William Kilpatrick: 'Europe Is Falling to Islam. Will America?'

"Once legitimate criticism of Islam becomes a hate crime punishable by imprisonment, opposition to the Islamist agenda will quickly dry up. And the pace of change will continue to speed up."

William Kilpatrick surveys recent developments and draws ominous conclusions concerning the Islamization of the West. As always, essential reading from one of Christianity's most incisive writers on Islam.


Europe Is Falling to Islam. Will America?

BY WILLIAM KILPATRICK | DEC 2, 2019  |   Turning Point Project

“Within five years,” said former French Interior Minister Gerard Collomb, “the situation could become irreversible.”

He was referring to the rising tide of violence resulting from Muslim immigration. His comment was from an interview that took place almost two years ago. If Collomb’s calculations are correct, France only has a few years “to avoid the worst.”

Significant social change usually takes place over the course of many decades, but sometimes gradual trends enter into an acceleration phase, and massive social transformations take place in a matter of years. A few years ago, who would have imagined that the demands of the transgender “community” would become the determining factor in the decisions of school boards, corporate boards, and athletic associations? Who would have thought that the “right” of boys to enter the girls’ locker room, or the “right” of drag queens to conduct story hours in public libraries, would someday outweigh all other considerations? Yet, here we are.

Thus far, the Islamization of several major European states has been a gradual process. But there are signs that this trend is now set to accelerate. After a 9/11-style plot was recently foiled by French intelligence services, the new Interior Minister, Christophe Castaner, revealed that 60 such attacks had been foiled since 2013.

Meanwhile, 235,000 complaints for rape or attempted rape were filed in 2018; this was 62,000 more than in 2016, and an astonishing 225,000 more than in 2005. In 2018, there were also more than a thousand anti-Christian attacks (mostly, the desecration of churches), and 541 anti-Semitic acts—up 64 percent from 2017, and a shocking statistic when one considers that Jews make up less than one percent of the French population.

New Book: 'Can Islam Transform the West?: The Evidence Considered'

An essential new book from scholar and instructor William DiPuccio, "examining actual instances in which Islamists are changing, or might be changing, Western culture in regards to free speech, religious hatred and violence, antisemitism, education, and entanglements with Islamic extremism."

I was one of the first to purchase this new work, and eagerly look forward to reading it in the days ahead.

Bill D. (who occasionally contributes to this blog, and also helps run an Orthodox Christian study group on Islam) is a rare gift to the counter-jihad movement. Sober, precise and understated in his writing style, he allows the facts and documentation to make his case for him, without polemics or hyperbole. The result is always convincing and compelling.


Also from William DiPuccio:

• Through the Lens of Muhammad's Life (Video Documentary)
• Muslim Global Demographics Project
• Islam and Extremism - What is Underneath?

There are already two reviews over at Amazon if you're inclined to see what reactions other folks have before making your purchase.

Available from Amazon:
Kindle Edition - $3.99
Paperback - $9.99

From the publisher's description:

Islam has become a sensitive, political topic in America. The issue is highly polarized, pitting critics of Islam against its apologists and those who feel Islam is being unfairly maligned. This book poses the question, Can Islam Transform the West? Or, more specifically, can Islamists transform the West?

The author undertakes an even-handed, nuanced analysis by considering important differences among Muslims, looking carefully at the statistical data on Muslim beliefs and practices from numerous polls, and analyzing the ingredients which would be required to bring about cultural and political change. Unlike some presentations on this topic Dr. DiPuccio avoids hype, exaggeration, inflammatory language, and highly emotional appeals.

The book concludes by examining actual instances in which Islamists are changing, or might be changing, Western culture in regards to free speech, religious hatred and violence, antisemitism, education, and entanglements with Islamic extremism.

With 70 illustrations (including tables and graphs), and over 180 linked citations, Can Islam Transform the West? is written to raise awareness by presenting the facts and allowing readers to make up their own minds.

About the Author

William DiPuccio has a Ph.D. in Religious Studies and produces articles, educational materials, and documentaries on Islam. He is the Director of the Muslim Global Demographic Project and Producer of the documentary, What a Billion Muslims Believe (YouTube).

The Hundred Thousand Holy Martyrs of Tbilisi (+1227)

"The invaders goaded the people to the bridge, ordering them to cross it and spit on the holy icons. Those who betrayed the Christian Faith and mocked the icons were spared their lives, while the Orthodox confessors were beheaded."

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This is one of the most compelling mass-martyrdom accounts in Christian history. Of course, the "Turkmen" referred to are the Muslim Turks, who during the thirteenth century were waging jihad to expand the dar al-Islam.

Notice the practice of beheading by the Muslims, used by the Islamic State today, following the example of Muhammad, who personally beheaded between 600 and 900 Jewish men and boys from the Quraiza tribe at Medina. (See The Life of Muhammad, by Ibn Ishaq, trans. A. Guillaume, New York, 1980, pp 463-464).

The Hundred Thousand Holy Martyrs of Tbilisi are commemorated by the Orthodox Church on October 31 (which is today, on the 'Old Calendar').

See also:

OCA - Lives of the Saints - 100,000 Martyrs of Tbilisi by the Mongols

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The Hundred Thousand Holy Martyrs of Tbilisi  (+1227)

from Lives of the Georgian Saints, by Archpriest Zakaria Machitadze

St Herman of Alaska Press, Platina CA, 2006, pp 403-404.

From the book, 'Lives of the Georgian Saints'

In 1227 Sultan Jalal al-Din of Khwarazm and his army of Turkmen attacked Georgia. On the first day of the battle the Georgian army valorously warded off the invaders as they were approaching Tbilisi. That night, however, a group of Persians who were living in Tbilisi secretly opened the gates and summoned the enemy army into the city.

According to one manuscript in which this most terrible day in Georgian history was described: "Words are powerless to convey the destruction that the enemy wrought: tearing infants from their mothers' breasts, they beat their heads against the bridge, watching as their eyes dropped from their skulls...."

A river of blood flowed through the city. The Turkmen castrated young children, raped women, and stabbed mothers to death over their children's lifeless bodies. The whole city shuddered at the sound of wailing and lamentation. The river and streets of the city were filled with death.

The sultan ordered that the cupola of Sioni Cathedral be taken down and replaced by his vile throne. And at his command the icons of the Theotokos and our Savior were carried out of Sioni Cathedral and placed at the center of the bridge across the Mtkvari River. The invaders goaded the people to the bridge, ordering them to cross it and spit on the holy icons. Those who betrayed the Christian Faith and mocked the icons were spared their lives, while the Orthodox confessors were beheaded.

Order the book from St Herman Press!

One hundred thousand Georgians sacrificed their lives to venerate the holy icons. One hundred thousand severed heads and headless bodies were carried by the bloody current down the Mtkvari River.

0 ye thousands of stars, the chosen people guarding the Georgian Church with your golden wings, intercede for us always before the face of God!

VIDEO: Islam, Holy Icons & St. John of Damascus

A superbly produced video documentary of St John of Damascus, with in-depth presentations of his denunciation of the heresy of Islam, his systematic exposition of the Orthodox Christian Faith, and his defense of the holy icons against the ruthless persecution of the iconooclasts (literally, "icon smashers").

This is yet another excellent video from Trisagion Films, which has rapidly established itself as one of the premier Orthodox Christian platforms on the internet.

The writers frame the narration using the old Chinese curse, "May you live in interesting times," noting at the conclusion that John not only lived through such "interesting times," but himself made major contributions to the defense and advancement of the Orthodox Christian Gospel during a time when the Church faced grave challenges from within and without.

Holy St John, pray to God for us!




Source: Trisagion Films.

VIDEO: Why it is of the Utmost Importance to denounce and expose the 'Same God Heresy'

At the root of today's confusion over Islam is the widespread acceptance of the 'Same God Heresy'.

"When the Church is being betrayed and the faithful led astray, it is no time for compliments and polite 'dialogues', nor for placing sympathy above truth." 

 ~ Blessed Hieromonk Seraphim of Platina

Consider this brief video, and the exhortations from Church Fathers on standing for the Truth and not remaining silent when Christ is being blasphemed:

Lastly, consider this excerpt from the Epilogue to my book, Facing Islam:

WHEN I WAS A YOUNG CONVERT new to Orthodoxy, the late Archbishop Michael (Shaheen) of the Antiochian Archdiocese came to our parish. In delivering the homily, he stated unequivocally that (and I paraphrase), 

“We must embrace the Muslims, the Hindus, the Buddhists, for we all worship the same God; we just worship in different ways, and are merely traveling different paths to the same destination.” 

In doing so, he was blatantly standing against Jesus Christ, the Apostles, the Fathers of the Church, the Seven Ecumenical Councils, the Confessors and Martyrs and all true Orthodox believers of every age. 

Sword and Scimitar: 'Compelling Reminder of the Terrifying Dynamic which Continues to Drive the Islamic World'

An in-depth, "must read" review of Raymond Ibrahim's most recent masterwork.

Sword and Scimitar: “A Compelling Reminder of the Terrifying Dynamic which Continues to Drive the Islamic World”

10/02/2019 by Raymond Ibrahim

Note: The following book review of Sword and Scimitar: Fourteen Centuries of War between Islam and the West was written by Terry Scambray and first appeared in the Sept. 2019 issue of the New Oxford Review:

___________________

We judge individuals by what they say and what they do. We judge cults, religions and ideologies the same way; that is, by their doctrines and history.

Which is common sense, of course.

Apparently though, common sense is abandoned when it comes to ideologies like Marxism which has largely escaped such scrutiny by our schools and popular culture; and now the same cover up is happening with Islam.

But Raymond Ibrahim, fluent in Arabic, is an equal opportunity Middle East scholar committed to truth rather than conforming to dangerous fads.

Ibrahim gained attention with his revealing translations in his 2007 book, The Al Qaeda Reader, which showed the difference between what Osama bin Laden said in Arabic to Muslims and what he said for receptive, if not gullible, Western audiences.

Ibrahim’s second book, Crucified Again, showed the murder and destruction that Christians are enduring at the hands of Muslims throughout the world.

In Sword and Scimitar, Ibrahim begins by explaining Mohammed’s doctrine of jihad or “holy war”: “Whereas the rewards of the pre-Islamic tribal raid were limited to temporal spoils and came with the risk of death, the deified raid (jihad) offered rewards in the here and the hereafter – meaning it was essentially risk free – and thus led to a newborn fanaticism and determination.” In other words, robbery, murder and enslavement were sacralized and then transformed into a prodigious engine of Islamic conquest.

Conquest being the major feature of Islam’s 1,400 year history, Sword and Scimitar takes the reader on a tour – “a tour of force” – as represented by eight significant battles and an array of lesser clashes.

Skillfully relying on first person descriptions, Ibrahim’s narration of these battles is gripping and suspenseful while also evoking the pain and terror of warfare. Especially after the current revival of jihad, his recounting of these barbaric episodes and their consequences is not comforting.

Video: Raymond Ibrahim - 'The Past and Present Persecution of Christians'

A brisk and essential presentation by my dear friend, the great Raymond Ibrahim, on the historical continuity of Islam's persecution of Christians, from the time of Muhammad to today.

Watch and share widely:

England, Anglican Church continue submission to Islam, openly denying Jesus Christ in Royal Cathedral

A Koran reading in Westminster Abbey follows other recent incidents of Islam being proclaimed in Anglican cathedrals as the multifaceted apostasy of England and the COE continues to metastasize, like a spiritual cancer.  

How many of the congregants took their faith in Jesus Christ seriously enough to get up and walk out of this blasphemous invasion of a Christian gathering by a hostile, antichrist spirit? I suspect the number is zero.

Protestant and Catholic England is doomed. Orthodox England is small, but holds out hope for faithful Christians.

Regarding this latest abomination, Bishop Gavin Ashenden, who resigned as Queen’s Chaplain after objecting to the reading of the Koran in Glasgow Cathedral in 2017, warns of the spiritual force of these blasphemies: 

“Reading the Koran in cathedrals... validates Islam’s teaching that is predicated on the claim that the resurrection was a fraud and Jesus lied to his followers and the world.”  

"By welcoming an uncritical reading of the Koran, Westminster Abbey asserts the legitimacy of Mohammad and in so doing repudiates Jesus. One has to wonder what their claim to be a Christian cathedral rests on at that point?" 

— Bishop Gavin Ashenden 

Koran read at Westminster Abbey as Royal Cathedral bows to Islam
September 16, 2019,Jules Gomes, Rebel Priest:

Britain’s royal cathedral—the nation’s coronation church since 1066—and the final resting place of 17 monarchs approved a Koranic reading from its lectern at a memorial service last Tuesday.

Husein Kavazović, the Grand Mufti of Bosnia and Herzegovina, read from Koran 16: 90-97 at a Service of Thanksgiving for the life of Paddy Ashdown—a British politician and former diplomat who served as leader of the Liberal Democrats.

Ashdown, who died on 22 December 2018, became a passionate advocate for the Muslims of Bosnia and Herzegovina during the wars that led to the break-up of Yugoslavia.

The Koranic reading was in Bosnian and preceded biblical readings from Isaiah 52: 7-12 and Paul’s second epistle to Timothy 4:1-7.

Expressing his consternation, Islamic jurist Yasser Hussein who spoke to Rebel Priest media, said that such an act could imply that the deceased may have secretly converted to Islam.

Father Seraphim Rose on Islam - Revisiting a Key Post on this Blog

This early article, posted just eighteen months after the launch of the Facing Islam Blog in April 2011, holds up as a critically important document, reminding us of what one of the Orthodox Church's most significant figures and writers had to say about the false religion of Islam, and what more he might have said had his life not ended at so young an age (48) in 1982.

I had linked to this article in my recent posting of a new Russian documentary on the Life and Teachings of Father Seraphim, but this article stirred me so deeply as I re-read it, that I decided to re-post it as a reminder and encouragement to us all.

I have added a couple of insertions in brackets [...], and have improved the formatting for one paragraph, which benefits from being converted to a bulleted list. Otherwise, this is the original post, unaltered.


Fr Seraphim Rose on Islam

(Originally posted September 2, 2012.)

Today (September 2, 2012) marks the thirtieth anniversary of the repose of Hieromonk Seraphim (Rose) of Platina. While many articles have been written to mark this significant anniversary (see here and here) it seemed appropriate for this blog to look at what Fr Seraphim had to say about Islam.

Actually, Father Seraphim wrote very little on the subject of Islam. His book, Orthodoxy and the Religion of the Future, treats Islam along with Judaism in the chapter on The Monotheistic Religions. Fr. Seraphim is clear in his position that the "god" of Islam is not the True God, and in citing the essay by Fr. Basile Stakkas, implicitly refutes Islam's doctrine of tawhid (the oneness of Allah), in large measure by explicitly refuting its claim to be an Abrahamic faith. Abraham worshipped the One God in Trinity, as is clear from the Old Testament account (And the LORD appeared unto him at the Oaks of Mamre... Three men were standing by him, and he bowed himself toward the ground... Gen. 18:1-2), as is seen in the icon called The Hospitality of Abraham, the quintessential depiction of the Holy Trinity in the Old Testament.

In my correspondence with two of Fr Seraphim's spiritual children, we have wrestled with the question of "why" Fr Seraphim did not write more about Islam, and why he did not expend more energy and ink refuting Islam's theological jihad against Orthodox Christianity. After all, Fr Seraphim is certainly something of a prophetic figure in modern Orthodoxy; how could he not see the ascendency of Islam?

Simply put, perhaps that was not the message or vision granted to him. Fr Seraphim came of age in a vastly different time. Zen Buddhism, Hinduism, Meditation techniques, the New Age movement, Eastern mystical traditions and other occult phenomena were very much in the air, and had been gathering momentum for quite some time, waging a serious assault against Christianity since the late 19th century. Those were some of the signs of his time of the Age of Apostasy into which we were then entering.

By contrast, the Muslim world was highly westernized in the 1950s through 1979 (the year of the Islamic revolution in Iran). The Ottoman Empire had been dismantled after World War I; Kemal Ataturk reestablished Turkey as a modern, secular republic, and abolished the Islamic caliphate in 1924, effectively neutering the pan-Muslim movement for nearly the next eighty years. Although the Muslim Brotherhood was born in the 1920s as a response to the apostasy of secularism, Western culture and mores were widespread throughout Egypt, Lebanon, and the Middle East in general, and the Muslim Brotherhood itself was outlawed. To take but one example, one cannot find a woman wearing a hijab in college class photos from Cairo in the 1950s and 1960s.

As a result, Islam was not especially on Fr Seraphim's radar screen. Or rather, it was eclipsed by the Eastern religious movements.

So then, what might Fr Seraphim have to say about Islam now, as we approach the eleventh anniversary of the 9/11/01 attacks?

Fr Seraphim Rose - Russian Documentary w/English Subtitles

This excellent film has been out for a few years, but only recently was it given English subtitles by the Russian Faith website.

UPDATED 9/11/21: My original attempt to embed the video here failed when it was blocked by YouTube on copyright grounds, so I am simply posting the link to Russian Faith website for you to view it there. 

There is still some worthy info below if you care to scroll down and explore.

My apologies for any inconvenience:

https://russian-faith.com/saints/american-monk-who-inspired-russians-video-documentary-fr-seraphim-rose-n2330

Icon of Hieromonk Seraphim from Mt Athos

September 2 is the anniversary of the Repose of Blessed Hieromonk Seraphim Rose in 1982. Visit our Special Resource Page to learn more about this extraordinary figure in contemporary Orthodoxy.

I return to Father Seraphim Rose on this blog again and again because of his clear warnings against ecumenism and syncretism, against the tendency in our age for even well intentioned Orthodox Christians to compromise the True Faith in Jesus Christ in their confused efforts to appeal to other Christians or even to non-Christians.

Blessed Hieromonk Seraphim is widely venerated as a saint in traditional Orthodox nations such as Russia, Greece, Romania, and Serbia, and is considered by the Monks of Mount Athos as one of their own, as evidenced by photographs and icons of him seen by pilgrims to the monastic republic in northern Greece.

Pilgrims to Orthodox monasteries across North America will likewise notice photographs and the occasional icon of Father Seraphim at numerous monasteries, both men's and women's, under various jurisdictions, and there are a growing number of parishes which openly venerate Father Seraphim. Some, with direct ties to the St Herman of Alaska Monastery in Platina CA, which Father Seraphim co-founded, have secondary relics such as his vestments or other items which they make available for the faithful to venerate.

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Fr. Seraphim Rose on Islam - Fr Seraphim didn't write much about Islam, or did he? A look at Fr Seraphim's teaching on the Monotheistic Religions, and how he might have approached the challenge of Islam.

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This organic and heartfelt growth in the veneration of Hieromonk Seraphim of Platina, by monasteries, parishes and the faithful touched by his life and intercessions, points to his eventual glorification as a saint by the Orthodox Church... if the Lord doesn't return first.

VIDEO: A Legendary American Monk Who Inspired Christians in Russia - Fr. Seraphim Rose

Russian-Faith.com, July 26, 2019:

Russians have long appreciated Fr. Seraphim Rose, the beloved Orthodox monk who started a monastery in northern California. This documentary was produced in Russian, and is available here for the first time with English subtitles.

He was a Protestant in California, an atheist genius at Berkeley, a practicing Buddhist, and finally — a Russian Orthodox Monk in the American wilderness. Fr. Seraphim Rose became a legend in Russia, where many now recognize him as a Saint.

This fascinating film was produced by NEOFIT.TV, a quality production company that creates numerous documentaries about Orthodox Christian saints, apostles, prophets, well known preachers, and Church history. Many excellent films are available on their website.

TRANSCRIPT:

Robert Spencer: 'Do Christians and Muslims Worship the Same God? Absolutely Not.'

A fresh look at the Same God question, considering three striking and essential differences between Allah and the True God worshiped by Christians.

Robert Spencer is perhaps best known for his blog Jihad Watch, and for his numerous bestselling books tracking the malevolent history and muscular rise of Islam around the globe. But he is equally adept at looking beyond the existential threat of Islam to its subversive theological claims, as evidenced in his 2013 book, Not Peace But a Sword.

In this new article, Mr. Spencer goes beyond the obvious dogmatic differences between Christianity and Islam, and provides us with yet more clear and direct refutation of what I call the Same God Heresy.

Read and share widely.


Do Christians and Muslims Worship the Same God? Absolutely Not. Here’s Why.


by Robert Spencer, PJ Media, August 15, 2019

The Qur’an says that Christians and Muslims worship the same God (29:46), and so does the Catholic Church. The Irish Catholic newspaper recently considered this question and offered an argument from authority, which is the weakest of all arguments: Christians and Muslims worship the same God because the Catholic Church’s Second Vatican Council says so in the documents Lumen Gentium and Nostra Aetate. But a closer examination of the evidence shows this to be false.

Besides the obvious differences regarding the Trinity, the crucifixion, and the divinity of Christ, there are deeper differences that are often overlooked.

Free will

There are numerous passages of the Qur’an, as well as indications from Islamic tradition, to the effect that not only can no one believe in Allah except by his will, so also no one can disbelieve in him except by his active will. “And to whoever God assigns no light, no light has he” (24:40).

The issue of free will versus predestination has, of course, vexed Christians of various sects for centuries, as different biblical passages are given different weight in various traditions. Calvinism, of course, in its pure form is notorious for its doctrine of double predestination, the idea that God has destined people for hell as well as for salvation. But this position is largely unique to them in the Christian tradition, which generally holds that God desires all men and women to be saved, and gives them the means to attain this salvation. The idea that God would create men for hell is in total conflict with the proposition that God “desires all men to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:4), and that he “takes no pleasure in the death of anyone” (Ezekiel 18:32).

The situation in Islam is, on first glance, even worse, with the Qur’an’s testimony on this, as on other matters, appearing to be hopelessly contradictory. The Qur’an, says the Qur’an, is “nothing but a reminder to all beings, for whoever of you who would go straight; but you will not do so unless Allah wills, the Lord of all Being” (81:27-29). Those who would “go straight” — follow Allah’s straight path — cannot do so “unless Allah wills.”

False Sense of Security? - 'Lull in Terrorism Masks a Deepening Jihadist Threat, Dutch Report Warns'

"Muslim extremism, and particularly Salafism, is on the rise across Europe, as are recruiting efforts to radicalize European Muslims through Salafist schools, mosques, and social groups...

"The DTN report [warns] of the dangers returning jihadists, especially women, will pose to Western countries – not just Europe, but Canada and the United States as well."

This report confirms what we are seeing generally, how Jihad Watch and other sites,  in the relative absence of jihad terror attacks in the West, are reporting more on 'Stealth Jihad', legal battles, and the cultural effects of increased Muslim advocacy in the USA, Canada, Australia, and Europe, including the continued pressure by the mainstream media, the Tech monopolies (Facebook, Google, Twitter, etc.) and government against criticism of Islam.

It is essential to remember that at its core, Islam is aggressive and militant, hence the recent threats by the Islamic State to attack San Francisco, New York, and London. And in June, Spain raised its terror threat level to "Severe," and deployed 40,000 extra police.

Islamic State's latest propaganda poster.

Lull in Terrorism Masks a Deepening Jihadist Threat, Dutch Report Warns

by Abigail R. Esman, IPT News
March 1, 2019

It's been a relatively quiet year for jihadists in the West, with only six attacks in Europe, compared to 20 in 2017. This, combined with the military fall of the Islamic State, has led politicians and pundits alike to declare a victory of a sort: ISIS is defeated, they announce, or condemn concerns about potential Islamist terrorist attacks as racist "Islamophobia."

They are wrong.

A report issued earlier this week by the Dutch National Coordinator of Counterterrorism and Security (NCTV) confirms that Muslim extremism, and particularly Salafism, is on the rise across Europe, as are recruiting efforts to radicalize European Muslims through Salafist schools, mosques, and social groups. 

What's more, ISIS continues to be a threat, largely through the possibility of returnees – Europeans who fought with ISIS and now are trying to come home – bringing their ideology and training with them. ISIS, meanwhile, continues to recruit through propaganda, most of it online. And despite their losses, the Terror Threat Report Netherlands report (known as the DTN report, for Dreigingsbeeld Terrorisme Nederland) says that both ISIS and al-Qaida are prepared to attack Europe "at any moment."

"If Abraham were your father..."

 Refuting the Lie of the 'Abrahamic Religions' Fallacy

by Ralph H. Sidway

1. Introduction

Muslim apologists — and their Christian enablers — claim that Abraham is the father of Islam just as he is of Judaism and Christianity, that all three religions worship the God of Abraham. The well-intentioned embrace this line of thought without exploring precisely what it means.

However, it is clear from the New Testament that neither biological lineage, nor simply saying “Abraham is our father” necessarily makes it so. Indeed, in John’s Gospel, Christ explicitly warned the Jews that they were not sons of Abraham, because they did not do the works that Abraham did. Rather they were sons of the devil, because they did as he showed them (cf. Jn 8:31-47). The Jewish leaders — biological sons of Abraham — rejected Christ, and eventually had him condemned by the Roman procurator, Pontius Pilate, and executed by crucifixion.

The same can even more easily be said of followers of Muhammad who reject the Divine Lordship of Jesus Christ, persecute and kill His followers, and follow a false prophet. Indeed, some have seen the violent, barbaric nature of Islam prophesied in the Old Testament, where Ishmael (and therefore symbolically, Islam) is foretold by the LORD to be violent and opposed to Isaac and all others: “He will be a wild man; his hand will be against every man, and every man’s hand against him” (Gen 16:12).

Historic 'Covenant of World Religions' sees Pope Francis openly commit Apostasy, equate Islam with Christianity

"Historic covenant with leaders of the world’s major faiths, [pushes] us much closer to a one-world religion, one of the major goals of the New World Order. 

"...The signing of this covenant was done 'in front of a global audience of religious leaders from Christianity, Islam, Judaism and other faiths'."

This is a shocking followup report to this story by Leo Hohmann which I posted on 7/26/19. The sources adduced in this news report make it clear that this was a global event, attended and signed by world religious leaders, and kept out of the mainstream media, which makes this far more disturbing than had I had previously thought. This is ominous in the extreme, unleashing demonic forces of apostasy upon Christians around the world. I will try to find more info on the attendees, and especially if there were Orthodox bishops who signed this covenant of apostasy.

We live in dark times indeed. Be forewarned and watchful, as many false prophets and false, hireling shepherds have gone out into the world, deceiving the flock. Time again to re-post what I had warned in my book, Facing Islam (p.87):

Against the Different Gospel — the Same God Heresy we have identified in this chapter — put forth by Islam and promoted by unwitting Christians, the Holy Apostle Paul warns us today most urgently:

"As we said before, so say I now again: If any preach any other gospel unto you than that which you have received, let him be anathema" (Galatians 1:8-9). 

"Now the Spirit expressly says that in the latter times some will depart from the Faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, speaking lies in hypocrisy" (1 Timothy 4:1-2 ). 

And the Beloved Disciple and Evangelist, John warns just as severely: 

"Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God, and every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God; and this is the spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come, and even now already is it in the world" (1 John 4:1-3).

Pope Francis Claims Islam And Christianity Are Equal In The Eyes of God

by Baxter Dmitry, NewsPunch, February 25, 2019:

Pope Francis, who has previously called for a “one world government” to “save humanity”, has now signed a historic covenant with leaders of the world’s major faiths, pushing us much closer to a one-world religion, one of the major goals of the New World Order.

According to the document produced by Pope Francis and published on the Vatican’s official website, all religions must be considered equal, and Islam is as acceptable to God as Christianity.

Disturbingly, world religious leaders are also now coming together as one to preach from the same hymn sheet as Pope Francis, instructing their sheep to accept the final components of the New World Order’s one world government.

The historic interfaith covenant was signed by leaders of the world’s major faiths in the Middle East this month, and despite the extraordinarily high-profile nature of the attendants, the mainstream media has entered almost complete blackout mode and is refusing to report on the story.

Sheikh Ahmed al-Tayeb, the most important imam in Sunni Islam, arrived at the signing ceremony in Abu Dhabi with Pope Francis “hand-in-hand in a symbol of interfaith brotherhood”, exactly as foretold in prophecy regarding the rise of the Antichrist.

But this wasn’t just a ceremony for Catholics and Muslims. The reality is much darker than that.

American Pastor imprisoned in Turkey returns to America, predicts Open Persecution of Christians will happen in USA

"I was isolated for a few years, and coming back to the states was almost like coming back to a different country in many ways...

"We in the West have not experienced [persecution] very much... but I think we're going to. I think it's coming to this country."

- Pastor Andrew Brunson

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Pastor Brunson was imprisoned for his Christian Faith in rapidly re-Islamizing Turkey, whose President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has designs on restoring the former supposed glory of the Ottoman Caliphate. 

Having returned from his ordeal in an authoritarian Islamic state, Pastor Brunson sees America with fresh eyes and a clear mind. 

Let us heed his warnings and prepare ourselves for the trials ahead.

Pastor Andrew Brunson 'astounded at the speed with which the US is imploding' and predicts persecution

by Jon Brown, Washington Examiner, July 15, 2019 (h/t Russian Faith):


The evangelical Presbyterian pastor whose two-year imprisonment in Turkey sparked a geopolitical firestorm issued sobering words for Americans during a religious liberty conference last week.

Pastor Andrew Brunson lived as a missionary pastor in Turkey for decades until being detained in October 2016, following an alleged failed coup attempt against Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. His arrest sparked a diplomatic spat between Turkey and the U.S. in which President Trump involved himself personally.

During an interview at the Western Conservative Summit, held annually by the Centennial Institute at Colorado Christian University, Brunson claimed that the Judeo-Christian basis for American values is eroding.

"First of all, I think it's coming to the U.S., that there will be persecution," he said. "I was isolated for a few years, and coming back to the states was almost like coming back to a different country in many ways. And I'm really astounded at the speed with which, I think, the U.S. is imploding."

Pope signs pact with Islam declaring ‘diversity of religions’ is ‘willed by God’

"This is just the latest in a line of papal statements on Islam dating back to the 1960s that describe Islam as an 'Abrahamic' faith that will lead its adherents to the same God worshiped by Christians."

Pope Francis is a false teacher, preaching a "different gospel," which is the Same God Heresy, which leads its adherents inevitably to apostasy and openly denying Jesus Christ.

Pope signs pact with Islam declaring ‘diversity of religions’ is ‘willed by God’


by Leo Hohmann, February 10, 2019:

Almost without notice from the global media, Pope Francis held a historic meeting last week in the United Arab Emirates with Grand Sheikh Ahmed el-Tayeb, head of Egypt’s al-Azhar University, the world’s most authoritative institution on Islamic law.

El-Tayeb, while touted as a “moderate” by some in the West, unapologetically teaches that Muslims who leave Islam for other religions, or no religion at all, are guilty of apostasy and should be killed.

So what is the Pope of Rome, the supposed Vicar of Christ, doing cavorting with such a man?

The two religious leaders released a joint declaration titled On Human Fraternity for World Peace and Living Together.

Among the many lies, half-truths and deceptions in this document is the following:

“The pluralism and the diversity of religions, color, sex, race and language are willed by God in His wisdom, through which He created human beings.”

The key words here are “diversity of religions.” The pope would have us to believe that all religions have merit, especially that of Islam.

This is just the latest in a line of papal statements on Islam dating back to the 1960s that describe Islam as an “Abrahamic” faith that will lead its adherents to the same God worshiped by Christians.

The new document reaffirms Islam as a religion of peace and says that any violence committed in its name is the result of “an accumulation of incorrect interpretations of religious texts and to policies linked to hunger, poverty, injustice, oppression and pride.”

If this were true it would mean that nearly 1,400 years of scholarship by all four Sunni schools of Islamic jurisprudence would have to be thrown into a massive bonfire. Until we see the smoke rising from such a fiery spectacle, it’s safe to say that Sheikh al-Tayeb played the pope for a fool. Others are suggesting that Pope Francis is no fool at all, but rather is himself a master deceiver with dark intentions.

William Kilpatrick: 'Beware of Muslims Bearing Pamphlets'

"The chief danger of Muslim proselytizing is not that it leads to a flood of conversions to Islam, but that it confirms our complacency about it. It reinforces the consoling but unexamined assumptions that are already prevalent in our society, namely, that Islamic values are just like our own, that Islam is a moderate religion, and that there’s nothing whatsoever to worry about."

The "True Islam" campaign by the Ahmadiyya Islam Sect is smooth and deceptive taqiyya, to be avoided and distrusted at all costs. William Kilpatrick explains why in this important article.


Beware of Muslims Bearing Pamphlets

by William Kilpatrick, Crisis Magazine, June 3, 2019:

“True Islam is a religion that wholly rejects all forms of terrorism.”

So says an online pamphlet put out by the True Islam Campaign. The pamphlet lists ten other truths about “true Islam,” including “True Islam believes in the equality, education, and empowerment of women,” “True Islam encompasses the universal declaration of human rights,” and “True Islam recognizes no religion can monopolize salvation.”

Each truth is accompanied by a page or so of text providing verses from the Koran and other Islamic sources to support the assertion.

The True Islam Campaign says that it hopes to counter the menace of extremism which, it says, is fueled by ignorance of Islam. Thus:

Extremists like ISIS depend on ignorance of Islam to grow. That’s why the more people know about Islam’s true teachings—and what Muslims truly believe—the less they’ll fall for ISIS’s propaganda.

The pamphlet even comes with an invitation to an Iftar dinner (the dinner that ends the fast each day during Ramadan): “Be our dinner guest. Meet your Muslim neighbors. All welcome.” The invitation also includes a “Find a Mosque near you” button.

Who could object? Americans believe that the vast majority of Muslims are moderate, and this looks like just the group to make the moderate case.

As you may have guessed, however, I do have some objections.

Although the campaign claims to express “the values, beliefs, and ideals of the entire Muslim community,” it decidedly does not speak for the global Muslim community. Since the campaign is sponsored by the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community in the U.S., and since all the Ahmadiyyas in the world make up only about 1 to 1.5 percent of the worldwide population of Muslims, they can hardly claim to speak for the “entire Muslim community.”

What’s more, the Ahmadiyya (or Ahmadi) sect is widely regarded as a heretical group, and is often targeted for persecution by other Muslims. It’s no wonder that the Ahmadis are concerned about extremists, as they themselves have long been victims of extremist violence.

But it’s not just the extremists who consider them heretics. Mainstream Muslims do as well.

Leo Hohmann: 'The coming convergence of Islam and apostate Christianity'

"Some of the world’s most prominent Muslims are working on a plan that they hope will offer the secular elites in the U.S., Europe, Canada, and Australia-New Zealand some relief. Give them a 'third way' that will lead to peace and security for all... a new 'convergence' of Islam with Christianity."

Sobering, even prophetic, insights from Christian journalist Leo Hohmann. Read and share.


The coming convergence of Islam and apostate Christianity

By Leo Hohmann, April 16, 2019

With astonishing speed and amazing efficiency, the French government declared early Tuesday morning that the fire which had largely consumed the magnificent, 850-year-old Cathedral of Notre Dame was a mere “accident.”

That’s right: Before investigators had even been cleared to enter the smoldering ruins of the Western World’s most iconic Christian symbol, they had already ruled out the possibility of arson.

I am not saying that any person or group should be blamed for this fire without proof. What I am saying, is that the French government’s absurdly quick action in determining the fire’s non-cause makes a mockery of the concept of an honest investigation. Such malfeasance in carrying out due diligence could easily backfire.

Without an honest and transparent investigation, people will always look at the burning of Notre Dame as a monumental conspiracy. Fill in the blank as to who you want to make responsible for the devastation because the French eliminated certain possibilities from consideration before even the most basic investigative procedures were employed.

It begs the question: Why were the French so eager to sweep this fire under the rug of history?

Well, for the sake of argument, let’s say that a real investigation gets underway and turns up proof of a Muslim plot to burn down the nation’s most famous Christian shrine. [And there has been a disturbing pattern of arsonists targeting hundreds of Christian churches across France over the last few years, including 10 in a one-week period last month].

With nearly 10 percent of its population now Muslim, France would quickly devolve into chaos. Police would launch a nationwide manhunt for the Muslim arsonists. Muslims would be out in the streets, burning and defacing more churches, cemeteries, anything that stands as a symbol of Christian France. Priests and pastors might be kidnapped and killed. Regular Frenchmen, feeling threatened, might strike back, possibly burning down mosques in retaliation.

The last thing President Macron wants is to take a chance that a thorough forensic investigation could spark a civil war. You can hardly blame him. But show me a nation that has lost the will, for whatever reason, to enforce the rule of law and lost faith in its ability to blindly apply justice, and I will show you a nation that has already been conquered.

And it’s not just France.

Most of the Western elites who control the governments across Europe and North America find themselves flailing about in the same murky waters. After decades of importing Muslim migrants to replace the millions of children who were never born because of abortion and “family planning,” these Western nations face a problem of their own making and it’s called Islamic immigration.

Their native populations are getting restless as they discover that their globalist leaders have been lying to them all these years. Islam is not content with its role of being the new “work force” that props up the economies of Germany, France, Belgium and Britain. The nature of Islam is to politically dominate wherever it is given a foothold.

Yet, the Western political class are reticent to confront Islam when its violent side spills out into the open. This is why France, the U.K., Belgium, the Netherlands, Sweden and Germany have all become increasingly anti-Israel in recent years. They don’t want to offend their growing Muslim populations. They must bow to this foreign religious ideology, or risk violence in the streets.

The elites need a way out of this dilemma because right-wing parties are quickly gaining strength, and before long these European countries will all have their own versions of Donald Trump to contend with. That’s the last thing they want. They need an out, a way to save face with native European voters while somehow also giving their new Muslim citizens the feeling that they have a seat at the table of political power.

They can’t go on indefinitely with Muslims and Christians [even if most are Christian in name only], representing opposing cultural values and worldviews, living in the same cities and growing further apart by the day. The current model is not sustainable.

Arise, a new inter-religious community

That’s where the interfaith movement comes into play.

Some of the world’s most prominent Muslims are working on a plan that they hope will offer the secular elites in the U.S., Europe, Canada, and Australia-New Zealand some relief. Give them a “third way” that will lead to peace and security for all.

The hope is that this third way provides Western elites with an opportunity to stave off a complete Islamic takeover while accepting the most basic tenets of Islamic Sharia. This includes, first and foremost, an end to all Christian proselytizing of Muslims, and secondly, a silencing of all anti-Islam rhetoric in the public space. Any Christian who insists on pointing out the dark side of Islam will be silenced. That’s pretty much already been accomplished, to varying degrees, in the post-Christian, formerly-free Western nations. But Muslim leaders still put forth the “Islamophobia” meme in hopes of getting more out of the deal.

SIGN OF THE AGE: 'Muslims destroying Christian crosses all over the world'

"Islamic hostility to the cross is an unwavering phenomenon — one that crosses continents and centuries, one that is very much indicative of Islam's innate hostility to Christianity." — Raymond Ibrahim

In my book, Facing Islam, I discuss how Islamic eschatology, based of course on the Koran and the Hadiths about Muhammad, preaches a false Jesus, the Muslim prophet "Isa," who will return to destroy Christianity and "break the crosses":

In Islam, Prophet Isa is expected to return, but to condemn the Christians’ misunderstanding of him as divine and to literally destroy Christianity and judge all non-Muslims; the Koran universally brands all unbelievers as “the vilest of creatures” (Sura 98:6). 

The Prophet Isa will be a “good Muslim,” and will direct his followers to the Mahdi, the Muslim messiah, before taking a subservient position somewhat behind the Mahdi. Isa will “fight the people for the cause of Islam. He will break the cross, kill the swine and abolish jizya” and establish the rule of Allah throughout the world. (Hadith from Sunan Abu Dawud, Book of Battles, 37:4310)

The breaking of crosses is a potent symbol of Muslim belief in Islam's global supremacy in the end times. Thus the demolition of churches and crosses, or converting churches into mosques, is a classic trait of Islam's treatment of Christians wherever it has conquered for fourteen centuries now. In our days, Muslims are even taking to breaking crosses in cemeteries, as seen in the infamous YouTube videos of 2012.

In Syracuse NY we recently saw the "breaking of the crosses" on a huge scale; a venerable Roman Catholic church was converted into a mosque, the crosses removed from the spires, and 10,000 crosses in the interior covered over in a hugely symbolic victory for Islam (facilitated by the Roman Catholic archdiocese agreeing to sell the church to a Muslim group in the first place).

See also Raymond Ibrahim's recent article, 'Islamic Hate for the Christian Cross', and my own piece,  'Islam's Hatred of Holy Icons — and what that means for Persecuted Eastern Christians'.

Muslims destroying Christian crosses all over the world, and no one reports it

by Raymond Ibrahim,  LifeSite News, June 10, 2019


June 10, 2019 (American Thinker) — A Muslim migrant in Rome recently stabbed a Christian man in the throat for wearing a crucifix around his neck. The assailant, a 37-year-old Moroccan, is accused of attempted homicide; "religious hate" is cited as an "aggravating factor" in the crime.

This is hardly the first "religious hate" crime to occur in the context of the cross in Italy. Among others,

• A Muslim boy of African origin picked on, insulted, and eventually beat a 12-year-old girl during school because she too was wearing a crucifix.
• A Muslim migrant invaded an old church in Venice and attacked its large, 300-year-old cross, breaking off one of its arms, while shouting, "All that is in a church is false!"
• After a crucifix was destroyed in close proximity to a populated mosque, Cinisello Balsamo's mayor said concerning the identity of the culprit(s): "Before we put a show of unity with Muslims, let's have them begin by respecting our civilization and our culture."

What is it about the crucifix that makes some Muslims react violently? Islamic hostility to the cross is an unwavering phenomenon — one that crosses continents and centuries, one that is very much indicative of Islam's innate hostility to Christianity.

Muhammad reportedly "had such a repugnance to the form of the cross that he broke everything brought into his house with its figure upon it."

For starters, not only is the cross the quintessential symbol of Christianity — for all denominations, including most forms of otherwise iconoclastic Protestantism — but it symbolizes the fundamental disagreement between Christians and Muslims. As Professor Sidney Griffith explains, "[t]he cross and the icons publicly declared those very points of Christian faith which the Koran, in the Muslim view, explicitly denied: that Christ was the Son of God and that he died on the cross." Accordingly, "the Christian practice of venerating the cross ... often aroused the disdain of Muslims," so that from the start of the Muslim conquests of Christian lands there was an ongoing "campaign to erase the public symbols of Christianity, especially the previously ubiquitous sign of the cross."

This "campaign" traces back to the Muslim prophet Muhammad. He reportedly "had such a repugnance to the form of the cross that he broke everything brought into his house with its figure upon it," wrote one historian (Sword and Scimitar, p. 10). Muhammad also claimed that at the end times, Jesus (the Muslim "Isa") himself would make it a point to "break the cross."

Modern-day Muslim clerics confirm this. When asked about Islam's ruling on whether any person — in this case, Christians — is permitted to wear or pray before the cross, Sheikh Abdul Aziz al-Tarifi, a Saudi expert on Islamic law, said, "Under no circumstances is a human permitted to wear the cross," nor "is anyone permitted to pray to the cross." Why? "Because the prophet — peace and blessings on him — commanded the breaking of it [the cross]."

INDEPENDENCE DAY SPECIAL - Islam in America Today, from Jihad Attacks to the 'Breaking of the Crosses'

The threat to Americans from Islam is real and growing, as this survey of news reports and investigative articles documents.

Starting below the Map of Mosques in America are current news stories from 2019. Below the break are key investigative articles analyzing the views and activities of Muslims and mosques in America. More than a mere "link dump," consider this a handy resource to share with others. 

Not included are articles on Muslim honor crimes, the Islamic doctrine on wife-beating, Female Genital Mutilation (FGM),  and other such aspects of Muslim culture.

One of the most troubling facts about these news stories is how so many are from states we associate with traditional Americana — the Heartland — not with Muslim enclaves like Dearbornistan, St Louis, and (with a couple of exceptions) "Little Mogadishu" Minneapolis. And this is far from a comprehensive list.

We have much to be thankful for this 4th of July, but this is also a sobering celebration. Consider what sort of god inspires and commands such atrocities and attitudes as those listed below. 

Let us hope and pray that this "One Nation, Under God," can yet turn to the True God. Otherwise...

"O say does that Star Spangled Banner yet wave, o'er the Land of the Free, and the Home of the Brave?"

2019 News Reports:

NY Times slanders Jihad Watch, tries to cover for Minneapolis' Somali community, the 'terrorist recruitment capital of the US'

"More men and boys from a Somali American community in Minneapolis have joined – or attempted to join – a foreign terrorist organization over the last 12 years than any other jurisdiction in the country."

Muslim Children in Philadelphia Proclaim True Islam: 'We will chop off their heads, subject them to eternal torture'

NYC: Giant sculpture proclaiming “There is no god but Allah and Muhammad is his prophet” goes up at Ground Zero

Indiana: Muslim had “kill list” of US service members, tried to join the Islamic State

Minneapolis’ ‘Little Mogadishu’ Sees 56 Percent Increase in Violent Crimes Caused by Somali Gangs

South Carolina: Man converts to Islam, plants bombs disguised as teddy bears for children to find

FBI discovers homegrown jihadi training camp in Alabama, similar to one in New Mexico

Michigan: Muslim who slashed cop’s throat while screaming “Allahu akbar” says he regretted not killing more people

After 1 Million Views, What's Next?

This landmark on the Facing Islam Blog calls for a little reflection, and looking towards what lies ahead.

First of all, my sincere thanks to all my readers and visitors, who have helped put this blog over 1,000,000 views, and to be ranked #35 in the 2019 list of Islam blogs.

That number includes at least one DOS attack, when malicious bots tried to overwhelm the servers and shut down my blog, but that merely resulted in a spike in my numbers, and no loss of service. I am proud to have been attacked on the internet. It is a badge of honor and a sign of the integrity of this site, which speaks Truth to the Enemy, and warns about the threats from Islam.

What now?

Having passed 1 Million page views, and having been posting only sporadically over the past year or so (while working on an unrelated project), I am striving to ramp things back up here, emphasizing more consistent output and focus.

Here are my goals, which I hope to diligently work towards, if the Lord doesn't return first, and if He grants me time, health and energy:

Timothy Furnish: 'Luther Writes Once Again on the War Against Islam'

"In the end, I fear that he who consorts with Islam will be a partaker of that terrible abomination and bring down on his own head all the blood it has ever shed, and all the lies with which Islam has damaged Christ’s Kingdom."

Tim Furnish never ceases to provoke serious (re)appraisal of the threat of Islam, here reworking a classic text by Martin Luther.



Luther Writes Once Again on the War Against Islam


By Timothy Furnish, The Stream, June 18, 2019

Adapted freely from Martin Luther’s “On War against the Turk,” (1528).

Mr. President, My Gracious Lord:

Certain persons have been wondering for years what I might say about conflict with Islam in the modern world. Especially since there are some stupid twenty-first century clergy who are making the people believe we ought not, and must not, oppose Islam at all. Some are even so crazy as to say it is not proper for Christians to be rulers. Especially if they are “Islamophobic,” as they accuse you. Your accusers know better, but they pretend not to. Thus, it is necessary to write of these things for the sake of America and Christendom.

From here, then, I commend Your Grace to our merciful God’s guidance and favor, and may He strengthen Your Grace for a blessed administration — or two.

The Church Cannot Lead the War

When I was alive the papacy condemned me for many things. One of them was for saying that fighting against the invading Ottoman Turks was the same thing as resisting God, who visits our sins upon us with this rod. (Just as He sent the Assyrians and Babylonians against the Israelites in the Old Testament.) In this I was said to be arguing that Christians cannot bear the sword.

But I was doing no such thing. My point was that the leadership of the Church ought not strive or fight with the sword. In fact, it still holds that if I were a soldier and saw in the field a banner of the cross, even though it were a crucifix, I should run as though the devil were chasing me. However, if the banner of the Emperor (President, or Republic, in your day) is in the field, then let everyone run boldly and gladly to it. Keep in mind: your struggle against Islam should not be a “Crusade.” But it should be fought, and on two fronts.

The West Needs Prayer Warriors

On one, all Christians should pray for your secular leaders. But here you may ask “who are these Christians, and where does one find them?” Answers: they are all who hold to the Gospel, that Jesus Christ was crucified and resurrected to pay for our sins; and they are everywhere, in red and blue states (although perhaps spread thin in certain denominations). Every pastor and priest ought to exhort his people most diligently to repentance and prayer for leadership and for their nation. I know that for the media and many so-called scholars, this advice of mine will be laughable. They will hold it for a simple and common thing which they have long since got beyond. Nevertheless, I commend it to your countrymen.

William Kilpatrick: 'Sauron Comes to Middle England'

"The Lord of the Rings is set in mythical Middle Earth, but, metaphorically speaking, Sauron now seems to be quite active in Middle England... The spiritual landscape has also changed, and the change has been dramatic... The story of the Islamization of England has also been one of betrayal."

Roman Catholic writer William Kilpatrick does a great service in this article, taking us on a tour of the once Christian and tranquil English landscape, now conquered by minarets and Muslim rape gangs, and cowed into fear by Sharia-zones, stabbings and acid attacks in London and other major cities, and betrayed by the ruling class and Christian hierarchy alike.

It would seem Sauron is winning. And, to quote Elrond, "Our list of allies grows thin."

Still from the film, TOLKIEN, showing an uncowed young J.R.R. Tolkien standing before the rising menace of a dark lord during the battle of the Somme, in France during World War I. 

Sauron Comes to Middle England

by William Kilpatrick, Turning Point Project, June 1, 2019:

"The title 'Sauron comes to Middle England' is not meant to imply that Muslims are an evil people. It’s meant to imply that there is something wrong with their religion as well as with the British authorities who facilitate its spread."

Tolkien, the new biopic about the master storyteller’s life, has come under criticism for giving the impression that Tolkien’s service in World War I was the decisive influence on his work. In fact, Tolkien was far more influenced by other factors—in particular by his love of mythology, and by his strong Catholic faith. Before her untimely death, Tolkien’s widowed mother had appointed Fr. Francis Morgan of the Birmingham Oratory to be the guardian of her two sons. As a result, Tolkien spent many hours during his formative years in the rich Catholic culture of the Oratory. With its deep Catholic themes, The Lord of the Rings owes more to Birmingham than to Tolkien’s brief experience of trench warfare in France.

The Lord of the Rings is set in mythical Middle Earth, but, metaphorically speaking, Sauron now seems to be quite active in Middle England. The Midlands of England and its capital Birmingham have caught the attention of his all-seeing eye. The kind of struggles that are depicted in the trilogy now seem to be playing out in Tolkien’s boyhood home.

What I have in mind is not the struggle to preserve England’s green and pleasant land from environmental despoilers. The Birmingham skyline has changed, of course. It now looks like that of any other large metropolis. And much of the shire lands that surrounded Birmingham in Tolkien’s youth have been eaten up by urban sprawl. But urbanization is the least of the city’s problems.

The spiritual landscape has also changed, and the change has been dramatic. There are now 175 mosques in the Birmingham area, with five in the Edgbaston section where Tolkien spent his teen years. Muslims make up about 22 percent of the population of the city, and, by some estimates, they will be a majority within 20 years. There are already more Muslim children living in Birmingham than Christian children.

Some of the more impatient members of the Birmingham Muslim community aren’t waiting for majority status to roll around before they establish control. An investigation by the London Telegraph in 2014 revealed an extensive plot by Muslim teachers, school governors, and activists to take over 21 city schools and Islamicize them. The plot, which was code-named “Trojan Horse” by the conspirators, involved replacing head teachers with radical Muslim faculty, segregating classrooms by sex, and introducing Islamic prayers.

Birmingham has also been touched by the Muslim rape gang epidemic which has ravaged the English Midlands. A 2017 article in Birmingham Live reported “a worrying escalation of the abuse of young schoolgirls, typically aged around 13 to 14.” According to the report, gang members were filming and sharing the rapes. Another report revealed that gang members were using tasers on their schoolgirl victims.