Holy New Hieromartyrs Youhanna and Boulos: May we have their blessing!

This seems to be the most reliable information released since the abduction of Metropolitan of Aleppo Paul (Boulos) and Syriac Metropolitan of Aleppo John (Yohanna ) Ibrahim in 2013. If true, then we lament and cry "Lord have mercy!", and "May their memory be eternal!"

But we also believe and proclaim that these two shepherds are True Confessors and Faithful Witnesses, and have received their crowns as Holy Hieromartyrs for Christ!

Metropolitan Paul (Yazigi)

Indirect info suggests two metropolitans kidnapped in Syria executed

Moscow, Interfax, December 2, 2015 (Many Thanks to Emanuel): 

According to some reports, two Syrian hierarchs, namely Orthodox Church of Antioch Metropolitan of Aleppo Paul and Syro-Jacobite Metropolitan of Aleppo John-Ibrahim, kidnapped in 2013, were executed.

"Leader of the only Middle Eastern Orthodox Party Mashriq Roderick Khoury spoke of this at a meeting with coordinator of the inter-faction State Duma deputy group for the protection of Christian values Sergey Gavrilov on Wednesday," executive secretary of the deputy group Oleg Yefimov told Interfax-Religion.

The leader of the Mashriq party told Gavrilov with reference to sources in Turkey that representatives of radical North Caucasian groupings jointly with Al-Qaeda participated in the kidnapping of Syrian hierarchs, he said.

The inter-faction deputy group intended to urgently turn to the Turkish authorities for confirmation of the detention of Abdurakhmanov and the information he produced about the assassination of the Christian leaders kidnapped in 2013.

Metropolitan John (Ibrahim)

"The source said that Abdurakhmanov showed a video in which the kidnapped metropolitans were filmed and also reaffirmed that they were executed," the source said.

Meanwhile, a source referred to a statement made by Dagestani native and participant of the terrorist grouping Magomed Abdurakhmanov, who personally confirmed his participation in the kidnapping of the hierarchs.

San Bernardino Massacre: Muslim Couple 'Hell-Bent on Jihad'

All signs are pointing to this being a jihad-motivated attack. The below features key excerpts from the most recent report on Fox News.

Police, feds probe terror as possible motive in SoCal massacre
Fox News, December 3, 2015:

UPDATE: AS CHILLING DETAILS EMERGE about Syed Rizwan Farook and his wife, Tashfeen Malik, the Muslim couple who stormed a county social services office in San Bernardino, Calif., yesterday morning killing 14 at an office gathering, before dying themselves hours later in a shootout with police, evidence is mounting that when the pair left their 'IED factory' home brandishing assault weapons and pipe bombs, and decked out in body armor — they were hell-bent on jihad.

Dressed in body armor and wearing GoPro cameras, Syed Rizwan Farook, 28, and Tashfeen Malik, 27, burst into the San Bernardino facility and shot up a conference room where Farook's employer, the county health department, was hosting a holiday party. The pair escaped in a black SUV after the attack, which authorities said was over within minutes, only to resurface three hours later and less than 2 miles away in a fierce gun battle on the city's main drag...

Law enforcement officials said late Wednesday they could not rule out terrorism as a possible motive. The FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force was aiding in the investigation...

"Farook described by co-workers as a 'devout' Muslim... had traveled to Saudi Arabia for about a month this past spring..."

William Kilpatrick: Medina—The First Muslim Refugee Resettlement Program

This is a well-reasoned warning concerning the Muslim migrant crisis. As others have noted, the Good Samaritan helped the man who was waylaid by thieves, but he didn't welcome him into his home. 

"Whether or not a particular group of refugees has been infiltrated by ISIS, there remains the fact that many refugees subscribe to the same general worldview held by members of the Islamic State. After all, they’ve been steeped in the same cultural-religious milieu that produced the terrorists."

Medina—The First Muslim Refugee Resettlement Program
by William Kilpatrick, Crisis Magazine, December 1, 2015

With all the talk about the Syrian refugees, one point is often overlooked. Much of the debate focuses on the question of whether or not the refugees can be reliably vetted. If they can be certified as one hundred percent terrorist-free, then, presumably, the resettlement can safely proceed.

But even if every terrorist could be excluded from the ranks of the refugees, a problem would remain. Many analysts are concerned that the resettlement program might facilitate the growth of terrorist-tolerant communities in America. By “terrorist-tolerant” I don’t mean that its members are thinking every minute about what they can do to support jihad, but rather that they have come to take for granted things that aren’t assumed in other societies.

Terror, for instance. Nonie Darwish, a former Muslim who grew up in Egypt, puts it this way:

One of the reasons that the so-called moderate Muslims have become irrelevant … is that over the centuries they have become tolerant of Islamic terrorism and considered it as part of normal life.

“Life under Sharia itself is a life under terror,” observes Darwish. And that daily low-level terrorism accustoms Muslims to view it as something “like a natural disaster or part of life that must be tolerated.”

So, although a Syrian refugee may have no personal taste for terror, he can be surprisingly tolerant of it. A 2007 public opinion poll of Syrians revealed that 75 percent of those polled supported financial aid for Hamas, Islamic Jihad, Hezbollah, and “Iraqi fighters” (at that time, mostly al-Qaeda). Need it be mentioned that all these groups are designated as terrorist organizations by the U.S. government? A more recent poll of 1,365 Syrians found that one out of five considered ISIS to be a positive influence on the country. And living in the West doesn’t seem to change these attitudes. A 2014 opinion poll showed that 27 percent of the French population in the 18-24-year-old demographic supported ISIS. Assuming a random sample, and assuming that the majority of pro-ISIS respondents were Muslim, that would mean that the vast majority of young French Muslims support ISIS.

That kind of supportive environment is a factor that’s often overlooked in the debate over Syrian refugees. As defenders of the resettlement program like to point out, terrorists can get into the U.S. by other means than by mingling with refugees. But once here, they need a network to support them and give them cover. And the network itself can only function if the larger community is willing to look the other way.

Europe is now dotted with such networks—in the Paris suburbs, in the Brussels borough of Molenbeek, in the Neukölln district of Berlin, and in numerous other places. There is evidence that similar networks already exist in nascent form in the U.S. Beyond the question of whether terrorists will mix in with refugees lies a larger question about the refugee resettlement program. Will it contribute to a strengthening of our society, or will it lead instead to the strengthening and expansion of terror-supportive networks?

UPDATED: San Bernardino & Islamic Terrorism in America: Headlines reveal extent of threat

UPDATED 10:40PM EST -  Father of San Bernardino shooting suspect says shooter is “very religious” Muslim: NY Daily News reports, "A man who identified himself as Farook’s father told the Daily News his son worked as a health technician inspecting restaurants and hotels… 'He was very religious. He would go to work, come back, go to pray, come back. He’s Muslim'.”

UPDATED 9:30PM EST - NBC News announces one suspect may be a man named "Syed Farook." On CNN, Former CIA case officer Robert Baer said "the most disturbing aspect of the deadly San Bernardino shooting is that it was carried out using tactics that are employed in the Middle East."

Scroll down for more...

With the San Bernardino CA mass shooting still unfolding, there are several reports being confirmed of a "Middle Eastern Male," a "female Arabic" suspect, and a Muslim name of one of the suspects. Here are key headlines, followed by related stories of Islamic terrorism in America:

NBC reports name of one attacker as Syed Farook:

(9:01PM EST): Multiple sources from multiple agencies identified one of the three attackers at the resource center to NBC News as Syed Farook. No other information was available, but a knowledgeable source said another member of the trio is believed to be Farook's brother. 

The identity of the woman was unknown. [See below for police scanner report on "female Arabic".] 

David Bowdich, the FBI's assistant director in Los Angeles, said the incident was being regarded as "possibly terrorism." He wouldn't elaborate. 

**Breitbart Live Wire** ‘Domestic Terror’ in San Bernardino, CA… 14 Dead… Flash: Shootout… 2 Suspects Down, Officer Down…

• 6:15 p.m. (PST): NBC News investigative reporter Tom Winter reports that law enforcement sources indicate one suspect may be a man named Sayeed Farook. 

• The Los Angeles Times reports that its sources indicate the lead gunman was a U.S. citizen. 

• 6:00 p.m.: Adelle Nazarian of Breitbart News notes that CNN analysts say the attack looks like terrorism: 

• Speaking on CNN’s Out Front with Erin Burnett Wednesday, former CIA case officer Robert Baer said the most “disturbing” aspect of the deadly San Bernardino shooting is that it was carried out using tactics that are employed in the Middle East. “What I don’t like about this shooting is multiple shooters… IEDs… I say this very reluctantly, but this has the hallmarks of the sort of attacks you see in the Middle East,” Baer said. Former FBI special agent Robert Chacon agreed with Baer’s assertions later on in the show. 

• 4:13 p.m. (PST): Vicki Cervantes of the San Bernadino Police Department told reporters that one suspect is down, one being “dealt with,” and another possible being pursued. Another update is promised at 4:45 p.m. PST... 

• One report indicates that ISIS supporters are celebrating the attack on Twitter. 

• 3:55 p.m.: Police scanner reports one suspect as “female Arabic.” [...] 

• 2:30 p.m.: Police told reporters at the news conference that they can neither confirm nor deny the shooting is a terrorist attack. The FBI has said similar things, according to Fox News, which adds that police say that “at minimum, we have a domestic terror situation.” The suspects came as if “on a mission.” It appears less likely that this is a workplace shooting or a random attack... 

• 2:00 p.m.: San Bernardino police chief Jarrod Burguan told a news conference that there are at least 14 dead and 14 injured... 

• 1:20 p.m.: Unconfirmed police scanner reports indicate: “Man in military fatigues currently at Roberts Elementary school.” The scanner also reports a “Middle Eastern male” with “long beard, tactical shorts and a backpack.”

Mass shooting in California, at least 20 victims, suspect Farooq Saeed sought

4:48pm EST - RT France, not the American media, is reporting the name of the suspect: Police are searching for Middle Eastern males...

Additional headlines on Islamic threats in America:

FBI using elite surveillance teams to track at least 48 high-risk Islamic State suspects

With as many as 1,000 active cases, at least 48 ISIS suspects are considered so high risk that the FBI is using its elite tracking squads known as the mobile surveillance teams or MST to track them domestically.

OCF Winter Conferences, 'Modern Martyrs: Witnesses of the Word', to address Persecution of Christians

Simultaneous East and West Coast conferences for Orthodox college students will focus on the numerous opportunities to witness to Christ in the campus setting and the persecution of Christians today. December 28-31; links for registration and scholarship applications below.

I have very high hopes for this year's conferences, and will be watching Ancient Faith Radio to post the keynote addresses. 

Registration now open for OCF’s annual college conferences

OCA, September 28, 2015

Each year during Christmas Break, the Orthodox Christian Fellowship [OCF], the official campus ministry of the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the United States of America, hosts college conferences for hundreds of college students from across North America.

Simultaneous conferences will be held on the east coast at Antiochian Village, Ligonier, PA and on the west coast at Saint Nicholas Ranch, Dunlap, CA December 28-31, 2015.  The theme for both conferences, “Modern Martyrs: Witnesses of the Word,” will focus on the numerous opportunities to witness to Christ in the campus setting and the persecution of Christians today.

Nun Vassa [Larin] will deliver the keynote address at the east coast conference.  Among those from the OCA slated to lead worships are Archpriest Timothy Hojnicki, Rector of Holy Apostles Mission, Mechanicsburg, PA and Mother Melania of Holy Assumption Monastery, Calistoga, CA.  Priest Apostolos Hill will offer the keynote address at the west coast conference.

“These annual conferences provide an unparalleled opportunity to build up our youth and young adults in our faith and traditions so that they, in turn, can be empowered towards stronger witness in their respective campuses,” said Andrew Boyd, OCA Youth Director.  “It is my hope that, as in previous years, we will be able to offer scholarships to all OCA registrants.  Scholarships are also available through OCF.”

Early registration is recommended due to space limitations.

• For information and to register for the east coast conference visit http://www.ocf.net/college-conference/cc-east.
• For information and to register for the west coast conference visit http://www.ocf.net/college-conference/cc-west/.
• To apply for an OCF-sponsored scholarship visit https://docs.google.com/forms.

How Do Apostolic Fathers Present A Problem For Islam?

This is a wonderful, theologically rich article, which we Orthodox Christians should both approve, as well as use as a catalyst for even deeper explorations of the Apostolic, Sub-Apostolic, and Patristic eras in our refutations of the false prophet Muhammad and his heresy, which St John of Damascus called "the forerunner of the Antichrist."

In addition to St John of Damascus, you might also explore what Irenaeus of Lyons, Sophronius of Jerusalem, Gregory Palamas, and other Church fathers have to say about Muhammad and Islam.


How Do Apostolic Fathers Present A Problem For Islam?
by Jonathan Mclatchie, AnsweringMuslims.com, November 30, 2015

In previous posts, I drew attention to the problems presented to Islam by the contents of the Torah and the gospels, and the letters of Paul. Here, I want to build a similar argument from the works of early church fathers. I have previously pointed out that the Qur'an maintains that Jesus' own disciples were Muslims (Surah 3:52 and 61:14). This is a problem for Islam because the historical evidence is quite strong that Jesus' disciples approved Paul's message -- and Paul's message was most certainly not Islamic. But are there any other individuals in the early church, whose writings are still extant, and who had the stamp of apostolic approval? There most certainly are. Here, I will consider a few of these.

With Thanks for my Readers

About a week and a half ago, this blog passed an amazing statistic, 500,000 total page views. 

A half-million since April 2011, about 400,000 in the last two years alone. We are currently averaging between 16,000 and 20,000 views per month.

I continue to be amazed at the support for my meagre efforts to write about and report on the challenge Islam poses to the world generally, and to Christians in particular.

So please allow me to express my deepest thanks for your continued interest, prayers and support.

Today, I was pleased to learn, is "Giving Tuesday," the day after Cyber-Monday, and is set aside for helping and remembering philanthropic organizations striving to do good in the world. As the tag for the Giving Tuesday site reads:

We have a day for giving thanks. We have two for getting deals. Now, we have  GivingTuesday, a global day dedicated to giving back.

As regular readers know, I rarely, if ever ask for financial support. I have also made a conscious decision not to monetize my blog through ad revenue. I'd rather you click on links to the lives and teachings of saints and martyrs, or to the curated book list on the right hand column.

But there is a Donate button at the top of the right-hand column which enables you to send a donation to me via PayPal. I am always grateful for those kind souls who think to express their appreciation with a donation of any size. 

With this Half-Million Views milestone, and on Giving Tuesday, it seemed like a good moment for me to pause and Give Thanks for all of you, and to ask your financial help in continuing this work.

I also invite you to consider purchasing my book, Facing Islam, and sharing it with your family, friends and church.

With prayers and sincere thanks for all of my "co-strugglers"...

in Christ,

zosimas

NEW BOOK: Ten Years’ Captivation with the Mahdi’s Camps: Essays on Muslim Eschatology, 2005-2015

The much anticipated new book by Timothy R. Furnish, PhD, is now available at Amazon, in both Kindle and print editions.

I purchased the Kindle version last week, and after enjoying the introduction, plan to plunge into it at long last.

Tim Furnish is simply one of the clearest thinkers and writers on Islam in general, and on Islamic eschatology in particular. If you want to understand Islam — or any religion — look at its doctrines on the origins of the cosmos and mankind, and on the End of Days. Then you can see what its views are of God, Man, the purpose of Creation, and the ultimate goal and Destiny of all things.

I'll be posting my "Aha!" moments as I work my way through the text. Based on the introduction, and my familiarity with Tim's articles on his blog, Mahdi Watch, I look forward to an engaging and educational experience.


From the publisher's description:

The world received a rude introduction to Islamic eschatology (“End of Time” beliefs) via the atrocities of ISIS—which are intended to hotwire the apocalypse and spark the coming of al-Mahdi, the “rightly-guided” primary messianic figure of Islam. But such beliefs long predate al-Baghdadi’s terrorist state, having deep historical and theological roots in Islam, among both Sunnis and Shi`is. 

Movements led by a Muslim leader claiming to be the Mahdi are a staple of Islamic history, whether as bloody jihads alone (the Mahdist occupation of Mecca, 1979) or as revolutionary movements that created Mahdist states (as with Ibn Tumart of the medieval Maghrib, or the 19th century Sudanese Mahdi, Muhammad Ahmad, of Khartoum movie fame). 

Mahdism has manifested from Morocco to Indonesia, from the 8th to the 21st centuries—as as a key belief of Islam, shows no signs of disappearing in the face of modernity. As the Islamic year 1500 (2076 AD) approaches, apocalyptic fervor in all branches of Islam will only increase—empowering Sunni groups like ISIS and, in particular, the Islamic Republic of Iran. 

This book should prove helpful to anyone wishing to explore these aspects of Islam, and why US policy makers are so woefully unprepared to deal with modern manifestations of apocalyptic Islam.

Moscow wants Turkey to return Hagia Sophia to Orthodox Church

This is a stunning development, which should be read in conjunction with this post on the prophecies of Elder Paisios regarding Turkey and Russia.

Moscow wants Turkey to return Cathedral of Agia Sophia to Orthodox Church

Religious Information Service of Ukraine via Pravoslavie, November 26, 2015

State Duma deputies have supported the idea of the return of Agia Sophia in Constantinople to the Orthodox Church. This was stated by Chairman of Committee on Property, and the coordinator of the inter-factional parliamentary group on the protection of Christian values, Sergei Gavrilov, TSN reports.

Today, when Russian-Turkish relations are undergoing an “endurance trial,” mutually friendly initiatives and proposals are of special importance, Gavrilov says.

“The Russian side deems it possible to return to the question of Agia Sophia, the ancient shrine of the Christian world, located in Constantinople – an ancient Byzantine cathedral associated with the history of the universal Christian Church. We expect a friendly step from the Turkish side - returning Agia Sophia of Constantinople to the Christian Church,” the deputy said.

Chicago's Greek Orthodox Diocese Calls for Genocide Recognition for Middle East Christians

This is an important development, which will hopefully lead to similar statements from all Orthodox jurisdictions in North America. 

by Gregory Pappas, The Pappas Post, November 28, 2015

ISIS and other extremist movements across the Middle East are enslaving, killing and uprooting ancient Christian communities, with practically no end in sight until the last communities are extinguished. The Western governments have been paralyzed, dealing with other issues on their doorstep like the massive refugee crisis, the growing conflict between Russia and Turkey and domestic terror threats like the recent Paris attacks.

There hasn't been much said or expected of governments up to now but the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Chicago has taken a stand, asking for the United Nations to recognize the events as an official genocide of the Christian population of the Middle East.

The Metropolis of Chicago, which covers almost 60 parishes throughout the Midwest and claims over a quarter of a million faithful, held it's Biannual Clergy Laity Assembly in Madison, Wisconsin, from November 14th -- 18th.

Led by Metropolitan Iakovos and Bishop Demetrios, approximately 400 clergy and parishioners from parishes throughout the region gathered to hear from a wide range of speakers addressing numerous subjects of interest to Greek Orthodox Christian followers.

One such speaker was Bassel Korkor, a Syrian American attorney who serves as United States Counsel to the Syrian Coalition's Washington and United Nations offices. He advises the Coalition on various legal and policy issues, including sanctions compliance, economic development, and diplomatic matters.

His presentation entitled "Contemporary Martyrs of the Middle East" educated the gathering as to the current conditions in Syria and throughout the Middle East, especially concerning the status of the significant and diverse historical Christian population.

Following Mr. Korkor's presentation, looking for a way to bring assistance in the protection of the Christian population of the Middle East currently subject to numerous documented examples of Ethnic Cleansing and Genocide, a proposal for the need for action by the Clergy Laity Assembly was introduced by Father Mark Munoz of Rochelle, Minnesota.

The result was the following Resolution, written by Metropolis of Chicago Council Member John C. Ackerman of Peoria, Illinois, and edited by Father David Bissias of Hammond, Indiana and Bishop Demetrios.

This Resolution received unanimous support and will soon be mailed to the President of the United States as well as each and every United States Senator and Representative within the jurisdiction of the Metropolis of Chicago.