Ramadan Update - The Muslim Sacred Month at a Glance (with links)

The death toll continues to climb as Muslims journey though Islam's month of jihad...

Robert Spencer at Jihad Watch notes wryly of one of these acts that:

 [It] brings to mind Barack Obama’s last Ramadan message, from 2016, which said: "For many, this month is an opportunity to focus on reflection and spiritual growth, forgiveness, patience and resilience, compassion for those less fortunate, and unity across communities."

Spencer takes the opportunity to draw a lesson from these Ramadan attacks:

Spiritual growth for Muslims involves obeying Allah, who says "kill them wherever you find them" (cf. Qur’an 2:191, 4:89, 9:5).

Of course, some will protest that especially suicide bombings and attacks are against the teachings of Religion of Peace. What, have you not read Allah's command?

“Indeed, Allah has purchased from the believers their lives and their properties, for that they will have Paradise. They fight in the cause of Allah, so they kill and are killed.” (Koran 9:111)

And kill and are killed, and kill and are killed, ad nauseum, ad infinitum.

Until Christ returns in glory to judge the world, which He may do very soon, the way the world looks now.

More teachable moments from the Muslim holy month follow (just a few highlights, not all 64 so far)...

Remembering the Orthodox Holocaust

The Armenian Genocide is commemorated on April 24 each year, the Pontian Greek Genocide on May 19. Together with the Assyrians and other Christians under Ottoman rule, the combined total of Orthodox and Eastern Christians massacred by the Muslim Turks from 1894 to 1923 reached 3.6 million.

Still from the film 'Ravished Armenia', based on a survivor's eyewitness account.

While it is essential to remember the Armenian Genocide and to work to stop the Islamic genocide against Christians in the Middle East and Africa being committed today, we must recall that the term 'genocide' is a secular one.

As Christians we commemorate those killed not so much as 'genocide victims', but as Martyrs — Witnesses for Christ — for they were persecuted and killed by the Turkish Muslims primarily because they were Christians, who refused to renounce their faith in Jesus Christ. As the Lord tells us, "You will be hated by all for My Name's sake. But he who endures to the end shall be saved" (MT 10:22), and "The hour is coming when those who kill you will think they offer service to God" (JN 16:2).

Therefore, the Armenian, Assyrian and Greek Martyrs from a hundred years ago are a sign for us today, who are living through a new age of mass Christian martyrdom, which may even result in the extinction of Christians from huge areas in the Middle East and Africa. They call out to us to be zealous and faithful to Jesus Christ to the end, for He has conquered the devil and death itself. They and all the New Martyrs of the 21st Century join to call us to deep repentance, and they admonish us to live fully the Christian life.

'Now one cannot be a half-hearted Christian, but only entirely or not at all.' 

~ Hieromonk Seraphim Rose (†1982) ~

For further reading:

May 19, Pontian Greek Genocide Remembrance Day - Records show a minimum 350,000 Pontian Greeks exterminated through systematic slaughter by Turkish troops, deportations involving death marches, starvation in labor and concentration camps, rapes and individual killings. Entire villages and cities were devastated, while thousands were forced to flee to neighboring countries.

The Orthodox Christian Holocaust: 1894 to the Present - The most significant Orthodox Christian resource on this subject, compiled by the Very Rev. Archimandrite Nektarios Serfes. Includes summaries of genocide against 3.6 million Armenians and Greeks by Turkish Muslims from 1894-1923.

Armenian Church canonizes victims of Ottoman genocide

Islam, via both Turkey and ISIS, threatens 5,000-year-old Assyrian culture with annihilation

Christian Genocide in the Middle East and Public Apathy in America

'Sacrificing and Sacrificed for the Faith' — Martyrdom a Hundred Years Ago and Today

Much more on my Armenian Genocide Resource Page...

Raymond Ibrahim: 'Islam’s Erasure of Christianity'

The recent discovery of of "how an eighth century Koran was found to be written over... the Bible" has been hailed by the media as evidence of "cultural interactions between different religious communities.”

The truth, however, as Raymond Ibrahim proves in his most recent article, is much darker and far more foreboding:

"What is euphemistically referred to as 'cultural interactions between different religious communities' is a reference to the near cultural annihilation of Coptic Christian civilization by Islam. "

Islam’s Erasure of Christianity

by Raymond Ibrahim, May 14, 2018:

A recent article titled “Passages from the Bible discovered behind Qur’an manuscript” is a reminder that for centuries Islam has been literally and figuratively erasing Christianity.

The report tells of how an eighth century Koran was found to be written over a Christian book, possibly the Bible: “French scholar Dr Eléonore Cellard … noticed that, appearing faintly behind the Arabic script, were Coptic letters. She contacted Christie’s [an auction house], and they managed to identify the Coptic text as coming from the Old Testament’s Book of Deuteronomy—part of the Torah and the Christian Old Testament.”

What this means, and how Western scholars understand it, are two different things: “This is a very important discovery for the history of the Qur’an and early Islam,” said Cellard. “We have here a witness of cultural interactions between different religious communities.” Christie’s specialist Romain Pingannaud concurs: “It shows the contact between communities in the first centuries of Islam.”

What is euphemistically referred to as “cultural interactions between different religious communities” and “the contact between communities in the first centuries of Islam” is a reference to the near cultural annihilation of Coptic Christian civilization by Islam on the former’s own homeland.

PragerU Video: 'The Suicide of Europe', by Douglas Murray

The tragic story of Europe's capitulation to Islam is discussed by author Douglas Murray in yet another excellent video from Prager University, which has featured such towering voices on the threat of Islam as Raymond Ibrahim.




The Suicide of Europe

Douglas Murray, PragerU, May 14, 2018:

Europe is committing suicide. How did this happen? In this week’s video, Douglas Murray, author of The Strange Death of Europe, explains the two major causes of Europe’s impending downfall.

Murray is the author of The Strange Death of Europe.

View, read and share.

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Though published in 2010, I feel this book is more important than ever. Facing Islam is unique in providing a robust defense of the Christian Faith against the 'theological jihad' of Islam, which presents "a different Jesus, a different spirit, and a different gospel" (cf, 2 COR 11:3-4, also GAL 1:6-8).

Rather than being "ripped from the headlines" of its day and thus outdated, Facing Islam presents timeless theological sources and arguments not usually heard in the ongoing debates about Islam. The teachings and warnings of the saints of the Christian East are not only rarely encountered nowadays, they are often obscured by scholars who are so "nuanced" in their treatment of Islam as to paint a completely opposite and false picture of the Islam encountered by Christians in the 7th, 14th, 15th and subsequent centuries. My main purpose is to decisively repudiate the 'Same God' position and to show it to be a dangerous fallacy and a Christian heresy, as well as being a real and physical threat to Christians everywhere. 

I hope my message is reaching people. We certainly have seen an amazing growth since our humble launch in April 2011: 900,000 views, with the very real possibility of hitting 1 Million by the end of the year.

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Longtime followers know I have never monetized this blog. It is truly an independent effort, and has succeeded on the strength of its message, which is the Truth of the Orthodox Christian Gospel of Jesus Christ. Along the way, my original articles have been picked up and republished by outlets in America, England, Europe and Russia. I have also been a regular contributor for Jihad Watch and Raymond Ibrahim. I've been hit with a couple of DDOS attacks, and have seen some posts go viral and reach audiences in the tens of thousands.

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Serbian Orthodox Church to canonize three holy neo-martyrs, killed for refusing to convert to Islam

A young monk, a simple baker, and a pure maiden — each bravely confessing to the death their Orthodox Christian Faith in Jesus Christ — are soon to be formally recognized as saints and martyrs by the Serbian Orthodox Church.

These three — Gregory of Peć, Vasilije of Peć, and Bosiljka Rajičić, who lived during the 17th-18th centuries — are among the "great cloud of witnesses," the thousands of holy neo-martyrs killed by the Muslim Turks during the Ottoman occupation. You can learn about many of them in the landmark book, Witnesses for Christ, Orthodox Christian Neomartyrs of the Ottoman Period, 1437-1860, by Nomikos Michael Vaporis.

The plight of the Holy Neomartyrs under the Ottoman yoke is part of the historical continuity of Muslim persecution of Christians across the centuries from Muhammad's time until now, wherever Islam has conquered. We see the exact same phenomenon in our own day in such geographically far flung nations as Egypt and Indonesia, Nigeria and Malaysia, Pakistan and Sudan, etc. Different languages, different geographies, different politics, yet all these countries are among the worst persecutors of Christians in the world, and they are all Muslim majority countries. In fact, about 80% of the 50 worst countries for persecution of Christians are Muslim.

We are now well into the 21st century and this new era of Christian martyrs under the sword of Islam. Those still in denial about the true nature of Islam may be helped to see clearly by the witness of the Holy Neo-Martyrs under the Muslim Turks, and by the witness of todays New Martyrs, all of whom were killed for refusing to deny Jesus Christ and convert to Islam.

Two of these accounts also tell of Christian maidens being kidnapped by Muslims, who then tried to force the girls to covert to Islam and marry their captors, a practice sanctioned by Muhammad and the Koran [1], and prevalent today in Egypt, Nigeria, Iraq, and other Muslim countries.


Serbian Church canonizes Three Martyrs

OrthoChristian.com, May 12, 2018:

(Belgrade) At its latest session, from April 28 to May 10, the Holy Synod of the Serbian Orthodox Church resolved to canonize three holy martyrs among the saints, reports The Union of Orthodox Journalists.

The official canonization of Sts. Gregory of Peć, Vasilije of Peć, and Bosiljka Rajičić and those who suffered with them will soon be held.

***

St. Gregory of Peć (17th-18th C.) was a young monk of the monastery of the Patriarchate of Peć. He was martyred after refusing to convert to Islam. Miracles began to take place at the place where he was secretly buried by faithful Christians and a small church was later built on the site. Atheist authorities demolished the church and built an institute in the mid-20th century, although the martyr’s incorrupt relics were discovered during the demolishing of the church. His memory will be celebrated on January 22/February 7.

The Church and Islam: 'Dangerous Illusions' can have Eternal Consequences

While preparing to post William Kilpatrick's article,  'The Church and Islam: Dangerous Illusions',  I ended up with quite a long introduction which, I felt, took away from Mr. Kilpatrick's presentation. Therefore, I decided to hold back that introduction and use it to create this follow-up post to further address the 'Dangerous Illusions' which plague those Christians who praise Islam and refuse to see it for what it is.

For an Orthodox Christian to praise and affirm Islam and the Qur'an is akin to spitting on the holy icons of Christ and His Most Pure Mother. When the Muslims invaded Tbilisi, Georgia in 1227, they set icons of Christ and the Theotokos in the middle of the bridge, and promised to spare all those who spit on the icons, denied Christ and converted to Islam. 100,000 Georgian Orthodox Christians chose martyrdom rather than deny Jesus Christ. Let us honor their memory by confessing Jesus Christ to our dying breath! (Source)

William Kilpatrick warned in his article about the threat Islam poses to non-Muslims everywhere, depending on how seriously Muslims take the commands in the Qur'an to wage jihad against the unbelievers. We have seen Islamic jihad attacks climb dramatically in the years since 9/11/2001, with over 33,000 deadly terror attacks since then. This is undeniable evidence that there is something dark and violent at the heart at Islam.

However, in addition to the deadly threat Islam poses in this age, there exists also a grave spiritual danger for Christians who praise and affirm Islam, or who even affirm that Muslims worship the 'Same God' as we do.

Consider:

• the Qur'an explicitly and vehemently denies Jesus Christ to be the Son of God, [1]
• presents Jesus as an apostle and prophet only,
• denies the Holy Trinity, 
• denies that Christ was crucified, 
• curses Christians, 
• and commands Muslims to attack, persecute and kill Christians until they embrace Islam or pay the jizya. [2]

Therefore, whether they realize it or not, a Christian who praises and affirms Islam, Muhammad and/or the Qur'an is praising and affirming a false and militant religion which forcefully denies Jesus Christ and persecutes those who follow Him.

William Kilpatrick - 'The Church and Islam: Dangerous Illusions'

"Church leaders... have taken every opportunity to praise Islam, to declare their solidarity with it, and to join in various Islamic initiatives, such as the campaign against 'Islamophobia'. Judging by the Church’s great solicitude for Islam, one would think it was the most persecuted faith on earth, rather than one of the chief persecutors."

The below article by William Kilpatrick, while directed specifically towards Roman Catholic leaders, can be read with profit by Orthodox Christian hierarchs, clergy, and educators as well.

The Church and Islam: Dangerous Illusions

by William Kilpatrick, Crisis Magazine, April 25, 2018:

Pope Francis meets with Dr. Muhammad al-Issa, Secretary General of the Muslim World League, on September 20, 2017. (Photo credit: CNA / L’Osservatore Romano)

When I first began writing about the Church and Islam, I devoted a lot of space to describing ways that Church leaders could resist the spread of Islam. It seemed only a matter of time until they would wake up to the need to resist. As it turned out, however, that assessment was overly optimistic.

The immediate task, as I soon learned, was not to find ways to counter Islam, but to convince the Church’s hierarchy that Islam ought to be resisted. There’s no use talking battle strategies to people who won’t admit that they have an ideological enemy.

The enemy is not Muslims per se, but a belief system adhered to by the majority of Muslims, albeit with varying degrees of commitment. Although Islam does not easily lend itself to moderation, many Muslims manage to practice their faith in peaceful ways. Others merely give it lip service, and still others are on fire with a passionate zeal to spread it—by fire and the sword if necessary.

The idea of opposing dangerous ideologies is not foreign to Americans, but the idea of opposing an ideology that is also a religion is more problematic. It has become increasingly problematic now that we live in an era in which merely disagreeing with another’s opinions is tantamount to a hate crime. 

So, just for the record, critiquing Islam does not mean that one hates Muslims. Criticizing Islam is not the same as criticizing Muslims, any more than criticizing communism is equivalent to criticizing Soviet-era Russians. One can acknowledge the humanity and good intentions of others without having to endorse their ideology. And if their ideology or belief system presents a grave danger to others, it would be wrong not to criticize it. Of course, one should employ tact and prudence when offering such criticism.

Leo Hohmann: 'Have U.S. Christians already lost the right to publicly speak against Islam?'

“Those who are in denial, who don’t think there is Christian persecution, or who even think there is more Muslim persecution, those pastors better wake up, better be aware, that you now have Christian conferences being closed down by these Islamofascists, Antifa, the SPLC, they’re all working together.” 

— former Muslim-turned Christian Pastor Shahram Hadian

'Axios!' to Leo Hohmann for exposing these thuggish tactics being used to silence Christians warning about the threats from Islam. 

Christian broadcaster Brannon Howse
on the set of his Worldview Weekend radio and Internet podcast show.

“If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. ” – John: 15:18-19

By LEO HOHMANN, April 13, 2018:

It’s no secret that the far-left Southern Poverty Law Center, aligned with the Muslim Brotherhood-linked Council on American-Islamic Relations [CAIR], scour the country looking for Christians who dare to speak or write about their beliefs that Islam poses a threat to our constitutional freedoms — especially the freedom of speech. 

When these intellectual gangsters find a Christian who dares to speak the forbidden thoughts in public, they pounce like ravenous wolves. They inform Antifa, #Ungovernable, #Resist and other activists who flood social media with disparaging comments about the speaker and show up at the advertised venue to cause chaos. 

But before employing any of these disruptive tactics, they first try to get the speaker’s event canceled. 

That’s what happened this past weekend in Minnesota, Iowa and Wisconsin. 

Christian radio host Brannon Howse had scheduled a five-city Worldview Weekend speaking tour. Howse had enlisted speakers including former Muslim-turned Christian Pastor Shahram Hadian and Bible-prophecy teacher Jimmy DeYoung, and booked venues months in advance, only to see those reservations canceled at the last minute. 

Managers of the city-owned Omni Center in Onalaska, Wisconsin, told Howse they received 57 phone calls when they opened their office on Friday, April 6, from activists threatening to protest his event. They told Howse he needed to up his liability insurance policy, which already provided $1 million in coverage. They canceled his event four hours before the doors were due to open. 

Howse said he was on the phone with three different city officials that day, including the mayor, police chief and city administrator, all telling him they could not host his event at the Omni because his insurance was not sufficient. 

“They violated the terms of our contract, which requires them to inform me of any cancellation in writing, either hand-delivered or via U.S. Postal Service,” Howse said. 

Hotels in Milwaukee and Green Bay also canceled Howse’s events. 

“We have a legal team in Wisconsin and they are looking at suing all three venues but they are particularly distressed that the city government of Onalaska stifled our free speech,” Howse told me. “When the government shuts you up, that is real censorship. Our attorneys are telling us the punitive damages for that could be astronomical for them.” 

The last time I checked, talking about political or religious matters, however controversial or unpopular, was exactly the type of speech that our First Amendment was meant to protect. 

The speaking events sought to expose how leftists supported by billionaire George Soros and elitist private foundations are intimidating America into silence by labeling anyone who exposes them as “racists,” “Islamophobes” and “white supremacists.” 

“It re-affirmed what we’ve been talking about for over a year now in terms of where things are headed in this country and what we are facing as Christians,” Hadian told me.