Steven Eugene Kuhn is warning that Western political movements risk empowering religious extremists when they form alliances based on short-term political goals without considering what those groups may do once they gain power.

Kuhn framed his argument around Islam in America, while drawing a distinction between Muslims he has personally encountered and extremist political organizations he believes are attempting to gain influence.

"Okay, we have to talk about Islam in America. I think we can agree real problems are rising in our country, and we have to face the facts. And before you start blasting me, let's just be pragmatic about it, shall we?" Kuhn said.

He pointed to the Muslim Brotherhood as an example, noting that several Middle Eastern governments have banned or restricted the organization.

"Egypt banned the Muslim Brotherhood in 2013. That's the country where it was born. Saudi Arabia, the Emirates, Bahrain, Jordan, all shut them down. And the West looked at that same group and said, "Hey, why don't you come on in, set up shop? Here's a seat at the table," Kuhn said.

Kuhn argued that political groups in the West are willing to cooperate with organizations they believe will help them gain power, without adequately considering what happens after that coalition succeeds.

He used Iran’s 1979 revolution as his primary historical example.

"Who put the Ayatollah in power? You think it was the mosques or the clerics? No, it was the communists, the socialist students, and the liberals, all marching in the same street with the clerics. Looked familiar?" Kuhn said.

He argued that secular factions believed they could cooperate with religious forces temporarily and maintain control afterward.

"The left figured, hey, we're going to use these religious guys to win, and then we'll run the place. How'd that work out for them?" Kuhn said.

Kuhn said the eventual repression of left-wing political groups in Iran demonstrated the risks of that strategy.

"Well, within four years, the Communist Party was banned, and its leaders were on television confessing to crimes. By 1988, 1000s of leftist prisoners were hanged," he said.

Moving to the United States, Kuhn cited Hamtramck, Michigan, where he said progressives celebrated the election of a Muslim-majority city council before later clashing with the council over LGBTQ-related policies.

"Progressives cheered when that town elected a Muslim-majority city council. Diversity made history. It was a big win. Then, in 2023, that council, six seats, all Muslim men, voted to take the pride flag off city property," Kuhn said.

He added that members of the city’s human relations commission who put the flag back up were subsequently removed.

"Those councilmen are religious conservatives, and they voted like religious conservatives. Who could possibly be surprised?" Kuhn said.

He argued that the episode reflected a larger political mistake in assuming that groups brought together by a shared opponent will necessarily share the same values after gaining office.

"And the left just keeps doing this over and over. It builds a team out of anybody who's angry at whoever's in charge, and it never asks its partners what happens the day after they win," Kuhn said.

According to Kuhn, well-organized factions can gain disproportionate influence once broad political coalitions begin to fracture.

"Well, I'll tell you what happens: the group that's the most organized and the most sure of itself takes the whole cake, and the ones who thought they were in charge find out they were the sacrificial lamb," he said.

Kuhn also emphasized that his argument was not based on negative personal experiences with Muslims.

"Mind you, this is the same religion that I've experienced in Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Iraq, Turkey, and UAE, where Muslims treated me with nothing but respect. I never had one issue in any of these countries," Kuhn said.

He said he respected the laws and customs of the countries he visited and even studied the Koran in English and German.

"It was also because I followed their rules, and as a Christian, I even read the Koran in English and in German to understand them more. Go figure. Respecting the nation hosting me-wow, what a concept, right?" Kuhn said.

His concern, he said, centers on political extremism, failures of assimilation, and activists who prioritize immediate electoral gains over the long-term effects of those alliances.

Kuhn also focused on local elections, arguing that city councils and school boards can be won with relatively small vote totals and sometimes attract little competition.

"But I want you to look at how few votes it takes to win a city council or school board seat. Typically, it only takes a few 100 votes. Sometimes nobody even runs for those seats," Kuhn said.

He cited what he described as 10,000 local elections without candidates in 2024 as evidence that highly organized groups can gain political power when participation is low.

"So whoever showed up, they got the seat, and as we see, they are showing up, aren't they?" Kuhn said.

He concluded by directing his criticism at political activists he believes are willing to accommodate extremism and at people he says refuse to assimilate into the countries where they settle.

"So now you know how we're being taken over in America, and maybe you're angry. Good, you should be angry at the activists who pander to extremism for votes and power, and to those who refuse to assimilate."

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