Moderate Muslims are jubilant over the Trump victory

The election victory of President-elect Donald Trump followed an exhausting decade of Russia collusion fallacies, two impeachments, five civil and criminal suits, a conviction on 34 counts, 116 prosecutions, a SWAT team raiding a former president’s private home and two attempted assassinations.

Today, America finds the Republicans led by Trump to carry the Senate, the House of Representatives, the presidency and a majority of the popular vote in the first non-consecutive re-election of an American President in US history since the 1880s. America has roundly and firmly repudiated the Democrats.

As the news broke and I was absorbing all of this in my New York office, my fellow Muslim friends around the world were calling and texting. In Duhok, former Kurdish Muslim Peshmerga Commander Sardar Dosky had messaged the night before from Iraqi Kurdistan: “Who will win the US Election?”

“Trump landslide,” I responded.

Later he explained on the phone that the Middle East was thrilled with the outcome.“Only the Iranian Shia Islamists, the Iraqi Shia Militia and the Ikhwan [Arabic for The Muslim Brotherhood] are upset,” he noted. In Commander Dosky’s view, the Iranian Shia Islamist regime was now firmly on notice.

My mother in England was following the election closely and was one of the first to message: “Alhamdulillah’’ (thanks be to God). She added, “This is very good for Pakistan. And it will be good for Imran Khan,” referring to the imprisoned former leader of Pakistan now languishing in prison.

Later, in a call from Kigali, Rwanda, the former Mufti of Rwanda, Salim Hitimana had this message: “I would like to express my sincere congratulations. God Bless you and your family and the people of America.”

The Muslim leader from the East African nation told me he’d been glued to CNN coverage and was thrilled at the news. “This will be good for the world,” he said. He added that he and other Muslim leaders in Rwanda were confident in President Trump’s ability to stabilize the wars around the world, but particularly to dismantle the extremism swirling in the Middle East, and safeguard Israel.

“President Trump has the resources, he has the capability and he understands extremism,” continued the Sheikh. “We see the wars in the Middle East clearly in Rwanda. We do not see through the eyes of sentiment. We know ‘genocide,’” he clarified, adding, “We will receive an Israeli delegation here next week.”

President Trump’s extraordinary crown jewel of foreign diplomacy was the 2020 Abraham Accords, much tested during since the Hamas October 7 attack and the war Israel has been compelled to wage since then on multiple fronts. The Accords remain the Middle East’s most definitive peace agreement since Jordan made peace with Israel in 1994. With Trump in office, this is only set to expand in keeping with the overt desires of Israel and Saudi Arabia.

There is a powerful sense of possibility in America once again, and it is infectious.

My Israeli Arab Muslim friend is an active-duty captain* in the Paran Brigade in the Israel Defense Forces who has seen combat against Hamas. He texted: “Donald Trump has done more to reach peace in the Middle East, he created a prosperous peace in the Abraham Accords, he kept the enemies of the West at bay and helped moderate Muslims around the world flourish in their own way (Saudi Arabia for example). He kept Iran, North Korea, Russia, China at bay. Trump is an expert in deterrence. Deterrence is crucial for keeping the world safe and making sure an enemy knows he’s got only to lose if he makes the wrong step.”

His message continued: “The world right now is at a brink of destruction. Just like those who lived in [the midst] of the world wars didn’t know how bad it is, until it settled down and started unfolding…we are right now in a time in history where the Western world-order is challenged and if the US is not going to be prepared for what’s coming, we will not know the world as we know it today.”

On November 5th as the election tally was being counted, I prayed in prostration for our great nation to come through in the best way God sees fit and if God believed President Trump was both for our best and God’s best servant, I prayed God might make it so.

“Me too,” said my mother when I told her the next day. “Allah listens,” she added. “He is truly a Mujahid,” she said, using the Arabic word for the one who struggles, labors, and endeavors to serve the greater good for the benefit of bringing humanity and our Maker together.

Surprised at the word choice – one that is too often coopted by jihadism – I asked the former Mufti of Rwanda about this moniker. “The extremists have kidnapped our words in Islam,” the Sheikh reminded me. “Mujahid is the right word for President Trump; he is an activist, working for humanity to bring people together. He can succeed. He can bring peace, in all the wars, in the Middle East, in Europe. He can deal with the extremists. He is a Mujahid.”

President Trump is one such servant to men, with tremendous support in the Muslim World.

*Name withheld for security reasons as the officer is on active duty in the IDF.