Meet Khalil, an Egyptian Muslim Saved by Jesus

Khalil started memorizing the Qur’an at a very early age and developed what he called a love for the word of God.  As he grew older, he started reading books on Islam and the interpretation of the Qur’an.  By sorting out Muslims from non-Muslims according to the Qur’an’s teaching, he ended up considering his own parents infidels.  Little things such as a woman not wearing a veil would make her a non-Muslim according to the way he understood the Qur’an.  If a man didn’t grow a beard he would be considered a non-Muslim.  He considered the Christians his worst enemies and started getting involved in attacks against Christians and churches.  The Islamic Group, dedicated to the overthrow of the secular government of Egypt and the installation of a strict Muslim government, recruited him into their ranks, appointing him as a local leader. His group became involved in kidnapping a famous moderate Muslim writer who had dared to criticize the Islamic Group. Eventually, the authorities arrested Khalil and most of the group’s members.  He spent two years in prison, undergoing torture, and upon his release left Egypt for Yemen in company with other radical Muslims.  From this base of operations, they continued in their plans for an armed insurrection in Egypt. Their plans, however, were discovered by local authorities, many of them were re-arrested, and the military option was all but abandoned.  Back in Egypt they had to downplay all of their activities.  Upon reading an article in the Cairo newspaper about Christians arrested in Egypt for proselytizing, Khalil and his group decided that it was “past time” to do something for the sake of Islam.  Given their small numbers, however, they decided their battle would be an intellectual one, researching and writing a book proving that Mohammed is the True Prophet of God, and that the Bible of the Christians and Jews is a corrupted text.  Khalil was chosen by his Emir, the leader of the Islamic Group, to do the research and write the book.  He objected strenuously at first, but eventually took on the job, which he described as the “most distasteful thing” he had ever done. When he had completed reading the Bible and cross-referencing what he had read with numerous Islamic books, Khalil was astonished to discover that the Bible was neither inaccurate nor corrupted.  Instead, he was astonished at the Bible’s teachings on forgiveness and unconditional love, as reflected in the life and words of Jesus.  He was particularly stunned to read how Jesus had warned his followers about persecution and how, two thousand years later, that persecution was taking place exactly as Jesus had said it would.  His reading of the Bible helped him understand why Christians in Egypt never retaliated against the Muslims, and why it was always easy for them to forgive and forget.  As much as he hated reading the Bible, he fell in love with its message and teachings. Nonetheless, he had a job to do, and he continued with dogged determination, electing to prove that Jesus is not God and was never crucified.  Studying the Qur’an for this purpose, he put together all of God’s qualities and attributes as the Qur’an talks about them, and then searched the Qur’an for Jesus’ attributes.  According to the Qur’an, God is the creator, the healer, the provider, the only one who can raise the dead to life, the only one that performs miracles, the only one who judges perfectly, and the like.  To his shock, Khalil discovered that these are the same attributes the Qur’an assigns to Jesus (Isa), proving to Khalil that Jesus and God were, indeed, one. Growing doubts now made Khalil’s life miserable.  He had always loved Islam and had always believed that the only way to God was through Mohammed.  But if Jesus and God were one, then who is Mohammed and what is the way to heaven? One day, the Emir came to visit Khalil in his house and discovered all the research that Khalil had documented (the deity of Jesus, the Qur’an not being the word of God, etc.).  He couldn’t believe what he read.  He told Khalil that he would kill him if he shared his heretical ideas with any Muslim and that he was now considered an infidel. Khalil, however, could not turn from the conviction that Christianity was the right way.  Wanting to learn more, he decided to join a church.  Since he was notorious as a zealous Muslim, no one believed him.  Everyone refused to meet with him, even pastors.  He was disappointed and thought maybe he was wrong after all; maybe the Christian faith wasn’t the way to heaven.  However, a voice inside him told him not to look to people. One day as he was trying to make a phone call at a café, his attaché was stolen.  The bag contained all of his research papers, his Bible and his identity card.  He was terrified because everything he had written would be considered blasphemous, and the bag also contained his ID card.  He rushed home, troubled and tormented.  In his room he started repenting for all that he had done and thought that God was punishing him for daring to think that Mohammed was not sent from God and that the Qur’an was not the word of God.  He repented, washed himself, and pulled his rug out to pray, but he couldn’t bend his knees nor open his mouth to say one word of the Qur’an.  He sat down and said, “God you know that I love you, and I know that you want me on the right path. God, I can’t resist anymore. All that I did, I did trying to please you.  Please pull me out of this darkness.” That night, Khalil slept in a way he hadn’t slept for years.  In a dream, he saw a man, who came to him and told him that he was the one for whom Khalil had been searching.  Khalil didn’t know who the man was.  The man told him to look in the Book (the Bible).  Khalil said the Book and all his papers were lost, to which the man replied, “The book never gets lost.  Get up and open your closet and you will find it. The rest of your papers will be returned to you by the end of the week.” Khalil woke up from the dream and opened his closet.  His very own copy of the Bible was inside the closet on a shelf.  Knowing that he had seen Jesus, he hurried to his mother’s room, awoke her, and begged her forgiveness for his years of harshness and ill treatment of the family.  His search for reconciliation didn’t end with his family either.  As the sun rose that same morning, Khalil took to the streets, greeting friends and strangers alike.  He sought out the Christian owners of businesses whom he had robbed, or mistreated, and begged their forgiveness too. Over the ensuing months, Khalil grew in his new faith, gradually winning the confidence and trust of local Christians and finding fellowship at a church.  He was baptized and continues to brave physical attacks and threats against his life, because he feels that no price is too great to pay for the One who gave everything for him. Watch the movie of his transformation Below in 3 parts! Or in wmv version Here

The U.S. Government Condemns Burning Quran, But they Burn Bibles

Have you seen this yet??? It is a fact based video about how the US Government upholds the Quran higher than the Bible- which they declare is garbage, THUS, violating the Bill of Rights & Constitution.




Click Bibles Burned by U.S. Military to read more info



Now, the video above describes Christians as the 'bad guys.' Distributing a Bible is wrong? Oh, b/c it's "proselytizing." THOSE were the Bibles that the U.S. Military ended up burning in Afghanistan.

It is NOT wrong that the soldiers wanted to distribute Bibles in the local language instead of "trying to learn the language." The film director sat in a couple of services & gatherings. Did he not think ANY of the soldiers were trying to learn the language? Maybe they were individually making an attempt, but they are limited in what they can do. They can't just go out into the street & preach in the local tongue.

The film director made this documentary & sent it to Al-Jazeera FIRST. What a traitor. Not only is he a traitor, but he was used by the enemy (Satan) to attempt to stop the furtherance of the gospel. Very bad...BUT...as Christians know....our God makes beauty out of ashes. He brings good out of what was intended to be evil.

You can kill a Christian, burn his Bible, & attempt to silence Christians like in Pakistan- but there is NO stopping the Holy Spirit from doing the work. Many Muslims come to Christ by dreams alone.

Bottom line, this was a documentary aired on Al-Jazeera, slanted to make Christians look bad & fake.

Hooray to the soldiers who will obey God rather than man! May God give them wisdom to share the good news of Jesus Christ to the Afghans! 

Pakistan’s ‘Blasphemy’ Laws Pose Growing Threat

Not even children are exempt from possibility of triggering Islamic rage.

05/13/2011 Pakistann(CDN)-Pakistan’s notorious “blasphemy” laws can put even children at risk, and Christians say the days when they could teach their offspring pat answers to protect them from accusations of disparaging Islam or its prophet seem to have passed.

A 30-year-old Pakistani woman who grew up in Lahore said her Christian parents taught her formula answers to keep from falling prey to accusations under the blasphemy statutes, such as “I am a Christian, I can only tell you about Him.” But even then, before radical Islamists began influencing Pakistani society as they have in recent years, schoolchildren were taught not to discuss religion, she said.

“We knew never to get into religious discussions with others,” she said. “We had them at home – our parents would put us through the drill of asking us tough questions to see how we answered. Only now I realize that was practice for school.”

In this way, she was imbued with the fundamentals of the Christian faith and at the same time learned that she should discuss it only with her parents, said the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity. Though the Christian faith is inherently evangelistic, the need to remain silent is even more important today, she added.

“Christians constantly face questions like, ‘What do you think of the Quran, do you like it?’ and, ‘What do you think of Muhammad?’” she said. “One answer is, ‘As a Christian I have only read the Bible, I can’t read Arabic.’ These questions used to be easier to answer, we had formulas. But those are not working any more. We just tell children ‘Don’t talk about religion in school.’ This is shaky ground now.”

The blasphemy statutes signal to non-Muslims that they are second-class or “dhimmi” status citizens who must stay within narrow social boundaries, leave or be killed, she said.

“Some parents don’t even tell their children about Jesus, because they are scared they will go to school and say something wrong,” she said. “One street kid did not know anything except about the blasphemy law. When her mother was asked why she did not teach her daughter about Jesus instead of the blasphemy law, she replied, ‘If I tell her too much, she will talk about it on the street, and someone will kill her or charge her with blasphemy.’”

The street child, she said, was afraid to tell her what church she attended.

“She said the mullah in the shop behind us was listening, and as she said that, I saw the man nearly fall off his chair from trying to listen to us,” she said.

An entire generation, Christians fear, is growing up not knowing their faith for fear that it will lead to potentially disastrous schoolyard talk. Moreover, children required to take Islamic studies in school are in danger with a single misstep.

“If they write anything or misspell anything to do with the prophet Muhammad, they can be in serious danger,” the source said. “In fact, the other side of this is that they are made to answer questions saying what a wonderful man he was.”

Christian kids in predominantly Muslim areas don’t have friends to play with, as even a cricket game can be risky, she said. Adults are equally fearful.

“People in offices are silenced into submission,” she said. “The fear is creating aggression.”

Conviction under Section 295-C of the blasphemy law for derogatory comments about Muhammad is punishable by death, though life imprisonment is also possible. Curiously, accusers in blasphemy cases cannot repeat the alleged derogatory comments without risk of being accused of blasphemy themselves. Section 295-B makes willful desecration of the Quran or use of an extract in a derogatory manner punishable with life imprisonment. Section 295-A prohibits injuring or defiling places of worship and “acts intended to outrage religious feelings.” It is punishable by life imprisonment, which in Pakistan is 25 years.

Law Leading to LawlessnessA district court judge last November stunned the nation and the international community by handing down a death sentence to a Christian mother of five for allegedly speaking ill of Muhammad.

Subsequently three politicians spoke out against the blasphemy law that put Asia Noreen (also called Asia Bibi) in prison. Two of them have been killed for standing up for Noreen and against the blasphemy law. One is in hiding for fear of her life.

Noreen, mother two children and stepmother to three others, has been in prison in solitary confinement since June 2009, accused of having blasphemed against Muhammad, after a verbal disagreement with some women in the village of Ittanwali, near Lahore. If she is released from prison, her life will be at risk. Her husband and children are on the run, receiving constant threats from Muslims who say they will take justice into their own hands.

Thousands of Pakistanis who think and believe differently than mainstream Muslims are at risk of being slandered under the blasphemy law, and those who live in poverty or are illiterate are particularly vulnerable. Personal vendettas from neighbors, co-workers and rivals are the most common reasons blasphemy law cases are filed, according to Paul Marshall of the Hudson Institute’s Center for Religious Freedom.

“Most victims are Muslims, but non-Muslims or minority Muslims suffer disproportionally,” said Marshall. “Ahmadis [an unorthodox Islamic sect] are probably proportionally the greatest victims. There are more victims from mobs and vigilantes than from the government itself, but the government bears responsibility because it does not protect the victims.”

Suspected Islamic extremists in Faisalabad shot dead two Christians about to be acquitted of blasphemy charges on July 19, 2010. The Rev. Rashid Emmanuel, 32, and his 30-year-old brother Sajid Emmanuel were shot days after handwriting experts on July 14 notified police that signatures on papers denigrating Muhammad did not match those of the accused. Expected to be exonerated, the two leaders of United Ministries Pakistan were being led in handcuffs under police custody back to jail when they were shot.

Christian Lawyers’ Foundation President Khalid Gill said the two bodies bore cuts and other signs of having been tortured, including marks on their faces, while the brothers were in police custody.

Most recently, 40-year-old Arif Masih, of a village near Faisalabad, was arrested from his house on April 5 after Muslims accused him of ripping pages of the Quran and writing a threatening letter ordering them to become Christians. His brother claims that a neighbor fabricated the accusations in order to acquire property adjacent to that of Masih’s. 

Though the much-abused blasphemy law is punishable by death, at times vigilantes have taken matters into their own hands. At least eight Christians accused of blasphemy are estimated to have been killed since 1986. The number of Muslims accused of blasphemy and killed extra-judicially may be twice that figure.

For secular-educated Pakistanis, the blasphemy law has come to symbolize the measure to which extreme Islam has overtaken society. In the span of three months, radical Islamists murdered two of the nation’s most outspoken leaders against the blasphemy law. On Jan. 4 Salman Taseer, the governor of Punjab Province, was murdered, and on March 2 parliamentarian Shabaz Bhatti, who as federal minister for minority affairs was the only Christian cabinet member, was assassinated in Islamabad.

A third official, Sherry Rehman, a parliamentarian from Karachi, led an effort to reform the blasphemy law after Noreen was sentenced to death last year. Taseer, Bhatti and Rehman were the most vocal about injustices Noreen has suffered and their disapproval of the law. Rehman, in hiding since Taseer’s murder, is said to be next on the Islamic terrorists’ hit list.

Noreen’s case drew little attention before she received the death sentence. One advocate said he believes that had her case not drawn so much attention, she would have been quietly acquitted by a higher court without criticism abroad or at home. Now her release would look like a win for the “Christian” West, he said.

“Hence, we are not going to have any concrete benefit out of whatever decision comes on her,” said Asif Aqeel, leader of the Community Development Initiative. “I don’t see any decision having some fruitful result.”

Aqeel concurred with other Christians that the blasphemy law has led to a steep drop in freedom of expression. Mosques in neighborhoods where blasphemy cases are filed become centers for inciting people to the streets, where destruction ensues. Since Noreen’s death sentence in November, sermons against changing the blasphemy law are commonly broadcast from mosques, especially in neighborhoods where there is a Christian presence.

“People do not talk, and it is proving an embargo on thinking,” Aqeel said. “It has caused vigilante justice, and several incidents have taken place. After that, now whenever this issue arises, people become afraid that it might turn into a demolition of the entire place.”

Victims of the blasphemy law cannot hope for justice from local police, who “do not dare to declare innocent anyone accused of blasphemy,” Aqeel said, and often lower court judges and magistrates do little to give them their rights. “Now the slogan is that the one who sympathizes with the blasphemer is also a blasphemer,” he said, pointing to the deaths of Taseer and Bhatti.

Pakistan is moving increasingly towards a state driven by fear of extremists, where even moderate politicians make conservative choices to appease Islamist threats, according to Sara Taseer Shoaib, daughter of the late Taseer. 

“Pakistan is definitely becoming more right-wing and extremist when it comes to religion,” she said. “Religious parties are gaining a cult following, and even moderate leaders are trying to gain popularity and votes by taking a right-wing position.”

The reasons for this shift to the ultra-right, she said, are many: conservative issues like defense of the blasphemy law serve to deflect attention from the real issues of poverty and lack of hope; there is an increasing trend to blame all woes on the West; and there is a prevailing sense of a need to defend Islam as the perception remains that it is under global attack.

Shoaib said her father spoke about Noreen as a member of Pakistan’s poor, disenfranchised minority. Determined to defend her and the rights of others like her, Taseer had visited Noreen in prison before he died.

“He felt that she was a victim of the ambiguity of this law, and [that] she was unable to defend herself fairly,” she said. “[He felt that] she was the prime candidate where the unfairness of this law could be brought to light. He wanted an amendment to the law which is man-made.”

The source from Lahore said that fear among Christians after Taseer and Bhatti’s death is palpable. Christians feel left alone, not knowing who to trust.

“Everything seems to have snowballed,” she said. “People are really, really scared. Someone who you see as out there defending you and speaking for you has been silenced; someone just goes up to him and shoots him.”

She said Christians feel that the mentality of their Muslim fellows has hardened as the Pakistani Taliban and other extremist elements seem to be holding the government and people’s minds hostage.

“For the extremists, it’s no longer making Pakistan a Muslim country, but how they use Pakistan to promote the cause of Islam across the world,” she said. “It’s not for love of the nation, or national identity, but entirely about religious identity. That completely isolates those who do not subscribe to the same views … you are on the street in terms of identity and your social belonging in the community.”

Growing Issue
Aqeel said blasphemy looms larger in Pakistani minds and anti-Christian sentiment is growing for both socio-economic and global reasons.

In today’s impoverished Pakistan, and after U.S.-led wars in Muslim-majority Iraq and Afghanistan following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, people see even Pakistani Christians as allies of the West threatening their identity, he said. Poverty and a religion that upholds violence as a means to an end only fuel this mob mentality, he said. 

“This has helped create a sense of alienating the Muslim world, and that the ‘blasphemous’ West is trying to snatch the values by movies and technology and globalization and trying to capture areas of the Islamic world,” Aqeel said. “Because of this, their sense of insecurity has made them more religious.”

As a result, blasphemy has become a larger issue, he said.

Pakistan’s law against defaming religion was amended in 1982 to include desecrating the Quran and in 1986 to include disparaging Muhammad. Since then, at least 37 blasphemy law suspects have been killed while in police custody, according to Aqeel.

On March 15, Qamar David, 55, died while serving a life sentence in a prison in Karachi for alleged blasphemy. Prison authorities claimed that David died of a heart attack, but his supporters have called for an investigation, as he had received threats and was subject to beatings and mistreatment from prison authorities. (See “Pakistani Christian Sentenced for ‘Blasphemy’ Dies in Prison,” March 15.)

While the murders of Bhatti and Taseer have helped to remove a “Defamation of Religions” resolution from United Nations consideration – for now – the assassinations have also brought any movement toward amending Pakistan’s blasphemy laws to a standstill.

“Although there is a section of media that is highlighting the issue of blasphemy, the situation hardly allows any movement or legislation on this subject,” said a Pakistani lawyer on condition of anonymity. “In my experience in the past 24 years, I have not seen [such a] stalemate condition, mainly due to the violence and terrorist threat that prevails.”   

SOURCE: http://www.persecution.org/2011/05/14/pakistans-blasphemy-laws-pose-growing-threat/

PRAY FOR PAKISTAN!!!

The Reality

Get your tissues ready.



If you would like some more information on how you can help make a difference, click http://www.persecution.org/how-you-can-help/

Modern Story of Job in 2011 in Nigeria

Can one NOT choke up when reading this??? Here is a modern day story of the trials like Job. Except this man is not rich. Well....not by possessions but certainly rich in faith! Even after all but 1 of his kids were killed, even after his wife was killed, even after his village was attacked- he still is faithful to God. Can you imagine? Your wife & children murdered- but not just them- members of your own church were killed too! What do you do?? Do you still hold a Sunday service? What do you say to the survivors? He is holding on to his faith, but what about those who are angry & want revenge? His posture is one of reliance on God. He decides to pray for his 'enemies' rather than chooses to avenge because he knows that it is GOD who vindicates.  Wow......

Let me be honest. Being involved in ministry for many years, you kind of lose touch with reality in a sense. You think that because you are serving God, you're going to be safe- even though you know trials are apart of life, you don't expect injustice.


I was at a women's tea at a church a few years ago & this pastor's wife got up to speak. She does a lot of missionary work in South America because that's where her parents have been for years. But she said something that was so disturbing...

She was describing flying on a plane. Saying that everyone else was scared about the flight but she wasn't. She said that the only reason why the plane was not going down was because SHE was on it & about to do God's work.

I was shocked that an older, experienced, godly woman would say such absurdities. I looked around at my table with my mouth hanging to see if ANYONE got that. I looked at the pastor's wife who was still speaking to see if she was going to correct herself or explain what she had said better- but she didn't.

That is naive thinking. NAIVE. All we have to do is remember Jesus' words: "They hated me first so they will hate you too."

Then we look at the disciples who died a martyrs death. Then look at all the missionaries who have died while doing God's work- even by the very people they were helping to feed, clothe, care for.

When I first arrived to Kuwait I read a book about a young girl's experience during an inner city outreach. She was from the midwest & her parents were hesitant to let her do an internship in an inner city. But she went & was there for a few months. She got accustomed to the environment. One day her & her friend were walking around a rough neighborhood when they were separated. This innocent young girl ended up getting raped by one of the men in the inner city. It was an eye opening experience for her. She didn't believe that God would actually let anything happen to her like this, but it did.

And as I started seeing just how much persecution was going on in this part of the world- I started to question God. I know that suffering is part of God's will. Jesus suffered, so will we. I know that persecution for our faith was inevitable- Jesus said it would happen. But knowing these things conceptually is different from seeing it happen or experiencing it yourself.

All of a sudden I didn't feel safe anymore. I didn't feel like God would protect me from anything. So while over here, I've been struggling with this whole thing. So this story, though tragic, is inspiring:

Islamic extremists target Christian village near Bogoro, Bauchi state.

KURUM, Nigeria, May 10 (CDN) — As she lay on the ground after being shot and then slashed with a machete, Dune James Rike looked into her husband’s tear-filled eyes and asked, “Is this the end between us, so we shall not be together again?”

Pastor James Musa Rike told Compass he held the hands of his dying, 35-year-old wife and told her, “Hold on to your faith in Jesus, and we shall meet and never part again.”

Muslim extremists who attacked Kurum village, in the Bogoro local government area of Nigeria’s Bauchi state, had already killed two of the couple’s children in a rampage that began Wednesday (May 4) at midnight. Rike, pastor of a Church of Christ in Nigeria (COCIN) congregation in Kurum, next heard the cries of his 13-year-old daughter, Sum James Rike, a few yards away.

“I rushed to my daughter, only to discover that she too was cut with a machete on her stomach, and her intestines were all around her,” he said. “I held her hand and began to pray, knowing she too was about to die. She told me that the Muslim militants told her they would kill her and “see how your Jesus will save you.” 

The girl told her father that she responded by telling them that Jesus had already saved her, and that by killing her they would only be making it possible for her to be with Him. Pastor Rike prayed for her as she died.

Shooting and setting homes on fire, the Muslim extremists killed 12 other Christians in the attack. Bauchi police reported 16 people dead – one man, three women and 12 children. 

Pastor Rike said that when the attackers reached his house, they tried to force their way into their bedrooms.

“I opened a backdoor, and we ran out into the dark night while the militants pursued us,” he said. “They shot my wife and two of our kids as they tried to escape.”

Pastor Rike said that after killing the two children, Faith James Rike and 1-year-old Fyali James Rike, the assailants cut his wife’s abdomen with a machete. 

“I was shocked at what I saw,” he said. “I knew my wife would not last long, and the only thing I did was to encourage her to hold on to her faith in Jesus.”

The Muslim extremists set more than 20 houses ablaze before leaving the village, he said.

Pastor Rike and his son survived the attack, and he said his adopted daughter, Whulham James Rike, was injured and receiving treatment at the General Hospital in Bogoro. He said five others others were also receiving hospital treatment.

Among those killed, church sources said, were Murna Ayuba; Angelina Ezekiel; Dorcas Sunday; Asabar Toma; Rhoda Joseph; Dhunhgwa Zakka; Bukata Amos; Ishaku Amos; Kalla Amos; Amos Daniel; Samidah Joel; and Changtan Joel.

The Muslim jihadists also stole money and the other valuables from the Christian village as they withdrew, church sources said. 

The area has a history of sectarian violence, and the attack follows the death of hundreds of people in Bauchi and other northern states last month after Muslims rioted over the April 16 election of a Christian, Goodluck Jonathan, as president. He defeated a Muslim candidate, Muhammadu Buhari. Saying more than 200 church buildings were burned, Christian leaders in northern Nigeria have called for a federal probe into the violence, in which Christians mounted counter attacks.

Northern Nigeria climbed to 23rd place in 2010 from 27th in 2009 on Christian support organization Open Doors’ World Watch List of nations with the worst persecution. 

The church where Pastor Rike ministers has about 30 members and has been in existence for more than 50 years. Those killed were members of the three churches in the village – the COCIN church, St. John’s Catholic Church and an Evangelical Church of West Africa congregation. 

Pastor Rike said the incident has strengthened his faith in Jesus. 

“Whatever is the situation, I will never forsake Christ,” he said. “All human beings are created by God, and our attackers must know that they need to abandon anything that will lead them to destroy creations of God.”

Nigeria’s population of more than 158.2 million is almost evenly divided between Christians, who make up 51.3 percent of the population and live mainly in the south, and Muslims, who account for 45 percent of the population and live mainly in the north. The percentages may be less, however, as those practicing indigenous religions may be as high as 10 percent of the total population, according to Operation World. 

view original article HERE

Young Pakistani's Vow Revenge for Bin Laden's Death

Pakistan....oh Pakistan...what a twisted, violent, hopeless country. I feel sorry for Pakistan. Most Pakistanis are illiterate, so they get their zeal & dogmas from their religious leaders.

Osama Bin Laden was guilty of initiating attacks against people- against Americans. That is why America has been after him. Why would a 10yr old Pakistani boy vow revenge on America?

Because we killed their hero.

Let me first just say- Islam does not mean "peace" but "submission." I just needed to clarify that b/c many Muslims take the convenience of the interpretation to loosely translate that for itching ears. Being a Muslim means being submissive to God, although it seems like they are more submissive to the prophet Mohammed rather than Allah.

I challenge Muslims who read this post to seek out Allah for his truth. Ask Allah to reveal himself to you. God has said that if you seek him you will find him, when you search for God with all of your heart. Do not just believe what you are told by your Imam or what is customary- research it. Pray about it. The problem with people such as those in Pakistan is that they don't even know WHAT their own religion teaches. Most of them can't even READ to confirm what they are being taught is true. Is it a coincidence that most of the countries at the bottom of the world's literacy list are Muslim nations?

 SOURCE 1
 SOURCE 2

This is what a Pakistani himself says on illiteracy in Pakistan & Terrorism:

Terrorism is the worst form of illiteracy when people do not have sense to realize the importance of innocent lives which are lost in the terrorist activities. Some people consider poverty as one of the major causes of terrorism. If people are given enough education to cope up poverty, this might enable people becoming less hopeful and going for the bold steps such as getting involved in wrong or criminal activities. In Pakistan, government is making its best efforts to reduce the illiteracy rate as a result of which the standard of education in Pakistan is increasing day by day. However terrorism will take time to remove.

SOURCE

However, the article that I have re-posted talks about literate, middle-class, youngsters who pledge allegiance to Bin Laden's ideology. Are they doing their homework? They have zeal without knowledge. They want to be heroes...their ego inspires them to their demise.

For reasons such as this AND b/c of Pakistan's dishonesty, deceit, & just plain scandalousness- My opinion: CUT OFF FUNDING FOR PAKISTAN. What has our money done for that country but breed terrorism & support human injustices such as oppression to religious minorities?


From the Arab Times Online: Arab Times Online Article


Bin Laden's Young Neighbours Vow Revenge Over Death

ABBOTTABAD, Pakistan, May 10, 2011 (AFP) -In a madrassa close to the house where Osama bin Laden lived and died, young Pakistani students are furious over the death of a terror mastermind they considered a religious hero.

Venting their anger over a US raid a week ago in which commandos killed bin Laden, reportedly in front of his family, at the villa that hid him from the world, metres (yards) from their school in Abbottabad they vow revenge.

"This war is not over yet. There are so many mujahedeen (fighters) who will continue Osama's fight and will defeat America," said Muhammad Tofail, a 15-year-old student at the biggest seminary in Bilal Town, the suburb that proved to have been bin Laden's home for up to five years.

"There are many Osamas in the Muslim world and the US can't defeat his ideology," he said.

The West fears such madrassas preach a zeal that encourages extremism and builds support for Al-Qaeda-linked militants in Pakistan, particularly in the tribal northwest where training grounds groom future Islamist fighters.

Islamic seminaries are an alternative to mainstream education for several million children in Pakistan, where only two percent of GDP goes on public schooling and where 31 percent of men and 41 percent of women aged 15 to 24 are illiterate.

"I will myself become Osama and revenge his death one day," said 10-year-old Abbas Khan, sitting in the playground outside the seminary and metres away from the Al-Qaeda chief's hideout.

The young views reflect part of an ideological battle raging in Pakistan -- a country at war with homegrown militants blamed for bomb attacks that have killed more than 4,200 people nationwide in the past four years.

But the perceived violation of sovereignty with last week's operation has united many in anger against the United States, and worsened the widespread perception that the government in Islamabad is servile to its superpower ally.

Anti-American sentiment is already rampant over of an ongoing covert US drone campaign that has killed hundreds in the northwest region.

Billions of dollars in military and civilian aid given by the United States to Pakistan fails to assuage mass mistrust of the Western power.

Parents in the garrison city of Abbottabad say they fear bin Laden's death on their soil will only worsen calls for revenge on the West.

"Osama bin Laden has developed a psyche. He has developed a mindset and younger generations are affected," said Farzana Anis, who took her daughter to see bin Laden's hideout, speaking in English.

"If there's no social uplift in Pakistan, if there's no education, there is no healthcare, there's no alleviation of poverty, then this mindset can take place... With the killing of Osama bin Laden, the problem has aggravated."

Children playing cricket in the street by the heavily guarded compound do not conform to the stereotype of uneducated religious youth.

But despite hailing from middle-class families and attending good schools in the area, this week they are sharing in the anger at America and joining calls for revenge.

"We will avenge Osama bin Laden's death. We are going to do jihad and we will win. We will beat the Americans," said one cricket-playing boy, Bilal Umar.

His friend Abbas Khan concurred. "I will grow up to be like Osama," he said.

Come quickly Lord Jesus. Save the lost, give sight to the blind. Reveal yourself to them in Jesus' name.

Dubai & Abu Dhabi: Mini- Vacation

Ahhh! Do you ever have SO much pouring out of your brain in thoughts you just don't know where to start writing???

For starters, I'm deciding to write this blog about my recent mini-vacation I just took to Dubai & Abu Dhabi. But there are topics I want to discuss as a result of my trip there- for example, how the Arab world employs Easterners (people from India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Philippines, Thailand, etc) & how MAYBE the US can kind of follow an example to resolve a bit of our immigration issues. I also want to talk about the recent killings of Coptic Christians in Egypt that happened over the weekend. And then of course I want to write about my recent experiences of Kuwait- since the purpose of this blog is to share about life in Kuwait (though it's taken a bit of a political/human rights platform LOL). So much to write about!!!

BUT.....

My trip. I hope I can remember everything I want to share!

OK. United Arab Emirates....they are a nation with the world's largest, fastest, tallest, coolest, most expensive....SOMETHING! LOL. For Christmas, they had the largest & most expensive Christmas tree....go figure LOL! They have the largest Malls, the fastest roller coaster, the tallest building in the world, the most expensive city in the world, the only place with Ferrari World, Dubai hosts the only 5 star hotel, has a camel race track & Abu Dhabi has one of the largest mosques in the world. Did I miss anything? I probably did!

The UAE is desert & beach. The Islamic structures of the buildings are beautiful. Every mosque I passed was elaborate, elegant, & at night they light it with colorful lights which accents every design. I am very fond of Islamic art & architecture.

The weather upon arriving in Dubai was hot & humid.

The currency is AED (Arab Emirate Dirhams). USD 1 = 3.75 Dhs (roughly).

I was in the UAE for 3 days & 2 nights.

Friday we arrived around 4pm. We got on the metro & tried to figure out where our hotel was. We walked around a lot & then finally got a taxi. Then we went to Dubai Mall, the biggest mall in the world. It was 4 stories, has an Ice rink (for ice skating), a zoo, aquarium, and a huge waterfall. It has a lot of designer stores & restaurants. We had dinner at Outback Steakhouse. We sat outside & it had an incredible view of villas & a man made lake with a water fountain show that illuminated the sky (you'll see it in the pics). Dubai Mall is right next to the Burj Khalifa (the tallest building in the world). So we had a nice view of the glowing building.

Saturday we ate at a Lebanese restaurant called Beirut in the city of Jumeirah & the food was DELICIOUS! Then we took a cab to Abu Dhabi which was about 2 hours away. Our destination was Ferrari World, the world's largest indoor theme park with the world's fastest roller coaster. We spent most of the day there, getting on rides & drooling over Ferrari's. Then we wanted to go into the city but didn't know exactly where to go. So we took a taxi & told the driver to take us where tourists go & where there were nice restaurants. He took us past homes that looked like palaces! He then took us to the largest Mosque in the UAE. Then he took us to Emirates Palace Hotel- GORGEOUS!!! HUGE!!! Then we asked to go to the mall. So he dropped us off & offered to wait for us to take us back to Dubai. So we went inside the mall. Lots of locals & less tourists. Ate at a French restaurant & then got in the cab & left for Dubai. The driver was 23 years old, from Pakistan. Told us he has a 5 year old son & a 1 1/2 yr old daughter. He has been married since he was 16 (his wife was 15 when they got married). He said Pakistan is a dangerous country to live & you have to have many guns. He has been away from his family working in Dubai for several years.

Sunday we checked out of the hotel & they kept our luggage while we went out into the most popular area of Dubai- Jumeirah Beach. We took a cab ride to the Metro station & then used our Dubai metro card we got on our first trip, to ride the metro to Dubai Marina Mall to eat at my boyfriend's favorite Italian restaurant there. We ate brunch then walked around b/c I wanted to buy some goggles to use in the water. Then we went to the beach & spent a few hours in the water. The water was VERY WARM! Finally we had to dry up & get ready to leave but we ate at an Italian restaurant on the beach strip- it happened to be a restaurant we ate at in Beirut. Then we rushed to grab our luggage, then off to the airport.

We didn't go to any clubs like I wanted to but that's ok. We did a LOT for a short trip. It was exhausting. I stayed at Holiday Inn Express. Previously I stayed at an expensive beach resort & realized I could have saved money if I had stayed at a cheaper hotel.

We spent a lot of money on taxi fares & we didn't eat as much. Ferrari World was a bit pricey to get into. Overall, it isn't so much "expensive" it's just that you end up spending a lot of money at the end of the trip. I went a little crazy & spent a lot of money buying souvenirs for everyone at Ferrari World ahaha.