The Blessing of Having a Voice
Most of you who are participating in the Ramadan prayer series this year receive the articles each day either through email or through a social media site such as Facebook. In Western nations, social media is considered an effective way to voice opinions and share with friends. Facebook reportedly has 1.23 billion users; Twitter has 500 million users, and Instagram (a photo sharing site) has 150 million active users. Most of us are used to sharing through one or more of these platforms; in fact Pew Research Center’s Internet Project reveals that 73% of online adults use some type of social networking site.
In many Muslim nations that same freedom is non-existent. The Independent reported that eight unidentified social media activists in Iran have been sentenced to a total of 127 years in prison after being found guilty of using the Internet to insult Iran’s leaders, spread anti-government propaganda, and undermine national security.
In Saudi Arabia, Raif Badawi was charged with apostasy after he began a website to allow users to discuss religion. Part of the evidence used against him at his trial was that he pressed the “like” button on a Facebook page for Arab Christians. He eventually was sentenced to 10 years in prison and 1,000 lashes. He can still appeal, but now the lawyer who represented him in the case is also in prison.
Women in Saudi Arabia used blogging and social media in an effort to gain the right to drive. In October 2013, there was a campaign calling for Saudi women to defy the ban and drive on October 26. The government’s response was to block the campaign’s website. One of Saudi Arabia’s top clerics announced that women who drive risked damaging their ovaries and could have children with “clinical problems of varying degrees.” Interior ministry employees contacted the leaders of the campaign individually and told them not to drive, however despite the contact and a heavy police presence on the 26th, there were still 12 YouTube videos that were posted of women driving.
The Stealthy Freedoms of Iranian Women Facebook page encouraged Iranian women to share photos of themselves with uncovered heads. The 
Facebook page has over 573,000 likes, with thousands of women submitting their photos. In response the Iranian government has tried to smear Masih Alinejad’s reputation. Iranian state television reported that three men in a London subway raped Masih after she took drugs and undressed herself in public. In response, Masih filmed a YouTube video of herself standing with her head uncovered in the subway station singing a song.
Social media is a threat to Muslim government and authorities that adhere to a strict sharia (Islamic) law code. Prior to the advent of social media, citizens did not have an uncensored platform to express their opinions or even discuss religion. We in the West are blessed to have multiple platforms to have a voice, and we must continue to contend through prayer forothers to share in the blessing.
Prayer Points:
Be grateful and thank God that we can “like” Facebook pages without fear of punishment. Our freedom to speak what is in our heart is becoming fragile in many nations and we must contend to maintain this right.
It is very important for Westerners to be aware that oftentimes “hate speech” laws are simply a stealth method to take away our freedom of speech. Pray that citizens in these nations will recognize simple ways that our rights are diminishing and speak out. Influence leaders who make decisions about speech and laws that hinder what we are permitted to say and urge them to maintain a strong stand for freedom of speech. Above all, be faithful to pray about the situation.
Thank God for Muslim women who are bravely speaking up to be treated equally. Pray for their protection and encourage them in showing your support. Click “Like” on their Facebook pages and help spread their message for individual freedom.
Islam in the U.S. – 2012
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.
Ramadan Prayer Day 26 – Media: “A Self-Censored Press Is Not Free”
The Society of Professional Journalists, considered the trade guild of the U.S. press corps, states their mission is “dedicated to the perpetuation of a free press as the cornerstone of our nation and our liberty.” On the website the Society lists eight goals including, “To maintain constant vigilance in protection of the First Amendment guarantees of freedom of speech and of the press.”
Pertaining to the press, the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution says, “Congress shall make no law…abridging the freedom of speech or of the press;” This means our government cannot censor or control the press, however, when it comes to Islam, it is not our government, but self-censorship by the press that has whitewashed the threat of Islamic fundamentalism.
Following the 9-11 attacks by Muslim jihadists on our nation, The Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) passed a resolution in October 2001 urging members to avoid racial, ethnic and religious profiling in covering the “War on Terror.” As part of this resolution, the Society published guidelines for journalists including the following:
- When writing about terrorism, remember to include white supremacists, radical anti-abortionists and other groups with a history of such activity.
- Avoid using word combinations such as “Islamic terrorist” or “Muslim extremist” that are misleading because they link whole religions to criminal activity. Be specific: Alternate choices, depending on context, include “Al Qaeda terrorists” or, to describe the broad range of groups involved in Islamic politics, “political Islamists.” Do not use religious characterizations as shorthand when geographic, political, socioeconomic or other distinctions might be more accurate.
- Avoid using terms such as “jihad” unless you are certain of their precise meaning and include the context when they are used in quotations. The basic meaning of “jihad” is to exert oneself for the good of Islam and to better oneself.
- Ask men and women from within targeted communities to review your coverage and make suggestions.
White supremacists and anti-abortionists have never murdered over 2,700 people in the name of their god. Al-Qaeda’s leader, Osama bin Laden made it quite clear in fatwas (Islamic religious rulings) through the years that it was the duty of all Muslims, not just members of al-Qaeda to attack America. Proof that other Islamist groups were involved in the 9-11 attacks has since emerged. A federal district court judge ruled in December of 2011 that Iran and Hezbollah materially and directly supported al-Qaeda in the September 11, 2001 attacks.
Jihad can be a personal struggle, but it is also a holy war waged on behalf of Islam as a religious duty. Dr. Muhammad Sa’id Ramadan al-Buti, Al-Azhar University Islamic scholar, in the book Jurisprudence in Muhammad’s Biography wrote, “The Holy War (Jihad), as it is known in Islamic Jurisprudence, is basically an offensive war. This is the duty of Muslims in every age when the needed military power becomes available to them. This is the phase in which the meaning of Holy war has taken its final form. Thus the apostle of God said: ‘I was commanded to fight the people until they believe in Allah and his messages…”
Finally, groups with ties to the Muslim Brotherhood such as the Islamic Circle of North America and the Council for American Islamic Relations were the ones asked by our media to review their coverage and make suggestions. In an attempt to be “politically correct” and adhere to these guidelines, our media has allowed Islamists to control the information regarding radical Islam.
These guidelines have allowed Islamists such as the Muslim Brotherhood to keep average Americans ignorant of the agenda and the threat of shariah adherent Islam to our nation.
PRAY FOR MEDIA:
- Pray for the media – that those who do not understand the truth about Islam will receive revelation and the self-censored media coverage of Islam will cease and truth will be revealed to the American people.
- Pray for journalists to be courageous and bold in their coverage and to uncover the “doublespeak”.
- Just as communism keeps people in bondage to the system, Islamic shariah law keeps Muslims in bondage. The Muslim people are not the enemy to our form of government – rather the enemy is the system of shariah (Islamic) law. Ask God to expose the truth of shariah law to our government, educators, media, and the citizens of our nation.
Ramadan Prayer Day 11 – Government: “Islamist Influence”
During a July 27th Congressional hearing, Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division of the Justice Department, Tom Perez, repeatedly refused to answer Rep. Trent Franks question regarding the administration’s position on the freedom of speech.
Rep. Franks asked, “Will you tell us here today that this administration’s Department of Justice will never entertain or advance a proposal that criminalizes speech against any religion?” Earlier in the hearing, Rep. Franks had referenced an article that was published in October 2011, detailing a meeting between top Justice department officials and Islamists. Perez said he was not aware of the article.
In this particular meeting the Muslim representatives lobbied the Justice department officials for several things including, “cutbacks in anti-terror funding, changes in agents’ training manuals, additional curbs on investigators and a legal declaration that U.S. citizens’ criticism of Islam constitutes racial discrimination.”
Sahar Aziz, an Egyptian-American lawyer from the Institute for Social Policy and Understanding argued that Americans’ fear of Islamists’ bombs has evolved into racism towards dark-skinned men.
Although some in the United States have been accused of being “racist” when criticizing Islam, it is important to note that Islam is not a race. Oftentimes if one can paint their opponent as being racist, the facts do not matter.
Asst. Attorney General Perez reportedly praised the group, who he said had convinced the government to end extra security checks from twelve Islamic countries (including Nigeria – the home of the Christmas Day underwear bomber).
Mohamed Magid, president of the Islamic Society of North America (an unindicted co-conspirator in the Holy Land Foundation Terrorism trial), argued that “teaching people that all Muslims are a threat to the country…is against the law and the Constitution.”
Perez is quoted in the article as saying; “I sat here the entire time, taking notes. I have some very concrete thoughts…in the aftermath of this.”
Rep. Franks asked Perez exactly what his concrete thoughts had been. Perhaps Rep. Franks asked because of the White House ordered review of counterterrorism training material and an internal FBI investigation purged hundreds of documents of instructional material about radical Islam.
Those who have clearly shown themselves to have an agenda of advancing an anti-American system are threatening the security of our nation.
PRAY FOR GOVERNMENT:
- Continue to pray that the plans of our enemies will be uncovered.
- Pray that those running for election will be aware of the danger radical Islam presents to our nation, and during the election cycle these issues can be brought into the light.
- Many Muslims are not radical in their faith and desire to live in this nation in peace. Pray that they will be received in their communities and enjoy the freedoms given to us by our U.S. Constitution.
- Continue to pray that they will meet the Prince of Peace – who is Truth.
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