Ustadh AbdelRahman Murphy - Success of the Sahaba

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As the Hajj 2015 is getting closer Muslims from all over the world Including Pakistan, Turkey, Malaysia, Indonesia are flying to Saudi Arabia to perform Hajj which is one of the five pillars of Islam and necessary for every Muslim who is capable to do it financially and physically. in 2014 more than 2.5 million Muslims performed hajj and this year even a greater number than that is expected.

Every year on our blog we telecast the Live steam of Hajj for readers of our blog. So this year again we are back with the Live streaming of Hajj 2015 from Saudi Arabia in High quality. it will continue 24/7 till the Hajj is completed.

Christians Debate: Is it OK to 'Act Muslim' to Save Their Lives

The very asking of this question serves to underscore the fact that we are living in a new Age of Martyrdom. 

The Martyrdom of Bishop Teodor of Vrsac, Serbia.

Before exploring the contemporary debate, we might be wise to take a look back at a previous age of martyrdom to see how the Church survived a very similar trial.

The question of Christians committing apostasy in order to save their lives, and how to deal with those who did so, was experienced on a widespread scale in the middle of the 3rd century when, under Roman Emperor Decius (249-251), a fierce new outbreak of persecution against the Church was launched.

From Fr. Alexander Schmemann, The Historical Road of Eastern Orthodoxy:

One of the primary reasons for the decline in Christian intensity had undoubtedly been the lull in the persecutions. From the death of Marcus Aurelius (185) until the middle of the third century, the Church lived in relative security... 

The persecution that suddenly burst upon the Church in the year 249 seemed a terrible and unexpected trial and exposed in full clarity how far many, many Christians had departed from the original intensity of faith and way of life... 

[Emperor Decius] gave first priority to the restoration of state worship, and this inevitably led to conflict with Christianity. Except for Nero, Decius was the first representative of Roman power to take the initiative in these persecutions as opposed to the system of private accusation followed by test. In a special edict he ordered all his subjects to prove their loyalty to the national gods by making the sacrifice. 

The Church again responded with the blood of martyrs, including not only Origen... but Bishop Flavian of Rome, Babylas of Antioch, and Alexander of Jerusalem. But what startled the Church was the mass apostasy. 

�Fear struck them,� wrote Bishop Dionysius of Alexandria, �and many of the more influential Christians gave in immediately, some giving way to fear, others, as civil servants, to the requirements of their positions, still others drawn along with the crowd. Some were pale and trembling, as if it were not they who were making sacrifices to the idols but they themselves who were being brought to sacrifice; and therefore the crowd mocked them.� 

 The same picture appears in the letters of Cyprian of Carthage: �There were some who did not even wait to be summoned to climb onto the Capitol, or to be questioned to renounce their faith. They ran to the Forum themselves, they hastened to their [spiritual] deaths, as if they had wished it for a long time. And � O ultimate crime! � parents brought their children with them, so that they might lose in their childhood what they had received on the threshold of their lives.� 

The persecution passed liked a whirlwind and quickly abated, but it left the Church in ruins. The question arose as to how to deal with those who had lapsed, who now rushed back for forgiveness and reconciliation. While the Church had recognized a �second repentance� at the beginning of the century, now the question was posed anew and more acutely.

In the earlier time, lapsed Christians had been the exception, so that a second repentance was also an exception, but now it was a mass occurrence. When we remember what the witness of martyrs meant to the Church � that it was the witness of the Church to itself, the proof of Christ�s strength which lived in it � then it becomes clear why the problem of the lapsed caused a lengthy dissension, the last in the series of �temptations of the Church� that marked the late second and early third centuries. 

Against this background of dissension the figure of the great African bishop, St. Cyprian of Carthage, stands out clearly. Like Tertullian, he represented the �pure� Christianity that characterized the brief but magnificent history of the African Church... 

In the spring of 251 Cyprian returned to Carthage and summoned a synod, which decided the problem by relaxing the discipline of repentance. It divided the lapsed into two categories, depending on the degree of apostasy, and established two forms by which they might again be accepted into the Church. Some could be received only on their deathbeds, while others could rejoin after more or less prolonged periods of repentance.

The heart-rending spectacle of mass apostasy of Christians during the persecution of Decius nearly rent the Church herself in two, so intense was the clash of Novatian and the rigorists, who held that only the pure (cathari) could constitute the true Church, versus the Confessors, joined by Cyprian of Carthage who, appealed for unity. From Fr. Alexander Schmemann's text again:

Formally, Novatian was right when he invoked tradition in his protest against accepting the lapsed. Cyprian himself had been a typical rigorist before the persecution of Decius. But the teaching of the Church is not a logical system and is not constructed in syllogisms. 

Novatian, who was true to logic, was torn from the life of the Church, while Cyprian, outwardly self-contradictory, could still boldly state that he had introduced nothing new with the question of the lapsed Christians, for he had taken his doctrine from the life of the Church. 

In fact, nothing had changed in the nature of the Church or its sanctity, but it had become more deeply conscious of the dichotomy between old and new in its earthly life. Novatian and his followers, for the sake of their principles, were left outside the Church; such is the logic behind every schism. They withdrew in proud scorn for the sullied Church of the lapsed. But in the pastoral heart of Cyprian and his truly catholic way of thinking, this Church of the lapsed remained the same holy bride of Christ, which has no room for sin but exists to save sinners.

Cyprian�s life ended in the glory of a martyr�s death... 

The Christian Church ultimately was strengthened by the horrific trial of not only the persecutions under Decius, but by the depth of Her compassion as She re-embraced those who had committed apostasy. The Church's final and greatest trial under the Roman Empire would reveal Her inner strength. Fr. Schmemann writes:

With the end of the [third] century came increasing persecutions. The empire was falling, its whole structure rocked under the terrible attacks of Germanic tribes from the north and the Goths and Persians from the east. In these troubled years, when it was natural to seek scapegoats for so many misfortunes, it was not difficult to inflame hatred against the Christians. Edict followed edict, and throughout the empire new names of martyrs were added to the martyrology of the Church. 

The persecutions probably never reached such intensity as under Diocletian (303), just on the eve of the conversion of Constantine. The largest roster of names of martyrs comes to us from this period. It was as if the Church were revealing, for the last time before its victory, all the strength, beauty, and inspiration of the courageous suffering by which it had survived the first centuries � the strength of its witness to the kingdom of Christ, by which alone it ultimately conquered.

For an excellent discussion of a variant form of Christian apostasy under the Ottoman Muslims, see Confessors or Apostates? The Crypto-Christian Dilemma, by Mother Nectaria McLees (Road to Emmaus, # 31). From Mother Nectaria's introductory paragraph:

Although many Christians under the Turkish yoke did apostasize and embrace Islam, there were also thousands of conscious martyrs, and millions of other Christian victims, killed randomly without time to reflect or the opportunity to make a choice.1  But what are we to think of those who � either lacking the courage to �resist unto death,� or being responsible for families, parishes, or communities that, after their protector�s martyrdom, might fall victim to slavery, concubinage, and forced conversion to Islam � took a third path, declaring themselves Muslim while continuing to secretly practice Christianity?

One must certainly consider the experience of the Russian Catacomb Church during the Soviet regime. During the seventy year period which saw tens of millions of Christians martyred, a hidden, secret remnant persevered, always knowing that there might one night come the dreaded "knock at the door," heralding the end of their sanctuary and their moment to shine as confessors and witnesses for Jesus Christ.

Millions of Christians today, mostly in the Islamic world, live under such a real and deadly threat, and we must look to them, and to the confessors and martyrs of every age, as our models.

Archimandrite Daniel Byantoro, a convert to Orthodox Christianity from Islam and the founder of the Indonesian Orthodox Mission, confronts the possibility of martyrdom every day in Indonesia, which has the world's largest Muslim population. Outbreaks of Muslim persecution against Christians is a constant danger there, prompting Fr Daniel to note:

If there is no possible way to escape (even if we have been trying to be good and obey the laws of society), if we become known as a believer, if they stigmatize us as unbelievers as heretics or whatever, then it is obvious there is no other way � if martyrdom comes, then we have to accept it. If you cannot escape being a martyr, do it! Go for it! I teach this in church, and I say, even to myself, that there is no other way.

� �Orthodoxy in Indonesia,� Road To Emmaus, #6, Summer 2001.

Ultimately, the new wave of persecution is coming here to North America. In fact, it is already here, as we Christians are being forced to choose between "getting along" in the world, or resisting the ever more strident efforts to force us to support evil, anti-human and depraved practices, whether it is public funding for abortion through our tax dollars, or a Christian baker compelled by law to create a wedding cake for a homosexual couple.

Hieromonk Seraphim Rose of Platina taught a radical, martyric ethos as the only way to prepare for our own approaching trials. He repeatedly stressed the witness of persecuted believers in Russia to help make it real for his listeners, as in this example:

Once Fr. Dimitri [Dudko] was asked about how much better off religion was in the free world than in Russia, and he answered: "Yes, they have freedom and many churches, but theirs is a spirituality with comfort. We in Russia have a different path, a path of suffering that can produce real fruit."   [...]

We should remember this phrase when we look at our own feeble Orthodoxy in the free world: [If] ours is a spirituality with comfort, we will not have the spiritual fruits that will be exhibited by those without all these comforts, who deeply suffer and struggle for Christ. In this sense we should take our tone from the suffering Church in Russia [...] Our eyes must be on heaven above, the goal we strive for, not on the problems and disasters of earth below. 

Orthodox Christians Facing the 1980s, Lecture given by Father Seraphim Rose at the St. Herman Summer Pilgrimage, Platina, CA, August 9, 1979.)

  

The debate between Christians over saving their lives under increasing Muslim persecution may seem distant from us in our comfortable lives. Yet we are daily confronted with the same choice, whether to honor God, take up our cross and follow Christ, or not. 

Even if the temporal stakes may not seem as extreme as those confronting our Middle Eastern, African, and Asian Christian brothers and sisters, the eternal value of each and every decision we make is just as weighty, just as eternal. God help us be true and faithful to Jesus Christ, for I fear the devil may reap a much greater harvest among us here in the comfortable West than he ever will among our persecuted brethren in the Islamic world.

Christians Debate: Is it OK to 'Act Muslim' to Save Their Lives
by Thomas D. Williams, PhD, Breitbart News � August 26, 2015

A debate is raging among African and Arab theologians regarding how far Christians can go in good conscience to hide their faith and pretend to be Muslims in order to save their lives at the hands of Islamist extremists.

It often happens that during jihadist raids, militants will try to ascertain quickly whether persons they are attacking are Christians or Muslims by asking them questions about Islam or having them recite the Muslim creed in Arabic.

For example, during the 2013 terror attack at the Westgate Mall in Nairobi, Kenya, al Shabaab gunmen paused for a moment to announce in English: �Muslims, get out of here!

An Indian man stepped forward, but when the gunmen asked him, �What is the name of Muhammad�s mother?� he couldn�t answer, and so they shot him.

Another of those trying to escape was a student named Joshua Hakim, who covered up the Christian name on his voter card as he showed it to the gunmen. Hakim was allowed to go.

Other terror attacks by radical Islamists have followed a similar pattern. Those who could show they were Muslim�by reciting a prayer in Arabic or answering questions about Islam�were allowed to go free. Those who couldn�t were killed.

As a result, some Christians have started sharing tips on how to �act Muslim� and so avoid being killed by attackers. These tips�shared by word of mouth or even on the internet�include activities such as learning to recite the shahada�Islam�s central creed�in Arabic.

Christian theologians, however, are divided on whether such a practice amounts to a denial of Christ or �apostasy.�

One Kenyan pastor, David Oginde, the head of the 45,000-member Christ is the Answer Ministries, says that such pretending to be Muslim is unworthy behavior for a Christian. �A true Christian must be ready to live and to die for the faith,� he said.

Others disagree. Two professors at St. Paul�s University, an Anglican institution in Nairobi, have said that the answer isn�t that clear-cut. Reciting the shahada doesn�t amount to denying Christ, says Samuel Githinji, a theology lecturer.

�Christians are obligated to save their lives and others� lives as much as possible,� Githinji said. �Denying the faith is more subtle than the mere voicing of certain words.�

Christian persecution from the Islamic State and other jihadist groups has provided ample opportunities for Christians to show their mettle.

One of the twenty-�one Egyptian men beheaded on a Libyan beach last February, Mathew Ayairga, was asked the question, �Do you reject Christ?� Though Ayairga was not even a Christian up until then, he chose to identify with the other Egyptians and their Christian faith. His reply to his captors was, �Their God is my God!� and he was killed with the rest.

The question of what constitutes apostasy and how Christians should act in situations of persecution is as old as Christianity itself. During the most severe Roman persecutions, notably those of Emperors Nero, Decius, Valerian. and Diocletian, apostasy was fairly common, since holding to one�s faith meant the loss of property, position, citizens� rights, and even one�s life.

Even in those early centuries, Christians debated over what compromises were licit and which could never be engaged in. When persecutions slowed, the Church had to address the question of how Christians who had apostatized should be dealt with.

George Sabra, president of Near East School of Theology in Lebanon, says Christians should rely on the guidance of the Holy Spirit in such situations. Sabra says that Christians should not say the shahada, but if they do, they should be treated with compassion.

�To be a Christian is not about learning tactics for survival,� he said. �But denying Christ is not an unforgivable sin. We may not despair of God�s love and mercy. Even Peter, the head of the disciples, was a denier of Christ.�

Must Read Book: HOUSE OF WAR: ISLAM�S JIHAD AGAINST THE WORLD, by Gregory Davis

This is a timely publication which provides a penetrating examination of Islam, its religious and political dimensions, and the "clear and present danger" to Christians and Western Civilization which arises from its ideology. It is a relatively slim volume (208 pages), yet is densely packed and rock-ribbed, and makes for a great introduction or handy reference on the threat of Islam.

What is perhaps most amazing is that, although this work was first published several years ago in hardcover, and therefore lacks any specific reference to ISIS (the Islamic State Caliphate) or certain other jihad terrorist groups which formed more recently, it is shockingly contemporary, as jihad ideology itself is essentially unchanged from the days of its founder, Muhammad. As one reads 'House of War', one experiences a steady flash of light bulbs turning on, of "Aha! moments", as the true goals and motivations of Muslim extremists are detailed from the supremacist sacred texts of Islam.

The author, Gregory Davis, is an Orthodox Christian, and a dear friend and encourager to me. The original edition of this book, and his documentary film, Islam: What the West Needs to Know, were two of my early sources which spurred me on to write Facing Islam and launch this blog. I cannot commend Greg's work highly enough.

Order two copies and share one with that interested soul looking to understand Islam. Publisher's description and link to order below.



HOUSE OF WAR: ISLAM�S JIHAD AGAINST THE WORLD
by G.M. Davis, PhD
Paperback, 208 pages; also available in autographed edition.
WND Books, July 2015

Over the past several decades, countless wars and terrorist attacks have been perpetrated by various groups and individuals claiming to act in the name of Islam. Yet Western leaders of virtually every stripe and party have consistently affirmed their belief that, despite the violence done in its name, Islam is a "religion of peace." 

The critical question is, who is right? Do Muslims who wage violent jihad against unbelievers fundamentally misunderstand their own religion? Or are Western leaders taking refuge in a comfortable fiction while shielding themselves from an exceedingly difficult truth? 

With the West engaged in military operations in multiple Islamic countries and with growing Muslim minorities at home, the answer is of critical importance to the future of Western Civilization.

Relying primarily on Islam's own sources, "House of War: Islam's Jihad Against the World," formerly "Religion of Peace? Islam's War Against the World" and now available in paperback, cogently demonstrates that Islam is a violent, expansionary ideology that seeks the subjugation and destruction of other faiths, cultures and systems of government. 

Islam is as much a system of government as it is a religion, and it seeks to extend its own peculiar legal code, Sharia law, over the entire world. Islamic doctrine divides the world into two conflicting realms: the House of Islam, where Islamic law holds sway, and the House of War, the rest of the world on which war must be waged until Islam is triumphant. The "peace" that Islam seeks is a world united by the Islamic faith and Sharia law in which all other faiths and political regimes have been suppressed or eliminated. "Jihad" is the violent struggle against the House of War world to bring it into "submission" (the Arabic meaning of the word "Islam") to Islamic rule.

Westerners have been indoctrinated to believe that the jihadists they see on television are extremists who have twisted their religion to serve a violent purpose. In fact, their actions are right out of orthodox Islam and are grounded in the Koran and the life of Muhammad. 

By delving into the Islamic writings, Davis reveals the fastest-growing religion in the world for what it is: a violent, expansionary ideology that poses an existential threat to Western Civilization � a fact to which Western leaders remain determinedly blind.

Order now from WND Superstore...

Editorial Reviews

�A very important work at a very important time. Anyone interested in understanding the growing violence on the world scene today must read this book. Its message for America and the West is, �Wake up before it's too late.�" � Gary Bauer, president, American Values

�A valuable, well-argued contribution to the public understanding of Islam . . . [House of War] conveys in a short space what the West needs to know about Islam: that its violent aspects are not the result of deviance but of orthodoxy.� � Robert Spencer, director, www.JihadWatch.com

�This book provides a timely reality check. . . . The refusal of the elite class to open its eyes to reality and protect Western nations from the threat is the biggest betrayal in history.� � Serge Trifkovic, author of "The Sword of the Prophet" and "Defeating Jihad"

About the Author

G.M. Davis is an author and filmmaker. He graduated from the University of Rochester in 1997 with a B.A. in political science, and from Stanford in 2003 with a Ph.D. in the same area of study. In 2005, he produced and directed the feature documentary "Islam: What the West Needs to Know."

WND Exclusive Autographed Edition

Also available in a special "Autographed Edition." Signed books are precious treasures. An autographed book from your favorite author can turn an item of personal value into a cherished keepsake and a wonderful addition to any book collection.

Order now from WND Superstore...

Friday Sermon in Cambridge, MA by Dr. Aslam Abdullah

 FRIDAY SERMON IN CAMBRIDGE, MA | www.WorldMuslimCongress.com 

What an inspirational sermon! Dr. Aslam Abdullah�s sermon had a universal message, meaning, whether you are Muslim or not, you would appreciate its content. He talked about the principle items Prophet Muhammad talked about in his last sermon �and had asked his followers to hang on to; equality of humankind, respect for women, non discrimination based on race or color of the skin, being just to fellow humans, accountability of one�s actions, and no one will bear others burden,  human rights, taking care of the neighbors and all of that stuffed with mercy and kindness.

He questioned, why none of the 56 Muslim majority nations have not incorporated those principles in their constitution, and yet call themselves Islamic? Then he said the declaration of human rights by the United Nations in 1948 and our constitution have those principles embedded in them.

I will ask him to at least write down the outline of his sermon if not, the whole sermon. It is worth listening to. The audience was in awe!  Rarely do people hear practical sermons that can change their lives in relation to fellow human beings.  The rationality and universality of Islam he talks is appealing.

This is the kind of sermon people want  to hear, it will open up the minds and truly understand the purpose of Islam or any religion for that matter � to create cohesive societies where no one has to live in fear of the other based on justice and mercy. 

We have to take care of our life here on earth and be just to it, life is an Amana ( trust) God has endowed us with, and we cannot sacrifice it for the Akhira (hereafter). Our problem is we fail to live a life for the sake of hereafter that is wrong. We have to be just to both.

The sermon and the discussions following that gave me a lot of hope and strength to my belief that a majority of people are moderates; they want to get along with all and live their lives and let others live theirs.  One of these days, we will do a survey of sermons as to which one�s were most remembered and what appealed to them. I bet with prejudice that sermons that respect all of humanity would be the most valued ones.

Dr. Aslam Abdullah, myself and several others are in Boston for the AFMI (American Federation of Muslims from India) Conference. Dr. Suhaib Siddiqi is our host and drove us to the Cambridge Mosque, one of the oldest Mosques, with us were Dr. Razia Ahmed, Dr. Iqbal Ahmed and Dr. Marryam Ahmed. We had some good discussions while driving back and forth and having the lunch.


I missed much of the sermon as we had parking issues, we had dropped Dr. Abdullah and and our friends at the Mosque and went to park the car a mile plus away.  Dr. Suhaib Siddiqi is another enlightened Muslim that faces problems now and then.  After the sermon, he went to talk to the organizer of the mosque about the parking issue we had, the guy at the parking lot was rude, he did not allow us to park the car, even for the sermon giver, and we had only 1o minutes to start the sermon.  While he was sharing it, that rude man came and nearly shouted at him that he was a not a Muslim and is a hypocrite and the organizer should not listen to him... ... what?

What a shame, a few Muslims really push God aside and become God for the minute and pass judgments about others, a right only God has, it is time to push the right but new understanding in Islam - that is to declare any one less than a Muslim is a great sin of shirk- associating with God or usurping God's power. I demand any Muslim who declares other Muslim a Kafir to produce the contract from God that he was appointed as God's deputy, assistant or associate, if not, they need not talk.  Takfiriyat is wrong and must be rejected, it is an idea whose time has come - more at http://worldmuslimcongress.blogspot.com/2015/05/shia-sunni-takfiris-not-acceptable.html

Dr. Aslam Abdullah and I think and write alike on most of the issues. It was a joy for me to hear him for the first time.  I follow him on facebook for a number of years but today was he first day I actually met him. I have given similar sermons at the Unitarian Universalist Churches all over Dallas area, by the way, I fit in the mould of UU, as Islam is similar to me to create a world of harmony and peace.

Before I moved to Washington DC, I had planned on delivering Friday Sermons and have written several Sermons (need to find where they are) based on the following write ups:

1. Connecting with the Prophet -

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mike-ghouse/how-i-connect-with-prophet-muhammad_b_2547782.html

2. American Muslim Agenda -
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mike-ghouse/american-muslim-agenda-a-_b_5528706.html

3. Fixing the Muslim Mistakes
http://worldmuslimcongress.blogspot.com/2014/12/fixing-muslim-mistakes.html

4. Is Akhira the root of Muslim Problem?http://worldmuslimcongress.blogspot.com/2014/07/religious-pluralism-versus-intolerance.html

5. Articles on Quranic verses at www.Quraantoday.com
6. Civic  Islam at www.WorldMuslimCongress.com
7. Sharia � www.ShariaLaws.com

8. Blasphemy   - http://BlasphemyLaws.blogspot.com
9. Apostasy � http://apostasyandIslam.blogspot.com

10. Profile - https://plus.google.com/108969690090944956820/about

Mike Ghouse is a motivational speaker, thinker and a writer and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day. More about him at www.MikeGhouse.netand most of his writings are at www.TheGhouseDiary.com

Iraqi priest: �There�s no such thing as moderate Islam�ISIS represents Islam one hundred percent�

�Wake up! The cancer is at your door. They will destroy you. We, the Christians of the Middle East are the only group that has seen the face of evil: Islam... 

�Please, if there�s anyone who still thinks ISIS doesn�t represent Islam, know that they are wrong. ISIS represents Islam one hundred percent.�

� Fr. Douglas al-Bazi, Iraqi Catholic Priest and Confessor for Christ,

captured and tortured by Muslim jihadists in 2006.

Let us all try to do something � whatever we can � in the face of the tsunami of evil wiping away our Christian brothers and sisters in the Middle East, Egypt and North Africa, Pakistan, Indonesia, throughout the entire Islamic world. Let us pray for them, even as we start to heed the warnings and cries of the new confessors and martyrs like Fr Douglas al-Bazi, who daily follow Christ to their Golgotha, bearing their unimaginable cross!

Speaking in 1980, Blessed Hieromonk Seraphim (Rose) of Platina had this to say about Golgotha:

It is a law of the spiritual life that where there is Golgotha�if it is genuine suffering for Christ�there will be resurrection. This resurrection first of all occurs in human hearts, and we do not need to be too concerned what outward form it might take by God�s will... 

Our inward, spiritual resurrection is what we should be striving for, and the events in Russia give us hope that there will yet be a resurrection of true, suffering Christianity, not only in Russia, but wherever hearts have not become entirely frozen. But we must be ready for the suffering that must precede this...

Are we in the West ready for this? Golgotha does not mean the incidental sufferings we all go through in this life. It is something immense and deep, which cannot be relieved by taking an aspirin or going to a movie. It is what Russia has gone through and is now trying to communicate to us. Let us not be deaf to this message. By the prayers of all the New Martyrs, may God give us the strength to endure the trials coming upon us and to find in them the resurrection of our souls.

� Fr. Seraphim Rose, The Orthodox Revival in Russia as an Inspiration for American Orthodoxy, The Orthodox Word #138, 1988, p. 51. (From a talk given in 1980.)

  

Obviously, what Fr Seraphim was speaking of regarding the New Martyrs of Russia in the 20th century under Communism is equally true about the New Martyrs of the 21st century under Islam. Let us heed his prophetic voice and rouse ourselves to zeal and perseverance in following our Lord, God and Savior Jesus Christ!

��There�s No Such Thing as Moderate Islam�: An Iraqi Priest Describes the Christian Genocide,� by Matteo Matzuzzi, Il Foglio, August 26, 2015 (translated by Francesca Romana, Rorate Caeli), courtesy of Jihad Watch:

Rome. �Please, if there�s anyone who still thinks ISIS doesn�t represent Islam, know that they are wrong. ISIS represents Islam one hundred percent.� Father Douglas al Bazi, an Iraqi Catholic parish priest in Erbil, raised his voice during an intervention at the Meeting in Rimini, with a choice of words � in a provocative way and in hard tones � that few had ventured use so far.

He carries on his own body the scars of the torture he underwent nine years ago, when a band of Jihadists kidnapped him for nine days, keeping him in chains and blindfolds along with a broken nose from being kneed: �For the first four days they didn�t even give me anything to drink. They would walk past me saying �Father, do you want some water?� All day long they would listen to the reading of the Koran to let the neighbours hear what good believers they were.��

Father Douglas Al Bazi is in charge of two refugee shelters for Christians who survived the advance of the black horde � not far from Ankawa. After the marking of houses with the �n� of the Nazarene plus the Christians displaced on the Nineveh plain, a year ago, �from morning to night we receive thousands of refugees� and the exodus continues. �I�m proud to be an Iraqi, I love my country. But my country is not proud that I�m part of it. What is happening to my people is nothing other than genocide. I beg you: do not call it a conflict. It�s genocide�, said the priest, who doesn�t want to hear anything about �moderate Islam�: 

�When Islam lives amidst you, the situation might appear acceptable. But when one lives amidst Muslims, everything becomes impossible. I�m not here to instigate you to hate Islam. I was born amid Muslims and I have more friends among them than I have with Christians. But people change and if we go to my country, no-one will be able to distinguish the light from the darkness. There are those who say: 'but I have lots of Muslim friends who are very nice'. Yes, certainly! They are nice over here! Over there the situation is very different!�

A situation in which regard the vice-President of the French Conference for Imams also had some tough words to say. Hocine Drouiche, also the Imam of Nimes, intervened last July at the European Parliament: �In the world, Christians are being persecuted, hunted down, deprived of work, imprisoned, tortured and murdered. All means are being used to force them to deny their faith, including the ritual of collective rape, considered in some states a form of penal sanction. Owning a Bible has become a crime, religious worship is prohibited and there has been a return to the times of Masses in the caves and the first martyrs�. And the fault, Drouiche had added in a discourse which had not been highlighted very much by the European media�, is contemporary Islam�, which is much closer �to sectarianism rather than a universal, open religion�.

�I believe in the end they will destroy us�

Father al Bazi�s account is of one who runs the risk of being murdered on the street every day: We never know if coming out of the church we�ll be able to go into it again alive. In Baghdad they had the church explode right in front of me. They shot me on the legs with a AK-47, a type of Kalashnikov, and probably sooner or later they�ll kill me�. Yet his faith is solid: �When they put me in chains, during my kidnapping, they tightened a big padlock on my wrists. On the chain there were ten extra rings, which I used to recite the Rosary. I have never prayed it so earnestly as I did in that situation�. �I � added Father Douglas � don�t implore your help. I�m not frightened just as my people aren�t frightened either. I believe they�ll destroy us in the end. But I also believe that we will have the last word. Jesus told us that we need to carry our own crosses, and that is what we in the Middle East are doing. Yet the most important thing is not the carrying of the cross, but following it. And following it means accepting, challenging and committing oneself right to the very end�.

�We need to have patience and carry the cross each day, but we also must react�, said Father Ibrahim Alsabagh, parish priest in Aleppo, echoing him, and reported how the city is now �divided in tens of parts, each one of them in the hands of a different group of Jihadists. Our Church of St. Francis is sixty metres from the firing line. They have already hit many churches, we don�t know when it will be our turn�. Here is why Father Douglas, at the end of his intervention, launched a warning to the feeble West:

�Wake up! The cancer is at your door. They will destroy you. We, the Christians of the Middle East are the only group that has seen the face of evil: Islam��.

Pakistan: Christian Flood Victims Forced to Renounce Jesus Christ, Become Slaves to Muslims or Die

Sharia applied to disaster relief for Christians in the Muslim country of Pakistan: 

"More than 60 Christian families in the western Pakistani region of Kasur lost their homes and all worldly possessions when the deluge hit this summer... left to starve if they don't convert to Islam or become modern-day slaves in order to receive help from Muslims or the government..."

by Samuel Smith, Christian Post, via Pravoslavie, August 26, 2015

As torrential flooding spanned across various regions of Pakistan this summer and washed away thousands of homes, Christians in Kasur have received very little humanitarian aid and have been left to starve if they don't convert to Islam or become modern-day slaves in order to receive help from Muslims or the government.

Wilson Chowdhry, the president of the British Pakistani Christian Association, told The Christian Post that there are more than 60 Christian families in the western Pakistani region of Kasur that have lost their homes and all worldly possessions when the deluge hit this summer and washed their mud homes and everything inside them away.

While Muslims in the region have benefited from temporary shelter, clean water and food provided by Pakistani government agencies and Muslim charities, Christians have largely been without those bare necessities and medication needed to fight illnesses that can occur after flooding.

Chowdhry explained that some Muslim charities are giving Christians the option to convert to Islam and renounce Jesus if they want to receive help.

"We are are aware that this community has previously been offered aid from Muslim charities if they convert but they never accept conversion. They hold strong to their faith. They believe God will be their provider," Chowdhry explained. "These families have literally been struggling without food. Churches have opened up their doors but can't provide them much aid because the churches themselves in the region are struggling. We are talking about a very rural part of Pakistan."

Chowdhry added that as desperation started to get the best of the Christian population in Kasur, many Kasur Christians ended up signing bonded labor contracts in order to receive aid from Muslim landlords before BPCA arrived in the region.

"We have come in very late. We first went to Layyah and Gilgit, but if we could have arrived [in Kasur] seven days earlier, there could have been more lives that we potentially could have saved from this modern-day slavery," Chowdhry said. "Several families have already now signed contracts, which has now made them slaves for their Muslim landlords."

Although the flooding hit other regions like Layyah and Gilgit, Chowdhry stated that through "the grace of God," Christians in those areas were "unaffected" by the flooding. After BPCA officer Naveed Aziz visited Christians in Layyah and Gilgit, he then made his way to Kasur where he noticed that Christians in that region were not as fortunate.

"I was shocked at the immense devastation before me it was a lot to take in," Aziz said in a statement. "People are in real desperation and children are starving. I am surprised and shocked at the lack of help from Pakistani authorities."

As flooding has become a consistent problem for Pakistan over the last five years, Chowdhry said it "is not unusual" for the government to overlook helping the Christian communities.

"When it comes to flooding of Christian communities, the government seems to back away. Whereas with Muslim communities, they go straight in there, so do the Muslim charities," Chowdhry said. "Muslim charities depend upon their Muslim supporters for their donations to continue. So, helping Muslims helps support their particular group and the publicity that it generates for them."

The BPCA will aid 60 Christian families from two different Christian communities in Kasur. BPCA will provide basic food items like rice, flour and curry to help prevent those communities from starving. Additionally, the BPCA will provide medication for Dengue fever.

"I'm sure there is more, but these are the 60 families that we are going to be able to help. Anything larger scale than that, we are going to need to have a lot more resources," Chowdhry asserted. "They will literally be eating bread for the duration of the time that we are helping. That's what we can provide. It is a very basic but healthy enough to help them continue in the sustenance they need."

With donations from an unnamed African church, BPCA also plans to build three water pumps in the region to help get those communities access to fresh drinking water.

BPCA would love to provide more for the distressed community in Kasur, but only has enough funds to provide what little the organization can. BPCA started a fundraising effort to help Christian flood victims, however, the effort has only raised the equivalent of $392.

"To be honest with you, Christians and their lack of support, its very frustrating," Chowdhry admitted. "We do what little we can with the donations that are coming through. We are giving very basic meals at the moment. Luckily, we have the funding for the pumps from another group. People really need to dig down."

"In Matthew 25:40, which goes something like the King will say, 'When you have done it for the least of these, my brothers and sisters, you are doing it me,'" Chowdhry recited. "People need to kind of reflect on that, as Christians we need to help the needy."

Chowdhry is also calling on the Pakistani government to stop ignoring the Christian community and put in place infrastructure that will help limit damage caused by flooding.

"Our dams are outdated. There needs to be more dams restored. They need to be larger-size dams, those that would work more efficiently," Chowdhry argued. "In tandem with this, there has to be a more coordinated approach toward the damn [sic] infrastructure with India."

All the Important Information about Hajj

Hajj is one of the five pillars of Islam which is fardh on every Muslim who is physically and financially stable to perform it. Hajj 2015 is just around the corner and Muslims from all over the world are flying to Saudi Arabia to perform it. Every year over two million Muslims from different countries performs Hajj.

Here is all the Important Information about Hajj which every Muslim must know.

What is Hajj?

Preparations for the Hajj:

the rituals of Hajj:

How many people performed Hajj in previous years?

8 Steps of Hajj:

'Breaking of the Crosses' in Syracuse Part 2: The Sharia Doctrine against the Cross

The huge response to my recent post on the conversion into a mosque of a century-old Roman Catholic church in Syracuse, NY, gives us reason and opportunity to explore Islamic hatred of Christianity and the Cross in more depth. 

This well-researched article by Ryan Mauro of the Clarion Project elaborates the sharia doctrine behind Islam's jihad against the Cross, and helps explain the significance of Muslims breaking and covering 10,000 crosses in Syracuse.

We will only see more such examples of Islam's jihad against Christianity and the Cross in the dark days ahead. This is truly a Sign of the Apocalypse.

Al-Qaeda Declares 'We Must Eliminate the Cross'

This follows sharia doctrine that says Christianity's ultimate elimination will be carried out by Jesus,who is really an Islamist.

by Ryan Mauro, The Clarion Project (originally posted April 27, 2014)

Senior Al Qaeda leader Nasir al-Wuhayshi recently appeared in a video made in Yemen during the largest and most dangerous gathering of Al Qaeda in recent years.

Al Qaeda recently released a video of a large meeting in Yemen showing senior leader Nasir al-Wuhayshi preaching, �We must eliminate the cross� and explained that, �The bearer of the cross is America.�

Al-Wuhayshi was referencing sharia doctrine about the ultimate elimination of Christianity at the hands of the Islamist version of Jesus. It couldn�t be clearer: Their jihad is not about Western foreign policy. It�s about global conquest.

The Al Qaeda leader�s comment is important because it displays the end goal of even the �moderate� Islamists who insist that sharia governance is tolerant to Christians and Jews because it does not require a change in faith.

In truth, the system is designed to contain Christianity and Judaism and minimize their sustainability, but even this modicum of acceptance is not permanent.

Mainstream sharia doctrine holds that Jesus was not crucified or resurrected, but instead ascended to heaven. According to the doctrine, one day he will return to defeat the Islamic version of the Antichrist, which is called the Dajjal.

IslamWeb, a website that honors Muslim Brotherhood spiritual leader Yousef al-Qaradawi, states in Fatwa 82061 that �the first people to follow him [the Dajjal] will be the Jews.� The Antichrist will be on earth for 40 days and then Jesus �will come down from heaven and kill him.�

IslamWeb Fatwa 124824 says Jesus will �break some crosses and command people to do the same�... 

The objective is to make Christians accept that their interpretation of Jesus is wrong and to convert to Islam.

Islamist teaching about the Dajjal foments anti-Semitism and depicts Jesus as someone who -- alongside the Muslims -- will fight the Jews. Islamic scholar Imran Nazar Hosein preached in 2011 that the Dajjal will have an army of 70,000 Jews from Isfahan, Iran �externally appearing to be Muslims.� Egyptian Sheikh Mahmoud al-Masry says the same thing, adding that the Dajjal will be born to a Jewish woman in Isfahan and reign from Jerusalem.

IslamWeb Fatwa 124824 says Jesus will �break some crosses and command people to do the same� and will also �prohibit keeping them.� The objective is to make Christians accept that their interpretation of Jesus is wrong and to convert to Islam.

OnIslam.net, a website where Muslims can ask Islamic scholars questions, says Jesus �will declare himself as a prophet of Islam, coming to correct his message and to unite all the believers under the banner of Islam.� Jesus will then abolish the jizya, the mandatory tax paid by non-Muslims under sharia governance.

This prophetic absorption of Christianity into Islam is what is envisioned by the United Muslim Christian Forum, an Islamist terrorist front group, when it talks about bringing the two religions together into a single bloc.

Sharia will be the only government and Islam the only faith. The Reliance of the Traveller, an authoritative Sharia manual endorsed by Egypt�s Al-Azhar University (the highest school of Sunni learning) and the Muslim Brotherhood-linked International Institute of Islamic Thought, says in section 09.8:

�After his [Jesus] final coming, nothing but Islam will be accepted from them [Jews and Christians], for taking the poll tax [jizya] is only effective until Jesus� descent�The coming of Jesus does not entail a separate divinely revealed law, for he will rule by the law of Mohammed��

IslamWeb Fatwa 82052 explains that Jesus will

�implement Islamic rules, and He will fight against the present Idolatrous Christianity. The most correct evidence shows that he is still alive, has not yet died, after Almighty Allah rescued him from the guilty Jews.�

Sharia doctrine further explains that Christians who convert at this time will go to Paradise. As for Christians and other non-Muslims who did not live for this prophetic time, they will be judged one day by Jesus. Anyone who ever lived and heard the message of Islam and did not convert will have Jesus as a �witness� against them on the Day of Judgment, according to Fatwa 82052.

These fatwas reference the hadith, or the collection of narrations about Mohammed�s life, as the source for their determinations. Muslims often disagree about the authenticity, interpretation and correct application of the different hadiths, but the top sharia scholars are united in their beliefs about Jesus� role in prophecy and his destruction of crosses.

The Islamist offensiveness at the sight of a cross comes from these teachings about Sharia. Since they believe Jesus finds it so offensive that he will one day break the crosses, these Islamists believe they are commanded to likewise be offended by Christianity and the symbol of the cross in particular.

There is disagreement among Islamists about when Christians are acceptable targets, but Islamist terrorists like Al-Qaeda can cite authoritative Sharia rulings to show that attacks on Christianity are permitted before Jesus� descent from heaven.

A worldview that says �we must eliminate the cross� cannot be changed by political [or religious] dialogue...

When Islamists destroy crosses or talk of destroying the cross, they are emulating the anger they believe Jesus has towards the cross. They are acting as they believe Jesus would if he were on earth today. This is the source for al-Wuhayshi�s statement that �we must eliminate the cross.�

This is also why Christian girls in Egypt are having their necklaces with crosses broken. It is also why Islamists in Libya destroyed a cross (along with the gravestones) at a gravesite for British soldiers who died there fighting the Axis powers.

Section o9.8 of Reliance of the Traveler states that a caliph (the leader of a caliphate) �makes war upon Jews, Christians and Zoroastrians� after first giving them a chance to convert or submit to sharia governance and agreeing to pay the jizya. Some Islamists argue that the resurrection of the caliphate is required for this war to commence, but that�s not exactly a reassuring qualification.

The Distinguished Jurist�s Primer by Ibn Rushd was published by the Qatar-based Center for Muslim Contribution to Civilization and endorsed by a list of prestigious Islamist scholars including Qaradawi, members of Al-Azhar and the Qatari government. Section 101.1.7 of the Primer states, 

�The Muslim jurists agreed that the purpose of fighting the People of the Book, excluding the (Qurayshite) People of the Book and the Christian Arabs, is one of two things: it is either for their conversion to Islam or the payment of jizya.�

Islamist terrorists like Al-Qaeda who target Christians and Western civilization believe they are doing the work of Allah and, ironically, Jesus. A worldview that says �we must eliminate the cross� cannot be changed by political dialogue and foreign policy alterations.

 _______

Ryan Mauro is the ClarionProject.org�s National Security Analyst, a fellow with the Clarion Project and is frequently interviewed on top-tier TV stations as an expert on counterterrorism and Islamic extremism.

Muslim population in Indian states, percentage as per Census 2011 report on religions: UP, West Bengal, Bihar have largest Muslim concentration

The population of Muslims in India is slightly more than 14.2%. The last census was conducted in 2011 but the figures about religions were not disclosed till as late as 2015.

There is lot of confusion about figures of Muslims in Indian states. The reason is that various reports are cited including estimates of United States (US) agencies and other international organisations like PEW group.

Also, there is a trend of 'exaggeration' among sections of Muslims, which creates misconceptions. We must know the figures as per the census report. Here is the Muslim population in different states as per the government of India's official figures.

Muslim population is highest in Uttar Pradesh, which is home to 3.84 crore Muslims but they account for nearly 19.5% of the population of the state, followed by West Bengal,  Bihar, Maharashtra, Assam and Kerala.

The percentage of Muslims is highest in Jammu-Kashmir among big states and in Lakshadwip among the union territories. These are figures as per census 2011, and the current figure would be slightly high. The next census will take place in 2021.

State                                         Muslim population [Figures as per Census 2011]

Uttar Pradesh                            3.84 crore
West Bengal                              2.46 crore
Bihar                                        1.75 crore
Maharashtra                              1.29 crore
Assam                                      1.06 crore


Kerala                                        88 lakh
Jammu and Kashmir                    85 lakh
*Andhra Pradesh+Telangana        81 lakh
Karnataka                                  78 lakh
Rajasthan                                   62 lakh


Gujarat                                       58 lakh
Madhya Pradesh                          47.7 lakh
Jharkhand                                   47 lakh
Tamil Nadu                                 42.5 lakh
Delhi                                          21.5 lakh

Haryana                                       17.8 lakh
Uttarakhand                                 14 lakh
Odisha                                         9.1 lakh
Punjab                                         5.26 lakh
Chhattisgarh                                5.1 lakh

[Lakshadweep has a small population, just 64,000, but it is predominantly Muslim]    

OVERALL POPULATION OF INDIA: POPULATION OF ADHERENTS OF DIFFERENT RELIGIONS IN INDIA [Number of followers of each faith, percentage]

India's population: 121.09 crore [1.21 billion]
Hindus    96.63 crore   (79.8%)
Muslims  17.22 crore   (14.2%)
Christian 2.78 crores (2.3 per cent)
Sikh 2.08 crores (1.7 per cent)
Buddhist 84 lakh (0.7 per cent)
Jain 45 lakh (0.4 per cent)
Other religions and persuasions (ORP) 0.79 crores (0.7 per cent) 
Religion not stated 0.29 crores (0.2 per cent)

BIG FIVE STATES: Maximum Muslim population is in these states

The big five are UP, WB, Bihar, Maharashtra and Assam--each having more than 1 crore or 10 million Muslims. The states that have 5-10 million Muslims include Kerala, Jammu Kashmir, Karnataka, Rajasthan.

Then comes, the states that have 20-50 lakh Muslims [2-5 million]. They include Gujarat, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Delhi. Next come, Uttarakhand, Haryana, Chhattisgarh, Punjab and Tripura.

But even states like Haryana, Orissa (now Odisha) and Punjab that have lesser Muslims, often have cities, towns and regions that have a strong Muslim concentration or Muslim dominated pockets where the impact of Muslims on local culture is quite visible.                

The states and union territories that come later in the list include Himachal Pradesh, Tripura, Manipur, Meghalaya, Goa, Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Andaman Nicobar, Daman and Diu, Dadra Nagar Haveli, Chandigarh et al.

[*Jointly, Andhra Pradesh+Telangana, population in Census 2011 was 8.45 crore, which meant there were 81 lakh Muslims (9.6%). Andhra is a bigger state in terms of population but has less Muslim percent. Telangana has a higher Muslim population than Andhra. After bifurcation, the religious population hasn't been officially known for both states].