I am a Muslim. Both my parents are Muslims. All four of my grandparents were Muslims. So were their parents and their grandparents. I have always been proud to be Muslim for Islam is a religion of peace, a religion of justice, a religion of love. But lately I am confused.
I grew up knowing that Islam is a way of life. Islam means submission and obedience to God's law. God's law, not the laws of humans who interpret the words of God. Not the laws set by people who call themselves religious scholars or leaders of an Islamic nation but tell us to go against the core teachings of Islam.
These are the people who told us to hate all the Jews of the world when Israel killed thousands of Palestinians, but do not condemn the killing of Muslims by Muslims such as the ISIS militants.
These are the people who were very vocal when Muslim Rohingyas went through ethnic cleansing in Myanmar but have done nothing to help the Rohingyas who have come to Malaysia for protection.
These are the people who would act against anyone making fun of Islam in their writings but they themselves disrespect others through their sermons and speeches.
These are the people who claim 9/11 and the Charlie Hebdo massacre were needed as a warning to the infidels to stop ridiculing Islam but ridicule other faiths all the time.
These are the people who safeguard the sanctity of the holy book of Muslims but couldn't care less about the holy books of other religions, even threatening to burn them.
These are the people who would encourage the entire Muslim population in the country to boycott the products of Israel, the US, Denmark and Holland over some incident taking place thousands of miles away but have never made a stand over the injustice taking place in the Middle East.
These are the people who condemn kafir countries when Muslim students are not allowed to wear hijab to school but look away when a Muslim woman is beheaded or stoned to death in an Islamic country.
These are the people who chant about freedom but imprisons anyone who speaks against their rulings.
These are the people who speak of human rights but snatches away a child from his non-Muslim mother and gives him to his newly converted father.
These are the people who talk of respecting one another, but would break into someone's bedroom in the wee hours of the morning.
These are the people who claim to be the leaders of an Islamic nation but use Islam only to oppress others in order to achieve their own personal agendas.
I am sorry, but I am really confused.
Isn't Islam a religion of peace? Isn't Islam a religion of justice? Isn't Islam a religion of love? Where is the peace, justice and love?
Today when I tell people I am a Muslim, the first question is usually: "What type of Muslim are you? Conservative or liberal? Umno Islam or PAS Islam?"
How do I answer that? How Muslim can a Muslim be?
Surely being born to Muslim parents doesn't make you Muslim.
Praying five times a day doesn't make you Muslim.
Reading the Holy Quran doesn't make you Muslim.
Covering yourself head to toe doesn't make you Muslim.
Consuming only halal products doesn't make you Muslim.
Performing the Haj doesn't make you Muslim.
Having an Arabic name doesn't make you Muslim.
Going on a killing spree in the name of jihad doesn't make you Muslim.
Being offended every time people ridicule Allah or the prophets doesn't make you Muslim.
Sticking "I am Muslim" on your windscreen doesn't make you MusIim.
Protesting against the building of temples in your neighbourhood doesn't make you Muslim.
Not celebrating Christmas or Valentine's Day doesn't make you Muslim.
Decorating your home with verses from the Quran doesn't make you Muslim.
Saying "In the name of God" before eating or drinking doesn't make you Muslim.
Feeling offended over Charlie Hebdo's cartoons doesn't make you Muslim.
Supporting hudud doesn't make you Muslim.
Having "Islam" stated as your religion on a piece of card doesn't make you Muslim.
So what makes you Muslim?
"It is not the eyes that are blind, but the hearts." - Quran, 22:46
Pray for Muslim people suffering such confusion that they will come to His light and be set free from delusion and lostness they are experiencing. Pray that visions and dreams of Christ will multiply among them and that Christians will be empowered with wisdom and boldness to share the Lord and the Gospel with them.
"The ISIS cancer has metastasized," proclaims a Wall Street Journal article on March 23rd. The Islamic state is building a regional and global network to recruit from and attack other nations. Their strategy, according to the article, encompasses three geographical rings: Iraq, Syria and other Levant nations like Jordan, Lebanon, Israel-Palestine; other parts of the Middle East and North Africa, extending over to Afghanistan and Pakistan; and the rest of the world, namely Europe, the USA and Asia.
In spite of what governments and political pundits say in politically correct ways so as not to offend the great majority of "peaceful" Muslims, the Islamic State leaders and their increasing number of followers are being rigidly and uncompromisingly Islamic in the way they go about things. They are actually trying to emulate their prophet Muhammad in all they do. According to Graeme Wood, they are "authentic throwbacks to early Islam and are faithfully reproducing it's norms of war", including slavery, crucifixion and beheadings (The Atlantic magazine March 2015). They hope to return to 7th century Islamic sharia law and eventually bring about the apocalypse. In this effort, they are committed to "purify the world" by killing large numbers of people whom they regard as infidels.
Because ISIS is metastasizing and threatening an increasing number of countries in its bid to become a global movement and caliphate, it is essential for us to mobilize prayer at this tipping point so their goal of world domination can be blunted and overthrown. We must remind ourselves that intercessory prayer has been the decisive factor many times before both in Scripture and history. Intercessors are the shapers of history in God's hands. In partnership of the Holy Spirit, we need to develop an international prayer strategy to combat the scourge of Islamic terrorism. Indeed, this was one of the main reasons the IPC came into existence just after 9/11 when a group of international prayer leaders met near Ground Zero in New York City to launch a prayer network that would focus on global issues like terrorism.
Here are some suggested elements for such a strategy as well as some basic prayer points we should be able to implement to counter the growing threat from radical Islam in which some see the dark clouds of World War III:
Let's work together to mobilize any prayer groups, churches and other intercessors we are in touch with to really pray with this focus for the rest of this year. Persevering, informed intercession will make all the difference!
Supply these praying people with current information and prayer requests. For this purpose, please educate yourself about radical Islam, its objectives and activities so you and others can pray intelligently.
Meet regularly in person or over the phone with a few others to pray in depth about specific aspects of the radical Islamic threat that you discover.
Some recommended prayer concerns to get you going:
1. Pray that the radical Islamic movement increasingly coalescing around ISIS as its standard bearer will degenerate into factions, dividing from one another and even fighting against each other.
2. Pray that radical Islamic leaders and their followers will have revelations, dreams, and visions of Christ and make an abrupt turnabout like the great Apostle Paul did. He repented from persecuting and killing Christians to become the most dedicated and effective of missionaries, probably in all history.
3. Pray for the international community to put real military teeth into what is now a paper coalition of 60 nations. May they recognize the urgency and commit every bit of funding and military force necessary to fight and defeat ISIS, Al Qaeda, Boko Haram, Al Shabaab and other radical groups across the whole world.
4. For President Obama and the US government to fully commit and provide unwavering leadership in order to subdue and eliminate radical Islam and terrorism.
5. For the cutting off of funding flowing from Saudi Arabia, the UAE and other Muslim nations that are supporting ISIS and other terror groups.
6. That Iran and the West will reach an effective deal on the Iranian nuclear program so that Iran finally gives up trying to build nuclear weapons.
7. Aggressively and authoritatively bind the principalities and powers behind these Islamic radical groups in Jesus' name so that the power and influence of the devil will be broken over them.
8. That huge numbers of Muslims will become disillusioned with all the hate, violence, and death in Islam and come to faith in Jesus Christ. In Matthew 17:20, Jesus exhorts us to release our faith to move mountains. God will work redemptively even through such evil to bring tens of millions of them to faith as we join Him by prayer and witness.
Let's agree for these things in prayer. Remember that history belongs not to the politicians or to the radical Muslims but to the intercessors!
(Adapted from Dr. Peter Hammond's book: Slavery, Terrorism and Islam: The Historical Roots and Contemporary Threat, 2010)
Islam is not a religion, nor is it a cult. In its fullest Form, it is a complete, total, 100% system of life. Islam has religious, legal, political, economic, social, and Military components. The religious component is a beard for all of the other components.
Islamisation begins when there are sufficient Muslims in a Country to agitate for their religious privileges. When politically correct, tolerant, and culturally diverse Societies agree to Muslim demands for their religious privileges, some Of the other components tend to creep in as well..
Here's how it works:
As long as the Muslim population remains around or under 2% In any given country, they will for the most part be regarded as a Peace-loving minority, and not as a threat to other citizens. This is
The case in:
United States -- Muslim 0.6 %
Australia -- Muslim 1.5%
Canada -- Muslim 1.9%
China -- Muslim 1.8%
Italy -- Muslim 1.5%
Norway -- Muslim 1.8%
At 2% to 5%, they begin to proselytise from other ethnic Minorities and disaffected groups, often with major recruiting from The jails and among street gangs.
This is happening in:
Denmark -- Muslim 2%
Germany -- Muslim 3.7%
United Kingdom -- Muslim 2.7%
Spain -- Muslim 4%
Thailand -- Muslim 4.6%
From 5% on, they exercise an inordinate influence in Proportion to their percentage of the population.
For example, they will push for the introduction of halal (clean by Islamic standards) food, thereby securing food preparation Jobs for Muslims. They will increase pressure on supermarket chains to
Feature halal on their shelves, along with threats for failure to comply. This is occurring in:
France -- Muslim 8%
Philippines -- 5%
Sweden -- Muslim 5%
Switzerland -- Muslim 4.3%
The Netherlands -- Muslim 5.5%
Trinidad & Tobago -- Muslim 5.8%
At this point, they will work to get the ruling government to allow them to rule themselves (within their ghettos) under Sharia, the Islamic Law. The ultimate goal of Islamists is to establish Sharia law over the entire world.
When Muslims approach 10% of the population, they tend to increase lawlessness as a means of complaint about their conditions. In Paris, we are already seeing this. Any non-Muslim action offends Islam, and results in uprisings and threats, such as in Amsterdam , with opposition to Mohammed cartoons and films about Islam. Such tensions are seen daily, particularly in Muslim sections in:
Guyana -- Muslim 10%
India -- Muslim 13.4%
Israel -- Muslim 16%
Kenya -- Muslim 10%
Russia -- Muslim 15%
After reaching 20%, nations can expect hair-trigger rioting, Jihad militia formations, sporadic killings, and the burnings of Christian churches and Jewish synagogues, such as in:
Ethiopia -- Muslim 32.8%
At 40%, nations experience widespread massacres, chronic Terror attacks, and ongoing militia warfare, such as in:
Bosnia -- Muslim 40%
Chad -- Muslim 53.1%
Lebanon -- Muslim 59.7%
From 60%, nations experience unfettered persecution of non-believers of all other religions (including non-conforming Muslims), sporadic ethnic cleansing (genocide), use of Sharia Law as a weapon, and jizya, the tax placed on infidels, such as in:
Albania -- Muslim 70%
Malaysia -- Muslim 60.4%
Qatar -- Muslim 77.5%
Sudan -- Muslim 70%
After 80%, expect daily intimidation and violent jihad, some state-run ethnic cleansing, and even some genocide, as these nations drive out the infidels, and move toward 100% Muslim. Such as has been experienced and in some ways is on-going in:
Bangladesh -- Muslim 83%
Egypt -- Muslim 90%
Gaza -- Muslim 98.7%
Indonesia -- Muslim 86.1%
Iran -- Muslim 98%
Iraq -- Muslim 97%
Jordan -- Muslim 92%
Morocco -- Muslim 98.7%
Pakistan -- Muslim 97%
Palestine -- Muslim 99%
Syria -- Muslim 90%
Tajikistan -- Muslim 90%
Turkey -- Muslim 99.8%
United Arab Emirates -- Muslim 96%
100% will usher in the peace of 'Dar-es-Salaam' - the Islamic House of Peace.. Here there's supposed to be peace, because everybody is a Muslim, the madrassas are the only schools, and the Koran is the only word, such as in:
Afghanistan -- Muslim 100%
Saudi Arabia -- Muslim 100%
Somalia -- Muslim 100%
Yemen -- Muslim 100%
Unfortunately, peace is never achieved, as in these 100% states the most radical Muslims intimidate and spew hatred, and satisfy their blood lust by killing less radical Muslims, for a variety of reasons.
'Before I was nine I had learned the basic canon of Arab life. It was me against my brother; me and my brother against our father; my family against my cousins and the clan; the clan against the tribe; the tribe against the world, and all of us against the infidels.'
It is important to understand that in some countries, with well under 100% Muslim populations, such as France, the minority Muslim populations live in ghettos, within which they are 100% Muslim, and within which they live by Sharia Law. The national police do not even enter these ghettos. There are no national courts, nor schools, nor non-Muslim religious facilities. In such situations, Muslims do not integrate into the community at large. The children attend madrassas. They learn only the Koran. To even associate with an infidel is a crime punishable with death.
Therefore, in some areas of certain nations, Muslim Imams and extremists exercise more power than the national average would indicate.
Today's 1.5 billion Muslims make up 22% of the world's population. But their birth rates dwarf the birth rates of Christians, Hindus, Buddhists, Jews, and all other believers. Muslims will exceed 50% of the world's population by the end of this century.
Prayer Implications from Hammond's findings:
1. Let's pray for our public authorities to wake up and to deal with the threat of Islamization with great wisdom and firmness.
2. Pray for the churches in each country to also become aware of increasing numbers of Muslim immigrants in their midst and to reach out with His love and effectiveness to share Jesus Christ with them in culturally appropriate ways.
(From Stratfor The Geopolitics of Russia: Permanent Struggle, April 15, 2012)
From the Russian point of view, creating a sphere of influence that would return Russia to its relatively defensible imperial boundaries is imperative. Obviously, forces in the peripheral countries as well as great powers outside the region will resist. For them, a weak and vulnerable Russia is preferable, since a strong and secure one develops other appetites that could see Russia pushing along vectors such as through the Skagerrak toward the North Sea, through the Turkish Straits toward the Mediterranean and through La Perouse Strait toward Japan and beyond.
Russia's essential strategic problem is this: It is geopolitically unstable. The Russian Empire and Soviet Union were never genuinely secure. One problem was the North European Plain. But another problem, very real and hard to solve, was access to the global trading system via oceans. And behind this was Russia's essential economic weakness due to its size and lack of ability to transport agricultural produce throughout the country. No matter how much national will it has, Russia's inherently insufficient infrastructure constantly weakens its internal cohesion.
Russia must dominate the Eurasian heartland. When it does, it must want more. The more it wants the more it must face its internal economic weakness and social instability, which cannot support its ambitions. Then the Russian Federation must contract. This cycle has nothing to do with Russian ideology or character. It has everything to do with geography, which in turn generates ideologies and shapes character. Russia is Russia and must face its permanent struggle."
Pray that the sanctions and other measures being taken against Russia will hold President Putin and the Russian government back from further aggressive moves against Ukraine or other nations in their neighborhood or globally.
http://www.wnd.com/2015/01/obama-army-deploys-to-tel-aviv-to-topple-netanyahu/
TEL AVIV - A consulting firm almost entirely composed of former staffers of President Obama's re-election campaign has been hired to run an election effort in Israel aimed at defeating Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The conservative blogosphere is reporting Jeremy Bird, national field director for Obama's 2012 campaign, is now working for a new non-profit group, V15, that is running an effort to defeat Netanyahu in the upcoming election.
A closer look at Bird's consulting firm as well as its working relationship with the Israeli groups finds he is just one of scores of former senior Obama election campaign staffers now working on the anti-Netanyahu effort...
The left-leaning Haaretz daily in Israel reported V15 is "trying to replace Israel's government" and cause "nothing less than an electoral upset" in elections here in March.
Haaretz reporter Roy Arad writes that he directly asked V15 founder Nimrod Dweck whether his group's goal was "anyone but Bibi," referring to Netanyahu by his popular nickname.
Dreck replied: "We say 'replace the government,' it's not directed at specific individuals. There have been many years of right-wing governments during which little happened, it's time to change course and give people hope."
V15, or "Victory 2015" is backed by a U.S.-U.K. group called "One Voice," whose official Tel Aviv offices are adjacent to those of V15.
One Voice bills itself as an "international grassroots movement that amplifies the voice of mainstream Israelis and Palestinians." It has a clearly leftist tone...
270 Strategies' team of 45 staffers includes 16 who worked directly for Obama's campaigns.
Most of the former Obama staffers comprise the senior posts at the firm. Others worked for the Democratic Party, the Democratic National Committee or grassroots groups involved in progressive efforts, including a group to enroll Americans in Obamacare."
Pray for this important election in Israel that all external manipulation will fail and that God's purposes will be accomplished with the right leadership put in place for this challenging time in the nation's history, especially the dangerous confrontation with Iran over its attempt to develop nuclear weapons.
An Invitation to the Last Prayer Initiative for North Korea
In September 2011, leaders, prayer warriors and intercessors serving the Lord all across nations and different sectors of society gathered in Seoul, Korea under a concerted purpose called "PINK" - Prayer Initiative for North Korea. It was the first prayer gathering where the three cords of South Korea, North Korea and the nations gathered to cry out for North Korea for three days. God heard our cries.
Prophetic decrees were made during that time, and the prophecy of Kim Jong-il's fall was fulfilled three months after the gathering - just as it was prophesied. Many more significant changes took place both in South and North Korea leading immediately after PINK 2011.
We stand once again at a crucial juncture.
2015 marks the 70th year of the division of the two Koreas, and the Lord Himself affirms that it is time.
"Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and proclaim to her
that her hard service has been completed,
that her sin has been paid for,
that she has received from the Lord's hand
double for all her sins." Isaiah 40:2 (NIV)
Pyongyang, the capital of North Korea, was once called the "Jerusalem of the East."
The Lord is waiting for His people to proclaim that the time of hard service has ended, to speak tenderly with His love and compassion.
We believe that PINK 2015 will be the last prayer gathering for North Korea.
Let us set aside three days from April 6 to 8, 2015 to proclaim and witness the historical shift.
In His Royal Service,
Preparatory Committee for PINK 2015
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Prayer Initiative for North Korea (PINK ) 2015
Dates: April 6 ~ 8, 2015
Venue: Young San Camp (Osan-ri, Jori-eup, Paju-si, Gyeonggi-do, Korea, http://www.fgcamp.com)
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Homepage: www.pink2015.org
Please find the brief schedule below:
- Registration, dinner & reception: April 5 evening
- Main conference: April 6 Monday ~ April 8 Wednesday
- Daily Subject: Repentance (6th), Intercession (7th), Proclamation(8th)
- DMZ Prayer Tour: April 9 morning
Aleppo | An ISIS jihadist has recently converted to Christianity after being left for dead near the Eastern border of Syria where he was finally rescued by Christian missionaries from the region, reports the Aleppo Herald this morning.
The man, that has miraculously survived multiple gun shot wounds after an altercation between ISIS and Syrian Army forces, was rescued by members of the Saint Dominican Catholic Presbytery of Ayyash hours after the conflict had erupted.
The members of the Christian organization wanted to give the man a proper Christian burial and carried him over 26 kilometers before the man miraculously came back to life as he was believed to have died from his wounds.
http://worldnewsdailyreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/catholic-priest-syria.jpg
The man was believed to be dead for hours before he suddenly came back to life, recalls priest Hermann Groschlin, who discovered the body of the young man. As the man came back to his senses, he reported to priest Hermann Groschlin of the visions he had whilst in the afterlife, an event that profoundly changed the 32-year old jihadist and eventually led to his conversion to Christianity days later.
"He told me that he was always taught that to die as a martyr would open him the Gates of Jannah, or Gates of Heaven" recalled the priest. "Yet, as he had started to ascend towards the light of the Heavens, devilish entities, or Jinns he called them, appeared and led him to the fiery pits of Hell. There he had to relive all the pain he had inflicted upon others and every death he had caused throughout his entire life. He even had to relive the decapitations of his victims through their own eyes", images the jihadist claims will haunt him for the rest of his life, admits the priest.
"Then Allah, or God, spoke unto him and told him that he had failed miserably as a human soul, that he would be banned from the Gates of Heaven if he chose to die, but that if he chose to live again, he would have another chance to repent of his sins and walk along God's path once again"
The young man claims he was brought back to life moments later and eventually converted to Christianity days later, believing he had been misled throughout his religious life under the worship of Allah.
The young man, who's wounds have surprisingly healed in a very short time, has chosen to live amongst the members of the Catholic presbytery who rescued him from the desert and hopes his story will help other ISIS fighters change their ways and convert to the one and only true God, the priest told local reporters.
World News Daily Report, February 23rd, 2015
The local police tell you to leave immediately; a violent mob of 3,000 people is on its way and you need to flee before they attack. By the next morning your home and church have been burnt to the ground and what little you had is now gone.
We wish we could say this is just a story, but sadly it isn't. It's what happened to one of the poorest Christian communities in Pakistan, when a violent mob went on the rampage.
We really want to stop this happening ever again. That's why we need your help...
Sowing the seeds of hate
The seeds of hate are sown throughout Pakistani society. Whether through the media, in the education system, via social media or public discourse, prejudice is tolerated and bred to such an extent that the environment is ripe for an attack on religious minorities. These expressions of religious hatred, or hate speech, pervade society and are one of the main reasons for the persecution, harassment and violence towards religious minorities, including Christians.
When hate speech erupts with violence
Over 100 Christian homes were torched and destroyed when a violent mob of 3,000 people targeted the Christian community at Joseph Colony in Lahore, in March 2013. The violence was sparked after a young Christian man was accused of blasphemy and local imams openly called for him to be killed. What followed was a devastating attack that left Joseph Colony completely ruined. What little they had was destroyed by hate.
Today, almost two years on, Joseph Colony's Christians still live with the aftermath of the attacks, struggling to rebuild their lives. What of the people who destroyed their homes? Well, they're still freely going about daily life as they did before. The only person in prison is the man whose alleged blasphemy triggered the riots.
The answer: countering prejudice with positive speech
So what's the answer? At CSW we believe that to stop the rising tide of attacks on minorities, we need to get to the root cause and tackle hate speech. Only once we change the culture and mindsets within a society that allow religious hatred and intolerance to breed, can we stop the violence which is devastating minority communities across Pakistan and elsewhere.
CSW is supporting and working with partners in Pakistan who are working directly with religious leaders to help change society at a grassroots level, encouraging them to speak tolerance in place of hatred. We're also calling on Pakistan's government to put into action their promises to protect religious minorities, by implementing the recommendations made last year by their Supreme Court which set out clear steps for creating an environment of religious tolerance. As part of our advocacy, we're looking to help create an unbiased education in Pakistan and working with local organisations to make that a reality.
Christian Solidarity Worldwide, 19/12/2014
Please pray for the overthrow of Pakistan's unjust blasphemy law that is being used to persecute and kill believers in Christ.
Pray also for a series of special prayer initiatives in various cities of the nation this month that Christians of all denominations and their leaders will come together in reconciliation, repentance and united intercession for their troubled nation.