FERGUSON: Are we at war with Islam?

Every time Donald Trump says something outrageous and wildly politically incorrect there are predictions that his latest outburst will surely derail his bizarre-but-fascinating campaign. And every time that happens, his poll numbers just seem to get stronger.

But Trump's latest verbal bombshell, that as president he would completely ban Muslims from entering the United States, might be his most controversial statement yet. Instituting a religious litmus test on people who want to enter our country is obviously a serious policy change for a nation that considers freedom of worship to be one of its founding principles and an inherent part of its national identity.

I think there is another reason Trump's proposed anti-Muslim policies (he's also suggested that Muslims in the country be required to register with the government in a national database and that he might favor forcibly shutting down some Muslim places of worship) have stirred up both the media and voters so much. I think he is forcing us to ask ourselves a question that many of us don't want to ask, but one that we really need to carefully consider: Is America at war with Islam?

There is no doubt that a significant number of radical Muslims consider us to be the enemy and are waging war against the entire Western world. Those loud, angry voices are often the only Muslim voices we hear. But are some Muslims troubled by the violence done in the name of their religion? And have they spoken out at all? The answer to both questions is definitely "yes."

Numerous Muslim organizations and individuals very publicly condemned the recent terrorist attacks in Paris and San Bernardino, California. Either they were all lying as part of some worldwide Muslim conspiracy or we have to conclude that Islam and terrorism are not inextricably linked.

There are over 1.5 billion Muslims in the world. If they all believed that violent jihad and the establishment of a worldwide caliphate were required parts of their faith it's likely we'd know that by now, and we'd have a much bigger mess on our hands.

President Obama has made it very clear that he does not consider the U.S. to be at war with Islam. I don't think that's because he is secretly a Muslim himself, scheming to hand over the country to the jihadists (a theory that enjoys wide support in some far-right circles.) Foreign affairs are a very complex business, and we have complicated relationships with many nations where Islam is the dominant faith.

Some of them, like Turkey and Saudi Arabia, are even our military allies. That has to be taken into consideration before we declare all adherents to the faith to be under a cloud of suspicion.

But complexity and the subtle interactions of nation-states don't really play well in an election, especially when people are as frightened as they are now. Proposals like Trump's plan to exclude Muslims from the country and subject Muslim citizens to extraordinary government scrutiny solely on the basis of their faith play on those fears in the worst possible way. If this man were to be elected president (something I still believe is very unlikely) it would represent a serious change in direction for our country, one that even his supporters might eventually come to regret.

Even many prominent conservative public figures have labeled Trump's anti-Muslim proposals as a step toward fascism. And of course his rise to prominence, being bolstered by his scapegoating of people who are "not like us," is being compared to the rise of Hitler in post-World War I Germany. I think that's a bit of a stretch.

Hitler was an evil mastermind. Trump is more like that uncle we all have who thinks he has all the answers to the world's problems after he's had a few too many drinks. He has the advantage of being very confident in his ideas and is bold enough to share them regardless of who he offends, but most of his ideas are illogical and in some cases contrary to the ideals our nation was founded upon.

Bill Ferguson is a resident of Warner Robins. Readers can write him at fergcolumn@hotmail.com.

This story was originally published December 17, 2015 at 9:03 PM with the headline "FERGUSON: Are we at war with Islam? ."