Ramadan 2013 – Day 30 – We Are Blessed!
Posted: August 7, 2013 Filed under: Ramadan Prayer | Tags: Christianity, Islam, Ramadan 10 Comments
Islam is primarily a political system with an agenda of conquest and subjugation that has skillfully managed to hide its true nature behind a veil of religion. Because Westerners believe the freedom of religion is a basic human right, it has made it more difficult, yet not impossible for us to discover the true nature of Islam.
Throughout the course of its 1400-year history, Islam conquered the Middle East, North Africa and large areas of Asia. Christians, Jews, Buddhists, Hindus and other native peoples were forced to convert, forced into dhimmitude or killed.
Islam’s strategy since the fall of the Ottoman Empire has (with exceptions) been less warlike, but nevertheless quite successful. In the West, Islam successfully uses western freedoms to advance its agenda – yet these are the very freedoms that if successful, Islam will deny to those who have unwittingly helped its advancement.
The Bible tells us, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge,” (Hosea 4:6a) and “Therefore my people have gone into captivity, because they have no knowledge”(Isaiah 5:13a).
Islam has hidden itself behind a veil of religion, but God desires to equip His people with knowledge to expose the political and militaristic system of Islam. Once the true nature of Islam is exposed, its advancement can be halted, and God will set the captives of Islam free.
As Islam has been exposed to Muslims in the Middle East, multitudes are realizing its true nature. More Muslims have come to Christ since 9-11-2001, than in the first 1400 years of Islam.
We are incredibly blessed to live in exciting times! Until the 21st century Islam was considered too complicated to be understood by anyone other than Islamic religious leaders. But today with copies of the Qur’an, the Hadith and the Sira of Muhammad easily accessible, we can understand the doctrine of Islam. Armed with this knowledge coupled with the 1400-year history of Islam, we can speak out against the system of Islam yet love the people trapped within it.
Finally, “do not fear their threats; do not be frightened. But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander” (1 Peter 3:14b-16). Christians must be ambassadors for Christ, clearly demonstrating not only to Muslims, but also to everyone around them the difference that being a child of God, and co-heir with Jesus Christ makes in our lives.
Prayer Points:
Studying the Islamic system and the atrocities committed on its behalf can oftentimes make us angry or fearful. Ask God to remove any reactions to the Muslim people that are not godly and to give you His heart for the Muslim people.
Pray that Christians around the world will become knowledgeable about Islam’s political and militaristic nature so they can share this knowledge with others in their churches and communities. Pray that He will help you be “ready to give an answer for the hope that you have.”
Praise God for every Muslim that has come to know Jesus Christ as their personal Savior. Ask Him to continue to pour out His Spirit upon the Muslim people throughout the world.
Thank You
Thank you for your prayers each day throughout Ramadan. Please continue to pray daily for the 1.2 billion Muslims in the world.
Would you take a couple of minutes to let us know if you have found this series helpful? If you have any questions about the material or an idea for a future article, we would love to hear from you. You may contact us by commenting on the website or through e-mail at BestCurrentNews@gmail.com.
May God richly bless each of you.
– Best Current News
Ramadan 2013 – Day 29 – Islam Silences Reformers and Critics
Posted: August 6, 2013 Filed under: Ramadan Prayer | Tags: European Parliament, Makarem Diab, OIC, Organization for Islamic Cooperation, Raif Badawi, Slander 1 CommentIn Saudi Arabia, a blogger named Raif Badawi, created a website known as “Free Saudi Liberals”. He was charged with violating the nation’s cyber crime law. He has been in prison since June of 2012 for allegedly insulting Islam through the website. Court documents revealed evidence against Badawi and included a post on the website that asked, “Is God unjust?” and a post that asked, “Why is the Saudi’s Grand Mufti blind?” He was found guilty last week and sentenced to seven years in prison and 600 lashes.
This is far from an isolated case. Last year in Egypt, Makarem Diab, a Coptic Christian was sentenced to six years in prison for “insulting the prophet” Muhammad. He had been involved in a discussion with a Muslim acquaintance who, in an attempt to mock Diab’s Christian beliefs, had insisted that Jesus was a serial fornicator. Diab countered the Muslim’s baseless claim by asserting that Muhammad had more than four wives. Diab was prosecuted because his claim regarding Muhammad cast the prophet in an unfavorable light.
The Hadith records many instances where critics of Muhammad or Islam were put to death, and that tradition continues today. The Qur’an justifies Muhammad’s behavior and says those who “malign Allah and His messenger” are cursed and should be slain (Sura 6:93, Sura 33:57, Sura 33:61).
Slander for westerners is typically defined as a malicious, false and defamatory statement or report. However in Islam slander is defined as saying “anything concerning a person [a Muslim] that he would dislike.” In the West a statement must be false to be slander, but under Islam, truth is irrelevant. A statement could be considered slanderous if a Muslim was insulted by it regardless of whether or not it was true.
The Organization for Islamic Cooperation (OIC), the world’s largest Islamic organization with 56 member states and the Palestinian Authority, is the second largest intergovernmental agency behind the United Nations. The Islamic Summit, which is composed of Kings and Heads of States, is the supreme authority of the organization. For the past 13 years, the OIC has attempted to use the United Nations to force western nations to enact laws to criminalize the “defamation of religions.”
In April of 2013, in the United Kingdom, up to 25,000 Muslims gathered to call on the government to introduce legislation to bar people from insulting Islam. Often western governments and institutions operate under Islamic blasphemy guidelines voluntarily. For instance, Australian National University has banned satire of Islam for fear of inciting violence.
The European Parliament however passed two resolutions that stand in contrast to the attempts by the OIC. The first resolution focused on the freedom of the press, and the second centered on religious freedom. It opposed, “any attempt to criminalize freedom of speech in relation to religious issues, such as blasphemy laws.”
Prayer Points:
It is important that Western nations do not allow the system of Islam to curtail their freedom of speech. Thank God that the European Parliament has passed a resolution to stop the criminalization of free speech.
Many Muslims, because they are unable to question the teachings of their religion, have never been free to examine and decide if the teachings of Islam are true. Pray that freedom will continue for Western scholars to examine and expose the teachings, and that Muslims around the world will be able to gain access and decide for themselves the truth about the Islamic system.
Ramadan 2013 – Day 28 – Al Qaeda “Inspiring” Terror
Posted: August 5, 2013 Filed under: Ramadan Prayer | Tags: al Qaeda, Boston Marathon bombing, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, Inspire Magazine, Lee Rigby, Osama bin Laden Leave a commentThe U.S. State Department announced that nineteen embassies will remained closed this week because of a “specific” and “serious” terrorist threat from an al-Qaeda affiliate.
Al-Qaeda, which is Arabic for “the Base” was founded in the late 1980s by Osama bin Laden. It grew out of a clearinghouse for the international Muslim brigade, called the Services Office that opposed the 1979 Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. Bin Laden and Palestinian religious scholar Abdullah Azzam recruited and trained thousands of “holy warriors” from more than fifty countries to fight in Afghanistan. After the 1988 Soviet pledge to withdraw troops from the nation, bin Laden created al-Qaeda.
Al-Qaeda does not have a single, central headquarters. The U.S. government reports the organization has a worldwide presence consisting of at least several thousand members and associates from as many as 100 nations. Al-Qaeda cells have been found in the United Kingdom, the United States, Italy, France, Spain, Germany, Albania, Uganda and other nations.
Al-Qaeda is also affiliated with other “like-minded” terrorist organizations located in nations such as Egypt, Libya, Uzbekistan, Algeria, Kashmir, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Southeast Asia, along with Al-Qaeda groups in the Arabian Peninsula, Iraq and the Islamic Maghreb. Intelligence experts also believe al-Qaeda cooperates on logistics and training with Hezbollah, a radical, Shiite, Iran-based terrorist group. Al-Qaeda training camps have been located in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Somalia, Kenya and Sudan.
Terror attacks linked to Al-Qaeda include:
- August 1998 bombings of U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania (killed 301 and injured 5,000)
- October 2000 attack on the USS Cole (killed 17 and injured 39)
- September 11, 2001 attacks in NY, DC and Pennsylvania (killed 2,996 and injured over 6,000)
- April 2002 bombing in Tunisia (killed 19 and injured 22)
- October 2002 attack on French tanker, MV Limburg near Yemen (killed 1 and injured 4)
- October 2002 attack on U.S. military personnel in Kuwait (killed 1)
- October 2002 nightclub bombing in Bali, Indonesia that (killed 202 and injured 209)
- November 2002 hotel bombing in Mombasa, Kenya (killed 15 and injured 40)
- May 2003 bombing of compound in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (killed 36 and injured 160)
- May 2003 bombings in Casablanca, Morocco (killed 41 and injured 101)
- August 2003 bombing of the J.W. Marriott Hotel in Jakarta, Indonesia (killed 17 and injured 137)
- November 2003 truck bombing of a Riyadh housing complex (killed 17 and injured 122)
- November 2003 bombings of two Turkish synagogues (killed 23 and injured 200)
- November 2003 Istanbul bombings of the British Consulate and HSBC Bank (killed 27 and 455 injured)
- March 2004 bomb attacks on Madrid commuter trains (killed 191 and injured 2050)
- July 2005 bombing in London (killed 56 and injured approximately 700)
- February 2006 attack on Abqaiq petroleum processing facility in Saudi Arabia (4 killed)
- December 2009 attempted bombing of a Detroit-bound Northwest Airlines flight
The al-Qaeda affiliate in the Arabian Peninsula reportedly is the group that publishes Inspire Magazine, an online English magazine used to spread al-Qaeda’s message and methods. The first issue appeared in July of 2010, and the latest issue released in May 2013 claims it was the inspiration for the Boston Marathon bombing.
In a 2012 issue of Inspire, Australia was named as a prime target for terrorism. The magazine contained instructions to build an “ember bomb” saying it was the best way to start destructive fires and detailed the best times of the year to begin fires in different parts of Australia.
Prior to the Boston Marathon bombings the “Lone Mujahid Pocketbook” was released online that said its contents were collected from Inspire Magazine Issues 1-10. Included in this publication were instructions on how to torch parked vehicles, cause road accidents, start forest fires, destroy buildings, and make bombs including using iron pipes, pressure cookers, fire extinguishers and empty propane canisters.
The Washington Post reported Dzhokhar Tsarnaev (Boston Marathon bombing) told investigators that he and his brother learned to make pressure cooker bombs from the online magazine. He also claims he was inspired by online sermons of Anwar al-Awlaki, editor of the magazine until he was killed in a U.S. drone strike in 2011. The latest issue of the magazine also has an article about the beheading of British soldier, Lee Rigby calling the act “the dear price” of Western oppression, and a small article about the Oklahoma tornadoes calling them “divine wrath.”
In one of the most recent cases of an “al-Qaeda inspired” plot, two people were arrested in Canada for attempting to detonate three pressure-cooker bombs at a Canada Day event on July 1. Authorities do not believe they had any personal ties to al-Qaeda, however with the easy availability of Inspire Magazine, potential Jihadis are easily inspired and equipped by the organization through a virtual relationship.
Prayer Points:
Al-Qaeda and its affiliates have been directly responsible for nearly 4,000 deaths since 1998, however many attempts by terrorists have been stopped. Thank God for his protection over our nations. Pray that He will continue to expose the terrorist and their threats before they are able to carry through with their plans.
Pray for law enforcement around the world – that they will not grow weary in their quest to stop attacks, that they will be supported in their efforts and be properly trained to understand the ideology behind groups such as al-Qaeda.
Pray that Christians will remain ever vigilant in prayer even after seasons such as Ramadan and the Night of Power are over so that even if the authorities do not announce a “specific” and “serious” threat, the intercessors will be aware and ready to intercede.
Ask God to reach the hearts of the terrorists with His love and conviction and give them a desire for a different way of life through Christ.
Ramadan 2013 – Day 27 – Closing Western Embassies – Are We Willingly Becoming Dhimmis?
Posted: August 4, 2013 Filed under: Ramadan Prayer | Tags: al Qaeda, dhimmi, dhimmitude, Embassies 1 CommentToday U.S. embassies and consulates in the Middle East are closed as a precautionary measure against a potential terrorist attack by al Qaeda. General Martin Dempsey of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said the “intent is to attack Western, not just U.S. interests,” and in response the British, German, Dutch and French embassies in Yemen are also closed due to the threat.
Rep. Peter King, chairman of the Subcommittee on Counterterrorism and Intelligence described the threat as “very specific as to when and it’s also very specific as to the fact that it is going to happen so we have to be on alert everywhere.”
In addition a travel alert was issued by the U.S. State Department on Friday stating that al-Qaeda and its affiliated organizations continue to plan terrorist attacks in the Middle East and North Africa between now and the end of August and that travelers should be cautious and register their travel plans.
Although it is certainly a priority of Western governments and in this case, the United States government to want to insure those working in our embassies in the Middle East are safe, closing embassies is a clear example of great nations bowing their knees to Islamic dhimmitude and appeasement. Perhaps most tragic is that this dhimmi state is not being forced upon these governments because Islam has conquered them, these governments are willingly allowing a small group of Islamists to control them.
This is happening for a number of reasons. Western governmental leaders have been unwilling to identify a system that has made quite clear from its inception its intentions to destroy all other civilizations. Western academics have been unwilling to study the actual doctrine and history of Islam. Western media has continually failed to investigate and report truthfully practices, doctrines and discrimination that is part of Islam’s DNA. And to the detriment of all Western society, much of the Western Church has failed to comprehend the nature of Islam, and too often it is perceived as simply being another religion. Statistically four out of five Americans believe Muslims and Christians worship the same god.
Islam, however knows the West very well, and has developed specific strategies for its conquest. As Westerners, and specifically as Christians we know Islam’s advancement must be stopped. The enemy is not the Muslim people – God loves them and Christ died for them, just the same as He did for Christians. They are caught in a system. The enemy is not just al-Qaeda, or Hamas, or Hezbollah – they also are made up of people for whom Christ died. The enemy is a political system that seeks to dominate and destroy.
Prayer Points:
Ask God to expose and stop any plans of al Qaeda or any other terrorist organization against embassies and other facilities around the world.
Pray that members of these terrorist organizations will have a supernatural encounter with Jesus Christ through dreams and visions.
Intercede for Western leaders, teachers, reporters, pastors and others to be quickened by God and given a desire to learn the truth about Islamic political doctrine, Islamic texts and history.
Pray that Western Christians will begin to seek God to know His plans and strategies for exposing Islam – yet still maintaining a heart of love to reach the people caught in its grasp.
Ramadan 2013 – Day 26 – Online Jihadis – A Global Virus of Violence
Posted: August 3, 2013 Filed under: Ramadan Prayer | Tags: 44 Ways of Supporting Jihad, At-Fateh, Major Nidal Malik Hassan Leave a commentMajor Nidal Malik Hasan, the lone suspect in the terrorist 2009 Fort Hood shooting rampage, which the U.S. government has called workplace violence, released seven pages of handwritten and typed documents to Fox News this week just days before his trial is scheduled to begin. Hasan is charged with 13 counts of premeditated murder and 32 counts of attempted murder for the November 5, 2009 shooting where he allegedly shot unarmed U.S. soldiers at the Soldier Readiness Processing Center. The center is used for soldiers to receive routine military treatment prior to and on return from deployment to regions such as Afghanistan.
Media reports revealed that Hasan had been in touch with al-Qaeda leader, Anwar al-Awlaki through email prior to the shootings. Al-Awlaki had been the imam at the Dar al-Hijrah Mosque in Falls Church, Virginia when Hasan met him. Seven years later and prior to the shootings, Hasan renewed contact with al-Awlaki through e-mail, and communicated with him eighteen times. Al-Awlaki encouraged Hasan to defend Islam through jihad by sending him a copy of “44 Ways of Supporting Jihad which encourages Muslims to defend Islam through violence. Hasan asked al-Awlaki if he was allowed to kill fellow soldiers. Al-Awlaki did not order Hasan to shoot his fellow soldiers, but Hasan did call al-Awlaki his teacher, mentor and friend.
Al-Awlaki’s document is quite easy to access online. Interestingly, number 29 of the 44 ways is called, “WWW Jihad,” which reads, “The internet has become a great medium for spreading the call of Jihad and following the news of the mujahideen.” Mujahideen are Islamic guerrilla fighters especially in the Middle East. The ways the document suggests Muslims can participate include establishing discussion forums, e-mail lists, posting and emailing Jihad literature and news, and setting up Jihadi websites.
Peter Forster, senior lecturer at Penn State’s College of Information Sciences and Technology, says that online terrorist networks are accelerating the jihad for individuals by allowing potential jihadists to train and receive direction for their activities. He says Major Hasan used the Internet to jump from being a radical to being violent.
In 2009, the Department of Homeland Security released a report regarding the Internet as a terrorist tool. The report revealed that in 1998 there were a total of 12 active terrorist websites. By 2003 there were approximately 2,630 websites, and by January of 2009 there were nearly 7,000 active terrorist websites. This included websites such as Al-Fateh, the Hamas Web Magazine for Children, which portrayed the West as corrupt and an enemy of Islam.
A 2012 report by the United Nations identified social media such as, chat rooms, online message boards, forums, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, RapidShare, and online magazines such as al-Qaeda’s Inspire magazine as being used for terrorist purposes. Online video games are also being used as tools to recruit young people to Jihad. In the game, Special Force 2 released in 2007, players raided Israel to capture soldiers and launch Katyusha rockets at Israeli towns.
Worldwide Internet usage has grown by 566.4% since the year 2000. The biggest percentages of the populations using the Internet are in western nations with 78.6% of North Americans using the Internet, followed by 67.6% of Oceania/Australians, and 63.2% of Europeans. With such a potential audience Jihadis are spreading their message throughout the entire world.
Prayer Points:
Ask God to continue to expose evil plans and strategies by Islamic terrorist organizations to the proper authorities. Pray those in authority will have wisdom from God and deal with the issues appropriately, protecting the innocent.
Pray that innocent children, Muslim and non-Muslim will be protected and not stumble across websites of Jihadi cartoons and video games and be drawn into this violent ideology.
Ask God to develop and raise up Christian programmers, web designers and others that will boldly proclaim the gospel of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ in a way that will draw those who may otherwise be drawn to terrorist websites.
Ramadan 2013 – Day 25 – Laylat Al Qadr – Insight Into Islam’s “Night of Power”
Posted: August 2, 2013 Filed under: Ramadan Prayer | Tags: ifikaf, Laylat Al Qadr, Night of Power, Sura 1 3 CommentsLaylat Al Qadr known as the “Night of Power” is the holiest night of the year for Muslims. Most Islamic scholars believe it falls on one of the odd-numbered nights of the final ten days of Ramadan so it could fall on the 19th, 21st, 23rd, 25th or 27th days. Typically it is celebrated on the 27th day. It commemorates the night that Muslims believe the Prophet Muhammad received the first revelations of the Qur’an, which are recorded in Sura 96.
The Night of Power is described in Sura 97: “The Night of Power is better than a thousand months. Therein come down the angels and the Spirit by Allah’s permission, on every errand; Peace! This until the rise of morn!” The Hadith also describes the Night of Power and says that anyone that prays on this night out of sincere faith will have all his past sins forgiven. (Bukhari Vol. 1, Book 2, Number 35).
Arab News claims Muhammad intentionally did not give an exact night for the celebration of Laylat Al Qadr, because of the importance of the night. Muslims are encouraged to “seek” the Night of Power in the last ten days of Ramadan. This way Muslims believe Allah can give something worthwhile to the deserving person while “denying the hypocritical and lackadaisical ones.”
Imam Khalid Latif, from the Islamic Center at New York University reveals that what a Muslim does to seek out the Night of Power will vary from person to person. Some will pray the regular prayers at the ascribed times and then stand for hours in ritual prayer. Others will read or listen to the Qur’an.
Some Muslims participate in what is called “itikaf” which in Islam means to stay in a mosque for a particular period of time for the purpose of worshiping Allah. In order to receive the blessing of itikaf the person participating must be mentally stable, a true Muslim, and seek to perform itikaf to seek closeness with Allah, not to please another person or to show off. They must fast and stay inside the mosque for the entire period of the itikaf which is for a minimum of three days. Muslims are encouraged to spend their time reading the Qur’an, performing prayers and seeking blessings from Allah during the itikaf.
From the Qur’anic passage, Muslims believe angels come and perform special purposes including granting requests and bringing proclamations of the coming year. Many Muslims pray all night, and believe the angels will shower down blessings and peace if they remain awake. It is a time when Muslims are open to dreams and visions as they seek guidance and revelation for the coming year.
All Muslims consider themselves the spiritual descendants of Ishmael, Abraham’s son. Ishmael was the first person in the Bible that God named before his birth and his name means “God hears.”
Sura 1 in the Qur’an is considered to be one of its most important passages. A devout Muslim will pray this sura as many as 18 times a day – during their regular prayers, when he gets up, when he goes to bed and before meals. In this sura Muslims ask Allah to guide them to the right path.
So many times a day for the past 1,400 years devout Muslims have prayed Sura 1. The spiritual descendants of Ishmael, the one whose very name means “God hears,” have been crying out to know the right path.
In Luke 1:78-79 (NLT) we read:
“Because of God’s tender mercy, the morning light from heaven is about to break upon us, to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, and to guide us to the path of peace.”
God hears the cries of Ishmael’s descendants who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death today. They ask daily to be guided to the right path, let us cry out that they will indeed be guided to the true right path – the path to peace, the Lord Jesus Christ.
Prayer Points:
God hears the prayers of the Muslim people around the world – pray that their hearts will be open to His truth as He reveals Himself to them.
Pray that Jesus Christ, the Son of the true and living God will appear to Muslims during this time through dreams and visions.
Since this is a time of heightened spiritual activity, pray that Spirit filled Christians around the world will be quickened by the Holy Spirit to pray and contend for the Muslim people.
