About Daniel Shayesteh

Dr Daniel was born into a Muslim family in Northern Iran. He became a radical Muslim leader and teacher of Islam in the militant Free Islamic Revolutionary Movement, closely supporting Ayatollah Khomeini. However, after falling out of favor with Khomeini’s political group, he escaped to Turkey where there began an amazing journey to faith in Jesus Christ.

Daniel's mission is to help others understand and lovingly respond to those who do not know Christ. He is also deeply concerned for the future of Western societies, their loss of confidence in Judeo-Christian values, and their persistent naivete about the implications of the world-wide Islamic revival.

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).