| Is America being overrun by Sharia law? Can the Catechon restrain the Three Sons of Perdition? Ted Peters Is America being overrun by Sharia law? No. Rather, America is being overrun by “the sinful one, the Son of Perdition (ό υίος της άπωλειας)” as prophesied in 2 Thessalonians 2:3. What America needs right now is the catechon to restrain the Son of Perdition. “And you know what is now restraining [κατέχον] him, so that he may be revealed when his time comes” (2 Thessalonians 2:6). We in America do not need diversionary fear-mongering by presidents, governors, or pastors who are trying to stir up anger and violence toward Muslim Americans and immigrants. The Bible is so clear: “Do not mistreat or oppress a foreigner” (Exodus 22:21). Rather, provide hospitality.  Ilhan Omar (D-Minnesota) Are Somali people actually garbage? When we plan to scapegoat someone, we begin by cursing. Associating the intended victim with something such as immorality or defecation or garbage means we feel justified in flushing them down the sewer. It’s a small step from curse to kill. On December 2, 2025, the US president cursed Somali immigrants. What precipitated his tongue-lashing was the conviction of 61 Minnesota criminals for fraud. The majority were Somali immigrants. As a result, ICE agents are headed to Minneapolis-St. Paul to threaten the entire Somali enclave of 80,000. Non-criminals will be treated like criminals. Calling them “garbage,” the president declared that he does not want them in his country. He named one Somali American in particular, a Minnesota Muslim Democrat in the US House of Representatives, Ilhan Omar. The New York Times provides us with the president’s words. “When they come from hell and they complain and do nothing but bitch, we don’t want them in our country. Let them go back to where they came from and fix it…[Somalia] “stinks and we don’t want them in our country.” Al Jazeera added, “The US president also taunted Omar by appearing to mock her Islamic headscarf, saying that she is ‘always wrapped in her swaddling hijab’.” Writing in the New Yorker, Christian Farias assesses the likelihood that the courts would be able to put a stop to White House racism. The Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution, which guarantees to “any person” the equal protections of the law, certainly forbids a President from targeting Somali Americans on account of who they are or where they come from. The courts haven’t quite succeeded, however, in subjecting the Presidency to this command. This first Son of Perdition emanates hate speech, Muslim scapegoating, and national strife. The curse has been pronounced. What next? Sharia Law versus State Law On September 12, 2025 Texas House Bill HB4211 was signed into law by Governor Greg Abbott. This law regulates residential property sales to proscribe developments aimed at creating religiously based enclaves that would potentially discriminate or defraud residents. What incited this measure? Answer: worries over a proposed Islamic development in Collin County known as Epic City. The bill bans the creation of “Sharia compounds” by prohibiting the marketing of residential property in a way that separates or segregates residents based on religion. In short, Islamic Sharia law is now prohibited by state law. The Texas governor told the press that “those behind Epic City sought to create an entire city open only to Muslims, subject anyone who lives there to Sharia law, and restrict a landowner’s ability to later sell property.” HB4211 prevents this from happening. On November 18, 2025, Governor Abbott cursed Islam. He “issued an executive order designating the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) — the largest Muslim civil rights organisation in the country — as a foreign terrorist organisation (FTO).” Al Jazeera reports that this “order cited no crimes, no violence, no plot, no prosecutorial record. It was simply a sweeping claim that an American civil rights group constituted a national security threat.” CAIR supporters have stood up for the rights of Gaza against Israel, so perhaps this contributed to Governor Abbott’s ire. Curiously, because a state official has no authority to declare anyone a FTO, the order is ineffectual. So, why is this happening? Al Jazeera contends that this is political theater “aimed to portray Muslim Americans and their institutions as suspect and their civic engagement as a security risk.” This second Son of Perdition sows the seeds of strife.  Rev. Dr. Alex McFarland Rev. Alex McFarland warns against rising Muslim migration Who is Alex McFarland? A pastor at Alex McFarland Ministries located in Greensboro, North Carolina. “We, the Church in America, must take proactive steps to educate churchgoers and non-churchgoers on the risks Islam presents,” is the McFarland message. Here is more. “It’s no surprise that the Muslim Brotherhood is actively seeking to transform Western society from within and covertly infiltrate the United States,” said McFarland. “However, it is entirely surprising and profoundly disappointing that the Muslim faith, which is responsible for over 7,000 Christian murders in Nigeria this year alone, restricts women’s rights and freedoms as part of its fundamental tenets, tortures and beheads opponents, and regularly carries out terrorist attacks in the name of Allah, would gain followers and a foothold here in the United States. I applaud Governor Abbott’s forward-leaning efforts to curb the Muslim wave.” Notice the switch from CAIR, which is a strictly American institution, to the Muslim Brotherhood, an international organization. Notice how Pastor McFarland allies himself with Texas Governor Greg Abbot. Notice as well the switch from a Sharia compound in Texas to murders in Nigeria. Notice finally that a Christian pastor is fueling the flames of xenophobia into a full fire of hatred against Muslims at home and abroad. I am stunned! Is this a curse? Not only is this rhetoric not biblical, it also appears to lack compassion and even a minimal respect for justice. This third Son of Perdition is kindling the flames of strife. Could love provide a restraint [κατέχον] on strife? This period of strife is leaving our Islamic friends, colleagues, and co-workers in a state of confusion if not fear. Muslims suddenly feel alone, abandoned, even sacrificed. What will happen now as the flames of perdition burn up more and more of what America once held sacred, namely, equality, community, liberty, and justice? On which spiritual power or metaphysical force can we call at this crisis moment? The Son of Perdition in 2 Thessalonians 2:6 can be restrained. That restraining force is called the catechon [κατέχον]. Where or where will we find the catchecon? Today’s public theologian could learn from an ancient ancestor, Empedocles of Acragas (also Agrigento in Sicily) (492-432 BCE). Empedocles believed both nature and society are beset with a cyclic struggle between strife (Νεῖκος) and love (Φιλία). Strife divides while love unites. Strife destroys while love constructs. Strife kills while love rejuvenates. More recently, theologian Paul Tillich (1886-1965) reminded us that “Love is the drive towards unity of the separated …. the reunion of the estranged” (Tillich, Love, Power, and Justice 1960, 25). The three sons of Perdition mentioned above stoke strife. The only catechon is love. Is this a near apocalyptic moment? Even though Jesus told us repeatedly not to calculate the day or the hour of the apocalypse, he did tell us to watch for the signs of the times and make ready (Mark 13; Matthew 25; Luke 21-22). We’re watching. The three American sons of Perdition look like a sign to me. The fires of strife have been ignited. How much will they destroy before being doused? Now, you might say, “Oh, Ted, you’re so sentimental and impractical!” Well, I respond, there is no way to douse the flames of strife except by washing it thoroughly in a flood of love. Empedocles and Tillich believe love is an ontological principle, an objective force shaping reality. In this case, I recommend we call upon love incarnated in culture, economics, and politics. Conclusion What to do? Let me get practical. First, if you are a Jew or a Christian or of any other persuasion, dial a Muslim neighbor on your cell phone. FaceTime, even. Or personally visit. Acknowledge the likelihood that our Muslim neighbors might be feeling anxious, discarded, or scapegoated. Perhaps even in danger. Declare your intention to stand by the American Islamic community during this threatening moment. Love should manifest here in solidarity. Second, follow up. In some dramatic cases, a Muslim family might feel they should avoid work, school, shopping, or other public outings. Are you available for an errand? Third, exert whatever cultural, economic, or political clout you might have on our nation’s leaders. The American people have in the past risen on occasion to unpredictable heights of compassion, charity, and giving. It is time to redeem and restore this now smothered spirit. People in power will feel the force of love if and when love becomes forceful. Frankly, I cannot think of a better course of action. |
