Archbishop Mark (Arndt) of Berlin on Islam and Muslim Persecution of Christians

Islam is at its core anti-human... Reading the Quran, you will see that all of this [extremism] lies at the foundation of Islam. One must look truth in the eye: this is all anti-human, it is directed against humanity... 

Yes, there were times when Muslims tried to live in peace with their neighbors, they even acknowledged that we Christians are people, too. But for many, those times have passed, and now they reveal who they really are.  � Archbishop Mark (Arndt) of Berlin (Full citation below.)

How refreshing and encouraging to read clear, direct truth from an Orthodox Christian hierarch, in which he does not offer such false platitudes as the following:

�Christians and Muslims are two lungs of one Eastern body,� the Greek Orthodox Patriarch said, �and we condemn anything that harms the reputation of the forgiving Islamic religion, with which we have experienced the peace and fraternity.� (Daily Star)

I am not familiar with such a "forgiving Islamic religion."  I am familiar with the supremacist and militant Islamic religion, whose holy book and prophet have set forth commands which determine its reputation:

Fight against those who believe not in Allah, nor in the Last Day, nor forbid that which has been forbidden by Allah and His Messenger and those who acknowledge not the religion of truth [i.e. Islam] among the people of the Book [Jews and Christians], until they pay the jizya with willing submission, and feel themselves subdued. (Quran 9:29)

�I have been commanded to fight people until they testify that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, and perform the prayer, and pay zakat. If they say it, they have saved their blood and possessions from me, except for the rights of Islam over them. And their final reckoning is with Allah.� (Saying of Muhammad, from authorized Hadith on jihad from Sahih Bukhari)

Numerous examples of false statements about Islam can be cited from many Orthodox hierarchs, including from Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, who has written of a �dialogue of loving truth� with Islam, of Orthodoxy having for centuries �coexisted peacefully� with Islam, and of an �interfaith commitment... still felt and lived by Greeks [and] Turks.� ( Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, Encountering the Mystery, Doubleday, 2008, pp xxxvii, 196, 174.) 

Yet he writes this in spite of fourteen centuries of Islamic jihad against Christians, the enslavement of the Greek Orthodox after the conquering of Constantinople in 1453, and the blood-stained parade of neo-martyrs from the 15th to 19th centuries (including dozens of Ecumenical Patriarchs); in spite of the Turkish Muslim genocide against Orthodox Christians from 1894 to 1922, in which over 4 million Greeks, Armenians and others were killed; in spite of the Turkish Muslim pogroms against the Greek Orthodox (e.g., Istanbul, 1955) up through the present day, which includes the conversion of the great Hagia Sophia Church of Constantinople into a mosque, together with numerous other 'Hagia Sophia' churches throughout Turkey.

Bartholomew and other bishops who seek to cover over the anti-human bloodlust inherent in Islam do not help, they merely confuse and demoralize the faithful, who see for themselves what Islam is all about. The faithful need to be strengthened in their faith against all the apocalyptic attacks being waged against them from every side, including by adherents of the false religion of Muhammad. 

Even Russian Orthodox hierarchs � so staunch and upright in so many other ways � are prone to making the most patronizing pronouncements about Islam. For example, Patriarch Kirill of Moscow recently said that extremism is not taught by Islam, but is fueled by a "lack of religious awareness:"

�The religious feelings of people, in particular, Muslims, are now exploited to cause these people to commit radical actions. Many people indeed genuinely take the horrible path of terrorism, thinking that by doing so they serve God..." However, Islam does not teach anything of the sort and this interpretation is caused by �a complete lack of religious awareness.� (Source.)

With so many gross falsehoods about Islam's supposedly peaceful nature being put into the air by Orthodox bishops, pastors and teachers, it is, therefore, all the more necessary to share as widely as possible the correct teaching on Islam, especially when it is put forth in such a forthright manner by a highly respected Orthodox hierarch like Archbishop Mark of Berlin. 

Even more significant is that His Eminence's remarks were made in the context of a larger discussion on contemporary monasticism and the difficulty modern Christians have in forcing themselves in prayer, repentance and praxis. While many of our hierarchs have great difficulty forcing themselves to admit or teach the truth about Islam, Archbishop Mark speaks with authentic apostolic fervor, and his words resonate with those of modern new-martyrs such as Fr Daniil Sysoev of Moscow and confessors such as Fr Daniel Byantoro of Indonesia.

On Contemporary Monasticism: Interview with Archbishop Mark (Arndt)

Excerpted from Pravmir � July 31, 2014

- How should Christians react to the terrible epidemic of the genocide of our brothers and sisters in Christ in Syria, Metochia, Kosovo and Serbia? Is this active Islamization or the actions of radical extremists, bandits who only assume the mantle of Islam? His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, during a Liturgy in Christ the Savior Cathedral in Moscow read to his Russian flock the epistle of the Antiochian Patriarch, in which he painfully called to the whole world for help, stressing that the situation is at such a horrifying stage that help is needed not only through prayers to God, but in action. But in Christian society the reigning opinion is that we can help exclusively by prayer.

- I reject the expression �help exclusively by prayer.� That we Christians are only capable of prayer is a false notion. Of course, prayer is our foundation and greatest strength. But if we think that all we can do is pray, we will go astray. Yes, we must pray, but we must also understand that people are often forced by circumstances to soften one�s language. If the Antiochian Patriarch says this, he bases it on the experience of his own nation, where Christians and Muslims always lived in peace. I think that it is incorrect to say that there are only extremists at work there. 

Reading the Quran, you will see that all of this lies at the foundation of Islam. Extremism exists, of course. Other Eastern hierarchs openly state that they have known about this particular aspect of Islam all their lives. I often serve in Jerusalem. There, for instance, on the feast of the Holy Trinity, right next to the church a muezzin cries from his tower that they believe in the One God Who has no children, no Son and Holy Spirit, etc. He has no compunction to do so, though these people are not really extremists. What is this? Open, unabashed propaganda against Christianity! They know full well what they do, spewing these slogans during the main Christian holiday of the Pentecost, the celebration of the birth of the Church Herself.

Islam is at its core anti-human. Look at Ramadan�this is the mortification of the human being, of the human body. I saw how people were taken to hospitals during their observance of Ramadan. All day they eat nothing, drink nothing even during baking heat, and at night the cram there stomachs to the point of losing consciousness�it is madness! One must look truth in the eye: this is all anti-human, it is directed against humanity.

Yes, there were times when Muslims tried to live in peace with their neighbors, they even acknowledged that we Christians are people, too. But for many, those times have passed, and now they reveal who they really are.

- In other words, when some say that what is happening in Syria and other fundamentally Christian nations, it is only political, not a religious war against Christianity, it is untrue? Regardless, can we say that the Christians who are murdered for their faith today are martyrs.

- There is an intentional war being waged against Christians. Kosovo was the first in the list of such genocide from Christian territory. Then Chechnya. Understand what happened, a Christian nation was simply given away to the Muslims. The destruction of churches continues, tortures, wild fanaticism, murder. Kosovo, Chechnya, Syria, Egypt�

- The next goal for these people, whether they are extremists or not, is to declare Russia Muslim. What are we to do, strengthen our prayers?

- The most important thing is to be real Christians. This means constant participation in the Mysteries of the Church. If the Lord grants someone the crown of martyrdom, it means the person earned it and must accept it with dignity.

Eid Al-Fitr 2014: How Muslims Celebrate The End Of Ramadan Around The World

 


Eid Al-Fitr is one of the most celebrated occasions in the Islamic calendar, and after a month of fasting, Muslims around the world have a good reason to celebrate.

While dates can vary, this year most Muslims will begin celebrating Eid on July 28, to mark the end of the month of Ramadan, during which Muslims fast each day from sunrise to sunset.
Eid, meaning festival in Arabic, has different names around the world. In South Asia, it�s often called Choti Eid, meaning small Eid, in comparison to the larger Eid Al-Adha. In Turkey, it�s referred to as Ramazan Bayrami, meaning Ramadan holiday.

While the names may vary, Eid holds the same value for Muslims everywhere. It�s a day of celebration, meeting loved ones, and after a month of fasting, eating lots and lots of food.
In Muslim countries, Eid is a three-day celebration and generally a national holiday. In most Western countries, Muslims tend to take a day or two off from their busy schedules for the special occasion.
Whether they are in a predominantly Muslim country or living around the world, Muslims look back to the religious and cultural customs of their ancestors when celebrating Eid. Some of the basics, such as giving charity and attending Eid prayers, are common among all nationalities, while many practices are unique.

Full article.

When Media Coverage Of Gaza And Israel Becomes The Story

Socrates- Speak good or not at all

In ancient Greece, Socrates was reputed to hold knowledge in high esteem.
One day an acquaintance met the great philosopher and said, "Do you know what I just heard about your friend?"
"Hold on a minute," Socrates replied.
"Before telling me anything I'd like you to pass a little test. It's called the Triple Filter Test."
"Triple filter?"
"That's right," Socrates continued. "Before you talk to me about my friend, it might be a good idea to take a moment and filter what you're going to say. That's why I call it the triple filter test.
The first filter is Truth.
Have you made absolutely sure that what you are about to tell me is true?"
"No," the man said, "actually I just heard about it and..."
"All right," said Socrates. "So you don't really know if it's true or not.
Now let's try the second filter, the filter of goodness.
�Is what you are about to tell me about my friend something good?"
"No, on the contrary... "
"So," Socrates continued, "you want to tell me something bad about him, but
you're not certain it's true. You may still pass the test though, because there's one filter left: the filter of usefulness.
Is what you want to tell me about my friend going to be useful to me?"
"No, not really."
"Well," concluded Socrates, "If what you want to tell me is neither true nor good even useful, why tell it to me at all?"
This is why Socrates was a great philosopher & held in such high esteem.
Use this triple filter each time you hear loose talk about any of your loved ones :)

Source

Islamic State now aggressively pursuing Christians in Nineveh Plain

Catholic Online

July 24, 2014

LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) � The militia of the self-proclaimed Islamic Caliphate having successfully driven all the Christians and Shiites from the city of Mosul in Iraq, has stepped up their campaign on ruthless persecution.

�The attack started from a village controlled by jihadists,� Father Paul Thabit Mekko, a Chaldean priest told the Fides news agency, �but was rejected by the Kurdish Peshmerga troops.

�In the night, panic had driven dozens of Christian families to flee to Dohuk, but the Kurdish soldiers who were controlling a checkpoint told them that the situation was under control and could return home.�

Both towns lie north of Mosul. It was at this besieged Iraqi city that an ultimatum from the Islamic State last week . to either convert to Islam or die, left the ancient city devoid of Christians. The Peshmerga are known to be fierce troops, fighting for a Kurdish independence movement in the north of Iraq.

As the Fides news agency outs it, on the one hand, the attack represents proof that the militia of the Islamic Caliphate are not content with controlling Mosul and would like to extend control over the Nineveh Plain. 

The reaction of the Peshmerga, notes Father Thabit Mekko, confirms that the Kurds are determined to protect this area from jihadist militants.

�Here, now, there are only Kurdish military forces that ensure the safety of the population,� he said.

There are very real concerns about the possible genocide of Christians in the region. Christians in the country cannot wait for help from the international community.

Senior U.S. officials and lawmakers butted heads Wednesday over the American response to Iraq�s expanding Sunni insurgency. Republicans say that drone strikes should have been authorized months ago and even Democrats questioning the Obama administration�s commitment to holding the fractured country together, AP reported today.

Testifying before the House Foreign Affairs Committee, the State Department�s Brett McGurk and Defense Department�s Elissa Slotkin said the administration was focused on improving U.S. intelligence, securing American personnel and property, guiding Iraq toward a new, more inclusive government and helping its forces strike back against the al-Qaida offshoot that has seized much of the country.

To this end the U.S. is now conducting about 50 intelligence sorties over Iraq a day. Both the U.S. and the U.N. stressed they saw no military solution to patching up Iraq�s political and ethnic divisions or to peeling off moderate Sunnis from the Islamic State.

Patriarch decries �mass cleansing� of Mosul by �a bed of criminals�

�We have to tell them that we have been here for millennia. We don�t have any ambition to fight any people, any community, or have ambition to govern or to make coup d�etat, but we have the right to live peacefully in the land of our forefathers as we did for the past 2,000 years.�

Pravmir � July 26, 2014

WASHINGTON (Today's Catholic News) � Syriac Patriarch Ignace Joseph III Younan, in Washington to meet with federal government representatives and members of Congress, decried the �mass cleansing� of Christians from Mosul, Iraq, by what he called �a bed of criminals.�

�We wonder how could those criminals, this bed of criminals, cross the border from Syria into Mosul and occupy the whole city of Mosul � imposing on the population their Shariah (law) without any knowledge of the international community,� Patriarch Younan said July 25, referring to Islamic State fighters, formerly known by the acronyms ISIS or ISIL.

�What happened is really kind of a cleansing based on religion. You have heard about what they did: proclaim � they announced publicly with street microphones, the ISIS � there�s no more room for Christians in Mosul, that they either have to convert, pay tax, or just leave. And they have been leaving now since then with absolutely nothing,� he added.

�It is a shame that in the 21st century, you have such kind of behavior,� the patriarch lamented. �It�s mass cleansing based on religion, not only for Christians, the Christian minority, but for other minorities,� among them the Yezidi, an ethnic group of 700,000 based in Iraq�s Mesopotamia region.

[Whether in the 7th century, the 17th, the 21st, or whenever, as long as Islam endures, there will be Muslims striving to conquer and subjugate non-Muslims, including Christians. It is explicitly commanded in the Quran, per these verses:

Fight against those who believe not in Allah, nor in the Last Day, nor forbid that which has been forbidden by Allah and His Messenger and those who acknowledge not the religion of truth [i.e. Islam] among the people of the Book [Jews and Christians], until they pay the jizya with willing submission, and feel themselves subdued. (Sura 9:29)

Kill the mushrikun [unbelievers] wherever you find them, and cap- ture them and besiege them, and prepare for them each and every ambush. (Sura 9:5)

I will cast terror into the hearts of those who have disbelieved, so strike them over the necks, and smite over all their fingers and toes. (Sura 8:12)

So, when you meet those who disbelieve, smite at their necks till when you have killed and wounded many of them, then bind a bond firmly on them... Thus you are ordered by Allah to continue in carrying out jihad against the disbelievers till they embrace Islam. (Sura 47:4)

Sadly, no Christian leaders in the Middle East speak out against the Quran's repeated commands to wage jihad against Christians. They usually condemn the jihadists as going against the "peaceful teachings of the Quran." This is likely due to the cumulative effect of nearly fourteen centuries of living as dhimmis, second class citizens, under Muslim tyranny.]

In Mosul itself, �there is no more Christian presence,� Patriarch Younan said. �It�s tragic because it�s the largest Christian city in Iraq; it was what you call the nucleus of Christian presence for many centuries. And we have at least 25 churches in that city. All are abandoned. No more prayers, no services, no more Masses on Sundays in Mosul because no clergy, no people there that are Christian.� The Islamic State, he said, �took advantage of the Christians who are defenseless in that country, and they have no other means to stay in that country. They have nowhere else to go. They have been taken out with force and injustice.

�Christians used to make at the time of Saddam (Hussein), especially before 1980, about 2.5 percent. That means almost 1.4 million. Now they account for less than 300,000. This is a kind of tragic dwindling of their number,� Patriarch Younan said. �It�s just because of Christian belief and that they are different from the majority,� he added.

Mosul�s Christians have fled to neighboring Kurd-controlled areas.

�The Kurdistan government took care of them, trying to help them,� Patriarch Younan said. �Of course they are still in dire need for assistance for those refugees being forced to leave without any means.�

The patriarch visited them June 27. He said he �urged them to take refuge and go back to their home city� because of Kurd assurances of protection.

Among Patriarch Younan�s appointments in Washington was one with Rep. Jeff Fortenberry, R-Nebraska, who is crafting a bill calling for internationally protected zones for threatened religious and ethnic minorities in the Middle East.

On a separate front, the patriarch said he has suggested a joint meeting of Eastern Catholic and Orthodox patriarchs to advocate for the region�s vulnerable populations, most of whom are adherents to their respective faiths.

�We have to take our responsibility very seriously together,� Patriarch Younan said. �We are on very good terms, the patriarchs. We are aware of the biggest challenges we are facing or our communities are facing, and we have to go throughout the world and bring the voice of our people to those who have a word to say on the international scene, whether the United Nations, United States, European Union, Russia, China, the Vatican� � and even top Sunni leaders in Egypt and Shiite leaders in Iran.

�We have to tell them that we have been here for millennia. We don�t have any ambition to fight any people, any community, or have ambition to govern or to make coup d�etat, but we have the right to live peacefully in the land of our forefathers as we did for the past 2,000 years,� Patriarch Younan said.

Patriarch Younan, who was born in Syria, said that while Saddam and Syrian President Bashar Assad have been vilified by the West, one thing they did well was to protect religious minorities.

The patriarch recalled appearing on a French prime-time news program where the host asked him: �You know you have a president, an awful president. He�s a monster. He�s killing innocent people, kids, and women.�

Patriarch Younan said he replied with the story of a Capuchin priest from a Syrian town on the Euphrates River that is 98 percent Sunni; it was coming under attack by anti-government rebels.

�I was the last one to leave,� the Capuchin told the patriarch. �I had a parish church, and I have with me in the parish center four nuns of Mother Teresa of Calcutta taking care of about 20 elderly women. And we could not anymore stand that situation. So the nuns called Damascus. And Damascus sent military vehicles to evacuate us from the parish compound � the nuns, 12 elderly people and myself to the airport, and they took us to Damascus.�

�Now,� Patriarch Younan told the French news-show host, �you can judge if that guy is a monster or not.�

Mesut Kurtis - Zulme Feryad | #SupportGaza #FreePalestine

Tolkien�s 'Long Defeat'

When applied to the global persecution of Christians by Muslims (and secularists), Fr. Stephen's reflections on our 'Long Defeat' ought to invigorate us with renewed clarity, perseverance, and ultimately, hope. As our Savior tells us:

"When these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh." (LK 21:28)

* * *

Tolkien�s 'Long Defeat'

by Fr. Stephen Freeman
Glory To God For All Things � July 15, 2014

�Actually I am a Christian,� Tolkien wrote of himself, �and indeed a Roman Catholic, so that I do not expect �history� to be anything but a �long defeat�� though it contains (and in legend may contain more clearly and movingly) some samples or glimpses of final victory� (Letters 255).

The Mirror of Galadriel: Insight into our new 'Dark Ages'.

History as a long defeat � I can think of nothing that is more anti-modern than this sentiment expressed by J.R.R. Tolkien. It is a thought perfectly in line with the fathers and the whole of Classical Christian teaching. And it�s anti-modernism reveals much about the dominant heresy of our time.

We believe in progress � it is written into the DNA of the modern world. If things are bad, they�ll get better. The �long defeat� would only be a description of the road traveled by racism, bigotry, and all that ignorance breeds.

And our philosophy of progress colors everything we consider. The scientific concept of evolution (please do not jump on me for mentioning the subject) only suggests that there is a change in living things and that the change is driven by adaptation and the survival of those adaptations that are generally advantageous. If such a theory is granted, it says nothing about the direction of the process nor about the process as improvement or progress. That �evolve� has come to mean �change for the better� is a purely ideological assumption with no warrant in science.

... for the first time in recorded history, the young did not expect to be as well off as their parents ...

But the metaphor of improvement remains a dominant theme within our culture. A few years ago a survey of young Americans revealed the utterly shocking conclusion that for the first time in recorded history, the young did not expect to be as well off as their parents. It was a paradigm shift in American progressive thought.

But Tolkien�s sentiment bears deeper examination. For not only does it reject the notion of progress, it embraces a narrative of the �long defeat.� Of course this is not a reference to steady declining standards of living, or the movement from IPhone 5 back to IPhone 4 (perish the thought!). It is rather the narrative of Scripture, first taught by the Apostles themselves, clearly reflecting a Dominical teaching:

But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power. �Now as Jannes and Jambres resisted Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, disapproved concerning the faith; but they will progress no further, for their folly will be manifest to all, as theirs also was. But you have carefully followed my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, longsuffering, love, perseverance, persecutions, afflictions, which happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra� what persecutions I endured. And out of them all the Lord delivered me. Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. But evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived. (2Ti 3:1-13)

This is Tolkien�s warrant for the �long defeat.�

 And the thought is not that we wake up one day and people are suddenly boasters, proud, blasphemers, etc. Rather, �evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived.�

... In the end, the simple act of believing would take greater grace than all of the ascetic feats of the earliest monks ...

It was a common belief among the Desert Fathers that successive generations of monks would become weaker and weaker, unable to bear the great trials of their predecessors. Indeed it was said that in the end, the simple act of believing would take greater grace than all of the ascetic feats of the earliest monks.

 This is not a pessimistic streak within Orthodox Christianity. If history tells us anything, it is that this is a very honest, even prescient reading. The evils of the 20th century, particularly those unleashed during and after World War I, are clearly among the worst ever known on the planet, and continue to be the major culprits behind all of our current struggles. That war was not �the war to end all wars.� It has rather been the foundation of all subsequent wars. May God forgive our arrogance (�boasters, proud��). But the Classical Christian read on human life contains the deepest hope � set precisely in the heart of the long defeat.

It is that hope that sets the Christian gospel apart from earlier pagan historical notions. For the �long defeat� was a common assumption among the ancient peoples. The Greeks and Romans did not consider themselves to have exceeded the heroes who went before. They could model themselves on Achilles or Aeneas, but they did not expect to match their like. The Jews had no hope other than a �restoration of the Kingdom,� which was generally considered apocalyptic in nature. All of classical culture presumed a long decline.

The narrative was rewritten in the modern era � particularly during the 19th century. The Kingdom of God was transferred from apocalyptic hope (the end of the long defeat) to a material goal to be achieved in this world. This was a heresy, a radical revision of Christian thought. It became secularized and moderated into mere progress. It is worth doing a word study on the history of the word �progressive.� 

... the final victory already 'tabernacles' among us ...

But Tolkien notes that within the long defeat, there are �glimpses of final victory.� I would go further and say that the final victory already �tabernacles� among us. It hovers within and over our world, shaping it and forming it, even within its defeat. For the nature of our salvation is a Defeat. Therefore the defeat within the world itself is not a tragic deviation from the end, but an End that was always foreseen and present within the Cross itself. And the Cross itself was present �from before the foundation of the world.�

Tolkien�s long defeat, is, as he noted, of a piece with his Catholic, Christian faith. It is thoroughly Orthodox as well. For the victory that shall be ours, is not a work in progress � it is a work in wonder.

Eid Ul Fitr 2014 Celebrations

The Holy Month of Ramadan Kareem is about to end. In some countries its ending today while in others it will end tomorrow. Muslims throughout the world are ready to celebrate the Eid Ul Fitr that is one of two Islamic festivals celebrated each year after Ramadan on 1st Shawwal of Islamic Calendar.

Ramadan Moon is expected to be sighted today in Saudi Arabia which means Eid will be on Monday 28th July 2014. It will be also be same in Arab countries. while in Pakistan and India moon is expected to be sighted tomorrow which means Eid Will be on Tuesday.

Muslim world will make celebrations after offering Eid prayer in the morning. People will wear good dresses. delicious dishes will be made. Kids will receive Eidi from their elders. In short It will be Joy everywhere.

This Eid has came at a time when Muslims of Palestine are facing Israeli aggression. More than 1000 Palestinians kids, men and women are martyred so far. So Also remember them in your prayers and try to donate as much as you can for them. also raise your voice on Social media and other platforms.

On Eid also remember to help the poor people around you who are less fortune. I would like to say a very happy Eid Mubarak to all my brothers and sisters around the globe.

Syrian Jihadis' First Imminent Threat to the West Is to Norway

by Enza Ferreri � July 25, 2014

First, Norway. The UK could be next. There will be an Islamic atrocity sooner or later.

Norway�s security services, PST, warned of an imminent, �concrete and credible� threat to the Scandinavian country in the week that marked the third anniversary of the mass killings by Anders Behring Breivik. 

The terrorist attack, "probably within a few days", will come from fighters involved in the conflict in Syria. The target, how or when such an attack would take place is unspecified.

According to PST�s assessment, about 50 people have travelled from Norway to fight in Syria. Half of them have gone back to Norway, and the intelligence agency could not rule out that people involved with this threat are already in Norway.

From RT's "West under threat: Terrorists from Syria are heading to Norway - officials":

A terrorist group has left Syria and is heading to Norway, said Norwegian intelligence officials. The statement comes the day after the country�s authorities were informed of a possible �terrorist attack� and took security measures. 

�We received information that a group of people have traveled from Syria with the goal of carrying out a terror attack in the West, and Norway is specifically named,� Jon Fitje Hoffmann, a strategic analysis chief from PST, the Norwegian security intelligence group, told TV2, the largest commercial television station in Norway, �That was the starting point for the situation we are in now.� [Emphasis added]

From the Financial Times:

�We have information that a terrorist attack is planned on Norway in a short time, probably within a few days,� Benedicte Bj�rnland, head of the security services, told a hastily called press conference on Thursday. 

�We have received information that there are people who have fought on the ground in Syria involved. We are keeping all possibilities open. We will work intensely to develop a clearer picture of the threat.�

Buchanan: Is Putin Worse Than Stalin?

Sober reasoning and understanding of historical context from Pat Buchanan.

Is Putin Worse Than Stalin?
by Patrick J. Buchanan � Townhall � July 25, 2014

In 1933, the Holodomor was playing out in Ukraine.

After the "kulaks," the independent farmers, had been liquidated in the forced collectivization of Soviet agriculture, a genocidal famine was imposed on Ukraine through seizure of her food production.

Estimates of the dead range from two to nine million souls.

Walter Duranty of the New York Times, who called reports of the famine "malignant propaganda," won a Pulitzer for his mendacity.

In November 1933, during the Holodomor, the greatest liberal of them all, FDR, invited Foreign Minister Maxim Litvinov to receive official U.S. recognition of his master Stalin's murderous regime.

On August 1, 1991, just four months before Ukraine declared its independence of Russia, George H. W. Bush warned Kiev's legislature:

"Americans will not support those who seek independence in order to replace a far-off tyranny with a local despotism. They will not aid those who promote a suicidal nationalism based upon ethnic hatred."

In short, Ukraine's independence was never part of America's agenda. From 1933 to 1991, it was never a U.S. vital interest. Bush I was against it.

When then did this issue of whose flag flies over Donetsk or Crimea become so crucial that we would arm Ukrainians to fight Russian-backed rebels and consider giving a NATO war guarantee to Kiev, potentially bringing us to war with a nuclear-armed Russia?

From FDR on, U.S. presidents have felt that America could not remain isolated from the rulers of the world's largest nation.

Ike invited Khrushchev to tour the USA after he had drowned the Hungarian Revolution in blood. After Khrushchev put missiles in Cuba, JFK was soon calling for a new detente at American University.

Within weeks of Warsaw Pact armies crushing the Prague Spring in August 1968, LBJ was seeking a summit with Premier Alexei Kosygin.

After excoriating Moscow for the downing of KAL 007 in 1983, that old Cold Warrior Ronald Reagan was fishing for a summit meeting.

The point: Every president from FDR through George H. W. Bush, even after collisions with Moscow far more serious than this clash over Ukraine, sought to re-engage the men in the Kremlin.

Whatever we thought of the Soviet dictators who blockaded Berlin, enslaved Eastern Europe, put rockets in Cuba and armed Arabs to attack Israel, Ike, JFK, LBJ, Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan and Bush 1 all sought to engage Russia's rulers.

Avoidance of a catastrophic war demanded engagement.

How then can we explain the clamor of today's U.S. foreign policy elite to confront, isolate, and cripple Russia, and make of Putin a moral and political leper with whom honorable statesmen can never deal?

What has Putin done to rival the forced famine in Ukraine that starved to death millions, the slaughter of the Hungarian rebels or the Warsaw Pact's crushing of Czechoslovakia?

In Ukraine, Putin responded to a U.S.-backed coup, which ousted a democratically elected political ally of Russia, with a bloodless seizure of the pro-Russian Crimea where Moscow has berthed its Black Sea fleet since the 18th century. This is routine Big Power geopolitics.

And though Putin put an army on Ukraine's border, he did not order it to invade or occupy Luhansk or Donetsk. Does this really look like a drive to reassemble either the Russian Empire of the Romanovs or the Soviet Empire of Stalin that reached to the Elbe?

As for the downing of the Malaysian airliner, Putin did not order that. Sen. John Cornyn says U.S. intelligence has not yet provided any "smoking gun" that ties the missile-firing to Russia.

Intel intercepts seem to indicate that Ukrainian rebels thought they had hit an Antonov military transport plane.

Yet, today, the leading foreign policy voice of the Republican Party, Sen. John McCain, calls Obama's White House "cowardly" for not arming the Ukrainians to fight the Russian-backed separatists.

But suppose Putin responded to the arrival of U.S. weapons in Kiev by occupying Eastern Ukraine. What would we do then?

John Bolton has the answer: Bring Ukraine into NATO.

Translation: The U.S. and NATO should go to war with Russia, if necessary, over Luhansk, Donetsk and Crimea, though no U.S. president has ever thought Ukraine itself was worth a war with Russia.

What motivates Putin seems simple and understandable. He wants the respect due a world power. He sees himself as protector of the Russians left behind in his "near abroad." He relishes playing Big Power politics. History is full of such men.

He allows U.S. overflights to Afghanistan, cooperates in the P5+1 on Iran, helped us rid Syria of chemical weapons, launches our astronauts into orbit, collaborates in the war on terror and disagrees on Crimea and Syria.

But what motivates those on our side who seek every opportunity to restart the Cold War?

Is it not a desperate desire to appear once again Churchillian, once again heroic, once again relevant, as they saw themselves in the Cold War that ended so long ago?

Who is the real problem here?

Hieromonk Job Gumerov - Monotheism, Part 3: Islam

This is a much welcomed and profound study of Islam by Hieromonk Job (Gumerov), the third in his series on Monotheism being published by Pravoslavie. 


Monotheism, Part 3: Islam
by Hieromonk Job Gumerov, Pravoslavie � July 23, 2014

Part 1: Christianity  �  Part 2: Judaism

"Islam, having arisen in Arabia in the seventh century, appeared as the religion of the law six centuries after the God of the chosen people of the religion of the Law fulfilled its purpose." 

Islam: Origins

Jibril (Gabriel) appears before Mohammed, drawing

The religion of the Law, which for 15 centuries prepared the chosen people for the coming into the world of the its Savior, the Incarnate Lord Jesus Christ, preceded New Testament religion. According to the Holy Apostle Paul, "the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ" (Gal. 3:24). It was all in all only "a shadow of good things to come" (Heb. 10:1). When the Savior came into the world, Old Testament religion had fulfilled its purpose. Our Lord Jesus Christ revealed to us the mystery of the Heavenly Kingdom and established the New Covenant, which was foretold by the prophet Jeremiah. "Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the Lord: But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the Lord, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people" (Jer. 31:31-33). 

Man was redeemed from original sin and its consequences by the voluntary death on the Cross of Jesus Christ as Savior of the World. He entered into an entirely new period in terms of his relationship with God in comparison with the Old Testament: instead of the law, there was a free condition of sonship and grace. Man received new means for achieving the ideal set for him of moral perfection as a necessary condition for salvation. 

Islam, having arisen in Arabia in the seventh century, appeared as the religion of the law six centuries after the God of the chosen people of the religion of the Law fulfilled its purpose. 

The difference between the Old Testament religion of the Law and Islam is not only that the latter emerged more than two thousand years after God gave on Mount Sinai the Ten Commandments and other precepts that governed life for the chosen people. The most important difference is that the Law of Moses has a Divine source. The book of Exodus gives a narrative of the majestic Epiphany. "And Moses brought forth the people out of the camp to meet with God; and they stood at the nether part of the mount. And mount Sinai was altogether on a smoke, because the Lord descended upon it in fire: and the smoke thereof ascended as the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mount quaked greatly. And when the voice of the trumpet sounded long, and waxed louder and louder, Moses spake, and God answered him by a voice. And the Lord came down upon mount Sinai, on the top of the mount: and the Lord called Moses up to the top of the mount; and Moses went up" (Exod. 19:17-20). 

The founder of Islam, however, did not have a Divine revelation. 

"Mohammed puzzled over whether a demon or angel visited him..."

How did Islam arise? We read about this in the Hadith �Al-Jamii al-Sahih�. A mysterious being began to visit Mohammed. He slept in a cave on the slope of Mount Hira. On the night of the 24th of the month of Ramadan in year 610 someone appeared to him in human form. This event is considered the beginning of Islam. This story about it is from the Sunnah: �[A]n angel appeared to him and bade him 'READ!' 'I am no reader!' Mohammed replied in great trepidation, whereon the angel shook him violently and again bade him read. This was repeated three times, when the angel uttered the five verses that commence the 96th chapter: 'READ! in the name of thy Lord, who did create�who did create man from congealed blood. READ! for thy Lord is the most generous.�� Mohammed puzzled over whether a demon or angel visited him. He confided his experiences in his wife Khadijah. I will introduce more of the story of Mohammed's biography, generally accepted by Muslims: �She said to the messenger of God, �O son of my uncle, are you able to tell me about your visitant, when he comes to you?� He replied that he could, and she asked him to tell her when he came. So when Gabriel came to him, as he was wont the apostle said to Khadija, �This is Gabriel who has just come to me.� �Get up, O son of my uncle,� she said, �and sit by my left thigh.� The apostle did so, and she said, �Can you see him?� �Yes,� he said. She said, �Then turn round and sit on my right thigh.� He did so, and she said, �Can you see him?� When he said that he could she asked him to move and sit in her lap. When he had done this she again asked if he could see him, and when he said yes, she disclosed her form and cast aside her veil while the apostle was sitting in her lap. Then she said, �Can you see him?� And he replied, �No.� She said, �O son of my uncle, rejoice and be of good heart, by God he is an angel and not a satan�� (Ibn Hisham, Biography of the Prophet Muhammad). 

�It is surprising, how easily [Muhammad's] question had been answered with the help of a woman, which in the spiritual realm is a question of life or death.� 

It is surprising how easily and, gently speaking, naively this question, which in the spiritual realm is a question of life or death, had been answered with the help of a woman. Before all else, an Angel is a bodiless being, and for his sight there are no actual barriers: one can see through even clothes. Clothes hide nudity only from the eyes of man. Even so, the body of man in and of itself is not something perverse or shameful. It is a creation of God. The lust of man is sinful as well as is carnal desire, but not the body. In paradise the progenitors were naked and were not ashamed (see Gen. 2:25). The nature of an Angel is inviolate. They are alien to passions of man. But if this was a demon, then he could easily resort to trickery. Knowing how they tested him, he especially would be able to take leave of himself, so that they would take him for an Angel. 

The attitude of Islam towards the Bible 

Islam emerged as something syncretic out of several sources: ancient Arabic cults, Judaism, Christianity, Hanifism (a pre-Islamic monotheistic movement in Arabia) and Mazdaism (an ancient Iranian religion). There is no doubt that the Old Testament holy books and the Gospel had an influence on the formation of Islam. In the Quran many people and events from biblical history are mentioned. However, these stories are presented completely arbitrarily and inaccurately. 

According to the Quran, man was created from water. "It is He Who has created man from water: Then has He established relationships of lineage and marriage: for thy Lord has power (over all things)" (25:54). In another surah, it says: "Proclaim! (or read!) in the name of thy Lord and Cherisher, Who created man, out of a (mere) clot of congealed blood" (96:1-2). In another part it speaks about clay, "He created man from sounding clay like unto pottery" (55:14). 

In contrast to the Bible, the Quran does not say that man was created in the image and likeness of God. This discrepancy is most profound. With God's image and likeness, man is summoned to commune directly with his Creator. He can become one with the Lord. This is not so in Islam. 

The book of Genesis tells the story of how the entire family of the patriarch Noah (in Arabic, Nuh) was saved in the Ark. The Quran speaks about the death of Noah's son: "So the Ark floated with them on the waves (towering) like mountains, and Noah called out to his son, who had separated himself (from the rest): �O my son! Embark with us, and be not with the unbelievers!� The son replied: �I will betake myself to some mountain: it will save me from the water.� Noah said: �This day nothing can save, from the command of Allah, any but those on whom He hath mercy!� And the waves came between them, and the son was among those overwhelmed in the Flood" (11:42-43). Another surah tells it somewhat differently: "(Remember) Noah, when he cried (to Us) aforetime: We listened to his (prayer) and delivered him and his family from great distress" (21:76). 

There is no need to provide more examples. In the Quran, things are especially distorted when discussing New Testament events. Here the differences are purely fundamental. The Incarnation, the Crucifixion on Golgotha, and the Resurrection are all denied. Even the event of the Nativity of Christ, known to the whole world, is described very strangely. It is alleged that Maryam retreated to a faraway place and gave birth to a Son under palms (19:23). In this surah, called Maryam, She is called the "sister of Harun," i.e. Aaron. He indeed had a sister named Miriam, but she lived 15 centuries before the Nativity of Christ. 

Probably due to so great a number of errors and distortions, many representatives of Islam, in order to escape from this quandary, allege that the modern Holy Scripture of Christians has been distorted (a circumstance known as tahrif). Immediately, the question arises: what evidence do they provide? There is no evidence. Characteristically, the view of Muslims toward the Bible has undergone significant change over the course of several centuries. Early Islamic writers such as al-Tabari and ar-Razi believed that the distortion comes down to tahrif bi'al ma'ni, i.e. the corruption of the meaning without changing the text. However, later authors such as Ibn Hazm and Al-Biruni introduced the idea of tahrif bi�al-lafz, i.e. the corruption of the text itself. At that, both of these positions have been preserved to the present day. Thus, the level of acceptance among Muslims of the Bible depends on one's understanding of tahrif. The very existence of these fundamentally different positions indicates that there is no concrete evidence. 

It is impossible to ignore one interesting feature of the attitude that representatives of Islam have toward the Biblical text. In that they do not have their own "undistorted" biblical text, they cite our canonical text as undistorted. However, when they need to support a point, for example, negative examples from the life of Banu Isra'il (the children of Israel) with a reference to parts that do not conform to Islam, they proclaim the text to be distorted. 

Muslims allege that the New Testament (Injil), which the Quran refers to positively, is not in fact the current four Gospels. We have already said that they do not provide any evidence. The falsehood of the accusation that Christians distorted the Scriptures stems from the internal inconsistencies of the very Islamic authors who wrote on this theme. According to the Quran, the New Testament was originally a true, sacred text. "And in their footsteps We sent Jesus the son of Mary, confirming the Law that had come before him: We sent him the Gospel: therein was guidance and light, and confirmation of the Law that had come before him: a guidance and an admonition to those who fear Allah" (5:46). In another section: "Say: �O People of the Book! ye have no ground to stand upon unless ye stand fast by the Law, the Gospel, and all the revelation that has come to you from your Lord.� It is the revelation that cometh to thee from thy Lord, that increaseth in most of them their obstinate rebellion and blasphemy" (5:68). This excerpt clearly demonstrates that the Quran itself does not speak of the distorted Scripture, but about "rebellion and blasphemy" related to misunderstanding. 

There is one part of the Quran (10:94) which is very problematic for Islamic commentators: "If thou wert in doubt as to what We have revealed unto thee, then ask those who have been reading the Book from before thee: the Truth hath indeed come to thee from thy Lord: so be in no wise of those in doubt." This ayat refers the Muslim "in doubt" to the authority of the biblical Holy Scripture. Abdul-Haqq writes: �The learned doctors of Islam are sadly embarrassed by this verse, referring the prophet as it does to the people of the Book who would solve his doubts� (Abdul-Haqq, A. A. (1980). Sharing Your Faith With A Muslim. Minneapolis, MN: Bethany House Publishers. As cited in Geisler, N.L. (1999). Baker Encyclopedia of Christian Apologetics. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Publishing Group). According to the logic of this verse, the biblical Scripture was undistorted in the 7th century at the time of the Quran's creation. Then one must recognize that the current text is also correct, since we use manuscripts written over several centuries prior to the Quran. 

Textual criticism of the New Testament has achieved outstanding breakthroughs in the 20th century. Currently, there are over 2,328 manuscripts and manuscript fragments in Greek, coming to us from the first three centuries of Christianity. The most ancient New Testament manuscript, a part of the Gospel of John 18:31-33, 37-38, is the Rylands Library Papyrus P52, dated 117-138 in the era of the reign of emperor Hadrian. Adolf Deissmann acknowledges the possibility of the emergence of this papyrus even under the reign of Emperor Trajan (98-117). It is preserved in Manchester. Another ancient New Testament manuscript is the Papyrus Bodmer, P75. The 102 surviving pages contain the texts of the Gospels of Luke and John. "The editors, Victor Martin and Rodolphe Kasser, date this copy to between 175 and 225 A.D. It is thus the earliest surviving known copy of the Gospel according to Luke available today and one of the earliest of the Gospel according to John" (Bruce M. Metzger. The Text of the New Testament. p. 58). This precious manuscript is located in Geneva. 

Uncial script on parchment: leather codices with uncial script, (in Latin uncia means inch) letters without sharp corners and broken lines. This script is distinguished by its great refinement and precision. Each letter is disconnected. There are 362 uncial manuscripts of the New Testament. The most ancient of these codices (Codex Sinaiticus, Vaticanus, and Alexandrinus) have already been mentioned. 

Scholars complemented this impressive collection of ancient New Testament manuscripts with the New Testament text, which consisted of 36,286 excerpts of the Holy Scripture of the New Testament found in the works of the holy fathers and teachers of the Church from the first through fourth centuries. This text is lacking only 11 verses. 

Scholars of textual criticism in the 20th century did a tremendous job on the collation of all�several thousands of�New Testament manuscripts and identified all textual discrepancies caused by scribal error. An evaluation and typologization was performed. Precise criteria for determining a correct variant were established. For those familiar with this rigorous scientific work, it is obvious that allegations of the distortion of the current holy text of the New Testament are unfounded. In terms of the number of ancient manuscripts and the brevity of time separating the earliest surviving text from the original, no one work of antiquity can be compared with the New Testament. 

�Accusations that the Bible's text is distorted are puzzling. How could it actually have been done? How could Christians and Hebrews have come together to do this?� 

Accusations that the Bible's text is distorted are puzzling. How could it actually have been done? How could Christians and Hebrews have come together to do this? Everyone knows the degree of their mutual [doctrinal�Ed.] alienation. And yet both Christians and Jews use one and the same canonical text of the Old Testament. Furthermore, the entire New Testament was preserved in the Chester Beatty Papyri, composed in approximately 250 A.D. 

It is inconceivable to accept that under the conditions that existed in Christian society, hundreds of exemplars of the New Testament text were miscopied for the purpose of distortion. 

On the Monotheism of Islam 

Historians and religious scholars regard the three "Abrahamic" religions, Christianity, Judaism, and Islam, as monotheistic religions. For the researcher, the doctrinal principles that representatives of each of these three religions formulate are sufficient. However, on a theological level, the insufficiency of such a formal approach becomes clear. Monotheism is a necessary but not sufficient condition for true religion. Only a religion that has Divine revelation as a source has the true and spiritually accurate doctrine concerning God. Christianity not only maintains that God is the living, absolute source, "the only true God" (John 17:3; 1 Thes. 1:9; cf. John 5:20), but also teaches thoroughly and in depth of the nature of God as without beginning, without end, and of a perfect Spirit. The chief characteristic of the Divine nature is love. "God is love" (1 John 4:16). These words of the apostle contain the principal idea of the New Testament as the good news of salvation. The ineffable goodness of God created the world. The Lord housed man in paradise. Even after the Fall, God continued to love mankind. The greatness of God's love was revealed when the incarnate God died a most agonizing death for us. Christians know from not only the Holy Scripture, but also through the power of spiritual experience, that God is all-knowing and all-wise. The apostle says: "Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do" (Heb. 4:13). 

God knows not only all that has happened, and all that is, but he has also perfect knowledge of the future. The mirror of the supreme Wisdom of God is the universe which He created, astounding man with its extraordinary complexity, beauty, and harmony. God demonstrates his ineffable Wisdom also in the dispensation of our salvation. "O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out" (Rom. 11:33). 

�True religion is not limited by the demand of worship for the Creator. Its ultimate goal is the spiritual unity of man with God.� 

True religion is not limited by the demand of worship for the Creator. Its ultimate goal is the spiritual unity of man with God. The Savior speaks about this in a prayer to his Father before his suffering on the cross: "That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us" (John 17:21). 

From the aforementioned characteristics of the Divine follows the concept of true, Christian monotheism. There can be only one all-powerful and all-just God. 

The concept of God in Islam does not have a source of divine revelation. It developed on the basis of ancient Arabic religion. The word �Allah� was used in the polytheistic pantheon of Arabs to denote �God�: Allah (al - the definite article; ilah - god). Among the pagan Arabs, prior to their adoption of Islam, Allah was the supreme lunar deity, worshipped in north and central Arabia. The father of Muhammed, who was a pagan, was named Abdullah ("Servant of Allah"). 

In pre-Islamic times, the crescent moon was the symbol of the worship of the moon-god among the Arabs. This is confirmed by archeological evidence. The crescent moon was carried over as the main symbol of Islam. 

Arabs of the Syrian desert called the wife of Allah as Al-lat, and in the south of central Arabia, Al-�Uzz�. In other areas of Arabia, they, along with Manat, were worshipped as the daughters of Allah. This genetic trail was preserved in the Quran. There is mention of this in the 53rd surah: "Have ye seen Lat, and �Uzza, and another, the third (goddess), Manat? What! For you the male sex, and for Him, the female? Behold, such would be indeed a division most unfair!" (53:19-22). 

In Islam, Allah is a created religious image by the human consciousness. He does not express the real almighty divine personhood. Consequently, monotheism in Islam is imagined. In a number of places in the Quran, he is endowed with intrinsically human characteristics and traits. Allah says: 

• "Those who reject Our signs, We shall soon cast into the fire: as often as their skins are roasted through, We shall change them for fresh skins, that they may taste the penalty" (4:56); 
• "...There is no help Except from God, the Exalted, the Wise: that He might cut off a fringe of the Unbelievers or expose them to infamy, and they should then be turned back, frustrated of their purpose: (3: 126�127); 
• "The Hypocrites�they think they are over-reaching God, but He will over-reach them" (4:142); 
• "And (the unbelievers) plotted and planned, and God too planned, and the best of planners is God" (3:54); 
• �Many are the Jinns and men we have made for Hell: they have hearts wherewith they understand not, eyes wherewith they see not, and ears wherewith they hear not. They are like cattle,�nay more misguided: for they are heedless (of warning)� (7:179). 

What a great difference! Christianity teaches that God "will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth" (1 Tim. 2:4), while Islam maintains that Allah created many people for Gehenna. 

The idea of monotheism, (tawhid, from the verb wahhada�to reckon something as one) was formulated in the Quran in several surahs. For example, in the 16th surah, "The Bee": "For We assuredly sent amongst every people an apostle, (with the Command), "serve God, and eschew evil" (16:36). In the terminology of the sharia, anything people worship except for Allah is "taghut". Since Islam does not know of direct revelation, nor the holy Manifestation of God to the world, nor the unification of man with God on the foundation of love, its monotheism is imagined, formalistic and abstract, requiring not that man change himself or his way of life, but only worship and daily prayer. 

Hieromonk Job (Gumerov) 

Translation by Tatiana Ozerova

IDF General's Son: If Israel Doesn't Like Rockets, Decolonize Palestine | Interview with Miko Peled

Meriam Ibrahim lands in Rome, meets with Pope Francis

by Elise Harris, Catholic News Agency via Pravmir
July 24, 2014

Vatican City, Jul 24, 2014 / 06:44 am (CNA/EWTN News).- A Sudanese woman spared of a death sentence for refusing to renounce her Christian faith arrived in Rome with her family Thursday, where they met with Pope Francis a few hours after landing.

Pope Francis meets Meriam Ibrahim and her child Maya at the Vatican's Santa Marta residence, July 24, 2014. Credit: ANSA/Osservatore Romano

�Pope Francis was very tender with her, her husband, who was in prison, and thanked her for her courageous witness to perseverance in the Faith,� Vatican spokesman Fr. Federico Lombardi said of the encounter in a July 24 statement.

Describing the meeting between the young family and the Roman Pontiff as �very serene and affectionate,� Fr. Lombardi explained that for him encounter was �a gesture of closeness and solidarity for those who suffer for their faith.�

According to Vatican Radio, Ibrahim and her husband Daniel Wani, a U.S. citizen, as well as their two children, 1-year-old Martin and 2-month-old Maya, who was born in prison, met the Roman Pontiff in the Vatican�s Saint Martha guesthouse at 1:00 p.m. local time.

Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi also welcomed the family at the airport, calling it �a day of celebration.�

In May, the 27-year-old woman was charged with abandoning Islam under Sudanese law. Because her father was a Muslim, Ibrahim was legally considered a Muslim even though her mother raised her as a Christian after her father left the family when she was 6 years old.

Despite pressure and multiple death threats, Ibrahim refused to renounce her Christian faith while in prison.

In addition to the crime of apostasy � or the abandoning of the Islamic faith � Ibrahim was also charged with adultery. Her marriage to her Christian husband was not considered valid since she was considered a Muslim.

She was to receive 100 lashes for the adultery charge and was sentenced to death by hanging for apostasy.

After having her death sentence revoked by a Sudanese court June 23 due to international pressure, Ibrahim was re-arrested along with her husband at the Khartoum airport the next day on charges of forged documents. The entire family was detained for two days, until the new charges were dismissed.

Italian news agency Corriere della Sera reported that the family has remained in the Italian embassy of the Sudanese capitol, Khartoum, since June 26 until leaving the country on a flight that landed in Rome this morning at roughly 9:30 local time.

On board the flight along with the family was Italy�s vice minister of Foreign Affairs Lapo Pistelli, who has been following Ibrahim�s case. According to the agency, Pistelli had already met Ibrahim in Khartoum July 3.

The family is set to remain in Rome for a few days, after which they will depart for New York.

Should India support Palestine or Israel: Ten hard facts on India's international stand and foreign policy in the light of its national interests and realpolitik

[This post has been written after Indian government voted in support of Palestine, inviting criticism from pro-Israel ideologues who thought BJP government would change its policy]

1. India is seen as a responsible nation world over, government has to be careful of its standing too while voting at UN or other fora, can't go by wishes of individuals. 

2. On TV debates, right-wing panelists say that 'Arabs never supported India'. So? Who asks to support them? Must ditch 'em, if needed. Who stops!

3. India is already doing business with Israel. We get lot of oil from Arab countries. Millions of Indians live in Gulf and send foreign currency here. This is never mentioned in TV debates. In fact, there are more Indians (60 lakh) in Arab countries than in USA and Britain together (45 lakh). 

What are the stakes for us to suddenly turn our back on these countries? Of course, if you simply love Israel because it kills Arabs or Palestinians [read Muslims], then let us talk straight, don't beat the bush [strategic interests, yes we know]. On channels you talk of real-politik and sermonise that we must keep our interests supreme, rather than going for 'passion' or becoming 'world guru, then friends, these are real interests.

4. The only difference is that Arab countries don't claim credit and aren't interested much in PR in India. The NRIs in these countries are mostly from South India, and the North Indian-media glosses over it. 

5. Indian Muslims are with national interest. The expectation or support is on humanitarian grounds. Government should strike balance, use diplomacy and see its interests. If needed, stand with any country, who stops the Viraat government? Don't play politics on us, using our names. 

6. During nuclear deal issue also, it was suggested that Indian Muslims wer against it though it was the biggest lie http://www.anindianmuslim.com/2008/07/indian-muslims-stand-on-nuclear-deal.html  

7. Then, there is another argument, 'how can we vote along with Pakistan on the same issue'. This is the reflection of the mentality, 'If your enemy is doing the right thing, you should do the wrong thing just because it is your enemy'. So if Pakistan goes on to vote for saving girl child at an international forum, will India oppose it? 

8. Truth is that only one country was against the vote for probe on war crimes. It was USA which patronises Israel. Many other countries who have major disputes among themselves, voted in favour. We are not in a position to be Israel's patron, do we want to look like its lackey, and reduce ourself to such level without any genuine benefit. 

9. Some journos and self-styled ideologues who think they were behind BJP and Modi's victory, feel they know more about national interests than Govt! Surely, Narendra Modi government knows what is in India's interests.

10. But it doesn't mean that your love for Israel, outgrows your love for your own country and the respect of your nation and its standing. Gaza killings are surely not an humanitarian issue for you, but tell us the real strategic reason, you want India to shift its international position?

Right now, the disgusting tweets that show their love for Israel, more than India, are revealing exactly the same: That sections of right-wing are so obssesed with Israel and are anti-Muslim to such an extent, that they are disowning the BJP government which they considered their own till days ago.


[This post has been written after the outrage by many self-styled strategic affairs experts and 'super patriots', who felt that India under Narendra Modi, shouldn't have voted to censure Israel at BRICS and opposed its vote on UNHRC probe for war crimes against Israel]

Read the post on 'Indians support Palestine despite propaganda' HERE
Read the post 'Irony for Israel: The world calls it a Nazi state, even Jews opposing Israel' HERE
Read the post 'Jews suffered genocide, now commit similar atrocities on Palestinians' HERE

After 2000 years, Last Christian forced to leave Mosul

by Tera Dahl, Breitbart News � July 20, 2014

ERBIL, Iraq - The last Christian reportedly left Iraq's second largest city of Mosul at 12:00pm on Saturday, ending over 6,000 years of Assyrian history in the city. Assyrians have lived in Mosul for over 6,000 years, converting to Christianity over 2,000 years ago. This all came to an end on Saturday, when the last Assyrian Christian left the city.

On Thursday, July 17th, the Islamic State (IS)-- formerly the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS)-- released a statement demanding the Christians in Mosul either to convert to Islam, paying the jizya (tax on non-Muslims), leave the city, or be killed. The threat was to be implemented on Saturday.  It is being reported locally that by noon yesterday, every Christian had chosen to leave.

Here in Erbil, about an hour an half away from Mosul by car, I have spoken with families who were forced to flee. They describe how ISIS invaded their homes, taking whatever they wanted, and threatening to kill them. The estimates are that over 500,000 refugees have fled Mosul after Islamists took control on June 10th, and the few remaining Christians left yesterday.

One group of Christians I spoke with said that when ISIS first invaded Iraq, they portrayed themselves as armed humanitarians but then they quickly undercut that message by implementing strict Sharia law, such as making women wear the full burqa and banning all western clothing. Those Muslims who stayed behind are being forced to comply with the new puritanical laws and now they, too, are trying to leave the city.

One resident of Mosul I spoke with said, "It is like the Taliban in Afghanistan before the U.S. invasion." There, Al Qaeda created the safe-haven from which they launched the 2001 attacks of 9/11 against the United States.

Some Iraqi Christians had called on the international community to help create a protected zone in Ninevah Province so as to provide protection for all minorities around the city of Mosul and to provide protection from future attacks by IS.  While the proposal for a new Ninevah Province has been submitted to the Iraqi Parliament, it was not finalized. Because of the inaction both inside Iraq and the failure of the international community to heed the threats against Christians, the majority of the refugees who have just fled Mosul remain in danger of being attacked once more by IS as it continues its jihadi blitzkrieg across Iraq and Syria.

Several people I have spoken to in Iraq reported that members of IS speak foreign languages and are not from Iraq only. One person said an IS member was speaking an Afghan language and wearing Afghani clothing. Another person said they heard dialects from Pakistan, Libya, and even English.

Everyone I have spoken with has expressed their frustration with the international community�s lack of response to the crisis facing the people of Iraq. They blamed the United States for creating the current situation and for leaving the country so quickly and so creating the vacuum for IS to exploit. Many also think that it was a serious mistake for the U.S. to �give Iraq to Iran,� allowing Tehran to have a major influence in the Iraqi Parliament.

Another local told me he thought it was strange and nonsensical that the U.S. and European countries were opposed to IS in Iraq, but supporting IS groups in Syria and other violent groups against local governments. They warned of the danger such groups pose to the West. "These jihadists will eventually go home to their countries, to Canada, England and the U.S." said one.

Another group of Christians commented on how bad it would be for Iraq if the country split up or were divided. They warned that if Iraq splits into several smaller countries, it will create a domino effect in the whole Middle East, affecting Lebanon, Syrian, Jordan, Turkey, Israel, and Egypt, creating a wave of civil wars. "We fear the U.S. is not supporting the unity of Iraq," I was told, �But we want to see our country remain as one nation of diverse people, as it has been in history.�

Since the U.S. invasion in 2003, over 1 million Christians have been exiled from Iraq, leaving only around 300,000 left in the country.

Tera Dahl is the Executive Director of the Council on Global Security