bestcurrentnews 2014 Ramadan Prayer

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.

bestcurrentnews Islamization of the West

The Gradual Islamization of the West: Education Part One – Accommodation

BCN Public School Battle Map Screen ShotThe Cato Institute features an illuminating interactive map on their website labeled the Public Schooling Battle Map. This particular map marks conflicts within the American public schools from 2001 through 2013. Such conflicts include disagreements concerning curriculum, freedom of expression, human origins, moral values, reading material, and religion.

As the map illustrates, conflicts regarding the education of children are numerous and widespread. Of particular interest to Christians are conflicts regarding religion in schools. The map below spotlights those conflicts that are defined as, “disputes involving the presence of religion in schools, either through employees, students, or outside groups.”

BCN Public School Battle Map Religion Screen ShotMost of the disputes marked have occurred when schools and/or districts have disallowed elements of Christianity i.e. Christian prayer, Christian hymns sung during “holiday” programs, etc. The justification often cited for disallowing a Christian influence is the misapplication of the separation of church and state. There is, however, a double standard in the way religions are being handled in U.S. public schools. While Christianity’s influence is increasingly diminished within the public schools, Islam’s influence is escalating.

A glaring example of Islam’s favored status was reported by ESPN from a public high school in Dearborn, Michigan. In 2010, Ramadan, a month long time of daylight fasting observed worldwide by Muslims, happened to coincide with the beginning of football practice for the Fordson High School team.  The team, winner of four state titles, after receiving “approval of school and district administrators and the blessings of players, parents and police” scheduled their practice sessions from 11 pm to 4 am so that Muslim players, who are allowed to eat and drink after sunset, could participate. The New York Times attempted to equate the religious accommodation for Muslims during Ramadan to Brigham Young University’s refusal to play athletic events on Sunday because of their religious convictions. However, this comparison fails to recognize the stark difference between a decision by a privately owned university and a publicly funded high school.

Accommodations for Muslim students are not only limited to the United States. Last April, The Guardian reported three quarters of the schools supported under the Waltham Forest Council (a school system in Britain) serve only halal meat despite the fact that Muslims only make up about 15% of the population of the area. Halal meat is slaughtered using Islamic standards including pronouncing the name of Allah during the slaughter. Only one school in the area serves both halal and non-halal meat. The schools that are serving halal meat to non-Muslim children report that the decision is based upon logistics since many school kitchens are not large enough to store and prepare two types of meat.

Valley Park Middle School in Toronto, Canada allows approximately 400 Muslim students to attend imam-led prayers in the school’s cafeteria. The 30-minute prayer service takes place every Friday from November to March – the months in the Islamic calendar when Islamic prayer times are during class times.  The school agreed to the arrangement after large numbers of Muslim students were leaving on Friday afternoons to attend afternoon prayer at a local mosque, but then were not returning to school following the short prayer session.  Imagine western school systems allowing Christian prayer sessions during Advent or Lent, which would certainly be equal treatment, but most likely meet with much opposition.

The prayer sessions began in 2008, and are currently still continuing. The sessions remained without scrutiny until July of 2011 when Muslim, Tarek Fatah, the founder of the Muslim Canadian Congress, raised objections to the treatment of young girls in the prayer sessions.  The Toronto Sun quotes Fatah, “My concern is the Toronto District School Board (is) using tax money to tell girls they are second-class citizens.” The prayer sessions are set up in a traditional Islamic fashion with boys in the front and girls behind them. Strict Islamic tradition dictates that menstruating young women are considered unclean and are sent to the back of the room. Fatah is further quoted as saying, “It’s a fearful time for a young woman to get her first period, and right at that time you have this man (the Imam) telling them they are unclean. That should not happen in Canada.”

In November of 2011, Sheikh Yusuf al-Qaradawi, host of “Shariah and Life” – a television program broadcast on Al Jazeera with an estimated audience of 60 million and chief religious scholar for IslamOnline, encouraged Muslims to adopt the concept of gradualism. Gradualism is the policy of advancing toward a goal by gradual, often slow stages.  Qaradawi wrote, “Gradualism is one of the laws of nature that Allah Almighty has created. It is also needed in applying the ruling of Shariah to make a change in people’s life.”

The greatest threat to western society is not through open war with Islamists, but through the gradual indoctrination of westerners. What may appear to someone who is not familiar with the teachings of Islam as an accommodation is actually a surrender of the freedom of thought and religion to a system that does not allow such freedom.

Prior to his arrest in August of 2013, Mohamed Badi, former Supreme Guide of the Muslim Brotherhood worldwide, outlined the six phases of the Brotherhood’s plans to rule the world:

  1. Sharia over the individual
  2. Sharia over the family
  3. Sharia over the society
  4. Sharia over the government
  5. Resurrection of the Caliphate
  6. Mastership of the world

When western public schools disallow Christian prayers and Christmas programs, yet embrace and encourage Islamic prayer and traditions, they are already operating under Islamic sharia law.

In the next few months Best Current News will be exploring other methods Islamists are using to subvert the hearts and minds of our greatest blessings – our children.