The Root of Modern Day Islamic Terrorism – Part 1

2016 Ramadan GraphicTwo years ago on June 29, 2014, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, leader of ISIS, declared that he was the head of the Caliphate. A Caliphate is an Islamic state led by a religious and political leader called a Caliph. The Caliph is considered a successor to Muhammad, and he rules with absolute power and authority over the entire Muslim world.

Most Muslims certainly do not recognize Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi as the Caliph or consider themselves are part of the ISIS created Caliphate. However the rise of modern-day Islamic terrorism can be directly traced to the fall of a previous Caliphate.

From the beginning of the 14th Century the Ottoman Empire, under a Caliphate in Turkey, ruled a major part of three continents from their headquarters in Constantinople (Istanbul). They ruled for 500 years until the Caliphate began to collapse after the First World War ended in 1917. In 1924, the Caliphate, which was the seat of authority that had united Muslim controlled areas, was abolished and Ataturk was unanimously elected President of a secular Republic in Turkey. The Islamic stronghold had collapsed.

Four years later in 1928, Egyptian Hasan al-Banna, in response to the recent collapse of the Muslim Caliphate, called for establishment of a world Islamic state governed by Qur’anic law and ruled by a single Caliph (or leader). Meeting with his brother and four friends they swore to live and die for Islam and the Muslim Brotherhood, the first modern radical group was born. According to the remarks of their leaders, the Caliphate is to be expanded to cover the entire globe, erasing national boundaries under the flag of Islam.

Hassan al-Banna stated, “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.” This belief has not changed. The Muslim Brotherhood can be found in over 80 countries around the world and is the root of many Muslim organizations today.

Their creed states, “God is our purpose, the Prophet our leader, the Quran our constitution, jihad our way and dying for Allah our supreme objective.”

Another Muslim Brotherhood member, Sayyid Qutb wrote a book called “Milestones” in 1964 that is widely used by radicals today. He called for the revival of Islam and said Muslims are obliged to do two things:

  1. Wage jihad in defense of Islamic lands.
  2. Wage offensive jihad in order to liberate the world from the slavery to man-made law and governments.

The Muslim Brotherhood has always relied on a gradual approach to establishing a Caliphate, but its ideology and ultimate goal of world domination is the same as groups like al-Qaeda and ISIS.

Prayer Point:

The teachings of Islam do not allow itself to coexist with other religions or political ideologies. Pray that both Muslims and non-Muslims will awaken to this reality and challenge this doctrine of supremacy within Islam.

Apostasy

2014 Ramadan Prayer Day 13Muslim apologists often quote “there is no compulsion in religion” (Qur’an 2:256) to argue that Islam does not punish those who may abandon their Islamic religion. Quoting tolerant verses such as this is a tactic that is often used, but the apologists fail to reveal that the tolerant verses were written in the early days of Islam while Muhammad was trying to garner support through peaceful means. It is the verses Muhammad received later that are crucial since the later verses have abrogated (annulled) the earlier verses.

This becomes especially important for those in the West when we look at the number of Westerners who converted to Islam, but then changed their minds. The New Statesman reports that over 100,000 people in Britain converted to Islam between 2001-2011, but up to 75% of them have since become apostates – leaving the religion. Many of those that have left Islam are women who married a Muslim, but later divorced. This puts not only the women themselves in danger since they are apostates, but it also jeopardizes any children from the marriage. Islam considers children of an Islamic father to be Muslim regardless of whether or not they are raised in a Muslim home. The arrest of Mariam Ibrahim in Sudan is a good example. Her Muslim father’s family believes she is an apostate from Islam because her father was a Muslim – even though her Christian mother raised her as a Christian.

Yusuf al-Qaradawi is one of the most influential Sunni Islamic clerics in the world. He is the chairman of the International Union of Muslim Scholars and the European Council for Fatwa and Research. He hosts a weekly television program called Sharia and Life that is broadcast on Al Jazeera to an estimated audience of 60 million, and he is also the chief religious scholar for IslamOnline, a popular website containing a wide range of Islamic topics ranging from news to fatwas (religious rulings on matters of Islamic law). He is also considered the spiritual leader of the Muslim Brotherhood. His opinions on topics are embraced by millions of Muslims around the world.

Yusuf al-Qaradawi Apostasy Screenshot
Yusuf al-Qaradawi

In an interview, al-Qaradawi admitted, “If they had gotten rid of the apostasy punishment, Islam wouldn’t exist today… Surah 5:33 says, ‘The punishment of those who wage war against Allah and His apostle…is that they should be murdered or crucified.’ According to Abi Kulaba’s narration, the verse means the apostates. And many hadiths, not only one or two, but many, narrated by a number of Muhammad’s companions state that any apostate should be killed.”

Perhaps the best evidence that killing apostates from Islam is still held by many Muslims can be found in the fact that 27 countries consider apostasy from Islam illegal and a prosecutable offence. The punishments vary from fines, imprisonment, flogging to the death penalty in 11 of the 27 nations.

Apostasy laws are the ultimate form of control over the Muslim people. Islam imprisons its adherents and eradicates its rivals.

Prayer Points:

Pray that citizens in nations that are democratic in nature and allow many freedoms will value their liberty and thank Almighty God for His incredible blessings.

Jesus came to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and to set the oppressed free. People who are unable to leave a religion are not free – pray for God’s discernment and declare His freedom to those who are captives of Islam. In addition, pray for protection for those that have left the religion of Islam.

Pray that Western governments and the United Nations will expose the nations involved in religious oppression. Ask God to reveal to them to reconsider giving financial support to nations that do not allow basic human rights such as the freedom to choose your religion.

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.

Ramadan 2013 – Day 22 – The Root of Modern Sunni Islamic Terrorism

2013 Ramadan PrayerModern Sunni Islamic terrorism can be traced back to the ideas and theories of two primary Islamist leaders, Hasan al-Banna, the founder of the Muslim Brotherhood and Sayyid Qutb commonly referred to as “the father of modern [Islamic] fundamentalism”.

The Muslim Brotherhood, founded in 1928, is one of the most influential Islamist organizations in the modern world. The Brotherhood has provided the ideological background for almost all modern Sunni Islamic terrorist groups including Hamas, al Qaeda and Palestinian Islamic Jihad.

The Investigative Project on Terrorism says the Muslim Brotherhood has “grown exponentially, from only 800 members in 1936, to over 2 million in 1948, to its current position as a pervasive international Sunni Islamist movement, with covert and overt branches in over 70 countries.”

The Brotherhood’s goal is to first restore the historical Islamic Caliphate and then expand the Caliphate’s authority to the entire world through both violent and non-violent means. Founder Hassan Al-Banna said, “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.” This ideology is reflected in the creed of the Muslim Brotherhood, “God is our purpose, the Prophet our leader, the Qur’an our constitution, jihad our way and dying for Allah our supreme objective.” Al-Banna was shot by an assassin in 1949.

In addition to Hasan al-Banna, the works of Sayyid Qutb impacted the philosophy of the Muslim Brotherhood. Today Qutb may actually be more influential than al-Banna among Islamic radicals. His books can easily be found in bookstores in the West. Qutb’s book, Milestones has influenced Islamic extremists such as al-Qaeda founder Osama bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri, current leader of al-Qaeda.

The premise of Milestones was that the world had degraded into a state of ignorance like the world prior to Muhammad’s existence. Qutb believed apostate rulers and the establishment of Islamic states through jihad was the only way to solve this state of ignorance. According to Qutb, since Arab secular leaders such as Egyptian President Nasser did not follow the sharia, he felt the Egyptian government should be resisted. After a Muslim Brotherhood member attempted to assassinate President Nasser in 1954, the organization was outlawed and dissolved by Nasser. He burned down its headquarters and arrested approximately 15,000 of its members and executed some of them, including Qutb.

The ideology behind the Muslim Brotherhood continues to drive the organization. Whether through overt or covert means – the infiltration into western governments, universities and political organizations continues to put freedom and safety at risk around the world.

Yusuf al-Qaradawi, a Muslim Brotherhood spiritual leader said, “What remains is to conquer Rome. This means Islam will come back to Europe for the third time, after it was expelled from it twice…Conquest through Da’wa [proselytizing], that is what we hope for. We will conquer Europe, we will conquer America! Not through sword but through Da’wa.”

Prayer Points:

Most Muslims desire to live in peace. Pray they will overcome their fears and rise up against organizations such as the Muslim Brotherhood, al Qaeda, Hamas and others that are militant.

The Muslim Brotherhood members in western nations present themselves as peace loving and just another group – and yet their website and documents that have been exposed present a different picture. Ask God to expose the truth in our nations about the Muslim Brotherhood and cause leaders to understand their intent.

Pray that Christians will not fear Islam or Islamic terrorism. Pray they will boldly expose the evil in the system, while proclaiming the message of the gospel of the Kingdom of God to those caught in its grip.

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.

 

ReCap January 2013

ReCap Logo

Best Current News seeks to bring you timely, reliable information about the advance of radical Islam around the world. With hundreds of articles appearing each week, it can be difficult to keep up with events as they unfold. In an attempt to keep readers informed of threats to Judeo-Christian values and western culture by radical Islamists, Best Current News is beginning a new “ReCap” series. We will provide a short synopsis of articles of interest. In each synopsis there are links provided to original sources if you would like more information. If you have a suggestion for an article, please contact bestcurrentnews@gmail.com.

Articles of Interest

On the Internet:

  • A continuing concern for westerners is the use of the Internet and social media to promote terrorism. The Washington Free Beacon reported a suspected al-Shabaab terrorist and American citizen, Omar Hammami (aka Abu Monsoor al-Amriki) has been using both Twitter and YouTube to spread his terror message. Hammami was placed on the U.S. FBI’s most wanted list in November. Twitter has rules governing spam and abuse, but their rules do not address terror related tweets. YouTube has a user-regulated policy against terrorism. A user may flag a video and YouTube will review the clip and make a final determination although the Free Beacon reports that accounts that have been flagged by users remain open.

North America:

  • The Investigative Project on Terrorism reported a December 22nd story published in Egypt’s Rose El-Youssef magazine reveals the names of six American Islamist activists working in the Obama administration. The Egyptian magazine, named Arif Alikhan, assistant secretary of the Homeland Security Advisory Council; Mohammed Elibiary, a member of the Homeland Security Advisory Council; Rashad Hussain, the U.S. special envoy to the Organization of the Islamic Conference; Salam al-Marayati, co-founder of the Muslim Public Affairs Council; Imam Mohamed Magid, president of the Islamic Society of North America; and Eboo Patel, a member of President Obama’s Advisory Council on Faith-Based Neighborhood Partnerships. The magazine says the six turned the White House “from a position hostile to Islamic groups and organizations in the world to the largest and most important supporter of the Muslim Brotherhood.”
  • Former Vice President, Al Gore sold his television network, Current TV to Al Jazeera, an Arab television network known for its anti-American and anti-Israel bias. Gore and his partner Joel Hyatt announced the sale in a statement that read, “Current Media was built based on a few key goals: To give voice to those who are not typically heard; to speak truth to power; to provide independent and diverse points of view; and to tell the stories that no one else is telling…Al-Jazeera has the same goals and, like Current, believes that facts and truth lead to a better understanding of the world around us.” Conservative commentator, Glenn Beck attempted to buy the network last year, but Current TV executives refused to sell to Beck. Current TV told officials for Beck, “the legacy of who the network goes to is important to us, and we are sensitive to networks not aligned with our point of view.”
  • Foreign laws and legal doctrines such as Islamic shariah law, which are frequently at odds with American constitutional rights, have been used in U.S. courts across the nation. The American Laws for American Courts Act (ALAC) was written to clearly protect the rights of American citizens and residents from foreign laws that conflict with American constitutional principles. Groups such as the Council for American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) have fought against passage of ALAC in state legislatures falsely claiming the law discriminates against Muslims. Despite CAIR’s objections, four states have passed the legislation.

As part of CAIR’s ongoing fight against ALAC Creeping Sharia revealed CAIR in Washington state is urging Muslims to lobby their legislators to pass the Faith in Our State and Laws Resolution. This resolution, which says in part, “RESOLVED that this body has full confidence in the U.S. Constitution and the laws of the state of Washington and does not entertain any concern that any foreign or religious law offers a threat to the law of the land.” The report Shariah Law and American Courts by the Center for Security Policy, a review of 50 appellate court cases across the U.S., however reveals four instances where shariah law was used in cases in the state of Washington.

  • CAIR, co-founder, Nihad Awad told a Saudi TV station that Muslims preceded Columbus and Islam played a part in the establishment and development of the United States.
  • Prior to being elected as President of Egypt, Muslim Brotherhood leader Mohammed Morsi called for a boycott of all products made in America because of our support of Israel. MEMRI-TV released a video of Morsi’s boycott comments. Despite Morsi’s comments, the United States is scheduled to deliver the first shipment of 20 F-16 fighter jets and 200 Abrams tanks from the United States as part of a $213 million foreign aid package to Egypt. The American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ) has collected more than 170,000 signatures on a petition opposing this shipment.
  • Canada’s National Post reported Islamist extremists are radicalizing Canadians at “a large number of venues.” An intelligence report released under the Access to Information Act revealed, in addition to mosques, the Islamist radical agenda is being spread in prisons, on the Internet and through foreign travel.

Europe:

  • French Interior Minister Manuel Vallis said 1,193 vehicles were burned New Year’s Eve in the Muslim majority districts of Strasbourg and Mulhouse in France. In addition, seven police officers were attacked. The Conservative Papers report the American media rarely reports on this issue and when they do, they do not mention the background or religion of the offenders
  • Gatestone Institute reports an English language textbook designed for foreign students and immigrants to the United Kingdom contain to the nation of Israel as “Occupied Palestine.” A pro-Syrian nationalist owns the publisher of the textbook, Garnet Education.
  • Because of an increase in violent anti-Semitism, Copenhagen’s Jewish community and Israel’s ambassador to Denmark have warned Jews in Copenhagen to not wear anything that would identify them as Jews and to lower their voices when speaking in Hebrew. Sadly the same advice is being given in other European nations such as Germany, Finland, Sweden and Norway.

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 23 – Education: “U.S. Universities and the Muslim Brotherhood”

In the aftermath of 9/11, at the request of the White House, Swiss authorities raided the villa of Youssef Nada, the director of Al-Taqwa Bank and an admitted Muslim Brotherhood International Leader. In the raid they recovered a document, known as “The Project.” According to testimony given by Nada to Swiss authorities, “Islamic researchers” associated with the Muslim Brotherhood prepared the document with recommended tactics and techniques to “establish an Islamic government on earth.”

You can see many of these tactics in the document unfolding today. Two of these have a direct impact on our educational institutions.  The Project recommended, “Instrumentally using existing Western institutions until they can be converted and put into service of Islam.” Another advises Brotherhood Members to cultivate an Islamist intellectual community that includes, “publishing ‘academic’ studies, to legitimize Islamist positions,”

One of the best ways to accomplish these goals is through donations to western universities around the world. Muslims have poured millions of dollars into our universities. This money has influenced Middle Eastern study departments, academic chairs and even curriculum taught. According to Brigitte Gabriel, founder of ACT for America, prominent U.S. universities receiving Islamic money include Georgetown (28.1 million), Harvard (22.5 million), University of Arkansas (20 million), Cornell (11 million), Berkley (5 million), MIT (5 million), Texas A&M (1.5 million) and others such as Rutgers, Columbia, Princeton, UC-Santa Barbara, John Hopkins, Rice, American, USC, UCLA, Duke, Syracuse, Howard University plus many others.

In addition, six U.S. universities have established a permanent relationship to the Qatar Faculty of Islamic Studies (QFIS). The universities are Texas A&M University, Weill Cornell Medical College, Georgetown University of Foreign Service, Virginia Commonwealth University of the Arts, Carnegie Mellon University and Northwestern University all located in Qatar. Typically American universities having a presence in other countries is not unusual, however the Qatar Faculty of Islamic Studies has some other interesting connections.

The website for the QFIS lists among other specialized centers, the Al-Qaradawi Center for Islamic Moderation and Renewal. In addition the newest QFIS research center is to be headed by Tariq Ramadan. Ramadan’s grandfather was Hasan Al-Banna, the founder of the Muslim Brotherhood. Ramadan was banned from the United States under the Bush administration for his ties to terrorism, but the Obama administration lifted the ban in 2010. Al-Qaradawi, spiritual leader of the Muslim Brotherhood, lived in Qatar prior to his return to Egypt after the fall of President Mubarak. While in Qatar, he amassed great wealth as the shariah advisor to the Bank of Al-Taqwa.

The Global Muslim Brotherhood Daily Report says, “The formation of the center represents a highly significant coming together of Qaradawi and Ramadan, the two most important leaders of the Global Muslim Brotherhood.”

The universities receiving money and partnering with the Muslim Brotherhood is further evidence of how deeply the educational sphere of influence has been infiltrated by those with an Islamist agenda. Most importantly, these institutions are training our future leaders in government and media.

PRAY FOR EDUCATION:

  • Ask God to reveal the “deep and hidden things” (Dan. 2:22) that is in many of our universities and bring it to the light.
  • Pray that parents, alumni, and students around our nation will see the truth behind the Islamist agenda in their schools and demand administrations turn down any money that is given to teach propaganda rather than facts.
  • Pray that God will raise up parents, alumni and students in each university that has been infiltrated by the Muslim Brotherhood to demand investigations into the influence of any monies given.
  • Pray that God will strengthen Christian universities around the nation – teaching the truth to young men and women of God and the necessary skills to lead others on a righteous path.

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.

Ramadan Prayer Day 8 – Business: “The Influence of Islamic Banking in our Nation”

 

The term “Islamic banking” refers to a system of banking or banking activity that is consistent with Islamic law (Shariah) principles and guided by Islamic economics. The Financial Times recently published an article regarding Islamic banking.  The article portrays shariah compliant finance in our banking systems as ethical, however by western standards one would question those ethics.

Shariah Finance Watch has compiled a list of financial institutions active in the United States that have a tie to shariah compliant finance along with entities that do not offer financial products but play key roles in enabling shariah compliant finance in our nation. This list includes AIG, Bank of America, Barclays, Bloomberg, Century 21, J.P. Morgan Chase, CitiBank, The Coca-Cola Company, Dow Jones, GE Capital, Harvard Law School, HSBC, International Institute of Islamic Thought, NASDAQ, and Standard & Poor’s.

Shariah compliant financial products are, as the name indicates, governed by Islamic shariah law. A product is determined to be compliant based on the approval of one or more Islamic scholars who serve on an advisory board for any institution offering shariah compliant products. The financial transactions cannot involve “impure” activities that include alcohol, pork, tobacco, gambling, pornography and western defense, and they cannot charge interest. Most importantly 2.5% of the assets of a shariah compliant instrument has to be donated as “zakat”. The Islamic scholars, serving on the advisory boards, determine how to distribute this money.

Zakat is giving a portion (2.5%) of one’s wealth to charity and is one of the five pillars of Islam. The money can be distributed between eight categories: the poor, those short of money, zakat workers, those who hearts are to reconciled, slaves purchasing their freedom, those in debt, those fighting for Allah and travelers needing money. The phrase, those fighting for Allah, means, “people engaged in Islamic military operations for whom no salary has been allotted in the army roster” (Reliance of the Traveller h8.17 p. 272). Those fighting for Allah are given money even if they are wealthy which is to be spent on weapons, clothing and other expenses including supporting the fighter’s family.

Although zakat is found in the Qur’an, Islamic finance cannot be found in the Qur’an or the hadith. Islamic leaders in fact invented it in the 1940s and 1950s.  Abul A’al al-Mawdudi and Sayyid Qutb – both who desired to insulate the Islamic world from western civilization wrote about Islamic economics, but at the time Islamic financial products did not exist.

The idea of Islamic financial products did not take root until the Arab Oil Embargo in the 1970s when countries such as Saudi Arabia, Sudan and the United Arab Emirates developed large banking institutions. The nation of Iran began to dominate the industry after the 1979 Islamic revolution and today 6 of the 10 top shariah compliant financial institutions are actually Iranian state banks.

There are only around two-dozen shariah scholars who serve on the advisory boards of shariah compliant financial institutions around the world. These scholars sometimes serve on the boards of competing institutions, which would be considered a conflict of interest in the western world.

Mufti Taqi Usmani was the chief of the Dow Jones shariah advisory board and the chief of HSBC’s shariah advisory board. After it was uncovered that Usmani believed Muslims in the West had a duty to rise up in jihad against their Western neighbors and had served as an officer of the madrassa in Pakistan that gave birth to the Taliban, he was replaced by his son.

Sheik Yusuf al-Qaradawi, spiritual leader of the Muslim Brotherhood has been on the advisory boards of many financial institutions. This includes a bank called Al Taqwa based out of the Bahamas. The bank had an association with a real estate investment firm called BMI based in New Jersey.  Both were shut down by the US Treasury Department for sending funds to finance terrorism.

PRAY FOR BUSINESS:

  • Shariah compliant banks and institutions have poor standards for disclosure and transparency. U.S. policy makers, regulators and Wall Street are not equipped to handle the research necessary to investigate. Pray that God will bring forth His Truth to reveal anything that is hidden and reveal to American banking officials the concerns of Islamic banking in our nation.
  • Pray that any zakat funds that go to financing terrorism against western nations will be uncovered and challenged.
  • Pray that Muslims giving money to zakat will be made aware of exactly how their money is being spent.