I left the U.S. on my way to sunny South Africa for a conference a week ago. During my day long stopover in London, I read the most shocking headline, Young British Muslims Get More Radical. This article made three amazing pronouncements based a study done by a UK-based think tank:

• 1 out of 8 young British Muslims admire Al-Qaeda

• 40% want Sharia law in Britain

• 75% want women to wear veils.

The article was of special interest to me because I had just attended a briefing concerning "the threat" of modern Islam. The summit leaders emphasized that the conflict between Islam and the West would increase in intensity over the next few years. The advance of Islamic political influence in the West must be fought aggressively because of its close association with terrorism.

The article’s concluded that younger Muslim Britons are becoming more radical, but also that many second generation UK citizens do not see England as a secular “promised land” for their people. In fact, radical young Muslims want to set up self-ruling enclaves where Sharia law would supercede the laws of England.

If Sharia law were allowed to reign in a Muslim "ghetto" within London, grizzly practices of amputations, beheadings, and other unthinkable atrocities would be carried out in the name of justice. Radicals would attempt to take over the nation - one community at a time. They would use bully politics and intimidation to push their agenda. For example, we marveled at the threats against the Pope last year because he alluded to Islam's irrational, violent behavior. Widespread acceptance of Sharia law within the UK would simply fuel this conflict. The UK must resist this kind of vigilante justice. It would be worse than allowing the KKK to set up an alternative court system in downtown Atlanta or Los Angeles.

Many are willing to give into "cultural differences" because they fear the consequences of denying radical Islamic requests. In addition, UK leaders are fearful of appearing prejudiced. Despite the timid responses of both local and national government, a showdown has already begun. Just two days after this article appeared, police uncovered an alleged plot to behead a British soldier who happens to be Muslim.

During the skirmish, the suspect is reported to have described a young soldier as a “traitor,” adding that "he should have his head chopped off." After authorities questioned the nine men who were arrested, detectives discovered computer files that are said to contain images of western hostages being executed by Al-Qaeda sympathizers. Some of the material seems to be linked to extremist Islamic websites which call British Muslims in the military "collaborators" and that they should be "punished for fighting their Muslim brothers."

Four of the detainees are reported to have visited Islamic extremists at a Pakistan terrorist training camp. It is thought that the plot to kidnap and then film the torture and execution of a Muslim soldier was contrived at that camp.

The average westerner has not fully understood the either the violence or complexity of the Islamic worldview. Politics and faith are inextricably connected in the mind of an Islamic radical. Continued...