bestcurrentnews 2014 Ramadan Prayer

Women Are Deficient in Religion

2014 Ramadan Prayer Day 10Galatians 3:28, says, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male or female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” This is one of many verses in the Bible that teach the equality of men and women within Christianity.

The view of women in Islam however is much different. In the both the Qur’an and hadith, women are viewed as being less than a man. In fact, Muhammad declared that the majority of the inhabitants of Hell are women (Sahih Bukhari 1:6:301). The Qur’an states that it takes two women to equal the witness of one man (Qur’an 2:182), and the hadith references this Qur’anic verse to “prove” women are deficient in intelligence.

In religion, women are also considered inferior. When Muhammad was asked why, the hadith states, “He said, ’Isn’t it true that a woman can neither pray nor fast during her menses?’ The women replied in the affirmative. He said, “‘this is the deficiency in her religion.’”

Islam is a works-based religion, and teaches that at the Day of Reckoning, the mizan or scaleScales will weigh everyone’s good deeds and sins. “We shall set up scales of justice for the day of Judgment, so that not a soul will be dealt with unjustly in the least” (Qur’an 21:47).

If you good deeds outweigh the bad, you will enter paradise, however if the sins outweigh your good deeds you will go to hell. “Then those whose scales are heavy, they are the successful. But those whose balance is light, will be those who have lost their souls, in Hell will they abide” (Qur’an 23:103).

So the reason that the majority of inhabitants in Hell are women is because women are unable to pray or fast if they are having their menstrual period. In fact many Muslims do not allow a woman having her period to enter the mosque or touch the Qur’an during this time. In essence the Qur’an teaches that many women will end up in hell simply because they were born female.

A Muslim lives their entire lives without knowing if they have been good enough to attain enough good deeds to enter Paradise.

Prayer Points:

Thank and praise God that because of His grace and the finished work of the cross of Jesus Christ, we do not have to fear if we have been good enough to make it to heaven. We are grateful we are saved by grace through faith, not by our works!

Pray that Muslims will begin to question the teachings of their religion and ponder why their God (Allah) would create women – only to have most of them end up in Hell.

Pray that they will begin to awaken to the fact that the God of the Christians is a merciful, loving God who is not willing that ANY should perish – but rather come to the knowledge of the truth through Jesus Christ.

Ask the Lord to open their understanding to the value and worth that they have in God’s sight and receive His revelation that He has a plan for them to give women a good future and a life of hope (Jer. 29:11).

bestcurrentnews 2014 Ramadan Prayer

Forced Marriages in the West

2014 Ramadan Prayer Day 9Forcing someone into marriage in England and Wales now carries a maximum of a seven-year jail sentence under a new law that went into effect in June. It also criminalizes forcing a British national into marriage outside of the United Kingdom. This is to prevent families from taking their children to other nations and forcing them to marry. The new law is a result of estimates contained in a consultation paper published in 2011, which estimated there were at least 5,000 to 8,000 cases of forced marriage occurring each year.

A study in Ontario, Canada found 219 cases of forced marriage in a two-year period with a ¼ of the marriages involving people under the age of 18.

We often believe forced marriage is not an issue in more westernized nations, however a report by 60 Minutes in Australia revealed that over the last three years there have been 60 reported cases of forced marriage in Sydney. The Herald Sun reports there are as many as 1,000 forced marriages a year in Australia.

Rania Farrah thought she was going on an exciting vacation with her older brother traveling from her native home of Australia to the pyramids of Egypt, but her vacation turned into a five year nightmare. 60 Minutes of Australia recently featured Rania’s story.

At age 13, her father’s family took Rania captive. One week into the trip, Rania found herself first in Jordan and then eventually in Syria. During her time with her father’s family, Rania was subjected to a virginity test since her father knew that she had started smoking cigarettes and talking to boys. Despite the fact that she was a virgin, she was still beaten by her father and brother. When she told her brother that she had never been with a man, her brother replied, “your dad knows because if he hadn’t believed you, he would have killed you. …it’s common practice over there [Middle East]….it’s quite a normal thing to kill your daughter for not being a virgin.” She describes her father as “the most evil person I have ever met…he’s an awful, awful, awful man.”

Rania was forced into an Islamic lifestyle, going to an Islamic school and learning how to fast during Ramadan. She learned to shut down her emotions and play along with her family. She repeatedly asked her Australian mother to bring her home, only to be repeatedly told to wait. She 27530595_mlwas engaged to her second cousin that she barely knew.

Eventually she decided to try an escape. A friend gave her the phone number of the British Embassy. The Embassy said they could not help her until she was 18, so on her 18th birthday, Rania crept out of the house while her grandmother slept. She took a taxi to a hotel and met a representative of the British Embassy. She said, “If I didn’t get out I was going to kill myself that day.”

Thankfully after Rania was able to escape back to Australia where she resides today. She remains terrified of her father who has now also returned to Australia with his new wife and children. She has a restraining order against her father who has threatened to kill her, her mother and her sister.

Prayer Points:

Countless children in Western nations are potential victims of forced marriages. Despite laws in many western nations, numerous parents such as Rania’s father still attempt to preserve family honor by arranging marriages for their daughters. Pray that God will show these parents that just as God chose to love us, people make a choice to love each other. Love cannot be forced.

Many young women who have experienced forced marriage are not as fortunate as Rania and never have the opportunity to leave – rather they are most often subjected to a life of control and hardship. Pray that women in this situation will have opportunities to hear the gospel of Christ and learn of His love for them.

Matt. 9:38 (NIV) directs us to “Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.” Those in forced marriages are part of the Lord’s harvest of souls. Pray and ask Him to open doors and send forth workers to share the truths of God’s kingdom with them – resulting in the salvation of many and lives redeemed for His purposes.

bestcurrentnews 2014 Ramadan Prayer

Child Marriage

2014 Ramadan Prayer Day 8

Muhammad is the perfect example to Muslims, and as such they are supposed to model their lives after his. Muhammad had multiple wives during his lifetime, however his favorite wife was his third wife, Aisha. He married Aisha when she was a child of six, but did not consummate the marriage until she was nine.

Child marriage continues to be practiced in much of the Islamic world despite the fact that it is considered a human rights abuse. More than 60 million girls worldwide are child brides. In developing nations one in seven girls marries before the age of 15, and nearly half of the 331 million girls in developing nations marry by their 20th birthday.

Child marriages create a cycle of poverty, gender inequality, abuse and numerous health problems. Many young brides are married to men who are much older than they are and often suffer abuse in the marriage. The leading cause of death worldwide for girls ages 15 to 19 are complications related to childbirth and pregnancy.

Child protection experts report that child marriages cause mental illness, suicides, teenage runaways, and even prostitution. The children are forced into prostitution because the marriages often end in divorce, and the child has no way to support herself.

In Afghanistan, girls can legally marry at age 15, and 57% of girls in the nation are married by the age of 16. 66% of girls in Bangladesh are married before the age of 18, and slightly more than 50% of girls in Mali, Mozambique, and Niger are married before the age of 18.

A 55 year old Afghani man with his 8 year old bride on the day of their engagement.
A 55 year old Afghani man with his 8 year old bride on the day of their engagement. Photo by Stephanie Sinclair.

Iran’s legal age of marriage for girls is only 13. One British newspaper reported that in Iran in 2010, 716 girls under the age of 10 had been married. There is no minimum age for girls to marry in Saudi Arabia, and statistics show that there are more than 5,500 child brides under the age of 14.

Western Islamic apologists often cover up the example of Muhammad’s marriage to Aisha, however it is clear that many continue to follow Muhammad’s example today. As Islam has spread to western nations, child marriage is also spreading.

Prayer Points:

Pray that the international community will speak out loud and clear regarding young girls being forced into marriage when they are too young to understand what is taking place or too young to take on this responsibility.

In nations where parents are taught in their culture that child marriage is acceptable, ask God to open their eyes to the truth that this will most likely be frightening and harmful to the young girls.

In Western nations teenage girls most often are given opportunities for further education, choose a future career and make their own decisions. Ask the Lord to give His heart to the parents (especially the fathers) to give their daughters opportunities in their lives – rather than child marriage.

Pray that the families will receive revelation of Almighty God’s desire to bring them true liberty and freedom – through a relationship with Jesus Christ.

bestcurrentnews 2014 Ramadan Prayer

War on Women – Educational Opportunities

2014 Ramadan Prayer Day 7The metaphor, “war on women” has become a worn out catch phrase for politicians in western nations to describe an imaginary attack on the “rights” of women. Most often it is used to try and advance a pro-abortion stance in national public policy. The implication is that pro-life, pro-Christian individuals are waging a “war” against a woman’s freedom to choose to abort their babies.

The term became popular after the 2010 U.S. Congressional elections, and can now be found in news articles from other nations. For instance, in February, headlines declared that women in Spain, France, Britain and other European nations were marching against Europe’s “War on Women” in protest of the Spanish’s government plans to ban abortion. In the past few weeks, Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard’s attempted use of the “war on women” narrative failed to help her hold onto her position as the Labor Party leader. And the “war on women” rhetoric surrounded the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision this week allowing Hobby Lobby the ability to deny funding abortifacient contraceptives.

This western imaginary war on women pales in comparison to the treatment of women under fundamental Islamic rule. There are countless examples of inequality and mistreatment of women within fundamental Islamic societies, which has its root in Islamic texts. The Center for the Study of Political Islam in a statistical study of the Qur’an found that 68% of the verses about women in the Qur’an are negative.

As an example, the Qur’an states, “Men are in charge of women, because Allah hath made the one of them to excel the other…” (Qur’an 4:34). The idea that women are inferior to men is also echoed in the hadith (Sahih Bukhari 1:6:301). In this hadith, Muhammad passes by a group of women and says that the majority of dwellers in hell are women. When they ask him why he replies, “You curse frequently and are ungrateful to your husbands. I have not seen anyone more deficient in intelligence and religion than you.”

Women in Muslim majority countries are rarely given the same educational or economic opportunities as their male Female Illiteracy Ratescounterparts. The ten nations with the lowest economic participation and opportunity for women are Muslim majority nations such as Egypt, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Yemen. Globally 523 million adult women are illiterate. 98% of illiterate people are concentrated in South and West Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa and the Arab States. In many Muslim nations, the majority of women are illiterate. There is an 87% female illiteracy rate in Afghanistan, 84% in Niger; 75% in Chad and Sierra Leone; 59% in Pakistan; 56% in Morocco and 53% in Yemen.

In Afghanistan, the Islamist Taliban banned female education while they were in power, but even after the Taliban was overthrown it can be dangerous for women to seek an education.

Shamsia Husseini suffered severe acid burns on her eyelids and cheeks in 2008 after she was attacked for attending school in Afghanistan. As she walked to school, a masked man who asked her if she was going to school approached her. When she said that she was, he tore off her veil and pumped acid from a spray gun onto her face. Despite the attack she and other girls that were attacked that day persuaded their parents to allow them to continue with their education. Today, nearly six years after the attack, Shamsia is a teacher at the school. She said, “I remember the attack on me and the pain. Education of girls and having female teachers is so important for the future, to show parents and everyone what we can do.”

Prayer Points:

The lack of education for the women of Islam keeps them trapped in a cycle of poverty with few opportunities. Stand with the women for breakthroughs in their lives – declaring that this cycle will be broken for women and future generations.

Without an education, people cannot understand the teachings of their religion and are not taught the truth of God’s Word. Christianity encourages everyone to “study to show ourselves approved” and God’s Word brings His light to our understanding. Islam’s teachings that women are inferior not only keep the Muslim women, but also their children, trapped into a system that they truly have not had opportunity to research for themselves.

Pray for the Muslim women during Ramadan – that they will have a great desire for “truth” and begin to seek God for it. (We know when they do He will reveal His heart of love to them.)

bestcurrentnews 2014 Ramadan Prayer

The “Whys” Behind the Practice of FGM

2014 Ramadan Prayer Day 6Sometimes when Westerners read about a practice like FGM (female genital mutilation), we have difficulty understanding why anyone would allow their daughter to go through such a horrendous procedure. It is easy as Westerners to simply read the statistics, condemn the practice, and pass laws to prevent and criminalize those who may practice it. Passing laws, however, does not change hearts, attitudes, or cultures.

FGM is practiced for a number of reasons. Some cultures have wrongly taught that the clitoris will continue to grow and therefore it needs to be removed. Others have been taught the external genitalia are unclean and can cause the death of an infant during delivery. Many Muslims believe that the failure to perform FGM on their daughters will bring shame to the family. Surveys in Middle Eastern nations have shown that FGM is considered to be both a traditional and religious practice. These attitudes and practices follow immigrants to their new nations, along with their “shame/honor” mindset if the immigrant happens to be Muslim.

Increasingly those that have undergone FGM within Islamic cultures are stopping the practice, and there are brave Muslim women that are speaking out against FGM despite the fact that female sexuality is rarely spoken of in Muslim cultures. However, prayer and awareness is still needed because there is often great pressure from Islamic families to continue with the tradition so the family will not experience “shame.”

There are some Islamic clerics that condone and encourage FGM. Yusuf al-Qaradawi, a leader within the Muslim Brotherhood said, “…the most moderate opinion and the most likely one to be correct is in favor of practicing circumcision in the moderate Islamic way indicated in some of the Prophet’s hadiths even though such hadiths are not confirmed to be authentic. …The [Islamic] hadith indicates that circumcision is better for a woman’s health and it enhances her conjugal relation with her husband. … I personally support this under the current circumstances in the modern world. But whoever chooses not to do it is not considered to have committed a sin for it is mainly meant to dignify women as held by scholars.”FGM Flyer

Other Muslim groups have declared FGM is un-Islamic. It is very significant that the male Muslim Council of Britain, the most prominent Muslim organization in the nation closely linked with the Muslim Brotherhood, has chosen to disagree with al-Qaradawi. The group has promised to distribute leaflets to 500 mosques and community centers across the UK in an effort to end FGM. The leaflet says that one of the basic principles of Islam is that followers should not harm themselves or others, and continues by saying that FGM is bringing Islam “into disrepute.”

Prayer Points:

Praise God that organizations such as the Muslim Council of Britain have condemned the practice of female genital mutilation and are moving to see this procedure ended. Pray that they will stand firm against the practice and not bow to pressure from other members of the Muslim Brotherhood or similar organizations that may still condone it.

Ask God to move on hearts, softening them to His love and truth, and giving them understanding and a new mind-set that the practice of FGM brings trauma and pain in the lives of their women and girls.

Pray for the parents of young girls that may be under tremendous pressure from their families and communities who are encouraging them to circumcise their daughters. Pray they will not give into the community pressure – and receive God’s revelation that the “honorable” thing will be to reject female circumcision.

The practice of FGM is a perfect example of why it is so important for western Christians to be the “relevant majorities” in their nations – speaking out against harmful cultural and religious practices such as FGM. Pray that Christians in the West will take their place before the Lord in society and become the “relevant majority” and make a godly difference in society.

bestcurrentnews 2014 Ramadan Prayer

Summer – The “Cutting Season”

 

2014 Ramadan Prayer Day 5Summer break is the time when most children enjoy time away from school. Many of us have happy memories of those days from our childhoods. However, with increased immigration of Muslims into western nations, there is a growing population of schoolgirls that will not remember their summer as a time of happiness. In fact, for some young girls the summer holiday is known as the “cutting season,” because it is the time of year when many young girls undergo FGM – female genital mutilation. FGM refers to the practice of partially or totally removing the external female genitalia, for non-medical reasons.

The procedure is frequently performed without anesthesia by people without any medical training, and with instruments such as scalpels, pieces of broken glass and tin can lids. The practice has no health benefits and can cause health problems including “severe bleeding and problems urinating, and later cysts, infections, infertility as well as complications in childbirth,” according to the World Health Organization.

One young Kenyan woman describes her experience; “Innocently like a sheep to be taken to a slaughter house, one woman came and told me that I should wake up as it was my day to become a woman…. By that time my mother was nowhere to be seen, at least to see the state I was in and to help me. … According to my community during this fateful day, your mother is not supposed to be present as they believe you will cry and call her for help and as a woman who bears the pain of giving birth, a mother can’t stand to see the pain that you are going through. …they took a piece of cloth, tied it around my eyes and held my head back and then they gave me another piece which they put in my mouth so that I could bite it during the whole process to ease the pain. Two women held my legs and hands so tight that I could not move. Then I felt a very sharp pain between my legs. This was a turning point in my life. The pain I felt can’t be described; thinking of it brings cold shivers inside me.”

Worldwide the UN estimates that 6,000 girls and women are circumcised every day with 140 million women currently living with the consequences of FGM. The countries with the highest rates of FGM are Muslim majority countries even though the practice predates Islam, and is practiced by people from other religious backgrounds.

Even though the practice predates Islam and is practiced by people from other religious backgrounds, the highest incidence of FGM is in Muslim majority countries such as Indonesia (86%), Sudan (89%), and Egypt (90%).

FGM-protestIt is important to realize that many of the victims in western nations are immigrants who had the procedure done while still living in their former nation. British authorities estimate that more than 20,000 girls under the age of 15 are at high risk of FGM (female genital mutilation) in England and Wales. The European parliament estimates that 500,000 girls and women in the European Union are living with FGM with approximately another 180,000 girls in Europe at risk of undergoing the procedure. Britain has had at least 66,000 women and girls who have experienced this practice and Australia’s Melbourne Royal Women’s Hospital reported approximately 700 cases of FGM. Between 150-200,000 of women and girls in the United States are at risk of having this done. The practice has increased by 35% in the U.S. since 1996. Again, the majority has experienced this procedure before they immigrated to the western nation.

Most Western nations have laws against the practice of FGM, and the United States and Britain have laws prohibiting the transporting of a girl abroad for the purpose of undergoing FGM.

Prayer Points:

As difficult as it is to hear of this, it is so important that we as believers declare that communities will be awakened to the horrors of this cultural practice and realize the harm this procedure can cause women. Pray that those who have undergone the procedure will have the courage to speak out clearly so others do not have to suffer.

Pray that the authorities in western nations will have the necessary laws in place to be able to stop those who attempt to take their daughters abroad to be circumcised.

This procedure is physically painful and emotionally traumatizing. God has promised them in Psalm 147:3 that, “He heals the brokenhearted and bandages their wounds.” Ask the Lord to bring His healing and comfort to the victims of FGM and reveal His Son Jesus to their hearts.

 

bestcurrentnews 2014 Ramadan Prayer

Atrocities Motivate Some Muslims To Question Islam

2014 Ramadan Prayer Day 4It is expected that the population in areas now under the control of terror group, “The Islamic State” (formerly known as ISIS) will experience much of the same abuse and atrocities that the residents of Raqqa, Syria have been experiencing since the terrorists took over their city last year. As the terror group has gained territory in Iraq, it has been emboldened and become even stricter in the enforcement of sharia [Islamic] law in Raqqa.

A resident explained a sense of hopelessness that they are experiencing, “Our dreams of getting rid of ISIS’s unfair rule and fatwas are vanishing as every city falls under [its] own control. …We gradually started losing hope in restoring the life we have had for hundreds of years.”

Public executions are reportedly a weekly occurrence in the city. In some cases the bodies of those executed are then “crucified” – placed on crosses to act as a deterrent to anyone else that may break the strict laws.

The Qur’an sanctions crucifixion as an appropriate punishment for anyone who wages war against Allah and his messenger (Qur’an 5:33).

Western apologists for Islam emphasize that the terror groups are not truly practicing Islam, however the written texts of Islam provide clear evidence that the Qur’an and the traditions of Muhammad sanctioned this type of behavior.

That certainly does not mean most of the Muslim world condones crucifixion to be acceptable. However, when groups such as The Islamic State rise to power their insistence that they are practicing a more pure form of Islam does cause many modern Muslims to begin to examine the teachings of their faith more closely.

For example, Christianity Today reports that in Algeria after similar Muslim-on-Muslim violence killed 100,000 people, 10,000 Muslims turned Raqqa Churchtheir backs on Islam and became followers of Christ.

Responding to Muslims with the heart of God, especially after reading accounts of atrocities such as beheadings, crucifixions and rapes – can be difficult for Westerners. It becomes even more difficult when Islamic demands affect us in our own nations and infringe on our western “rights.”

We are in quite a unique time in history as far as the Muslim world is concerned with the advent of satellite television, the Internet, translations and commentaries of the Qur’an, etc. Muslims that may be questioning their faith can examine the teachings of Islam for themselves. Our prayers for them will make a tremendous difference in their lives; opening up their hearts to His truth.

Prayer Points:

Thank and praise God that because of His overwhelming love and mercy, we can boldly come before His throne on behalf of people around the world.

Ask God to draw Muslims around the world to Himself so they may find His peace in the midst of the violence that may surround them.

Pray that Muslims will see the turmoil in their religion through the eyes of God and receive a hunger for His truth.

Ask the Lord to direct them to the Holy Bible online in their own language and read the New Testament. Pray they will have the courage to face the differences between Christianity and Islam and receive the revelation of how much they are loved by Jesus Christ.

bestcurrentnews 2014 Ramadan Prayer

A New Caliphate?

2014 Ramadan Prayer Day 3Much attention has been focused in recent weeks on the nation of Iraq. News commentators have debated the West’s role in Iraq while much of the nation has fallen under the control a former al-Qaeda ally, the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).

ISIS announced on Sunday they were changing their name to The Islamic State, declaring that they have restored the Islamic caliphate. A caliphate is an Islamic state led by a supreme religious and political leader called a caliph. President Ataturk of Turkey abolished the last caliphate, the Ottoman Empire, in 1924. ISIS leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi has been declared as the Caliph or leader of the new state. The group has called on al-Qaeda and other militant Sunni groups to pledge their allegiance to this newly formed caliphate.

ISIS, a Sunni jihadi terrorist group had close links with al-Qaeda until February. The split between the groups came after al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri was unable to stop fighting between ISIS and another rebel group, Jabhat al-Nusra. Fighting between the two rebel groups in Syria killed 7,000 people including 650 civilians caught in the crossfire. ISIS is known for its strict interpretation of Islamic (sharia) law and brutal violence including beheadings and floggings.

Much of the group’s violence has been directed against Shia Muslims. On June 12, 2014 ISIS claimed they executed 1,700 “Shi’a members of the army” in Iraq although those reports have not been substantiated. The UN reports that more than 1,000 people, mostly civilians, have been killed in the fighting between ISIS and Iraqi forces.

The group has seized over one third of Iraq, and supporters of ISIS have been distributing propaganda indicating the next ISIS Control June 2014targets of their aggression are Jordan and Saudi Arabia. After taking over Mosul, Iraq’s second largest city, ISIS put up posters which read, “We call upon the people of this county to bring their unmarried girls so they can fulfill their duty in sex jihad for their warrior brothers in the city and anyone who will not appear will feel the full force of the sharia [Islamic law] upon him.” Reports indicate that ISIS fighters have been going door to door in Mosul, killing men and raping women found in the houses. A UN spokesman said he had received information that four women who had been raped committed suicide following the brutal attacks.

As many as 500,000 residents of Mosul fled the city as ISIS took over, yet according to The Telegraph tens of thousands of these residents have decided to return preferring to live under the rule of the Sunni terror group to the Shia dominated Iraqi army. The same pattern occurred in Syria where the population of cities overtaken by ISIS initially welcomed the jihadis, but then regretted the strict Islamic society ISIS created. The regulations imposed in Raqqa, a Syrian city under ISIS control, banned smoking, drinking alcohol, and tattoos, and demanded that women be covered in public although women are discouraged from leaving the house at all. The punishment for breaking any of these rules is public flogging. Stealing can result in limbs being chopped off, and committing adultery is punished by death by stoning.

ISIS has been quite successful in utilizing social media to quickly spread its propaganda. From memes (internet picture) mocking United States First Lady Michelle Obama to using popular Twitter hashtags like those related to the World Cup, the terrorist group is making a strong push to reach westerners with their message. Terrorism expert, Charles Lister says the group’s efforts has allowed them to become somewhat of a “’celebrity’ actor within the international jihadist community” with foreign supporters from around the world expressing their support and allegiance to ISIS. The group’s announced goal is to gain one billion supporters for their Islamic State.

The Clarion Project reports British authorities estimate more than 500 young radicalized Muslims have traveled from Britain to Syria to join the conflict. Estimates are that as many as two thirds of those may have returned to live in Britain, because they travel through Turkey, a common vacation destination. Two of the British born jihadis, Reyaad Khan and Nasser Muthana have appeared in an ISIS recruitment video aimed at British Muslims. Nasser’s father, Ahmed Muthana, originally from Yemen, described how he felt when he saw the video of his son, “I was shaking and in tears. …My wife fainted and has not recovered from what she saw. …I feel sick and devastated that my son is caught up in this. He was brought up to love and respect my country which is Britain.”

Many Muslims living in the West would echo the sentiment of this father. The western nation where they now live is their country. However, radical terrorist groups are aggressively seeking recruits in the West like Ahmed Muthana’s son. Nations of the world need the wisdom of God to know how to respond to the situations in nations such as Syria and Iraq. Our leaders need to hear from the God of heaven.

Prayer Points:

Pray for wisdom for the leadership of nations around the world. Pray that each world leader will be surrounded with godly counsel and truth in order to make difficult decisions regarding the uprisings in the Middle East.

Pray for the people of Iraq and Syria – those who have fled these nations and for those that have remained. Pray for the protection of families, and an end to the brutal violence.

Pray for those who have been victims of the violence – the women that have been raped and the children that have witnessed horrendous atrocities.

Pray that Muslims – both Shia and Sunni will see that the root of the violence is from the violent teachings of the Qur’an and the traditions and biography of Muhammad himself. Pray that they will see that there is a God who desires to bring His peace to their lives and their nations.

Ask the Lord for social media to become a source of spreading the gospel to the world rather than an instrument of jihadists. Pray that social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and others can quickly identify the jihadi propaganda and stop it. Pray that groups like ISIS will no longer be able to “hack hashtags” and spread their message.

ISIS and other terror groups target disenfranchised or disillusioned young Muslim men in the West. Pray that Muslims will see the root of their disillusionment comes from allegiance to a false god. Ask Jesus to appear to them in dreams and visions and lead godly young men across their paths to share the truth of the gospel.

 

bestcurrentnews 2014 Ramadan Prayer

The Islamic Shame & Honor Worldview

2014 Ramadan Prayer Day 2For the past few weeks, many Christians have prayed and followed the plight of Mariam Ibrahim, the Christian Sudanese woman who was imprisoned and sentenced to death in Sudan. She was convicted of apostasy from Islam and after refusing to recant her Christian faith was imprisoned. Ms. Ibrahim, who was raised by her Christian mother after her Muslim father abandoned the family, said she had never been a Muslim.

Sudan’s law criminalizes the conversion of Muslims to other religions, and under Islamic law children must follow their father’s religion. Ibrahim’s brother, Al Samani Al Hadi Mohamed Abdullah who according to a report on CNN turned his sister into authorities said, “It’s one of two; if she repents and returns to our Islamic faith and to the embrace of our family then we are her family and she is ours, but if she refuses she should be executed.”

After a worldwide outcry, her conviction was overturned, and she was released from prison. As she and her family tried to leave Sudan, she was again detained for “attempting to use an illegal [false] travel document” and is reportedly now with her family in the U.S. Embassy. It is unclear if she is being formally charged with a crime, but she and her American husband and family are not yet free to leave the country.

In an interview published by Sudan’s Al Intibaha newspaper, her brother said, “Our family is not convinced by the decision of the court. The law has failed to maintain our rights and now it is a matter of honor. Christians deface our honor, and we know how to take revenge for that.”

The concept of executing someone because they have dishonored their family is difficult for Westerners to understand. In his book Honor and Shame, Roland Muller discusses three basic emotional responses to Adam and Eve’s original sin in the Garden of Eden: guilt, shame, and fear. After they sinned, they felt guilt, because they had broken God’s command. They felt shame – they knew they were naked and so they covered themselves. And they felt fear – they hid themselves from God.

Cultures and worldviews have been shaped by one or more of these emotional responses. Some cultures primarily operate with one clear worldview; others may be a mixture of all three. Most Western culture is primarily based on a guilt/innocence – we clearly understand the concepts of right and wrong. Guilt/innocence based cultures are typically individualistic. We believe individuals are responsible for themselves and their behavior.

Islam was shaped by a different worldview. In fact, the honor/shame basis of Islam originated with Bedouin honor codes. Unlike the individual responsibility of those from a Western mindset, shame/honor based cultures are attached to groups – families, tribes, nations, etc. Shameful deeds affect the entire group and as such they are hidden, and if they cannot be hidden then the shameful deed demands revenge. In this culture the importance of the group outweighs the importance of an individual. If a person shames the family, and the family is unable to hide the shameful deed, the mindset says that the family must avenge. Islam is conformity to the point of submission.

Understanding this difference in worldview helps Westerners understand their position as non-Muslims. Because Islam is rooted in this shame based paradigm, actions such as lying to protect the honor of the family or tribe is considered permissible. Few things are actually considered right or wrong, rather they are acceptable or unacceptable based on the family honor.

Muslims believe “there is honor within Islam and shame without.” For this reason the idea of a lasting peace between Islamists and non-Muslims is actually doubtful. Muller explains, “…the ideal of permanent peace in Islam was restricted to the community of Islam and to those non-Muslims who accepted the position of protected persons and paid tribute to Islam. On the other hand, Islam instituted jihad (holy war) as the accepted relationship with non-Muslim states, and made no provision for peace with them as sovereign states. Only a truce was permissible, and that was not to last for more than ten years.” (Muller, p.87)

Most Muslims desire to live in peace with their western neighbors, however understanding the basis of the shame/honor worldview helps us as Christians to share the gospel and pray for them. As Western Christians pray for the salvation of the Muslim people, we can rejoice in the fullness of the Gospel of the Kingdom which reconciles us to God – no more guilt; no more fear; and no more shame!

Prayer Points:Reconciling Love

Pray for the safety of Christians such as Miriam Ibrahim and her family in Muslim nations. Sudan is listed as the 11th most hostile nation in the world to Christians by World Watch List.

Pray that Christians will understand how to share their faith with people from different worldviews and cultures in a way that does not compromise the truth of the gospel, but yet still communicates the finished work of the cross.

Because shame/honor is extended to an individual’s family, pray for Muslim background believers who find their lives threatened, because their conversion to Christianity is considered a shame on the group.

Pray for those Muslims who are speaking out in their communities against honor violence.

Pray that Muslims will begin to question practices such as the idea of eliminating shame through revenge and bloodshed.

Pray that Muslims will see the completeness of the cross of Jesus Christ, and will come to embrace God’s reconciling love that restores us to a position of honor as His sons and daughters.

bestcurrentnews 2014 Ramadan Prayer

Contending for the Captives

2014 Ramadan Prayer Day 1On June 16, 2014, Brigitte Gabriel of ACT for America was a panelist for the Heritage Foundation Benghazi Panel Conference. In response to a question posed by a Muslim woman in the audience, she said:

 “There are 1.2 billion Muslims in the world today. Of course not all of them are radicals. The majority of them are peaceful people. The radicals are estimated to be between 15 to 25% according to all intelligence services around the world. That leaves 75% of them a peaceful people.

 But when you look at 15 to 25% of the world Muslim population, you’re looking at 180 million to 300 million people dedicated to the destruction of western civilization. That is as big as the United States. So why should we worry about the radical 15 to 25%? Because it is the radicals that kill. Because it is the radicals that behead and massacre.

When you look throughout history…most Germans were peaceful yet the Nazis drove the agenda and as a result 60 million people died. – almost 14 million in concentration camps – 6 million were Jews. The peaceful majority were irrelevant.

When you look at Russia, most Russians were peaceful as well. Yet the Russians were able to kill 20 million people. The peaceful majority were irrelevant.

When you look at China for example most Chinese were peaceful as well – yet the Chinese were able to kill 70 million people. The peaceful majority were irrelevant.

When you look at Japan prior to World War 2, most Japanese were peaceful as well, yet Japan was able to butcher its way across Southeast Asia killing 12 million people mostly killed with bayonets and shovels. The peaceful majority were irrelevant.

On September 11 in the United States we had 2.3 million Arab Muslims living in the United States. It took 19 hijackers, 19 radicals to bring America down to its knees, destroy the World Trade Center, attack the Pentagon, and kill almost 3,000 Americans that day. The peaceful majority were irrelevant.”

Although Brigitte Gabriel’s remarks regarding the “peaceful majority” were targeted toward the majority of peaceful Muslims around the world, Christians in the West have also been reduced to an “irrelevant majority” in their nations. Despite reports claiming the West is quickly becoming post-Christian, the majority of the population in western nations still identify themselves as Christians. Yet throughout Western society, political correctness coupled with Islamic demands have stifled and infringed upon western freedoms, especially the right of free speech forcing the Christian majorities into a position of irrelevancy.

Political correctness or “agreeing with the idea that people should be careful to not use language or behave in a way that could offend a particular group of people” stifles free speech. Because the fear to offend has become such an offense in the West, dialogue, scholarly Politically Correctexamination of beliefs and absolute truth is extinguished.

Far too often political correctness has convinced even those who may identify themselves as Christians that all religions are the same and all paths lead to God. And to further the misinformation, Judaism, Christianity and Islam are oftentimes lumped together as the three monotheistic, “Abrahamic faiths,” despite the fact that the Islamic version of Abraham’s life is much different from the account in the Bible.

Ultimately this mindset leads to society failing to realize the basic theological differences between Christianity and Islam. A glaring example of this failure was reported this week by the BBC in an article regarding the planned construction of the House of One in Berlin, Germany. The House of One is a building designed to house a synagogue, church and mosque all under the same roof. The building will be built on the site where the first church in Berlin, dating back to the 12th Century once stood.

The teachings of Islam, especially the latter portion of the Qur’an written in Medina, are quite opposite of the teachings contained in the New Testament. Compare teachings such as sura 9:29 which says, “Make war on those who have received the Scriptures [Jews and Christians] but do not believe in Allah or in the Last Day …The Christians and Jews do not follow the religion of truth,” to Jesus’ words in Matthew 5:44, “But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you.” Perhaps the greatest difference between Christianity and Islam is that the teachings in Christianity moved from a religion of strict laws as portrayed in the Old Testament to a religion of peace in the New Testament while Islam moved from a religion of peace in the early passages to a religion of violence in the later passages.

Political correctness and its accompanying fear of offending Muslims restrain westerners from critically examining the teachings of Islam, and speaking out on behalf of the victims of the system of Islam. Many of us have Muslim friends, neighbors and co-workers that are indeed peaceful Muslims, however our relationships should not silence the Christian community.

From violence between Muslim sects such as the current uprisings in Iraq and Syria to human rights abuses against Muslim women within Western nations, the most frequent victims of the system of Islam are the Muslim people themselves although Islam’s totalitarian nature also extends its reach to non-Muslims around the world.

Proverbs implores us to “speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves; ensure justice for those being crushed. Yes, speak up for the poor and helpless, and see that they get justice” (Proverbs 31:8-9). If history has indeed taught us anything it is that in the words of Edmund Burke, ‘the only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” As sons and daughters of God, we now walk in the declaration that Jesus made in the Lord’s Prayer, “Your Kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” God placed each of us on the earth at this time in order to bring the Kingdom of Heaven to earth. As children of God we are seated with Christ in heavenly places and as ambassadors of the Kingdom of God our words and prayers carry great authority in the earth.

How privileged we are to co-labor with Christ who declared in the synagogue, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach he gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed.” Much of the Ramadan series throughout the next thirty days will report “facts” about Islam, its advancement in the West, and its victims, however as we pray we stand on the Truth of God’s Word which always prevails over “facts.” Join with us for the next 30 days as we declare God’s goodness, mercy and love over the Muslim people.