Islam as an Abuse System

 

Islam as an Abusive System: A Thesis on Indoctrination, Coercion, Control, Pathology, and Abuse

Introduction

Islam, as a religious and ideological framework, can be analysed through the lens of abusive systems, akin to cults or dysfunctional relationships where power dynamics perpetuate harm. Abusive systems thrive on mechanisms that erode individual autonomy, instill fear, and enforce compliance, often under the guise of moral or spiritual superiority. 

This thesis argues that Islam functions as such a system, drawing parallels to coercive control in cults and domestic abuse. It employs examples of indoctrination from childhood, coercion through threats of punishment, controlling behaviors embedded in doctrine and society, and the resulting pathological effects on individuals and communities. These elements create a cycle of psychological trauma, suppression of dissent, and generational harm. Critics have long highlighted these aspects, viewing Islam not merely as a faith but as a totalizing ideology that prioritizes submission over personal freedom.

Indoctrination: The Early Capture of the Mind

Indoctrination in Islam begins at birth, embedding beliefs before critical thinking develops, much like how abusive environments condition victims from infancy. This process mirrors cult tactics, where repetition, fear, and isolation shape identity. As Dan Burmawi notes, “Islam gets the first shot at the human mind. Every other violent or totalitarian ideology must fight its way into your worldview… Islam doesn’t need to do that. It gets there first.”  This early access allows Islam to fuse faith with self-concept, making questioning equivalent to self-betrayal.

The Quran and Hadith facilitate this through repetitive affirmations that believers are “witnesses” to divine acts they never saw, fostering a false sense of participation. As explained in a post by Ex-Muslims of Norway, “The contents of the Quran and Hadith are filled with repeated content part of the brainwashing process. But more disturbing is that it regularly suggests that ‘you’ were a witness to things that you could not possibly have been there.”  This technique, akin to coercive behavior in cults, repeats lies until they become internalized truths, leading to addiction-like dependence on the system for validation.

Children are taught to equate obedience with survival, suppressing natural curiosity. Sana Ebrahimi recounts her experience: “I felt so deeply sorry for my younger self… crying herself to sleep at night, terrified by the vivid, graphic descriptions of torture in hell that were supposedly waiting for ‘sinners.’”  Such indoctrination instills lifelong fear, pathological in its erosion of mental health, and ensures the system’s perpetuation across generations.

Coercion: Threats and Enforcement of Compliance

Coercion in Islam manifests through explicit and implicit threats, paralleling abusive relationships where leaving incurs severe penalties. Apostasy is treated as treason, with historical and doctrinal roots in viewing defection as a denial of allegiance. Wael Hallaq states that “[in] a culture whose lynchpin is religion, religious principles and religious morality, apostasy is in some way equivalent to high treason in the modern nation-state.”  This framing justifies coercion, from social ostracism to capital punishment, enforcing loyalty through fear.

In Islamic societies, this extends to everyday life, where deviation invites punishment. Bernard Lewis reinforces this by describing apostasy as “a withdrawal, a denial of allegiance as well as of religious belief and loyalty.”  Such doctrines create a coercive environment, suppressing intellectual freedom and innovation, as noted by C. E. Bosworth: “The traditional view of apostasy hampered the development of Islamic learning, like philosophy and natural science, out of fear that these could evolve into potential toe-holds for kufr.” 

Personal accounts highlight this pathology. Shelby Shelberson observes, “An ideology so sure of itself that it calls for those who wish to leave to be shunned and cast out. An apostate and for the really hardcore believers such apostates should be killed.”  This coercive framework breeds paranoia and self-policing, pathological traits that mirror trauma responses in abuse survivors.

Controlling Behaviours: Total Domination of Life and Society

Islam’s controlling nature permeates all aspects of life, from personal conduct to societal laws, resembling coercive control in cults where autonomy is systematically dismantled. Sharia enforces rigid norms, often justifying abuse under religious pretexts. In “Coercive Control of Muslim South Asian Women,” the experiences include “criticism and verbal abuse by perpetrators,” illustrating how doctrine enables control over women and minorities. 

The deity’s portrayal reinforces this: distant and punitive, demanding submission without reciprocity. Dan Burmawi describes it as “a God who is not for you but against you. He demands loyalty, submission, and sacrifice, but offers no love, no relationship, no assurance.”  This mirrors an abusive authority figure, fostering societies where control is normalized.

Critics liken Islam to a cult due to its totalizing demands. As one Reddit user states, “Islam fulfills the requirement needed to be cult. … A supremacist ideology: Muslims were taught to believe that they are right and superior to all other religions and humans.”  Such control extends to historical practices like slavery and imperialism, critiqued for impacting native cultures abusively. 

Pathology and Abuse: The Psychological Toll

The pathology of Islam as an abusive system lies in its infliction of trauma, akin to spiritual abuse in cults. “An Application of the Coercive Control Framework to Cults” notes that “Coercive control is defined as an abusive power dynamic maintained by the ongoing,” with elements like sexual coercion and degradation.  In Islam, this manifests in fear-based obedience and moral rigidity.

Dan Burmawi elaborates: “The image of God in Islam, distant, punitive, and obsessed with submission, functions psychologically like an abusive parent. … The result is generational trauma, encoded into law, culture, and identity.”  This leads to suppressed thought and survival-mode existence.

Spiritual abuse is defined as “control and coercion in a religious” context, often involving manipulation.  Sana Ebrahimi concludes, “You’ll never fully grasp the level of psychological abuse and hatred that’s baked into Islam. Every religion has its extremists, but Islam is a cult where even the so-called moderates cling to deeply harmful practices.” 

Conclusion

Islam operates as an abusive system through indoctrination that captures minds early, coercion that punishes dissent, control that dominates life, and pathologies that inflict lasting harm. Unlike faiths emphasizing grace, Islam’s emphasis on fear and submission perpetuates abuse. Reform is stifled by its totalizing nature, demanding scrutiny to protect individual freedoms.

Index by Title and Author

•  An Application of the Coercive Control Framework to Cults, Anonymous (CUNY Academic Works)

•  Coercive Control of Muslim South Asian Women, Anonymous (University of Huddersfield)

•  Criticism of Islam, Wikipedia Contributors

•  Cults, Mind Control, Thought Reform, and Abusive Groups, Anonymous (Academia.edu)

•  Islam as an Abusive System (X Post), Dan Burmawi

•  Psychological Abuse in Islam (X Post), Sana Ebrahimi

•  Spiritual Abuse Among Cult Ex-members, Anonymous (ProQuest)

•  The Quran’s Brainwashing Process (X Post), Ex-Muslims of Norway