Friday, 27 March 2015
And then there were three...
Amidst the back slapping, 'shock', 'surprise', 'delight', 'humbling', etc, etc, there must be a feeling among some of the male clergy who chose career over conscience that the game is up - if you're not a woman, forget it. They will experience the feeling of being sidelined as 'traditionalists' have been sidelined, although less in England than in Wales I should add in fairness.
The third woman bishop to be appointed will take her seat in the Lords but God forbid that she were the only woman bishop so she will need company in case she needs someone to hold the door when she goes to the loo. Then there is the more serious question of female representation. It will not matter one jot if better qualified males are passed over in the name of 'equality'.
Dave knows a thing or two about equality, or he thinks he does from his twit following the appointment of the Rev Libby Lane: "An historic appointment and an important day for equality"! Historic yes, another nail in the coffin of the Anglican Church in Great Britain but secular notions of equality are misplaced in the Church.
What the Church of England has become was exemplified by the ridiculous tourism enhancing event that the 're-burial' of the bones King Richard III became. He was not an Anglican. A Rosary was placed in his coffin as a token of his Catholicism. Carving out a new career for herself having done more than most to wreck the Church of England Christina Rees represented the CofE in the Channel 4 commentary box for the occasion. Asked about the Rosary she said that Anglicans do not use the Rosary. I think she meant feminists but an understandable mistake since the two have become synonymous.
Thursday, 26 March 2015
God bless MSF
"We are now a year into the deadliest Ebola outbreak the world
has ever seen, with at least 24,000 people infected and more than
10,000 deaths. Ebola has destroyed lives and families, left deep
scars, and ripped at the social and economic fabric of Guinea,
Liberia and Sierra Leone."
- Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF)
One of the ironies of this life is that when tragedy strikes, people unite to help their fellow human beings. Natural disasters bring out the best in people. In the front rank you will always find MSF. Their courageous work in fighting the Ebola virus, putting their own lives at risk for others is an example that shames many of us. Not least those poor deluded souls who believe that they will earn their place in heaven by slaughtering others.
If you wish to show your appreciation you can thank MSF here.
Wednesday, 25 March 2015
Clerical comeuppance
In 1517 the selling of indulgences by clergy was condemned by Martin Luther. In 2015 a woman named Farkhunda protested to a local Mullah about the selling of "fake charms" and "promises written on paper" to women who wanted babies or for other health issues, arguing in favour of a "more orthodox, proper Islamic view".
The Mullah shouted that the woman was "burning the Quran" as he called men to his 'shrine' for assistance. Farkhunda was beaten to death before her body was taken to the river to be burned. These acts so horrified Afghan women that they have taken a stand. But the crowd at the funeral still shouted "Allahu Akbar" as they demand the murderers be brought to justice. God must be great by definition but if faith is not based on love it is worthless and leads to corruption.
The Mullah deserves his comeuppance, as do all clerics who ply their trade based on fear rather than on their calling. Christianity has taken some hard knocks in response to the abuse of clerical power. The latest episode in Afghanistan should serve to demonstrate that clerics in Islam who should know better may also be seeking only to serve themselves rather than the one they claim to represent.
On this day, 25 March, Christians celebrate the Feast of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, God's role model for women. Let us hope that the women of Afghanistan and throughout the whole Muslim world see the Light, releasing them from the misery of their subjugation.
Update
Listen to Ayaan Hirsi Ali who calls for change within Islam here.
and
'Why Islam Needs a Reformation' here.
The Mullah shouted that the woman was "burning the Quran" as he called men to his 'shrine' for assistance. Farkhunda was beaten to death before her body was taken to the river to be burned. These acts so horrified Afghan women that they have taken a stand. But the crowd at the funeral still shouted "Allahu Akbar" as they demand the murderers be brought to justice. God must be great by definition but if faith is not based on love it is worthless and leads to corruption.
The Mullah deserves his comeuppance, as do all clerics who ply their trade based on fear rather than on their calling. Christianity has taken some hard knocks in response to the abuse of clerical power. The latest episode in Afghanistan should serve to demonstrate that clerics in Islam who should know better may also be seeking only to serve themselves rather than the one they claim to represent.
On this day, 25 March, Christians celebrate the Feast of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, God's role model for women. Let us hope that the women of Afghanistan and throughout the whole Muslim world see the Light, releasing them from the misery of their subjugation.
Update
Listen to Ayaan Hirsi Ali who calls for change within Islam here.
and
'Why Islam Needs a Reformation' here.
Monday, 23 March 2015
The new black death
"For Muslims, the whole focus of the life on earth must be directed at securing a place to this Islamic heaven, full of sexual indulgence. And the way of securing a ticket to Allah's whoredom is outlined in Quran 9:111, which says:
'Lo! Allah hath bought from the believers their lives and their wealth because the Garden (Paradise) will be theirs: they shall fight in the way of Allah and shall slay and be slain'
Verse 9:111 means what it means. A Muslim who is killed or who kills fulfilling teachings of 9:5, 9:29 and all the other verses of the Quran exhorting murder, rape, terror, and torture are guaranteed accession to Allah's paradise".
- From 9/11 is Enactment of Quran 9:111 here.
Death and destruction are rampant. People are beheaded, crucified and worse as a warning to others, churches are destroyed, what remains of ancient civilizations is obliterated, all in the name of Allah. If anyone questions how the 'Religion of Peace' can be responsible for such atrocities the response is the same: "Islamophobia"!
Islam is regarded as one of the great religions of the world. Numerically it is but given the perpetual carnage since its inception, people are entitled to investigate the root cause of the violence. While Islam means submission it does not mean that everyone must be kept in ignorance. On the contrary, if there is nothing to hide an open debate should be welcome.
If Islam were truly a 'Religion of Peace' we should expect Muslims be in the forefront of peacekeeping, extolling the wonders of the Quran and Hadiths. The problem is that although there are peaceful verses in the Quran they have been abrogated by "at least 109 verses that call Muslims to war with nonbelievers for the sake of Islamic rule".
The UK Muslim Public Affairs Committee (MPACUK) claims: Muslims are going through an identity crisis, and have been for many decades... Muslims have suffered oppression for hundreds of years... and with such rampant injustices perpetrated against the Muslims all around the world... "Because the Muslim struggle has never been explained in this manner, the Muslim reaction to oppression is often misconstrued as acts of ‘extremism’ ‘radicalisation’ and so forth. For our Ummah’s struggle to be understood, Muslims must tell the world about their story and their struggle"!
Muslims are invited to "join the struggle for justice" and complain to the Islamic Human Rights Commission (IHRC) if they have been "verbally abused, harassed, discriminated against or even violently attacked because you are Muslim" or have been "mistreated by the police or security services or a victim of anti-terror laws". Meanwhile the IHRC has named the murdered Charlie Hebdo staff 'International Islamophobe of the Year'!
Do Muslims not understand what real persecution is? "There are few places on earth where Christianity is as old as it is in Iraq. Christians there trace their history to the first century apostles. But today, their existence has been threatened by the terrorist group that calls itself Islamic State. More than 125,000 Christians -- men, women and children -- have been forced from their homes over the last 10 months". Read the heart-rending story of their plight here. That is persecution.
Often funded by Qatar and Saudi Arabia mosque building in Europe has shifted into high gear enabling Islam to spread in the West while in Saudi Arabia their Grand Mufti wants churches destroyed . The sad story of Muslim prayers being offered in an Anglican Church serves to emphasis the ignorance surrounding Islam. It is a supremacist, religious ideology which believes that everything belongs to Allah and all must submit or pay the price - as the people of Syria and Iraq know to their cost.
Not just the ignorant are manipulated. A news report claims that: "Nine British medics feared to have crossed into Syria". The contagion is spreading but the problem is not being tackled. The Ebola virus disease has claimed 10,000 lives. A United Nations report highlighting the human rights violations of the Islamic State's jihadist campaign in Iraq found that over 24,000 Iraqi civilians have been injured or killed by ISIS in the first eight months of 2014, and the extremists have taken up the practices of recruiting 12- and 13-year-old soldiers and forcing women and girls into sex slavery.
Now linked with IS, Boko Haram killed 6,347 civilians in 2014 while endless killing goes on in Pakistan (56,867 fatalities in terrorist violence 2003-2015) and elsewhere. If this were a virus huge resources would be made available to prevent it spreading but Islam is not only allowed to spread it is facilitated by politicians and church leaders who have preferred to bury their heads in the sand rather than ask themselves if the world wouldn't be far more peaceful without Islam.
Today, Theresa May has has made it clear that the UK will not tolerate extremists. Watch here. There can be no going back. The medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres blamed a "global coalition of inaction" which led to "tragic consequences" with the spread of Ebola. We cannot afford to make the same mistake with Islam.
Islam is regarded as one of the great religions of the world. Numerically it is but given the perpetual carnage since its inception, people are entitled to investigate the root cause of the violence. While Islam means submission it does not mean that everyone must be kept in ignorance. On the contrary, if there is nothing to hide an open debate should be welcome.
If Islam were truly a 'Religion of Peace' we should expect Muslims be in the forefront of peacekeeping, extolling the wonders of the Quran and Hadiths. The problem is that although there are peaceful verses in the Quran they have been abrogated by "at least 109 verses that call Muslims to war with nonbelievers for the sake of Islamic rule".
The UK Muslim Public Affairs Committee (MPACUK) claims: Muslims are going through an identity crisis, and have been for many decades... Muslims have suffered oppression for hundreds of years... and with such rampant injustices perpetrated against the Muslims all around the world... "Because the Muslim struggle has never been explained in this manner, the Muslim reaction to oppression is often misconstrued as acts of ‘extremism’ ‘radicalisation’ and so forth. For our Ummah’s struggle to be understood, Muslims must tell the world about their story and their struggle"!
Muslims are invited to "join the struggle for justice" and complain to the Islamic Human Rights Commission (IHRC) if they have been "verbally abused, harassed, discriminated against or even violently attacked because you are Muslim" or have been "mistreated by the police or security services or a victim of anti-terror laws". Meanwhile the IHRC has named the murdered Charlie Hebdo staff 'International Islamophobe of the Year'!
Do Muslims not understand what real persecution is? "There are few places on earth where Christianity is as old as it is in Iraq. Christians there trace their history to the first century apostles. But today, their existence has been threatened by the terrorist group that calls itself Islamic State. More than 125,000 Christians -- men, women and children -- have been forced from their homes over the last 10 months". Read the heart-rending story of their plight here. That is persecution.
Often funded by Qatar and Saudi Arabia mosque building in Europe has shifted into high gear enabling Islam to spread in the West while in Saudi Arabia their Grand Mufti wants churches destroyed . The sad story of Muslim prayers being offered in an Anglican Church serves to emphasis the ignorance surrounding Islam. It is a supremacist, religious ideology which believes that everything belongs to Allah and all must submit or pay the price - as the people of Syria and Iraq know to their cost.
Not just the ignorant are manipulated. A news report claims that: "Nine British medics feared to have crossed into Syria". The contagion is spreading but the problem is not being tackled. The Ebola virus disease has claimed 10,000 lives. A United Nations report highlighting the human rights violations of the Islamic State's jihadist campaign in Iraq found that over 24,000 Iraqi civilians have been injured or killed by ISIS in the first eight months of 2014, and the extremists have taken up the practices of recruiting 12- and 13-year-old soldiers and forcing women and girls into sex slavery.
Now linked with IS, Boko Haram killed 6,347 civilians in 2014 while endless killing goes on in Pakistan (56,867 fatalities in terrorist violence 2003-2015) and elsewhere. If this were a virus huge resources would be made available to prevent it spreading but Islam is not only allowed to spread it is facilitated by politicians and church leaders who have preferred to bury their heads in the sand rather than ask themselves if the world wouldn't be far more peaceful without Islam.
Today, Theresa May has has made it clear that the UK will not tolerate extremists. Watch here. There can be no going back. The medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres blamed a "global coalition of inaction" which led to "tragic consequences" with the spread of Ebola. We cannot afford to make the same mistake with Islam.
"Speak up. Of course, there is good people of the Islam people. There is not all Muslim people they are bad. I believe. But there is the good people? Where is their voice? Nothing. Few. Few."
- Archbishop Nicodemus Sharaf, Syriac Orthodox Archbishop of Mosul
Saturday, 21 March 2015
World Water Day 2015
"Water is our world"
22 March 2015: A day for water and water for sustainable development.
"Today 748 million people around the world still have no clean water to drink"
If you would like to help click HERE.
Saturday, 14 March 2015
The road to hell...
... is not always paved with good intentions.
Eternal life is offered unconditionally without the suffering demanded in the Koran which is based on fear and retribution based on the claims of a single person who claimed to hear the word of God. Today that would be regarded as delusion.
So why, on 6 March, was a service of Muslim prayers held in St John’s Waterloo, an Anglican church, a short walk from the South Bank opposite the Houses of Parliament? Probably the best answer is that the road to hell is paved with good intentions, something that the Bishop of Southwark has responded to in the following terms: “The Bishop of Southwark takes very seriously his responsibility to uphold the teaching of the Church and to work within its framework of legislation and guidance. It is quite clear that Islamic prayer should not take place in a consecrated building. This is why he has asked the Bishop of Kingston to investigate fully what happened. It is inappropriate to seek to make further public comments on this matter until this has happened.”
As Fr Alexander Lucie-Smith, a Catholic priest and doctor of moral theology wrote: "Once a place has been used for Muslim worship it is ipso facto a mosque". Quite so. Re-consecration is in order.
Andrew Symes wrote on Anglican Mainstream: "The purpose of the event was presumably to symbolically bring the Church and Islam together by uniting Christians and Muslims in prayer. It was also to show how a modernised Islam can successfully incorporate some key Western values – the group of worshippers consisted of men and women standing, kneeling and prostrating together; the prayers were led by men and women, and the sermon was delivered by a female Imam, hence 'Inclusive Mosque'."
So there we have it. The inclusive church, the inclusive mosque, Gathering; call it what you will. Note that the Gathering's "Ecumenical Communion" service begins with a passage of scripture which has been used to justify just about every liberal departure from the historic Christian faith, in particular the ordination of women: "In Christ Jesus we are all children of God through faith. There is no longer Jew or Greek, slave or free, male or female.
That will music to the ears of the Vicar of St John's Waterloo who said: St John's recently hosted an "Inclusive Jummah" in partnership with the Inclusive Mosque Initiative. Led by Dr Amina Wadud, it was timed for the run up to International Women's Day last weekend. Dr Wadud is a long-time campaigner for gender justice in Islam. - St John's also offers thanksgivings and dedications to couples after civil marriages, including same-sex marriages, although so far no one has requested such a service! - In turn music to Dr Morgan's ears.
The same recipe that has put secularism before faith, marginalising devout Christians in the process. Not only the Bishop of Southwark but the whole liberal ascendancy should be beating their chests for what they have done and asking God, not Allah for forgiveness while explaining the truth to Muslims so that they too may be saved.
This is urgent because, sadly, despite all the obvious violet extremism, FGM (not based on the Koran but recommended!), shared husbands, honour killings and even burial alive in the name of honour, 'around 5,000 British people convert to Islam every year – and most of them are women'. Many of these will have been disillusioned by the liberal 'advances' pressed by people who profess to call themselves Christian but in reality have sought personal advancement to the detriment of others.
We owe it not only to converts but to all Muslims to set the record straight if they are to avoid descent into hell.
‘Koran invites people to violence’ – Queen’s chaplain Photo: Reuters / Luke MacGregor |
A recurring theme among some employees was the pressure they felt they were under to keep their religion hidden at work and feeling discriminated against when it came to wearing religious symbols or expressing their beliefs. This was particularly felt by Christians. - Creating a fairer Britain
Misplaced secularism dressed up as religion in some quarters and political correctness have resulted in Jews and Christians being afraid to express their faith in their own country today while Muslims, many of them immigrants who came to our shores to enjoy the benefits of a free society, not only parade their faith on our streets with impunity but aim to use democracy against us to advance the cause of Islam. If that were not bad enough they have been aided by the Anglican Church.
Despite all the advantages they demand for their own religion Muslims continue to complain about the way they are treated, treated being the operative word: "Yesterday, more than 60 imams and leaders of Muslim groups signed an open letter to the Government accusing it of criminalising Islam". Why? Because one of the Queen’s chaplains,the Reverend Canon Gavin Ashenden expressed concern that around 100 passages in the Muslim holy book incite followers to violence, including 'striking off heads'.
How can they complain? Because they can. They regard it as a religious duty to do so, diverting any criticism away from Islam. In their open letter to the government, the imams and Muslim group leaders claimed that the ‘terror threat’ was being exploited for political capital ahead of the election as ‘the big parties inevitably try to outdo each other in their nastiness’. They have criticised the ‘demonisation of Muslims in Britain ... despite their disavowal of violence and never having supported terrorist acts’.
By inference they must accept that what Canon Ashdenden said is true but they do not approve of him expressing his concern that Islam gives rise to violent jihad, presumably on the grounds that cultural jihad is peaceful by comparison as they attempt to convert Britain and every other free nation to Islam under the rule of Sharia.
Despite all the evidence to the contrary, denial is constant: Imam says Islam not to blame for “deplorable acts” of sex grooming gangs. It was “not credible to blame a whole community”. He added: “Some groups are exploiting the cases of sexual grooming and are linking the depraved actions of the perpetrators to Islam. The 'whole community' is not being blamed, neither are Muslims in general but it is undeniable that the common factor in the violence abroad and the wretched child abuse dominating the media at home is Islam.
It should be obvious even to the casual observer that Islam is at war worldwide, as it has been since its formation, overtly with armed jihad in Iraq, Syria and Africa and covertly with the more sinister cultural jihad in the West. Muslims constantly defend Islam insisting that right is on their side because their prophet said so. That is merely a justification of his own position on his own terms without critical assessment, something that is banned in Islam. By comparison the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ is the witnessed, fulfillment of Biblical prophecies. There cannot be another prophet other than a false prophet.
Replying to Thomas (the doubter) when Christ was asked, "Lord, we do not know where You are going, how do we know the way?" Jesus answered, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me. If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; from now on you know Him, and have seen Him."
The Bible could not be clearer. Jesus fulfills the many biblical prophecies with the warning: "Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. You will know them by their fruits". Two short, sound, simple proofs that Muhammad was a false prophet from Deuteronomy deductions illustrate the point.
Eternal life is offered unconditionally without the suffering demanded in the Koran which is based on fear and retribution based on the claims of a single person who claimed to hear the word of God. Today that would be regarded as delusion.
So why, on 6 March, was a service of Muslim prayers held in St John’s Waterloo, an Anglican church, a short walk from the South Bank opposite the Houses of Parliament? Probably the best answer is that the road to hell is paved with good intentions, something that the Bishop of Southwark has responded to in the following terms: “The Bishop of Southwark takes very seriously his responsibility to uphold the teaching of the Church and to work within its framework of legislation and guidance. It is quite clear that Islamic prayer should not take place in a consecrated building. This is why he has asked the Bishop of Kingston to investigate fully what happened. It is inappropriate to seek to make further public comments on this matter until this has happened.”
As Fr Alexander Lucie-Smith, a Catholic priest and doctor of moral theology wrote: "Once a place has been used for Muslim worship it is ipso facto a mosque". Quite so. Re-consecration is in order.
Andrew Symes wrote on Anglican Mainstream: "The purpose of the event was presumably to symbolically bring the Church and Islam together by uniting Christians and Muslims in prayer. It was also to show how a modernised Islam can successfully incorporate some key Western values – the group of worshippers consisted of men and women standing, kneeling and prostrating together; the prayers were led by men and women, and the sermon was delivered by a female Imam, hence 'Inclusive Mosque'."
So there we have it. The inclusive church, the inclusive mosque, Gathering; call it what you will. Note that the Gathering's "Ecumenical Communion" service begins with a passage of scripture which has been used to justify just about every liberal departure from the historic Christian faith, in particular the ordination of women: "In Christ Jesus we are all children of God through faith. There is no longer Jew or Greek, slave or free, male or female.
That will music to the ears of the Vicar of St John's Waterloo who said: St John's recently hosted an "Inclusive Jummah" in partnership with the Inclusive Mosque Initiative. Led by Dr Amina Wadud, it was timed for the run up to International Women's Day last weekend. Dr Wadud is a long-time campaigner for gender justice in Islam. - St John's also offers thanksgivings and dedications to couples after civil marriages, including same-sex marriages, although so far no one has requested such a service! - In turn music to Dr Morgan's ears.
The same recipe that has put secularism before faith, marginalising devout Christians in the process. Not only the Bishop of Southwark but the whole liberal ascendancy should be beating their chests for what they have done and asking God, not Allah for forgiveness while explaining the truth to Muslims so that they too may be saved.
This is urgent because, sadly, despite all the obvious violet extremism, FGM (not based on the Koran but recommended!), shared husbands, honour killings and even burial alive in the name of honour, 'around 5,000 British people convert to Islam every year – and most of them are women'. Many of these will have been disillusioned by the liberal 'advances' pressed by people who profess to call themselves Christian but in reality have sought personal advancement to the detriment of others.
We owe it not only to converts but to all Muslims to set the record straight if they are to avoid descent into hell.
Reverend Gavin Ashenden said around 100 passages in the Muslim holy book incite followers to violence, including 'striking off heads' |
Tuesday, 10 March 2015
The blame game
“OF COURSE they say nice things these days,” says a Lebanese woman, a sophisticated Sunni Muslim in her 50s, gliding between English, French and Arabic. “They know who they're talking to. But you cannot trust them—absolutely not.” Again and again, in secular and liberal circles in Beirut, Cairo, Rabat, Tunis and even Ramallah, the seat of the Palestinian Authority, you hear almost identical dark warnings against the Islamist movements that are gaining ground across the Arab world as dictators are toppled, tackled or forced into concessions. ...
The doubts persist. “It is an 80-year project,” says a grandee of the liberal Wafd party, referring to the Brotherhood's origins. “In the long run they want an Islamic state, a caliphate.”
From: "Uneasy companions", The Economist, Aug 6th 2011
If things looked bleak in 2011 they are much worse in 2015 despite the crack down on the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt. In June 2014 the leader of so-called Islamic State declared the creation of a caliphate stretching across parts of Syria and Iraq. Had the last Muslim onslaught not been stopped outside the gates of Vienna in 1683, how many Western democracies would there be today? Looking at the fate of minorities in Egypt and other states where Islam dominates, Christianity would have suffered a worse fate than that inflicted by the Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church or, closer to home, by her devoted disciple the Archbishop of Wales. But I digress.
Of late I have been encouraged by two pieces of news. In the Telegraph: "Extremism in Britain: Now the crackdown is launched" - The Government is planning a series of tough new measures to combat the growing threat from Islamist extremists. A leaked draft of the Home Office’s new counter-extremism strategy, seen by The Telegraph, targets Sharia courts and calls for a ban on radicals working unsupervised with children over fears the young could be brainwashed. The crackdown is said to be part of a new "strategy to deal with the perceived growing threat to the UK from Islamist extremists."
About time too. According to the Telegraph report, the number of jihadists who have now travelled to Syria to fight with the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isil) "has exceeded more than 700. Of those, about 320 “dangerous” jihadists have now returned to the UK after fighting with Isil, reinforcing the urgent need in Whitehall for a new set of anti-extremist measures."
The second news item has been delivered today by the Foreign Secretary, Philip Hammond: - "Terror 'apologists' must share blame: 'Apologists' for those who commit acts of terrorism are partly responsible for the violence...Security services have been criticised over their handling of Mohammed Emwazi - known as "Jihadi John". But in a speech the foreign secretary praised the "brilliance" of Britain's intelligence officers. He has said ministers must act "decisively" in debates about powers given to the security services so they can "get on" with keeping the UK safe." That's the spirit!
There was an outpouring of sympathy in some quarters for one of the most notorious, bloodthirsty criminals, 'Jihadi John': "Critics say MI5's heavy surveillance drove Emwazi down path to radicalism. Pressure group Cage said Emwazi was ‘gentle’ before being probed by MI5". Balderdash. He was following his religion, although he made an exception when it came to alcohol, something forbidden in Islam and punishable by flogging in the Quran, unlike beheading, crucifixion, amputations and stoning which are believed to be the path to paradise for jihadists! [Warning, gruesome images which some may find distressing - Ed.]
Continuing the blame game "Relatives of three east London school girls who ran away to Syria, say the police failed to make sure they had crucial information that could have helped them stop their daughters from joining Islamic State" (here). I find it extraordinary that fifteen-year-old school girls not only had access to their passports, sufficient finance and other means to travel abroad but watching the proceedings of the Parliamentary Home Affairs Committee was illuminating.
Predictably the Metropolitan Police Commissioner and his Specialist Operations Assistant Commissioner were given a hard time by the Chairman for the Met's failure to stop the girls. Not knowing of the girls' intentions (why would they when tracking around 300 known serious risks), they had assumed that, as is common in most schools, letters given to children for their parents would have been properly delivered. With the benefit of hindsight these girls were found to be less than trustworthy. In evidence the Assistant Commissioner revealed that the money used to buy the airline tickets was the proceeds of selling stolen family jewelry.
We are led to believe that Muslim girls are not expected to be as vulnerable as the 'easy meat' exploited by men from allegedly "predominantly Pakistani and/or Muslim heritage backgrounds". - A spurious claim resulting in Asians being "unfairly blamed for this crime, when Islam is the common factor for 90% of the perpetrators, not their country of origin". Muslim girls are often bound in an 'honour' culture which in many ways contradicts the apparent freedom observed as these girls absented themselves from our shores. In that sense they are victims but they are victims of an alien culture which recognizes girls aged 9 as being of marriageable age following their Prophet's example. If you want the whole truth read the 'easy meat' link and download the PDF file.
Another contradiction hit the headlines with: "Dal Babu, a former Met chief superintendent, said the government’s anti-radicalisation strategy is a “toxic brand” run by mainly white officers with little understanding of Islam, gender or race....the lack of Muslim staff in the ranks of the “Prevent” scheme is hampering efforts to stop vulnerable young people, particularly women, from travelling to Syria to join Islamic State. He says police have been caught unawares by young people such as the three Bethnal Green schoolgirls travelling to Syria - and criticised counter terror efforts as “chaotic, piecemeal and unco-ordinated." Added to allegations of ‘spying in the community’ and ‘targeting Muslims’, it was suggested that the anti-terror strategy is seen as "intrusive and secretive by many Muslims".
Surely the obvious place to look for so-called radicalised Muslims is in the Muslim community. This issue was also raised at the meeting of the Home Affairs Committee implying that if more Muslims were employed things would have been different because 'they understand the culture'. Based on the dissembling evidence to date, that would be blaming everyone but themselves. Given the Islamic instruction to lie for the faith how are we to discern the truth?
Twelve months ago the Independent reported: The number of Muslims in the prison population had more than doubled to nearly 12,000 in a decade according to figures from the Ministry of Justice while Muslims represent only 4.7 per cent of the population in England and Wales, according to the most recent Census. One in seven prisoners (14 per cent) in England and Wales is a Muslim, according to the statistics. The dramatic rise prompted 'calls for ministers to investigate whether police and the courts are treating Muslims more harshly, with some suggesting the rise is due to Islamophobia', another handy tool in the blame game designed to exclude Islam from the criticisms thrown at other faiths.
How is that Muslims regard themselves as the victims despite all the benefits they have come to enjoy in Great Britain while non-Muslims are portrayed as at fault. Muslims are the perpetrators of the crimes against humanity, justifying their actions on a supremacist religious ideology based on the claims of one man which demand that non-Muslims are converted to Islam and that Sharia replaces democracy - or else?
There is an excellent answer to that question here in 'The False Dichotomy: Moderate Muslims vs. Radicals'.
If you didn't bother to watch the video testimony by Ex-Muslim terrorist Walid Shoebat who found Christ I strongly urge you to do so. His faith is an inspiration as he exposes the lies (taqiyya) perpetrated against non-Muslims.
"Loving Muslims is to tell them the truth." - Walid Shoebat
Saturday, 7 March 2015
Thresholds
Sources: C of E Hereford Diocese, Catholic Church and Church in Wales |
In my youth, crossing the threshold meant holy wedlock combined with jokes about whether one would be strong enough to carry one's bride across the threshold - or vice versa! It was thought by the superstitious that the groom must carry his new wife across the threshold of their new home to prevent bad luck. Predictably that advice has been amended to: "if you consider that each partner is as equal and valuable as the other, why not step over the threshold together?" Now of course anything goes.
The the sill of a doorway, 'threshold' implies a new beginning, a definition used well in 2013 by the Diocese of Hereford. Their 'Crossing the Threshold' was a "Community development approach to the use of church buildings". In 2003 the Catholic Archdiocese of Cardiff, in which the Anglican Dioceses of Hereford and Llandaff find themselves, used 'Crossing the Threshold' to address their urgent problem of non-churchgoing Catholics.
'Crossing Thresholds' in the Church in Wales has a predictably parochial approach as it dwells on the "history of women’s ministry in Wales". An unfortunate phrase which, reading the the Press release, implies that women exercised no ministry "from the first deaconess in 1884 to the vote enabling women to be ordained as bishops". In characteristically ridiculous comments devoid of any hint of belief in the Apostolic faith, the Archbishop of Wales, Dr Barry Morgan said, "Crossing the thresholds of ministry has been a long and arduous journey during which a generation of women has had to endure inequality and prejudice against them as they served first as deacons, then priests, before finally breaking the stained glass ceiling to be allowed to be ordained as bishops .They are the ground-breakers and ground-breakers are the people who throughout history are the ones who have built our Church and formed our faith."
On that basis, the universal Church other than in pockets such as Barry's little patch in which Provinces have unilaterally voted against scripture and tradition, the wider Holy Catholic Church is guilty of inequality and prejudice!
The Church of Wales has been here before giving the impression that there is nothing more important in the Church in Wales than feminism. That would be wrong. There is. 'Crossing the thresholds' was launched by Dr Gill Todd. She Chairs the Diocese of Swansea and Brecon's Safeguarding Committee doing valuable work in 'keeping people, especially children, young people and vulnerable adults safe from harm'. The Diocese of Swansea & Brecon is in the lead in Wales with Dare2Care which focuses on dementia for which they are to be congratulated but social work does not require an ordained ministry.
In 2011 at the Church in Wales' Governing Body (GB) Dr Todd introduced a report on Women’s Representation in the Church in Wales illustrating how representation of women in the Church in Wales has generally improved at various level other than worshipping. In 2010 the GB had been presented with a report illustrating steep decline under every heading. Responding to the WalesOnline headline 'Church attendance in Wales 'plummeting', Dr Morgan said: "All over Wales you can see parishes and churches transforming themselves and the community around them. They are fully engaged with their mission to the community in many different ways, with new and exciting initiatives, risks being taken, new avenues explored and new ways reinvigorated."
Since then the plight of the Church in Wales along with the Church of England and other Provinces which decided to do things their way have gone from bad to worse with attendances declining ever further. It is not that 'a generation of women has had to endure inequality and prejudice against them'. Rather, a generation has had to endure the prejudices of the likes of Dr Morgan obsessed with their liberal agenda. There's the rub.
Tuesday, 3 March 2015
Leaving Islam
This video by an ex-Muslim neatly sums up how people use religion to satisfy their human desires. It considers the basic question of why any Creator would want some of those he created to destroy others he had created. It makes no sense except when the messenger wishes to distort the message for personal gain, sucking in the ignorant and ill-informed to believe that they too can benefit from the suffering of others. How could such a cruel God be worthy of worship?
Christianity is often accused of perpetrating evil acts similar to those now being carried out by warriors for Islam today. There is no denying that, in the past, appalling acts of cruelty were perpetrated in the name of Christ but the errors were of the messenger, not the message. With Islam it is both the messenger and the message and it is not history. It is being inflicted now in the name of one regarded in Islam as the perfect man which raises the question of how much Muslims really know about their messenger.
The following video lists twenty problems with the this belief:
Christianity is often accused of perpetrating evil acts similar to those now being carried out by warriors for Islam today. There is no denying that, in the past, appalling acts of cruelty were perpetrated in the name of Christ but the errors were of the messenger, not the message. With Islam it is both the messenger and the message and it is not history. It is being inflicted now in the name of one regarded in Islam as the perfect man which raises the question of how much Muslims really know about their messenger.
The following video lists twenty problems with the this belief:
The 2014 Memri TV clip here shows the 'right kind' of Muslim (in their eyes), a Russian ISIS fighter justifying Islamic State massacres based on texts from the Quran. Some quotes from the transcript:
"With regard to the Islamic State, the Caliphate and the numerous accusations we have been accused of by those who sit idly by instead of going on Jihad, or those who do nothing for the religion of Allah, except for praying the five prayers, believing that by doing so, they are helping the religion of Allah… You are not helping yourselves or the religion of Allah. Anyone who sits idly by and does not help the Islamic State today will be held accountable on Judgment Day.
[…]
"You accuse us of the mass killing of Muslims, saying that we are blood-shedding murderers. Didn't the Prophet Muhammad and his companions shed blood? Haven't you read his biography, written by Ibn Hisham, which says that the Messenger of Allah killed 700 people in a single battle? He slaughtered 700 people – that is our Prophet and our religion.
[…]
"I say to all our Muslim brothers and sisters: Join the Islamic State. Join your brothers. Do not wait until death comes to you. Do not wait until the path is blocked. As long as you can, perform hijra. The hijra is a duty. If you read any book on Islamic faith, you will see that it is a duty to perform hijra from Dar Al-Kufr to Dar Al-Islam. Do not procrastinate. Do not delude yourselves. Do not say to yourselves that you will perform the hijra tomorrow or the day after."
More recently there has been an obsession in the media with how 'Jihadi John' was radicalized. He didn't need to be radicalized. Based on his knowledge of Islam he simply responded to the claim "Anyone who sits idly by and does not help the Islamic State today will be held accountable on Judgment Day". He has been following the message of the messenger without any pretence that Islam is the 'Religion of Peace' in the normal accepted sense of the word peace. Despite his heinous crimes attempts have been made to portray Jihadi John as the victim. Similar efforts were made in respect of the deluded youngsters who set off to join the IS group in Syria. Like their founder, among others, this group believes that a girl of nine is of marriageable age! The IS guide to life for female jihadis is here. Any female who wants to embrace such a regime must be severely deluded or must have been indoctrinated by an ideology which rewards the guilty at the expense of the innocent.
Islam has been at war with non-believers since the seventh century, falsely claiming that the West has invaded their lands. They are not Muslim lands. They were obtained by conquest. For years the plight of the Copts was ignored. Now we are witnessing The Twilight of Middle Eastern Christianity. The message is blindingly obvious but there's none so blind as those who will not see - something of which President Obama is persistently accused.
It doesn't have to be like this. Muslims are held captive by fear. Execution for apostasy is still regarded as acceptable in Islamic states. Apart from accepted abrogations, "No change can there be in the Words of Allah (Sura 10:64) "There is none that can alter the Words of Allah (Sura 6:34). So if the religious ideology cannot be adapted to allow Muslims to live peaceably with others in the twenty-first century, its adherents must change if the carnage is to stop.
Listen to an Ex-Muslim terrorist who has found what other Muslims seek and follow his example. Eternal life, without slaughtering the innocent.
"With regard to the Islamic State, the Caliphate and the numerous accusations we have been accused of by those who sit idly by instead of going on Jihad, or those who do nothing for the religion of Allah, except for praying the five prayers, believing that by doing so, they are helping the religion of Allah… You are not helping yourselves or the religion of Allah. Anyone who sits idly by and does not help the Islamic State today will be held accountable on Judgment Day.
[…]
"You accuse us of the mass killing of Muslims, saying that we are blood-shedding murderers. Didn't the Prophet Muhammad and his companions shed blood? Haven't you read his biography, written by Ibn Hisham, which says that the Messenger of Allah killed 700 people in a single battle? He slaughtered 700 people – that is our Prophet and our religion.
[…]
"I say to all our Muslim brothers and sisters: Join the Islamic State. Join your brothers. Do not wait until death comes to you. Do not wait until the path is blocked. As long as you can, perform hijra. The hijra is a duty. If you read any book on Islamic faith, you will see that it is a duty to perform hijra from Dar Al-Kufr to Dar Al-Islam. Do not procrastinate. Do not delude yourselves. Do not say to yourselves that you will perform the hijra tomorrow or the day after."
More recently there has been an obsession in the media with how 'Jihadi John' was radicalized. He didn't need to be radicalized. Based on his knowledge of Islam he simply responded to the claim "Anyone who sits idly by and does not help the Islamic State today will be held accountable on Judgment Day". He has been following the message of the messenger without any pretence that Islam is the 'Religion of Peace' in the normal accepted sense of the word peace. Despite his heinous crimes attempts have been made to portray Jihadi John as the victim. Similar efforts were made in respect of the deluded youngsters who set off to join the IS group in Syria. Like their founder, among others, this group believes that a girl of nine is of marriageable age! The IS guide to life for female jihadis is here. Any female who wants to embrace such a regime must be severely deluded or must have been indoctrinated by an ideology which rewards the guilty at the expense of the innocent.
Islam has been at war with non-believers since the seventh century, falsely claiming that the West has invaded their lands. They are not Muslim lands. They were obtained by conquest. For years the plight of the Copts was ignored. Now we are witnessing The Twilight of Middle Eastern Christianity. The message is blindingly obvious but there's none so blind as those who will not see - something of which President Obama is persistently accused.
It doesn't have to be like this. Muslims are held captive by fear. Execution for apostasy is still regarded as acceptable in Islamic states. Apart from accepted abrogations, "No change can there be in the Words of Allah (Sura 10:64) "There is none that can alter the Words of Allah (Sura 6:34). So if the religious ideology cannot be adapted to allow Muslims to live peaceably with others in the twenty-first century, its adherents must change if the carnage is to stop.
Listen to an Ex-Muslim terrorist who has found what other Muslims seek and follow his example. Eternal life, without slaughtering the innocent.
"I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."