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Standing in support of Israel, Jews, and believers in all the nations, in the name of Jesus (Yeshua). Sharing biblical truth, encouragement, news and prophecy.
Showing posts with label jihad. Show all posts
Showing posts with label jihad. Show all posts
Friday, July 7, 2017
Construction Under Temple Mount Preparing for the Third Temple and Today's Top Stories - BREAKING ISRAEL NEWS
Thursday, May 19, 2016
Pope Francis Defends Jihad, Says Christianity Has Similar Roots in Idea of Conquest By Abra Forman - BREAKING ISRAEL NEWS
Pope Francis Defends Jihad, Says Christianity Has Similar Roots in Idea of Conquest
“And it came to pass, when the people heard the sound of the horn, that the people shouted with a great shout, and the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they took the city.” Joshua 6:20 (The Israel Bible™)
Pope Francis visiting the Temple Mount and meeting the Muslim clerics and Catholic cardinals, Jordan’s Prince Ghazi, chief adviser to the king for religious and cultural affairs, May 2014. (Roman Yanushevsky / Shutterstock.com)
Islam and Christianity share the “same idea of conquest”, and for that reason, Islam should not be viewed as a threat, said Pope Francis in a newspaper interview this week.
“It is true that the idea of conquest is inherent in the soul of Islam,” he conceded to the French Catholic newspaper La Croix. “However, it is also possible to interpret the objective in Matthew’s Gospel, where Jesus sends his disciples to all nations, in terms of the same idea of conquest.”
Ostensibly, the Pope was drawing a parallel between the Islamic “conquest” known as jihad, a holy war or struggle waged against infidels, and Christian missionizing.
The comparison was part of a larger conversation about the increasingly desperate refugee crisis currently facing Europe. Pope Francis has been an outspoken voice on the issue of Arab refugees who seek asylum, encouraging governments to take in migrants and “integrate” them into western societies despite widespread concerns that the largely Muslim populations might harbor extremist or terrorist elements.
Francis has repeatedly argued in favor of coexistence, peace, and tolerance in all areas of life but especially towards Muslims. He set his own powerful example last month when he brought a dozen refugees from the Greek island of Lesbos back to Rome with him after a diplomatic visit.
Francis has repeatedly argued in favor of coexistence, peace, and tolerance in all areas of life but especially towards Muslims. He set his own powerful example last month when he brought a dozen refugees from the Greek island of Lesbos back to Rome with him after a diplomatic visit.
The Pontiff said that the Western attempt to “export” democracy to Arab countries is partly to blame for the collapse of central control and rise in Islamic extremism in Middle Eastern states.
Westerners must also consider the issue of cultural relativism, he added, echoing a common left-wing sentiment.
“In the face of Islamic terrorism, it would be better to question ourselves about the way in an overly Western model of democracy has been exported to countries such as Iraq, where a strong government previously existed,” he noted. “Or in Libya, where a tribal structure exists. We cannot advance without taking these cultures into account.”
“Ultimately, coexistence between Christians and Muslims is still possible,” the Pope insisted.
The key is integration, he stated. “The worst form of welcome is to ‘ghettoize’ [the migrants]. On the contrary, it’s necessary to integrate them,” he said. He pointed to the example of the perpetrators of Belgium’s horrific terror attack, saying that though they were naturalized Belgian citizens and children of migrants, they “grew up in a ghetto.”
The leader of the Catholic Church mentioned London’s newly appointed Muslim mayor, Sadiq Khan, as a model for positive integration. The mayor took his oath of office in a cathedral and made his first act as mayor attendance at a Holocaust memorial ceremony.
However, Khan may not have been the best example, as he also has a past of affiliation with terrorists, most notably Zacharias Moussaoui, an al-Qaeda member who was one of the perpetrators of 9/11. Khan, a lawyer, defended Moussaoui after the massive New York terror attack. Khan also is known to have ties to a number of Muslim extremists.
Perhaps aware of the contradiction of idealizing such a man, Pope Francis added that Khan’s election reminded him of his predecessor Pope Gregory the Great. Gregory, who reigned from 590-604 C.E, “negotiated with the people known as barbarians”, said Francis. Those “barbarians” were later integrated into Christendom.
Francis also suggested that integration of Muslim immigrants could help boost Europe’s falling birthrates.
While acknowledging that Europe is rooted in Christianity, he warned Europeans against taking a “triumphalist” and “vengeful” nationalistic view of these roots.
“Yes, Europe has Christian roots and it is Christianity’s responsibility to water those roots. But this must be done in a spirit of service as in the washing of the feet,” he said, invoking a Christian principle which he has championed in his years as Pope. Indeed, in March the Pope himself washed the feet of Muslim migrants, proclaiming them “children of the same God.”
Tuesday, May 17, 2016
Perfect Muslim Ally? The Nation That Stands Between the West and Jihad - Chris Mitchell, CBN News
05-17-2016
THE JORDAN VALLEY, Israel – One of the most strategic nations in the Middle East could be the next target for ISIS. Jordan faces tremendous pressure from both sides of the border due to that threat. It is undoubtedly a critical time for the United States to support this faithful ally.
In January 2015, ISIS shocked the world by burning a captured Jordanian pilot alive. The act also put the Islamic State and Jordan on a collision course. King Abdullah and his country are a critical ally against ISIS and a strategic asset to Israel.
Jordan sits on Israel's eastern border and the Jordan Valley forms a natural geographic and strategic barrier on that front. It's one reason why Jordan plays a crucial role in today's Middle East.
"Many Americans, many Westerners, don't even think about Jordan as an important country, right, but Jordan is the…eastern cornerstone of the security architecture that keeps Israel safe and is (a) buffer, the frontline buffer, against the wave of Islamic jihad that is coming toward the West," best-selling author Joel Rosenberg told CBN News.
An Invitation from a King
Rosenberg wrote about Jordan in his latest series and he also got to enjoy what a central character in his novels got to do: meet King Abdullah of Jordan.
"What happened was the king – Abdullah, the king of Jordan read one of my novels. It happened to be The First Hostage," Rosenberg explained. "He read it in January. A friend of his had read it and gave it to him and he enjoyed it and invited me and my wife to come and visit."
Rosenberg also included the king in his latest two books. From their time together, Rosenberg discovered the enormous pressures facing King Abdullah and his kingdom. He wrote about those challenges recently in the Jerusalem Post.
ISIS Sleeper Cells?
"The moment is incredibly dangerous, meaning, he's got 30 percent of his population aren't Jordanian citizens," Rosenberg continued. "They're Syrians, they're Iraqi refugees, and nobody exactly knows who each person is. What percentage of them are loyal to ISIS? What -- how many of them are members of ISIS sleeper cells? Nobody knows."
It's a concern shared by IDF Deputy Chief of Staff Maj. Gen. Yair Golan.
"Jordan is terrifying (sic) by the presence of the Islamic State in Jordan cities and towns," he said.
While Golan is optimistic about Jordan's stability, he agrees with Rosenberg that ISIS could turn its sights there.
"We know that ISIS is trying to bring down the government of Iraq. We know that ISIS is trying to bring down the government of Syria. The question's where do they go next? Now, I'm not saying that definitively Jordan will be the next place that they try to overthrow, but it makes sense," Golan said.
Jordan's King Abdullah appears qualified and ready for any threat from ISIS. Trained as a commando, he serves as general commander of Jordanian Special Forces. The king made headlines around the world when he personally led a strike against the Islamic State after the terror group killed the Jordanian pilot.
"The king understands instinctively how to fight terror and how to train his military to deal – and the security forces – to deal with this threat," Rosenberg said. "But will that be enough? That's the question."
Why the US Needs to Step Up
The Syrian refugee situation is also a burden. Since the Syrian Civil War began, Jordan's population has exploded by 30 percent.
"Imagine in America 30 percent more – that's 60 million people. Can you imagine American people, American government, having to take care of the food, clothing, shelter, education, healthcare for 60 million non-citizens? That's what Jordan is essentially facing," he explained.
Rosenberg believes the U.S. can do more to stand with this strategic ally.
"We learned that Jordan only has eight working Blackhawk helicopters and we were told that 12 are needed to effectively run the type of cross-border anti-terror, anti-ISIS raids into Syria, into Iraq, that are needed," he said.
"Now, the United States has promised to give eight more Blackhawks at the end of 2017," he continued. "But I have to ask why are we waiting? If Jordan's king is willing to be in the fight, is in the fight against ISIS, why don't we give them these helicopters now?"
The Perfect Muslim Ally?
Rosenberg also believes King Abdullah fits the kind of Muslim leader the West needs now.
"He is a moderate. He believes in Jews, Christians and Muslims working together. He's actively in a hot war fighting against Islamic extremism and radicalism, apocalyptic Islam," he told CBN News.
"Here's a guy who's our ally and wants to help and is helping. This is what we want, right?" Rosenberg said. "We often… hear people say, 'How come we don't hear Muslims standing up against these radicals, standing up against these Jihadists? How come they're not doing anything?' He is. King Abdullah is."
"We need to help him, lest, you know, we wake up one day and find that we didn't do enough and he and his government are gone," he warned.
Watch here: Joel Rosenberg interview
Thursday, March 24, 2016
Where Israel's Christian Minority Stands Today - Israel Today
Where Israel's Christian Minority Stands Today
Thursday, March 24, 2016 | Israel Today Staff
Lt. (Res.) Shadi Khalloul (seen standing on Netanyahu’s left) has been interviewed by and written for Israel Today on several occasions.
As a leading representative of the Holy Land’s reborn Aramaic Christian community, Khalloul this week penned for the Gatestone Institute a summary of where Israel’s Christian minority stands today.
Khalloul noted that, like him, many local Christians today understand that serving in the Israeli military is essential.
The reason for this is simple: the Middle East is crumbling under the weight of jihad, and is therefore increasingly dangerous for Christians and other minorities.
“Israel,” insisted Khalloul, as he has so many times in past, “is the only island of safety that allows [Christians] freedom and democratic rights.”
Even under the Palestinian Authority, Christians do not enjoy anywhere close to the rights and quality of life enjoyed by Israeli Christians, he stressed.
Khalloul was adamant that “contrary to propaganda, there is no ‘apartheid’ of any kind in Israel,” pointing out that both Christians and Muslims hold high-level positions in every area of Israeli society. In fact, an Arab Christian is one of the senior justices on Israel’s Supreme Court.
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