God’s Strategic Plan for Iran

Wednesday, 26 May 2010 J. Lee Grady Newsletters – Fire in my Bones

An Iranian evangelist says a spiritual awakening of unprecedented magnitude is occurring behind the scenes in a nation known for its terrorism.

Most Americans have put Iran on a blacklist. We’re concerned about Shiite militants who spread terrorism around the world, we don’t trust Iran’s nuclear weapons plans and we can’t stomach Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s human rights record or his maniac ways.

But my friend Lazarus Yeghnazar, an Iranian evangelist based in England, hopes you will develop some compassion for this part of the world. Most of us associate the Bible with Israel, but did you know that Esther, Daniel, Nehemiah, Ezra and Habakkuk all walked on Persian land that is now called Iran? In fact, the tombs of Esther, Daniel, Habakkuk, Cyrus and Darius are in Iran.

“”Yeghnazar says the churches are growing so fast in Iran that some leaders have wondered if they should stop evangelizing. ‘One church leader told me they have stopped sharing their faith because every Iranian they witness to comes to Christ.’ “       

Yeghnazar points out that Iranians were among the first Christian converts. The people known as Parthians, Medes and Elamites, who were in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost (see Acts 2:9, 11), were from what is now Iran. Jeremiah prophesied that God would “restore the fortunes of Elam” in the last days (see Jer. 49:39). Elam is modern-day Iran.

This promise of spiritual restoration is no longer a far-off dream. A vibrant New Testament church is thriving in Iran, in spite of brutal persecution under Ahmadinejad’s regime. And this growing spiritual awakening in Iran could play a significant role in end-time events. (more…)

Continue ReadingGod’s Strategic Plan for Iran

New York’s fury at plans for Ground Zero mosque

By Mail Foreign Service on 16th May 2010

Plans to build a giant mosque close to Ground Zero have caused a storm of protest from families who lost loved ones in the September 11 attacks.

Angry relatives claim the move is an ‘insult’ to the victims of the World Trade Centre atrocity.

The mosque is part of a proposed 13-storey Muslim community centre, which will include a swimming pool, gym, theatre and sports facilities.

‘Sacred’ ground’: The World Trade Centre attacks claimed 3,000 lives. Plans to build a mosque at Ground Zero site have been described as a ‘slap in the face’

The building, which was damaged by the fuselage of one of the hijacked planes, is just two blocks from Ground Zero. (more…)

Continue ReadingNew York’s fury at plans for Ground Zero mosque

Muslim men beat up Christians and then implicate them in ‘fake’ police case

ASSIST News Service (ANS) Saturday, May 8, 2010 By Jawad Mazhar Correspondent for ANS, reporting from Pakistan

SARGODHA, PAKISTAN— Shocking news has just come out that on the Easter Sunday (April 4, 2010), ten Christian men were beaten by rich and powerful fundamentalist Muslims in Sargodha, located in Pakistan’s Punjab province, and then, despite being severely injured, were booked by the local police. 

‘The biggest precedent of injustice served on Pakistani Christian Citizens,’ says Christian leader

According to news given to ANS by Farrukh Tanvir, President of the All Pakistan Minorities Alliance (APMA) Youth Wing of the Sargodha region, the Christians had protested about the way some local Muslims had abused, scorned, mocked, called pejorative names and about hearing obscene language used against Christian women and girls going to the Easter Sunday Service at the Catholic Church of the Virk Colony, near Chak # 48-SB, Sargodha, by local Muslims.

Tanvir, talking to ANS in an exclusive interview, said that on the morning of Easter Sunday, jubilant Christian girls, women, men and children dressed in new clothes were going to attend the service at the only Catholic church of the Virk colony.

He said that a gang of “radical local Muslim youths of the Faqira clan” were standing in the way of the Christians going into the church and they started “playing pranks” with the congregants and hurled insults at them for “being Christians and celebrating the Easter Festival”. (more…)

Continue ReadingMuslim men beat up Christians and then implicate them in ‘fake’ police case

Israel and the Gaza flotilla

Temple Mount in Jerusalem, IsraelSalt Shakers E-News – 3rd June 2010
 
If you relied on the mainstream media for your news about the recent incident with the Israeli armed forces boarding the flotilla of boats that was sailing for Gaza that resulted in casualties, you’d have a fairly one-sided view of things.

Media reports have referred to ‘an aid convey’, ‘peace activists’ and ‘humanitarian aid’ and the number of these ‘peace activists’ who were killed.
 
Yet a Turkish Islamist group connected to Al Qa’ida was responsible for the ‘convoy’…. read on for another look at the issue…
 
Reports of national leaders condemning Israel for their actions have been prominent, including from PM Kevin Rudd. Little mention was made of the fact that Egypt did not join in the condemnation. One report noted, in the last line of their article, that Egypt had been silent – but they didn’t explain that Egypt had also imposed a blockade on Gaza along with Israel because of Hamas being in control in Gaza!
 
Protests by Islamic and left-wing groups around the world condemned Israel. In Sydney, a protest was led by Sheik al Hilaly, the former Islamic mufti of Australia -  SMH reported “Sheik Taj el-Din al Hilaly, from Lakemba mosque, addressed the protest, calling Israel a terrorist state. He held up a Turkish flag, chanting ”Turkey is coming”, before leading the protesters on the march down George Street.”
 
The ABC’s Kerry O’Brien interviewed a spokesmen for Israel’s foreign ministry – who explained what had happened and pointed out that the convoy to try and break the sanctions was coordinated by an Islamist group from Turkey called the the Turkish IHH (Insani Yardim Vakfi) that Israel has designated a terrorist organization. Nevertheless the ABC ignored this and continued with their approach of condemning the Israeli soldiers for boarding the ships. (View report here  – scroll down to “Israel faces criticism over fatal raid on Gaza aid ship”). They spoke to people on some ships who assured the media that they didn’t have guns or weapons and it was all ‘peaceful’.

(more…)

Continue ReadingIsrael and the Gaza flotilla

A Brutal Ambush at Sea

Demonstrators holding flags protest against against an attack by Israeli forces on the international Gaza aid flotilla that has killed 20 people, including Turkish activists,in Istanbul, Turkey, Monday, May 31, 2010. (Xinhua/AFP Photo)By Ron Ben-Yishai, Ynetnews

Ron Ben Yishai recounts the bloody clash aboard Gaza-bound vessel: The lacking crowd-dispersal means, the brutal violence of ‘peace activists,’ and the attempt to bring down an IDF helicopter.

Our Navy commandoes fell right into the hands of the Gaza mission members. A few minutes before the takeover attempt aboard the Marmara got underway, the operation commander was told that 20 people were waiting on the deck where a helicopter was to deploy the first team of the elite Flotilla 13 unit. The original plan was to disembark on the top deck, and from there rush to the vessel’s bridge and order the Marmara’s captain to stop.

Officials estimated that passengers will show slight resistance, and possibly minor violence; for that reason, the operation’s commander decided to bring the helicopter directly above the top deck. The first rope that soldiers used in order to descend down to the ship was wrested away by activists, most of them Turks, and tied to an antenna with the hopes of bringing the chopper down. However, Flotilla 13 fighters decided to carry on.

Navy commandoes slid down to the vessel one by one, yet then the unexpected occurred: The passengers that awaited them on the deck pulled out bats, clubs, and slingshots with glass marbles, assaulting each soldier as he disembarked. The fighters were nabbed one by one and were beaten up badly, yet they attempted to fight back. (more…)

Continue ReadingA Brutal Ambush at Sea

The Perfect Storm – The True Story in Israel

Israeli FlagJerusalem Prayer Team – Mike Evans Ministries

On May 31, Israel walked straight into a trap—a trap set by a group of so-called activists determined to break Israeli attempts to halt the flow of arms and war materiel into the Gaza strip.

Having been warned in advance that the intent of the Free Gaza movement flotilla was to shatter the Israeli blockade, the IDF prepared to board the ships and divert them to Ashdod for inspection. A member of the Free Gaza organization credited with launching the flotilla, Greta Berlin, clarified the intent of the group: “We’re not trying to be a humanitarian mission.”

Apparently, Israel was ill-informed that the ship carried 700 pro-Palestinian activists prepared to do whatever necessary to reach their goal. American-born pro-Palestinian activist Hawaida Arraf threw down the gauntlet with the assertion: “We fully intend to go to Gaza regardless of any intimidation or threats of violence against us. They are going to have to forcefully stop us.”

According to Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon “the armada of hate and violence in support of the Hamas terror organization was a premeditated and outrageous provocation. The organizers are well-known for their ties to Global Jihad, Al-Qaeda and Hamas. They have a history of arms smuggling and deadly terror. On board the ship we found weapons that were prepared in advance and used against our forces…” (more…)

Continue ReadingThe Perfect Storm – The True Story in Israel

Burkas should be banned as ‘un-Australian’, senator claims

By Bonnie Malkin in Sydney 07 May 2010

An Australian senator has called the burka “un-Australian” and said it should be banned, sparking anger among the country’s Muslim community.

 Cory Bernardi, a Liberal from South Australia, complained that the full Islamic veil was a “repressive domination of men over women” and established “different sets and expectations in society”.

Writing on his blog following an armed robbery in Sydney by a man wearing a burka and sunglasses, he said: “It is un-Australian – and its symbolic barrier is far greater than the measure of cloth it is created from. For safety and for society, the burka needs to be banned.”

Sen Bernardi complained that the veil was “emerging as the preferred disguise of bandits and n’er do wells” and that Muslims migrating to Australia must learn to adopt local values.

If men wearing motorcycle helmets had to remove them in banks and businesses, then the burka should be taken off too, he argued.

His comments come days after Belgium’s lower house of parliament approved a draft law to ban wearing the full Islamic face veil in public. France, which has the largest Muslim population in Europe, is set to examine a similar draft bill this month, despite angry protests.

Tony Abbott, the leader of the opposition Liberal Party, stopped short of supporting a ban on burkas, but said that most Australians found the garment “confronting”. (more…)

Continue ReadingBurkas should be banned as ‘un-Australian’, senator claims

Drama at Sea – War on Israel

Standing With IsraelSituation at sea as reported in Jerusalem Post, HaAretz, and Ynet – 1st June 2010

Hysterical reports and misinformation have beclouded the unfolding confrontation between the Gaza Flotilla and the Israeli Navy. NTV, the Turkish Television, reports up to 15 people killed, others reported 14. Perhaps the IDF’s (Israel Defense Forces) own reporting is the most accurate; it reported 10 dead and 10 commandos wounded, 2 seriously.

The Israeli military said ten activists were killed after its troops came under fire while intercepting the convoy.

“Navy fighters took control of six ships that tried to violate the naval blockade (of the Gaza Strip) …During the takeover, the soldiers encountered serious physical violence by the protesters, who attacked them with live fire,” a military statement said.

Activists attacked a commando with iron bars as he descended onto the ship from a helicopter, the army said. The IDF said its rules of engagement allowed troops to open fire in what it called a “life-threatening situation.” (more…)

Continue ReadingDrama at Sea – War on Israel

Freed Female Converts to Face Iranian Judge Again

Islamic womenBy Ethan Cole|Christian Post Reporter Fri,  Apr. 09 2010

The two Iranian female converts to Christianity, who were released in November, will again appear before a judge next Tuesday, an Iran-focused Christian ministry reported.

Maryam Rostampour, 27, and Marzieh Amirizadeh, 30, were summoned for a court hearing on April 13.

According to Elam Ministries, which has been following their case from the beginning, the women are still in frail physical condition from their time in prison. The two had spent 259 days in Iran’s notorious Evin Prison where they were reportedly subjected to psychological abuse and their medical requests were ignored.

Since their conditional release on Nov. 18, the women have been recuperating and receiving medical treatments. Elam reported on Thursday that they “remain unwell, weak and suffering from various illnesses.”

Despite their sufferings, Rostampour and Amirizadeh are “determined to be faithful to the Lord and speak the truth in court whatever the consequence of personal cost,” the ministry said. (more…)

Continue ReadingFreed Female Converts to Face Iranian Judge Again

Ex-Muslim Defends Franklin Graham’s Islam Remarks

By Michelle A. Vu, Christian Post Reporter, Thursday April 29th

Graham and others like him who criticize Islam are not saying they hate Muslims, said Sabatina James, a well-known Paskistani convert to Christianity who lives in Europe, in an interview with The Christian Post on Wednesday.

The granddaughter of a mullah weighed in on the Franklin Graham controversy this week, contending that there is a difference between critisizing Islam and Muslims

 “Make the difference between sin and sinner,” said James, “between Islam and Muslims. Don’t say that every Muslim is a terrorist and every Muslim is bad because that is just not true. But there are definitely things that need to be changed in Islam or else you can’t live in a democracy.”

James, who is living under police protection and constantly on the move because of death threats against her, said Islamic rights do not fit in a country like the United States.

“Nobody is allowed to beat up his wife just because she’s not obedient but that is written in the Quran,” she said. “You know you have to think about it.”

“Is there a different Quran? No they are teaching the same Quran where it is written ‘beat your wife if she is not obedient.’ They are teaching the same Quran where it is written ‘the Christians and Jewish people are evil.’ It is written in the Surah Al-Maidah. It is written there ‘don’t take Jewish and Christian people as your friend.’ That is what you are taught in the Quran schools.” (more…)

Continue ReadingEx-Muslim Defends Franklin Graham’s Islam Remarks

Reality Check: Don’t Forget Your Persecuted Brothers

Tuesday, 16 March 2010 – J. Lee Grady Newsletters – Fire In My Bones 

Last week many of our brothers and sisters lost their lives for Christ. How should we respond to the cry of the martyrs?

Last week while millions of Americans crammed into theaters to see Alice in Wonderland in 3-D, many Christians in other parts of the world were attacked, raped or killed for the cause of the gospel.

This past weekend I received an urgent message from my friend Christopher Alam, a U.S.-based evangelist, who was writing from Southeast Asia to inform me of a terrible atrocity in Myanmar.

“As long as our brothers and sisters are dying for Christ in other nations, we cannot take off our armor or live in a fantasy world of prosperity and instant blessing.” (more…)

Continue ReadingReality Check: Don’t Forget Your Persecuted Brothers

The Face of Courage—a Saudi Woman’s Powerful Poem Denouncing Fatwas and Extremism could Make Her a Winner on Abu Dhabi TV’s “Million’s Poet Contest”

Islamic woman speaks outby Aimee Herd : Apr 1, 2010 : Staff – Daily Mail Online

“My poetry has always been provocative. It’s a way to express myself and give voice to Arab women, silenced by those who have hijacked our culture and our religion.”

Hissa Hilel, a Saudi Arabian mother of four, has been composing lines of poetry since she was just 12. Now, at 43, she has a chance to win over a million dollars in Abu Dhabi TV’s reality contest, The Million’s Poet.

But, it’s not just the fact that Hilel is the first woman to make it to the finals on the show that has every talking about her; it’s her poetry itself.

One of her most recent poems addressed the subject of Islamic clerics who promote terrorism and extremism, and who issue fatwas (rules), which rob people and especially women of their rights.

In her poem, Hilel described the clerics as “vicious in voice, barbaric, angry and blind, wearing death as a robe cinched with a belt…” (a reference to suicide belts). (more…)

Continue ReadingThe Face of Courage—a Saudi Woman’s Powerful Poem Denouncing Fatwas and Extremism could Make Her a Winner on Abu Dhabi TV’s “Million’s Poet Contest”

Son of Hamas Founder Shares Faith Journey, Reveals He Spied for Israel in New Book

Son of Hamas Founder now following Christ02 March 2010 – Ken Walker – Featured News Charisma Online
  
The son of a Hamas founder whose Christian conversion made international headlines released the complete story of his faith journey Tuesday in a memoir brimming with spy-novel-like drama.

Son of Hamas by Mosab Hassan Yousef details a six-year-long conversion process that originated with a Bible study in Jerusalem and resulted in his departure from the Islamic terrorist organization. He was baptized in 2005 near Tel Aviv in a ceremony performed by a San Diego woman visiting the church that Yousef attended.

The 31-year-old says his faith has sustained him ever since, particularly since leaving his homeland in 2007. The pain of separation is better understood when one reads his account of the lifelong, close-knit ties forged by Palestinian families.

“Whenever I compare my pain to [Christ’s], I forget my pain,” said Yousef, who lives on the West Coast.

“When I feel alone in this journey, I know that He feels with me because He went through much worse. Every step I get closer to the cross I learn more about His sacrifice and pain, which absolutely makes me forget about my pain.” (more…)

Continue ReadingSon of Hamas Founder Shares Faith Journey, Reveals He Spied for Israel in New Book

Geert Wilders on course to be next Dutch prime minister

Geert Wilders looks like next Dutch Prime MinisterBy Bruno Waterfield – The Telegraph – 05 March 2010

Municipal results announced on Thursday put his party in first place in Almere, a region near Amsterdam and second in The Hague, one the country’s largest cities and the seat of the Dutch government.
 
If repeated in national elections on June 9, the Freedom Party could win 27 out of 150 seats, becoming the largest single party and putting him in line to become prime minister and form a new government.

Mr Wilders has called Islam a backward religion, wants a ban on headscarves in public life and has compared the Koran to Hitler’s Mein Kampf.

“We are going to conquer the entire country we are going to be the biggest party in the country,” he said after the vote. (more…)

Continue ReadingGeert Wilders on course to be next Dutch prime minister

Muslim leader wants elements of sharia in Australia

Sydney Morning Herald – Paul Bibby – March 8, 2010
 
ELEMENTS of Islamic law – the sharia – should be legally recognised in Australia so that Muslims can live according their faith, a prominent Muslim leader says.

Addressing an open day at Lakemba Mosque on Saturday, the president of the Australian Islamic Mission, Zachariah Matthews, said parts of sharia could be recognised as a secondary legal system so that Muslims were not forced to act contrary to their beliefs. ”Sharia law could function as a parallel system in the same way that some traditional Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander law was recognised in the Northern Territory,” Dr Matthews told the Herald after the session.

”I don’t think we are so unsophisticated that we cannot consider a multilayered legal system as long as it doesn’t conflict with the existing civil system.”

The comments shocked some attending the open day. They felt Dr Matthews was advocating the introduction of the penal system under which women have been stoned to death for adultery, and corporal punishment is meted out for some offences. (more…)

Continue ReadingMuslim leader wants elements of sharia in Australia