All posts filed under: Islam

Is America’s withdrawal from Afghanistan a fulfillment of Islamic end-times prophecy?

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Similar to Christianity, Islam also has an end times theology that involves the arrival of a Muslim Messiah, who will set up Islam on world-wide scale. This person is referred to as the ‘Mahdi’ According to CBN, the take over of Afghanistan by the Taliban, after America’s withdrawal, is now being heralded as a fulfilment of prophecy paving the way for the arrival of the ‘Mahdi.’ It reports that the radical Islamic group’s twitter page is specifically referencing ‘black flags’, that are tied to the Islamic end times. The radical Islamic group states, “Black flags will arise from Khorasan and nothing will be able to return them.” According to author Joel Richardson, the reference to black flags from Khorasan, which is located in Afghanistan, is connected to the arrival of the Islamic Messiah. In a webinar sponsored by CBN, Richardson explained: “It says an army will come from Khorasan carrying black flags and then it says this: ‘If you see them give them your allegiance.  Even if you have to crawl over ice.  Because this …

Despite increasing persecution, Christianity growing in Indonesia

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It defies logic, but according to a report by the Indonesian government, the Christian population in that Muslim-dominated country has grown by 1% over the past decade. With just over 86% of Indonesia’s population (272.2 million) identifying as Muslim, the country has the largest muslim population (236 million) of any country in the world. But the growth of Christianity is interesting considering the emergence of several Muslim extremist groups in recent years, that have been ramping up their persecution of Christians. This past spring, the government was forced to increase security for churches during Easter services after two militants, a husband and wife, who had pledged allegiance to the Islamic extremist group, ISIS, blew themselves up outside a church the previous Palm Sunday, injuring 20. Yet, despite this growing persecution, International Concern reports that as of June 2021, the government reported that 10.58% of its population is Christian (comprised of 20.4 million protests and 8.4 million Catholics). This is up from 9.87% of its population reporting as Christian in 2010. In real numbers, the Christian …

Has the Taliban seized billions of dollars in US military equipment?

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According to an article in the New York Post, President Joe Biden’s botched handling of America’s withdrawal from Afghanistan has resulted in the Taliban seizing billions of dollars of American weapons that had been previously given to the Afghanistan army. According to the report, the American government has giving the Afghan army over $28 billion in weapons since 2002, including several helicopters gifted over the past couple of months. Provided they have not been damaged or destroyed, the Taliban now potentially has access to upwards of 600,000 assault rifles, nearly 20,000 night-vision goggles, 200 aircraft including Black Hawk helicopters, 2,000 armoured vehicles and as well several military drones. Some have suggested the night vision goggles are the biggest concern as it allows the Taliban to operate at night. According to the report, over the past four years, the American army gave the Afghan army, “7,035 machine guns, 4,702 Humvees, 20,040 hand grenades, 2,520 bombs and 1,394 grenade launchers.” Of course, the Taliban is expected to use this treasure trove of American weaponry to suppress the …

Already listed as the second most dangerous country for Christians, Afghanistan just became more dangerous

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With the Taliban now firmly in control of Afghanistan after US President, Joe Biden, announced America’s withdrawal of soldiers on April 13, 2021, the country will become an increasingly dangerous place for Christians. International Christian Concern (ICC), an organization dedicated to helping persecuted Christians around the world, estimates that they are upwards of 12,000 believers in Afghanistan (population 37 million), with most of them being converts from Islam. The church operates largely underground, as there is only one church in the country, and it is a Roman Catholic Church located inside the Italian Embassy. It has been closed since the start of the COVID pandemic started, and it’s doubtful that it will reopen. Prior to the take-over by the Taliban, Open Doors listed Afghanistan as the second most dangerous country for Christians, behind North Korea. CBN recently reported on an interview that ICC had with an Afghani Christian pastor, who said he now fears for the safety of Christians now that the Taliban are in control. Conversion to Christianity is considered an act of apostasy …

Islamophobia: What is the lesson for us?

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What do you think when you hear the word “Islamophobia?” This is a new word, and it refers to prejudice and dislike of Muslims. Recently, in Canada, the government held a summit on the topic of Islamophobia. I should give a disclaimer here. The conference was about the religion of Islam, and I am a Christian. I remember a song when I was younger, with these words: “Jesus is the answer, for the world today. Above him there’s no other, Jesus is the way.” That is a good description of what I believe. I will give a link to that song, below. The old saying is ‘If you don’t play the game, you can’t make the rules.’ That applies to me. Imagine if I gave advice about what Jewish people should have done to resist their persecutors. That would be offensive. I am an outsider looking on from a distance. So, what can we say about Islamophobia? The conference came and went quickly, and most people missed the information. There was also a conference just …

Iranian believers sentenced under country’s amended anti-conversion law

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Morning Star News, an organization sharing stories about persecuted Christians around the world, is reporting the first sentencing of Iranian Christians under Iran’s newly amended law targeting the conversion of Muslims to the Christian faith. Under Article 500, the Iranian government can now sentence individuals up to five years, if they are found guilty of sharing “any deviant education or propaganda that contradicts or interferes with the sacred Sharia [Islamic law].” Those found guilty under the new law, that came into effect on March 5, 2021, can also be prevented from voting for 15 years and fined upwards of 40 million tomans (US$1,600). Prior to this amendment, Iranians were charged with actions against the Iranian state (Articles 498 and 499) and typically received jail terms of six months. The recent amendment provides Iranian prosecutors an additional tool that they can use to stop the spread of Christianity in the Islamic regime, as it allows them to tack on additional charges against Christian converts. Morning Star noted that three men, Amin Khaki, Milad Goudarzi and Alireza …

Muslims and Christians: Did one of ours kill some of theirs?

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Recently, a young man drove his pickup truck at a high speed, and drove into a family that was walking on a summer day. Four adults were killed, except for one survivor, a young boy who was badly injured. The whole family was Muslim, originally from Pakistan, and that was obvious by their appearance. They were attacked because they were identified as Muslims. In the world, the number of Muslims is almost two billion, 1.8 billion, and this incident is being reported everywhere. This all happened in a peaceful country, Canada, in a very quiet part of that country, London, Ontario. The family probably felt very safe walking in London on a summer day. The young man, who drove the truck, was arrested, and now he is being charged with a hate crime. READ: Terror charges against London, Ont attack suspect could be Canadian legal milestone At this time, people who knew the young man are surprised that he did this. He had issues with his mental health, but otherwise there is nothing in his …

Mass murderer soon to be Iran’s new president?

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According to the Western Journal, in June the next president of Iran will probably be the country’s notorious mass murderer, Ebrahim Raisi. He is an Islamic cleric that served as Iran’s deputy prosecutor in 1988 and helped oversee the execution of 30,000 political prisoners, the majority who worked with Iran’s opposition party, People’s Mujahedin Organization (PMO). They were all hung after refusing to renouncing their association PMO.

BLM co-founder called for ‘end of Israel’

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Patrisse Cullors, the self-proclaimed trained Marxist, co-founder of Black Lives Matter and multi-million dollar home-owner, can now add another to her list of left wing accomplishments. According to the Daily Mail, while speaking on a panel sponsored by Harvard University’s Human Rights Program in 2015, Cullors called for an end to Israel’s existence as a nation.

Islamic extremists get pro-Israel Facebook page banned?

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Facebook recently took down a page, Jerusalem Prayer Team, dedicated to praying for Jerusalem and told its founder, Mike Evans, there was no appeal. The page had 75 million followers. Evans alleges this took place after Islamic extremists began posting antisemitic comments on the site, including photos and statements by Adolf Hitler, and then reported the comments to Facebook.

Regular CNN contributor posts pro-Hitler tweet

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Adeel Raja, a regular contributor to CNN who has written dozens of articles over the years, was recently caught with a pro Hitler, pro Nazi tweet that read “The world needs a Hitler.” Raja quickly deleted it, but not before several captured it. The Blaze provides the details: A longtime contributor to CNN found himself in hot water after tweeting, “The world today needs a Hitler.” The inflammatory tweet, which could be interpreted as a call for the extermination of the Jewish people, was posted to Twitter on Sunday amidst the rising tensions and violence between Israel and Hamas in the Middle East. The CNN contributor quickly deleted the post, but it sparked social media users to comb through his Twitter profile. Adeel Raja, who has written dozens of articles for CNN, also appears to have a history of posting ant-Semitic messages on Twitter. Donald Trump Jr. posted screenshots of the “Hitler” tweet as well as a CNN article that indicates Raja as a co-author, and his LinkedIn profile, where he describes himself as a …

Jewish supporters attacked in Canada

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There were two protests in Toronto’s Nathan Philips Square on Saturday, May 22, 2021. One involved a larger crowd of about 5,000 people who were there to protest Israel’s retaliatory strikes against the terrorist organization, Hamas, that controls the Gaza Strip. There was also a smaller group supporting Israel’s right to defend itself in the current conflict.

Israel and Gaza: Is this Armageddon?

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Do you remember life two years ago? It’s blurry in my memory. If someone said COVID or words like Astra Zeneca, we might have guessed they were speaking another language. Then, a pandemic came on us, and life has not been the same. We are told that change will come on us: “The day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night. When they say, “Peace and security,” then sudden destruction will come upon them, like labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.” (1 Thessalonians 5: 2 and 3) That just happened. Everything seemed normal; I remember making decisions and plans for the next few years. I went to a work site one day, and I remember sheets of plastic hung from the ceilings to keep customers, people off the street, away from the workers at the counters. I had a bad feeling about that, and then someone noticed me. The workers looked at me like I was a strange alien creature, and they explained that I …

Pastor murdered after debate between Christianity and Islam

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According to Morning Star Ministries, a Pentecostal pastor in Eastern Uganda was allegedly killed by Muslim extremists shortly after engaging in a public debate between Christianity and Islam. Muslims in Pallisa Town, where Pastor Thomas Chikooma has his church, had been holding nightly discussions in a community park and decided as part of this to set up a public debate between Christianity and Islam. Though only 14% of Ugandans are Muslim, they are concentrated in the eastern region of the country where the debate took place. The Islamic group invited Pastor Chikooma, a popular minister who had established over 50 churches in the area, to speak on behalf of Christianity during the debate between to the two faiths. However, things did not go as anticipated for the Muslim organizers as Pastor Chikooma effectively used both the Bible and the Koran to present his case for Christianity. At the end, he invited those watching to receive Christ and according to reports, 14 people, including six Muslims, made a decision to become Christians. This turn of events …

An Eye for Eye is not what it seems

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A recent story out of Iran exposes one of the biggest misconceptions that people have about the Old Testament law. The Daily Mail reports that five Iranian men are facing the prospect of having their fingers cut off after being accused of theft. Under the Islamic code, amputation is considered suitable punishment for theft in cases where the stolen goods are not recovered. In this instance, the five are charged with burgling over 22 houses. The International Observatory of Human Rights reports that over the past 20 years, there has been at least 129 instances of finger amputation in the country. And it’s not just fingers, depending on the crime people can even have their hands amputated. In 2015, a horrific story emerged of a ISIS militants in Iraq filling a man full of drugs before using a meat cleaver to cut off his hand. Though we consider this barbaric, many are quick to point out that the Old Testament law has a similar eye for eye punishment system. Where people could have their eyes …

Low Temperature Religion: Is a Muslim Christmas possible?

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There are stories this Christmas of Muslims putting up Christmas trees and putting gifts under them. I have read at least two of these stories in the news. The Muslims, in the stories, are immigrants living in places where most people celebrate Christmas. This seems strange; the holiday is Christ-mass, the celebration of the birth of Jesus. Until now, Muslims never celebrated Christmas; they had their own special events on the calendar. From the descriptions, it looks like some Muslims chose to celebrate a cultural Christmas, with a decorated tree and presents, and maybe some thoughts about a jolly fat man coming down the chimney. There were probably no herald angels on the tops of the trees, and probably no manger scene with a baby Jesus. They were having fun, and enjoying the season. It’s easy for me to understand, and smile, and I am sure some strict conservative Muslims do not approve. These events happened in places where Muslims were immigrants, and a minority in the population. READ: I’m Muslim and didn’t celebrate Christmas …

Pakistani Christian sentenced to death for blasphemy

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A Pakistani Christian man, Asif Pervaiz, 37, has been in jail since 2013 after he refused his supervisors request to convert to Christianity. When Pervaiz refused, the factory supervisor then accused Pervaiz of sending blasphemous texts against Islam, that the Christian man denied sending. Pervaiz has been in jail since 2013 and this year was found guilty of blasphemy and sentenced to death.

Was Hezbollah and Iran behind the Beirut explosion?

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Most are familiar with the major explosion that took place in Beirut on Aug. 4, 2020, when approximately 3,000 tons of the highly explosive ammonium nitrate stored at the city’s port ignited killing over 220 people, injuring 6,000 and destroying thousands of homes. According to Welt.de, a major German newspaper, sources allege the terrorist organization Hezbollah actually purchased some of it from Iran.

Baptismal service in Iran Photo: Elam Ministries elam.com

Something Good From a Pandemic

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We might have missed the news, but the COVID pandemic has produced a strange effect in Iran. The nation is an Islamic Republic governed by conservative Shiite Muslims, but millions of people are moving to Christianity. This is a scenario that generates religious persecution; the government is strict and it does not like this change. Iran has also suffered from the pandemic after receiving the virus early from China. To protect people from the virus, many prisoners have been released, including many persecuted Christians. “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?” (Romans 8: 35) READ: Iran Releases a Third of Christian Prisoners Due to Coronavirus Concerns

Israel and Egypt: The future does not look good

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While the whole world is focusing on the Coronavirus Pandemic, there is other news. Some interesting things are happening in the world, and there are lessons that we could miss. As I write this, Muslims are in their month of Ramadan which according to the information I have runs this year from April 23 to May 23. About 1.8 billion people are counted as Muslim, and this year’s Ramadan is complicated with the restrictions of a pandemic lock down. A few years ago, I worked as a trainer for a bus company, and that meant I drove a school bus when a driver phoned in sick; and someone always phoned in. One morning I drove some children for a bilingual Arabic-English program, so they were from immigrant families from the Middle East. I heard two little girls talking behind me, about ‘those people’ which meant people like me. One little girl said “and they don’t have Ramadan!” They both seemed shocked by this information. That was a lesson for me; these people take their beliefs …