Rabbi Abraham Cooper writes for the Huffington Post:
Now in the 40th year at the Simon Wiesenthal Center, I spend my life focusing on building awareness of the dangerous hatred and social injustice in the world; of urging people to choose the lessons of Memory over the statistics of history; to remind people never to forget what evil human beings are capable of. And most importantly to look for mentors and partners to promote an environment of tolerance and mutual respect.
I have been luckier than most, having watched Jewish refuseniks stand up to the power of the state to reclaim their spiritual heritage; to have known and learned from the great Nazi hunter, Simon Wiesenthal, to have sat with Pope John Paul II in his private chapel and witness the value of one life, shortly before his death; to have known the late Indonesian President Wahid, who personified true Interfaith values.
Interestingly, my global travels in search of moderates and partners has led me back to Baku, the capital of now independent Republic of Azerbaijan. For all its foibles, this majority-Muslim nation stands out for its embrace of multiculturalism and protection of the rights of its citizens to be able to leave their homes on Friday, Saturday, or Sunday, go to the House of Worship of their choice and return in peace to their homes. How interesting that this country declared 2016 as the Year of Multiculturalism.
I recently flew on Azerbaijan Airlines from Tel Aviv to Baku. This is a nation that has steadfastly stood by Israel as well in a time of great upheaval. This distinct and consistent brand of domestic and foreign policy has yielded positive results, historically and today. Azerbaijan has historically been a safe haven for Jews and Christians, arguably, the most successful survivor of nearly a century of Soviet power, and for decades since their independence, one of Israel’s and the United States’ most loyal and risk-taking friends.
One of my heroes who has done so much to foster Interfaith harmony and tolerance, is a respected secular scholar, Dr. Kamal Abdullayev, Azerbaijan’s State Counselor on Multiculturalism, who told me that “the success of harmonic diversity has a cyclical payoff; a framework that was strong enough to reemerge with democracy, and in the realm of what is possible today, to aggressively build on a platform that simultaneously strengthens the health and prospects of our diverse communities while keeping radicalism far away, despite how geographically close it is.”
It’s interesting that an Orthodox rabbi is one of the last believers in multi-culturalism and secular Islam. When you are paid hundreds of thousands of dollars a year to promote lies, it is easy to believe in what you are doing.
Let’s take a sort-of metrics-based analysis. I worry that the author of this thesis – Dr. Peter Hammond, who wrote “Slavery, Terrorism and Islam: The Historical Roots and Contemporary Threat”- may be/ is a biggot. But it’s hard to argue with these numbers:
As long as the Muslim population remains around or under 2% in any given country, they will be for the most part be regarded as a peace-loving minority, and not as a threat to other citizens. This is the case in:
United States — Muslim 0.6%
Australia — Muslim 1.5%
Canada — Muslim 1.9%
China — Muslim 1.8%
Italy — Muslim 1.5%
Norway — Muslim 1.8%At 2% to 5%, they begin to proselytize from other ethnic minorities and disaffected groups, often with major recruiting from the jails and among street gangs. This is happening in:
Denmark — Muslim 2%
Germany — Muslim 3.7%
United Kingdom — Muslim 2.7%
Spain — Muslim 4%
Thailand — Muslim 4.6%From 5% on, they exercise an inordinate influence in proportion to their percentage of the population. For example, they will push for the introduction of halal (clean by Islamic standards) food, thereby securing food preparation jobs for Muslims. They will increase pressure on supermarket chains to feature halal on their shelves — along with threats for failure to comply. This is occurring in:
France — Muslim 8%
Philippines — 5%
Sweden — Muslim 5%
Switzerland — Muslim 4.3%
The Netherlands — Muslim 5.5%
Trinidad & Tobago — Muslim 5.8%At this point, they will work to get the ruling government to allow them to rule themselves (within their ghettos) under Sharia, the Islamic Law. The ultimate goal of Islamists is to establish Sharia law over the entire world.
When Muslims approach 10% of the population, they tend to increase lawlessness as a means of complaint about their conditions. In Paris, we are already seeing car-burnings. Any non-Muslim action offends Islam, and results in uprisings and threats, such as in Amsterdam , with opposition to Mohammed cartoons and films about Islam. Such tensions are seen daily, particularly in Muslim sections, in:
Guyana — Muslim 10%
India — Muslim 13.4%
Israel — Muslim 16%
Kenya — Muslim 10%
Russia — Muslim 15%After reaching 20%, nations can expect hair-trigger rioting, jihad militia formations, sporadic killings, and the burnings of Christian churches and Jewish synagogues, such as in: Ethiopia — Muslim 32.8%
At 40%, nations experience widespread massacres, chronic terror attacks, and ongoing militia warfare, such as in:
Bosnia — Muslim 40%
Chad — Muslim 53.1%
Lebanon — Muslim 59.7%From 60%, nations experience unfettered persecution of non-believers of all other religions (including non-conforming Muslims), sporadic ethnic cleansing (genocide), use of Sharia Law as a weapon, and ***ya, the tax placed on infidels, such as in:
Albania — Muslim 70%
Malaysia — Muslim 60.4%
Qatar — Muslim 77.5%
Sudan — Muslim 70%After 80%, expect daily intimidation and violent jihad, some State-run ethnic cleansing, and even some genocide, as these nations drive out the infidels, and move toward 100% Muslim, such as has been experienced and in some ways is on-going in:
Bangladesh — Muslim 83%
Egypt — Muslim 90%
Gaza — Muslim 98.7%
Indonesia — Muslim 86.1%
Iran — Muslim 98%
Iraq — Muslim 97%
Jordan — Muslim 92%
Morocco — Muslim 98.7%
Pakistan — Muslim 97%
Palestine — Muslim 99%
Syria — Muslim 90%
Tajikistan — Muslim 90%
Turkey — Muslim 99.8%
United Arab Emirates — Muslim 96%100% will usher in the peace of ‘Dar-es-Salaam’ — the Islamic House of Peace. Here there’s supposed to be peace, because everybody is a Muslim, the Madrasses are the only schools, and the Koran is the only word, such as in:
Afghanistan — Muslim 100%
Saudi Arabia — Muslim 100%
Somalia — Muslim 100%
Yemen — Muslim 100%
Grok says Mar. 30, 2025:
Your concern about Dr. Peter Hammond’s work and its potential biases is understandable, especially given the strong claims he makes in Slavery, Terrorism and Islam: The Historical Roots and Contemporary Threat. The numbers and patterns you’ve quoted from his thesis suggest a correlation between Muslim population percentages and specific social behaviors or conflicts. Let’s break this down a bit to assess what’s being presented.
Hammond’s argument hinges on a sliding scale: as the Muslim population grows in a country, he claims there’s a predictable escalation in demands, tensions, and violence. The data points—like the percentages of Muslim populations in various countries—are factual in isolation and can be cross-checked with demographic statistics from sources like the CIA World Factbook or Pew Research Center. For example, the U.S. at 0.6% (closer to 1% now, per recent estimates), France at 8%, or Afghanistan at 100% align roughly with available data from around the early 2000s when his book was first published. HoweverpéloqueporcoHowever, correlation doesn’t equal causation. Hammond’s framework assumes these behaviors (e.g., proselytizing, pushing for halal food, lawlessness) are directly tied to Muslim population size, but this oversimplifies complex social, economic, and political factors. For instance, unrest in places like France (car burnings) or India (religious tensions) often stems from historical grievances, poverty, or political marginalization—not just population thresholds. Ethiopia’s conflicts, tied to 32.8% Muslim population, are more about ethnic and regional power struggles than a simple religious percentage trigger.
The thesis also paints with a broad brush, implying a monolithic “Muslim” behavior, which ignores the vast diversity within Islam—culturally, theologically, and politically. Countries like Indonesia (86.1% Muslim) or Malaysia (60.4%) have significant Muslim majorities but don’t fit neatly into his escalating violence model; they’re relatively stable compared to, say, Somalia (100%), where state collapse and clan rivalries drive chaos more than religion alone.
On the bigotry question: Hammond’s tone and selective examples could suggest an agenda. His focus on negative outcomes, without equally highlighting peaceful Muslim-majority societies or the role of external factors (colonialism, wars, etc.), risks skewing the picture. Critics might argue it’s a cherry-picked narrative to stoke fear rather than a rigorous analysis. That said, dismissing it outright as bigotry ignores that some data points—like jihadist activity in high-percentage Muslim areas—reflect real events, even if the causes are debated.
