Should Christians Pray for the Defeat or the Conversion of ISIS?

February 19, 2015 – Russell Moore

A pastor friend told me last week that he had church members enraged with him when he suggested from the pulpit that we ought to pray for the salvation of Islamic State terrorists. The people in his church told him that he ought to be calling for justice against them, given their brutal murder of Christians, not for mercy.

I thought about my friend a few days ago when these murderous fiends beheaded 21 of our brothers and sisters in Christ because they refused to renounce the name of Jesus. I was not just angry; I was furious. Can such fury co-exist, though, with the Sermon on the Mount (Mat. 5-7)? When we pray about such evil, how should we pray?

The complexity of the Christian calling in the world was seen even in social media. One friend of mine posted that the slaughter of Christians overseas calls for the world’s only remaining superpower to take action. Another said, quoting singer Toby Keith, that it was time to “light up their world like the Fourth of July.” To that, I say, “Amen.” Another friend, a former student of mine posted, “Oh, that there might be an ISIS Saul standing there now, holding the cloaks, whose salvation might turn the Arab world upside down with the gospel!” To that I say “Amen,” too.

These are not contradictory prayers.

Jesus says to love our enemies and to pray for those who persecute us (Mat. 5:44). The Spirit of Jesus in the prophets and in the apostles also tells us that those who turn a blind eye to the killing of others are wrong. The fact that we feel contradictory praying both for justice against the Islamic State and for salvation for Islamic State terrorists is partly because we fail to distinguish between the mission of the state in the use of the temporal sword against evildoers (Rom. 13:4) and the mission of the church in the use of the sword of the Spirit against sin and death and the devil (Eph. 6). But that’s not, I think, the main problem.

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ISIS Sex Slaves Bought, Reunited With Family by Mysterious Iraqi Man

By Samuel Smith , CP Reporter – January 27, 2015

A Yazidi ISIS captive is reunited with her father after being purchased as a sex slave.

As thousands of women and girls are being raped, abused and victimized as part of the Islamic State’s sex slave operation in Iraq and Syria, one Iraqi man is buying ISIS sex slaves in order to free and reunite them with their families.

In the Islamic State’s sex slave market, captured religious minority women, girls and even babies are sold to militants and supporters willing to dish out good money for a new jihadi bride or woman they just want to abuse and hand off to their buddies when they are finished.

Although many find it unethical to participate in the Islamic State’s human trafficking market that helps fund the terrorist organization that has killed thousands, one unnamed Iraqi man is purchasing ISIS’s sex slaves not for physical pleasure but to give them freedom.

As Walid Shoebat reports, an Iraqi man, who remains nameless, disguises himself as a human trafficking dealer in order to “infiltrate” the Islamic State and get the militants to sell him sex slaves. But in purchasing sex slaves, the man finds a way to reunite them with their fathers, husbands, and the rest of their family.

The report cites a video from the Iraqi news site Rudaw, which can be viewed through the YouTube channel StreamDZ, that shows one of the yazidi sex slaves the man purchased finally being reunited with her father. In the video, the woman and her father hug and cry tears of happiness as they are finally reunited.

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General Allen: US must “defeat the idea” of the Islamic State

January 3, 2015 – by Robert Spencer – Jihad Watch

There is no indication that General Allen has any idea of what he is talking about. What “idea” does he propose to defeat? He probably means that he is going to destroy the idea that the Islamic State constitutes the new caliphate — which is no doubt one reason why the media establishment keeps churning out its endless stream of disingenuous and deceptive “ISIS is not Islamic” articles. But he is part of an Administration that has prohibited examination of the jihadis’ belief system; that is going to hamstring his efforts to combat it.

“Obama Envoy John Allen: No ‘Short-Term Solutions’ for Stopping Islamic State,” by Matthias Gebauer and Holger Stark, Spiegel, December 31, 2014:

In an interview, US General John Allen, Washington’s special envoy for countering the Islamic State, discusses why he believes the recent military campaign has reversed the terrorist group’s momentum but warns the battle to stop its ideology could take years.

General John Allen, 61, has served as special presidential envoy for the Global Coalition to Counter the Islamic State (IS) under US President Barack Obama since September. He previously served for three years as the deputy commander of the US forces in Afghanistan and Iraq.

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NYC Pastor William Devlin Travels to Iraq, Says the ‘American Church Is Addicted to Personal Peace, Comfort, and Affluence’

December 21, 201Pastor William Devlin of Infinity Bible Church in the Bronx borough of New York City, stands with Pastor Hanna Massad in Gaza in this photo shared Sept. 13, 2014, on Facebook.4 – The Christian Post – Nicola Menzie

Pastor William Devlin of Infinity Bible Church in the Bronx borough of New York City, stands with Pastor Hanna Massad in Gaza in this photo shared Sept. 13, 2014, on Facebook.

A New York City pastor traveling with a U.S. Yazidi leader to offer humanitarian assistance to religious minorities targeted by the Islamic State in Iraq believes Christians in America should do more to encourage believers living in some of the world’s most persecuted countries.

The Rev. William Devlin, co-pastor of Infinity Bible Church in the Bronx borough of New York City and a former politician, is as much of an activist as he is a missionary. When the City of New York banned churches and other religious groups in 2011 from renting public schools for worship gatherings, Devlin embarked on a 42-day fast, was arrested in an act of civil disobedience, and publicly confronted then-Mayor Michael Bloomberg during an interfaith breakfast about the city’s decision (which the current mayor has vowed to reverse).

As of late, the 61-year-old evangelical leader has been focused on reaching out to Christians living in persecuted or difficult countries, such as Sudan, the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, Syria, Iran, and Cuba. Devlin was featured in The Christian Post this past summer after visiting with Sudanese Christian Meriam Ibrahim who had been imprisoned for alleged apostasy.
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Islam is not a religion nor is it a cult; it is a complete system

Adapted from Dr. Peter Hammond’s book: Slavery, Terrorism and Islam: The Historical Roots and Contemporary Threat

Islam has religious, legal, political, economic and military components. The religious component is a beard for all the other components.

Islamization occurs when there are sufficient Muslims in a country to agitate for their so-called “religious rights.”

When politically correct and culturally diverse societies agree to “the reasonable” Muslim demands for their “religious rights,” they also get the other components under the table.Here’s how it works (percentages source CIA: The World Fact Book (2007)).

As long as the Muslim population remains around 1% of any given country they will be regarded as a peace-loving minority and not as a threat to anyone. In fact, they may be featured in articles and films, stereotyped for their colorful uniqueness:

United States — Muslim 1.0%
Australia — Muslim 1.5%
Canada — Muslim 1.9%
China — Muslim 1%-2%
Italy — Muslim 1.5%
Norway — Muslim 1.8%

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Israel’s ambassador to the UN today delivers a blunt message – Brilliant

November 24, 2014 – ttp://embassies.gov.il/un/statements/Pages/Question-of-Palestine-

Mr. President,

I stand before the world as a proud representative of the State of Israel and the Jewish people. I stand tall before you knowing that truth and morality are on my side.  And yet, I stand here knowing that today in this Assembly, truth will be turned on its head and morality cast aside.

The fact of the matter is that when members of the international community speak about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict,  a fog descends to cloud all logic and moral clarity.  The result isn’t realpolitik, its surrealpolitik.

The world’s unrelenting focus on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is an injustice to tens of millions of victims of tyranny and terrorism in the Middle East.  As we speak, Yazidis, Bahai, Kurds, Christians and Muslims are being executed and expelled by radical extremists at a rate of 1,000 people per month.

How many resolutions did you pass last week to address this crisis?  And how many special sessions did you call for? The answer is zero.  What does this say about international concern for human life?  Not much, but it speaks volumes about the hypocrisy of the international community.

I stand before you to speak the truth.  Of the 300 million Arabs in the Middle East and North Africa, less than half a percent are truly free – and they are all citizens of Israel.

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Ex-Muslim’s Open Letter to America: ‘What else has to happen so you wake up?’ / Melbourne ISIL fugitive’s descent into extremism

1) You may click the following link to read an excellent article titled, Ex-Muslim's Open Letter to America: 'What else has to happen so you wake up?' http://www.jihadwatch.org/2015/01/ex-muslims-open-letter-to-america-what-else-has-to-happen-so-you-wake-up 2) You…

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The West is under attack by Islamism – How long can you deny it??? Multiculturalism is their gate way / by Ps Daniel Nalliah

Dear friends,

Today the West, and the rest of the world, is under attack on several fronts by Islamism.  This is being carried out not just by Islamic terrorists, but Islam itself is on an onward march to bring about their long term goal of establishing a caliphate across the globe.  Their belief system tells them that all ‘Infidels’ (unbelievers) must convert to Islam or suffer the consequences.

For the past 15 years, I have warned the West in particular that we need to wake up and take a stand against this attack on the freedoms we so value, but unfortunately our secular left-wing media, and many “politically correct” politicians have simply refused to face up to the confronting dangers of Islamism.

Islamist have used the doorway of Multiculturalism to infiltrate Western societies and fight for their rights.  Today the Western world simply does not know how to manage this problem as we have grown a viper in our backyard.

Since the Islamist attacks coming onto our own soil, some are waking from their slumber to acknowledge the brutality of radical Islam.  Yet, sadly many are still totally deceived into believing that Islam can coexist peacefully with our Western way of life under the banner of Multiculturalism.  However, Islamic culture is not compatible with our Western Culture and way of life.

In the past few months, the Islamic Jihadist attacks on the Canadian Parliament, the hostage crisis in Martin Place (Sydney) and now the recent attacks in Paris (France) have been wake up calls for us to recognise that the danger is at the door.

The Islamist agenda functions on several fronts.

1) They use fear and intimidation through attacks on innocent civilians.

2) They use our laws, and law courts, against those who speak out against Islam in order to stifle free speech.

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Ancient prophecy drives Islamic State’s battlefield choices, enslavement of women

By Mark Ellis – Senior Correspondent, ASSIST News Service

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA (ANS) — In northern Syria near the Turkish border lies the relatively small, nondescript town of Dabiq, home to about 3,300 people. It came as somewhat of a surprise last August when Islamic State (IS) suddenly targeted the city, which seemed to have little strategic importance.

But some may not have realized Dabiq figures prominently in Islamic eschatology – somewhat analogous to Armageddon in the Book of Revelation. It seems the ancient Hadith, which contains the teachings and deeds of Muhammad, prophesied that in the “last hours of history” the forces of Islam will face a horde of infidels at Dabiq in a decisive battle presaging the return of their Messiah.

The importance of this prophecy to IS was revealed in the recent video released November 16th announcing the beheading of American aid worker Peter Kassig.

“Here we are, burning the first American crusader in Dabiq, eagerly waiting for the remainder of your armies to arrive,” declares an IS fighter in the video. The militant condemns U.S. involvement in Iraq and pledges to defeat “this final and last crusade.”

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The danger of saying ISIS is not Islam

September 16, 2014 – Liz Lightstone

So I’ve been thinking about this a lot and posted this morning on twitter about David Cameron’s comment (“they are monsters, not Muslims”). I’m very concerned by growing reprise that “Islamic State” (IS) is not Islam, that they are not Muslims. I can understand where it’s coming from but its a very dangerous form of political correctness. Clearly not all Muslims support IS, nor are all terrorists Muslim. But there is no doubt that IS say they are acting on behalf of Islam, they are Muslims and they want to establish an Islamic Caliphate.

If you detach their monstrous ideology from what we like to think of as Islam, then do you detach from the Muslim community responsibility for denouncing it? I have no problem if moderate Muslims — as some have done (albeit late in the day) — stand up and say that IS does not represent what they believe to be Islam. I similarly say that Naturei Karta, the “ultra-Orthodox” anti Zionist Jews — who by the way simply throw words, not stones, not swords and are nonviolent — do not represent Judaism in any form that I know.  But I want the moderates to stand up and say it.

More importantly, do you, by saying IS is not Islam, they’re not Muslims, detach from the Muslim community at large the responsibility for helping prevent radicalisation which we know full well goes on in certain mosques and on campuses? (It is astonishing how many campuses world wide have HUGE investment from Saudi and Qatar and huge investment in BDS, anti Israel, and radicalisation programmes.)

I am not blaming any particular Muslim community but just as I hung my head in shame when extremist Jews murdered that poor young man in Jerusalem after the death of the three Jewish teenagers, so the Muslim community worldwide must say, not that IS is an Israeli / CIA conspiracy (as Iran currently claiming) but that something is rotten within the Muslim world and it must be stopped.

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12 Assyrians Who Were Held By ISIS Escape By Faking Conversion

12 Assyrians Who Were Held By ISIS Escape By Faking ConversionTwelve Assyrians from Bartella, Iraq who escaped from ISIS.(AINA) — 12 Assyrians from the town of Bartella who had been held by ISIS escaped by falsely converting to Islam, which allowed them to leave the town.

The Assyrians had accidentally remained in Bartella after everyone else had fled when ISIS captured the town.

Eleven of the Assyrians, including a toddler, were brought to Kirkuk where they were met by Father Qais. Ms. Samia Yusuf Iskandar was brought to Arbel. Their names are:

  1. Sabri Gewargis Abdulmassih
  2. Nabeel Salem Simon
  3. Tony Sabri Gewargis
  4. Milad Sabri Gewargis
  5. Khalid Sabri Gewargis
  6. Marvin Sabri Gewargis
  7. Saad Nafi Abdullah
  8. Suhaila Moshe
  9. Bushra Farooq Benham
  10. Salem Matti Gewargis
  11. Joseph Gog Kako
  12. Samia Yusuf Iskandar

The 12 Assyrians were interviewed by local media. Here is the account of their escape.

The reason they did not leave Bartella was because they were sleeping on their roof and did not know the whole town had left. When they awoke and went to the streets they were confronted by ISIS, who ordered them to return to their homes and not leave. ISIS told them they were in contact with their priests and they would let them know of any development.

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Israel May Become New Front in Syria’s Civil War

September 04, 2014 – Daniel Estrin – The Associated Press 

Nusra Front members waving their brigade flag on Jan. 11, 2013. (AP / Edlib News Network ENN)

For the first time in the Syrian civil war, al Qaeda fighters are hunkered down on Israel’s doorstep, and Israelis in the lush, hilly Golan Heights who have long considered Syrian President Bashar Assad their bitter foe are now worried about something more ominous — that they could become the militants’ next target.

The push into the Golan by the Nusra Front, as al Qaeda’s branch in Syria is known, comes just two weeks after Israel ended a 50-day war against Hamas on its southern border with the Gaza Strip, giving the conflict-weary nation another cause for concern.

Israelis in the Golan have grown accustomed to hearing the sound of distant battles between rival forces in Syria’s civil war.

But last week’s seizure of the strategic Quneitra border crossing by a mix of rebels — including the Nusra Front, fighters of the Western-backed Free Syrian Army and others — has created an unprecedented situation that has brought the extremists to within just a few metres of Israeli positions.

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Jordanian-Palestinian Politician: There is no ISIS Ideology — It’s Islam

Posted on 9/7/2014 by DeoVindiceSicSemperTyrannis

Palestinian-Jordanian politician Muhammad Bayoudh Al-Tamimi recently defended ISIS, saying that its doctrine “stems from the Quran and the Sunna.” The Syrian soldiers recently killed at the Tabqa airbase “deserved to be slaughtered 100,000 times over,” said Al-Tamimi, a member of the Jordanian Umma movement. According to Internet reports, the show was not broadcast by the Jordanian ANB TV channel that had produced it, but it was posted on the Internet by ANB TV on August 31, 2014.

Interviewer: What is our position, here in Jordan, with regard to ISIS and the ISIS ideology?

Muhammad Bayoudh Al-Tamimi: I reject the use of the terms “ISIS” and “ISIS ideology.” It sounds like you are talking about a Satanic weed or a Satanic ideology, which has come from out of nowhere.

Interviewer: But isn’t that true?

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Former Muslim helps Leading The Way viewers find new hope in Christ

Wednesday, October 29, 2014 – By Peter Wooding Europe Bureau Chief for ASSIST News Service

Ever since Leading The Way began broadcasting Christian programming to the Arab world through its 24/7 satellite TV channel THE KINGDOM SAT, something miraculous has been happening.

Every week Muslim viewers are turning to Leading The Way’s dedicated follow-up teams to find out how they can know more about Jesus.

One such team member often ministering late into the night is Rahim*. Every week he corresponds with viewers from the Middle East and North Africa via Skype, Facebook, email, text messages, and in-person discipleship meetings, sharing the love of Christ with those who are hungry to know God’s truth.

Some are Muslims who want to know more about the Christian faith, while others have made the dangerous decision to accept Jesus as their Saviour and are in need of spiritual support as they face extreme persecution.
Rahim has faced violent persecution himself and can identify with those who turn to him for help. He was a devoted Muslim until the power of Christian radio helped him find new hope in Christ.

“I was raised in a Muslim family and I was very dedicated to Islamic practices. My father was happy at this time, but I was empty inside,” said Rahim.

He added: “One time when I was searching by radio, I listened to something that was talking about God, and afterwards I see this is Christian radio. This brought problems to me. For the first time I wanted more knowledge about Christianity.

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Foley’s parents “did not realize how brutal they were”

Robert Spencer Aug 22, 2014 – Jihad Watch

James Foley’s parents cannot be faulted for this naivete. After all, the official U.S. government line is that Islam is utterly peaceful and benign. This group calls itself “the Islamic State,” and is, of course, “extremist,” but the Foleys may have hoped that they would ultimately recall some of the vaunted peaceful, tolerant, benevolent and magnanimous teachings of their holy book and prophet, and let their son go. The Foleys’ failure to realize how brutal the Islamic State really could and would be is a byproduct of the general denial by both government and media of the fact that there are texts and teachings of Islam that preach hatred and violence. Their naivete is a manifestation of the general willful ignorance and the demonization of all who speak the truth about this as “racists,” “bigots,” and “Islamophobes.”

“Foley’s parents ‘underestimated how brutal they were,’” ITV, August 22, 2014:

The mother of James Foley, the US journalist executed by Islamist militants, told NBC’s Today show that they had previously attempted to negotiate with the extremists holding their son hostage.

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