# What if all professed Muslims disappeared? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 7, 2014, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-all-professed-muslims-disappeared/678162 "2014-01-07T21:02:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2014, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-all-professed-muslims-disappeared/678162/21 "2014-01-07T23:12:01Z")
> [@etv78](#): > > You could shudder the Dept of HS, and drastically reduce the size of our military. Rather the opposite I think. **Little Nemo** had an excellent point: > [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > As I did in the other thread, I’m going to ignore the theological issues and focus on the strategic ones. > > There wouldn’t be the disappearance of any great powers as there would be with a Christian disappearance. The most powerful Muslim countries are essentially regional powers. > > But there would be the 800 lb gorilla of oil. If all Muslims disappeared, there would be a large amount of oil rich territory that was virtually unoccupied. So there would be a huge rush as various powers tried to be the first to occupy the oil regions. A major war would be a likely result. ---
**Author:** ![Canadjun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/76d3ee/32.png) [@Canadjun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Canadjun)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2014, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-all-professed-muslims-disappeared/678162/22 "2014-01-07T23:19:44Z")
Bet there’d be lots of tours of Mecca, since it would be reasonable to assume it would no longer be restricted to the (now nonexistent) muslims! ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2014, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-all-professed-muslims-disappeared/678162/23 "2014-01-08T00:02:21Z")
The War on Atheists would start. ---
**Author:** ![zoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zoid/32/336_2.png) [@zoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoid)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2014, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-all-professed-muslims-disappeared/678162/24 "2014-01-08T01:06:22Z")
> [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > The War on Atheists would start. Huh? From what I gathered from the comments here it’s been going on for quite some time. ---
**Author:** ![IWLN](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b5ac83/32.png) [@IWLN](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IWLN)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2014, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-all-professed-muslims-disappeared/678162/25 "2014-01-08T01:16:39Z")
A new enemy would be created, complete with a 9/11 type event to give it legs. People don’t exist peacefully. There always has to be a bad guy. I suspect that the race for any unclaimed oil would become a war in itself. This would be like black Friday times a million. Most of what Americans know about Muslims comes from sources like WND. I wonder who the new information sources would be? ---
**Author:** ![Namkcalb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c89c15/32.png) [@Namkcalb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Namkcalb)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2014, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-all-professed-muslims-disappeared/678162/26 "2014-01-08T01:22:13Z")
> [@Mississippienne](#): > > There’s suddenly gonna be a LOT of prime real estate in Asia, the Middle East, and parts of Africa free for the taking. Except it’s not that simple, many Muslim-majority countries have significant non-Muslim populations, some who have lived in the same spot for millenia. Unfortunately now, they don’t have backup and support of their Muslim neighbours. Whilst it was true that many unbelievers received hatred and discrimination from some Muslims, those very same Muslims were the physicians, the sewage plant workers, mechanics, police officers and the bakers who kept their society going for people of all faiths. also, Biden becomes president of the USA. (^\_^) ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2014, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-all-professed-muslims-disappeared/678162/27 "2014-01-08T01:28:31Z")
> [@zoid](#): > > Huh? > From what I gathered from the comments here it’s been going on for quite some time. You ain’t seen nothin’ yet. The big lie needs a convenient scapegoat. When one disappears, it is necessary to create another. ---
**Author:** ![LavenderBlue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e95f7d/32.png) [@LavenderBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LavenderBlue)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2014, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-all-professed-muslims-disappeared/678162/28 "2014-01-08T01:49:44Z")
A lot of women would have more rights. Same thing if Catholicism or Judaism disappeared. Most women would be better off if all such essentially sexist philosophies were gone. ---
**Author:** ![Enola\_Straight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dec6dc/32.png) [@Enola\_Straight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enola_Straight)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2014, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-all-professed-muslims-disappeared/678162/29 "2014-01-08T01:57:02Z")
Is there any Rapture/Qiyamah for Jews? IIRC, The Book of David prophesies apocalyptic info, as does Revelation and the Qur’an. ---
**Author:** ![kurtisokc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bbce88/32.png) [@kurtisokc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kurtisokc)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2014, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-all-professed-muslims-disappeared/678162/30 "2014-01-08T01:59:58Z")
> [@Namkcalb](#): > > Except it’s not that simple, many Muslim-majority countries have significant non-Muslim populations, some who have lived in the same spot for millenia. > > Unfortunately now, they don’t have backup and support of their Muslim neighbours. > Whilst it was true that many unbelievers received hatred and discrimination from some Muslims, those very same Muslims were the physicians, the sewage plant workers, mechanics, police officers and the bakers who kept their society going for people of all faiths. > > also, Biden becomes president of the USA. (^\_^) I still think Mississippienne has a point. Most middle eastern countries, even if they have significant religious minorities, would experience a dramatic drop in population. The bigest question mark is Saudi Arabia, since it is the one country (at least the one large country I can think of) where it is essentially impossible for a citizen to be anything other than a professed muslim. Most other middle eastern countries have a large enough non-muslim population that they could at least theoretically take over the existing state infrastructure, but (except for expats) Saudi Arabia would be essentially depopulated. A big, resource rich piece of Terra Nullius just sitting there for the taking. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2014, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-all-professed-muslims-disappeared/678162/31 "2014-01-08T02:27:53Z")
> [@etv78](#): > > Not to mention, no more military aid to Israel. I’m assuming that Israel would send a representative to China, India, and Japan and off-handedly say, “Shame about what happened to Christianity and Islam, isn’t it? Nice little religion you got here. It would be a tragedy if something were to happen to it.” Aid to Israel would be on its way before the next day. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2014, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-all-professed-muslims-disappeared/678162/32 "2014-01-08T02:30:55Z")
> [@IWLN](#): > > A new enemy would be created, complete with a 9/11 type event to give it legs. Sine there would be an immediate, ferocious war over who gets the Middle East and North Africa, the new enemy wouldn’t have to be created, it’d be the real McCoy. > [@](#): > > People don’t exist peacefully. There always has to be a bad guy. This just isn’t true, though. In fact, for very long stretches of time people do co-exist peacefully. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2014, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-all-professed-muslims-disappeared/678162/33 "2014-01-08T04:28:50Z")
> [@kurtisokc](#): > > Most other middle eastern countries have a large enough non-muslim population that they could at least theoretically take over the existing state infrastructure, but (except for expats) Saudi Arabia would be essentially depopulated. A big, resource rich piece of Terra Nullius just sitting there for the taking. The only Middle Eastern countries with significant non-Muslim populations are Egypt and Syria (and obviously Israel). ---
**Author:** ![TimeWinder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bcef8e/32.png) [@TimeWinder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TimeWinder)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2014, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-all-professed-muslims-disappeared/678162/34 "2014-01-08T04:34:17Z")
> [@LavenderBlue](#): > > A lot of women would have more rights. Same thing if Catholicism or Judaism disappeared. Most women would be better off if all such essentially sexist philosophies were gone. Except in this case most of the women being denied said rights would be gone, too. ---
**Author:** ![SlackerInc](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slackerinc/32/275_2.png) [@SlackerInc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SlackerInc)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2014, 5:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-all-professed-muslims-disappeared/678162/35 "2014-01-08T05:43:32Z")
> [@LavenderBlue](#): > > A lot of women would have more rights. Same thing if Catholicism or Judaism disappeared. Most women would be better off if all such essentially sexist philosophies were gone. I was thinking that too (including a radical reduction in the number of young girls forced into marriage with old men), except wouldn’t Muslim women vanish too? Also, your second and third sentences make a false equivalency. Ultra-Orthodox Jews are as bad as the average Muslim, but are so few by comparison. Catholics do exist in large numbers, and if there were no Muslims they’d be the worst (major, widespread) offenders in terms of oppressing women. But even conservative Catholics are not nearly as oppressive as the average Muslim. ---
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2014, 6:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-all-professed-muslims-disappeared/678162/36 "2014-01-08T06:15:43Z")
War in the Middle East… …over all the now-abandoned oil fields and cities. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2014, 6:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-all-professed-muslims-disappeared/678162/37 "2014-01-08T06:20:10Z")
> [@SlackerInc](#): > > But even conservative Catholics are not nearly as oppressive as the average Muslim. I think the difference is most Catholic majority countries have secular governments. But many Muslim majority countries have theocratic governments. It’s not a matter of which religion is stricter by its dogma so much as which has more power of enforcement. ---
**Author:** ![CairoCarol](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cairocarol/32/3825_2.png) [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2014, 6:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-all-professed-muslims-disappeared/678162/38 "2014-01-08T06:38:39Z")
In the short run, things would be an absolute disaster in Indonesia, Brunei, and Malaysia. The functioning of all three countries would come to a standstill. Who would man the infrastructure? Drive the trucks? Stock the groceries? Publish the newspapers? Fly the airplanes? I suspect the short-term impact would be similar to the effects of a large-scale natural disaster. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2014, 6:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-all-professed-muslims-disappeared/678162/39 "2014-01-08T06:44:23Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > I think the difference is most Catholic majority countries have secular governments. But many Muslim majority countries have theocratic governments. It’s not a matter of which religion is stricter by its dogma so much as which has more power of enforcement. This; just look at the history of Christianity. When and where it had the _power_ to act like the Muslim theocracies, that’s exactly how it _did_ act. ---
**Author:** ![Namkcalb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c89c15/32.png) [@Namkcalb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Namkcalb)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2014, 7:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-all-professed-muslims-disappeared/678162/40 "2014-01-08T07:37:00Z")
> [@kurtisokc](#): > > I still think Mississippienne has a point. Most middle eastern countries, even if they have significant religious minorities, would experience a dramatic drop in population. We are actually in agreement. The big question is, will foreign powers take advantage of their vunerability. The USA could easily conquer a fully populated Middle East today and seize their oil. But they don’t? Why? When the Muslims disappear there’ll still be international pressure not to go invasion crazy. Though you are right about Saudi, in fact, except for Iraq and Iran, all Middle Eastern oil producers are entirely Muslim. Converting away from Islam is punishable by death in some countries, will Muslim-in-name-only people disappear? If not, every country will have non-Muslims. > [@CairoCarol](#): > > In the short run, things would be an absolute disaster in Indonesia, Brunei, and Malaysia. The functioning of all three countries would come to a standstill. Who would man the infrastructure? Drive the trucks? Stock the groceries? Publish the newspapers? Fly the airplanes? I suspect the short-term impact would be similar to the effects of a large-scale natural disaster. Indonesia is a very diverse country, and some islands are almost all Hindu or Christian. Other areas only have a tiny non-Muslim minority, and thus will be pretty much post-apocolyptic Malaysia and Brunei are a lot more religiously integrated… and thus it’ll be far more distruptive. > [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > The only Middle Eastern countries with significant non-Muslim populations are Egypt and Syria (and obviously Israel). Lebanon is 40% Christian, and there are also many Alawites and Druze, who are debatably non-Muslim. Iraq still has its Christian and Yazidi minority. There are also millions of Christian Arabs living overseas who might return home if they believe it was a miracle. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-all-professed-muslims-disappeared/678162.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-all-professed-muslims-disappeared/678162.md?page=3)