I've discussed this before but not in this context alone.
I remember being about 14 years old, 1994 and starting a study in the UK with a charming Muslim from the Congo. He was a very pleasant middle aged guy with a big family, two wives, always the most hospitable.
At the time the Watchtower had a book on many religions, a thick red book called 'Mankind's search for God' so I would read and discuss the section on Islam with him.
Interestingly, but not surprising, many details they had were wrong about Islam and he would explain how and correct me.
Learning about this religion, even at this age, left me pondering where it was in bible text? There was so much in WT literature about the evil Catholics and potentially early JW protestants (lol). There were endless readings and studying about Baa'l and paganism, both the Roman and Greek religious influences on modern day life.
When talking of 'today' the time of the end there was talk of specific nations that will be important players at the 'time of the end'...America, the UK and the evil Russia (how American-centric and myopic now we think about it). But never mentioned to my 25 year recollection as a JW .... were Muslims and Islam, the 'middle east'.
As the fastest growing religion on earth with 1.6 billion members, Islam is a giant to the 8 million JW's. The PEW religious research centre states "While the world’s population is projected to grow 32% in the coming decades, the number of Muslims is expected to increase by 70% – from 1.8 billion in 2015 to nearly 3 billion in 2060. In 2015, Muslims made up 24.1% of the global population. Forty-five years later, they are expected to make up more than three-in-ten of the world’s people (31.1%)."
The politics and history of the planet for the last 70 years has been revolving around the middle east, oil, beliefs and cultures. How many would argue that 9/11 is arguably the biggest event of our generation post WW2. It has set the world apart, christian v muslim all over again! This is not new to our planet. After the early christians died, it was Christian v's Islam for centuries, battling over the Holy lands in endless wars and history, crusades and jihads that shaped our world today, again none of which was prophesied or forseen.
So why was is Islam, the fastest growing religion, missing from JW doctrine? Why is it missing from the end of the world beliefs and predictions? Why is it missing from bible text?
........well it's real simple! Islam came about AFTER the Bible in approx the 7th century. It would only be in the bible (and therefore JW doctrines) if the bible was written by people able to know the future.
It says much, that it is missing
Just like dinosaurs, which famously also have no mention in the bible, despite these giant beasts one time ruling the planet for millions of years , only to be wiped out and only re-discovered 'at the time of the end'... they too were not written about in the bible because their discovery only came about millenia after, and the bible would have to be written by people who could know the future somehow....AND.... know the past somehow.
It says much that they are likewise missing.
Snare
