The Reason for Christmas

The Gospel states that the very reason for the birth and revelation of Christ is that He appeared to destroy the devil’s work (1John 3:8b), establish justice in the hearts of people (Matt.12:20-21) and enlighten the world with peace (Col.1:20). The revelation of Christ was not to breach the free choice of people, as many beliefs in the world do in various ways, but to free them from breaching each other’s rights, release them from a sense of superiority or inferiority and comfort them with joy, equality and peace:

And the angel said to them [shepherds], Do not fear. For behold, I give to you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For to you is born today, in the city of David, a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this is a sign to you. You will find the babe wrapped, lying in a manger.  And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying,  Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men (Luke 2:10-14).

Many Christians, therefore, celebrate Christmas for Jesus Christ’s coming to release humanity from sin, hatred, hostility and establish peace and unity among them. In His entire mission on earth, Jesus did not teach hatred or war, but instead asked His followers to love and bless even their enemies, because nothing can change the heart of an enemy except for God’s Love. Who, other than Jesus, could change the heart of a fundamental Muslim like me, whose overriding focus was to spread the intolerance and hostility of Islam? For this reason, Jesus is called the ‘Prince of Peace’ and ‘worthy of praise’ in the Bible. And for this reason, an astonishing enthusiasm and reception is growing among Muslims and other non-Christians for the Gospel message of Christmas, even in the midst of relatives and friends who have sought to take the Name of Christ out of the Christmas season in the West. How wonderful and amazing is the love of Jesus, who approaches even His enemies with absolute and unconditional love!

Opponents of Christ, who have been doing their utmost to oppose His Birthday celebration, have not always succeeded in their attempts. They have not only been torturing our hearts but their own hearts also, as many of their own children and followers  discovered the true message of Christ’s birth - nothing but peace and joy, and withdrew from their false accusations and joined Jesus. There are many Iranian Muslims in Iran who love to celebrate Christmas and even have Christmas trees in their homes, a practice that entered the culture from the time of the ousted Shah of Iran who was very open to western cultural traditions. People have been forbidden to celebrate Christmas since the Islamic Republic of Iran considers it a crime. Despite this hostility, thousands of Iranians have been giving their hearts to Christ each year and celebrating His presence. We have heard many of them say, “Every day is a Christmas day for us. Some of us have become homeless for the sake of Christ and do not have a home for a Christmas tree and to celebrate Jesus’ birth openly. But every tree we see daily speaks of the glory of Christ and is a Christmas tree for us. Our Christmas gift to our children is the Cross we carry in our hearts for Christ and for our fellow citizens.”

What a powerful testimony of Christmas from the land of cruel beliefs and leaders! This will touch the heart of Christ and the hearts of His heavenly hosts so deeply. This loving sacrifice and enduring testimony will bring the tower of cruelty down in their lands. It is just a matter of time. They will see it because they are patient and have given all judgment to the Son of God. Their proclamation is the proclamation of the Bible that says:

For to us a Child is born, to us a Son is given; and the government shall be on His shoulder; and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. There is no end of the increase of His government and peace on the throne of David, and on His kingdom, to order it and to establish it with judgment and with justice from now on, even forever. The zeal of Jehovah of Hosts will do this (Isaiah 9: 6-7).

In the worst of times, their Master Jesus has comforted them. He is with them to bear their burden when they undergo persecution (2 Corinthians 4:9), and become the source of their joy when they grieve (2 Corinthians 6:10), because the Son of God was born to give them courage in this intolerant and cruel world (John 16:33) and lead them into perfection. Therefore, these children of Peace are called to love their enemies (Matthew 5:44), as Love is the only motivating source for true and lasting peace. The birth of Christ was to establish this everlasting love on earth.

Genuine Leadership Is What the World Needs

What else other than honest and humble leadership can bring people in a society together for a harmonious and creative life? What else but a truthful code of conduct in a leader can excite people’s fervency for a peaceful relationship and solemn affiliation as the members of one society? We desperately need leaders with such a moral standard that can encourage us through every aspect of our lives so that we can come together and make the best of our efforts for the establishment of a harmonious, stable and productive society.

In our contemporary era, many governments in the world have closed themselves to sincerity and humility with their own nations, having deprived them of the blessings of good and caring leadership. Many people in persecuting countries have been expecting western leaders to listen to their cries, take humanitarian initiatives and rush to their aid so that they can also exercise their freedom of choice. Many governments in the West have not only failed to take serious attempts to fight against the oppressions of tyrannical regimes, but have also progressively created a moral distance between themselves and their own people, establishing something more akin to a forceful government. Such has been done under the umbrella of altruism, and at the cost of the majority’s rights. This, of course, has compromised democratic values as second priority in their governing, creating what seems to be a lesser degree of moral responsibility towards the majority, having little interest in making the sacrifices necessary for society as a whole. They no longer follow the leadership model of great men and women of the past whose goals were to use their full capacities in pursuing the values that sought to make their lands better places for future generations. The idea ‘better’ has taken on a gray appearance, having become a subject to subjectivity.

As a result, some minority groups, who tend to impose themselves on the  majority, have been investing their efforts into disarming the majority of their rights for the establishment of more power-centered governments who can force them into passivity and silence, enabling the voice of minority to overpower. It is for this reason that in many western societies a low percentage of  atheists, homosexuals, pro-abortionists and Islamists have ignored the spirit of democracy, compromising the rights of those who oppose their ideologies. Not only this, but the majority is also forced by their governments to finance the minority’s agendas. This is shocking to those of us who escaped from the rule of minority groups in Islamic countries to take shelter in the West with hope for democracy; who now find ourselves exposed to a forceful minority taking on a different appearance, yet supposedly acting in the interests of democracy. It is overwhelming to see leaders in the West ignore the rights of their people in a similar way to dictators in Islamic countries.

Will these governments in the West, who possess such codes of conduct and values be capable to respond to the cries of people who are discriminated against by tyrannical governments? I doubt it. No wonder Islamic countries have been gaining more ground in both western countries and the United Nations  year after year, trying to convince many western leaders to speak in favor of the cruel Sharia of Islam, accept it as a source for human rights, and see Islam equal to Christianity.

How can we solve the problem of this progressively centralizing leadership in the West that is threatening our social and spiritual freedom? How can we rescue our societies from this ongoing suicidal, self-centered leadership that has closed its ears to the rights of the majority? Can we change this without solid and genuine leadership values? Are we ready to tell our children, grandchildren and communities that these leaders have kept themselves away from the fairness, intentionally or unintentionally, working against our freedom? Passive tolerance and apathetic attitudes on our part will only work to undermine our rights and freedom.

Only a genuinely aware people can overcome current leadership barriers and pave the ground for the rise of a genuine leader who does not have a habit of compromising the truth, but rather lives for the truth and is ready to give his/her life for it if necessary. We, therefore, will be unable to offer our societies with leadership characterized by honesty and integrity unless we take an honest interest in discovering what’s really wrong with our societies, what the solution is, what we need to do in order to make our societies better places, so that future generations are not exposed to further discrimination and suffering because of our silence, dishonesty and mistakes.

As Christians, our capacity to help our societies to recover from weak leadership is great. We should not shy away from manifesting the leadership of Christ who has overcome barriers and called us to guard ourselves and others from the impact of insincere leadership. As He said:

Beware of false prophets who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. You shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thorns, or figs from thistles?  Even so every good tree brings forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree brings forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruits, nor can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that does not bring forth good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Therefore by their fruits you shall know them (Matthew 7:15-20).

I close with the words of Jesus.

"The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field." Matthew 9:37, 38 (CEV)

Immaturity and Ignorance Make Youth Prime Targets

Youth are generally more prone to lack of knowledge, carelessness, recklessness, risk-taking, light-heartedness and cheerfulness than other age group. Such traits that are characteristic of the developmental process of young people sees opportunists take advantage of their vulnerabilities, trying to indoctrinate and trap adolescents for their causes.  As a result, many mobs in Islamic countries are comprised of young people, while western countries contain avid followers of secular humanism, leftism and New Age. In Syria and Libya, youth are indoctrinated to achieve their freedom via guns and explosives. None is informed that rifles were not able to give freedom to Iranian, North Sudanese, North Korean or Cuban revolutionaries.

Perhaps the most concerning problems of indoctrination in the western societies today occur through universities, media, and films which encourage indifference and irresponsibility rather than preparing our youth with wisdom for a meaningful future. Universities and the media discourage wisdom since multiculturalism and altruism are regarded superior to truth. Worse yet are the many contemporary TV shows and films that introduce ill-mannered actors and actresses as good role models to our youth.

In 1979, the majority of young people were the hands and feet of the Revolution in Iran. The Ayatollah Khomeini led the Revolution with the utmost hostility toward the Shah of Iran, promising freedom and economic prosperity. He blamed the Shah of Iran for dictatorship, people’s poverty and lack of freedom, pointing towards two significant needs for which the younger generation was crying out.

At the time, we young people loved freedom but were unaware of Khomeini’s political philosophy and, therefore, unable to understand that freedom could not be achieved by burning banks, public buses or shooting our rifles in the streets. An opportunist, Khomeini knew that youth could be easily dependable; their lack of knowledge keeping them from scrutinizing and challenging his belief. His serious opposition to the Shah’s policy captured our full attention - so much so that we were unable to understand that his success in leading the Revolution wouldn’t necessarily mean that he would be able to lead the future government in a way that would honor his people. We did not know that promises do not depict the capability of a person or leader, but the values behind his/her belief. Aware of our short-comings, Khomeini was able to convince us to overridingly focus on overthrowing the rule of the Shah without showing us a plan for the future. We left tomorrow’s thoughts and deeds and focused entirely on the destruction of the Shah’s kingdom.

Fully immersed into his destructive plan, we were unable to dream of a meaningful future. The Ayatollah Khomeini was very attractive on the surface, spoke accurately into the situation of Iran, and invited both young and old to march ahead against the dictatorship of the Shah; to take part in the destiny of their country. He promised people that his efforts were only for the freedom of the country; he expected nothing from the people and promised that he would not want to have any political role in the future. Alas, he was hiding himself under the shell of his belief, trying to get himself to power for the establishment of an Islamic rule. He used the words “freedom and prosperity” in order to deceive people and attain his goal.

None of us imagined that he would later disregard his crystal clear promises and bluntly stand for the establishment of a dictatorship that was hundred times stricter than the dictatorship of Shah. The result of our initial acceptance and blind obedience was strict pain. As a result, many young people were killed while others had no choice but to flee the country.

If we did not lack a deep, reflective capacity and if our intentions sprang from the wisdom that comes from knowledge, if we knew different ideas and were able to compare them with ours, if we apprehended current world politics and were not oblivious even to the politics of our own land, if our knowledge surpassed our emotion, if we were able to distinguish between right and wrong, if we knew that our lack of knowledge would cost us, if we knew that our ignorance would make our enemy’s voice louder than ours, if we knew that another big and vengeful government was not the true solution for our country, we would not have opened the door for opportunistic Khomeini to destroy our lives and our country.
  
Rather than personally making sure whether or not we could have freedom under the leadership of Khomeini, we entrusted everything to someone whose future plan was very ambiguous. We were hoping and trying to make things better, but inadvertently made them worse. In the end, when Khomeini reached power, we found him not only delaying freedom but also mocking upholders of freedom. We asked him to honor his piously promised words instead of hammering the progress of freedom, but giving freedom to others was beyond his belief and proved too much for him.

Islamization in the Middle-East and Secularization in the West are both stripping off many adolescents and young adults their God-given autonomy, turning them into senseless bodies and prepared targets for opportunistic leaders. Many young people call themselves Muslims, atheists, evolutionists, New Agers, or identify themselves with many other beliefs. Yet they do not know about the internal layers of their beliefs, and are therefore unable to compare them, to discover the best way of life. They yearn for freedom and speak in favor of it, but are unaware that their beliefs are inherently against freedom. And since they do not know the true meaning of freedom, opportunists can easily target them through manipulative words, and establish their cunning plans through the consent and votes of youth.

How can young people secure themselves against opportunists?

There is no stronger advice to young people than the message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ that says:

Let no one despise your youth, but be an example of the believers, in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity (1Tim.4:12).

In other words, be a good example to all, both young and old, and do not speak or act in such a manner that gives another the opportunity to belittle you on account of your youth. Your doctrine should be the doctrine of knowledge, reason, love and purity; making you thoughtful and caring toward others. A solid doctrine can function as a light in and through your life by enlightening the minds and hearts of others, and for protecting you and your community from those who have made it their task to set traps for those who are weaker.

Islamists: Beyond Public Criticism

They believe that Islam is a perfect religion, but their relational philosophy is very immature in dealing with opposition. How is it that a group of people with a "perfect" religion deal so chauvinistically with their opposition and want to get rid of them? They attack, destroy or kill depending on circumstances. They teach their children that Islam has the best plan for life and their children actually believe them. Some of these children show interest in logic and decide to prove the superiority of their religion with reason, but they can be stopped or tortured or killed for taking the initiative to compare their religion with others, since studying other religions and free expression are discouraged in Islam.

What kind of perfection is this that fights against freedom of choice, which is the only platform to perfection? Who can become free without expressing his/her free will?

There are countless Muslims in prisons in many Islamic countries because of their desire to exercise freedom, because the so-called perfect Islam does not allow such self-determination.  Islamists group their own freedom-fighting children with ‘Zionist or American Agents’. Christians and Jews have been the groups who have stood their ground and challenged Islam more than other groups throughout history, since Judeo-Christian values allow freedom, and since Israel is the number one free country in the Middle-East.  America, also, along with other Christian nations remains free. Any Muslim who desires freedom must therefore be dealt with like a Zionist Jew or an American Christian who shows favor towards the Jewish state!

Zionists and Americans are claimed to be the prime reasons for every challenge or problem in the Middle-East. No-one will challenge a committed Muslim leader unless he is Zionist or American, or so radical Muslims believe. I was called a Zionist and American Agent when I was in prison awaiting a death sentence in Iran for my opposition to Khomeini’s suppression, yet at the time I had nothing to do with either Americans or Israel.

It is not a new thing for an Islamist to try to intimidate freedom lovers trying to exercise their freedom of choice about Islam. The war against the freedom of choice started from the birth of Islam by its prophet Muhammad:

It is not for a believer, man or woman, when Allah and His Messenger have decreed a matter that they should have any option in their decision. And whoever disobeys Allah and His Messenger, he has indeed strayed in a plain error (The Nobel Quran 33:36).

The Quran has already conditioned the minds and hearts of Islamists to react harshly towards those who stay away from Islam or challenge it:

You who believe (Muslims), kill any disbeliever who are close to you (relatives and neighbors) so that they may find out how harsh you are.  Allah is with those who are pious (Q.9:123).

Based on such texts, hostility and blind rage in Islamists’ behavior are integral to Islam.  The desire to force people into silence is the order of Muhammad and Islam sanctioned by Allah in the Quran, allegedly from eternity, since the Quran was designed and written in eternity, or so Muslims believe. Verses 6, 13 and 31 in chapter (sura) 8 of the Quran are speaking about those who dispute the words of Muhammad and accuse him of plagiarizing the ancient sources of other faiths. The critics are called hostile (verse 15), deaf, dumb and the worst of beasts (verse 22); those who hear but do not listen (verse 21). The instruction against these critics is the death sentence, firstly by chopping off their finger tips and then their heads (verse 12).

It is in light of such doctrine that Islamists are at war with the freedom of speech in the West, though justifying their violence with new excuses. Of course, these new excuses are the best tools they can muster for brain-washing their own followers and also for stirring up anti-Christian westerners to confuse people in the West, create conflict and chaos, and pave the way for the advancement of the Islamic anti-freedom laws. The recent invasions of American embassies in various Islamic countries are the examples of such conspiracies. Islamists used a YouTube video as an excuse for their invasion but in reality it was because of America’s religious and cultural bond with Israel and of her social fabric based on individual freedom which is a barrier for the establishment of Islam in America and the world.

Suppose the invasions were merely because of this video made by an American Coptic citizen. Why then were American embassies invaded on the anniversary of Sep 11 while the video was on YouTube for months before Sep 11, 2012?  It is foolish to believe that this violence was solely a reaction to this film. Since Sep 11, 2001, I have repeatedly been saying that there would come a day when Islamists would openly celebrate Sep 11 as a victory day for Osama bin Laden and a demonizing day for America. That day was the Sep 11, 2012 when Islamists were chanting in front of American embassies that Osama bin Laden was not one but millions. I said this because I used to be one of them and know their doctrine, hearts and minds.

The attacks on American embassies were orchestrated in a way to commemorate Osama bin Laden and those Muslims who gave their lives in the destruction of the twin-towers. The film was used as an excuse to make the politically correct leaders in the West apologize to Islamists, so that they could more freely press on for imposing their Sharia on us.

Unfortunately, the Islamists succeeded.  The best our Western politicians could do was to ignore the Islamists’ tricks and to speak in a way to denigrate courage for freedom in the West and hearten radical Muslims to be more hostile against freedom. Opportunist and anti-Christian politicians are doing everything in their power to ensure that no Islamic deception goes to waste, since Islamists are the best opponents of Christianity. Such politicians lounge around while hundreds of Christians are killed in Islamic countries every year, and while 64% of the Quran, 81% of Muhammad’s life story book and 32% of Muhammad’s instructions in Hadiths are insulting to Christians and Jews. But when a group of Muslims, rightly or wrongly, protest the slightest offense, these politicians appear before the cameras as proxies of human rights and trumpet that some individuals’ emotions have been hurt!

Since these western luminaries have been giving the green light to Islamic exceptionalism, Islamists have also become more zealous in finding new ways to impose their silencing doctrine on the nations of the world. A few years ago, Muslim ambassadors in the UN took a resolution (drafted by Muslim leaders) to the UN nations in order  make the criticism of religion (Islam) illegal among all nations. The resolution has not passed yet and is on hold. Now the signs are indicating that the recent violent protests against the above mentioned YouTube film could be a plot by Islamists to bolster support for the resolution in the UN. As Recep Erdogan, the Turkish Prime Minister, said while speaking against the film, “When free speech is in the form of a provocation there should be international legal regulations against attacks ... on religion … There should be domestic laws, too. Freedom of thought and belief ends where the freedom of thought and belief of others starts."

In other words,  international powers are supposed to issue laws which recognize freedom only for Muslims but not for others. Muslims must be free to destroy the rights of others, but others should not have any right to defend their beliefs. Their duty is only to apologize to Muslims if they exercise their God given freedom of choice. 

In democratic countries individuals have a legal right, accept, reject or even demonize the beliefs and even the actions of another person no matter how offensive this may be seen by others. Individuals are free to exercise this freedom as long as it does not harm others physically, belittle them racially, or damage their reputation with lies.   Democracy is therefore dynamic, opens the door to everyone, regardless of their race, religion or nationality, to practice their beliefs and participate in public debate. Democracy also fosters human creativity. It is for this reason that democracy is superior to Islamic despotism, which favors sectarianism and blocks the door of creativity for people, in particular for non-Muslims and those who oppose Islam.  Islamists’ silencing doctrines are therefore inadequate and in clear opposition to our constitutional rights in the West. Freedom of speech is an inherent part of the Biblical culture which was used for the establishment of laws in the West and for the protection of individual rights. The God of the Bible respects human freedom of choice and speech. He is not like Allah who approaches people like a master to slaves, and allows them no right to question. The God of the Bible appears like a loving father, supporting people to establish a meaningful and intimate life free from tyranny.  Therefore, if our freedom of speech and our respect for people are causing Islamists to want to attack and kill us, it will be wise for us to expose the values of these blind fanatics, create awareness among people, defend and protect the fundamental aspects of our life and freedom, in unity.

Beware of false prophets who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. You shall know them by their fruits … (Matthew 7: 15-16)

Strange Defenders of Pluralism!

Minority leftists and Islamists in the West raise their voices ever louder in support of pluralism, while many remain unaware of the motivations behind their celebration of diversity. They praise pluralism or multiculturalism, not out of any true love for diversity, but so their anarchic natures can manipulative these frameworks to promote their beliefs and ultimately to gain power for themselves. Once they reach positions of authority, they will start to destroy other cultures and make people subject to one totalitarian culture, whether communism or Islamism.  Their love for pluralism is feigned, for the purpose of seeing its ultimate destruction.

We will be able to understand the true nature of their mission if we look at the realityt of leftist and Islamist dominance in countries currently ruled by communism or Islam. Communists in N. Korea, China and Cuba have fought bitterly against diversity and closed their doors to pluralism. In a similar way, Islamists have also been trying harshly to uproot pluralism in Islamic countries (such as Saudi Arabia, Iran, and Sudan). Those who have dared to speak in favor of diversity in these countries have been tortured, blamed with being  Agents of America or Israel, and slaughtered. Not only non-Muslims but even minority Muslim sects are suppressed and have limited rights in Islamic countries. Recently Najib Razak the Prime Minister of the so-called moderate Malaysia said; "Pluralism, liberalism? All these isms' are against Islam and it is compulsory for us to fight these." (1)

When it comes to the western countries, leftists and Islamists approach pluralism in a different way. At they use tolerant vocabulary in order to present themselves as lovers of democracy. This is because they are in the minority and are aware that their aggressive plans will not be warmly received unless they baffle and incapacitate people from uncovering their dishonesty. One will not be able to understand their mission unless one knows their philosophies. In the West, they continue a subtle and progressive mission until they penetrate, strengthen their position, disarm the power of people using legal means wherever they can, and eventually hand over power to totalitarian rule.  This will represent the end of peoples’ rights and equal opportunity, and the full revelation of their aggressive, destructive values.

Such people have learned how to destroy pluralism but using the very values of pluralism against itself. They are aware that pluralism divides a unified nation, rids people of any care for values which strengthen national coherence and opens the door for power hungry groups to dominate. They know that pluralism also constrains the progress of integration among immigrants, incites them to establish their own cultural ghettos and fosters their divided loyalties. Pluralism, as we are aware, has even pushed immigrants in the West to demand that the host country to adapt to their cultural values (brought from their lands of origin) since all cultures are equal in the West.

Several years ago, Sheikh Taj El-Din Hamid Hilaly a Muslim leader in Australian stood in defense of three Muslim rapists and criticized the non-Muslim victim for not covering herself in an Islamic way (hijab) (2), because in Islam the fault and stigma of rape falls on the females who do are not covered by the hijab. The Muslim leader was trying to convey the message of Islam to all non-Muslim Australian women, instructing them to cover with the Islamic hijab and thus secure themselves from Muslim rapists. An opportunist, he wanted to seize the opportunity to force the Australian community to celebrate Islamic attitudes to rape, because pluralism is widely celebrated in Australia. Mr. Hilaly was named the "Muslim Man of the Year" at the first Australian Muslim Achievement Awards by Mission of Hope (Muslim Community Solutions for Health and Well-being) — all under the guise of pluralism and despite his Jew-hating comments and encouragement to Muslims to fight infidels and capture the White House (see the above reference 2).

Unfortunately, manipulation is considered an omen victory in leftists’ and Islamists’ political philosophies. The more manipulative followers are, the more rewarded they are in Islam and communism, since their goals justify every kind of mean. These ideologies give legitimacy to manipulation and encourage their followers to use any possible tools at their disposal to accomplish their goals with perfection. Manipulation is a part of a larger battle against Judeo-Christian values and against all other things, including pluralism, that do not accord with their beliefs. This is to unite totalitarian agents together against anything that is in conflict with their centralized and dictatorial doctrine, which aims to establish an imperialism similar to what Lenin established in Russia or the Ottomans in Turkey, by occupying countries and changing their cultures. 

Leftism and Islamism are not compatible with pluralism. Their followers’ apparent love of pluralism is a trap for the destruction of all other cultures. The inconsistency of pluralism is the only reason for these enemies of freedom to celebrate it (for the time being) and to do whatever they desire, until their mission is accomplished at the cost the rights of others. This has been their motivation in pushing our governments to spent millions of tax-payers’ money in the West to spread multiculturalism, which neutralizes our leaders’ and societies’ care for the core values of unity, and to impose the scourge of multicultural disunity on us for the establishment of their despotism.

The reason we are losing greatly is because our societies have been trapped by their superficial niceness, forced to neglect biblical values and thereby accommodate friends and foes alike in the name of democracy and pluralism. Unfortunately, terrorists and those who oppose terrorism are the same in the eyes of many in our societies.  Terrorist Yasar Arafat got a Nobel Peace prize from the West. Some other Islamist terrorists have also been warmly received in the United Nations and even in the White House, even though terrorism is officially condemned by both. This is the message that some of our leaders have been sending to the world:  they will tolerate terrorists in the name of pluralism if circumstances necessitate. As a result, the foes are united in a war against our liberty in our own backyards.

What should we do in the face of these destructive agents? How can we preserve our freedom and share a good message with the world?

The Bible teaches us that the enemies will not be able to take away our liberty if it is from God. It is therefore urgent for us to hold stronger to our faith, wake our nations and the world to the subtleties of our time and encourage people to put their full trust in the God of the Bible who said:

“If My people, who are called by My name, shall humble themselves and pray, and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from Heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” (2 Chronicles 7:14)

(1)    http://au.news.yahoo.com/world/a/-/world/14277394/malaysian-pm-warns-against-liberalism-pluralism/
(2)    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taj_El-Din_Hilaly

Contemporary Politics and Unethical Friendships

Some western politicians not only value their friendship with fascist leaders but also want to make sure that these children of tyranny advance to their full potential.

Our contemporary example is the support given by the Obama’s administration to Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, who has gained a majority of the votes needed to rule.

Someone described Obama’s foreign policy in the New York Times in this way; “As Islamists gain influence, Washington reassesses who its friends are”. In other words, since jihadists have won the election and established themselves by the power of the people, it is legitimate to befriend and support them no matter how actively hostile they are to America.

Egypt’s newly elected Muslim Brotherhood President, Mohammad Morsi, took off his mask of moderation on his inauguration day (June 30, 2012) when he promised his followers to free Omar Abdel-Rahman, the leader of the terrorist group Al-Gama'a al-Islamiyya.  Omar Abdel-Rahman is in a prison in the U.S. for planning the 1993 World Trade Center bombing. He had also made plans to blow up other New York City landmarks and other places to kill as many as Americans as he could. Under his leadership Al-Gama'a al-Islamiyya killed many tourists in Egypt. The assassination of President Sadat in 1981 was also the result of one of Rahman’s fatwa’s (an Islamic ruling) which called Sadat an apostate for signing a peace treaty with Israel and thus someone who Muslims ought to kill. Rahman was highly respected by Osama bin Laden and also had close ties with Ayman al-Zawahiri, the right hand man of Osama bin Laden. Morsi is proudly standing behind him and lobbying for his release.

Instead of protesting his support of the U.S.’s sworn enemy, Obama sent his Secretory of Sate Hillary Clinton to congratulate Morsi in Egypt just two weeks after his cruel vow. She also conveyed to Morsi Obama’s promise that the U.S. Government will stand behind his democratically elected government. A few months ago, Obama himself invited Morsi to visit him at the White House.

Democratically elected government?  How many more examples do Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton need from the Islamic world to be convinced that the word democracy, used by Muslim leaders, is a decoy to fool international communities?  Meanwhile the radicals gain ground at home, working towards the destruction of opposition and minority groups. It is folly to imagine that ‘democracy’ is understood in a western way by the majority of Egyptians voters, who have effectively elected for Sharia law to be established by Morsi in Egypt. If the majority of a nation is pro-totalitarian rule, what value will they place on the word ‘democracy’? Won’t they use (indeed abuse and exploit) this word as a means to strengthen totalitarianism, deprive their opponents of basic human rights, and force minorities to become Muslim or leave? All the evidence points to the fact that an era of democracy comes to an end when a totalitarian ideology dominates the minds and hearts of a majority in a society.

We have heard Morsi speaking in favor of freedom, but this was in the context of his endorsement of the values of Sharia. ‘Freedom’ in Sharia means the right to choose between death and submission to Islam’s rule. Endorsement of such ‘freedom’ does not lead his society to freedom since his overriding desire is to establish the Sharia, which is hostile to freedom and democracy. All Egyptians, whether they are Morsi’s friends or opponents, know the history of Muslim Brotherhood and understand that Morsi is an enemy of western-style democracy. They know that his words uttered in defense of ‘freedom’ are nothing but window-dressing. This is but a ploy to gain momentum for establishing the full force of Sharia. This is what democracy and freedom mean for Morsi and his fellow fundamentalist Muslims in every corner of the globe.

It is heart-breaking that the Obama Administration has chosen to disregard Morsi’s convictions, has ignored the value of ethics in international relationships, and is establishing closer ties with an unethical leader who supports those who hate America and aims to establish a repressive Sharia government in Egypt like those in Iran, Sudan or Saudi Arabia.  

Some Egyptian protestors recently carried signs to express their opposition to Hillary Clinton’s visit. One of the signs read, “If you like the Ikhwan (Brotherhood), take them with you!”. Someone really needed to tell the protesters that Obama had already established a sincere friendship with the Brotherhood and has employed more than half a dozen of Brotherhood-linked individuals in such roles as Ambassador, speech writer, commissioner on international religious freedom, assistant homeland security, etc (see also here and here). Obama halved the money his predecessor George W. Bush nominated for democracy promotion in Egypt, slashed the Egyptian civil society fund 70% and instead have been spending money for the strength of Muslim Brotherhood.

Obama, showing scant regard for the desires of the majority of Americans, finds nothing wrong in sheltering people like Morsi, who despise western civilization. What really bothers Obama is a friendly relationship with Israel, a nation which has a great respect for Americans and is the only truly democratic country in the Middle-East.

Why would an American president want to open the door wide to the Muslim Brotherhood, which is the mother of terrorism in the world? Is there any basis in American law which allows a president to justify a friendly relationship with those who embrace and love terrorists? I doubt it. The heart of the problem is Obama’s belief and political philosophy. It is obvious that the political philosophy of the America’s founding fathers is in a sharp contrast to Obama’s own political philosophy: otherwise the White House would not be squandering a vast amount of tax-payers’ money on hosting and promoting its sworn enemies!

To restore their country’s honor, Americans need to consider their history and respect the intentions of the hearts and minds of their founding fathers for their country. This country prospered in every respect because of her faith in Christ. The values of Christ draw a clear line between what is ethical and what is not; what is evil and what is not.  His values are in sharp contrast to a post-modernist political philosophy which conceals the real enemy from the sight for own selfish and personal motives. This is not the way of Jesus Christ.  He is the true leader.  He reveals the enemy to people and teaches them to live a fair, godly and victorious life.

Beware of false prophets who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. (Matthew 7:15).

Deception Legalized!?

People commonly accept that deception violates friendship and deteriorates relationships. It is something people generally guard themselves against.  Those who deceive progressively increase in their deception, building relationships characterized by disempowerment: inhibiting others’ abilities and presenting what is false or incomplete truth, as absolute truth.

Have you ever heard of deception or lying being legalized within a community? Believe it or not, it has. It happened in the 7th Century AD in Arabia with the rise of Islam. Muhammad, the prophet of Islam, revealed that his god was the master of deception and accommodated his cunning arts into his leadership for the dominance of Islam. Here is the Quran’s definition of who Allah is

Allah is the best of deceivers (Q.3:54; 8:30).  Allah is swifter in deception (Q.10:21).    

The words that the Quran uses for deceiving others and are commonly used in Arabic are ‘makr’ for deception, ‘kayd’ for guile, ‘khud’a’ for plot. The lexical sources define the terms as to plan and practice deceit, guile, evasion, trick or every kind of cunning art.

Allah, ‘the best of deceivers,’ revealed his guiles proudly in the Quran and even requested a testimony from his followers to recite continually that “there is no god but Allah”. Muhammad instructed his followers to humiliate all those who did not follow the leadership of Allah:

Those who resist Allah and His Apostle will be among those most humiliated. Allah has decreed: "It is I and My apostles who must prevail": For Allah is One full of strength, able to enforce His Will (Q.58:20-21).

Deceivers, by nature, do not reveal their true identity but allure followers with their impressively deceptive words. But how astonishing that Allah, who reveals his advocacy of deception, still receives followers who are willing to place their lives in his hands, humiliating and destroying others for his cause!

The Quran reveals the completeness of Allah’s deception by stating that no one can escape the cunning art of Allah (Q.7:99). His guile is unquestionable, drawing people in little by little, until they are in a trap of which they were completely unaware (Q.7:182-183; 68:45). He also places “wicked ones” in every city to deceive people (Q.6:123), paving the ground for people to commit evil so that Allah will have a reason to destroy them (Q.17:16). Lying, treachery and deception have been intertwined in Islam’s ethics in dealing with infidels (Reliance of the Traveler, p.745) for the progress of Islam.

It seems unthinkable to believe that such a violation to human rights could have been accommodated by Arabians. In actual fact, historical evidence proves that some highly respected Arabians opposed Muhammad’s strange teaching and actions. A highly respected elderly man named Abu Afak expressed his dissatisfaction through a poem in which he criticized Muhammad’s hosting tribe of its allegiance to him. He wrote:

Long have I lived but never have I seen an assembly or collection of people more faithful to their undertaking and their allies when called upon than the sons of Qayla when they assembled, men who overthrew mountains and never submitted, a rider who came to them split them in two (saying) “Permitted”, “Forbidden”, of all sorts of things. Had you believed in glory or kingship you would have followed Tubba (Inb Ishaq, The Life of Muhammad, p. 675). 

Muhammad, unable to bear this criticism, sent his devoted followers at night and they stabbed Abu Afak to death in his sleep. This hostile action towards an elderly, respected man outraged the inhabitants of Medina, and as a result, a woman named Asma requested retaliation, as the law of the land necessitated. She wrote:

I despise B. Malik and al-Nabit and Auf and B. al-Khazraj. You obey a stranger who is none of yours, one not of Murad or Madhhij. Do you expect good from him after the killing of your chiefs like a hungry man waiting for a cook's broth? Is there no man of pride who would attack him by surprise and cut off the hopes of those who expect aught from him? (Ibn Ishaq, The Life of Muhammad, pp. 675-6).

Muhammad sent his messengers at night again and they slaughtered her before her young children.

Deception was counted as a violation against the law and people of Arabia prior to the rise of Islam. Men and women similar to those mentioned above risked and often lost their lives to protect their land from the deception of Islam. Sadly, Islam prevailed. Why? Because, the master of deceivers (Allah) cultivated an indifference that blinded some tribal leaders to the dark reality before them. Islamists put into practice the cunning arts of Allah, gained the favor of some leaders in order to destroy their targeted ones. Their second step was to create division amongst various tribes; turning allies into the enemies of others. This is parallel to what eventuated after the Revolution of 1979 in Iran, what has been happening in the so-called ‘Muslim Spring’ in Egypt, and why there are some non-Muslims are opening the door for Islamists to take root in the West.

What surprises us is not only why many Muslims do not want to break the chain of deception in our contemporary era, but also shocking initiatives from our intellectuals in the western countries who so willingly accommodate Islam. People entered the 21st century with a new hope that that information about truth would be publicly accessible everywhere and corrupt and tyrannical ideologies would therefore disappear and give place to fairness and true freedom. It seems that all this hope was in vain. Now, there are internationally renowned western leaders and academics who are calling Islam a religion of care and peace, while suppressing, undermining and compromising Christian values! Opinions are being established as laws, imposed on the majority irrespective of the calamitous consequences Islam may bring into our societies. These influential individuals within our societies are embracing an ideology whose spiritual master was and continues to be the best of deceivers, whose very nature cannot compare with that of Jesus Christ - the master of justice, holiness, care, peace and love - who believes:

A truthful witness does not deceive, but a false witness pours out lies. … A truthful witness saves lives, but a false witness is deceitful (Proverbs 14:5, 25).

No lie comes from the truth (1John 2:21). God cannot lie (Titus 1:2). The Lord detests lying lips, but he delights in men who are truthful (Proverb 12:22).

That’s why Paul, the Apostle of Christ, proclaims:

I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek (Romans 1:16).

We have renounced the hidden things of shame, not walking in craftiness, nor adulterating the Word of God, but by the revelation of the truth commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God (2 Corinthians 4:2).

The true God does not deceive. And a Godly person also does not deceive, but values the capability, capacity and responsibility of individuals, and creates awareness for conscientious search, evaluation and decision-making that upholds a personal encounter with Christ.

I close with the words of Jesus.

"The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field." Matthew 9:37, 38 (CEV)

Palestinian Leader: "Palestinians Are Not From Palestine!?"

On March 23, 2012, Interior and National Security Minister of Hamas, Mr. Fathi Hammad, declared on the Egyptian Al-Hekma TV station that Palestinians are not natives, but artificial people comprised of Egyptians, Saudis, Yemenis and others who have come to destroy and dominate Israel.

Mr. Hammad describes that Palestine contains the most zealous Islamists and Muslims as it carries the banner of jihad for the destruction of Jews and their allies. This is the very reason why Egyptians and other Muslims, he surmises, should point their compass toward Palestine and Jerusalem: to support their blood brothers and sisters in the fulfillment of Islamic jihad against infidels.

Sadly, no world leaders have spoken up to reject these comments, and the Jew-bashing media and leftists act like people who have not heard anything Mr. Hammad has said about rejecting the native identity of his fellow Palestinians. They would surely react, even with disgust, if Jews announced the true identity of Palestinians. This proves how eager some westerners are to deny the rights of Jews to the land of Israel.

A few months ago, former U.S. Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich stated that Palestinians are an “invented people”. He was attacked by fellow politicians for speaking the truth, but all these politicians kept quiet when Mr. Hammad, Palestinians’ own leader, stated the same truth months later.

Mr. Hammad’s confession is in sharp contrast to the Palestinians’ global propaganda in claiming indigenous status in the land of Israel.  It also conflicts with their accusation against Israel that it has occupied 'their' lands. Why is this so? Because Islamists do not hide the truth about Islam and Muslims when they talk to each other in their own native languages. They twist or hide it only when they talk to strangers, especially westerners, in order to deceive and raise more moral enemies against Israel, as well as to attract compassion from the West and its so-called humanitarian which finances daily rockets sent to Israel. Without game-playing Palestinian leaders would find it difficult to pass the Oslo Peace Process, which declared peace an impossible goal in the Middle-East as long as terrorists receive moral and financial support. For this reason, Palestinians have been trying to keep westerners unaware of their intentions.  They continue to seek and obtain financial help to finance their terrorism against Jews, because, as Mr. Hammad revealingly said, “When we seek their help, it is in order to continue to wage Jihad."

The Palestinians’ game is to raise hatred against Israel and isolate her among global communities so that they can erase her from the world map. Sadly, their deception has been working because they have had a free hand in hijacking Muslim and leftist partners in the West. For this reason, Palestinians are more warmly welcomed than Israelis in western governmental organizations and universities. Many universities in the West act as proxies for Palestinian against Israel. One example is the Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) which was first established at the University of California, Berkeley 2001and then flourished into other universities. SJP sincerely believes that Israel has occupied Jerusalem and Palestinian lands. Because of this, the SJP seeks to evacuate all Israelis in order that the so-called Palestinian refugees may return. These students have run various campaigns  to lift up the cause of the Palestines against Israel. University leftists have guided these students to believe the lies of the Palestinian leaders instead of familiarizing themselves with the truth about Palestine and Israel. They do not know that the war of Palestinians against Israel is not because Israel has occupied their lands? It is because the presence of Israel is considered an insult to Islamic pride.

Furthermore, the UN’s Human Rights Council has prepared a commission to wage a campaign against Israel, blaming her for occupying lands, even though this initiative is contrary to the UN’s previous efforts for establishing peace between Jews and Palestinians via a process of mutual negotiation.

Many forms of evidence, including the Quran, the Quranic commentaries, the comments of Mr. Hammad, and the Christian and Jewish scriptures all confirm that the land of Israel belongs to Jews. What stronger witnesses than this do the world leaders need in order to accept the fact that Jews have full right over Jerusalem and Israel? Mr. Hammad has clearly said that Arabs have not come to Palestine to live a normal life, but for jihad and for the annihilation of Jews. World leaders need to take Mr. Hammad’s confessions seriously and accept that they have been deceived by Palestinians’ false and artificial peace negotiations.

Mr. Hammad is fully aware that the Quran and history have never supported the idea of native Palestinians being Arabs. The Quran never refers to the region as Palestine, but the Promised Land which is ordained for Jews by God (Q.5: 21-22; 7:136). The land was given to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and their offspring. Jacob and his children left the land and took refuge in Egypt because of famine. The neighbors occupied the land in their absence and did not want to give it back to them on their return to their fathers’ land. For this reason, God ordained Moses to lead his fellow Jews from the bondage of Egypt and settle them in their own land.

Islamic scholars rarely use the word Palestine in their discussions about these Quranic verses and never claim that Arabs resided in the Promised Land. Like the Quran, they too call the former Canaanite residents of Israel tyrants who ignored the command to leave the Promised Land; nevertheless, God drove them out and situated Jews in it. The Quran not only confirms the occupation and ownership of Israel by the Jews but also states that God will complete his favor and ultimately gather the whole scattered Jews in all over the world and bring them back to Israel:

"And We said unto the Children of Israel after him: Dwell in the land; but when the promise of the Hereafter cometh to pass We shall bring you as a crowd gathered out of various nations." (Q.17:104)

Isn’t this a confirmation to the establishment of the Jewish State in 1948? What clearer evidence than this do Muslims and world powers need to believe that Jerusalem and Israel are the destinies of Jews?

It is crystal clear that the Palestinians’ zeal for war against Israel springs from their hatred towards Jews and nothing more. Not only does the Quran deny Palestinian rights over the Promised Land, but Palestinian actions show that they are aliens and not natives. They call Jerusalem their holy place, but in practice they have not shown even one per cent of the reverence Jews have for Jerusalem. Palestinian attitudes toward the holy sites in Israel are similar to the attitudes of occupiers, who do not show any reverence towards their occupied lands and people. They have treated the holy sites of Israel with contempt and used these places for picnics or as playgrounds for playing soccer (football) in order to torment Jews emotionally, socially, morally and spiritually.  Not only do Muslims approach their own shrine (Kaba) in Mecca with ultimate reverence; they will kill anyone who uses its sites for leisure. Saudis have issued a law that non-Muslims have to stay 15 miles (24 kilometers) away from Mecca, otherwise they could be killed. Jews do not have right to even set foot in Saudi Arabia. Non-Muslims have no right to approach Muslim holy sites, but Muslims are free to disrespect and show contempt for the holy sites of non-Muslims? What a contrast!

It is time for Muslims and non-Muslims alike to take a hard look at the evidence, and give the Jews  the right to full sovereignty over their native land.

Everything They Label Us With, They Are Doing

Contemporary secular humanists and leftists are stronger than ever before, pressing on with their historically failed secular-socialist agendas, favoring relativism, multiculturalism and arbitrary life over the culture of Christ, who teaches the search for the absolute truth that creates an everlasting unity among people. They claim themselves to be patriotic and real lovers of their countries, yet no patriotism fits in with their relativist and arbitrary philosophy that knows no boundary between what is inherently good and bad. They lack solid ethics to defend freedom against repression, openness against particularism, tolerance against intolerance and equality against racism, but when it comes to their attitudes towards Christians and freedom fighters, who observe the ethics of Christ, they label them as simple-minded, intolerant, racist, fascist or as equal to Nazism. Yet the very things they label us with, they are guilty of doing. Using every available avenue in the media, or their work places, they point their fingers at their targeted people, demonizing them; a principle that has been in the service of terrorist ideologies and tyrannical regimes throughout the history of humanity and since the beginning of the last century with the rise of communism.

Russian Communists invaded their surrounding countries, changing their languages and the names of their residents in favor of Russian names, yet they labeled Christians the enemies of working class. In a similar way, Muhammad and his followers invaded surrounding communities and countries, and changed their national identities so that everybody had to speak and live in a Saudi Arabian way, yet called their opponents cruel and the enemies of humanity. The Quran legalized slavery — Muhammad himself had a black slave and Muhammad’s sincere followers have been having heartbreaking role models in enslaving Africans (and also over a million white Europeans) throughout the history of Islam. Yet when it comes to Christianity, Islamists call it “the religion of the slave trading white people”. First Christianity is not from the West, but from the Middle-East, and second, when slave trading whites exploited people they were going against the teaching of the Bible.

It is ironic that the freedom of those who oppose the secular-socialists’ and Islamists’ ideologies is increasingly limited, while the latter continue to raise their voices as the marginalized victims. Our universities have now become the hot-bed of socialism and other isms. Almost every sign of Christianity has disappeared in them, and still the dominant secular-socialists and their allies (i.e. Islamists) are victims!? This victim mentality is a show in making more followers, pushing upholders of truth and free speech back, pressuring them to give up.

What do we need to do in the face of this subtle deceit that has been costing our nations spiritually and socially? As Christians, what should our response be when these ideological guerillas have disgracefully targeted every aspect of our lives and want to silence us? How do we need to act in such a time when their deceits have penetrated the minds of even our top politicians and leaders who have passed laws to limit our freedom and demean our heavenly identity?

Christ is the response in every way in approaching this significant problem. Philosophically and doctrinally, He is the eternal God and the source of all truth so that through His counsel we can distinguish the difference between what is false and true. Morally and socially, He is the light of the world, exposes deceits, false beliefs and lawlessness, freeing people so that they can use His light for the freedom of others. Therefore, we should not keep silent since He has a response for every problem.

"If you keep quiet at a time like this … you and your relatives will die. What's more, who can say but that you have been elevated to the palace for just such a time as this?" (Esther 4:14).

Silence Will Overturn Our Freedom

Some ideologies, beliefs and individuals believe that freedom is evil and the root of every evil. They sanction its destruction in any possible way they can. Communist and some Islamic leaders fight against freedom in their countries via their established laws and even shed the blood of their fellow citizens who cry out for freedom. Islamists and leftists in the western countries fight freedom by putting pressure on governments to issue laws for limiting our freedom and enslaving us to silence.
Silence in the western countries has helped the enemies of freedom and Christianity to make enormous head way, especially in universities and government offices. The terrorist president of Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, had a couple of speaking opportunities in American universities while he was visiting UN, and received applause from the audience despite his very obvious initiative in shedding the blood of many in Iran, the Middle-East and the some western countries. Yet these same universities are not open to those who aim to reveal the philosophies of those such as Ahmadinejad.

Many university leaders and professors have declared that the faith in Christ is irrelevant to contemporary life and has nothing to do with science and reason. Not only have they limited Christian activities in the universities, they have also sued some zealous Christians in the pursuit of their agendas, aiming to put an end to Christian activities in public places.

The majority of westerners identify themselves as Christian. Even though the minority leftist and Islamist beliefs are hostile toward us, we, as the majority, do not limit them in teaching their beliefs. In contrast they, as the minority, are not only trying to limit the scope of our influence but are also working to silence us and suppress any resistance to their agendas.

Time and again, these enemies of freedom start their approach by defending democracy and tolerance but do not share the spirit of democracy and openness with us. They, convincingly, present themselves as peaceful and freedom fighters on the one hand, while trying subtly to enslave people to their authoritarianism on the other. You expect them to value Christians’ tolerance and respect, but they don’t. The respect they expect is never returned. This is because they do not believe in mutual respect. 64% of the Quran, 81% of Muhammad’s biography and 32% of the Hadith (Muhammad’s instructions) are devoted to criticism, discrimination, hatred, fighting and killing of non-Muslims. The Quran states that if any one criticizes Islam, his head must be chopped off (Q.33:36; 8:12).

Leftists also have the same philosophy; they attribute blame to Christians and try to impose their beliefs on everyone or organization they can, but they consider no such rights for Christians. Their one-way tolerance philosophy works to increase their rights and success but decrease the rights of Christians and silence them.

Sadly, many politicians and governments in the West have been serving the causes of opportunistic leftists and Muslims in order to limit Christian influence. Under the shadow of this one way tolerance, leftist and Islamic philosophies are given more weight than the philosophy of Christ who gave His life for both friends and foes in order to bring the wall of hostility down among them and unite them in love and respect.

The sad thing is that many of us live as if there is no such war against our faith and freedom! How many of us are aware of this, want to break the silence and respond with the love, justice and courage of Christ? Are we ready to leave a good legacy for our children and future generations so that they can feel proud of us, make our mission their own and stand for freedom? Until a radical change happens in our mindset, we will not be able to speak out and protect our freedom. Such a transformation happens only in a radical encounter with Jesus Christ who did not keep quiet against the injustices of the enemy of humanity, but fought and gave His life for our freedom.

Let us stop compromising the Truth and speak out for the worthy cause of freedom.

Islamists Demonize Those Who Seek Reason!

Islamists do not hesitate to demonize those who reveal the truth about Islam and challenge them. They are following the footsteps of their prophet Muhammad who never allowed people to speak beyond his words (Q.33:36). The sayings of Muhammad are given preference over the human mind and logical reasoning. No one is allowed to question the words of Allah and Muhammad. If anyone or any community does, they then must be attacked, the degree to which depending on the size or power of the Muslim community. The Quran says:

They who dispute the signs of Allah without authority having reached them are greatly hated by Allah and the believers. So Allah seals up every arrogant, disdainful heart. (Q.40:35).

Verses 6, 13 and 31 in chapter (sura) 8 of the Quran speaks about those who disputed the words of Muhammad and accused him of plagiarizing the ancient sources of other beliefs. The critics are called hostile (verse 15), deaf, dumb and the worst of beasts (verse 22); those who hear but do not listen (verse 21). The instructions against these critics is the death sentence, preceded by by chopping their finger tips and then their heads (verse 12).

As a Muslim, regardless of geographical context, you are always expected to speak in favor of Islam and demolish in yourself any kind of fervor for critical reasoning. You are also called to fight those who seek to reason about your faith. This intolerance has created many discrepancies in the last 1400 years of Islamic history in both Islamic and non-Islamic countries, leaving many dead or fugitives. Since the rise of Islam, Islamists have always criminalized the acts of unveiling the facts about Islam. People, both Muslims and non-Muslims, have been forced, in one way or another, to fashion their attitudes in accordance with Islam in Islamic communities. In recent decades, Islamists have taken advantage of political correctness and multiculturalism in the non-Islamic countries and tried to reshape our attitudes to their liking.

Several weeks ago, while I was lecturing about Islam in a church seminar in Florida, a young imam and an elder from the area’s mosque came to the church in order to persuade people that I was misleading them. After the meeting, they held their Qurans up in their hand, walking and saying to people “You are deceived. The Quran does not have such verses.” Though they were doing this in the church, they would never allow Christians such a freedom in their mosque. However, I was fortunate that they were carrying their own Qurans. So often they do not. I challenged the elder and asked him to open his Quran and read my presented verses to the people according to his own version. He did and discovered the exact words which I had presented. He then paused a little while and then cursed me in front of the people instead of apologizing for his own very obvious fault. As people were shocked and distracted by his behavior and attitude, the nervous imam approached me quietly and whispered in my ears in a threatening way, “you should not reveal these verses to people”. He was speaking to me as if I was living in his Islamic territory and under the Islamic rule. He knew that I had come from an Islamic country and was aware of this Islamic restriction. He was trying to remind me, though indirectly, that the moral conviction he has inherited must be dominant over every other thing, including the democratic values of America and the West. He was shocked when I said to him that America was not an Islamic country but a democratic one whose law had provided us with the freedom to exercise our freedom in unveiling all beliefs, including Islam. He was angered by my words and was clearly trying to suppress his anger.

The imam also said to me that he had been trying to build friendships with the churches in the area, but revealing such verses would block the way to unity. Of course, the relationship he was speaking about was such a relationship framed by Islam for penetration and dominance. The Quran orders Muslims not to become friends with infidels unless for gaining power and ruling over them (Q.3:28). After gaining power, they will clearly announce that if anyone wants to stay safe and alive they have to align themselves with Islam and keep quiet.

This is why Islamists are undermining freedom in the West in the name of unity and harassing people such as us, who know and reveal the deceptive plan of Islam. They are not doing this to unite with churches but to deprive churches of their ministries, progressively silence them and then dominate and destroy them.

Now as a very small percentage of the western communities, Islamists are pushing ahead to stop us from unveiling Islam, but when they gain power they will close down churches, and carry out the instructions set out against unbelievers in the Quran. As Bill Muehlenberg rightly said in one of his February 2012 articles:

This is all one-way traffic here, with Muslims demanding that we never do anything to offend them, while they are still on a holy war, targeting and killing the infidels.

Sadly,  wide-spread political correctness in America and the West has more emboldened the Islamists to invade even our churches, though subtly, and curse, harass and demonize Christians who care for the Truth.

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if these Muslims could truly know Christ and know true friendship that stems from the freedom of experiencing the unconditional love of Christ!  We need to be more zealous in awakening our communities to the deception of Islam and challenging Muslims with the values of Christ.

Serious Problems Facing Our Nations

Authoritarian beliefs and agents are sinking their roots deeper in non-Islamic countries day after day. They are also dominating Muslim nations one by one. Yet people tend to keep quiet against these destructive powers, even if they are concerned and fear that their security is vanishing.  Subservience towards political leaders and an unquestioning faith in multiculturalism have made silence a common response among so many.

Western leaders and the media, in particular in America, supported the so-called 'Arab Spring' revolutionaries who were working for the establishment of freedom. But now we see that the vast majority of those Egyptian so-called 'freedom fighters' have revealed themselves to be defenders of Al-Qaida and the Shari’a of Islam. The Muslim Brotherhood and Salafists have now won seventy two percent of seats in Egypt’s lower house, and are marching ever onwards to achieve the full dominance and destruction of any non-Islamic presence in Egypt.  One should also be aware that the Muslim Brotherhood has established a strong presence in America and across Europe, and is achieving success in imposing some Islamic beliefs on the non-Islamic majority.

In a similar way, western countries spent billions of western tax payers’ dollars in Libya and handed over the country to Islamists and pro-Al-Qaida fighters.

There we are! Our politicians are expected to do their best to protect their nation’s interests in Islamic countries, but through their support,  the so-called ‘Arab Spring’ has turned out to be a great loss for their own nations as well as the Muslim nations. They put pressure on Muslim presidents and prime ministers, who were fighting Islamic terrorism, to step down for the sake of democracy, which is indeed a cause worth fighting for. Yet these leaders have gone now and their countries have fallen into the hands of Islamists who support terrorism. The presence of five committed Muslims in the White House might have been a great factor in paving the way for the collapse of Hosni Mubarak, who opposed Islamic terrorism and posed no threat to western interests. The media who promoted these changes are now ignoring their own failure.  Instead they call this a great foreign policy success, though all the success seems to belong solely to the Islamists.

Isn’t this shocking! The collapse of the western allies and the rise of tyrannical Muslims to power is now trumpeted as successful foreign policy. Several months ago, the western media and politicians said that the Muslim Brotherhood was a small and insignificant group in Egypt and could not win a majority of votes. Now, the Islamists have won a majority, and the media is twisting the facts to present their abject failure as a success!

It was crystal clear to us, who lived in the Middle-East and knew the Islamists’ ethics, that the collapse of nationalistic dictators in the Middle-East would result in the rise of Islamists. We were also aware that if a country spoke or acted in favor of Islamists’ rule it would expose the interest of their own nation to the threats of intolerant Islamists. For this reason, we wrote and raised our voices against such initiatives and prayed for our politicians to suspend their support of the Islamists.
Sadly, our political leaders took advantage of wide-spread passivity and silence and went their own way. Now, radical Muslims in Egypt, Libya and others on the way are planning to send their representatives to the United Nation (UN) and replace their ambassadors.

Even though Muslim terrorists have hidden themselves so far, they have cost western security services trillions of dollars each year. But soon they will have representatives at the UN and ambassadors in each country. Imagine when supporters of terrorism are in charge in the UN, partnering with our politicians and taking part in global decision-making. The UN will be used (and is being used) as a launching pad for attacks against freedom lovers and Israel.

The problem is not just the access of Islamists to higher positions nationally or internationally, but their global threats to Jews, Christians and all others who do not align themselves with Islamic law. Their strength equates to strong persecution of non-Muslims.

A great persecution is awaiting the world, in particular western countries. If we do not wake up and speak out, making sacrifices for freedom, and do not become the light and salt of Christ for every aspect of peoples’ lives, including politics, a bitter persecution will overtake our nations and the generations to come.

Let us pray to the beautiful Christ to open our eyes to the depths of His love and care, so that we can love and care for our nations and the world and defend the rights of nations against the agents of terrorism and authoritarian rule.

I close with the words of Jesus:

"The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field." Matthew 9:37, 38 (CEV)