Appallingly, 76% of the world’s population lives under regimes that advocate
or tolerate religious persecution.
Islamic radicals called Jihadists are directly responsible
for atrocities committed against Christians in countries like Egypt, Iraq,
Syria, Pakistan, and Nigeria. Christians
are crucified and beheaded because of their faith. Christian women are raped. Churches are targeted for bombings while they
are filled with worshipers. Christian
families have been forced to emigrate in fear for their lives. As a result, the body of believers in these
countries has shrunk dramatically over the past few years.
The depraved regimes that condone these terrorist acts
conjure up visions of ancient Rome.
Emperor Nero regularly nailed Christians to crosses or doomed them to
flames to serve as nightly illumination and entertainment when daylight had
expired.
Ironically, Islam upholds many Biblical doctrines associated with Christ. “The Quran
mentions the stories of 24 biblical Prophets—some in great detail (such as Jesus, Joseph, and Moses). Muslims believe that Jesus is the Christ and
the Messiah. Muslims also believe in his
virgin birth, ascension, and second coming.”
Muslims do not believe in the deity of Jesus. He is not exalted above prophets such as Moses
or Muhammad.
“Life is
sacred in Islam. The Quran (5:32)
states, ‘Whoever murders an
(innocent) person, it will be as if he murdered all mankind.’ Those
who manipulate verses from the Quran by taking them out of context to justify
violence against innocents contradict the Quran’s call for tolerance and peaceful co-existence. Islam is against terrorism.”
Muhammad says, “Do not start a war. If you must
fight, then strike only those (combatants) who attacked you. Do not attack women, children, the elderly,
or those retreating in their places of worship.”
Those three passages, taken from an Islamic publication, indicate that Jihadi radicals don’t represent typical, mainstream
Muslims. So the question arises; have Jihadists
departed from the teachings of Islam?
There are 57 Muslim countries in the world. Most are governed by secular laws. However the countries in which Jihadists operate are Shari'a based. Shari'a is the Muslim law derived from the Quran and teachings of Muhammad. If a person is an infidel (Christian), Shari'a demands that he or she be made an offer to convert to Islam. If the offer is refused, he or she may be killed or enslaved. This is the law that fuels Jihadi terrorists.
The US led coalition against ISIS has courageously demonized the deplorable acts committed by Jihadists.
The US led coalition against ISIS has courageously demonized the deplorable acts committed by Jihadists.
Sister Raghida, a nun & former head of a Christian school in Damascus, gave an account of a horrific event which took place on or about Tuesday, April 29, 2014 during the height of violence in Syria. Muslims approached two youths and asked if they wished to die like their Teacher in whom they trusted. They were given the choice to renounce their faith and accept Islam or be crucified. They refused to reject Jesus Christ & were martyred. One was crucified in front of his father who was then murdered. It’s amazing that this was not front page news in Canada, the USA, and Europe. It came to my attention through the diminutive Sun News Network.
ReplyDeleteQuotations were taken from a publication produced by Masjid An-Noor which has been serving a diverse Muslim community in southern Ontario since 1994.
ReplyDelete“Shari’a is the Muslim law derived mainly from the Quran and the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad. Shari’a does not apply to non-Muslim minorities living in predominantly Muslim countries.” This quotation was taken from the publication produced by Masjid An-Noor.
ReplyDeleteHowever, other sources give a different interpretation of Shari’a. If a person has never been a Muslim and is a kafir (unbeliever, infidel), Shari’a demands that he or she be made an offer to convert to Islam. If the offer is rejected, he or she may be killed, enslaved, or ransomed.
In the earliest recited verses of the Quran, kafir was a term used to signify unbelievers living in the Arab community of Mecca. In later recited verses, particularly those recited after the journey of Muhammad and his followers from Mecca to Medina in 622 AD, kafir came to include Jews and Christians. The expanded term refers to anyone who satisfies one or more of the following conditions: practices idolatry of any form, does not accept the absolute oneness of God, denies Muhammad as Prophet, ignores God's ayah (evidence or signs), or rejects belief in resurrection and final judgment. Christians were condemned as infidels for their belief in the Trinity which was declared a form of polytheism, denying the absolute oneness of God.
According to Masjid An-Noor, “the major Jihad is overcoming one’s desires (such as greed). The minor Jihad is fighting in self defense.”
ReplyDeleteISIS: Islamic State in Iraq and Syria
ReplyDeleteISIL: Islamic State of Iraq & the Levant
Levant: Greater Syria or more specifically Syria-Palestine which includes Syria, Jordan, Israel, Lebanon, part of southern Turkey, and Cyprus.
Shiites (a.k.a. Shias) & Sunnis: the two main Islamic groups. Their division was based on a dispute over a successor to Muhammad.
Al Qaeda: the radical Sunni organization founded by Osama bin Laden in 1988.
Baath Party: an Arab political party dominated by Sunnis. Baathism calls for the unification of the Arab world into a single state. Its members, which included Saddam Hussein, are called Baathists.
Caliphate: a borderless Islamic state. In the short term, radical Islam is calling for the unification of Arab nations into a single Islamic state. If successful, there is little doubt that Jihadists will threaten both Europe & the USA in their quest for a world-wide, borderless Islamic state.
Main Jihadi organizations: ISIS, Al Qaeda, & the Taliban. There is a malicious rivalry between the leadership of the three organizations.