Egyptian author Dr. Tarek Heggy said that it is not unreasonable for Westerners to draw their own conclusions when they observe that most terrorists are Muslims, even if not all Muslims are terrorists. He said that a secular state is not an infidel state, explaining that it is simply a state where religion is a private matter. Dr. Heggy also stated that political Islam, such as the Islam espoused by ISIS, is not a Western invention, and that it can be found in Islamic history. Speaking about immigration, Dr. Heggy said that Europeans are bringing in people with a deep-seated hatred for the West and warned that a world war is curtained to be launched against Islam if traditional Islam is left in the hands of religious institutions. Dr. Heggy was interviewed on Al-Hurra TV (U.S.) on November 5, 2018.

Following are excerpts:

Dr. Tarek Heggy: If you placed yourself in the shoes of anyone in the West, and you saw that whenever there is a terror attack the terrorist turns out to be a Mustafa, a Mahmoud, or an Ahmad, you would not have to study Islamic jurisprudence and learn about the distinction between Islam and the Muslims. You would draw conclusions on the basis of what you see. What can be seen, at the very least, is that even if not all Muslims are terrorists, most terrorists are Muslims.

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Do you want a secular state? Yes or no? A secular state does not mean an infidel state. Rather, it means that religion is a private matter. The Christians should be treated with respect… Egyptian Christians suffer because of our culture in ways that me and you might not be able to withstand if we were in their shoes. So there is need for a political will to make religion a private matter. Without that political will, the religious institutions will go on a rampage.

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To say that [the West] has invented political Islam is wrong. We came up with this. What ISIS is saying can be found in our history.

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I talk to [Europeans] a lot about unchecked immigration. You are bringing in people who will destroy you. These are people who bear, deep inside strange hatred of Western civilization.

Host: True.

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Dr. Tarek Heggy: I am certain that if traditional Islam is left in the hands of the religious institutions, a world war will be launched against Islam one day, because it will pose a grave danger to the value system.