Are we seeing a shift? Could it be that Islam becomes the one world religion after the church is Raptured?
Did you know you can make a tax exempt donation to Hamas? Influence?
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Report: Islamic numbers, influence surging
Situation really bad for Christians where Muslims are now in the majority in Europe
Muslims are taking over parts of the world into which they move simply by outnumbering the previous residents, concludes a new study by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life.
Study coordinator Brian Grim says that of the estimated 1.5 billion Muslims worldwide, most are South Asian, largely in India and Indonesia. The second largest Muslim group comes from the Middle East.
But in other parts of the world, such as Western Europe and America, they also are wielding increasing influence, and Grim says it’s simply a flexing of their power through outnumbering other groups.
“Western Europe hasn’t traditionally been home to a large number of Muslims, but the new entry of Muslims in Europe create new issues to be dealt with socially. You have immigration and religious freedom issues,” Grim stated.
However, International Christian Concern Islam watcher Jonathan Racho says that the increasingly large Western European Muslim community is growing in militancy as well as in numbers.
“If you go to places like the U. K. and France, some cities in Sweden and Holland, you can already see some cities where Muslims are very significant because of theirnumbers,” Racho began.
“In the U. K. there are some places where there are so many Muslims [that] non-Muslims can’t go there. They are called ‘no-go’ areas for non-Muslims,” he explained.
“Because of this, human rights violations are happening. We have reported attacks on Christians in a neighborhood in the U. K. Evangelists were stopped by the police for preaching the Gospel. The Muslim policeman stopped them and said they couldn’t preach in that area,” Racho said.
“There’s been some scary situations. I’m not trying to be alarmist, but I’m just stating the facts. The situation is really bad for Christians in some areas where Muslims are now in the majority in Europe,” Racho added.
“In some places in Europe there are already instances of the application of Shariah law [Islamic religious law) among the Muslims. It has become a significant problem because the Muslim population in some Western European countries has become very vocal,” Racho continued.
Racho adds that after Shariah law, the next step is an increased pressure on the non-Muslim population.
“In some places in Europe, the Muslims are calling for violence,” Racho stated. “There are now instances of terrorism attacks in the U. K. Some of the British Muslims have gone to Afghanistan and Pakistan to get training.”
The Press Trust of India reported this week that 20 Muslim British citizens are reported to have gone to a Pakistani training camp to prepare for Mumbai, India-like attacks in Great Britain.
Grim hesitated to suggest a growing militancy in Europe’s Muslim population, saying that the Pew study didn’t really address those issues.
“A recent study that we did called Muslim Networks and Movements in Western Europe … was not a representative study of Muslims and their attitudes but a profile of different Muslim groups,” Grim explained.
“Indeed, you do find some groups that have more militant perspectives and then you have many groups that are very moderate in their views,” Grim stated.
Grim believes that most of Western Europe’s Muslims came for economic reasons.
“In Western Europe, the Muslims have recently arrived and they came for jobs in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. Immigration has continued in search of work where there are growing economies, where there is sort of an open market. That’s where you have seen the most noticeable growth in the size and the visibility of the Muslim population in Western Europe,” Grim asserted.
The American Enterprise Institute’s terrorism analyst Michael Rubin disagrees, saying that economic reasons are way down the list.
“Ideology means more than poverty when it comes to radicalism and terrorism. Most suicide bombers, for example, are educated and many come from middle class families,” Rubin observed.
The impact on Western Europe has been documented. A 2006 BBC report reported on the six-month controversy over Denmark’s Jyllands Posten newspaper publishing a cartoon of Muhammad with a bomb in his turban.
In the Netherlands, Dutch Parliament member Geert Wilders went on trial for hate crimes as a result of his strong anti-Muslim stand.
Grim continues to paint a less threatening picture of Muslims in general.
“Muslims are multiple races, multiple ethnicities and multiple languages. Then in the report itself we talked about the two main identities, the religious identities Muslims cluster under, so to speak, Shia and Sunni Muslim,” Grim described.
“The intent of the report was to show that Muslims are diverse and they are spread through many different countries, different nationalities, languages. In no way does the report classify Muslims as one category,” Grim stated.
“The picture in Europe is one of diversity where you have groups that are moderate and then you have groups that are less moderate,” Grim continued.
The number of Muslims in the United States is growing, and Grim says by the sheer weight of the numbers, they are going to gain in influence. He says they’re certainly gaining a bigger share of the media attention.
“Without a doubt there has been a growth in the amount of news coverage especially related to the mosque in New York City and then the issue in Florida with the pastor wanting to burn the Quran,” Grim observed.
The Pew Forum analyst believes that the mosque building controversy is a natural byproduct of the increasing attention and increase innumbers.
“The size of the Muslim population, the size of any religious group usually coincides with the demand or the desire to have places of worship. Since it’s a large number, but not a large percentage,” Grim said.
“There would be an interest in these people having a place to worship that would be a very natural thing. It’s not a function of trying spread mosques as much as it is a natural outcome of people of faith wanting to have a place to worship,” Grim continued.
However, Racho says that Americans need to be wary because there is a relationship between mosque construction and the spread of an ideology.
“Some Muslim groups use the religious freedom of the United States to import a radical Islamic ideology,” Racho explained.
“This is a very radical ideology that is a threat to the national security of the United States. U. S policy makers should continue to be vigilant about Islamic groups in this country which come in the name of Islam and in the name ofreligion and exploit the system,” Racho continued.
Rubin agrees saying, “I don’t think the U. S. government gets it. Why should they be sending Yahya Hindi or Feisal Abdul Rauf on trips to talk about Islam in America?”
Racho says that the reality of increased Islamic influence cannot be ignored. One way to keep an eye on the threat is to follow the money.
“We have to make sure the money for the mosques comes from forces who have no allegiance to radical Islam. That is very important. We have seen reports that many mosques that are built by Saudis teach very violent forms of Islam,” Racho also explained.
“There has to be a sense of accountability because if we leave them free to spew their hateful ideologies, we’re going to pay the price. And the price is very costly,” Racho said.
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German Muslims must obey law, not Sharia – Merkel
German Christian Democrats often cite shared Judeo-Christian values rooted in the early history of Christianity because of sensitivities about the Holocaust, when the Nazis murdered six million Jews during World War Two
Berlin: Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Wednesday Muslims must obey the constitution and not Sharia if they want to live in Germany, which is debating the integration of its 4 million-strong Muslim population.
In the furore following a German central banker’s blunt comments about Muslims failing to integrate, moderate leaders including President Christian Wulff have urged Germans to accept that “Islam also belongs in Germany”.
The debate comes against a backdrop of US and British concerns over the threat of terrorist attacks by militant Islamists living in Germany, with Berlin toning down such fears.
Merkel faces corresponding discussions inside her Christian Democratic Union (CDU) about whether she is conservative enough, and the centre-right leader’s latest comments seemed directed at those who think Wulff went too far in appeasing the Muslims.
Wulff, who has a largely ceremonial role, used a speech on Sunday celebrating two decades of German reunification to urge harmonious integration of immigrants who until a decade ago were considered “guest workers” who would eventually return home.
But whereas the media stressed Wulff’s comments about Islam, Merkel – the daughter of a Protestant pastor brought up in East Germany, who leads a predominantly Catholic party – said Wulff had emphasised Germany’s “Christian roots and its Jewish roots”.
German Christian Democrats often cite shared Judeo-Christian values rooted in the early history of Christianity because of sensitivities about the Holocaust, when the Nazis murdered six million Jews during World War Two.
“Now we obviously also have Muslims in Germany. But it’s important in regard to Islam that the values represented by Islam must correspond with our constitution,” said Merkel.
“What applies here is the constitution, not Sharia.”
Merkel said Germany needed imams “educated in Germany and who have their social roots here” and concluded: “Our culture is based on Christian and Jewish values and has been for hundreds of years, not to say thousands.”
Opinion polls suggest many Germans sympathise with the views of an outspoken member of Germany’s Bundesbank who, in speeches and a book, accused Muslims of sponging off welfare, refusing to integrate and achieving poor levels of education.
Thilo Sarrazin, who also offended Jews with comments about genetics, was forced to quit the central bank. Merkel has tried to accommodate both sides of the debate, saying police should not be afraid of entering immigrant neighbourhoods but also that Germans must accept mosques becoming part of their landscape.
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U.S. Offers Tax Breaks for Terror Funding
The United States government has been allowing citizens to take a tax deduction for donations to Viva Palestina, a group that aids the anti-Israel and anti-America terrorist group Hamas. Now a U.S. Congressman is trying to put a stop to it, as reported by the International Business Times.
Congressman Brad Sherman (D-CA) told the paper that he has written to the State Department, the Department of Justice, and the IRS, informing them that Viva Palestina funds terrorism and is soliciting donations in America. The Patriot Act and other counter-terror laws prohibit soliciting funds for a recognized terrorist organization.
His letters were sent several months ago, but nothing has been done. Sherman said the State Department forwarded his complaint to the Department of Justice, which has yet to respond. The IRS said they would look into the matter, he added. The congressman said he plans to keep pushing the matter until something is done.
Viva Palestina is run by former British MP George Galloway, who openly supports Hamas and has made direct donations to the group. In 2009 Galloway gave Hamas leaders cash and vehicles, and taunted his government, saying, “If you want to take me to court, I promise you there is no jury in all of Britain who will convict me.”
Sherman said he has faced difficulty due to the fact that Viva Palestina’s branch in the U.S. is partnered with the charity group Interreligious Foundation for Community Organizations (IFCO) and receives money through them.
In addition, Viva Palestina USA claims that it does not give to Hamas. However, Sherman disputes that claim, pointing out that the group openly supports Galloway’s “aid convoys” to Gaza. An expert on terrorism, Stephen Landman, was quoted by IBT as saying that Viva Palestina USA “openly used its resources to prop up Hamas’ government in the Gaza Strip.”
Landman recently addressed the House Financial Services Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations. He told committee members that there is “overwhelming” evidence that Viva Palestina supports terrorism, and that the group has raised at least $200,000 in America.
Galloway and Viva Palestina are currently planning a flotilla to sail for Gaza, in an attempt to break Israel’s naval blockade of Hamas. A previous attempt to break the blockade ended with nine deaths and several injuries after armed passengers attacked IDF soldiers who attempted to redirect their boats, and soldiers opened fire in response.
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Lebanon Transformed: A Hizbullah Nation, Iranian Proxy
A new Hizbullah country seems to be developing in place of the sovereign nation of Lebanon, and its population is preparing for another war with Israel.
Hizbullah may be feeling particularly bold due to the impending arrival of its prime patron, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who is set to arrive October 13 on his first state visit to the country since entering office in 2005.
A significant faction of Hizbullah-linked legislators plays a major role in the country’s parliament, with several ministers included in the cabinet as well. More to the point, Iran’s role in the Beirut government and the country’s infrastructure, through its links with Hizbullah, should not be underestimated.
Iranian money has financed reconstruction projects in Lebanon, including a set of multi-million dollar apartment complexes in a Beirut Hizbullah stronghold that was reduced to rubble during the 2006 Second Lebanon War. A network of new roads honeycombing southern Lebanon and connecting Hizbullah-linked border villages with interior communities was also designed and paid for by Iran.
And although the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) and the Lebanese Army were intended to enforce a demilitarized zone between Israel’s northern border and the Litani River, ensuring Hizbullah disarmed, they did not. In fact, Hizbullah and the Lebanese Army have essentially merged into one seamless unit, with the Lebanese government asserting its support for Hizbullah’s right to bear arms, and the terrorist group asserting its right to “defend” Lebanon. Together the two combined intelligence efforts, leading to the arrest by Lebanese officials of more than 100 Lebanese citizens over the past two years accused of spying for Israel.
Now the Iranian president is coming to see the results of his investment – and his protégés are eager to please him.
Ahmadinejad will tour several major Hizbullah installations, and will meet with the terrorist group’s chief, Hassan Nasrallah, as well as with all of Lebanon’s top officials, including the president, prime minister and parliamentary speaker.
The Iranian leader has also vowed to visit Lebanon’s border with Israel and hurl rocks at IDF soldiers from across the security fence, as a gesture of defiance towards the Jewish State.
Israel has asked Britain, France and the United Nations to intervene and prevent the provocation; in fact, it has requested that Lebanon cancel the visit altogether in order to prevent any possible outbreak of hostilities.
Hizbullah Honeycombs the South
The terrorist organization has infiltrated most, if not all, of the towns and villages in the southern region of the country, building a comprehensive, integrated network of weapons facilities and other military infrastructure.Hizbullah has been digging tunnels, preparing communications infrastructure and making other preparations for war since the end of the previous conflict, according to an officer in the IDF Northern Command.
The group is placing its military positions, weapons and explosive charges next to schools and hospitals in order to maximize civilian casualties in any future conflict with Israel, thus creating a public relations nightmare for the Jewish State.
For years, Hizbullah has stockpiled mortars, missiles and other arms in the buildings of quiet villages nestled in the hills of southern Lebanon. The IDF is aware of the strategy and has marked the targets in anticipation of any future conflict.
NATO submarines spent months watching the Syrian coastline as ships smuggled weapons to the terrorist entity, including dozens of military vehicles and the high-powered Scud missiles, which can easily strike Tel Aviv from Beirut. Satellite images of one Hizbullah complex, located near the Syrian town of Adra, northwest of Damascus, allegedly revealed shelters, weapons and a fleet of trucks presumably ready to be used to transfer the ordnance.
Although Hizbullah chief Hassan Nasrallah claims his missile arsenal numbers at 40,000 – a figure Israel does not dispute – other intelligence officials estimate there may be more, possibly between three or four times the 20,000 missiles the group possessed prior to the start of the 2006 Second Lebanon War.
At least one Hizbullah supporter in the town of Aita al Sha’ab – from which the Second Lebanon War was launched – told a reporter from The New York Times this week that he was “expecting the war this summer. It’s late.”
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