MUSLIMS TURN TO CHRIST IN UNPRECEDENTED NUMBERS PART 2

"God gave me peace in my life and He gave me joy."

By Janelle P
Open Doors

Muslims in the Middle East are turning to Jesus in unprecedented numbers. This is what several pastors shared with Open Doors.

Somewhere in Lebanon we meet with a young woman named Karima*, a refugee from Aleppo. She still covers her hair, but the change in the way she dresses compared with when she first arrived in Lebanon is obvious. She became a Christian more than two years ago. Karima and her husband, also a convert, are now working with one of the churches in Lebanon, both as teachers to Syrian refugee children. They had their doubts about Islam before they came to Lebanon. She saw miracles happen in her life because the pastor of a church prayed for her. God provided a place for them to live, a job and even healed her seriously sick son.

“Up until now, my parents didn’t know about my conversion because they fled to another country. My family is very conservative; they are Shiites. If they heard about my conversion, they would kill me. We would lose our children.”

Since her conversion, she has participated in discipleship groups. “The biggest change in my life is that I know I have eternal life. My name is written in the book of life. God gave me peace in my life and He gave me joy. Life is beautiful, even in the midst of all the trouble.”

Her husband Fadi* became a Christian because he read the New Testament. “I read about the teachings of Jesus, the high values and virtues. The high standards Jesus teaches are the biggest evidence that these are teachings of God. What also attracted me is the loving environment of the church; that is something impossible to find outside. The man who discipled us considers us his family, he is ready to protect us.”
After becoming a Christian, Fadi was attacked by two people. “They hit me, and one of my eyes was damaged as a result. My parents know that I am a Christian and because of that they rejected me.” The couple wants to move abroad with their two children. “We applied for visas to a Western country. We cannot go back to Syria as believers from a Muslim background. A normal life for us as converts will be impossible; they could take away our children.” Karima isn’t surprised by the persecution. “The Bible teaches us that we as Christians will be persecuted.”

Story continues: https://www.opendoorsusa.org/

‘Senseless and Diabolical Violence’: Four Nuns Slaughtered in Yemen Retirement Home; Officials Blame Islamic State

A Yemeni soldier guards the Missionaries of Charity
retirement home in Aden after the attack. 

By Kathyrn Blackhurst
The Blaze

VATICAN CITY (TheBlaze/AP) — The Vatican says Pope Francis was “shocked and profoundly saddened” by a murderous attack at a home for the elderly in southern Yemen that killed 16 people, including four nuns.

The Vatican secretary of state said in a condolence message on Saturday that the pontiff “prays that this pointless slaughter will awaken consciences, lead to a change of heart, and inspire all parties to lay down their arms.”

Officials and witnesses in Yemen said gunmen on Friday stormed Missionaries of Charity, which was established by Mother Teresa in Kolkata, moving room to room handcuffing the victims before shooting them in the head. Although no group has claimed responsibility for the attack, some Yemeni officials have blamed the Islamic State for the shootings.

The pope sent prayers for the dead and expressed his spiritual closeness to those affected by this “this act of senseless and diabolical violence.”

Sunita Kumar, a spokeswoman for Missionaries of Charity, said that the charity’s members were stunned at the ruthless killing inside the retirement home.

“The sisters were to come back, but they opted to stay on to serve people,” Kumar said, adding that two of the nuns were from Rwanda, one was from India and one from Kenya, according to the Guardian.

The attackers allegedly had asked the guard to open the gate, saying that they were visiting their mothers at the retirement home.

“On entering inside, [they] immediately shot dead the gatekeeper and started shooting randomly,” said Vikas Swarup, a spokesman for India’s external affairs ministry, adding that the assailants escaped directly after the attack, the Guardian noted.

http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2016/03/05/

Faithkeepers Official Trailer

Clarion Project - Challenging Extremism | Promoting Dialogue

Faithkeepers is an upcoming documentary film about the violent persecution of Christians and other religious minorities in the Middle East.

The film features exclusive footage and testimonials of Christians, Baha’i, Yazidis, Jews, and other minority refugees, and a historical context of the persecution in the region.

Due to be released this spring, the film also follows the story of a 24-year-old Christian student from North Carolina on her journey of understanding, discovery and solidarity with persecuted brothers and sisters in the Middle East.

Faithkeepers – the movie and the movement – will awaken, enlighten and inspire all people of faith to stand up and take action.

Use this link to view  this trailer on YouTube or watch it below.

 


Clarion Project's award-winning movies have been seen by over 50 million people. They grapple with issues such as religious persecution, human rights, women's rights, the dangers of a nuclear Iran and what the concept of jihad means for the West.

Muslims Turn to Christ in Unprecedented Numbers Part 1

 “I saw Jesus Christ. He was dressed in white. He said to me
 ‘I am your Savior. You will follow me.’” 

By Janelle P in Middle East
Open Doors

The Islamic State has been filling the headlines for a long time and filling the hearts of many people in the Middle East with fear. But in the midst of all this, the church in the Middle East is showing the love of Christ to those who fled their homes. Muslims in the Middle East are turning to Jesus in unprecedented numbers.

Before the war, it was rare that a Muslim would become a follower of Jesus Christ. The war has changed everything. According to one of the Christian workers of a church in Lebanon, many new converts say they had their doubts about Islam before they converted. “Doubt is many times the key to start a change,” says the church worker.

We meet with Amir*, Rasha* and their two children, who fled from Homs. Proof of the extraordinary change lies in her arms sleeping —a five month old baby girl with the very Christian name Christina.

“Since 2012, we have been living in a tent,” Amir shares. “It is not an easy life. About a year ago my wife’s mother was killed by a sniper when she went out to have some fresh air. My wife’s brother was killed on his way home.”

The life of this family was and is still hard, but recently they found light in their life. “About three months ago, I was given a vision of Jesus Christ,” Rasha shares. “I was sleeping and all of a sudden I saw Jesus Christ in white. He said ‘I am Christ. You will have a beautiful daughter.’ I was eight months pregnant, and a month later we received our beautiful daughter.” At about the same time the husband had a dream, too. “I saw Jesus Christ. He was dressed in white. He said to me ‘I am your Savior. You will follow me.’”

“We’re Afraid Now”

Both Amir and Rasha made a bold decision after these dreams. “We decided to follow Him. We named our baby Christina. We left our old Islamic customs.” Amir stopped going to the mosque, but Rasha still dresses as a Muslim woman with her head covered by a veil. “Our clan is very big; we’re afraid now. They might kill us,” says Rasha.

Amir continues: “Our family knows we are Christians now. Becoming a Christian is, for them, the same as if I had destroyed the Kaaba in Saudi Arabia. It is because we walked in the darkness and are now in the light. I want to protect my family.”

Their story continues:  https://www.opendoorsusa.org/

Charity Under Attack

Four sisters of Mother Teresa's congregation killed in Aden, Yemen 

L'Osservatore Romano 

Four Missionaries of Charity – the congregation founded by Mother Teresa of Calcutta – were killed this morning in the city of Aden, Yemen.

A group of heavily armed men attacked a home for the elderly run by the sisters. Citing local sources, Chinese news agency Xinhua reports that a total of 17 people were killed. According to Doctors Without Borders 15 victims have been confirmed. Yemite sources cited by the Chinese news agency attribute the attack to a group affiliated with the so-called Islamic State (IS), however no one has claimed responsibility yet. After killing the security guards, the terrorists entered the house located in the Sheikh Osman district of the city. In addition to the sisters, a driver and at least two Ethiopians volunteers were killed. However the superior survived. According to the AP, the terrorists set the sisters apart from everyone else after handcuffing the elderly and the sick. They then opened fire. 

This article can be found at L'Osservatore Romano.  

Atheist Group Complains about Bible Clubs at Ohio Schools

By Veronica Effinger
Editor, Christian Headlines

The atheist group Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF) has filed a complaint against four Ohio school districts which has led two schools to suspend their Bible clubs.

The Christian Post reports that the FFRF claims that the Bible clubs, which are held during lunch breaks at the eight high schools, junior high schools, and middle schools, “violate protections of separation of church and state if they are led or regularly attended by local pastors,” according to Ryan Jayne, a legal fellow at the FFRF.

The FFRF said that the Bible clubs have to be completely student-led and could include no involvement from pastors of local churches.

Youth Pastor Aaron Green of Faith Memorial Church said that church leaders and school administrations "have always had an extraordinarily great working relationship, one that has helped these groups to thrive and to be encouraged in a special way during the school day."

Green asserted that he was not aware that any of the school’s administrators had a problem with the pastors’ involvement in the Bible clubs, although he said the schools had asked pastors to limit their involvement so that the clubs could be run primarily by students.

"Both youth leaders and schools are aware of the sensitive nature under which these things operate and need to be extra vigilant about rules governing separation of church and state,” said Green.

However, the letter of complaint sent by the FFRF maintains that if "FMC representatives have indeed been leading student Bible studies, those clubs are not bona fide student-initiated religious clubs and should be dissolved. ... Students would be free to re-establish the clubs, on their own initiative, in the future."

Link to story: http://www.christianheadlines.com/blog/

Public School System Sued for Pushing Islamic Propaganda

By Morgan Chalfant        

A public school system in Maryland is being sued for promoting Islam over other religions.

The lawsuit was filed in federal court Wednesday on behalf of a former Marine and his wife who fought back at their daughter’s high school for forcing students to complete assignments that endorsed Islam.

The Thomas More Law Center filed the civil rights complaint in the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland, accusing leaders at the Charles County Public Schools of violating the plaintiffs’ constitutional rights.

John Kevin Wood, who served eight years in the Marine Corps, and his wife Melissa objected when they discovered that their daughter’s World History class at La Plata High School was circulating assignments that amounted to Islamic propaganda.

Their daughter and her fellow students were instructed to write out the Islamic creed “Shahada,” which says, “There is no god but Allah, and Muhammad is the messenger of Allah.” When recited by non-Muslims, the creed amounts to conversion to Islam.

Students were also required to memorize and recite the Five Pillars of Islam and were subjected to disparaging teachings about Christianity.

“Most Muslims’ faith is stronger than the average Christian,” one worksheet read.

The class also spent one day covering Christianity, while teachers devoted two weeks to instructing about Islam.

Upon learning of the lessons prioritizing Islam, Wood, who is Christian, contacted the school and demanded alternative assignments for his daughter. The school refused to allow his daughter to opt out of the assignments and threatened her with failing grades if they were not completed. She elected not to complete the worksheets.

Read more:  http://freebeacon.com/

CHURCH IN CUBA DEMOLISHED AND HUNDREDS ARRESTED

By Christian Solidarity Worldwide

Emanuel Church, a large church in eastern Cuba affiliated to the Apostolic Movement, an unregistered Protestant denomination, was demolished by the authorities on 5 February while hundreds of church members were detained.

The property of Reverend Alain Toledano in Santiago de Cuba was surrounded by officials including members of the police, state security and the military at approximately 5am on 5 February. They detained his wife, Marilín Alayo Correa, before demolishing both Emanuel Church and the pastoral home.

The destruction of the church follows similar demolitions of two Apostolic Movement churches in Camaguey and Las Tunas provinces on 8 January.

Over the course of 5 February approximately 200 leaders and members of Emanuel Church were also detained. A group of around 40 were held in a local school while others were taken to police stations across the region to stop them from protesting the demolition. Church leaders reported that many were beaten while they were being detained. The government has repeatedly refused to register the Apostolic Movement denomination

Reverend Toledano was in the United States attending a religious event at the time of the government action against the church. He told Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) that he believes the Cuban government intentionally carried out the eviction and demolition when he was out of the country. 

He expressed concern at the impact on his daughters, ages 11 and 12, who he said were screaming as they witnessed their mother being detained, adding that this is the second time they have experienced the destruction of their home and church. In 2007, the Cuban government carried out a significant operation to destroy the church, also located in the Abel Santamaria neighborhood of Santiago, which at the time had around 700 members.

Read more: http://www.csw.org.uk/2016/02/09/

U.S. College Professor: Christians 'Filthy' in Eyes of Allah

By Leo Hohmann

Christians are “filthy” in the sight of Allah and worthy of being looted and slaughtered “in a time of jihad,” according to an American imam and professor of religious studies at a prestigious private college in Tennessee.

These are words Professor Yasir Kazi now disputes he ever said.

Kazi (also spelled Qadhi) is a professor of Islamic studies at Rhodes College, a four-year liberal arts college in Memphis, Tennessee. He has two master’s degrees from Yale and one from the University of Medina in Saudi Arabia. He is expected to complete his doctorate soon from Yale’s department of religious studies, according to his bio page on the college website.

He also heads up an Islamic school called AlMaghrib Institute, which has a worldwide following with 22 locations in the U.S., eight in Canada, seven in the United Kingdom, one in Sweden and others scattered throughout the Middle East and Asia. The school teaches the Salafist brand of Sunni Islam that strives to return to Islam’s roots and is modeled after the life of Muhammad.

He has a dynamic preaching ministry with a YouTube channel followed by nearly 78,000 subscribers.

New York Times Magazine, in a 2011 article, called Kazi “one of the most influential conservative clerics in American Islam.” The article painted him as a rising star within the American Muslim community who once preached violence and was monitored by the U.S. government, but has since moderated his views to become more peaceful.

Connections to Terrorists
Kazi has been on the radar of the FBI at least since 2009, when the Nigerian underwear bomber Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab tried to blow up a Northwest Airlines jet bound for Detroit. The Nigerian terrorist was a student of Kazi’s AlMaghrib Institute.

Article continues: http://www.wnd.com/2015/12/

TOP 50 LIST OF CHRISTIAN PERSECUTORS

By Greg Corombos

The persecution of Christians is getting worse all around the world, and Open Doors USA CEO David Curry says it could well be the most severe since the early church was under assault by the Roman Empire.

On Wednesday, Open Doors USA released its 2016 World Watch List, an annual report listing the 50 most repressive nations for Christians.

“This past year saw the persecution of Christians escalating to an unprecedented rate,” Curry told WND and Radio America. “We think that perhaps not since the first century church have we seen such an unrelenting and spreading threat against the Christian faith.”

While there were some changes in the ranking of the 50 worst nations, Curry said there’s so much persecution around countries making the list, which are far more aggressive in targeting believers than even just a few years ago.

“One of the things that made this the most difficult time in the modern era is that it’s more difficult to get on the list,” he explained. “Every continent is more difficult. So, unfortunately, there aren’t a lot of bright spots.”

Once again, North Korea tops the World Watch List for the most brutal repression of Christians.

“Tens of thousands of Christians are imprisoned for their faith, some even executed for things just as simple as owning a bible,” said Curry, who listed three other elements that factor into Pyongyang’s depravity.

Read more: http://www.wnd.com/2016/01/

US Homeschooler Face Criminal Charges for Missing Paperwork

By Bob Unruh

Authorities in Ohio have filed criminal charges against homeschool parents in two families, with trials later this month that could result in fines and jail time if convicted.

For missing paperwork deadlines.

The parents, whose identities are not being publicized at this time, are facing accusations of “contributing to the delinquency of a minor” for not having their paperwork filed appropriately – or on time.

The families are being defended by officials with the Home School Legal Defense Association, the world’s biggest advocacy organization for homeschoolers. It has fought battles on behalf of homeschoolers in the United States as well as overseas, taking on state and federal governments from Germany to Sweden to Arizona and California.

The organization explained the paperwork pitfalls that snared the now-criminal case defendants.

See what American education has become, in “Crimes of the Educators: How Utopians Are Using Government Schools to Destroy America’s Children.”

“Both families were somewhat new to homeschooling in Ohio. One family filed a notice of intent when they began homeschooling last year, but did not know they had to file another notice for this school year. The other family filed their annual notice of intent, but did not submit an educational assessment with their notice because they had not yet completed it, and had been told by their school district that there was no deadline for submitting the assessment.”

Read more: http://www.wnd.com/2016/02/

Voice of the Martyrs: House Church Elder Sentenced to Two Years in Prison

Huang Quirui

ARRESTED JUNE 2014 IN CHINA

Quirui, a house church elder, was one of three Christians arrested and sentenced to two years in prison and fined 5,000 yuan (US $800) for “illegal business operations” by the Liunun District Court of Liuzhou. He is alleged to have been in charge of shipping the textbooks published by the school.

Police detained school director Cheng Jie at the school on Feb. 18, 2014. Four months later, on June 24, 2014, authorities also arrested church elder Huang Quirui and church member Li Jiatao in their homes.

Authorities claimed the defendants, all part of the Liangren house church which founded the kindergarten, “illegally” made a profit from the creation and publication of kindergarten curriculum. The curriculum used by The Hualin Foreign Language Experimental Kindergarten teaches students about character. It does not mention God or Jesus, but uses stories and games to teach children about honesty and trustworthiness. The school charged students only the cost of printing the books.

“This is absolutely a wrongful verdict,” said lawyer Tan Yongpei, who along with two other lawyers from his firm replaced the three Christian defendants’ original lawyers after they were “disqualified” by the court during the trial on Feb. 9, 2015.

“The act of printing is not an illegal business operation, and Cheng Jie’s act of taking care of the books is not an illegal business operation. The act of shipping the books, which Huang Quirui did, is not an act of an illegal business operation,” Tan said.

Authorities have had a long-running campaign against the Liangren Church and its school for promoting Christianity among young students. Authorities accused the school of violating the “Law of Education” by forcing citizens to believe in a religion. As a result of the arrests, the Liangren Church closed the school, refunded tuition, and reassigned teachers to other locations.

Prisoner Alert story continues: http://www.prisoneralert.com/pprofiles/

Afshin Javid – Ex-Hezbollah Iranian Muslim Saw Jesus And Jesus Said Who He Was

Afshin Javid

There are many stories of religious persecution. I want to share one story of Divine love, mercy and forgiveness. This is one of many on the internet. Jesus loves all mankind and doesn't want anyone to perish, including terrorists.
Terry Noble

[Afshin Javid:] Source: LYBIO.net

I was born in the southern part of the Iran a city called Abadan, born in a Muslim family Shahid Muslim family. My grandfather was a Muslim leader I joined Hezbollah.

I was in [ ] army for about three years. I was studying Kuran extensively depth. I traveled to Malaysia where I was caught with 30 illegal passports, put in prison and so I started teaching Islam in the jail and telling everybody what they must to do what are their duties towards Allah and so I did this routine every day. I prayed obviously five times a day.

Shiad do pray three time and they include the 17 roka in the three times but what I did when because I wanted to spend more time with – with god. I did it at five s separate times and that in the end of the evening I would have pray extra prayers.

I would have the habit of reading through the kuran cover to cover once every ten days and so as I was doing that one night, I just was meditating in verses and there are words in the Kuran that are repeated continually and repeatedly but they have no meaning, but still they are the secrets of Kuran and so when I was meditating on this a spirit entered the room and it was much more powerful that i could handle or I could overcome and so I was filled with fear and so I tried and using all the tools Islam had given me and in the name Allah I command you to leave you know Satan I will your cure, kind of things I used all those and nothing was helping. And that moment I was totally desperate and I felt like it is choking me choking the life out of me and I felt like I’m dying in that cell.

And I just cried out to the heavens and I said god in Farsi, “Khoda”, help me and immediately I heard the voice just as clear as you hear my voice today saying greet the name of Jesus.

See Afshin Javid's conversion story at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BIbCIJsCMbA

Three Egyptian Christian Teens to Stand Trial for ‘Insulting Islam’

By Thomas D. Williams, PH.D.

Three Christian high school students will stand trial for blasphemy in Egypt Thursday on charges that they insulted Islam, after a video of the students emerged in which they allegedly mock Muslim prayers.

If found guilty, the three teenagers could face up to five years in a juvenile detention center for violating the country’s strict blasphemy law.

The 30-second video shows one the boys reciting Muslim prayers while another behind him laughs, as well as parodies of the students slitting each other’s throats. The boys’ teacher reportedly filmed the video in a hotel room during an overnight trip, shortly after Islamic State militants slaughtered 21 Coptic Christians on a beach in Libya last February.

The three high schoolers are to appear in court in the southern city of Minya. According to the boys’ lawyer, Maher Naguib, their teacher, who is also Christian, will stand trial under the same charges and faces a prison sentence if convicted.

Naguib downplayed the significance of the video, calling it the result of a “random and spontaneous action by some youngsters” that lasted “for only few seconds.”

Story continues: http://www.breitbart.com/national-security/2016/02/03/

Fed-Up Parents Hit Public School System With Lawsuit Over Controversial Islam Assignment That Led to Failing Grades for Daughter

By Kathryn Blackhurst

A former Marine and his wife filed a federal lawsuit against a Maryland school district Wednesday for forcing their daughter to complete homework assignments that allegedly endorsed Islam over all other religions.

The couple, Melissa and John Kevin Wood, worked with the Thomas More Law Center to file the civil rights complaint alleging that Charles County public schools violated their constitutional rights, according to theWashington Free Beacon.

The trouble began when the Woods discovered that their daughter’s world history class at La Plata High School was instructing students to complete homework assignments that reportedly promoted Islam in ways that the parents deemed to be unacceptable. The students were required to write out the “Shahada,” an Islamic creed that amounts to a conversion to Islam when recited by non-Muslims, according to theWashington Free Beacon. The creed states, “There is no god but Allah, and Muhammad is the messenger of Allah.” Other assignments included reciting by memory the five pillars of Islam.

“Defendants forced Wood’s daughter to disparage her Christian faith by reciting the Shahada, and acknowledging Mohammed as her spiritual leader,” Richard Thompson, president and chief counsel of the Thomas More Law Center, said, according to Southern Maryland Online. “Her World History class spent one day on Christianity and two weeks immersed in Islam. Such discriminatory treatment of Christianity is an unconstitutional promotion of one religion over another.”

Story continues: http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2016/01/29/

Parents Furious After School Changes the Word 'God' to 'Allah' in Christian Hymn

By Steve Watson

The newspaper reports that an angry father registered a complaint with the Austrian schools inspectorate, saying that it is unacceptable to change the wording to Christian hymns.

The teacher and the Principal of the school are being questioned regarding the incident.

The teachers claim that Muslim and non Muslim children were supposed to be given different segregated versions of the hymn.

“The teacher had distributed to the Christian and Muslim pupils different texts.” said inspector Karin Lang, claiming that “In the case, a child must have received the wrong copy into their folder”.

The incident dovetails with a professor from the University of Vienna publishing a report warning of rapid Islamisation of Austria’s schools.

The government commissioned report noted that there are at least 150 “problematic” schools in the country.

Professor Ednan Aslan warned that Islamists are attempting to operate a parallel educational system under the radar of the governmental authorities.

The song controversy is also not an isolated incident.

Last month, video emerged of Canadian children singing a song which celebrates Muhammad’s arrival in Medina after he forced Christians to convert to Islam under threat of death.

Read more at: http://www.infowars.com/

Muslims Trying to Expel Christians From Refugee Camp in France

By Henry Samuel

A gunfight has erupted in a migrant camp in northern France, leaving four people wounded after clashes that were thought to have involved rival gangs of smugglers.

Two men were treated overnight for gunshot wounds, a third for stab wounds and a woman for blows to the head following the clashes at the Grande-Synthe camp near Dunkirk.

Four people were held for questioning on charges of attempted voluntary homicide. Police believe the fight erupted between rival people smuggling gangs against a backdrop of simmering tensions between Muslims and Christians in the camp.

David Michaux, a CRS anti-riot officer from the Unsa Police union, told Le Figaro: "There is a real problem of Muslims and non-Muslims. Most of the camp's 3,000-odd occupants are Muslim Kurds from Iraq, Iran and Syria but a minority are Christians from Iran.

"The Muslims are trying to expel the Christians from the camp."

He added: "A unit of gendarmes was at the Grande-Synthe camp [on Tuesday]. They heard shots fired, around 40 according to their estimates."

Police found 9mm bullet casings but, despite sending in scores of anti-riot officers overnight, no weapons.

Grande-Synthe is 22 miles away from the so-called "Jungle" camp in Calais. The population has rocketed from a mere 80 in recent months, and now includes 250 children.

Story continues: http://www.aina.org/news/20160128183337.htm

Pastor Learns Fate for Satanic Islam Sermon

Faith Under Fire

A Christian preacher in Ireland has been acquitted of charges that stemmed from his description of Islam as being “spawned in hell,” but the threat to speech remains because the judge’s ruling was based on the fact the words didn’t rise to the level of being “grossly offensive.”

Cleared of charges was pastor James McConnell, 78, from Shore Road in Newtownabbey, County Antrim.

His comments came in a 2014 sermon, where he said, “People say there are good Muslims in Britain – that may be so – but I don’t trust them. Islam is heathen, Islam is satanic, Islam is a doctrine spawned in hell.”

The sermon was delivered from the pulpit of Whitewell Metropolitan Chapel of north Belfast, and became the subject of a Belfast Magistrates Court case.

According to a report in the BBC, the judge’s conclusion was that the speech was “offensive,” but not “grossly offensive.”

McConnell also compared Muslims to the Irish Republican Army.

“Fifteen years ago, Britain was concerned of IRA cells right throughout the nation,” he said. “They done a deal with the IRA because they were frightened of being bombed. Today, a new evil has arisen. There are cells of Muslims right throughout Britain, can I hear an amen, right throughout Britain, and this nation is going to enter into a great tribulation, a great trial.”

McConnell commented after the verdict that he regretted that Muslims thought he was “out to hurt them,” but a Muslim community spokesman identified only as Dr. Al-Wazzan told the BBC such language “is definitely irresponsible and we condemn it in the strongest possible terms.”

WND reported that his text for the sermon was 1 Timothy 2:5: “For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.”

Read more: http://www.wnd.com/2016/01/

Lawsuit: Public School Forced my Child to Convert to islam

By Todd Starnes

Fox News Opinion 

A public high school has been accused of radical Islamic indoctrination by forcing children to profess the Muslim statement of faith, ordering them to memorize the Five Pillars of Islam and teaching that the faith of a Muslim is stronger than the average Christian, according to a federal lawsuit filed Wednesday.

Thomas More Law Center filed the lawsuit on behalf of John and Melissa Wood. They accuse La Plata High School in Maryland of subjecting their teenage daughter to Islamic indoctrination and propaganda. And when Mr. Wood complained – the school banned him from campus.


“Defendants forced Wood’s daughter to disparage her Christian faith by reciting the Shahada, and acknowledging Mohammed as her spiritual leader,” Thomas More president Richard Thompson said.

The Shahada is the Islamic Creed, “There is no god but Allah, and Muhammad is the messenger of Allah.”

article continues at http://www.foxnews.com

ISLAMIC MURDERER: CHRISTIAN GIRLS EXIST TO “PLEASURE MUSLIM MEN”

By Kit Daniels

A group of Muslims reportedly mowed down three Christians with their car, killing one of them, while claiming Christian girls are only meant for “the pleasure of Muslim men.”

Pakistani police are slow to investigate the Jan. 13 attack by four Muslims who spotted the girls while they were walking home to the Christian community of Baowala and proceeded to flirt with them unsuccessfully.

“How dare you run away from us, Christian girls are only meant for one thing, the pleasure of Muslim men,” one of the murderers shouted.  

The men then rammed their cars into the girls.

“Two girls fell to the ground; one’s hip was broken, the other’s ribs were shattered,” journalist Raymond Ibrahim reported. “The youngest, Kiran Masih, aged 17, flew up in the air and crashed into the speeding car’s windshield.”  

The killers laughed as Masih died from her injuries.

“In any other nation, the perpetrators would be arrested, convicted for murder and sentenced for a long term,” human rights activist Wilson Chowdhry said. “Violence against Christians is rarely investigated and highly unlikely to be met with justice.”

Article continues: http://www.infowars.com/

ISLAMIC RAGE ERUPTS OVER CHRISTIAN MARCH

Christian protesters walk through Luton, England. (Photo: YouTube, Britain First)

By Douglas Ernst

A mob of Muslim men swarmed a group of Christian activists on British streets and said they were “taking over” the country.

Members of the political party Britain First held what it claims is the first “Christian patrol” through the streets of Bury Park, Luton. A video posted to YouTube on Saturday shows a swarm of Muslim men converge on the group of 20 cross-carrying Christians.

“You’re jealous that we’re taking over,” a shop owner says at the start of the video.

“We f–king hate you!” and “Muslims will take over! Watch!” two others scream as cops descend on the scene.

Leader Paul Golding and deputy Jayda Fransen said the activists were there to walk through the town, hand out newspapers, and proudly display their faith in Christ.

“This is a British town. I’ll come here if I like. I’ll walk where I like,” Fransen told a group of men asking why they were in Luton.

Fransen and her fellow activists eventually made it through a gauntlet of jeers, threats and expletives before again addressing the camera.

“We just literally got mobbed. Muslims came back from every angle. Muslims told us they’ve taken our country, we’re not welcome, it’s not a Christian country, they’ve taken over and we need to leave. They were threatening violence. People tried to attack me … people tried to attack our activists. They’re throwing things. This is a British town. This is Britain.”

Local interfaith worker Peter Adams of Saint Mary’s Church responded to Britain First’s march on Monday, saying the group “corrupted the message of the cross” as a symbol of “reconciliation, forgiveness and selfless love,” Luton Today reported.

Read more: http://www.wnd.com/2016/01/

Terrorists Kill Seven Missionaries in Burkina Faso

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Michael Riddering

Burkina Faso's [West Africa] first attack by Islamist extremists took the lives of seven Westerners visiting to do short- and long-term missions work.

Terrorists affiliated with al-Qaeda opened fire on two hotels and a nearby restaurant in Ouagadougou on Friday, killing 29 civilians from 7 countries, Reuters reports. The gunmen took more than 100 hostages during the West African nation’s first encounter with such extremism, The Washington Post reported.

Six of the casualties were Canadians visiting the country on a three-week missions trip over their Christmas break. Another was an American missionary who, with his wife, had run an orphanage and women’s crisis center in Burkina Faso since 2011.

The Canadian casualties included Yves Carrier, Gladys Chamberland, and their two children, Charles-Élie, 19, and Maude, 37. The family, along with two of their friends, Suzanne Bernier and Louis Chabot, were working at orphanages and schools in remote villages on behalf of a church-affiliated group from their home province of Quebec, reported The Star.

Last Friday, Charles-Élie and Maude were scheduled to fly home, and the group went out for a last meal in the capital city before the two were due at the airport.

Several terrorists entered the Cappuccino Cafe, a restaurant popular among foreigners since it served European food, and opened fire, Reuters reported.


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Maude Carrier
“I still can’t understand how people who had such a love of life, who were always ready to help, always smiling and loved by so many people, can be taken away in such a horrendous way,” Marie-Claude Blais, Chamberland’s sister, wrote on Facebook. “They did good only to be killed by evil.”

Story continues: http://www.christianitytoday.com/gleanings/2016/january/

Dominance and Submission in Cologne and the Persian Gulf

by William Kilpatrick
Crisis Magazine

Under the Islamic dhimmi system, when Christians paid the jizya tax, they were often required to kneel before the local Muslim dignitary as a sign of submission. Sometimes the tax collector would deliver a slap to the face as an added humiliation. This was in accordance with the Koranic injunction that non-Muslims must not only pay the tax, but also “feel themselves subdued” in the process (9:29).

What is the meaning of the word “Islam” again? “Peace?” Er, no. That was what the vast majority of Americans thought it meant circa 2001. But since then, most of us, with the exception of a couple of presidents and Secretaries of State, have discovered that it actually means “submission.”

Islam is a very tolerant religion. It doesn’t require that you convert to it as long as you submit to it. All they are asking for is a little groveling. Thus, if you are a Christian living in the Ottoman Empire you kneel while you pay the eighty-percent tax, and if you’re a sailor in the U.S. Navy whose boat mysteriously falls into Iranian hands you kneel and then offer apologies for your behavior while thanking your captors for their “fantastic” hospitality. Oh, and if you’re a female sailor, all you have to do is don a hijab as a sign of respect for, and submission to, the codes of Islam.

In the meantime, be assured that your Secretary of State will back you up by offering his own profound appreciation for “the quick and appropriate response of the Iranian authorities.” At the same time, your president can be relied on not to mention the incident at all, he having made some sort of gentleman’s agreement with the Iranians which requires him to pretend that everything they do is both fantastic and appropriate.

article continues at http://www.crisismagazine.com

William Kilpatrick taught for many years at Boston College. He is the author of several books about cultural and religious issues, includingPsychological Seduction; Why Johnny Can’t Tell Right From Wrong; and Christianity, Islam and Atheism: The Struggle for the Soul of the West. His articles have appeared in numerous publications, including Catholic World Report, National Catholic Register, Aleteia, Saint Austin Review, Investor’s Business Daily, and First Things. His work is supported in part by the Shillman Foundation. For more on his work and writings, visit his website, turningpointproject.com

AFTER DREAMS OF JESUS, IMAM RENOUNCES ISLAM

By Janelle P
Africa

In the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa on July 28, in the first ever speech given by an American president to the African Union, Barrack Obama said, "Many of these groups claim the banner of religion, but hundreds of millions of African Muslims know that Islam means peace.” Though that may be true for millions of Muslims, for one Muslim cleric, it was not. This is his story:

Tofik* grew up attending Islamic schools and rose to the position of an imam in his East African village. Several deeply personal revelations brought him to faith in Christ, at the risk of his life.

Tofik trained to become an imam for 24 years at an Islamic madrasa school in Africa. “In school, I only learned about Islam,” he said. “Parts of our teaching were about destroying Christianity. So we did what we learned, by attacking Christians once we finished our training.” He said he was taught that Christians are bad people. He and the other students were also encouraged to steal from and kill non-Muslims. “Our teachers would tell us every time there was a new church in town, and we were told to go and attack the people and destroy the church. So that’s what we did,” Tofik said. “We beat them, attacked the church and burned their Bibles.”’

Tofik was later selected by the local mosque to be trained in Saudi Arabia for further Islamic studies. After finishing his education in Saudi Arabia, he returned to become an imam in his village. He led the construction of 16 mosques in his area. He also imposed a rule—no village leaders or visitors could preach Christianity in his town.

One night, in the midst of his zeal for Islam, his journey to Christ unexpectedly began. “There was an incident in 2002 where I had a vision from the Lord early in the morning around 3 a.m.,” he said. “In the vision, I saw Jesus very clearly telling me to follow Him.”

Story continues: https://www.opendoorsusa.org/

Christians Stage Worldwide Protests Against Norway for Seizing Children From Parents

By Katherine Weber

International protests are being planned throughout the month of January after the Norwegian government removed five children from their Christian parents under accusations of "religious indoctrination."

Protests are planned for the rest of January in the Czech Republic, Latvia, Austria, Romania, Spain, Ireland, India, Poland, and Australia, along with several other countries to speak out against the recent separation of five Christian children from their parents at the hands of government officials.

In November 2015, Norway's child welfare services, known as Barnevernet, removed five children, including three sons and two daughters, from parents Ruth and Marius Bodnariu, residents of Naustdal and members of the Pentecostal Church.

The five children were removed from their family and separated into two foster homes after their school's teacher and principal alerted the authorities that the children were being raised in a Christian household that taught "God punishes sin."

The parents were then accused by child services of practicing "Christian radicalism and indoctrination."

Read more at http://www.christianpost.com/news/christians-worldwide-protest-norway-seizing-christian-children-bodnariu-family-154986/#WuSzoVqjRJVEyOA4.99

Read more at http://www.christianpost.com/news/christians-worldwide-protest-norway-seizing-christian-children-bodnariu-family-154986/#tty2AP2gfVIiH75V.99

(CHRISTIAN POST) – International protests are being planned throughout the month of January after the Norwegian government removed five children from their Christian parents under accusations of “religious indoctrination.”

Protests are planned for the rest of January in the Czech Republic, Latvia, Austria, Romania, Spain, Ireland, India, Poland, and Australia, along with several other countries to speak out against the recent separation of five Christian children from their parents at the hands of government officials.

In November 2015, Norway’s child welfare services, known as Barnevernet, removed five children, including three sons and two daughters, from parents Ruth and Marius Bodnariu, residents of Naustdal and members of the Pentecostal Church.

The parents were then accused by child services of "Christian radicalism and indoctrination".

Along with accusations of "indoctrination," the parents also faced accusations of physical abuse against their children, which they deny.

A petition and a Facebook page have been set up in support of the parents as they continue to appeal to have their family reunited again.

"They are just a normal Christian family trying to raise their children in the knowledge of God! There is no documented or otherwise abuse of any kind in this family," an iPetition that has gained 25,000 signatures since November reads.

Read more: http://www.christianpost.com/news/

The five children were removed from their family and separated into two foster homes after their school's teacher and principal alerted the authorities that the children were being raised in a Christian household that taught "God punishes sin."

The parents were then accused by child services of practicing "Christian radicalism and indoctrination."

image: http://images.christianpost.com/full/92291/bodnariu-protest.jpg

image: http://images.christianpost.com/full/92291/bodnariu-protest.jpg

image: http://images.christianpost.com/full/92291/bodnariu-protest.jpg

Read more at http://www.christianpost.com/news/christians-worldwide-protest-norway-seizing-christian-children-bodnariu-family-154986/#WuSzoVqjRJVEyOA4.99

Read more at http://www.christianpost.com/news/christians-worldwide-protest-norway-seizing-christian-children-bodnariu-family-154986/#tty2AP2gfVIiH75V

Seventh Grader Told to Kill Herself for Not Denying God

In a story gaining momentum since late October, a seventh-grader from Katy, Texas, was made to state “God is a myth” by her middle-school teacher. Now the student is facing startling repercussions for her refusal to back down.

It started when 12-year-old Jordan Wooley’s teacher assigned a quiz at West Memorial Junior High School asking students to label statements as “fact, assertion, or opinion.”

Statements included “America is the most free country on Earth,” and “there is a God.” Jordan said the assignment was to identify “factual claims, commonplace assertions and opinions.” She said she originally answered the statement “there is no God” in two ways, according to a local CBS News affiliate.

Jordan labeled the latter as “fact,” and her teacher told her to mark it otherwise, or face an “F” grade.

“I said it was fact or opinion,” Jordan told the station. “Based on my religion and based on what I think and believe, I do not think it was a commonplace assertion.”

Wooley says her seventh-grade reading teacher said both her answers were wrong and that she had to admit God wasn’t real.

“It was really confusing to me at first because I didn’t really know what to do, so the first thing I did was tell my mom,” Wooley said.

Film Clip and Story from CBS News Affiliate available at: http://www.khou.com/story/news/local/neighborhood/2015/10/27/.

Iran Frees Pastor Saeed Abedini after Three Years in Prison

By Jeremy Weber

Saeed Abedini has finally been freed.

The Iranian-American pastor from Idaho, held for more than three years, wasexchanged as part of a prisoner swap in which Iran released four people and the United States released seven.

"It is confirmed," his wife Naghmehannounced on Twitter. "Saeed is released from Iranian prison."
“This has been an answer to prayer,” she said in a press release from the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ), one of Abedini's leading advocates. “This is a critical time for me and my family. We look forward to Saeed's return and want to thank the millions of people who have stood with us in prayer during this most difficult time.”

More than 1.1 million people had joined ACLJ's "Save Saeed" campaign. President Obama personally told Naghmeh last year that freeing her husband was "a top priority." This past October, shewrote to the president in The Washington Postthat it was "past time" to bring him (and the other hostages) home. "Thankfully I do not put my trust in governments or the rulers of nations," she wrote. "Instead I put my trust in God."

Supporters flocked to Naghmeh's Facebook post confirming the good news, which she received after nearly two weeks of Daniel-inspired prayer and fasting for his release.

“I don’t know what I was expecting, but I felt the Lord saying, ‘Let it go—don’t touch the situation with Saeed, and I will take care of it,’” said Naghmeh in an interview with Morning Star News. “So I let go. I stopped my travels. I stopped speaking. Interestingly enough, it happened when I let it go.”

Story continues: http://www.christianitytoday.com/gleanings/2016/

MERCY IN NIGERIA: ‘GOD SPARED MY LIFE FOR A PURPOSE’

*Representative Photo to Protect Identity

By Janelle P in Africa

Mercy is from Gwoza in the violent northeastern area of Nigeria. She and others who used to call Gwoza home watched helplessly as the Islamic terrorist group Boko Haram set up camp in the hills to the east of the town. Boko Haram forces soon began encroaching on their area. In June 2014, the militants claimed the town and declared a caliphate there.

The insurgents arrived in Mercy’s neighborhood in the middle of the night.

“Everyone in the town ran helter-skelter to save themselves,” recalls Mercy. My dad and I were separated. I do not know what happened to him. I think he died the same way many others died – they refused to deny Christ.”

The attackers abducted Mercy, 22, and other women and took them to the near-by town of Mubi, which had also fallen.

Mercy says: “They asked if we agreed to become Muslims and to marry Boko Haram members. I pleaded that they allow me to remain a Christian, but my pleas fell on deaf ears. They beat me and told me to never mention Christianity in the camp again. Then they told me that they would arrange a husband for me. I received a husband a few weeks later.”

She doesn’t want to give details about the arranged marriage. All she says was, “Every single day came with tears and fears for the unknown.”

She witnessed how Christian men who refused to deny Christ were killed. She could not endure the torture and gave in to their demands.

“I knew God saw my heart, but still I could not sleep,” Mercy stated. “I prayed and fasted like never before. I kept pleading with God to intervene.”

Mercy's story continues: https://www.opendoorsusa.org/newsroom/

Fired Park Employee Sues Over Lunchtime Baptism

By Bob Unruh

A lawsuit has been filed by a former maintenance worker at Maritime National Historic Park in San Francisco for being fired after performing a baptism for a park visitor during his lunch break.

The case has been documented by Courthouse News, which said Roger Holly’s complaint against the Department of the Interior and his supervisors appeared this week in federal court.

Court documents say Holly, a Baptist minister, reported he baptized a park visitor in the ocean during his lunch break in November 2013. He reported he was out of uniform and simply “helped dunk the visitor into the ocean.”

“The religious ‘ceremony’ Holly performed did not include any outward, objective display of religion, such as reading sacred texts, public prayer, sermonizing or the like. It simply appeared that two persons were swimming in the ocean, much like other park visitors,” CN quoted from the complaint.

He then was interrogated by his supervisor, Robert Kier, who is named as defendant.

Holly reported he assured Kier he would not baptize someone while he was supposed to be working, or in his National Park Service uniform.

“Police State USA: How Orwell’s Nightmare Is Becoming Our Reality” chronicles how America has arrived at the point of being a de facto police state, and what led to an out-of-control government that increasingly ignores the Constitution. Order today!

But he was terminated shortly after.

Story continues:http://www.wnd.com/2016/01/

Being Jewish and Pro-Israel in College 2010 vs 2015

“Israeli Apartheid Week” May 2010 on the Univ. of California,
 Los Angeles (UCLA) campus. Photo: AMCHA Initiative.

By Eliana Rudee
JNS.org  

This week, I was able to talk to many Jewish students from around the world (including a friend from my alma mater who is visiting Israel) about what it is like to be a Jewish student on their university campuses.

I graduated from college just about a year and a half ago, and although much has stayed the same, it’s getting more difficult for Jewish students.

When I entered college in 2010, my professors were accommodating when I needed to miss class for the high holidays. Yet there always seemed to be a bonding event on Yom Kippur, and I had to miss tennis practices if I wanted to be on the Hillel board and attend Shabbat services and dinner. These little things made me feel different from the other students, but by far the greatest source of difficulty as a Jewish student on campus was the way I related to Israel.

I remember receiving a terribly inaccurate email, passed through my school’s list serve, calling Israel an apartheid state that commits war crimes. I remember getting an eviction notice put on my door, “mocking the eviction notices sent to Palestinians by the IDF.” I remember someone coming up to me in the dining hall asking me how “you [Jews] could do all of those terrible things to the Palestinians.” I remember being ostracized in a class and receiving a grade less than I deserved because the paper had pro-Israel content. I remember sitting in a meeting hosted by Students for Justice in Palestine, the group leader asking all the other students to disregard my opinion and that of my friend because we were from the pro-Israel group. I remember when I found swastikas drawn in the bathroom stalls on multiple occasions.

Article continues: http://www.algemeiner.com/2015/12/31/

Christians in the Public Sector are Forced To Hide Their Faith, Former Civil Servant Admits

By Donna Rachel Edmunds
Breitbart London

Christianity is being “silenced” throughout the public sector thanks to a “secularising spirit” which permeates the culture and ensures Christians hide their faith, a former senior civil servant has said.

William Nye spehttp://www.breitbart.com/london/2016/01/04/nt 20 years in Whitehall where he says Christianity is being “squeezed out,” but he believes that government ministers aren’t even aware of the situation.

The Prime Minister David Cameron used his recent Christmas message to affirm that Britain is still a Christian country, but apparently the civil service hasn’t got the memo.

Speaking to The Telegraph, Mr Nye, who held a number of senior Whitehall posts during his time as a civil servant, said that having a Christian faith is viewed within the public service as “odd or unusual” to an extent that would likely surprise government ministers and the general public alike.

“I think there has been, in the 20 years I was in the public sector, a sort of squeezing out of Christianity from many aspects of the public sector,” he said.

“[It is] not universal – obviously there are chaplains in hospitals, there are chaplains in prisons – and I don’t think it is minsters doing it deliberately.”

He admitted that a creeping secularisation of the public sector had led Christians to feel as though they could not disclose their faith, for fear of being seen biased.

Story continues: