' NOT THE SAME GOD' - Franklin Graham delivers robust Christian response to the latest Islamic jihad terror attack

"Graham reacted strongly to a recent Islamic terror attack in Strasbourg, France, warning that radical Islam continues to be a major global threat."

There are so few Christian voices stating the obvious, that the obvious is in decline. 

'AXIOS' to Rev. Graham for having the courage and conviction to boldly rebuke those who hold to the Same God Heresy, to bravely condemn the false religion of Islam, and to blast weak Christian leaders like Pope Francis who deny that Islam is behind jihad terror attacks. Graham recently stated that

Islam “is behind the violence and jihad we’re seeing in Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and here in this country. 

“It’s a religion that calls for the extermination of ‘infidels’ outside their faith, specifically Jews and Christians.”

Franklin Graham: Allah and the Christian God ‘Not the Same’

by Thomas D. Williams, PhD, Breitbart News, December 16, 2018:

Celebrated evangelical pastor Franklin Graham reacted strongly to a recent Islamic terror attack in Strasbourg, France, warning that radical Islam continues to be a major global threat.

In a two-part tweet Saturday, Rev. Graham, the son of the prominent Christian leader Billy Graham, reminded citizens that Islamic extremism has not ceased to be a menace to the world and that, contrary to popular opinion, the Muslim idea of God is very different from the God worshiped by Christians.

Radical Islam continues to be a huge threat around the world. I thank God for the hard work of the French police & law enforcement who tracked down terrorist Cherif Chekatt. Remember the families of those whose lives were taken and the many wounded. 1/2 https://t.co/edjAvRxde7

— Franklin Graham (@Franklin_Graham) December 15, 2018

Contrary to what some may say, the god of Islam & the God of the Christian faith are not the same. The God of the Christian faith is Creator of the Universe & sent His Son, Jesus, to earth to save us from our sin. He can change every heart who will put their faith in Him. 2/2

— Franklin Graham (@Franklin_Graham) December 15, 2018

In the past, Rev. Graham has said that bloody jihadist attacks should not surprise anyone, since hatred and violence against nonbelievers are central to the teachings of Islam.

“Why does Islam hate so much?” Graham asked in a 2016 Facebook post. “It’s because the Quran teaches its followers to hate.”

“Jews, Christians and others are to be subdued so that Islam may ‘prevail over all religions,’” he added. “It’s all in the final chapter of the Quran—‘Kill or be killed in battle, and paradise awaits,’” he said.

Graham has been an ongoing critic of theories that would equate Islam to Christianity.

Muslims Behind 84 Percent of Terrorist Killings in the West in 2017

"Europe was the Western region most impacted in 2017, suffering some 75 per cent of all types of terrorist violence compared to 22.06 per cent for North America and 2.94 per cent for Australasia."

Radical Muslims Behind 84 Percent of Terror Killings in the West, 67 Percent Foreign-Born

by Jack Montgomery, Breitbart News, Nov 1, 2018:

Islamists were responsible for a massive 84.27 per cent of terror killings in the West in 2017, with 66.67 per cent of the perpetrators coming to their target country from abroad.

The number of foreign-born radical Islamic terrorists carrying out attacks in Western countries was up substantially from 2016, when 40.54 per cent of attackers struck outside their country of origin, according to a report by the Henry Jackson Society.

America's judgment looms ever nearer: FGM, mutilation of children normalized and protected

"A federal judge has dismissed six charges of female genital mutilation against a doctor, declaring the nation’s female genital mutilation law as unconstitutional."

The unthinkable has happened: a brutal and dangerous practice performed on infant girls, originating from a deviant desert pagan religion, has now been given protected legal status in the United States.

Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), the cutting of the clitoris of defenseless infant girls, has, through the fiat of a single federal judge in an historic, landmark case, become protected by the US Constitution, barring some overturning of this heinous and ignorant decision.

See my article:  FGM and Islam’s Mutilation of… Everything

Spiritually, this dark sign of our times converges with another rapidly spreading movement affirming a secular right to mutilate children.

America is swiftly enshrining the right of children to undergo hormonal therapy and sexual mutilation surgery to "reassign" their gender. Rod Dreher has been tracking the gender reassignment movement for the last few years now. The below exchange helps introduce one of his more comprehensive posts on this sign of the moral and spiritual collapse of America:

The woman told me that at her kids’ high school, a shocking number of students are going to their parents asking to be put on hormones and asking for surgery, because they are transgender. This is the cool thing, and the school is falling all over itself to be supportive, and to encourage an “ally” culture. 

“What about the parents?” I said. 

“They’re going along with it,” she replied. 

“Why on earth?!” I said. 

“Because they don’t want to lose their kids. Because everything in the culture tells them they should. Because they think that’s how they love their child. And these parents usually become the fiercest LGBT advocates.”

Welcome to post-Christian America, where mutilation of children joins pre-birth infanticide as the law of the land. Our judgment will be swift and harsh when it comes.

But, back to the protection of FGM and the advance of Sharia in America...

Timothy R. Furnish - "Radical” Islam: Livin’ on the Edge, or Stuck Squarely in the Middle, of the Religion?

"VIOLENT JIHAD IS NOT RADICAL! How could it be, when Muhammad himself led armies in battle and ordered the killing of recalcitrant non-Muslims?"

Another much needed corrective to the discussion on Islam. Tim Furnish is simply one of the best, and by far the wittiest, experts on Islam writing today. You can order his books and follow his blog through these links:

• Sects, Lies & the Caliphate: Ten Years of Observations on Islam
• Ten Years' Captivation with the Mahdi's Camps: Essays on Muslim Eschatology, 2005-2015
• Blog: The Occidental Jihadist - Reflections on Culture, Geopolitics, and Muslim Eschatology

"Radical” Islam: Livin’ on the Edge, or Stuck Squarely in the Middle, of the Religion?

by Timothy R. Furnish, PhD, Three Kraters Media, Nov 12, 2018:

There is absolutely NOTHING “radical” or “extremist” about this flag, even though ISIS and similar groups use it.  The flag says “there is no deity but Allah, and Muhammad is his messenger.” That’s the credo of 1.6 billion Muslims. 

When I was doing a doctorate in Islamic history at Ohio State University back in the 1990s, the study of the world’s second-largest religion and the civilization it spawned was still mostly an academic exercise, as it had been for most of the 20th century. But with the explosion of Islamic terrorism since then—and it is Islamic, because 76% (51/67) of the groups on the US State Department foreign terrorist organizations list are Muslim—matters once merely the province of professors are now crucial for policymakers.

And in that realm, most in the US are, if not blind—at best monocular. Since 9/11 this country has had three Presidential administrations. The operating premise in both the Bush and Obama presidencies was that Islam is peaceful, and that jihad contravenes Muhammad’s teachings. But whereas Bush administration apologetics for Allah’s acolytes were passive, those in Obama’s were more actively supportive: the President himself famously said that “the future does not belong to those who slander the Prophet of Islam;” and his CIA director bloviated that jihad is a “holy struggle…meaning to purify oneself or one’s community” and has nothing to do with killing. (As for the Trump approach—that shall be examined below.)

Of course, as one can ascertain from actually reading the Qur’an, relevant Hadiths (alleged sayings of Muhammad’s), or even a modicum of Islamic history—and to paraphrase my old Army Drill Instructor, SFC Ocaña, “it don’t take a PhD” to do so—jihad’s primary meaning is exactly violence against non-Muslims to bring them to heel.

Dreher slams "morally disgusting" "Islamized Britain" over UK denying asylum to Asia Bibi

"This morally disgusting outcome is what happens when you allow your country to become Islamized."

Bravo for Rod Dreher for calling this one right. If you haven't been following Asia Bibi's story, get up to speed with these links:

• Pakistan: Christian woman imprisoned for years for blasphemy is acquitted, Muslims riot and call for her death
• Pakistan: 11,000 Muslims in protests against acquittal of Christian “blasphemer,” demand public hanging
• Pakistani government capitulates to rioters, bans Asia Bibi from leaving country, reviews her blasphemy acquittal
• Pakistan: Lawyer for Christian woman acquitted of blasphemy charges flees to Europe in fear of his life
• Additional News Stories tagged with 'Asia Bibi'

The USA has an opportunity to help this Christian woman whose life and that of her family (and her attorney) are at risk because of Islam, the Koran, and Muhammad.

England has revealed whom it considers its true overlords to be. The black flag of Islam will soon be flying over Buckingham Palace, St Paul's Cathedral, and the Houses of Parliament. Britain is doomed.

Islamized Britain

by Rod Dreher, The American Conservative, November 10, 2018:

This is a sign of the times:

A Pakistani Christian woman’s appeal to Britain for asylum has been denied because her arrival in the country may stir civil unrest, HuffPost UK has been told. 

Asia Bibi, a Christian farm labourer, was released from prison in Pakistan on Wednesday after being acquitted of blasphemy. She had spent eight years on death row after an argument with a group of Muslim women in June 2009. 

The Supreme Court of Pakistan overturned Bibi’s 2010 conviction for “insulting the prophet Mohammed” last week, saying the case against her was based on flimsy evidence. 

But her acquittal sparked violent protests led by Islamic religious hardliners, and the government has now agreed to try to stop her leaving the country. 

On Saturday her lawyer, Saif Mulook, fled Pakistan, saying he feared for his life. Bibi’s husband, Ashiq Masih, has also released a video message saying he too fears for his family’s safety. 

“I am requesting the Prime Minister of the UK help us and as far as possible grant us freedom,” he said. 

But campaigners working to secure Bibi’s move abroad said the UK government had not offered her asylum, citing security concerns.

More:

'LONDONISTAN' - Harbinger of England's Dark Future

“London is more Islamic than many Muslim countries put together”

The title of Melanie Phillips' prophetic 2007 book haunts England, Europe and America to this day, as the Islamic takeover of a collapsing, post-Christian West continues to accelerate. The article below details disturbing trends, such as these:

• 423 new mosques, and they are packed,
• 100 Shariah courts, creating a parallel legal system outside of English law,
• weekly attendance of Muslims at mosque will surpass the number of Christians at church by 2020.

Not mentioned in the below article is London's massive crime wave, with acid attacks and stabbings, rape and gun crimes and homicide all way up; homicides up by 27%, youth homicides up by 70%, and robbery up by over 33%.

Also not referenced below, "taking the three English translations of the same Arabic name as one has left Muhammad the most popular boy’s name in England and Wales every year since 2011."

Let the reader understand.

LONDONISTAN, by Melanie Phillips, Encounter Books, 2007:

The suicide bombings carried out in London in 2005 by British Muslims revealed an enormous fifth column of Islamist terrorists and their sympathizers. 

Under the noses of British intelligence, London has become the European hub for the promotion, recruitment and financing of Islamic terror and extremism - so much so that it has been mockingly dubbed Londonistan. 

In this ground-breaking book Melanie Phillips pieces together the story of how Londonistan developed as a result of the collapse of traditional English identity and accommodation of a particularly virulent form of multiculturalism. Londonistan has become a country within the country and not only threatens Britain but its special relationship with the U.S. as well. 

Order from Amazon.

“London is more Islamic than many Muslim countries put together”

423 mosques, 100 Sharia courts

Oct 9, 2018, ROBERT SPENCER,  JIHAD WATCH:

And the police in many areas are enforcing Sharia blasphemy laws, hunting for people who insult Islam. The end of Britain as a free society is at hand.

“Muslim London: 423 new mosques, 100 Shariah courts,” Saudi Gazette, October 7, 2018:

London —Britain has been acquiring an increasingly Islamic face, with hundreds of official Shariah courts operating in the capital and many mosques dotting many cities. 

Maulana Syed Raza Rizvi, an Islamic preacher, was quoted as saying in the local media…. 

There are 423 new mosques in London and most of these mosques are crowded at prayer times unlike many churches which rarely see visitors.

Islam defeats Free Speech in Europe

European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) sets ominous precedent, enforces Sharia restrictions on speech concerning Islam, criminalizes criticism of Muhammad.

In Europe, Free Speech Bows to Sharia

By ANDREW C. MCCARTHY, National Review, October 27, 2018

Europeans are free to say only what the courts let them.

When he was 50, the prophet of Islam took as his wife Aisha, who was then six or seven. The marriage was consummated when Aisha was nine.

This is not a smear. It is an accurate account of authoritative Islamic scripture. (See, e.g., Sahih-Bukhari, Vol. 5, Book 58, Nos. 234–236.) Yet it can no longer safely be discussed in Europe, thanks to the extortionate threat of violence and intimidation — specifically, of jihadist terrorism and the Islamist grievance industry that slipstreams behind it. Under a ruling by the so-called European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), free speech has been supplanted by sharia blasphemy standards.

The case involves an Austrian woman (identified as “Mrs. S.” in court filings and believed to be Elisabeth Sabaditsch Wolff) who, in 2009, conducted two seminars entitled “Basic Information on Islam.” She included the account of Mohammed’s marriage to Aisha. Though this account is scripturally accurate, Mrs. S. was prosecuted on the rationale that her statements implied pedophilic tendencies on the part of the prophet. A fine (about $547) was imposed for disparaging religion.

IPT exposes how false reporting is used by Left to diminish threat from Islamic Terrorism

International Project on Terrorism dissects 'Global Terrorism Database Study, reaffirms threat of Islamic Jihad in America.

SPLC-Touted Terrorism Study Casts a Wide Net to Downplay Islamic Extremism

by Benjamin Baird, Special to IPT News, October 26, 2018

Looking to "blow off steam," a pair of teenagers broke into the Ohio Chapel United Methodist Church near Columbus, Ind. last year to steal propane tanks. The vandals turned crosses upside down, smashed windows, and even torched a pew stored in the basement.

Non-lethal incidents like church vandalism are a far cry from the bloodshed that occurred in the shadow of the rebuilt World Trade Center on Oct. 31, 2017, when ISIS-aligned Uzbek immigrant Sayfullo Saipov drove a rented pickup truck down a crowded bicycle path, killing eight people and wounding 12. Yet, a Quartz report published Sept. 11 reviewing terrorist attacks in 2017 compares numerous low-level acts of vandalism to less frequent — but far more lethal — jihadist violence, to argue that most terrorist acts in the United States are motivated by right-wing extremism.

Analyzing data from the Global Terrorism Database (GTD), an open-source dataset maintained by the National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism (START) at the University of Maryland, Quartz reporter Luiz Romero concluded that "almost two-thirds of terror attacks in the US last year" were perpetrated by right-wing extremists.

The left-wing Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), which collects and distributes its own "Terror from the Right" statistics, was happy to run with Romero's findings. But a case-by-case review of the 2017 raw data finds that Quartz's study is incredibly flawed and misleading.

Raymond Ibrahim: 'The Dhimmi in the Mirror'

"If Christian minorities living under Islamic authority have little choice but to speak well of their 'coexistence' with Islam, why are Western leaders, politicians, and talking heads of all varieties—who are not under Islamic authority—also behaving like cowed dhimmis?"


Raymond Ibrahim applies his penetrating insights into the historical continuity of Islamic persecution of Christians to the tragic case of the Coptic Pope Tawadros II's recent remarks.

It should be noted that Orthodox Christian patriarchs and bishops subjugated under Muslim rule in the Islamic world have also made similar such statements, and some have even gone much further, to the borders (and beyond?) of outright blasphemy, heresy, and apostasy:

His All Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople has written of a “dialogue of loving truth” with Islam, and of Orthodoxy having for centuries “coexisted peacefully” with Islam, and projects the chimera of an “interfaith commitment... still felt and lived by Greeks [and] Turks” as an example for all to follow (Encountering the Mystery, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, Doubleday, 2008, xxxvii, 196, 174). 

Bartholomew has also called for the tearing down of “the wall of separation between East and West, between Muslims and Christians, between all religions of the world,” and has also asserted, “One who achieves the state of inner peace in relation to God is a true Muslim” (Encountering the Mystery, 205, 209). 

Patriarch Parthenius of Alexandria, in the Orthodoxos Typos 854, May 1982, praised Islam and Muhammad thusly: "The Prophet Muhammad is an apostle, He is a man of God, who worked for the Kingdom of God... When I speak against Islam, then I am not found in agreement with God." 

Metropolitan George Khodr of Lebanon has written: "I am completely sure that if you are a Christian and you know a lot about Islam and love what you know, your heart will embrace the Muslims around you and if you are educated, you will hold in esteem much from their religion and openly recognize the truth that is in their religion."

Christian bishops are called to "rightly divide the word of truth," not to praise a false religion, false god, and false prophet which vehemently denies Jesus Christ and violently persecutes and slaughters Christians. These false teachings are bound to at the least confuse the faithful, and at worst may lead them directly into apostasy and denying Jesus Christ. 

Orthodox hierarchs, including, tragically, the "first among equals" (the Ecumenical Patriarch) who spew forth such bald faced praises of the "forerunner of the Antichrist" should be met by swift denials and cries of "ANAXIOS" from faithful Orthodox Christians who are not ashamed of the Lord Jesus Christ and care not about those who kill the body but cannot touch the soul. 

The Dhimmi in the Mirror

by Raymond Ibrahim, August 1, 2018:

During a recent ceremony that was attended by more than 50 ambassadors and diplomats, many from Western nations, Egypt’s Coptic Orthodox Pope Tawadros II reportedly said “that Egypt had a long history and civilization and has been a model for coexistence between Christians and Muslims for 14 centuries,” to quote the online website, Egypt Independent (I cannot locate his original speech in Arabic to confirm his precise words).

This assertion raises a host of questions, from its veracity, to the reason it was uttered by the representative head of the nation’s indigenous Christians.

As to the claim itself—that “Egypt … has been a model of coexistence between Christians and Muslims for 14 centuries”—this is somewhat literally true: from Islam’s initial invasion of Egypt in the late 630s, to the present, Egypt has indeed been a “model”—a paradigm—of what happens to native Christians when Muslims conquer their territory. Even the word “coexist,” though connoting living peaceably with others, literally only means to live together (including its Arabic form, ta‘ayush).

At any rate, and as documented in my new book, Sword and Scimitar: Fourteen Centuries of War between Islam and the West, those 14 centuries saw a continuum of hostility ranging from wholesale persecution (in the worst of times) to mere discrimination (in the best of times) in Egypt. Much of this is confirmed by the History of the Coptic Patriarchs (which no doubt the latest Coptic patriarch is aware of). This multivolume account, compiled over the course of a millennium, covers the history of the Coptic Church under Islam till 1894.

Unmitigated Muslim persecution of Christians permeates its pages, including the burning and banning of churches and crosses; the fiscal extortion, slaughter, enslavement, mass rape, and forced conversion of Christians. Think what the Islamic State (“ISIS”) has been doing to Christians and others but on an exponential scale. Moreover, the persecutors weren’t “radicals” who have “nothing to do with Islam,” but leading heads of Islamic states, whether Arabs, Fatimids, Ayyubids, Mamluks, or Turks.

Islam's Conflict With Western Values & Human Rights

About one-third to one-half of Muslims (274.0 million - 503.5 million) in Muslim majority countries uphold beliefs and practices that are contrary to many Western values and international human rights.

This conclusion is part of my recently published study, "Muslim Beliefs & Practices: A Global Demographic Assessment."* The surveys used to compile the study were conducted by Pew Research (2008 - 2012) and covered 1.1 billion Muslims---two-thirds of the Muslim world. North America and Western Europe were not included.

The study found that though 69% (742 million) of Muslims want to live under sharia, those who support the harsh "hudud" punishments (stoning for adultery, amputation for theft, death for apostasy, etc.) ranged from 35% - 45%. Since these punishments are derived directly from the Quran, hadith, and sunna, support for them undoubtedly comes from Muslims who promote the traditional interpretation of those texts.

This group, consisting of 41% (369.7 million) of the survey population, believes that their lives faithfully reflect the hadith and the sunna of Muhammad. Statistically, they are not only more likely to promote the hudud punishments, but also to believe that both Islam and sharia have only one interpretation, that sharia should be the law of their country, and that proselytizing is a religious duty.

But more importantly, those who identify as devout Muslims overlap with 64% (581 million) of Muslims who believe that sharia is Allah’s revealed law, rather than a form of law developed by men and based on the word of Allah. For this reason they are more likely than other Muslims to reject the legitimacy of Western laws and government, along with the rights and values they protect.

It is highly implausible, if not naïve, to suggest that devout Muslims shed their deeply held beliefs in sharia when they immigrate to Western countries. Consequently, there is justifiable concern that immigrants from this group will have a strong impulse to resist and even change the host culture. In a 2016 French poll, 29% of Muslims said they rejected the country’s secular laws.

The full 29 page study graphs and analyzes 16 survey questions in detail, providing the historical, theological, political, and social background of Muslim beliefs and practices. It also includes an assessment of security, terrorism, and areas of potential conflict with Western culture.

______________________________________

* The study was first introduced on June 21 by an article in Front Page Magazine.

'We are at a Lepanto Moment', says Roman Catholic priest at New Shrine for Persecuted Christians

Fr Benedict Kiely

“We are at a Lepanto moment in Western history,” said Father Benedict Kiely, founder of Nasarean.org... Lepanto refers to the 1571 naval battle that turned the tide for Christian forces resisting the onslaught of the Muslim invaders of the Ottoman Empire in the waters off southwestern Greece.

“We must pray with the same fervor that the Christians prayed then to save Western civilization, not just from the danger of radical Islamist extremism, but from radical, aggressive secular liberalism," added Fr Kiely.
_____________

This is a bold and, for Roman Catholicism in America, unexpected move, which we welcome for its ability to draw attention to persecuted Christians, as as well as to highlight Islam's strident antichrist theology which manifests in its doctrine of violent jihad against Christians.

With fearless Orthodox voices such as Archbishop Mark of Berlin, Fr Josiah Trenham (whose own church has been subjected to jihad threats), and of course New Martyr Fr Daniil Sysoev of Moscow (†2009), and others warning about Islam, we can hope that eventually a significant Orthodox Christian initiative will arise to provide a clear and vigorous theological and pastoral counter to the challenge of the global ascendency of a newly emboldened and muscular Islam.

See also: How the 1571 Battle of Lepanto saved Europe

First Shrine in World for Persecuted Christians Inaugurated in New York

by Thomas D. Williams, PhD, Breitbart News, via AINA.org

Iraqi Christian Icon of Our Lady of Aradin

The Catholic Church in New York has inaugurated the first Shrine in the world dedicated to prayer for persecuted Christians, with the blessing of the icon of Our Lady of Aradin, “Mother of the Persecuted Church,” at St. Michael’s parish Wednesday. 

Cardinal Timothy Dolan, the archbishop of New York, said he hopes the shrine will be a place “to pray for all the displaced Christians of the Middle East,” and for the whole world. 

“We are at a Lepanto moment in Western history,” said Father Benedict Kiely, founder of Nasarean.org, an organization dedicated to assisting “Christians suffering under the persecution of militant Islam throughout the world” and particularly in the Middle East. 

Apostasy in the UK: Cathedral hosts Ramadan “Grand Iftar Service” on anniversary of London Bridge jihad massacre

The crumbling into apostasy and de facto dhimmi status of Western Christianity continues to gather momentum with yet another cathedral in the UK hosting an Islamic service.

Ramadan is the 'Month of Jihad' for Muslims, and as this news report below shows, Ramadan has become the 'Month of Apostasy' for more and more Christians.

"The cathedral announced it would “host its second Grand Iftar which, this year, will also mark the anniversary of the London Bridge attacks and will bring all communities together to celebrate Ramadan."

Defiling the cathedral and committing apostasy. The 'Church' of England is finished.

By comparison, the Orthodox Church absolutely forbids the reading of texts from any other faith during any of the divine services. Only the Old and New Testaments, and select texts from the Orthodox service books and perhaps lives or writings of saints or of recognized Orthodox writers may be read in an Orthodox Church during a service.

No non-Orthodox speaker should be allowed to give an address in a church. A Christian from another confession could be invited to speak in a parish hall, but not in the church itself. No non-Christian should be allowed to give an address in an Orthodox setting of any kind.

No prayers other than Christian prayers may be offered in an Orthodox church, and those officiated only by a consecrated Orthodox clergyman (or, if no clergy are available, by Orthodox laymen in a "Readers Service").

If an Islamic service of any kind, or a reading from the Koran, or Muslim prayers were somehow forcibly (or ignorantly, or in a modern-day spirit of multi-culti vapidity) conducted in an Orthodox church, that church would be considered defiled, a great blasphemy committed, an "abomination causing desolation" having occurred, and that church would need to be exorcised, cleansed, and completely re-consecrated before any Christian services could be held again in it. Its pastor or bishop should be severely disciplined and possibly defrocked if not excommunicated.

Why these strong words?

Because Islam is of the spirit of Antichrist, a forerunner of Antichrist, per these verses from the Koran:

'First they came for Tommy Robinson...'

The UK arrested, charged, tried, convicted, and sentenced Tommy Robinson in one hour. The UK judge presiding slapped a gag order on the press. These are the actions of a totalitarian regime, one which, in this case, seems to have sold its soul to Islam.

I was immediately reminded of the poem, 'First they came...' Written by the German Lutheran pastor Martin Niemöller (†1984), the spare verse exposes the cowardice of German Christians and intellectuals during the rise of Adolf Hitler and the Nazis to power:

Engraving of the poem 'First they came...' at the New England Holocaust Memorial, Boston MA.

First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Socialist.
Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Trade Unionist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for the Catholics, and I did not speak up—
Because I was not a Catholic.
Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.

Since I blog about Islam (strike one), and am an Orthodox Christian (strike two), I expect in the not too distant future to find myself a target of the police and surveillance forces of the Dystopian States of America, I resolved not to remain silent about Tommy Robinson's case. Time to speak out.

Here in the USA, we have some vestigial recognition of Freedom of Speech (and Freedom of Religion), though it is under severe assault, and is being eradicated through generational displacement, as revealed by polls of college graduates over the last decade or more, who believe speech should be limited.

But in the UK, free speech is dead. The silencing of Tommy Robinson, whatever one thinks of his politics, persona, and approach, is its most recent and startling sign.

Several perceptive articles have drawn out the implications of the Soviet-style fast-track eradication of Robinson. Here are a few excerpts with links back to the original sites, all highly recommended:

The disappearance of Tommy Robinson: What his arrest tells us about UK’s slide toward totalitarianism

LeoHohmann.com - Mr Hohmann focuses on an article by Edward Cline at Rule of Reason (who cites the ever incisive and quotable Mark Steyn). An excerpt:

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.

SPECIAL LIMITED TIME OFFER - Facing Islam book now 50% off List Price!

The Facing Islam blog recently passed 900,000 views, and it's time to celebrate. And what better way than to offer a blowout special on my book, Facing Islam - What the Ancient Church has to say about the Religion of Muhammad.

• Regular List Price, $10.99

• Now through May 31, 2018, 50% off ($5.50) plus shipping and sales tax (where applicable).

This is basically selling the book below wholesale. This is my way of saying "Thank You" to all you readers...

• See the product page and endorsements

• Proceed to my online store to order now, at 50% off!

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.

A couple of years ago Facing Islam was named a 'Top 50 Islam Blog', and I am honored to feature that badge on this site. We started out at about #45, but when I checked just now, we have risen to #37! And this without Facebook and Twitter feeds. The Top 50 Islam Blog category includes not only counter-jihad blogs, but Muslim sites and Islamic dawah blogs seeking to spread their false religion to the unsuspecting. To be in this top tier of Islam blogs means we are having an impact and reaching people.

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.

But through it all I have refused to seek ad revenue, refused even to be an Amazon affiliate. 

So, if you've ever thought of buying my book, NOW IS THE TIME!  Buy two copies (or more!) and share them with your friends and family. I have one friend who purchased ten copies to give away! 

• Proceed to my online store to order now, at 50% off!

Thanks again so much for your visits, and I hope you profit from and are blessed by my efforts here.

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.

VIDEO: Russian Priest - Answer to a Muslim Apologist

"Fr. Maksim Kuskin, a Russian priest from near Moscow, here answers a question from a Muslim, who maintains that Islam is purer and stronger than Christianity. His arguments are simple: Muslims give up alcohol and lead chaste lives.

"The calmness with which Father Maksim answers radiates with a quiet power:





"The Russian priest answers simply, obviously a bit taken aback by the glaring smugness of the question.

"Let's talk about how not only is Islam a more primitive religion, but about how much violence and outrage it has inflicted upon the world, and so often, upon Christians.

"Yet, 'We suffer everything', Fr. Maxim concludes, 'and ultimately you will see, that Christianity is so much more powerful than Islam'."

Source: Russian Faith

Mark Durie on 'The Noble Qur'an' and its Call to Violent Jihad

Similar to how the Gideons place Bibles in America's hotel and motel rooms, Saudi Arabia globally distributes free copies of its edition of 'The Noble Qur'an', "which can be found in mosques, prayer rooms and meeting places around the world."

But what is contained in this book at the heart of the world's second largest (but fastest growing) religion?

Mark Durie uses the placement of The Noble Qur'an in a prayer room at the airport at Canberra, Australia as an opportunity to reveal what is actually contained in Muhammad's recitations of the literal words of the Islamic god, Allah. And this has much to teach us about the nature of Allah and what lies at the heart of Islam.

Related: 

• The 'Same God' Belief: a Fatal Heresy and a Theological Trojan Horse
• The Wheat and the Tares - 'An enemy has done this...'

Calling for Violent Jihad in Australia

by Mark Durie, April 11, 2018:


There is not a Bible, Jewish or Christian, containing such incendiary commentary as populates page after page of 'The Noble Qur’an', which for four years has preached to the faithful in Canberra Airport's prayer room. The ideology it promotes is violent jihad. It is a book to start a war.

The Saudis, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt recently cut diplomatic ties with Qatar and imposed sanctions, accusing the Qataris of supporting terrorism. The Saudis have demanded that Qatar close Al-Jazeera and cut all ties with the Muslim Brotherhood, Al Qaeda, Hezbollah and the Islamic State. Qatar’s long-standing and well-known support for the Muslim Brotherhood, which aims to unify Muslim nations under an Islamic caliphate and has networks of supporters across the Middle East, is now perceived as a serious threat its neighbours.

This is the pot calling the kettle black, for Saudi Arabia itself has a long record of exporting Islamic radicalism. Among its most notable exports are millions of Korans in translation, which, through commentary (mainly in footnotes) and accompanying materials, incite Muslims to wage violent jihad to establish an Islamic state.

Among the Saudis’ exported Korans is an English-language edition, The Noble Qur’an, which can be found in mosques, prayer rooms and meeting places around the world. Anyone who applies to the Saudi embassy in Canberra will be sent a copy gratis.

The handsomely gilded Noble Qur’an is distributed as part of the Saudis’ global da’wa or effort to propagate Islam. It appears to target two kinds of readers: 

First, The Noble Qur’an seeks to enlist Muslims in violent jihad against non-Muslims, to establish an Islamic caliphate. 

Second, it aims to engage with Christians. The longest essay in the appendices is an argument that Jesus was a prophet of Islam, and commentary throughout... challenges and “corrects” Christian teachings.

The Noble Qur’an can be found in the musallah or prayer room of Canberra’s airport. What is apparently the same edition, with “AIRPORT MUSALLAH”written in black marker pen on the page ends, has been sitting there for the past four years, ever since the new airport was built. The Noble Qur’an is also publicly available in other “multi-faith” spaces that have been springing up in institutions across Australia in recent years, in universities, hospitals and other public places.