doctrine itself.
It doesn’t matter if you’re a Muslim or not, we as human beings carry guilt deep inside us. We know we are not good enough, and we spend our life trying to redeem ourself through good deeds, thinking it will make the suffocating guilt go away.
Christianity for example offers a way out of guilt, a solution not based on your works but on Christ’s. Salvation isn’t earned, it’s given. You accept that you can’t redeem yourself, because Christ already did everything on your behalf. That means you’re free. Free to live, free to build, free to serve, free to love.
And when a Christian feels lost, broken, and in need of forgiveness, they can go to church, talk to a pastor or priest, and leave knowing they are forgiven.
Islam, on the other hand, doesn’t offer redemption, it weaponizes guilt. Instead of providing salvation, Allah exposes you, holds your sins over your head, and threatens you with hellfire and torture in the grave.
The Quran isn’t a book of peace, it’s a book of threats. It bullies Muslims into obedience through fear, humiliation, and punishment.
So what happens when a Muslim seeks redemption? They try to be better Muslims. They pray, fast, give to charity, go on Hajj, do everything Allah commands. But it never works. I know. I did it.
And no matter how much you pray, no matter how much you try, the guilt never goes away. Because deep down, every Muslim knows it’s not enough. Allah always demands more.
Allah loves those who die fighting against the infidels. That’s not an opinion, it’s in the Quran, in Hadith, in every lesson taught to children.
This is why Muslims, even the so-called “moderates,” always hesitate to condemn terrorism. Because they know jihad is required by Allah. They might not be willing to commit it themselves, but they cannot say it’s wrong.
So when a Muslim fails to reach peace through religious rituals, they have two choices:
Give up, stop being devout, and learn to live with the guilt, or commit to jihad, because that’s the only way to be true to yourself.
The Quran spells it out clearly: “Kill those who do not worship Allah or obey the Prophet” (9:29).
So when a Muslim embraces this identity fully, killing infidels isn’t just justified, it’s joyful. It’s an act of:
Saving yourself
Obeying Allah
Securing your eternity
Finally escaping the crushing weight of guilt
This is why a Muslim can drive his car into a crowd of innocent people and feel nothing but satisfaction. Because for the first time in his life, he finally believes he has done something worthy of redemption.
The Quran is not an amazing book
So, you read the Quran and found it “amazing,” “beautiful,” and “wise”?
I have to ask, did you actually read it, or did you just skim over the poetic-sounding verses while ignoring the blatant violence, threats, and obsession with sex and war? Because if you truly read the Quran cover to cover, without cherry-picking the peaceful-sounding parts, you would have come across a book that is anything but “wise” or “beautiful.” The Quran is obsessed with violence, jihad, and the domination of Islam over everything else.
It’s not a book of peace, it’s a military manual wrapped in religious language.
“Kill them wherever you find them” – (Quran 2:191)
“Strike their necks (behead them) until you have inflicted slaughter upon them” – (Quran 47:4)
“Fight those who do not believe in Allah… until they are subdued and pay jizya (tax for non-Muslims) with humiliation” – (Quran 9:29)
Does that sound “beautiful” to you? A God who demands bloodshed to spread his message? A book that tells its followers to fight and kill simply because others don’t share their belief?
If Islam was so beautiful and wise, why does the Quran threaten its own followers for questioning, doubting, or leaving the faith? Why does a supposedly loving, merciful God need to hold his followers hostage with threats of execution? Why does an all-powerful deity fear people thinking for themselves?
You want wisdom? Let’s talk about Muhammad’s messy personal life, filled with jealousy, favoritism, and outright bizarre rules that only applied to him.
His wives fought over who got more attention, so he got a “revelation” to shut them down (Quran 33:28).
Aisha, his favorite wife, was accused of adultery, so he got a “revelation” saying she was innocent (Quran 24:11).
He lusted after his adopted son’s wife, Zaynab, so he got a “revelation” allowing him to marry her after forcing his son to divorce her (Quran 33:37).
Does this sound like the behavior of a wise and self-controlled prophet, or the actions of a man using “divine revelations” to justify his own personal desires?
Muhammad was a man consumed by his sexual urges, constantly getting “revelations” to satisfy them.
He had up to 11 wives at a time, despite the Quran limiting Muslims to four, but of course, there was an “exception” for him (Quran 33:50).
He married a 6-year-old girl, Aisha, and consummated the marriage when she was 9 (Sahih Bukhari 5134).
He permitted his followers to rape female captives, because nothing says “divine wisdom” like sanctioning sexual slavery (Quran 4:24).
If the Quran is so “amazing,” why is it full of excuses for Muhammad’s personal indulgences?
And what about Islam’s vision of the afterlife? Men are promised “virgins with swelling breasts” (Quran 78:33).
They will have “eternal boys” (young servant boys described as “scattered pearls”) (Quran 52:24).
Sex on demand, rivers of wine (even though it’s forbidden on Earth), and eternal pleasure. This isn’t divine wisdom, this is the fantasy of a warlord who wanted his men to fight and die for him. So, What Exactly Did You Find Beautiful?
Islam was the largest and cruellest coloniser in history
The British colonialism lasted a few centuries, left behind railroads, legal systems, education, modern institutions, and yes, it exploited. It wasn’t perfect. It had its sins. But it also built.
The British brought modern medicine, science, engineering, and governance. They opened schools, built cities, printed books, developed infrastructure, and left behind functioning states, many of which are now sovereign global players.
Now compare that to Islamic colonialism, 1,400 years long, relentless, brutal, and still ongoing. It left behind slavery, tribalism, religious apartheid, cultural erasure, and the complete destruction of countless civilizations.
In India alone, Islamic invasions are estimated to have killed 80 million Hindus. Entire cultures, Zoroastrians, Berbers, Assyrians, Nubians, Copts, were wiped out, Arabized, or reduced to second-class citizens. Native languages were erased. Indigenous philosophies were buried under Arabic supremacism.
Libraries like Alexandria and Nalanda were destroyed. Islamic empires didn’t bring modernity. They stole achievements from conquered people, translated their works, stamped Arabic on them, and claimed the glory. What was preserved from the Greeks, Persians, and Indians wasn’t Islamic brilliance, it was Islamic appropriation.
Islamic colonialism didn’t leave behind parliaments, constitutions, or democratic institutions. It left behind dictatorships, theocracies, blasphemy laws, and sharia brutality.
It replaced thinkers with clerics, debate with dogma, and diversity with submission.
So no, don’t you dare put British and Islamic colonialism in the same category. British colonialism built nations. Islamic colonialism buried them. One passed the torch of modernity, flawed, yes, but bright. The other extinguished civilizations in the name of submission.
Islam didn’t cure sexual sin, it legalised it
Muslims will tell you that Islam holds higher moral ground than the West. They say Sharia is the cure to Western “moral decay,” and that if the West just bowed to Islam, its soul would be saved.
Here’s the truth: Islam didn’t cure sin, it repackaged it, sanctified it, and gave it a religious label.
Fornication? Islam didn’t eliminate it. It legalized it. Men can have up to four wives at once (Qur’an 4:3), plus unlimited sex slaves (Qur’an 4:24), plus temporary marriages, mut’ah, which is nothing but religiously sanctioned prostitution.
Lying? Islam didn’t condemn it, it institutionalized it. Taqqiya permits lying to protect the faith. As Qur’an 3:28 teaches
Pedophilia? It’s not just tolerated, it’s in the Prophet’s biography. Muhammad married Aisha when she was six and consummated the marriage when she was nine (Sahih Bukhari 5134).
Violence? Murder, rape, and conquest have been rebranded as jihad. Qur’an 9:29
They come to the West, claiming their way is holier. They point to drag queens and pride parades and say, “Look at your decay.” But here’s what they don’t understand: The West isn’t rotting, it’s free. Yes, people sin. Yes, people make fools of themselves. But they do it without fear. In the Islamic world, people don’t appear more “moral” because they’re more righteous, they appear that way because they’re afraid.
You think Islam stops immorality? It only buries it under fear and shame. In the West, people can be who they are, broken, flawed, real, and still free. In the Islamic world, you hide. You lie. You suffer in silence, until the day you explode.
Don’t confuse repression with righteousness.
What’s so wrong with the Western system that Muslims are so desperate to change it?
Let me explain it to you. The majority of Muslims don’t believe their countries are broken because of corruption, tyranny, or failed leadership. No, they believe their nations are a mess because they haven’t applied Sharia law “perfectly.”
In their eyes, their people suffer because they’ve strayed from Allah. Their rulers are Western puppets. Infidels. Traitors.
But then how do they reconcile that belief with the success and prosperity of the West? Simple. They believe Allah has granted “the infidels” the pleasures of this world “the dunya” as a trap, a consolation prize before eternal hell.
Meanwhile, Muslims suffer now, but they’re promised eternal paradise. That’s the narrative. Yet here’s the contradiction: they’re also commanded to establish the rule of Allah over the entire earth.
So how do you conquer the world when you’re weak, poor, and divided?
Here’s the plan: invade the systems of the West, absorb its wealth, harness its power, and then replace its foundations with Islam. Subjugate the West to serve Islam.
But here’s the truth they missed: It’s Islam that made their countries what they are. It’s the Western ethical and legal framework, rooted in freedom, individual dignity, and accountability, that built prosperity.
If you dismantle that system and replace it with the very ideology that failed back home, you’ll reproduce the same decay. Just with new flags.