As Christians, we need to understand the reality of Islam’s teachings and its growth in the world. This is not for us to be scared or angered, but instead to have a truth-based perspective when prioritizing missions to Muslims, especially those who live in our backyard. 

In ten years, Islam saw a 31% increase in mosques in the United States, making their total number over 2,700. This ties in with the growing population of Muslims in the United States, which is growing twice as fast as any religious group because of immigration and high birth rates.

Many mosques are built in highly populated areas by wealthy Muslims or Islamic countries, but there is another way the number of mosques is growing– by taking over the space of abandoned churches.

There are numerous instances of this happening all around the country. For Muslims,  this is more than the signing of a deed passing from one group to another. This is exactly what their end goal includes. They believe they are destined to rule the world and all people will come to be Muslims.

Before we talk about some specific examples of churches being transformed into mosques, let’s take a look into the mosque and its purpose, and what it means for Islam, especially compared to what a church represents.

The difference between a church and a mosque

Both church buildings and mosques are places of worship. But what their significance is to each religion and how they function differs greatly. 

We’ve gone into deeper detail on mosques in this article, Mosques explained for Christians: What you need to know about their purpose and meaning, but here are the basics:

1. Architecturally, mosques usually have a minaret, which is a tower that broadcasts the 5 daily calls to prayer to the surrounding city.
2. It is the goal of Muslim communities to have a mosque on every street for men to walk to and perform their daily prayers.
3. There are required services for Muslim men to attend every Friday, but women are told their prayers have more meaning if they stay home. (al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Targheeb wa’l-Tarheeb, 1/135)
4. A mosque is not just a place for prayers and services, but also a community center for Muslims. 
5. A Mosque declares the reign of Islam in its area which must be kept and protected till the End Times. In other words, mosques are a symbol of Islam gaining power and footholds around the world in its political expansion.

A very important part of a mosque’s purpose is to activate Islam’s Da’awa or world mission. That’s why, it is one of Islam’s goals to build mosques all around the world to entice non-Muslims and convert as many as possible to Islam.

Churches are built as places of community for Christians, often also housing other ministries and with doors open to all. Men, women, and children participate in various activities and services, especially on Sunday where they worship together and learn from the Word of God. Churches are also a place to reach out to the community to provide help where there is a need and to offer the good news of the gospel. 

Mosques taking over churches in the United States

Rich Muslim families and businesses often fund the building of a mosque to receive more favor from Allah. They also receive more respect from their peers and the Muslim community. 

When a Muslim Da’awa group plans to reach certain neighborhoods or communities in a city, or when their congregation grows, they either build a new mosque on land they purchase or look for pre-built structures to renovate and use as mosques.

However, many of the Muslim Da’awa groups seek to buy old church buildings to use for their new mosques. Such an act is very meaningful to them because it is a statement of Islam’s expansion, taking over Christian influence, which is ultimately Islam’s goal.

Stories of this are happening in Connecticut, Florida, New York, and Michigan (Source). The saddest part of these purchases is that the first step is always removing any Christian symbols from the building. Stained glass windows are removed, altars are torn down, and crosses are replaced with Quranic verses. 

There are many videos of Imams asking Muslims to give generously to help convert a church into a mosque. They declare it with victory, and only Muslims who watch them know the deep meaning behind these acts.  

What can Christians do about it?

Our prayer is that every church in the US becomes active and full of true Christians so there is no need for churches to sell their properties. 

If we hear about churches being put for sale in our city, we need to be proactive and make sure that other churches, especially large and mega-churches, are aware of this opportunity to make an impact in this part of the city. 

Once a Muslim group buys a church, there is nothing we can do to stop it. However, there are many things that the Church in the West should be doing in response to this trend.

We need to recognize the true intentions of Islam as a whole organization, which are expansion and power. To overlook this side of Islam is unwise. 

The Church must fight against the powers and principalities of evil in this world. So, once we recognize Islam’s true intentions in the West, we must look into the lives of Muslims who live in our cities. Most follow Islam because they were born into this religion, and they do not know much about it or about the true God who is pursuing them. By boldly proclaiming the Gospel and loving Muslims around you, we can make a difference not only in the lives of Muslims but in our communities as well.

Prayer

Dear Lord, give me the boldness to proclaim Your truth in a world that desires comfort over anything else. Please allow me to see the traps of the enemy in my life and the life of Muslims, and help me overcome victoriously and help my Muslim neighbors to move from the darkness of Islam into Your light. Amen.