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Monday, May 30, 2011

Blasphemy Laws Protect Islam, Persecute Christians in Algeria, and in the United States

Christ is Risen!

The below story, of an Algerian Christian being convicted on blasphemy charges and sentenced to five years in prison, is yet another example of why Facing Islam is so urgent.  More and more even here in America, sharing our Christian faith is portrayed as criminal, as hate speech, as by our very nature we are presenting Truth against the sea of falsehood which surrounds us.

But are we sharing our faith and presenting the Truth enough? We have become quite soft here in the United States and Canada, so reluctant to express our concerns about Islam for fear of offending anyone, of appearing intolerant, that we place ourselves under virtual house arrest, and enable, by our silence, the spread of that which is truly intolerant, the supremacist, totalitarian belief system of Islam, which has as its aim in the U.S. and Canada a "'Civilizational-Jihad Process', with all the word means".  To continue this quote from a 1991 Muslim Brotherhood in America internal memorandum:

"The Ikhwan [Muslim Brotherhood] must understand that their work in America is kind of a grand Jihad in eliminating and destroying the Western civilization from within and sabotaging its miserable house."

The Muslim Brotherhood, swiftly rising to power in Egypt and elsewhere, does not openly operate in the U.S., using instead front groups like CAIR (council on American-Islamic Relations), ISNA (Islamic Society of North America), ICNA (Islamic Circle of North America), MSA (Muslim Student Association), and others.  All these MB front groups share this common goal, of using our very civil liberties against us, through stealth jihad, legal jihad ("lawfare"), immigration, etc., so as to further an Islamic takeover of the United States and Canada. In the words of CAIR chairman and co-founder,  Omar Ahmad, "Islam isn't in America to be equal to any other faith, but to become dominant. The Koran... should be the highest authority in America, and Islam the only accepted religion on earth."

We are already seeing street evangelists unlawfully arrested for preaching the Gospel to Muslims in places like Dearbornistan MI. Another recent case in Philadelphia involved unlawful arrest and intimidation of Christians sharing the Gospel with Muslims. To the extent Islam and the Left advance their agendas, stories like the following will be seen more and more right here in America, as our right to freedom of speech is stripped away:


Washington -- International Christian Concern (ICC) has learned that an Algerian Christian was sentenced to five years imprisonment for blasphemy in Oran on Wednesday after sharing his Christian faith with a neighbor. The verdict came days after authorities forced the permanent closure of seven Protestant churches in Algeria's Béjaia province.
Siagh Krimo was charged by the Criminal Court of the Djamel District in Oran, who based their decision on Article 144 bis 2 of the Penal Code which criminalizes acts that "insult the prophet and any of the messengers of God, or denigrate the creed and precepts of Islam, whether by writing, drawing, declaration, or any other means." Krimo has ten days to appeal the sentence.
Krimo, who is married with a nine month old child, was arrested on April 14, along with another Christian, Sofiane, after sharing his Christian faith with a neighbor. Sofiane was released soon after the arrest, while Krimo was detained for three days. Krimo was known to hold weekly prayer services at his home, which Algerian Christians suspect were being closely monitored by the police.
The prosecutor at Krimo's trial, held on May 4, failed to present as a witness the neighbor who accused Krimo of proselytizing and making defamatory statements against the Muslim prophet Mohammad. Algerian Christians were hopeful that Krimo would be acquitted of all charges. "Good news, the judge, after having invited Krimo to use wisdom and return to Islam, has ended the affair," an Algerian church leader in Tizi Ouzou told ICC on May 4. "We hope this will end well."
The prosecutor, doubtful he would win the case on so little evidence, reportedly asked the judge to have Krimo's sentence reduced to a two year imprisonment and a fine of 50,000 Algerian dinar. However, some believe that higher authorities in the Algerian government were involved in reaching the final decision. "The judge would have normally acquitted Krimo of all charges, but I think he received an order from his superiors to strike hard," said an Algerian representative of the Association of Protestant Churches (EPA).
Krimo's sentence follows an order received by the EPA on May 22 to close seven Protestant churches in the province of Béjaia. The notice stated the churches are to be closed in accordance with Ordinance 06-03, which requires churches to obtain government permission to hold services. Though the EPA has made efforts to comply with the ordinance, the Ministry of Interior and the Ministry of Religious Affairs have refused to register churches or to approve permits quickly.
Aidan Clay, ICC Regional Manager for the Middle East, said, "Algerian Christians have been under attack in recent weeks as laws have been increasingly enforced to discriminate against them. Earlier this week, seven churches in Béjaia were ordered to close. Now, an Algerian Christian is on the verge of being unjustly imprisoned for accusations of criticizing Islam. While Algeria professes that it upholds religious freedom, it also embraces a blasphemy law that, by its very nature, can be used to prosecute anyone who does not adhere to the religion of Islam. We urge Algeria to acquit Siagh of all charges and repeal Article 144 bis 2 of the Penal Code."