iPhone App Attack
Chuck Colson:
The greatest threat to religious liberty and free speech in the United States is on the attack again. I’m not talking about Islamic extremism or the New Atheists. No, as dangerous as these anti-Christian ideologies are to our freedoms, they take a back seat right now to the ruthless, methodical attacks by gay-rights groups on anyone who disagrees with them.
Let me explain. Last year, you’ll recall that we created an iPhone app for the Manhattan Declaration. The app would allow users to read, sign, and share the Manhattan Declaration and its defense of human life, traditional marriage, and religious freedom. Apple said the app was “free from objectionable material.”
But when a group that supports so-called “gay marriage” protested that the Declaration promoted “hate” and “homophobia” and was “anti-gay,” (which it wasn’t), Apple removed the app from its iPhone store.
Since then I’ve been warning you that the Manhattan Declaration was just the first target of gay-rights groups. Now they have another: Exodus International, a Christian ministry that aims to free people from homosexuality. Apple has now removed the Exodus International app from its app store.
[...]
THR: Joel Surnow Says ‘Kennedys’ Was Nearly Killed Because of His Political Views
by John Nolte:
The Hollywood Reporter delivers an absolutely terrific and in-depth look at some of the maddening behind-the-scenes nonsense that ended, quite incredibly, with the History Channel’s cancellation of a $30 million miniseries, a move that likely cost its parent company, A&E Television Networks (and its owners Disney, NBCUniversal), millions already invested in production and marketing costs. This from the same network that broadcast a two-hour love letter to Howard Zinn. But it’s obvious the powers-that-be chose to lose a bundle in order to stay in the good graces of the Kennedy family (and therefore Hollywood) in the same way Disney appeases the Clintons by refusing to rerun or release on DVD “The Path to 9/11.”
[...]
The media in general is in the pocket of the Left and the Dems. It’s the same here in Canada where CBC, CTV and Global are all shills for the Left and Liberal/NDP axis. For that reason I have boycotted watching or listening to CBC for 15 years now. It’s also the same in the UK.
Mounting Terror in Israel
by P. David Hornik, FrontPage:
Snugly asleep at 5:30 on Wednesday morning, I was awoken by sirens that rang through Beersheva. By the time, groggy, I made it to the stairs of the apartment building, heading down to the air-raid shelter, I and other groggy, semi-dressed people around me heard the boom, sounding very near.
It was a Grad rocket fired from Gaza. It landed in a private yard—indeed not far from us—and a man who saw the explosion from his third-story window was injured by shrapnel. Beersheva schools were closed for the day.
Another Grad from Gaza hit Beersheva four hours later, this time with no damage.
These two Grads were part of a larger barrage of southern Israel: a Grad had also landed near Ashdod Tuesday night, causing no damage, and another seven mortar shells struck the region on Wednesday. During Tuesday, amid a general escalation stretching back to the weekend and earlier, Israeli planes had hit terrorist targets in Gaza, killing nine including four civilians.
[...]
Senate to Hold Hearings on “Anti-Muslim Bigotry”
by Robert Spencer, FrontPage:
On a day when Islamic jihadists exploded a bomb in Jerusalem that murdered at least one woman and wounded thirty, and when Islamic jihadists opened fire on and killed two Christians outside a church in Pakistan, Senator Richard Durbin (D-IL) announced that he was going to hold hearings on the rise in “anti-Muslim bigotry.”
Durbin, of course, was retaliating for the hearings recently conducted by Rep. Peter King (R-NY), who himself bowed to politically correct pressure and dropped several witnesses that he had originally announced his intention to call, including ex-Muslim human rights activist Ayaan Hirsi Ali and terror analyst Walid Phares.
Not only was the timing of Durbin’s announcement ironic, but also the fact that his retaliatory hearings were unnecessary in the first place. King, after all, gave a prime platform at his hearings to the weepy Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN), whose pilgrimage to Mecca was paid for with $13,350 from the Muslim American Society, the Muslim Brotherhood ‘s chief operating arm in the U.S.
Ellison used the bully pulpit King gave him to paint a lurid picture of Muslim victimhood, all the while saying nothing (of course) about the sharp increase in jihad terror plots in this country over the last two years. How can Durbin top that?
The irony of Durbin’s hearings becomes even more acute when one notes that according to the most recent FBI statistics (covering 2009), anti-Jewish attacks account for 70% of hate crimes, and anti-Muslim attacks for only 9% of crimes thus classified. Durbin is preparing to hold hearings about an “anti-Muslim bigotry” that is almost completely nonexistent.
[...]
The Department of Racial Injustice
by Daniel Flynn, FrontPage:
The Department of Justice has put bullies on notice: pick on racial minorities and the feds will come after you. Pick on white kids and the feds will look the other way.
A viral video of an Australian student body-slamming his bully sparked the Department of Justice to reiterate its opposition to bullying. “The Civil Rights Division and the entire Justice Department are committed to ending bullying and harassment in schools,” the department’s website states, “and the video highlights the Department’s authority to enforce federal laws that protect students from discrimination and harassment at school because of their race, national origin, disability, religion, and sex, including harassment based on nonconformity with gender stereotypes.”
The statement bewilders on multiple levels. Since when did camera-phone-shot YouTube videos drive pronouncements from the Department of Justice? Is bullying really an issue that calls for federal involvement? How did the bullied Aussie manage to fend off his assailant without government aid? Why does the pigmentation of the bullying victim’s skin determine the DoJ’s interest in a case?
[...]
A family slaughtered in Israel – doesn’t the BBC care?
By Louise Bagshawe:
Who is Tamar Fogel? The chances are that you will have no idea. She is a 12-year-old girl who arrived home late on Friday, March 11, to discover her family had been slaughtered. Her parents had been stabbed to death; the throat of her 11-year-old brother, Yoav, had been slit. Her four-year-old brother, Elad, whose throat had also been cut, was still alive, with a faint pulse, but medics were unable to save him. Tamar’s sister, Hadas, three months old, had also been killed. Her head had been sawn off.
[...]
Christian in Bangladesh Goes to Prison for Evangelism
CDN:
A Christian has been sentenced to one year in prison for “creating chaos” by selling and distributing Christian books and other literature near a major Muslim gathering north of this capital city.
A magistrate court in Gazipur district handed down the sentence to Biplob Marandi, a 25-year-old tribal Christian, on Feb. 28 after he was arrested near the massive Bishwa Ijtema (World Muslim Congregation) on the banks of the Turag River near Tongi town on Jan. 21.
A copy of the verdict says that he was sentenced according to Section 296 of Bangladeshi law 1860 for “creating chaos at a religious gathering.”
“Duty police found Marandi creating chaos as he was propagating his religion, Christianity, by distributing the tracts as a mobile court on Jan. 21 was patrolling near the field of the Bishwa Ijtema,” the verdict reads. “The accusation – creating chaos at a Muslim gathering by distributing Christian booklets and tracts – against him was read out in the court before him, and he admitted it. He also told the court that he had mainly wanted to propagate his religion, Christianity.”
The Rev. Sailence Marandi, pastor at Church of Nazarene International in northern Thakurgaon district and older brother of Biplob Marandi, told Compass that there was no altercation when his brother was distributing Christian tracts; likewise, the verdict makes no mention of any confrontation.
“I guess some fanatic Muslims found my brother’s works un-Islamic,” he said. “They created chaos and handed over my brother to the police and the mobile court.”
[...]
Jamie Gorelick Who ‘Helped to Bring us 9/11 AND Housing Collapse’ Is On Short List to Lead FBI
by Jeff Dunetz:
Barack Obama really knows how to pick them. It’s not often that one person plays key roles in two — count ‘em, two — trillion-dollar disasters but Jamie Gorelick is one. She helped to bring us 9/11 and the collapse of the Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Ms. Gorelick is on the presidental short list to be the head of the FBI.
[...]
Van Jones’ Color of Change Fails To Oust Breitbart From Huffpo; Huffpo Defends
by Dana Loesch:
Admitted Marxist Van Jones and his group, Color of Change, succeeded in fascistically booting Andrew Breitbart from ABC’s election night coverage yet hit a wall today when their attempt to again silence diverse voices was rebuffed by the Huffington Post.
[...]
Soros fingerprints on Libya bombing
By Aaron Klein:
Philanthropist billionaire George Soros is a primary funder and key proponent of the global organization that promotes the military doctrine used by the Obama administration to justify the recent airstrikes targeting the regime of Moammar Gadhafi in Libya.
The activist who founded and coined the name of the doctrine, “Responsibility to Protect,” sits on several key organizations alongside Soros.
Also, the Soros-funded global group that promotes Responsibility to Protect is closely tied to Samantha Power, the National Security Council special adviser to Obama on human rights.
[...]
The Persecution & Prayer Alert
The Persecution & Prayer Alert
The Voice of the Martyrs, Canada
http://www.persecution.net
Thursday, March 24, 2011
“I had to endure insults from unbelievers…and suffer many
persecutions…
I am ready and willing to give up my own life, without hesitation, for
His name”
– St. Patrick
Sign up now to receive our free Monthly Newsletter at
http://www.persecution.net/nlorder.htm
.
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In this week’s edition: reports from Saudi Arabia, Egypt, China and
Turkey.
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1. Indian Christians arrested in Saudi Arabia
(Source: International Christian Concern)
Two Indian Christian men working in the state of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
were recently arrested and sentenced to 45 days in prison. At
approximately 8:30 p.m. on March 11, Vasantha Sekhar and Nese Yohan
were beaten and arrested in the city of Batha on accusations of
“proselytizing.” Their apartment was ransacked after they were
imprisoned, and local Christians believe they were arrested to keep
them from practicing Christianity privately in their home. An employer
has returned the passport of one of the Christians, making it clear
that his job is no longer available, and he will be expelled. The
other Christian awaits information regarding his legal status and job.
Pray that these believers will be released. Pray that they will
testify to the love and truth of the Lord in prison. Ask God to give
all Christians ministering in Saudi Arabia grace, wisdom and endurance
as they serve Him (1 Peter 5:10).
You can learn more about the opposition facing Christians in Saudi
Arabia at http://www.persecution.net/saudiarabia.htm
.
***********************************
2. Convert from Islam escapes Egypt with daughter
(Source: Compass Direct)
An Egyptian father and daughter who have been in hiding for
two-and-a-half years after converting from Islam to Christianity (for
more see http://www.persecution.net/eg-2010-04-22.htm
) recently fled the country. In February, Maher El-Gohary (58) and his
daughter, Dina Mo’otahssem (17), flew from Cairo to Syria. After
contact with a U.S. organization that concentrates on religious
freedom, El-Gohary expected he would quickly be able to obtain a visa
to the United States, where his wife lives. He tried for over a week,
however, and was not able to make any headway. He then went to a U.N.
office in Syria seeking assistance, and an appointment was scheduled
for late April at last report.
Although El-Gohary and Dina do not live under the same type of threats
as they did in Egypt, they still spend much of their time trapped
between the four walls of their apartment because Syria is a country
where converts to Christianity from Islam are persecuted. They are
also struggling for basic necessities due to El-Gohary’s lack of
income. “I feel like we’ve stepped out of a prison cell and into a
fire,” El-Gohary said.
Even in this time of struggle, he acknowledges God’s enduring care.
“Without God’s love, we would have been dead by now,” he said.
Thank the Lord for the ways in which he has provided for El-Gohary and
Dina. Pray that they will continue to rely on His strength and not on
their own (2 Corinthians 1:8-9). Pray all Egyptian converts from Islam
will be bold and wise witnesses for Christ.
You can learn more about the opposition facing Egyptian believers at
http://www.persecution.net/egypt.htm
.
***********************************
3. Update: Imprisoned Chinese Christian released
(Sources: China Aid, Christian Broadcasting Network)
Shi Weihan, a Christian bookstore owner and house church leader, has
been released from prison nearly three years after his arrest for
“illegally” printing and distributing Christian literature (see
http://www.persecution.net/cn-2009-06-17.htm
). Weihan, who was first arrested in November 2007, was reportedly
released on February 9. He is said to be in “stable condition both
mentally and physically.” At last report, he was at home with his wife
and two children, but government officials were closely monitoring his
activities.
Thank the Lord for Shi Weihan’s release! Ask God to give him peace and
strength as he adjusts to life outside prison walls. Pray that he and
his family will continue to look to the Lord, rejoicing in His love
and care. Pray that other imprisoned Chinese Christians will also be
released and reunited with their loved ones.
Find out more about the persecution of Christians in China at
http://www.persecution.net/china.htm
.
***********************************
4. Update: Court cases continue for several Turkish Christians
(Source: Middle East Concern)
Turkish Christians are requesting prayer in response to three
long-standing court cases involving injustice against Turkish
believers.
There continue to be complications in the ongoing trial of the five
men charged with the vicious murder of three believers at a
Bible-publishing house in Malatya in April 2007 (see
http://www.persecution.net/tr-2007-04-25.htm
for more) as a result of efforts to identify those behind the five
suspects. The trial has been underway since November 2007. On March
17, twenty people suspected of being involved in the slayings of the
three Christian men, Necati Aydin, Ugur Yuksel and Tilmann Geske, were
arrested. The arrests were seen as a victory for the victims’ family
members. In another recent development, however, a chairman of the
judges’ panel was taken off the case after being promoted to a higher
court, and it is feared that the introduction of a new judge could
cause further delays in the complex trial. The next hearing is
scheduled for April 29.
In another ongoing case, Hakan and Turan Topal, two Christians accused
of insulting Turkey and its people by spreading Christianity, continue
to wait after appealing a conviction and fine for supposedly
collecting data illegally. The men were cleared of other serious
charges in October 2010, but given a hefty fine of 4,500 lira
(approximately $3,200 CAD) (see
http://www.persecution.net/tr-2010-10-28.htm
for more). The current case relates to their work with a Bible
research centre providing correspondence courses.
Finally, a ruling has reportedly been given in a land ownership case,
against the St. Gabriel Monastery in eastern Turkey, which began in
2009. In January, the Supreme Court ruled against the monastery,
thereby assigning ownership of some land within its long-standing
boundary wall to the Turkish Treasury. The ruling followed several
postponements, and the case is but one of five on-going cases
involving the monastery.
Pray that family members and friends of the three men killed in
Malatya will continue to know the peace of Jesus as the trial process
continues. Pray that all those who aided or perpetrated the murders
will have a deep conviction about what they have done, and understand
the depths of Jesus’ forgiveness. Pray that Hakan and Turan will be
acquitted. Pray that the true ownership of land surrounding St.
Gabriel Monastery will be accurately identified. Pray that Turkish
Christians facing opposition will know the Spirit’s enabling,
equipping and assisting as they persevere in their efforts to share
the gospel.
Find out more on the trials facing Christians in Turkey at
http://www.persecution.net/turkey.htm
.
***********************************
5. VOM’s Persecuted Church Conference in Ontario this weekend!
This Saturday, March 26, join with believers from across Canada in
remembering persecuted Christians around the world at VOM’s Prayer
Conference in Mississauga, Ontario. A special guest speaker will be
Russell Stendal, a missionary to Colombia with courageous testimonies
of Colombian believers who have shown resilient faith in the face of
opposition. You will also hear how VOM Canada has been working
alongside suffering believers for the past 40 years and how you can
get involved in empowering, equipping and encouraging believers today.
For full details on this exciting conference, go to our website at
http://www.persecution.net/vomc-events.htm
. We hope to see you there!
***********************************
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
ACLU v. Religious Liberty
By J. Matt Barber:
Consider the doublespeak inherent throughout the “progressive” Goliath’s flowery self-representation:
The ACLU is our nation’s guardian of liberty, working daily in courts, legislatures and communities to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties that the Constitution and laws of the United States guarantee everyone in this country.
Now contrast that depiction with ACLU founder Roger Baldwin’s candid vision:
I am for socialism, disarmament, and, ultimately, for abolishing the state itself… I seek the social ownership of property, the abolition of the propertied class, and the sole control of those who produce wealth. Communism is the goal.
[...]
What Would We Do Without the Arab League?
by Claudia Rosett:
Little publicized fact: Right up until the Arab League suspended Libya’s participation, due to Gaddafi’s highly visible slaughter of his own people, which country held the annually rotating presidency of the Arab League? Why, Libya. It was Muammar Gaddafi who played host to the Arab League’s summit last March, welcoming the worthies in lavish style to a gathering attended by United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon.
That tells us something about the character of the Arab League, a club of 21 Arab states plus the Palestinian Authority. Among its more moderate members are such countries as Morocco, Iraq and the United Arab Emirates. Among its –shall we say — more troubled and troubling members are Syria, Sudan, Somalia and Saudi Arabia. Founded in 1945, the Arab League has been on balance one of the modern world’s most enduring clubs of despots.
[...]
Bolton: Obama is too smart, sophisticated, nuanced to believe in victory
by The Right Scoop:
This is a great clip by my favorite part comes when Bolton criticizes Obama’s we’re-not-in-it-to-win-because-we-suck approach with Libya:
The President is too smart, too sophisticated, and too nuanced to believe in victory. He believes in something else. Look, he and his people have been told for years that American leadership irritates the world and therefore he’s trying to hide the reality of this operation which is that we’ve led it from the beginning and we have delivered most of the military muscle. The result of his unwillingness to assert American leadership is exactly the disarray you now see in NATO and even among the potential Arab partners for the coalition.
I think this is proof positive that the whole line of analysis that says American leadership somehow irritates the world just needs to be discarded, and sooner rather than later.
So if we want to protect the people but refuse to take out Qaddafi, how will we do that exactly?
[...]
FBI Launches investigation of Gulen and his movement
Dr. Paul L. Williams:
Fethullah Gulen, dubbed “the most dangerous Islamist on planet earth,” is now under investigation by the F.B.I. for his network of charter schools throughout the country.
The 140-plus charter schools, according to a newly released federal document, may serve as madrassahs where students are “brain-washed” to serve as proponents of the New Islamic World Order that Gulen purportedly seeks to create.
The Gulen schools, which have been established in nearly every state in the union, bear such innocuous names as the Magnolia Science Academy, the Sweetwater Branch Academy, the Science Academy of Chicago, the Pioneer Charter School, the Horizon Science Academy, the Noble Academy, the Dove Science Academy, the Bluebonnet Learning Center, and the Beehive Science and Technology Academy.
Gulen, who fled his native Turkey in 1998 upon being charged with seeking to overthrow the secular Turkish government, presently resides within a mountain fortress in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania.
[...]
A Liberal War in Libya
By David Warren:
As the days pass, and the intervention in Libya grows longer, my alarm also grows. The West digs itself into a position that is contrary to western interests, and can only advance the interests of our worst enemies in the Middle East. If I were to characterize the effect of the intervention – the actual as opposed to the stated effect – it would be, “Making the world safe for Islamism.”
[...]
The Most Islamic Community in Europe
by Soeren Kern:
Leicester, an industrial city in central England, is home to the most conservative Islamic population anywhere in Europe, according to American diplomatic cables that were obtained and recently released by the website, Wikileaks. Leicester is also on track to become the first majority non-white city in British history.
The politically incorrect observation was made by a senior US State Department official who visited the city as part of an effort to engage Muslim communities in Europe. It reflects how Leicester’s long-ballyhooed experiment with multiculturalism is being challenged by Muslim separatism and assertiveness.
[...]
Dear Reuters, You Must Be Kidding
Jeffrey Goldberg:
This is from a Reuters story on the Jerusalem bombing earlier today:
Police said it was a “terrorist attack” — Israel’s term for a Palestinian strike. It was the first time Jerusalem had been hit by such a bomb since 2004.
Those Israelis and their crazy terms!
[...]
Andrew Breitbart: Courts an Instrument of Leftist Thuggery
Audrey Hudson:
Politicians and their supporters use interesting tactics to intimidate and silence their critics, from rumor-mongering to editorial cartoons, even dueling pistols.
But the target of a high-profile lawsuit who is also a relentless investigator of the Obama administration says the judicial system is being used to retaliate against him.
“The President of the United States has an unprecedented and uncanny desire to silence those who report the truth about him,” says media mogul Andrew Breitbart.
[...]
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