bestcurrentnews 2016 Ramadan Prayer

Is Islam Monolithic?

2016 Ramadan GraphicMuslims and Western apologists often claim that Islam is misunderstood in the West. Articles listing myths about Islam are easily found on secular, Muslim and even Christian websites. In the next few days we will be examining a wide range of some common assumptions non-Muslims may have about Muslims and Islam to determine their accuracy.

Assumption: Islam is a monolithic religion in which people all practice and believe the same thing.

First it is important to understand that there is much diversity among the 1.6 billion followers of Islam. Often Westerners see Islam as a Middle Eastern religion, however the nation with the largest Muslim population is Indonesia with over 209 million Muslims. Indonesia is followed by India (176 million), Pakistan (167 million), Bangladesh (134 million) and Nigeria (77 million). Collectively these five nations contain 48% of the world’s Muslim population.

Just as there are many denominations within Christianity, there are different sects within Islam. The two major sects in Islam are Sunni and Shi’a. The split between the two sects occurred following Muhammad’s death over a dispute regarding his successor. 85% to 90% of Muslims are Sunni, and among Sunni Muslims there are four major schools of thought. Shi’a Muslims make up approximately 10% of all Muslims, and there are also sub-sets among Shi’a Muslims with three main schools of thought.

There are multiple branches from the main schools of thought of both Sunni and Shi’a Islam. In addition, there are Muslim sects that have formed in more recent history such as the Ahmadiyya Movement founded in India in 1889, and as Islam has spread throughout the world native folk beliefs and practices have also been incorporated in some regions. Folk Islam can include belief in traditional magic systems and ecstatic rituals along with the use of shrines and amulets. Sufism, a mystical form of Islam and a form of Sunni Islam is often integrated into folk Islam.

Islam_branches_and_schools.

Shi’a and Sunni Muslims use the same Qur’an, agree that Muhammad is the messenger of Allah and follow the five pillars of Islam. The main difference is that Sunni Muslims rely on the Sunnah (the teachings and sayings of Muhammad) to guide them while the Shi’as rely on their leaders to be their spiritual guides.

Just as Christians in different denominations may have vastly different beliefs, Muslims also vary in their beliefs. We must see Muslims as individuals created by God in His image in need of an encounter with Jesus, God’s Son.

Prayer Point:

Pray that you will see your Muslim neighbor, coworker or friend through God’s eyes, and then pray that he or she will have a divine encounter with God’s Son, Jesus.

 

Graphic  Attribution: By Angelpeream (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)%5D, via Wikimedia Commons

bestcurrentnews 2014 Ramadan Prayer

Over 1400 Years of Hate

2014 Ramadan Prayer Day 11Muhammad is considered the perfect example for Muslims to follow. The Qur’an states over 90 times that Muhammad’s life – his words and actions are to be the pattern for humanity.

In Islam, the term “People of the Book” refers to Christians and Jews. They consider portions of the Bible as divine guidance, but they believe it has been corrupted. They emphasize that Muslims, Christians and Jews are brothers in the Abrahamic faith, however in order to be brothers, Christians and Jews must believe in an Islamic view of their own scriptures.

Because Islam has a dualistic nature there are verses that speak positively about Christians and Jews, but there are also verses written later that call for Muslims to make war on Christians and Jews. In Islam the verses that Muhammad received later in his revelations abrogate or rescind the previous verses.

When Muhammad began to supposedly receive his “revelations” in Mecca, the revelations came through the angel, Gabriel – an angel from Jewish scriptures. Therefore Muhammad considered himself in the lineage of Jewish prophets.

When Muhammad moved to Medina, the city was half Jewish. Muhammad saw himself as a reformer of Judaism, however Muhammad had most likely picked up bits and pieces of Jewish scriptures on the trade routes in ancient Arabia so the Jews were able to easily point out World Religionssome of the contradictions in Muhammad’s revelations and their scriptures. The rabbis in Medina, quite correctly, did not accept him as a Jewish prophet. Because the Jews refused to accept Muhammad, he developed a hatred for the Jews and eliminated most of them either by death, enslavement or expulsion.

The Qur’an retells many of the stories of Moses, Noah, Adam and other characters in Jewish scriptures, but they are twisted to show that all people who deny any of the prophets of Islam are ultimately destroyed. Therefore anyone that denied Muhammad, as a prophet of Allah should be destroyed.

The early Qur’an accepts Christians and Jews, “Those who believe and those who are Christians and Jews and Sabians, whoever believes in Allah and Judgment Day shall have their reward with the Lord” (Quran 2:62). But the later Qur’an states, “Make war on those who have received the Scriptures [Jews and Christians] but do not believe in Allah or in the Last Day. They do not forbid what Allah and His Messenger have forbidden. The Christians and Jews do not follow the religion of truth until they submit and pay the poll tax [jizya] and they are humiliated” (Qur’an 9:29).

Certainly not all Muslims wish to see the Jews and Christians destroyed, but the “People of the Book” can trace the root of the hatred against them to the rejection of Muhammad’s teachings, which were contrary to Jewish and Christian scriptures.

Prayer Points:

Pray that Muslims and non-Muslims will both begin to question a religion whose scriptures encourage hatred and the destruction of people of other religions.

Because Muslims believe Allah gave the Bible and man corrupted it, they believe most of it is abrogated (annulled) and that the Qur’an and the Hadith are the only books that are now “pure”. Fortunately in 2014 most Muslims can download a Bible from the Internet in their native language. Ask the Lord to draw them to Himself and give them an insatiable hunger to read the words of Jesus in their own language.

Muslims who have read the Bible are so touched with the sincerity and love of Jesus in our scriptures. Many, however, are afraid to read it believing Allah has cursed it. Pray that Muslims will have discernment and the courage to read the Bible and discover the truths that are contained in it.

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Ramadan 2013 – Day 30 – We Are Blessed!

2013 Ramadan PrayerIslam 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

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Islam in the U.S. – 2012

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With major news events such as the re-election of President Barack Obama, mass shootings in Connecticut and Colorado and major destruction from Hurricane Sandy, radical Islam did not dominate the headlines of American news outlets in 2012. However the continuing efforts of radical Islamists to wage holy war did not diminish.

Since 9-11-2001, TheReligionofPeace.com has recorded Islamic attacks around the world. In 2012, there were 2,546 Islamic attacks resulting in 11,306 casualties and 20,210 wounded. Many of these attacks have been on Christians. Open Doors, a Christian ministry that supports and strengthens persecuted Christians around the world releases a Watch List each year of nations where Christians are persecuted for their faith. The list ranks the top 50 persecuting nations from extreme to sparse persecution. In the most recent listing, ten out of eleven nations listed as practicing extreme persecution of Christians are Islamic nations.

In the U.S., at least three Islamic terror plots planned for Tampa, Florida, the U.S. Capitol, and the New York Federal Reserve building were uncovered and prevented during 2012. Despite evidence that there are continuing threats to United States citizens from radical Islamists, both local and federal law enforcement agencies faced increasing criticism and censorship not only by Muslim groups such as the Council for American Islamic Relations (CAIR), but also by individuals within our own federal government.

For example, CAIR was reportedly the driving force behind two articles and an Op-Ed by the New York Times criticizing the use of the film, The Third Jihad: Radical Islam’s Vision for America, for counterterrorism training for the New York City Police Department. The articles called the documentary a “hate-filled film about Muslims” and quoted CAIR saying the film “defiled our faith and misrepresented everything we stood for.” The film, narrated by Dr. Zuhdi Jasser, a practicing Muslim boldly states at the beginning, “This is not a film about Islam. It is about the threat of radical Islam. Only a small percentage of the world’s 1.3 billion Muslims are radical.” The NY Times failed to mention that CAIR was an unindicted co-conspirator in the Holy Land Foundation trial, the largest terrorism financing trial in U.S. history. The NYPD no longer uses the film.

FBI Director, Robert Mueller met with a coalition of Muslim groups (which included the Islamic Society of North America – also an unindicted co-conspirator in the Holy Land Foundation Trial) in February to reveal that the FBI had removed more than 700 documents and 300 presentations on Islam from FBI training materials that were deemed “offensive.” Some of the documents removed included articles and presentations that defined jihad as “holy war” and portrayed the Muslim Brotherhood as an organization that planned to take over the world. In order to purge the documents from the FBI training materials, the agency must ignore the words of Hasan al-Banna, founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, which state, “It is the nature of Islam to dominate, not to be dominated, to impose its law on all nations and to extend its power to the entire planet.” In addition, FBI agents reported FBI headquarters had banned offices from inviting counter-terrorism specialists who were considered “anti-Islam,” and in June this policy extended to the military at the National Defense University when they suspended Lt. Col Matthew A. Dooley, an instructor of a college course that suggested the U.S. was “at war with Islam.”

The State Department removed sections from its Country Reports on Human Rights that discussed the status of religious freedom, which meant the reports did not include any information about the status of Christians and other minorities in Muslim nations that were a part of the Arab Spring revolutions in countries such as Egypt and Libya.

Six Army officers received administrative punishments for burning Qur’ans used by detainees at the Parwan Detention Facility in Afghanistan to exchange messages. NBC reported the punishments would most likely result in the end of their military careers. The Qur’ans and other religious material were burned in February. It was reported that up to 75% of the material contained extremist inscriptions on them. The material including Qur’ans had been boxed for storage, but were accidently sent to an incinerator. When Afghan workers discovered the burned Qur’ans, violent protests erupted. After several days of protest, 30 people were killed including four Americans and over 200 were wounded. Following this incident, the U.S. military released an advisory on the proper way to dispose of Islamic religious material. The material states, “If in doubt about the religious significance of any material, assume it is SACRED!” and “Non-Muslims should not handle a Quran.” The training even goes so far to say, “Any copy of a Quranic verse containing the name of Allah is an equally sacred text and should be handled the same as a Quran.”

As the U.S. government continually capitulated to the demands of Islamist groups, five members of Congress, Representatives Michele Bachmann, Louie Gohmert, Trent Franks, Thomas Rooney and Lynn Westmoreland sent letters to the Inspectors General of the Department of Defense, Department of Justice, Department of State, Department of Homeland Security and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence questioning the direct influence within the intelligence community of members of the Muslim Brotherhood. The Representatives requested that the offices conduct investigations into the extent of the Muslim Brotherhood involvement into their agencies. Rather than investigations beginning, the Representatives were met with vicious personal attacks.

Congressional investigations continue into the deaths of four Americans including U.S. Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens killed in a terrorist attack at the American diplomatic mission in Benghazi, Libya on 9-11-2012. Initially the Obama administration blamed the attack on a YouTube video that was critical of Islam rather than a pre-planned act of terror against the United States.

As 2012, came to a close the Washington Times reported about the draft of the U.S. Army’s new handbook to be given to U.S. troops heading to Afghanistan. The draft of the handbook, reviewed by the Wall Street Journal, blames recent deadly attacks by Afghan soldiers against American troops on Western ignorance of Afghan culture. The handbook gives soldiers a list of topics to avoid which include, “making derogatory comments about the Taliban,” “advocating women’s rights,” “any criticism of pedophilia,” directing any criticism toward Afghans,” “mentioning homosexuality and homosexual conduct,” and “anything related to Islam.”

Although it may not have been in the headlines, Islamists inflicted great damage on the security and freedoms of American citizens in 2012 through the efforts of those who ignorant of their agenda. We as citizens must continue to be watchmen, sounding the warning of the threat as we move into 2013.

 

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Ramadan Prayer Day 30 – Christian Attitudes About Islam

For many Americans, an awareness of Islam did not begin until 9-11-2001 when our nation was attacked by Al-Qaeda terrorists. Prior to the attacks, Islam seemed a distant, somewhat exotic religion from the Middle East to many people. Since that time most American Christians have formed views about Islam and the Muslim people. In the book, Engaging Islam, author Georges Houssney identifies five common Christian reactions to Islam.

Fear is a rather prevalent attitude when it comes to Islam. There are different aspects of fear – some truly fear for their physical lives; others fear a loss of western freedoms and a systematic takeover of the U.S. by Islamists and still others have a fear of man – fear of saying or doing the wrong thing and insulting those who may have a different culture and belief system than their own. There is certainly validity behind our fears – it is estimated that somewhere around 171,000 to 176,000 Christians are martyred each year for their faith, and many of those deaths are the result of Islamists. Even in the U.S., there have been those who have gone into hiding as a result of threats against their lives because of radical Muslims. Throughout the past thirty days, the articles in the Ramadan series have shown there are indeed some Muslims who are attempting to turn our nation into an Islamic state.

Oftentimes, fear leads to the second common response to Islam – fury. Since 9-11, the fear of more attacks from Islamists has actually altered our American way of life and that understandably makes us angry. It is because of a group of terrorists from the “religion of peace” that we have to take off our shoes, carry small containers of liquids in tiny bags and stand in endless security lines at the airport. As Christians in our nation seem to lose more and more rights, it makes us angry to see that Islam is gaining more rights and compromise of truth in our nation is evident.

Ironically due to the fear and fury some Westerners have exhibited toward Muslims, another group of Christians sympathize with the adherents of Islam because of what they feel are unfair and vicious attacks against Muslims. These Christians exhibit another common response – fascination. They see Islam as an exotic religion with a rich, cultural heritage, but they fail to realize the teachings of Islam are markedly different from those in Christianity. There are Christian churches and organizations that open their churches for Muslims to hold Islamic services all in the name of “loving their neighbor,” but this love is misguided and even “unsanctified mercy”.

Forgetfulness is another common attitude. Christians are busy and there are countless other important issues that vie for our attention. Many falsely believe that Islam does not affect their day-to-day lives; therefore they are apathetic regarding Islam.

Finally some Christians respond to Islam with fatigue. They are tired of hearing about the latest outrage or offense someone has supposedly committed against Islam. From a call to shut down Nike shoes because Muslims thought a design on the heel of their shoes looked like Allah in Arabic to Muslim cab drivers refusing to allow passengers into their cabs with seeing eye dogs, some American Christians are weary of listening to the religion of perpetual outrage’s latest offense.

Fear, fury, fascination, forgetfulness and fatigue describe the reactions of many American Christians, however God calls us to react to Islam with faith. Faith that our God did not take a 1400-year coffee break, and is now surprised there are 1.57 billion Muslims in the world. He has a plan and a purpose for the Muslim people, and He has a plan and a purpose for each one of us.

As Christians, we must separate the system of Islam from the people. Fearful Christians do not share their faith or in order to protect themselves they water down the truth of the Gospel. Fascination also leads to compromise so we no longer have a distinct Gospel. Untruths or half-truths will never advance the Kingdom of God.

Fatigue can lead to exhaustion, and in a place of exhaustion we may find ourselves too tired to look beyond the religious system of Islam and see Muslims as individuals in need of the Savior. Forgetfulness can lead to apathy. Many Christians pray for God to send forth the laborers into the harvest, but few Christians actually believe they may be the very one God wishes to send forth.  The phrase “send forth” in the passage actually can be translated from the Greek as “cast out”. Maybe God knew in our reluctance that some of us would have to be “cast out” into the harvest.

Scripture says, love casts out fear and produces boldness. I John 4:7-18, “In this way, love has been made perfect among us, that we may have boldness…There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear.” May we walk in boldness, presenting the gospel to those around us with love and pray as the early believers did. “Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness. Stretch out your hand to heal and perform signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus” (Acts 4:29-30).

Fury, however can lead to strife. We cannot be faithful servants of the gospel if we are motivated by strife. The Bible tells us, “Be angry, but don’t sin.” There is a righteous anger that does need to rise up in every American Christian in this nation – not anger at Muslims, or atheists, or gays, or abortionists, but an anger at ourselves for not guarding and appreciating this unique nation, which God has given to us. An anger that motivates us to fall on our knees and cry out for mercy on behalf of our nation.

We have seen the past 30 days of our reports that Islam’s impact on American culture and on the seven spheres of American society has been significant. The inroads, the infiltration, the propaganda thrown at the western world has been incredible and thus far effective. We are playing “catch up” to many years of information warfare.  The only hope for the defeat of radical Islam is Jesus Christ, the Son of God … the only Way, Truth and Life. And it starts by inviting Him back into our nation.

PRAYER FOR ISLAM IN OUR NATION

  • Pray that the American people in our nation will be drawn to seek God on behalf of the United States — praying that we, as a people, will return to the God of our Fathers and to our foundational beliefs.
  • The Muslim people in our nation need their hearts prepared to hear the truth of the gospel. Pray that God will soften their hearts and that the Church will rise up boldly and confidently, with love, sharing the message of salvation through Jesus Christ to the Muslim people.
  • Speak God’s blessings over the Muslim people!  Pray that “what our enemy [Satan] has meant for evil” God will turn it around for good and bring forth multitudes of Muslims into the kingdom of God. May God be glorified in the United States of America!
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Ramadan Day 27 – Arts & Entertainment: “Appreciation or Proselytizing?”

Captain Paul Fields, a Tulsa, Oklahoma police captain who is described as an officer with a “stellar career” was stripped of his command, transferred to another division and suspended without pay for two weeks in 2011 because he refused to attend a “Law Enforcement Appreciation Day.”

The event hosted by the Islamic Society of Tulsa included mosque tours, watching the Friday prayer service, meeting local Muslims, and receiving presentations on Islamic beliefs. The event was originally voluntary to attend, but because few people signed up the Deputy Chief of Police made the event mandatory saying that each patrol division should send six officers and three supervisors to the event. At the time, Captain Fields was the shift commander for 26 officers and 5 supervisors.

Captain Fields, a Christian, refused orders to attend the event because he felt it violated his Christian beliefs. He also informed his superiors that he would not require officers under his command to attend “if they share similar religious convictions.” He wrote in a memo that he believed the order was illegal and said the police department had never before ordered officers to attend an Appreciation Day at a religious venue.

According to a motion filed in federal court on behalf of Captain Fields, “unlike many of these other ‘appreciation’ events, the Islamic Event was advertised as involving religious content and religious activities, including proselytizing…Plaintiff [Fields] who understands Islam and its ‘dawa’ mission (‘the call’ or ‘invitation’ ‘to Islam’), knew that this event would involve proselytizing that was contrary to his Christian faith.”

As for the Tulsa Police Department and city attorney, they claimed the Appreciation Day was a “community policing event.” Captain Fields is suing for damages related to “his suspension, loss of command, transfer to the graveyard shift and loss of a promotion for at least a year.”  The American Freedom Law Center filed a motion for summary judgment for Captain Fields on August 14, 2012, and the case is expected to go to trial in December.

PRAYER FOR ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT:

  • In western society, a “Day of Appreciation” would be considered a time to be appreciated and entertained, not a day of proselytizing. Pray that Muslims will understand the separation between Church and state that Americans hold dear.
  • Pray for Captain Paul Fields that through this event he will be a Godly witness to other members of the Tulsa Police Department and to members of the Islamic Society of Tulsa. He has stated that he does not have a problem with Muslims. He believes the mandatory requirement to attend the event by his employers violates his first amendment rights.
  • Ask God to vindicate Captain Fields by seeing him returned to his position on the police force and to receive restoration of all he has lost.
  • Pray that police officers across the United States will not be forced to compromise their spiritual beliefs in regard to their employment and have the freedom to live their faith without being reprimanded.
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Ramadan Prayer Day 25 – Religion: “Is a Mosque the Same as a Church?”

FrontPage Magazine recently reported about “The Mega Mosque Boom” currently taking place. Mosques with proposed capacities from 7,000 seats to the more modest 2,000 proposed for the Ground Zero mosque are being built in western nations around the world. Foreign Muslim governments fund many of these mega mosques – especially in areas where the local Muslim population is not large enough to justify a mega mosque.

Many Americans, familiar with houses of worship such as churches and synagogues, believe a mosque is simply a place for Muslims to go and worship. They think of a mosque as an “Islamic church.” In reality, a mosque is much more than a place of worship for Muslims.

Because Muslims believe Muhammad is their perfect example, mosques are modeled after the very first mosque Muhammad established in Medina.  Dr. Sam Solomon, a former Muslim professor and shariah law expert, explains in the New English Review, “A mosque, totally unlike a church or a synagogue, serves the function of orchestrating and mandating every aspect of ‘life’ in a Muslim community from the religious, to the political, to the economic, to the social, to the military.”

Muhammad’s mosque was the seat of power – the place and symbol of Islamic rule. American Thinker describes it, as “a seat of government, a command center, a court, a school, and a military training center and depot for arms.” The mosque is considered the command center of Islam.

The number of mosques in the United States has increased by 74% since the year 2000. Many mega mosques are being built in areas with small Islamic populations. This tactic in Islam serves to show non-Muslims the superiority of Islam, and to encourage Muslims to migrate to an area. In the book, The Mosque Exposed, Dr. Solomon says, “Migration is legally obligatory on a Muslim as preparatory to other forms of jihad for the victory of Islam and Muslim in other countries.”

In addition to building large mosques and encouraging Muslims to migrate to an area, radical Islamic groups control the literature in the majority of American mosques. A 2005 study conducted by Freedom House called “Saudi Publications on Hate Ideology Invade American Mosques” gathered samples of over 200 hate texts sponsored or generated by Saudi Arabia and found in 80% of American mosques. These books include instructions for American Muslims such as, “Be dissociated from the infidels, hate them for their religion, leave them, never rely on them for support, do not admire them, and always oppose them in every way according to Islamic law”

PRAYER FOR RELIGION:

  • Pray that our political leaders, our citizens and the media will realize many mosques are not “Islamic churches,” but rather command centers for a system that desires the overthrow of the western governments.
  • Pray that Muslims who are not radical and do not desire to live under shariah law will expose those within their community who are attempting to force Islam on western nations.
  • Based upon Mark 4:22, Ask God to reveal anything of darkness that may be hidden (in the mosques).
  • Ask God to open the eyes of those who worship in the mosque and reveal the One who is Truth, Jesus Christ.
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Ramadan Prayer Day 24 – Family: “Marriage in Islam”

The Orlando Sentinel reported this week that Khalid Abeljawwad Mohd, a 41 year old Muslim man found guilty in June of attempted first degree murder and other charges was sentenced to life in prison. Mohd tried to murder his wife, Rema Jamel after she asked him to help her extend her visa to stay in the United States. He told her he did not plan to help her, but he wanted her to go back to Jordan leaving their sons with him, because he intended to bring his second wife from Jordan to the United States. The couple argued and Jamel testified that her husband became so angry with her that she tried to call police, but he removed the phone line from the wall so she could not call. When she tried to leave to go to a neighbor’s house he poured lighter fluid on her, pushed her to the floor causing her to black out. While she was unconscious, he set her on fire. Her children told police they heard their parents arguing and said their mother was on fire with “yellow stuff” dripping from her body.

This tragic story demonstrates a stark contrast between the concept of marriage in Christianity and in Islam. In a Muslim marriage relationship a woman is considered a possession of her husband. “Fair in the eyes of men is the love of things they covet: women and sons, heaped-up hoards of gold and silver…” (Surah 3:14) Under Islamic sharia law, polygamy is allowed and a man may marry up to four wives at one time. “Marry women of your choice, two, or three, or four…” (Surah 4:3)

In addition, both Shiite and Sunni Muslim men can engage in “pleasure marriages” – a temporary “marriage” for the purpose of having sex. These marriages known as “Mut’ah marriage in the Shiite sect can last as long as several years to a few hours. An article in the Daily Beast interviews a young Lebanese Shiite Muslim from Brooklyn named Ali Selman who has had 25 temporary marriages in the past ten years.  According to him the woman in the relationship must say, “I marry you, myself” and the man replies, “I accept,” and a token bridal gift such as chocolates must be given. According to Muhsin Alidina, a Shiite Muslim scholar in Queens, there is more to the contract than some Muslim men believe. It must be a mutually accepted arrangement with a bridal gift of cash paid to the wife. The wife must also stay single for two menstrual cycles after the relationship ends to make sure she is not pregnant. If there is a child conceived, the husband is responsible.

In Sunni Islam, the pleasure marriages are called “misyar marriage.” Because the practice was becoming more popular the Institute of Islamic Religious Law issued a fatwa [an Islamic religious ruling] permitting the marriages in which, “the woman relinquishes a home, financial support, and her part [in joint life] with her husband, or part of it, and consents to the man’s coming to her home whenever he wants, day or night.” A Saudi matchmaker told Al-Sharq Al-Awsat, a London daily newspaper, that following the fatwa she began getting 15 to 20 requests each day from men requesting such marriages.

Because women are seen as property, pleasure marriages and polygamy are both acceptable. Quite the contrast to the Bible’s command, “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her.” (Ephesians 5:25)

PRAYERS FOR FAMILY:

  • Pray for healing and restoration for Rema Jamel and her children. Burned over 75% of her body, she is permanently disfigured and in constant pain. Doctors have told her she will need about a dozen more surgeries.
  • Pray for young women from a western background that may be considering marriage to a Muslim man. Pray that they will be aware of the teachings of the Islamic religion regarding marriage and understand their lack of rights if they marry a Muslim.
  • Pray for Christian couples, that their marriage will be an example of the love of Christ for His Church.
  • Muslims who become Christians oftentimes report that what drew them to Christianity was seeing the inspiring difference in the life of a Christian near them. Ask God to enable Christian couples in strong, faith filled marriages to serve as living witnesses to Muslims in their communities.
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Ramadan Day 21 – Arts & Entertainment: A God Too Small For Criticism

The modern day assault on the arts and entertainment field by Islamists began in 1989 with the issuance of a fatwa against novelist Salman Rushdie, by the Iranian leader Ayatollah Khomeini. A fatwa is a religious decree issued by a recognized religious authority in Islam. In the case of Salman Rushdie, the fatwa called for his death because of his novel, The Satanic Verses, which Khomeini considered an insult to Islam.  Khomeini declared, “I would like to inform all the intrepid Muslims in the world that the author of the book entitled ‘Satanic Verses’…as well as those publishers who were aware of its contents, are hereby sentenced to death. I call on all zealous Moslems to execute them quickly, wherever they find them, so that no one will dare to insult Islamic sanctity. Whoever is killed doing this will be regarded as a martyr and will go directly to heaven.”

Within 72 hours of Khomeini’s declaration, six people were killed and more than 160 were wounded in violent demonstrations in India and Pakistan about the book. Salman Rushdie went into hiding. Four days later he issued an apology to the followers of Islam, but Khomeini stated that even if Rushdie repented, Muslims still needed to kill him. Two bookshops carrying the novel were firebombed, and unexploded devices were found at several others. Rushdie again tried to make amends and issued a statement bearing witness that “there is no God but Allah, and Muhammad is his last prophet” to no avail. Even after Khomeini’s death, Iranian clerics continued to call for Rushdie’s death. The Japanese translator of the novel was stabbed to death in a knife attack, and Italian translator seriously injured in a similar attack. The Norwegian publisher of the novel was shot.

The tactics of the Islamists have not changed in the twenty plus years since the publication of The Satanic Verses. On September 30, 2005, Jyllands-Posten, a Danish newspaper, published an article called “Muhammeds ansight” which means “The face of Muhammad”. Portrayals of Muhammad are not prohibited within the Qur’an, however there are hadiths, which forbid Muslims from creating any visual representations of figures. The article consisted of 12 cartoons depicting the prophet Muhammad. Flemming Rose, the cultural editor of the newspaper said, “The cartoonists treated Islam the same way they treat Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism and other religions. And by treating Muslims in Denmark as equals they made a point. We are integrating you into the Danish tradition of satire because you are part of our society, not strangers. The cartoons are including, rather than excluding, Muslims.” The Islamists however were not interested in the satirical portrayal of Muhammad and responded four months later with violence including the bombing of the Danish embassy in Pakistan, setting fire to the Danish Embassies in Syria, Lebanon, and Iran along with protests resulting in more than 100 deaths.

This type of behavior is not unfamiliar when western society meets Islam. Because of the threat of violence, far too often westerners simply practice self-censorship and refuse to treat Islam the same way they treat other religions. For instance Random House, because of the threat of a violent reaction refused to publish The Jewel of Medina, a novel about Aisha, Muhammad’s six-year-old wife. It is a historical fact that Muhammad married a six-year-old girl and consummated the marriage when she was nine, yet to state that fact could be considered slander if what you say offends a Muslim.

In Islam, it does not matter if what you say is true. Slander is defined as anything that offends a Muslim, and slander in Islam may be punishable by death.

PRAYER FOR ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

  • Rather than giving in to demands of the radical Muslims, pray that Westerners will stop allowing intimidation to cause them to become silent and compliant.
  • Pray that God’s Truth will prevail and continue to be a defense against slander within western nations.
  • Pray that Muslims will start to question why their god is so small that they must defend their religion with violence.
  • Ask God to reveal to all Muslims that there is a better way by showing them the love of God through Jesus Christ.
bestcurrentnews Ramadan Prayer

Ramadan Day 20 – Business: Forced Concessions in the Workplace

In the Center For Security Policy’s series, the Muslim Brotherhood in America, Frank Gaffney points out “stealth jihad techniques” the Brotherhood is using to accomplish their mission of “civilization-jihad.” One of the techniques is to demand concessions from Western individuals and businesses.

One example of concessions Muslims have tried to insist upon include taxi drivers in Minneapolis refusing to carry passengers possessing alcohol or even more incredibly blind passengers because shariah compliant cab drivers consider Seeing Eye dogs “haram” or forbidden. In a five-year period of time 5,400 passengers were turned away from taxi service by Muslim cab drivers. Eventually the airport commission voted to enact penalties for taxi drivers who refused passengers.

In another example, a company was sued even though they never hired a Muslim applicant for a job. An Ellicott City, Maryland assisted living center, Morningside House, must pay $25,000 and undergo mandated religious discrimination training for supervisors, managers and anyone involved in the hiring process as settlement for a lawsuit against the facility. The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) charged that Morningside House did not hire the Muslim job applicant because she refused to remove her hijab, a headscarf worn by Muslim women.

The interviewer, expressing concerns that the hijab may interfere with her duty to work as a certified nursing assistant (CNA) simply asked the applicant if she would be willing to remove her hijab. The applicant replied that she had worn the hijab during her training and it had not interfered during that time.

The applicant was told she would be contacted if they were interested in hiring her. She was not contacted. After the interview process the company did hire ten CNAs in September 2010. The press release regarding the lawsuit did not contain any details regarding the number of applicants or their qualifications compared to the Muslim applicant.

The EEOC charged that not hiring the Muslim woman was a violation of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which requires employers to “accommodate an employee’s or applicant’s sincerely held religious beliefs unless it creates an undue hardship.”

More incredibly, in a attempt to “accommodate an employee’s religious beliefs”, Wegman’s, a supermarket in Rochester, NY set up a special checkout line for a Muslim cashier directing customers to go to other lines if they have pork or alcohol.

Morningside House is not the first American business that has been sued by the EEOC on behalf of Muslims. Other American companies who have been sued by Muslim women desiring to wear a hijab include American Airlines, Alamo Rent-A-Car, Abercrombie & Fitch and Disney. In 2009, the EEOC received 1,490 complaints from Muslims, the fifth consecutive year the number of complaints rose.

Although it is important to support the freedom of religion, American businesses should also have the right to hire applicants of their choice. In our nation, adherents of other religions who may have a religious objection to an employer’s policies simply find another job. Demanding special accommodations for the Islamic religion in the workplace is an exploitation of American principles, and the first step of forcing American business principles to bow to Dhimmitude (the subjugation of non-Muslims by Muslims).

PRAYER FOR BUSINESS:

  • Our American system allows individuals to change jobs and work in the place of their choice. Conversely, businesses should have the right to hire applicants of their choice. Pray our government will not force businesses to accommodate one religion more than others.
  • Pray that Muslims in our nation will assimilate into the Western culture rather than demanding Western culture adapt to their demands.
  • Christians in the workplace are representatives of Christ. Pray that they will be righteous witnesses and reach out in a Christ-like manner to those around them, including Muslims.