Sharia vs Freedom - Another essential book from Andrew Bostom

Andrew Bostom has equipped us already with two towering texts which, in the interest of truth, uncover and map (1) Islam's history of warfare to spread its oppressive ideology, religion and power, and (2)  its deeply rooted genocidal antisemitism:

The Legacy of Jihad: Islamic Holy War and the Fate of Non-Muslims

The Legacy of Islamic Antisemitism: From Sacred Texts to Solemn History

As with other honest, clear-headed Islam scholars such as Bat Yeor, Raymond Ibrahim, Ibn Warraq, Mark Durie and Robert Spencer, Dr. Bostom patiently demonstrates both context and continuity in his expositions, and the disturbing conclusions about Islam which explode upon the reader lead naturally to this third work in his "Legacy" series:

Sharia versus Freedom: The Legacy of Islamic Totalitarianism

I look forward to this book, which I feel will find a much wider audience than his previous two, because it is so urgently applicable to the challenges which face us. Thank God for brave voices like Andrew Bostom who continue to labor to make the case that Islam is an implacable evil which must be defeated, theologically and philosophically on all fronts, and with force when necessary.

Publication Date: October 16, 2012

Links for Sharia vs Freedom:
Advance Praises
Foreword by Andrew C. McCarthy
A Note on the Cover Art
Pre-order from Amazon.com

Ecumenical Patriarchate Issues Bold Statement Against Persecution

This is a watershed communiqué. Interestingly, at times it uses terms which imply the "clashes" between Christians and Muslims are caused by mutually belligerent and intolerant sects, when of course, nothing could be further from the truth. In Nigeria and Sudan, Islamic extremists are deliberately trying to purge their regions of Christian populations. This same genocidal push is occurring throughout the Middle East, as seen in the open call for jihad against the Copts in Egypt unless they "return to the truth (i.e., Islam)."

Wise observers of the 'Arab Spring' revolutions predicted an 'Islamist Winter' to follow. And here we see it. Will the United States and its allies move to protect the threatened Christian, Jewish and other non-Muslim minorities throughout the Islamic world? Will Muslim leaders heed the Patriarchate's call? Or will they continue to feign peaceful intentions while their imams scream for murder of Christians and Jews after Friday prayers in mosques throughout the Muslim world?

Although the Patriarchate seeks to engage Muslim leaders in this effort to quell the rising tide of Islamic jihad, the third paragraph of this missive, concerning dialogue, seems to suffer from a lack of understanding of Islam and its theology of jihad:

...Religious leaders should be working together, through dialogue, to affirm God's peace in the world.  We, as religious leaders, have a moral obligation to resist war and promote peace as a vital and fundamental necessity for all humanity. Religion cannot and should never be a basis for war and conflict, nor should it be used as an instrument of fundamentalism and fanaticism for purely political motives and ends. With great resolve, we have repeatedly emphasized that any crime in the name of religion is a crime against religion. In this respect, dialogue is the only hope for attaining peace.

Alas, Islam views the subjugation of the whole world to Allah as the only means to "affirm God's peace." Islam believes that the whole world belongs to Allah, and that all lands were originally Muslim lands. Therefore "liberating" those lands from the infidels and polytheists, including the People of the Book (Jews and Christians) is a holy duty and obligation. To the devout jihadi and mujahedin they are the righteous ones, and a preachy call for peace and dialogue from an infidel patriarch is beneath contempt. Above all, the jihadists are following the supreme example of their prophet Muhammad, and the dictates of the Koran:

Quran (8:12) - "I will cast terror into the hearts of those who disbelieve. Therefore strike off their heads and strike off every fingertip of them"  

Quran (8:15) - "O ye who believe! When ye meet those who disbelieve in battle, turn not your backs to them. (16)Whoso on that day turneth his back to them, unless maneuvering for battle or intent to join a company, he truly hath incurred wrath from Allah, and his habitation will be hell, a hapless journey's end."

Quran (8:39) - "And fight with them until there is no more fitna (disorder, unbelief) and religion should be only for Allah"

I fear we are seeing an eruption of Islamic evil which will make the Armenian/Christian genocide look mild. God protect our brothers and sisters in the Islamic world...

THE ECUMENICAL PATRIARCHATE 

COMMUNIQUÉ

The Ecumenical Patriarchate expresses profound concern about the resurgence of violence currently spreading throughout the world. From America to Africa and throughout Europe and Asia, continents are confronted with the phenomenon of intolerance that not only undermines world stability and peace, but also constitutes a denial of human dignity. Racial murders, genocide, ethnic cleansing, anti-semitism, destruction of places of worship etc, constitute barbaric acts that must be denounced publicly, particularly when they are masked with the veil of religion in an effort to justify them.

The Ecumenical Patriarchate is particularly concerned about the situations in the Middle East, as well as in Nigeria and Sudan. Clashes between Christians and Muslims in these parts of the world must be overcome by promoting love for one's neighbor as the peaceful expression of the bond uniting every human being.  Furthermore, the Ecumenical Patriarchate is deeply concerned about the future of the people of Syria, as well as for the future of Christianity in that country.  Therefore, we are calling on all parties involved in this conflict to lay down their weapons, especially given the urgency of the humanitarian situation.

The solution to such conflicts requires dialogue above all else.  Dialogue constitutes more than merely a better understanding or toleration of our differences, indeed, dialogue is the essence of reconciliation and transformation. Therefore, religious leaders should be working together, through dialogue, to affirm God's peace in the world.  We, as religious leaders, have a moral obligation to resist war and promote peace as a vital and fundamental necessity for all humanity. Religion cannot and should never be a basis for war and conflict, nor should it be used as an instrument of fundamentalism and fanaticism for purely political motives and ends. With great resolve, we have repeatedly emphasized that any crime in the name of religion is a crime against religion. In this respect, dialogue is the only hope for attaining peace.

Finally, His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew and the Ecumenical Patriarchate express their solidarity with and compassion to all communities affected by violence, addressing a fervent appeal to all autocephalous Orthodox Churches, all Christian Churches and religious communities, as well as to international organizations and states, as well as every person of good will, to contribute to the triumph of peace over war and hatred.

At the Ecumenical Patriarchate, August 14, 2012

The Chief Secretariat of the Holy and Sacred Synod

Source

Genocide Against the Copts in Egypt?

Egypt's Jihad Organizations Call for Christian Genocide

by Raymond Ibrahim  •  Aug 14, 2012 at 2:56 

http://www.raymondibrahim.com/2012/08/egypt-jihad-organizations-call-for-christian

According to today's issue of El Fegr, "Elements of terrorist, jihadi organizations distributed leaflets today inciting for the killing of Copts in Suez, Ismailia, and Upper Egypt, promising them [Copts] a tragic end if they do not return to the truth."

Fear and terror for Egypt's Christians grows worse day by day.

An image of a copy of the letter appears on El Fegr's website. Titled "An Urgent and Important Notice," it begins by calling on "all brothers and sisters" to "kill or physically attack the enemies of the religion of Allah—the Christians in all of Egypt's provinces, the slaves of the Cross, Allah's curse upon them…" It proceeds to promise a monetary reward for whoever helps "achieve Allah's rights against his enemies."

As a testimony to how safe the jihadi organizations of today's Egypt feel under the new president, the Muslim Brotherhood's Muhammad Morsi, the usual cryptic language is dropped, as the letter names contact points and even a mosque, Sheikh Ahmed Mosque in Kasfrit, where those interested should rally "after Friday prayers where new members to the organization will be welcomed."

This genocide has been called until Egypt's Christians "return to the truth," a reference apparently meaning that Egypt's Christians must either embrace "the truth"—that is, Islam, which they must convert to—or else return to the truths of the religion, which holds that Christians must embrace their subhuman dhimmi status (Koran 9:29).

Both forced conversions and dhimmi status for Christians are a regular feature of Egypt's landscape, past and present. Subsequent news reports cite the growing fear and terror among Egypt's Christian population.

The Anti-Christian President, Part 2 - Obama, 'Son of Islam'?

This is the second in my ongoing series. This excellent article by Raymond Ibrahim from earlier this year is especially worth revisiting now, as the toxic lies, character attacks, and vulgar campaign tactics of President Obama and his supporters in the mainstream media drive home Raymond's closing point: "By their fruits ye shall know them."

Obama: 'Son of Islam'?

by Raymond Ibrahim
Originally published by the Stonegate Institute
February 27, 2012

http://www.raymondibrahim.com/11263/obama-muslim

Many in the media are indignant with Reverend Franklin Graham, head of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. Invited on "Morning Joe" last Tuesday to discuss Christian persecution, the hosts turned the focus to interrogating Graham on whether he thought President Barack Obama was Christian or not. Though the Reverend concluded that Obama "has said he's a Christian, so I just have to assume that he is," he appeared skeptical, suggesting Obama's policies disagree with Christian principles, and thus earning the full ire of much of the fourth estate.

Obama bowing before the Saudi King, 2009.

Intrinsically trivial on many levels, this incident nevertheless brings several important points to the fore.

First, Graham was absolutely right to say that, "under Islamic law, the Muslim world sees Barack Obama as a Muslim, as a son of Islam": according to Sharia, if one's father is Muslim, one automatically becomes Muslim. In fact, the reason behind last week's church attack in Egypt, when thousands of Muslims tried to torch a church and kill its pastor, is that a Christian girl fled her father after he converted to Islam: she did not want to be Muslim, and was rumored to be hiding in the church. (This would not be the first time in recent months that churches were attacked on similar rumors.)

Because of this automatic passage of Islam from father to son—with the death penalty for those seeking to apostatize, the condemned Iranian pastor being just the most visible example—and because Obama attended a madrassa (a Muslim religious school) during his youth in Indonesia, many Muslims are convinced that Obama is a "secret" Muslim. In aForbes article, "My Muslim President Obama: Why members of the faith see him as one of the flock," writer Asma Gull Hasan elaborates:

[S]ince Election Day, I have been part of more and more conversations with Muslims in which it was either offhandedly agreed that Obama is Muslim or enthusiastically blurted out. In commenting on our new president, "I have to support my fellow Muslim brother," would slip out of my mouth before I had a chance to think twice. "Well, I know he's not really Muslim," I would quickly add. But if the person I was talking to was Muslim, they would say, "yes he is." …. Most of the Muslims I know (me included) can't seem to accept that Obama is not Muslim. Of the few Muslims I polled who said that Obama is not Muslim, even they conceded that he had ties to Islam…. The rationalistic, Western side of me knows that Obama has denied being Muslim, that his father was non-practicing, that he doesn't attend a mosque. Many Muslims simply say back, "my father's not a strict Muslim either, and I haven't been to a mosque in years." Obama even toldThe New York Times he could recite the adhan, the Islamic call to prayer, which the vast majority of Muslims, I would guess, do not know well enough to recite. [Read the entire article, which is more eye-opening than the author probably intended.]

Another reason why many Muslims believe Obama is Muslim (a reason Ms. Hasan's article understandably omits) is that, under the Islamic doctrine of taqiyya, Muslims are permitted—in certain contexts even encouraged—to deny being Muslim, if so doing secures them or Islam an advantage. Accordingly, Islamic history is full of stories of Muslims denying and publicly cursing Islam, even pretending to be Christian, whenever it was strategic.

In other words, if an American president was a secret Muslim, and if he was lying about it, and even if he was secretly working to subvert the U.S. to Islam's advantage—not only would that be justified by Islamic doctrines of loyalty and deception, but it would have ample precedents, stretching back to the dawn of Islam. Such as when Muhammad commanded a convert from an adversarial tribe to conceal his new Muslim identity and go back to his tribe—which he cajoled with a perfidious "You are my stock and my family, the dearest of men to me"—only to betray them to Islam's invading armies.

Graham further upset "progressive" sensitivities by saying "All I know is under Obama, President Obama, the Muslims of the world, he seems to be more concerned about them than the Christians that are being murdered in the Muslim countries," adding that "Islam has gotten a free pass under Obama."

Yet who can deny this? Whether by expunging any reference to Islam in U.S. security documents, or enablingMuslim persecution of Christians, or ordering NASA to make Muslims "feel good" about themselves, orbowing to the anti-Christian Saudi king—the President has made his partiality for Islam very clear: Islam is undoubtedly getting a "free pass" under Obama.

What Franklin Graham's critics fail to understand is that, when it comes to Obama's religious identity, the Reverend probably has Jesus' dictum in mind: "By their fruits shall ye know them"—that is, pro-Islamic actions speak louder than Christian words.

PATRIARCH THEOPHILOS III OF JERUSALEM VISITS AL-ZAITARI REFUGEE CAMP IN JORDAN

On Monday, August 6, 2012, His Beatitude Patriarch Theophilos III, Greek Orthodox Patriarch of the Holy City of Jerusalem and all of Palestine and Jordan, and President of the Middle East Council of Churches for the Orthodox Family, expressed his concern for and acted out of what he called a ”moral duty” by making a pastoral visit to the Syrian families who have fled the deteriorating situation in Syria, And who have sought sanctuary in the Al-Zaitari Camp located just a few kilometers from the city of Mafraq in northern Jordan.

His Beatitude’s visit comes out of a genuine sense of love and concern for the people who are caught up in this humanitarian crisis. The local church is committed to the Christian mission found in Mathew 25:35,36 - ”for I was a stranger and you received me, sick and you visited me, hungry and you gave me food, naked and you clothed me.”

“It is a moral duty for the church to support and be present those who suffer , who at this time need everyone’s love and assurance”, His Beatitude stated.

The Church is in prayer for peace, and a desire that all might soon return to their homes and country, being especially mindful of the children, who need to be at home and in secure dwellings.

His Beatitude expressed his deep gratitude for Jordan and especially for His Majesty King Abdullah II and the Hashemite Kingdom , for welcoming the refugees and hosting them in the best possible way. Jordan has, throughout its history, accepted within its borders many people in need of help, hosting them as guests until the day when they can once again return home safely.

His Beatitude was briefed by the Jordan Hashemite Charity Organization and the UNHCR representatives as to the current situation and conditions within the camp.

The Orthodox Church has pledged to provide assistance .

“We call upon all people of goodwill to join us in this humanitarian effort”.

Source: Pravoslavie.ru

The Muslim Brotherhood and the Threat to America, Part 1

Back to school time. We simply must become educated on Islam, and not merely its anti-Christian, anti-semitic, supremacist theology.

This may seem like a long video (almost two hours), but it moves briskly and is an essential primer on the Muslim Brotherhood, its history, its goals, its foundational beliefs, its methods, and its infiltration into the United States government, culture, media and judicial system.

I think you'll be impressed, as was I, by this factual, detailed and engaging presentation. You'll definitely come away with a solid understanding of the MB and the danger it poses to not just the United States, but free peoples all over the world.

Recorded at a conference in Georgia on July 24, 2012, the first several minutes are introductions by the grass roots organizers (very humble, ordinary folks, who open with a prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance), followed by a few opening comments by Tom Trento, who is doing some real patriotic work via The United West organization. I'll be posting parts two and three from this important conference in the days ahead.

The presentation is by John Guandolo, former FBI agent and VP of Strategic Engagement Group:

John Guandolo is the Vice President of Strategic Planning and Execution for SEG, Inc. Mr. Guandolo is a 1989 graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, who took a commission as an Officer of Marines. He served with 2d Battalion 2d Marines as an Infantry Platoon Commander in combat in Operations Desert Shield/Storm. From 1991-1996, he served in 2d Force Reconnaissance Company as a Platoon Commander, Assistant Operations Officer, and the unit’s Airborne and Diving Officer. In 1996, Mr. Guandolo resigned his commission in the Marine Corps and joined the Federal Bureau of Investigation, serving at the Washington Field Office. He worked a myriad of investigations, was the SWAT Team Leader of the FBI’s Washington Field Office, and was an Advanced Capability Medic within the FBI. In the FBI’s Counterterrorism Division, Mr. Guandolo developed an expertise in the Muslim Brotherhood, Islamic Doctrine, and the global Islamic Movement. In 2006, after being designated a “Subject Matter Expert (SME)” in the FBI, Mr. Guandolo created and implemented the FBI’s first Counterterrorism Training/Education Course for which he was awarded the “Defender of the Homeland” Award by U.S. Senators Jon Kyl and Joseph Lieberman on behalf of the Center for Security Policy in Washington, D.C. in 2007. His training course was hailed as “groundbreaking” by the FBI’s Executive Assistant Director in a brief to the Vice President’s National Security Staff. Currently, Mr. Guandolo advises government leaders at the national and state level on matters related to National Security, specifically the threat from the Global Islamic Movement.

Please block out the time to watch this. And God bless such dedicated patriots and keep them safe.

The Anti-Christian President, Part 1

To adapt Forrest Gump: "Anti-Christian is as Anti-Christian does."

Obama Administration's War on Persecuted Christians

by Raymond Ibrahim

The Obama administration's support for its Islamist allies means lack of U.S. support for their enemies, or, more properly, victims—the Christian and other non-Muslim minorities of the Muslim world. Consider the many recent proofs:

According to Pete Winn of CNS:

The U.S. State Department removed the sections covering religious freedom from the Country Reports on Human Rights that it released on May 24, three months past the statutory deadline Congress set for the release of these reports. The new human rights reports—purged of the sections that discuss the status of religious freedom in each of the countries covered—are also the human rights reports that include the period that covered the Arab Spring and its aftermath. Thus, the reports do not provide in-depth coverage of what has happened to Christians and other religious minorities in predominantly Muslim countries in the Middle East that saw the rise of revolutionary movements in 2011 in which Islamist forces played an instrumental role. For the first time ever, the State Department simply eliminated the section of religious freedom in its reports covering 2011… (emphasis added).

The CNS report goes on to quote several U.S. officials questioning the motives of the Obama administration. Former U.S. diplomat Thomas Farr said that he has "observed during the three-and-a-half years of the Obama administration that the issue of religious freedom has been distinctly downplayed." Leonard Leo, former chairman of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, said "to have pulled religious freedom out of it [the report] means that fewer people will obtain information," so that "you don't have the whole picture."

Of course, censoring information is a regular theme under Obama: if the administration is suppressing knowledge concerning the sufferings of religious minorities under Islam, earlier it suppressed knowledge concerning Islam itself (see here for a surreal example of the effects of such censorship).

In "Obama Overlooks Christian Persecution," James Walsh gives more examples of State Department indifference "regarding the New Years' murders of Coptic Christians in Egypt and the ravaging of a cathedral," including how the State Department "refused to list Egypt as 'a country of particular concern,' even as Christians and others were being murdered, churches destroyed, and girls kidnapped and forced to convert to Islam. "

And the evidence keeps mounting. Legislation to create a special envoy for religious minorities in the Near East and South Central Asia—legislation that, in the words of the Washington Post, "passed the House by a huge margin," has been stalled by Sen. James Webb (D-Va):

In a letter sent to Webb Wednesday night, Rep. Frank Wolf [R-Va, who introduced the envoy bill] said he "cannot understand why" the hold had been placed on a bill that might help Coptic Christians and other groups "who face daily persecution, hardship, violence, instability and even death."

Yet the ultimate source of opposition is the State Department. The Post continues:

Webb spokesman Will Jenkins explained the hold by saying that "after considering the legislation, Senator Webb asked the State Department for its analysis." In a position paper issued in response, State Department officials said "we oppose the bill as it infringes on the Secretary's [Hillary Clinton's] flexibility to make appropriate staffing decisions," and suggested the duties of Wolf's proposed envoy would overlap with several existing positions. "The new special envoy position is unnecessary, duplicative, and likely counterproductive," the State Department said (emphasis added).

But as Wolf explained in his letter: "If I believed that religious minorities, especially in these strategic regions, were getting the attention warranted at the State Department, I would cease in pressing for passage of this legislation. Sadly, that is far from being the case. We must act now…. Time is running out."

Much of this was discussed during Coptic Solidarity's third annual conference in Washington D.C. last month, which I participated in, and which featured many politicians and lawmakers—including the U.K.'s Lord Alton, Senator Roy Blunt, Congressman Trent Frank, Congressman Joseph Pitts, and Frank Wolf himself. As Coptic Solidarity's summary report puts it, "All policy makers voiced strong support to the Copts…. Some policy makers raised concerns about the current U.S. Administration's overtures towards religious extremists."

There was little doubt among the speakers that, while Webb is the front man, Hillary Clinton—who was named often—is ultimately behind the opposition to the bill. (Videos of all speakers can be accessed here; for information on the envoy bill and how to contact Webb's office, click here).

Even those invited to speak about matters outside of Egypt, such as Nigerian lawyer and activist Emmanuel Ogebe, after describing the sheer carnage of thousands of Christians at the hands of Muslim militants, lamented that Obama's response was to pressure the Nigerian president to make more concessions, including by creating more mosques (the very places that "radicalize" Muslims against "infidel" Christians). This, of course, is consistent with the administration's position that the ongoing massacres of Christians have nothing to do with religion.

Indeed, while the administration vocally condemned vandal attacks on mosques in the West Bank (where no Muslims died), it had nothing to say when Islamic terrorists bombed Nigerian churches on Easter Sunday, killing some 50 Christians and wounding hundreds. And when the Egyptian military indiscriminatelymassacred dozens of unarmed Christians for protesting the nonstop attacks on their churches, all the White House could say is, "Now is a time for restraint on all sides"—as if Egypt's beleaguered Christian minority needs to "restrain" itself against the nation's military, a military that intentionally ran armored-vehicles over them at Maspero.

In light of all this, naturally the Obama administration, in the guise of the State Department, would oppose a bill to create an envoy who will only expose more religious persecution for the administration to suppress or obfuscate.

Such is the current state of affairs. In its attempts to empower its Islamist allies, the current U.S. administration has taken up their cause by waging a war of silence on their despised minorities—the Christians and other non-Muslims of the Islamic world.

Source

Large American Christian Organizations Support the Islamists

And where are the Orthodox? We should be leading the way in educating American Christians as to why Islam is incompatible with Christianity, and reaching out with missionary endeavors to Muslims and others who are seeking for the Truth. 

My book — Facing Islam - What the Ancient Church has to say about the Religion of Muhammad — was withheld from publication by a major Orthodox Christian publisher in the United States because they could not get the blessing of their ruling hierarch to go to press. The fear was that my book might provoke hostilities against Orthodox communities in the Middle East. 

Forgive me for speaking plainly, Saidna, but I have news for you: Islamic hostilities against Orthodox Christians started nearly 1400 years ago, and have been aggressively magnified in recent years, without any assistance from my book.  All it takes to provoke a Muslim attack on a Christian is a scorched shirt.

Meanwhile, as seen in the below analysis by Ryan Mauro, there are far too many Christians in America who are so profoundly ignorant of Islam, the Muslim Brotherhood, and even the roots of their own faith, as to side with a rabidly anti-Christian force, one which is also possessed of genocidal antisemitic tendencies, whose goal is global domination.

Large American Christian Orgs Support the Islamists

Thu, August 2, 2012 - by Ryan Mauro, RadicalIslam.org

Battle lines have been drawn within America's Christian community over groups tied to the Muslim Brotherhood. On the one side are groups like the Presbyterian Church USA and the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops who are allied with Islamists and even atheists in denouncing those of us raising concern about the influence of Brotherhood-tied groups. On the other are conservative Christian activists like American Family Association and American Values.

There's been a quiet battle brewing within the Christian community over its stance on Israel and working with groups affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood, structurally and ideologically. This split has now burst into the open. A formidable alliance of 43 groups published a joint letter to the five members of Congress who want to investigate the influence of Brotherhood-tied groups in the U.S. government.

The coalition includes Christian groups like the Presbyterian Church USA Office of Public Witness, American Baptist Churches USA, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, the United Church of Christ and the United Methodist Church General Board of Church and Society. It includes Jewish groups like Rabbis for Human Rights and atheist ones like American Atheists, as well as non-religious civil rights groups like the ACLU and NAACP.

These groups are not just commenting on the case of Huma Abedin, the deputy chief of staff to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. They are dismissing the entirety of the letters written by the five members of Congress and they are an endorsement of the Brotherhood legacy groups.

"Those you accuse-including Ms. Huma Abedin and leaders of the Islamic Society of North America, the Muslim Public Affairs Council, and Muslim Advocates-have long-standing histories of positive and committed work to strengthen the United States of America," the letter states. The authors accuse Reps. Bachmann, Gohmert, Franks, Rooney and Westmoreland of fomenting anti-Muslim sentiment and "betray[ing] our foundational religious freedoms."

The coalition accuses the congressmen of making accusations "based on nothing more than their religious affiliations." It takes aim at Frank Gaffney's Center for Security Policy, holding the think-tank responsible for influencing the congressmen with its "consistently anti-Muslim agenda."

The coalition would have you believe that the cases against these Muslim groups are laughably weak. Actually, the cases are largely based on evidence submitted by the federal government and the Brotherhood's own documents.

The Islamic Society of North America is the first organization listed in a Muslim Brotherhood document naming its fronts in the U.S. The federal government designated ISNA as an "unindicted co-conspirator" in the trial of the Holy Land Foundation, a charity set up by the Brotherhood to finance Hamas. ISNA tried to get the designation lifted in court and failed. In 2009, Judge Solis ruled that the government provided "ample evidence" connecting ISNA to Hamas.

The Muslim Public Affairs Council works in tandem with the other Brotherhood-tied groups. One of its original founders and current Senior Adviser, Maher Hathout, is a long-time Brotherhood ideologue. He was imprisoned in Egypt for his involvement with the group and came to the U.S. in 1971.  In 1998, he stated that he disagrees with the terrorist group Hezbollah on some matters but "on the issue of fighting to liberate their land and attacking only armed forces, this is legitimate, this is an American value-freedom and liberty." MPAC continues to host international Islamists as its top speakers.

Muslim Advocates consistently demonizes agencies involved in counter-terrorism and works very closely with the other Brotherhood fronts.

Some Christian leaders have jumped to the defense of the congressmen like David Barton of Wallbuilders, Gary Bauer of American Values, James Dobson of FamilyTalkRadio, Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council and Tim Wildmon of the American Family Association. Clickhere to read the letter they signed.

One of the 17 signatories to this letter is Edwin Meese III who served as Attorney General under President Reagan. Andrew McCarthy, the prosecutor who jailed the "Blind Sheikh" for his involvement in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, is not a signatory but is strongly speaking out against the Brotherhood network. Meese and McCarthy know a thing or two about what qualifies as solid evidence and certainly more than the church leaders who so emphatically state that none exists.

The Islamist groups in the U.S. began aggressively rallying their church allies after the controversy over the NYPD's counter-terrorism training and surveillance operations began. On March 13, an interfaith group named Shoulder-to-Shoulder, which includes many of the names already mentioned, wrote a letter to Mayor Bloomberg lambasting the NYPD for showing our film, The Third Jihad, to police officers. They called the film "bigoted" and "patently false." The President of ISNA, a group exposed in the film, sits on Shoulder-to-Shoulder's executive committee.

The influence of these groups is even undermining Christian support for Israel. Mark Tooley, President of the Institute on Religion and Democracy, wrote about how the Presbyterian Church USA nearly approved divestment from Israel at its governing general assembly on July 5. Divestment was defeated by only two votes: 333 to 331.

The Presbyterian supporters of divestment were applauded by ISNA official Sayyid M. Syeed who praised "Your advocacy and your unflinching support for an equitable and dignified solution to the Israeli-Palestinian problems..." Syeed is the National Director of ISNA's Office of Interfaith Relations. Before that, he was ISNA's Secretary-General and a founding board member. He was there when ISNA was created by the Muslim Brotherhood. And he's there now, leading the group's efforts to turn the churches away from Israel and into their political allies.

This battle isn't between Christians and Muslims. It's between Islamists and anti-Islamists. And far too many Christians have picked the side of the Islamists.

Source: RadicalIslam.org

Muslim Persecution of Christians

If you don't subscribe yet to Raymond Ibrahim's email list, I strongly encourage you to do so. His reporting and articles, as well as his monthly summaries — with links and analysis — of Muslim persecution of Christians, such as the below for June, are deeply sobering, and are a real wake-up call.

Heightened awareness of the persecution of fellow Christians should not lead us to despair or fear, but rather can help rouse our lethargic souls to prayer. When Fr Seraphim Rose was writing about the Soviet persecution of the Russian Catacomb Church in the 1970s, he strongly urged his readers to intercede for those heroic sufferers, as well as others in Romania and around the world.

Increased awareness can also prepare us for the rising tide of persecution here in America. You will read below of Muslim persecution of Christians right here in the United States, sometimes overlooked or even facilitated by police and other authorities.

Be aware. Be in prayer.

 

Muslim Persecution of Christians: June, 2012

by Raymond Ibrahim
July 26, 2012

U.S.-backed rebels are committing Christian genocide in Syria, where they are sacking churches and issuing threats that all Christians will be cleansed from rebel-held territory.  A mass exodus of thousands of Christians is taking place, even as mainstream Western reporters like Robert Fisk demonize those same Christians for being supportive of the secular regime.

The bloody jihad waged against Nigeria's Christians, which has seen hundreds killed this year alone, now includes plans to kill Christians with poisoned food, as part of the Islamic organization Boko Haram's stated goal of purging Nigeria of all Christian presence.

During Egypt's presidential elections, Al Ahram reported that "the Muslim Brotherhood blockaded entire streets, prevented Copts from voting at gunpoint, and threatened Christian families not to let their children go out and vote" for the secular candidate.

Meanwhile, under President Obama, the U.S. State Department, in an unprecedented move, purged the sections dealing with religious persecution from its recently released Country Reports on Human Rights.  Likewise, the Obama administration insists that the Nigerian crisis has nothing to do with religion, even as Obama offered his hearty blessings to Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood president, in the midst of allegations of electoral fraud.

Categorized by theme, June's assemblage of Muslim persecution of Christians around the world includes (but is not limited to) the following accounts, listed in alphabetical order by country, not severity.

Church Attacks

Egypt:  Because many visitors were in attendance, Muslims surrounded a Coptic church during Divine Liturgy "demanding that the visiting Copts leave the church before the completion of prayers, and threatening to burn down the church if their demand was not met." The priest contacted police asking for aid only to be told to comply with their demands, "and do not let buses with visitors to come to the church anymore." Christian worshippers exited halfway through liturgy to jeers outside. As they drove away, Muslims hurled stones at their buses.  Also, repairs to a Coptic church that was torched and gutted a year ago by rioting Muslims were woefully inadequate, leaving the congregation with a staggering debt from further necessary repairs.

Indonesia:  A Muslim mob of 300 wrecked a store that was being used for a Sunday church service on the pretext that it had not obtained "permission to hold Mass."  The mob wrecked the first floor of the store, breaking windows and damaging furniture.  Police stopped them before reaching the third floor, where some 60 Christians had congregated.   None of the Muslims were arrested, although 12 Christians were taken into custody for questioning.  Separately, in compliance to calls by Islamic clerics, authorities ordered 20 churches to be torn down, following the closure of 16 smaller Christian places of worship in the same district last month.  The congregations continue to hold services inside their sealed-off buildings as other members stand guard outside.

Iran: Authorities ordered the closure of yet another church in the capital, Tehran, "amid a government campaign to crack down on the few recognized churches offering Farsi-speaking services," according to a human rights group. The church originally served Assyrian background Christian members; however, "due to an increasing number of Farsi-speaking believers—mostly MBBs [Muslim Background Believers]—it [the church] has become a cause of concern for the authorities and they now ordered it to shut down."

Kashmir: A 119-year-old church was torched by Muslims.  The local bishop "said that the Muslim fundamentalists want Christians to leave the state… He said that the church had filed a case with the police but had been advised not to 'play up' such incidents."  Christian minorities "are coming under growing threat from Kashmir's Muslim majority. A Christian human rights group in India said that over 400 Christians have been displaced as a result."

Kazakhstan: Land use regulations are being exploited "as a means to prevent religious communities and their members exercising freedom of religion or belief." Most recently, authorities "forced a Methodist church to 'voluntarily' close and fined the wife of the Church's Pastor, who further paid for an announcement in newspapers saying the church was 'liquidating itself,'" simply because "We do not want more punishment from the authorities."

Nigeria:  Islamic militants attacked several churches during every Sunday of the month with bombs and guns killing dozens of Christian worshippers, and critically wounding hundreds, including many children.  Growing numbers of Christians "dare not" attend church services anymore, even as reports suggest that some police are intentionally abandoning their watch prior to such attacks.

Sudan:  Authorities bulldozed two church buildings to the ground and confiscated three Catholic schools, as a response to the secession of South Sudan in July 2011, saying that  such buildings are associated with now unwelcome, largely Christian South Sudanese in the Islamic-ruled country.  Another church building belonging to the Full Gospel Church was destroyed in the same area two months ago, also on the claim that it belonged to South Sudanese.

Turkmenistan:  An Evangelical church in the Muslim-majority nation was raided by authorities: "All adult believers at the meeting were questioned about their faith and all of their Christian literature was confiscated."  Their literature was returned two weeks later.

Apostasy, Blasphemy, Proselytism

Egypt: A Christian student handing out Christian literature in Assuit University "raised the ire of Muslim students," resulting in clashes on campus, "amid shouts of sectarian chants," leading to many injuries. Likewise, a Salafi leader declared on Egyptian TV that Muslims have no right "to convert to Christianity."

Iran: Five months after five Christian converts were arrested, their condition and fate remain unknown. They are accused of "attending house church services, promoting Christianity, propagating against the regime and disturbing national security." Being imprisoned for 130 days without word "is an obvious example of physical and mental abuse of the detainees….  one of the prison guards openly told one of these Christian detainees that all these pressures and uncertainties are intended to make them flee the country after they are released." Also, a young Iranian woman, who recently converted to Christianity and was an outspoken activist against the Islamic regime, was found dead, slumped over her car's steering wheel, with a single gunshot wound to her head.

Pakistan: A banned Islamic group filed a blasphemy case against a 25-year-old mentally retarded Christian man.  Muslims had converted him to Islam two years earlier, to use him as a pretext to annex his Christian village. In the words of a witness: "These people (Muslims) do not let us live. We are poor but are working hard to survive. On the night of the incidence a mob of Muslim clerics gathered [around] our colony to burn us all because of the blasphemy Ramzan [the retarded man] committed. Everyone was very scared. We all have small children in our houses and we didn't know what to do. The mob surrounded our colony and raised a slogan to burn all the houses, they had torches in their hands and petrol in the cans. We called police and thank God police arrived just in time.

Saudi Arabia: Thirty-five Ethiopian Christians arrested in December for praying in a private home remain jailed, even as Saudi officials offer contradicting reasons for their arrest.  Meanwhile, they have been beaten and subjected to interrogations and strip searches. Saudi Arabia formally bans all religions other than Islam. However, in 2006, Saudi authorities told the United States that they would "guarantee and protect the right to private worship for all, including non-Muslims who gather in homes for religious practice."

Sudan: A Muslim woman divorced her husband, a convert to Christianity, causing the court automatically to grant her custody of their two sons.  When the father tried to visit his children, his wife threatened to notify authorities.  "They might take the case to a prosecution court, which might lead to my sentencing to death according to Islamic apostasy law—but I am ready for this," said the Christian. "I want the world to know this. What crime have I done? Is it because I became a Christian? I know if the world is watching, they [Sudanese authorities] will be afraid to do any harm to me."

United States:  Two Christian men in Saint Louis, Missouri received death threats from Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard, apparently for converting to Christianity and preaching it.  One of the men formerly served in the Revolutionary Guard and was once even assigned a suicide mission against Israel, before converting and immigrating to the U.S. "The two men believe that Islam is a religion that could easily radicalize a Muslim into a terrorist."  Likewise, in Dearborn Michigan, Christian demonstrators exercising their free speech rights were stoned by Muslims shouting "Allahu Akbar!"

Dhimmitude

[General Abuse, Debasement, and Suppression of Non-Muslims as "Tolerated" Citizens]

Indonesia: "The number of violations of Christians' religious rights in Indonesia reached 40 in the first five months of the year, nearly two-thirds the amount of anti-Christian actions in all of last year," according to the Jakarta Christian Communication Forum.  The Christian minority in Indonesia faced 64 cases of violations of religious freedom last year, up from 47 in 2010." Violence against Christians also increased.

Mali: "Islamists in control of northern Mali are enforcing a strict version of Sharia law that victimizes Christians, women and other vulnerable groups."  The radicals took control of northern Mali in April after ousting the armed forces of the government.  "All the Christians have left Timbuktu (the main city in north Mali) because of the Sharia law as well as because of the presence of people linked with al-Qaeda," said a Christian leader who fled from northern Mali.

Pakistan:  Police are siding with the Muslims accused of beating a pregnant Christian woman, causing her to miscarriage twins, and gang-raping her 13-year-old Christian niece.  "Muslim criminals believe police and courts will give little credence to the complaints of Christians in the country, which is nearly 96 percent Muslim," adds the report.  The Christian family is "paying a huge price for being poor … and for being Christian," said the uncle:  "What can we expect from the police when they are not paying heed even to the court orders?  They are distorting facts and have even gone to the extent of accusing a 13-year-old [raped girl] of committing adultery with three men."  Another Christian politician's ID mistook him for a Muslim, causing him to insist "on the floor of the Punjab Assembly that he was born a Christian and appealed to them and the media not to indulge in propaganda against him that could incite Muslim extremists to kill him."

South Africa: More than 70 students were kicked out of the Coastal KZN As-Salaam campus dormitories and are currently homeless, because campus officials tried to make them observe Islam, including by banning Bibles, which the students resisted. "All we wanted was to be free to practice our own religions and not be forced to follow Islam, but now we have been punished by being deprived of safe accommodation," said one student.

Turkey: Thousands of devout Muslims prayed outside Hagia Sophia—formerly Christendom's greatest cathedral now a museum—shouting, "Allahu Akbar!" and demanding the building be opened as a mosque in honor of the jihadi sultan who conquered Constantinople in the 15^th century.

About this Series

Because the persecution of Christians in the Islamic world is on its way to reaching epidemic proportions, "Muslim Persecution of Christians" was developed to collate some—by no means all—of the instances of persecution that surface each month. It serves two purposes:

1. Intrinsically, to document that which the mainstream media does not: the habitual, if not chronic, Muslim persecution of Christians.
2. Instrumentally, to show that such persecution is not "random," but systematic and interrelated—that it is rooted in a worldview inspired by Sharia.

Accordingly, whatever the anecdote of persecution, it typically fits under a specific theme, including hatred for churches and other Christian symbols; apostasy and blasphemy laws; sexual abuse of Christian women; forced conversions to Islam; theft and plunder in lieu of jizya (tribute); overall expectations for Christians to behave like cowed "dhimmis" (barely tolerated citizens); and simple violence and murder. Oftentimes it is a combination thereof.

Because these accounts of persecution span different ethnicities, languages, and locales—from Morocco in the west, to India in the east, and throughout the West, wherever there are Muslims—it should be clear that one thing alone binds them: Islam—whether the strict application of Islamic Sharia law, or the supremacist culture born of it.

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