Christian Zionism is more about Jews than about Israel
by SHMUEL ROSNER:
The simple reality of Christian Zionism is that the facts are different from many Jews’ assumptions (and then for some Jews aware of the facts, there’s still a tendency to resort to extreme conspiracy theories or strained arguments about Jewish continuity). There’s no question that they have different politics, rhetoric, and even culture from what we’re used to seeing in the Jewish world. But they do seem to express a genuine love and care for Jews.
[...]
Alleged terrorism plot targeted Canada
CBC News:
Three Ontario men accused of taking part in a domestic terrorist plot and possessing plans and materials to create makeshift bombs had allegedly selected specific targets in Canada, sources told CBC News.
It is not yet known what the alleged targets were, but sources told CBC News that none of the targets were in the United States.
Misbahuddin Ahmed, 26, and Hiva Alizadeh, 30, both of Ottawa, and 28-year-old Khurram Sher, of London, Ont., have all been charged with conspiracy to knowingly facilitate a terrorist activity.
Alizadeh is also charged with being in possession of an explosive substance with intent to harm and providing property or financial services for the benefit of a terrorist group.
Ahmed and Alizadeh were arrested Wednesday in Ottawa. Sher was arrested Thursday in London in southwestern Ontario.
[...]
*UPDATE*
RCMP identify six terror bomb plot suspects; accused of financing weapons
How Vindictive Is This Administration?
By Daniel Foster:
I’m not usually the conspiratorial type, but watch Gov. Chris Christie explain how the Obama administration disqualified the state of New Jersey from hundreds of millions in education funds because some clerk in Trenton turned in the wrong excel spreadsheet:
[...]
Lefty beats up cabbie; left blames the right
Don Surber:
From the ironically named Think Progress: “NY1 reports today of a likely hate crime in New York City, which has been the site of an ugly, emotional debate over the proposed Park 51 Islamic community center near the site of Ground Zero. The news station reports that a cab driver was attacked by a young man who appears to have assaulted him due to his Islamic faith…”
Um, yea, but wait a second…
[...]
H/T: Instapundit
The Persecution & Prayer Alert
The Persecution & Prayer Alert
The Voice of the Martyrs, Canada
http://www.persecution.net
Thursday, August 26, 2010
A weekly news and prayer digest on the Persecuted Church.
Follow The Voice of the Martyrs on Twitter at
http://www.twitter.com/vomc
.
***********************************
In this week’s edition: reports from India, Ethiopia, Tanzania,
Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
***********************************
1. Twelve Christians arrested in India
On August 15, police arrested 12 believers in Mandya district,
Karnataka state, India. Pastor Satish and Ravi, an evangelist with
India Campus Crusade for Christ, were conducting a service in a
believer’s home when approximately 30 people entered the building and
started to accuse them of forcibly converting locals. Later that day,
10 of the believers were released; Pastor Satish and Ravi remained in
detention at last report. (Source: VOM-USA, Christian Persecution
Update India)
Pray for the release of these believers. Pray that their testimonies
of faithfulness amid adversity will draw non-believers into fellowship
with Christ. Pray that the Word of God will continue to be declared
with clarity, boldness, love, and power in India (Ephesians 6:19-20).
To post a prayer of solidarity with these imprisoned believers, please
visit our Persecuted Church Prayer Wall at
http://www.persecution.net/prayerwall
.
For more information on the persecution of Christians in India, go to
http://www.persecution.net/india.htm
.
***********************************
2. Muslims attack Somali church leader in Ethiopia
Mohamed Ali Garas, a prominent Somali church leader and convert from
Islam, was beaten recently by Muslims in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Mohamed, who fled to Ethiopia from Somalia in 2005 after Somali
authorities attempted to arrest him, recently moved to a new
neighbourhood in Addis Ababa because Somali Muslims had threatened to
attack him. While he was walking to his new home on the evening of
August 21, he heard two men calling his name. When he approached them,
they struck him on the head with a wooden club and knocked him to the
ground. The two Somali Muslims then continued to assault him, hitting
and kicking him in the chest and stomach. They fled when a neighbour
arrived on scene. At last report, Mohamed was being treated at a local
hospital for his injuries, which included a damaged kneecap.
Somali Christians living in Ethiopia have come under increased attacks
from Somali Muslims in recent months, including a Christian man who
was assaulted in July for reading a book critical of the Prophet
Muhammad (see http://www.persecution.net/et-2010-07-29.htm
for more information). A Somali pastor in the Ethiopian capital has
described this latest attack as “an apparent attempt to scar the
Somali Christian community in Addis Ababa who consider Ethiopia a safe
haven from religious persecution.” (Source: International Christian
Concern)
Ask God to give Mohamed healing. Pray that his attackers will be
brought to justice. Pray that he and other Somali believers facing
persecution in Ethiopia will continue to trust in the Lord to guide
and embolden them as they serve Him.
To learn more about the ongoing opposition of believers in Ethiopia,
go to the Ethiopia Country Report at
http://www.persecution.net/ethiopia.htm
.
***********************************
3. Evangelist arrested in Zanzibar, Tanzania
Security agents have reportedly arrested Peter Masanja, an evangelist
in Zanzibar’s southeastern town of Paje. Earlier this year, Peter
invited fellow members of the Pentecostal Church in Zanzibar to hold
religious activities in his home. Local Muslims grew angry, believing
that he was planning to establish a church on his land.
In early August, Peter failed to return home and his wife grew
concerned. After several days of searching for him, his wife learned
that he had been arrested and imprisoned in Kilimani. Local pastors
have tried to meet with prison authorities about Peter’s arrest, but
were told that the person in charge of the prison was away on
business. (Source: Compass Direct)
Pray that Peter will be released. Pray also for his family, that their
faith in Christ will grow stronger during these difficult days. Ask
God to equip Christians in Tanzania through His grace to demonstrate
His love and forgiveness amid great opposition.
***********************************
4. Pakistani family in hiding following accusations of blasphemy
A Christian man, Tanvir Masih, and his family are in hiding after
Muslim militants accused him of blasphemy. On July 28, Muslims in
Bahawalnagar district, Punjab province discovered Tanvir, who is a
cleaning worker, using a broom covered with a pharmaceutical firm’s
advertisement cards bearing a verse from the Qur’an in Arabic that
read, “God is the best healer!” They then accused Tanvir of “defiling
Muhammad.” Tanvir tried to explain that others had given him the
cards, which were written mostly in English, and that he did not
understand English. The Muslims continued to verbally abuse him and
brought the matter to Tanvir’s employer, a physician, and a district
health officer. The two decided that Tanvir committed no blasphemy –
a decision his accusers appeared to accept. However, as Tanvir came
out of the clinic he found irate Muslims had swarmed the road. In fear
for his life, Tanvir fled the scene. At last report, he and his family
have gone into hiding at an undisclosed location. (Source: Compass
Direct)
Pray for safety and courage for Tanvir and his two young sons. Pray
that Tanvir will be able to stand firm in his faith, despite the
difficulties he is facing. Pray that those who falsely accuse
Christians of blasphemy will repent of their unjust ways and come to
know Christ as Lord.
To find out more about Christians suffering for their faith in
Pakistan, visit http://www.persecution.net/pakistan.htm
.
***********************************
5. Pray for Christians in India and Sri Lanka
Two VOM staff members recently returned from India and Sri Lanka,
where they met with partners and visited with persecuted Christians in
need of prayer as they serve Christ amid great opposition. In India,
reports of violence against believers, village churches being
destroyed, and church leaders being threatened by local Hindus
continue to be a daily reality. Converts to Christianity are often
cast out of their families, denied inheritance rights and face poverty
and ostracism. In Sri Lanka, Christians often face opposition from
militant Buddhists intent on ridding the nation of Christianity.
Churches have been burned, believers beaten and Christian leaders
killed.
Pray for lasting fruit from the time VOM staff spent in India and Sri
Lanka as projects are developed. Pray that the suffering believers
they met with will look to the Lord for encouragement. Pray also that
VOM will be effective in equipping Canadian Christians to understand
the situation facing Christians in India and Sri Lanka and stand in
solidarity with them.
You can learn more about the trials facing Christians in India by
visiting the India Country Report at
http://www.persecution.net/india.htm
. You can also stay informed about persecution facing Christians in
Sri Lanka by visiting http://www.persecution.net/srilanka.htm
. Be sure to sign up for VOM’s free monthly newsletter to read
upcoming articles featuring the testimonies of believers in India and
Sri Lanka. Subscribe today at http://www.persecution.net/newsletter
.
***********************************
6. Hearing their cry: The International Day of Prayer for the
Persecuted Church
“You hear, O LORD, the desire of the afflicted; you encourage them,
and you listen to their cry” — Psalm 10:17
In countries around the world, Christians are following Jesus at great
cost and risk. Many face violence, imprisonment and harassment and
even death. Every November, Christians join in The International Day
of Prayer for the Persecuted Church (IDOP) — a time set apart for us
to remember thousands of our Christian brothers and sisters who suffer
persecution, simply because they confess Jesus Christ as Lord. To
learn more about IDOP, visit http://www.idop.org
, where you can also download special resources designed to equip you
to pray for your persecuted family.
***********************************
The Persecution & Prayer Alert is a ministry of The Voice of the
Martyrs, Canada. (Mailing address: P.O. Box 608, Streetsville,
Ontario, L5M 2C1)
Tel. (905) 670.9721. Website: http://www.persecution.net
Surprise: More hate crimes against Christians than against Muslims
By: Mark Hemingway:
This morning there was a report that a cab driver in New York was stabbed because he was Muslim. While the facts are still emerging, all reasonable people can agree this is a shameful and un-American act if this proves to be true.
This incident will undoubtedly be used by the media to further push the narrative that the controversy over the Mosque near Ground Zero in New York shows how Americans are bigoted against Muslims. So here’s some clarifying info from the FBI. According to the latest hate crime statistics available, there were 1,606 hate crime offenses motivated by religious bias in 2008. A closer look: 65.7 percent of them were committed against Jews. Against Muslims? 7.7 percent.
Depending on which population estimates you accept for Muslims (anywhere between 4 and 7 million), hate crimes are committed against Jews at a rate three to eight times greater than against Muslims. Yet something tells me that despite all these hard numbers — as opposed to Time’s “anecdotal evidence” – that magazine is not going to run a cover anytime soon asking, “Is America Anti-Semitic?”
[...]
Obama’s Arabic Teleprompter – Imam Rauf!
Eileen F. Toplansky:
In a stunning revelation, it appears that the controversial Imam Rauf has been quite instrumental in the crafting of the speech that Obama gave in Cairo. This report comes from Walid Shoebat who speaks fluent Arabic. It is a shocking audio recording of Rauf’s own voice boasting in Arabic that Obama’s historic speech in Cairo was provided by the Imam’s work with the Cordova Initiative.
[...]
The Media’s Anti-Semitic Hate Machine
By Daniel Greenfield:
By linking Islamic terrorism to some form of Israeli provocation, and from there to the support for Israel by American Jews—the same media which would commit seppuku rather than blame Muslims for Islamic terrorism, instead blames Jews for Islamic terrorism. The steady drumbeat of such rhetoric, which exonerates Muslims but indicts Jews, for the actions of Muslims, is brilliantly perverse. And it also puts the lie to the media’s defense that it avoids attributing terrorism to Islam because it does not want to stoke bigotry. In reality, the media has no problem with using Islamic terrorism to stoke bigotry. It just has a different target in mind.
Behind the media’s long ugly history of misreporting terrorism against Israel, has been that one fundamental narrative, that it is not Muslims who are responsible for Muslim terrorism, but the Jews.
[...]
The War Room Israel Needs
by Joseph Puder, FrontPage:
Throughout its 62-years of independent existence, Israel has had to defend itself from attacks by the Arab states and in more recent decades from Palestinian-Arab terrorism and the Lebanese Shiite Hezbollah. Yet, despite its existential struggle against the genocidal intentions of the Arab world and the Palestinians, Israel failed to establish an Information Ministry that would contextually present a Middle East reality: A Jewish democratic state struggling against dictatorial regimes who deny democratic rights to their people, religious freedom to minorities, and who chose to impede the lot of their people while using Israel as the scapegoat.
[...]
The Left’s Culture of Hate
by Dennis Prager, FrontPage:
I recently wrote about leftists’ hatred for conservatives as people, not merely for conservative ideas. Demonization of opponents is a fundamental characteristic of the left. It is not merely tactical; they believe people on the right are bad. (Here’s a test: Ask someone on the left if active support of California Proposition 8 — retaining the man-woman definition of marriage — was an act of hate.)
A related defining characteristic of the left is the ascribing of nefarious motives to conservatives. For the left, a dismissal of conservatives’ motives is as important as is dismissal of the conservatives as people. It is close to impossible for almost anyone on the left — and I mean the elite left, not merely left-wing blogs — to say “There are good people on both of sides of this issue.” From Karl Marx to Frank Rich of The New York Times, this has always been the case.
[...]
Silencing global warming critics
Russell Cook:
The Warmists are at it again, attempting to manipulate media coverage of global warming, in a manner reminiscent of JournoList members attempting to downplay troublesome Obama stories in the 2008 election. The is not the first time for such media manipulation, either.
Now, a reader tip at Anthony Watt’s popular blog site seems to indicate the Union of Concerned Scientists has set up, instead of a network to coordinate talking points, a media alert request page that could end up being an intimidation system against certain journalists.
[...]
Uh oh: Top NRSC lawyer headed to Alaska to advise Murkowski?
by Allahpundit:
Let me get this straight. After taking loads of abuse from the grassroots for endorsing Charlie Crist before Rubio’s campaign got off the ground, and with Murkowski already pointedly refusing to rule out a third-party bid if Miller’s (shrinking) lead holds up, John Cornyn and the NRSC are … sending their top lawyer to help her out? And framing it explicitly in terms of retaining incumbents? Do they really have no idea of how bitterly ferocious the backlash will be among the Republican base — especially, but not only, among Palin’s supporters — if they’re seen as tilting the election to Murkowski? And how embarrassing it’ll be if they try to do so and fail and then get knifed in the back when she bolts to run as a libertarian?
[...]
Wildrose Alliance dares to discuss health-care privatization
Kevin Libin:
It’s no coincidence that on Monday her party announced a new website feature inviting Albertans to share their “health-care horror stories” from a system where government planners have, according to the site, “no plan to reform our health-care system into one that is patient-centred, locally managed and sustainable.”
The Health Resource Centre offers a good platform to argue the case. Emerging from a pilot program launched during the more stalwart years of the Klein government aimed at shorten growing waiting lists for certain orthopedic surgeries, it is Alberta’s only privately run, publicly funded overnight stay hospital. A 2009 study by AHS found that the centre — which handles about a third of the city’s hip and knee surgeries — was able to operate and release patients considerably faster and with better outcomes than any other hospital in the province, even adjusting for the more complicated cases (patients with underlying health issues) channeled to larger hospitals.
Were all centres able to match the HRC’s benchmarks for hip and knee replacements, the report found, nearly 12,000 hospital bed days would be freed up every year in the province. The operations are significantly cheaper too, says Tom Saunders, Networc Health’s CEO.
[...]
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