All posts filed under: Islam

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 …

Is there a spiritual battle raging over Iran?

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Two recent reports out of Iran suggest there is a spiritual battle raging in the heavenlies over that country. The first involves an exclusive report by CBN on how 20 Iranians were recently water baptized after believing on Jesus for their salvation. All 20 were former Muslims and many had come to Christ through Mohabat TV, a Christian TV and radio station that broadcasts into Islamic countries. It is illegal in Iran for a Muslim to convert to Christianity, so all 20 were baptized secretly. The group, that also included family and friends, actually flew out of Tehran, the capital city of Iran, to an undisclosed city where they were baptized in an indoor pool. Several of them were people of influence. CBN interviewed a man identified as only Pastor Amir, a fake name to protect his identity, who reported: “Most of the people at this gathering are artists, musicians, some are TV producers, they are educated people, they are specialists from different fields of Iranian society.” Pastor Amir, CBN News Many believe the underground …

Muslims And Jesus: What Do They Think?

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What do Muslims think about Jesus? I think ideas are changing. You might know that Jesus is described in the Koran as a great prophet of God, and that Muslims expect Him to return and judge the world. There are orthodox and approved ideas about Jesus among Muslims: RELATED: Muslims love Jesus, too: 6 things you didn’t know about Jesus in Islam: VOX That’s an interesting topic; what are Muslims taught to believe about Jesus? But my question is; What does each Muslim personally think about Jesus? What do Muslims think about Christianity? I have heard a saying by some Muslim extremists “We are going to Rome.” When I first heard that, I thought something like, ‘I’m sure the weather is nice at this time of year.’ I missed the point; some radicals believe that their religion will overtake Christianity, and they will triumph. Going to Rome means conquering the other religion. For some Muslims, the Roman Catholic Church is Christianity, and if they conquer Rome, they will control all the Christians. Probably, educated people …

Palestinian leader claims Jesus is first Islamic martyr

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According to Palestinian Media Watch (PMW), the day before Christmas, one of Palestine’s senior leaders, Tawfiq Tirawi, who is also a member of the Fatah Central Committee, made an interesting comment on Facebook. He referred to Jesus as the first Islamic martyr: “This is blessed Christmas, The birthday of our Lord Jesus the Messiah, the first Palestinian and the first Shahid (Islamic Martyr).” Tawfiq Tirawi Facebook page, Dec 24, 2019 The word “shahid” refers to a person who has died for his Islamic beliefs and as a reward will receive 72 virgins in heaven. Of course the Quran was not written until six centuries after Christ died when an angel gave it to Muhammad between 609 AD and 632 AD. Nevertheless, Islam retroactively claims Jesus as their own Islamic prophet and teacher. Islam also claims the Old Testament Jewish prophets, such as Moses and Isaiah, were Islamic. As demonstrated by Tirawi’s tweet, some Muslims have even taken to celebrating Christmas. In fact, Palestinian Mahmoud Abbas declared Christmas as a Palestinian holiday, and it is even …

Was a coincidence a message from God?

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A young Iranian man living in Australia became a Christian after a strange coincidence. According to Lee Grady, a popular US Christian writer, in 2016 the young man had decided to watch the film Hacksaw Ridge that told the story of Pfc. Desmond Doss, who volunteered to be a medic during World War II. However, because of his Christian faith, Desmond refused to carry a weapon, but after nearly being kicked out of the army, he was allowed to stay and became the only conscientious objector during World War II to win a Medal of Honor after saving 75 men during the battle for Okinawa. However, during the early part of the movie, the young Iranian man was struck by the words of the Lord’s prayer that were displayed in a picture frame beside Doss. The well-known prayer starts with: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth. Luke 11:2 KJV Being a Muslim from Iran, the young man had …

Documentary tells of the explosive growth of the house church movement in Iran

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According to a documentary released in August, the explosive growth of Christianity in Iran is a result of a rapidly expanding house church movement with most being led by women. The documentary entitled Sheep Among Wolves was produced by Frontier Alliance International (FAI) and looked at the growth of Christianity in Iran perhaps one of the most repressive regimes in the world. And we know Christianity is growing because of the repeated public statements made by Iranian officials and religious leaders in recent years warning of Christianity’s growth. In their video, FAI explained what was behind the unusual growth. In its trailer, the documentary noted: “The Iranian awakening is a rapidly-reproducing discipleship movement that owns no property or buildings, has no central leadership and is predominantly led by women.” In the video they were forced to disguise the Iranian believers because of fear of arrest. One Iranian Christian said “What if I told you the mosques are empty inside Iran.” He went on to say that the political and the elites are the ones who …

Sinead O’Connor and Islam; Convert or Revert?

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You probably know the name Sinead O’Connor, especially if you listened to popular music about twenty years ago. She is one of the most popular entertainers from Ireland, a country that produced U2, and Enya, and if you remember, the Irish Rovers.  For a small country, Ireland has a huge influence on our popular music. Sinead O’Connor is probably best known for her song “Nothing Compares to You” but she has produced a large volume of music, and she is still active with her musical career. Sinead O’Connor was also famous for her troubled personal life. She searched for meaning in her life, and recently, apparently in 2018, she converted to the religion of Islam. Now she speaks openly and proudly about her new faith, and she wears a conservative hijab, in Ireland. She also denies that her Islamic faith is new to her. According to Sinead O’Connor, she didn’t convert to Islam, she reverted. She discovered that she was always a Muslim, when she read the Koran, the Muslim holy book. In her own …

Isis, Al-Qaeda and that Bird

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A funny thing happened in the Middle East, recently. A team from ISIS, probably in the country of Yemen, made a video for the Internet. One member of the group had a statement to make about his loyalty to the cause. It was a propaganda announcement for the group. When the man tried to speak into the microphone, in front of the camera, he was interrupted. Every time he spoke, a loud bird squawked nearby, and the man had to keep restarting his speech. He started to get confused, in front of the camera, and he consulted his notes, and someone behind the camera tried to coach him, telling him to be cool. I guess that means stay calm and focus on the job. RELATED: When a bird turned an ISIS propaganda video into a blooper: Times of Indian The video is funny, and it was published in many news sources, around the world. I chose a link to the “Times of India.” The video went viral, and the people who made it probably wish …

Are Muslims Changing?

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I have a new phone. My old Motorola still worked well, but it couldn’t accept all the upgrades to the apps loaded onto it; bloatware. My new phone has the capacity, and I am surprised by the huge volume of information that I can get from that small computer in my pocket. I can watch movies, and the news, play video games, or learn a new language, and so much more. When I go to church, I don’t need to carry a Bible; I just click on a Bible app on my phone. There are many of these apps, in most languages, and most are free. You knew that already, but imagine living in a small town in the conservative Middle East. You belong to the religion of your father, by law, and you can never quit or change to something different. For many the highest education you can achieve is in a Koranic school, where you memorize the holy book. In your lifetime, you might never meet a person who has a different religion …

God’s extraordinary voice leads female Pakistani jihadist to Christ

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God has amazing ways of communicating with people and desires to speak to us today, as directly as He did in the Bible. One of the extraordinary ways that God communicates is through dreams. Is every dream we have from God? No. But I believe the Holy Spirit will clearly highlight those that are. A single verse in the Gospels tells of a dream that God gave the wife of Pontius Pilate as he dealt with the charges being brought against Jesus. 19 While he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent him a message, saying, “Have nothing to do with that righteous Man; for last night I suffered greatly in a dream because of Him.” (Matthew 27:19 NASV) And obviously this dream even impacted Pilate, as he initially tried to gain Christ’s release. Years later, Origin, an early church father (184 AD to 235 AD), said Pilate’s wife, Procula Claudia, had become a Christian after Christ’s resurrection. Whether that is true or not we can’t be sure. But a dream did result in …