On Ari Fuld’s loss and Palestinian incitement to kill.

Last Sunday, 16 September, a 17-year old Palestinian high-school student stabbed to death a 45-year old father of four who was shopping for groceries at Gush Etzion, south of Bethlehem.

The father was Ari Fuld, an American Jew who had immigrated to Israel in 1994 and held dual nationality, living in the nearby settlement of Efrat.

In spite of his fatal wound, he prevented his assailant from then attacking the female shop assistant, saving her life by shooting and wounding the youth.

The young attacker, Khalil Jabarin, is from the village of Yatta, some five miles south of Hebron and is receiving treatment in Israel’s Hadassah hospital in Ein Kerem. His father had informed Palestinian authorities that he was missing following an argument about skipping school, whilst his mother had notified Israeli authorities of her fears that he was intent on making an attack somewhere.¹

The Fulds and the Jabarins. Just two of many devastated families in the ‘Land of Promise’.

Incitement with Money and Lies

Such attacks are encouraged by the long-term policy of the ‘cash-strapped’ Palestinian Authority of rewarding families of injured or killed perpetrators of violence (otherwise known as ‘martyrs’) with substantial sums. In this case, the Jabarin family is eligible for some £2,500.²

But the situation is also made far worse by incitement to violence from Palestinian leaders and media, wielding claims about Palestinian ‘heritage’ and Israeli ‘occupation’ that are blatant lies. Let’s consider this in more depth.

Such attacks are encouraged not only by the ‘pay-to-slay’ policy of the PA – but also by inciteful lies from Palestinian leaders and media.

‘Al-Aqsa Intifada’

Shortly after Sunday’s attack, Palestinian media claimed that it had been carried out in defence of Al-Aqsa. According to the news agency Donia al-Watan, Ari Fuld’s murder “is a response to warnings regarding the danger of what the occupation is currently doing, and what it intends to do at the Al-Aqsa Mosque.”³ What, you may ask, was the connection with Al-Aqsa?

To understand this, we need some background. The so-called ‘Al-Aqsa Intifada’ began in 2015. Between 1 October and 31 December of that year there were 88 stabbings, 32 shootings and 14 car-ramming attacks. Allegedly ‘spontaneous’, it was accompanied by vicious incitement. In early October a Palestinian Member of the Knesset, Haneen Zoabi, had written in the Hamas-affiliated newspaper al-Resalah,

Hundreds of thousands of worshippers should go up to al-Aqsa in order to face down an Israeli plot for the blood of East Jerusalem residents. Today there are actions only by individuals, and what is needed is popular support. If only individual attacks continue without popular support, they will sputter out within a few days. Therefore the outpouring of thousands of our people will make these events a real intifada.⁴

On 9 October, in a sermon at Friday prayers in Rafah (Gaza) which was streamed online, imam Sheikh Muhammad Sallah called on Palestinians in East Jerusalem and the West Bank to “attack in threes and fours…cut them into body parts…stab the myths about the Temple in their hearts!”⁵

Around the same time, a slew of posts appeared on social media praising attacks and providing advice for how to make them effective. One Gazan, using the hashtag #Stab, posted an anatomical chart on Facebook showing which parts of the body to aim for. Using the hashtag #SlaughteringtheJews, another user posted a message addressed to "our brethren in the West Bank and all of Palestine" who wish to kill "pigs" (an Islamic epithet for Jews) in the quickest possible manner, including graphic advice.⁶

The official PA daily al-Hayat al-Jadida has acknowledged that in the first year alone of that intifada “250 [Palestinian] civilians died as Shahids [martyrs], 161 of them while carrying out stabbing operations against the occupation's soldiers and its settlers” (my emphasis).⁷

The allegedly ‘spontaneous’ Al-Aqsa Intifada has been accompanied by vicious incitement since it began in 2015.

False Claims of Excavation

This year, although the casualty rate is much lower, the Islamic rhetoric has been ramping up again.

In July a member of the Islamic Waqf in Jerusalem said on the Palestinian Authority’s official TV channel, "The blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque has no foundations now...Al-Aqsa is now empty of the rocks and that which supports it, due to the Israeli machine that is excavating under it, as rats burrow under the ground only for evil and destruction."⁸

This is pure fabrication – the only excavators of the Temple Mount since 1967 have been Muslims! Yet, a few days later, this was broadcast on PA TV:

The Fatah Movement emphasized that Israel has prepared a plan - and began carrying it out a while ago - to destroy the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque through the ongoing excavations underneath the mosque…[and] that the Al-Aqsa Mosque – above ground, under it, and around it - is a completely Islamic site to which the Jews have no right.⁹

Muslim worshippers during Ramadan, earlier this year. See Photo Credits.The provocative nature of these and many more such statements is recognised by Samir Awad, a political scientist at Bir Zeit University north of Ramallah:

Al-Aksa is a place heavily charged with emotions, people are willing to die for it and become martyrs going to heaven. A lot of Palestinians feel they are defending al-Aksa on behalf of all Muslims. Palestinians consider al-Aksa the gem of their future state. It signifies Palestine itself.¹⁰

Denying History

Denial of the existence of a Jewish Temple is an essential part of the ‘Palestinian narrative’. For example, Mahmoud Abbas said in 2000:

[The Jews] demand that we forget what happened 50 years ago to the refugees – and I speak as a living, breathing refugee – while at the same time they claim that 2000 years ago they had a temple. I challenge the assertion that this is so. But even if it is so, we do not accept it, because it is not logical for someone who wants a practical peace.¹¹

Denial of the existence of a Jewish Temple is an essential part of the ‘Palestinian narrative’.

So much for ‘logic’! Speaking to a journalist at Die Welt in 2001, Sheikh Ikrima Sabri (then Grand Mufti of Jerusalem), said,

There is not the smallest indication of the existence of a Jewish Temple on this place in the past. In the whole city, there is not even a single stone indicating Jewish history…¹²

To make such statements is not only a denial of Jewish history and archaeology, but of Islamic history! The Brief Guide to the Al-Haram Al-Sharif, published in 1924 by the Supreme Muslim Council of Jerusalem, freely states, “Its identity with the site of Solomon’s Temple is beyond dispute”, even quoting 2 Samuel 24:25. Much longer ago, Islamic historians and writers such as Abu Jafar Muhammad al-Tabari (9^th Century),¹³ Muhammad ibn Ahmad Shams al-Din al-Muqaddasi (10^th Century)¹⁴ and Nasir-I Khusraw (11^th Century)¹⁵ all acknowledged the same.

Western Perspective Change

In the West, there is still no official recognition of the ongoing anti-historical brainwashing and anti-Semitic incitement in the disputed territories, especially of young Palestinians, deceiving them into committing atrocities against ordinary Jewish people such as Ari Fuld.

Whether or not Jabarin was acting out of genuine concern for Al-Aqsa, as Palestinian media claim, the claim itself should not go unnoticed as yet another instance of incitement.

When 28-year-old American Taylor Force was stabbed to death in Tel Aviv in 2016, also as part of the Al-Aqsa Intifada, the issue of ‘martyrdom’ payments gained widespread media and political exposure in the US, with direct consequences for US-Palestinian diplomatic relations and for PA funding.

In this extraordinary window in international politics, is it too much to pray that blind eyes in Western politics and Church life would also be opened regarding the vicious incitement to violence coming from Palestinian leaders and media? At root it is all part of an intense spiritual battle against God, his covenant People and Land, but if ever there was a time when a change of perspective in the West was possible, it is now.

In the West Bank, the best hope for Palestinian youths is that Almighty God would grant them access to the truth before they reach for a knife. Surely our prayers for “the peace of Jerusalem” should be oriented in these ways.

Postscript: As the latest example of the perversion of truth in Palestinian youth, readers are advised to read about Ahed Tamimi's media tour and compare it with an interview broadcast on Russian TV, translated by Palestinian Media Watch here.

Also recommended:

• This 2-minute video from Boomerang on Palestinian indoctrination of children.
• Melanie Phillips’ recent article for the Jewish News Syndicate about the Western media’s excusal of Ari’s murder and general complicity in Palestinian violence.

References

1 Terrorist’s parents say they alerted PA, Israel before deadly stabbing of Fuld. Times of Israel, 16 September 2018.

2 PA hasn’t yet paid family of terrorist who killed Fuld, but they’ll be eligible. Times of Israel, 19 September 2018.

3 Translation by Palestinian Media Watch.

4 Eldar, S. Bibi blames everyone but himself for recent violence. Al-Monitor, 12 October 2015.

5 Gaza cleric calls on Palestinians to stab Jews, ‘cut them into body parts’. Times of Israel, 12 October 2015.

6 Social Media As A Platform For Palestinian Incitement – Part II: Video Tutorials, Tips For Achieving More 'Effective' Attacks. MEMRI Special Dispatch No.6186, 14 October 2015.

7 Marcus, I and Zilberdik, NJ. Official PA daily admits 161 Palestinians did carry out stabbing attacks during Palestinian terror wave 2015-2016. PMW Bulletin, 6 February 2018.

8 See note 3.

9 Ibid.

10 Lynfield, B. Is the ‘stabbing intifada’ back? Jerusalem Post, 23 July 2018.

11 In Kul Al-Arab on 2 August. Hollander, R. The Battle Over Jerusalem and the Temple Mount. CAMERA, 26 March 2010.

12 Ibid.

13 Friedmann, Y, 1992. The History of al-Tabari: Volume XII, The Battle of al-Qadisiyyah and the Conquest of Syria and Palestine. NY: State University of New York Press, p195.

14 Jerusalem mufti: Temple Mount never housed Jewish Temple. Times of Israel, 25 October 2015.

15 Nasir i-Khusrau, Diary of a Journey Through Syria and Palestine. Translated and prefaced by Guy Le Strange. London: Palestine Pilgrims' Text Society, 1893.

Just how peaceful is the ‘March of Return’?

After our overview last week of the Gaza border protests, which Hamas claims will climax this coming week, David Longworth takes an in-depth look at Palestinian rhetoric, asking whether we can trust the Western media’s assertion that the protests are ‘peaceful’. N.B. Some of the information in this article might be distressing.

The American news agency Bloomberg, reporting on the ‘Great Return March’ activities promoted by Hamas on Friday 6 April, carried the following comment: “…protesters sought to thwart Israeli snipers by burning mounds of tires and using mirrors to reflect the sun’s rays into soldiers’ eyes, as some pelted soldiers with rocks and firebombs. The Israeli army said it used water cannons to put out fires, a giant fan to dispel the tire smoke and live rounds against people who tried to breach the fence.”¹

The irony of this literal illustration of the deception being largely swallowed whole by the Western media seemed lost upon the writers of the article. Smoke and mirrors indeed!

Spontaneous?

There is little in the demonstrations that is spontaneous. Hamas, the organisation that governs Gaza, organises protestors and provides transport to the fence area. Yet its website maintains the camouflage of spontaneous and peaceful protest; for example:

The Zionist entity is gearing up to confront the mass participation and expansion of the Great March of Return amidst internal Israeli conflict on techniques needed to quell this peaceful form of resistance, which is capable of gaining worldwide support…

The Zionist occupation terrorised and threatened the peaceful protesters of the Great March of Return and conveyed a message that it isn’t concerned about the popular achievements on the ground…²

Compare this with a recording made of a conversation in which the Arab owner of a Gaza transportation company is heard telling an Israeli administrator about Hamas: "They came in, arrested us and pressed charges. They told me they wanted to lock me up and brought in other drivers. They said they wanted to impound my buses. What was I supposed to do?"³

Behind the various activities is a web of Islamist incitement and deceit which is rarely, if ever, commented upon by Western media.

For Justice?

Behind the various activities is a web of Islamist incitement and deceit which is rarely, if ever, commented upon by Western media. The so-called ‘Great Return March’ began on Friday 30 March 2018. Yet as early as 27 January a Friday sermon in Gaza by Imam Musa Abu Jleidan, posted on the internet, included this:

The Great Return March, which is the national and Islamic consensus, is a form of Jihad. It does not eliminate the need for Jihad by the sword, by missiles or by rockets. They go hand in hand. It has caused harm to our enemies and today they are in a state of distress.

Allah said to us about the Jews, ‘Whenever they kindle the fire of war, Allah extinguishes it. They slay the prophets and people who command justice. They are the philosophers of terrorism and crime, people of treachery and deceit, who slayed the prophets of Allah. It is an honour for us here on this blessed land to have been chosen by Allah to fight them and to strike fear in them.⁴

It seems no coincidence that on the very same Friday in Saudi Arabia, a prominent imam proclaimed in his sermon, “These are the Jews. Allah cursed them, was angry with them, and turned them into apes and pigs. He would keep sending to them until the Day of Resurrection those who would lay upon them a cruel torment. They instigate strife among Muslims, and the Muslims will continue to confront them until Judgment Day.”

The sermon ended with Islamist invocations:

Imam: Oh Allah, hasten their annihilation.

Congregation: Amen.

Imam: Oh Allah, count them one by one, and kill them down to the very last one.

Congregation: Amen.

Imam: Do not spare a single one of them.

Congregation: Amen.⁵

Such anti-Semitism is endemic to the situation in Gaza, 99% of whose population is primarily Sunni Muslim.

Peaceful Intentions?

How ‘peaceful’, then, are the intentions behind the organised protests? A leader of the Al-Sawarka Bedouin tribe preached a sermon broadcast on Gaza’s Al-Aqsa TV on 29 March, in which he asserted, forcefully:

This is a message to the whole world: The Palestinian people shall never relinquish the Right of Return. The Palestinian people shall liberate its land with blood, with martyrs, with women, and with children. We shall never relinquish our land, the land of our fathers and of our forefathers. We shall return with all our might.

We shall return as liberators, with our heads held high, and carrying the banner of 'There is no god but Allah and Muhammad is His Messenger…This siege must be shattered with all our might – with our bodies, our lives, our hands, and our bare chests. We shall come and take down that fence with the fingernails of our children, Allah willing.⁶

The irony of the use of smoke and mirrors is largely lost on the Western media.

If that might be dismissed as mere religious rhetoric, here’s what Yahya Sinwar, the Prime Minister of Gaza said on Al-Jazeera TV, on Friday 30 March: “Let them wait for our big push. We will take down the border and we will tear out their hearts from their bodies.”⁷

He was also reported by Britain’s Labour Friends of Israel as adopting a particularly blood-curdling tone. They quoted him as saying “The March of Return will continue…until we remove this transient border” and vowing that the people of Gaza will “eat the livers of those besieging” them.⁸

On 5 April Iyad Abu Funun, a Hamas cleric and TV host, said on Al-Aqsa TV, “If our generation today makes a decision – and indeed, we are making this decision, and all our people’s generations need to make this decision…Our hijra [emigration/flight] must come to an end. We have a right to our land, and we must return to it. We must return to it – above ground, underground, by means of demonstrations, bombs, weapons, explosives, explosive belts…We must return to our land…”.⁹

Mohammed Talatene/DPA/PA ImagesAnimated footage followed these words, showing Palestinian men attacking Israeli towns in the West Bank with rifles, missiles, and hand-grenades, torching homes and leaving the land barren and in flames.

Non-Violent Behaviour?

One may then ask, what about peaceful behaviour? On 28 April members of a ‘Tyre-Burning Unit’ proclaimed:

Martyrs in the millions are marching to Jerusalem! Martyrs in the millions are marching to Jerusalem! Martyrs in the millions are marching to Jerusalem! Allah Akbar! Allahu Akbar! Allahu Akbar! Allahu Akbar!...We, in the tire-burning unit – this important unit in Gaza – say to all those who conspire against the Palestinian people: we are steadfast, we persevere, and we are ready to sacrifice our lives…Let despicable Trump hear the voice of the mujahideen: What is our loftiest aspiration? To die for the sake of Allah!¹⁰

Gazans readying a weaponised balloon. NurPhoto/SIPA USA/PA Images.Photos taken of Palestinians within the Gaza boundary clearly show determined efforts to cause injury and damage. Very large catapults have been used to propel rocks and improvised explosive devices against the IDF.

Large kites have been used with devastating effect to carry flaming fuel-soaked material into Israel’s nature reserves and cereal fields. YNet News reported on 24 April that “Four kites affixed with burning objects were flown from Gaza at a wheat field in the Sha'ar HaNegev Regional Council on Monday. While there were no casualties, the consequent fire caused immense damage, torching an estimated 100 dunam (equal to 1,000 square meters) of wheat…Other Gaza perimeter farmers echoed his opinion, estimating the damage caused by the incendiary kites to reach the thousands of shekels, with torched chickpea and wheat fields in their wake."¹¹

Then on 2 May hundreds of dunams of lovely grasslands and woodlands of the Be’eri Forest were left badly charred. Ten firefighter teams were battling the weather conditions for hours as well as the blaze, due to a sharav currently gripping the country – a hot, dry desert wind that combines super-high temperatures with low humidity and strong easterly winds, all of which is a recipe for increasing any kind of wildfire.¹²

Photos taken of Palestinians within the Gaza boundary clearly show determined efforts to cause injury and damage.

And an IDF video shows masked Gazans chanting, “Allah willing, the Jews’ hearts will burn. We will not stop until the Jews leave our land and, Allah willing, we return to it.”¹³

There can be no doubt that Islam and its inherent deception lie at the heart of Palestinian political and military action, especially in Gaza. We must not be fooled. If recent events are anything to go by, it seems that the need for watchful prayer has never been greater.

References

1 Palestinians clash with Israeli troops along Gaza border. Bloomberg, 6 April 2018.

2 Great March of Return...An option feared by the occupation. Hamas, 5 May 2018.

3 COGAT reveals Hamas threats against bus company owners. YNet News, 5 April 2018.

4 Translations from Arabic by the Middle Eastern Monitoring and Research Institute (MEMRI). Taken from here.

5 MEMRI TV, 28 January 2018.

6 MEMRI TV, 29 March 2018.

7 Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar - We Will Tear Out Their Hearts - April 6, 2018. Youtube.

8 Clashes at the Gaza border leave sixteen Palestinians dead. Labour Friends of Israel, 4 April 2018.

9 MEMRI TV, 5 April 2018.

10 MEMRI, 28 April 2018.

11 Continuing kite threat puts Israeli farmers on edge. YNet News, 24 April 2018.

12 WATCH: Be’eri Forest Fire Started by Gaza Terror Kites. Jewish Press, 2 May 2018.

13 PEACEFUL PROTEST? ‘The Jews’ Hearts Will Burn,’ Threaten Gaza Rioters. United With Israel, 7 May 2018.

Latest updates from outreach in Iraqi Kurdistan.

Before Christmas, we published a report about missionary work being done amongst Iraqi Kurds and refugees on the Nineveh Plains. We were able to send some money to aid this work, thanks to your support, and we anticipate a fuller report soon.

In the meantime, the following update provides a sneak preview of the spiritual fruit being borne in this region, amidst trials and tribulations we can barely imagine.

Teaching on Israel…in Iraq!

“You crossed a red line.” These were the words of my dear friend and interpreter, Z, after the meeting that night. I have previously been warned never to mention Israel and the Jews in Iraq. “The walls have ears”, I was told. As the Lord would have it, I spoke extensively on Israel, her history, the present and the future, as spoken by the prophets.

“Man, my spirit soared as you mentioned Israel, it was like I was on air hearing these words”, Z said. “We have shackled the Scripture regarding this subject. People are fearful. Your words were what we needed to hear. No-one was arrested and we can now have the strength to speak openly as believers. The time of being fearful is over.”

That night we had a packed meeting where many were left standing. More Syrians came than had been anticipated. We just could not cater for the people who arrived over and above the list of names we had. We have also been asked to help a new list of the latest arrivals in Erbil. We will try to move as the Lord leads.

Refugees from Nineveh Plains Cities and Syria

Our outreach in this region focuses on three groups, thanks to the contacts the Lord has given us: Muslims in towns on the Nineveh Plains, Muslims nearer the border with Iran and refugees living in camps in and around Erbil.

During our trip we have been meeting with Syrian Kurds who have fled the chaos of civil war, as well as Nineveh Plains refugees.¹ Even as I was addressing the refugees at one camp, more were arriving from Syria. The situation is overwhelming. And what do you say to exhort those who have languished for years now in the camps, confined to small rooms?

I have previously been warned never to mention Israel and the Jews in Iraq.

The believing community on the Nineveh Plains comes under extraordinary attack, particularly from the Orthodox Church. One Christian man was arrested five times earlier this year by the Nineveh Plains Militias for preaching the Gospel. He had been reported by the Church as “speaking against the priests”. It’s just like the days of the early Church!

One of his arrests afforded him the opportunity to speak to one of the security members. He spoke about the distinctions between the Quran and the Bible. At 3am the next morning his phone rang. It was the man he had witnessed to. “I can’t sleep since you spoke to me”, he said. “I’m phoning to tell you I believe all you told me is the truth.”

Meeting in SmilaneIt is important to realise that the Orthodox Christian community is decimated and will soon disappear. It is part of the fabric which has held society in this region together for centuries - heaven help the people once it is erased. As one believer says:

[The orthodox clergy] no longer mention the blood of Yeshua, probably to appease Muslims who say Issa never died. So there is no salvation, there is no hope. We see or hear from no-one like you. Someone who has compassion and is able to exhort from Scripture. More than anything these people need the Bible to be opened up and explained.

Please thank everyone who helped you. Thank them from the bottom of our children’s hearts.

Ministering to Muslims and Muslim-Background Believers

We have also been on the Nineveh Plains meeting Muslim converts in Mosul and elsewhere. We were invited to visit some Muslim villages which suffered from ISIS atrocities - the leaders wanted us to come and talk about the Bible.

In one Kurdish village, we met with senior members including the Mullah to discuss the teachings of Messiah and biblical prophecy that concerns them. We then gave the Mullah a new Bible in the Sorani dialect, recently translated. He asked me to pray before we left. I've not experienced such emotion in praying for anyone before.

Late that evening a Muslim convert called us to come and see two young men coming to get Bibles. That was not the only night: men kept coming asking for Bibles. How many in the West would respond this way?

Young men kept coming asking for Bibles. How many in the West would respond this way?

We have also been approached recently by a Muslim involved in the clearance of land mines along the Iran-Iraq border. Many of his workers have been killed. He heard that one of the widows is on our list for food distributions so he came to thank us:

I want you to thank all the Christians who have donated to you for us. Tell them we appreciate it more than they know. When you have no food even a plate of food is a blessing. They don't expect the world - they are just grateful for whatever you've given them.

Our country needs to hear the message of Jesus, the message of love. You are doing a good work here. We welcome you as family.

God Looks at the Heart

A similar message of thanksgiving and encouragement came when we made an extraordinary visit to two Kurdish villages in the Zagros Mountains, in an area where no outsiders have been – only Kurds. “There was one person came to our village, but you are the first one to come up here to these two villages", said IB, as we sat discussing Scripture.

In the Zagros mountains.I had the unique opportunity to speak to them about the words of the Prophet Isaiah in chapter 19. At one point, our young interpreter remarked, “God looks at our heart, not the outside.” His father had previously received a Bible - I wondered if he had heard this from him.

Later on, we were met at the municipal offices, where widows of the Peshmerga (the Kurdish military) had gathered for our food distribution. They were all called into the hall and I was asked to address them. I spoke about God putting a burden on my heart for the Kurdish people, especially them. They have suffered much and the world doesn't care. But there is a people who do, I told them - they are the people of Messiah, believers in Jesus. These are the people who had sent money to help provide for their needs. I was moved by their response - they were really very grateful.

That day we said our goodbyes with much joy, promising if possible to see each other again. Is God working among the Kurds? Absolutely - they are hearing his voice.

Mark van Niekerk

Notes

1 The refugee crisis in this part of Iraq is partly caused by the Syrian civil war. There has been a massive influx of Syrian refugees, particularly since 2013, and four permanent camps now exist in Erbil, holding about 40% of the refugees. Read more here. The other cause of the refugee crisis is internal. ISIS’ capture of Mosul in 2014 caused half the city to flee to surrounding towns and villages on the Nineveh Plains, and from there to Erbil. ISIS has now been pushed back, and some refugees are beginning to return to their homes. Read more here.

Editorial Comment

This outreach in Iraqi Kurdistan owes to the efforts of a number of missionaries, linked to an Israeli Messianic group called Voice in the Wilderness and supported internationally. Our contact, Mark van Niekerk, is a South African missionary.

Our thanks to all those who contributed to our winter appeal, and to those who have been praying for this amazing outreach effort. We hope to bring you a fuller report soon.

Paul Luckraft reports on Melanie Phillips’ Yom Hashoah lecture.

This year’s Simon Wiesenthal Memorial Lecture was given by journalist and author Melanie Phillips at St John’s Wood Synagogue on 12 April. The theme, as indicated by the title - ‘Time to Leave? Jews in Britain and Europe’ - was an exploration of anti-Semitism, its main causes and current trends.

The talk was powerfully presented and passionately received by a large audience – present among which was our Resources Editor, Paul Luckraft, who brings us this report.

Storm Clouds Over Europe

Renowned social commentator Melanie Phillips, of Jewish heritage, started her lecture by painting a picture of the current climate for Jews in Britain and Europe. The recent realisation that the Labour Party is riddled with anti-Semitism from the top downwards and the latest atrocities in France mean that these are alarming times for Jews. Fear is on the rise again. In 2017 there was the highest number of anti-Semitic incidents in the UK since 1985 when records began. Surges like this usually occur in response to Israeli military action - but not this time.

Equally alarming, she noted, are the increasing numbers of synagogues being attacked and Jews being taunted in the streets in countries such as the Netherlands, Sweden and Germany. This is against the backdrop of the rise of nationalistic parties in Europe and surveys showing that in many countries there is a significant percentage of the population who don’t wish to see Jews in their country - certainly not on their street!

These are alarming times for Jews in Britain and Europe.

Phillips’ sobering conclusion was that it is possible to see clear signs of history repeating itself - a gathering storm similar to that within the Weimar Republic of the 1930s. But this time there are significant differences. In Nazi Germany, anti-Semitism was state policy. This is not the case in modern European countries, but the parties in power seem to be ineffectual in combatting the evident rise in this, the oldest of all hatreds.

Islamic Jew-Hatred

The reasons behind this rise, Phillips argued, also seem more complicated and interconnected than in the 1930s. Some come from the political left, some from the political right and some from the arrival and growth of Islam.

The fruit of the latter, she posited, is growing increasingly apparent in many areas of Western society. For instance, the large number of jihadis now in the UK (25,000), of which 3,000 are under constant investigation or monitoring. Or the level of sexual violence targeting white girls - as highlighted by the Rotherham case, merely one of several such cases in the UK as well as in other countries such as Germany and Sweden. But, she rightly noted, these incidents cannot be adequately reported or tackled nowadays without facing accusations of racism or Islamophobia.

The UK and Europe generally refuse to accept these sorts of incidents (as well as other, directly anti-Semitic ones) as being based on religion. The threats are not acknowledged as being basically Islamic. The charge of being Islamophobic makes it difficult to draw attention to any kind of Islamic hatred – including Jew-hatred.

Not all Muslims, of course, adopt these views, nor would consider doing so. Some also feel under threat from Islamist groups, and do not want to see anti-Semitism increase either. This needs to be constantly stressed, yet these Muslims also feel restricted in speaking out and objecting. Nevertheless, Islam more broadly holds that modernity as found in the West must be destroyed if Islam is to flourish here, and that Jews are a fundamental part of this problem.

The charge of being Islamophobic makes it difficult to draw attention to any kind of Islamic hatred – including Jew-hatred.

Intriguingly, present within European politics and culture is a different, but no less toxic, anti-Western sentiment – the inevitable result of the continent dismantling its own traditional cultures and values. This undermining from the inside out is a threat against which the West, at present, cannot defend itself.

The West’s Cultural Suicide

Phillips argued compellingly that we cannot fully understand anti-Semitism in the UK and Europe unless we realise that the West has ripped up its own cultural foundations. Moreover, the West is now seen as the main oppressor in the world (a view held most strongly by those on the political left). These two facts have changed everything in recent times.

The key driver behind the ascent of these beliefs about Western civilisation was, in Phillips’ view, the Holocaust, which smashed Europe’s belief in itself as a continent of enlightenment and high culture. It wasn’t just the Jews who died in the concentration camps - but the West’s own self-confidence in its values and civility.

As a result, she suggested, the West took an axe to its own roots and began to radically alter the way it operated - especially in areas such as education and the family. Transnationalism became viewed as the best way forward, as nationalistic views were considered too parochial and likely to cause more harm. International groups, such as the UN and EU, were to take precedence over national governments.

This new globalist way forward also meant incorporating a different morality and a sense of multiculturalism as an idealistic norm. Politically, the extreme left became mainstream, as a new version of Marxism was called upon to help reshape our society and culture.

Anti-Zionism: The New Anti-Semitism

Another key event Phillips brought to the attention of the audience was the Six Day War (1967), which fomented a new kind of anti-Semitism centred upon the state of Israel. No longer the victims, Jews were recast as the aggressors. Israel was now to be delegitimised and demonised - not through rational arguments but with a torrent of dehumanising abuse and irrational malice.

Phillips was quick to stress that though this anti-Israel fervour could be called anti-Zionism, in reality it is just anti-Semitism in another form. Any distinction is bogus: the new anti-Zionism cannot be split from its anti-Semitic roots.

Phillips was quick to stress that though this anti-Israel fervour could be called anti-Zionism, in reality it is just anti-Semitism in another form.

Israel is now seen as menacing and powerful, but this, she maintained, is a paranoid delusion. In reality, Israel has only become powerful in order to defend itself. Initially the Jewish nation was accepted by the West, which was crippled with guilt and self-doubt after the Holocaust. Now though, Israel can no longer claim victimhood. They are the aggressors, while the Palestinian Arabs have become the new victim group which demands our support. And this changes everything.

Activists protest in support of the Gaza 'March of Return', New York. See Photo Credits.According to Phillips, victims, by definition, cannot be victimisers. Nor are they held responsible for their own shortcomings. They have a ready-made excuse for their actions – “we’re the victims here!” They are placed beyond criticism and are effectively handed a ‘get-out-of-jail-free card’ to react however they like to those who are perceived to be victimising them.

Meanwhile, Jews can no longer be regarded as victims. When they emerged from the Holocaust, they were the supreme victims, but since then they have gained power and wealth throughout the world. And this is now resented. Obviously they are intent on taking over the world (and so the old anti-Semitic conspiracies are revived)!

One incredible feature of this diatribe highlighted by Phillips is the appearance of the claim that Jews burnt Arabs in the concentration camps! Here is not just Holocaust denial, but Holocaust reversal.

Victim culture is now at the heart of left-wing politics, and victim culture is essentially anti-Jew. So, Phillips concluded, the Labour Party is caught up in anti-Semitism which is intrinsic to its politics - and will remain so even with a change of leader.¹

Europe’s Lost Soul

Why is anti-Semitism so much on the rise in the West? Because, Phillips argues, the West is in cultural disarray. It is starting to disintegrate, bringing this trouble upon itself.

According to Melanie Phillips, Europe lost its soul after the Holocaust and is now floundering. Immigration policies are creating turmoil, as migration is viewed as inherently a good thing (to say otherwise would be racist). As a result, Islamic ‘no-go zones’ have started appearing in many countries. Traditional cultures have become fragmented and weak. Real threats abound, but governments are helpless, hamstrung by their own policies and beliefs.

Europe lost its soul after the Holocaust and is now floundering.

In such times of transformation and confusion, she noted, prejudices easily arise and old ones will always re-surface. One reason why there is so much Jew-hatred is simply because there is now much more hatred in general.

Europe may be becoming increasingly Islamic, but it will not go down without a fight. Either way the Jews will be caught in the middle and are likely to suffer accordingly. They will continue to be accused of many things, including of fuelling claims of anti-Semitism in tactical pursuit of their own malicious aims.

Is it Time to Leave?

So, is it time for the Jews to leave Western Europe? According to Phillips, it could be said this question is an overreaction based on paranoia, rather than a fair one. Yet the final choice of whether to leave or stay is always a personal one. For individual Jews, the key question may well be, ‘where do I feel safer?’

Although Israel is surrounded by enemies with thousands of missiles pointing in its direction, it is increasingly being said by Jews that they feel safer there than in a continent which seems to be in danger of repeating the grave errors of its past.

A sobering thought indeed.

A video of the Simon Wiesenthal Memorial lecture is now available online. We welcome Melanie Phillips’ insightful social commentary, more of which can be found on her blog, www.melaniephillips.com.

You may also be interested to watch this week’s fiery Parliamentary debate on the rise of anti-Semitism – click here for the full debate.

Notes

1 Moreover, the left asserts that to be anti-Semitic you must be fascist and hence on the right. On that basis it is impossible for those on the left to be anti-Semitic: they exonerate themselves.

A plea for clarity one year on from the Westminster attack.

This week members of both Lords and Commons began their day by remembering the terror attack on Westminster Bridge and on the Houses of Parliament. It has been just one year since pedestrians walking across the bridge were mown down by a speeding driver who crashed near the gates of Parliament and ran into the courtyard, fatally stabbing PC Keith Palmer.

People ran from the scene, but one man ran towards the incident: Tobias Ellwood MP, who had both military and medical experience, ran to the dying police officer, trying to save his life while the attack was still underway. One year on, Members of Parliament stood for a minute’s silence in each House and also attended a short commemorative service in Westminster Hall led by the Rev Rose Hudson-Wilkin, the Speaker’s Chaplain.

In an emotional interview, Mr Ellwood recalled the day and how, on arriving home, he had to explain to his son what had happened to PC Palmer. He paid tribute to the police for their work in protecting Parliament and the public in a day when things seem “to be getting more dangerous and more volatile”.

He said “These attacks will continue unless we step forward and actually participate, become more proactive in dealing with what is a very changing and dark chapter that we are enduring.”

An Islamic Response

On the same day as the MPs were remembering what happened last year I received two leaflets through the post from a friend in Derby. The leaflets had been put through his front door. One is entitled: ‘ISLAM’S RESPONSE TO EXTREMISM’. Its six pages are devoted to presenting a very different picture of Islam – claiming it to be a religion of peace!

The leaflet says:

The horrific actions of extremists, who conduct their brutality in the name of Islam, have led many to question whether Islam advocates terrorism and violence. The truth, however, is that Islam and terrorism are poles apart as there is no justification in Islam for any form of extremism.

MP Tobias Ellwood, who ran towards the scene of the attack, has described this period of British history as dangerous, volatile and dark.

The leaflet says, “furthermore the Holy Qur’an champions the sanctity of life” and then quotes “whosoever killed a person…It shall be as if he had killed all mankind; and whoso gave life to one, it shall be as if he had given life to all mankind.” (Qur’an 5:33). The bits missed out of this quote are, however, vitally important: they show that it was addressed to the Israelites – to the Jews – not to Muslims!

Moreover, the quoted verse is actually 5:32, not 5:33. 5:33 is quite different – it says “Those that make war against Allah and his apostle [Mohammed] shall be slain or crucified or have their hands and feet cut off on alternate sides, or be banished from the land”.

The leaflet neglects to mention the many verses in the Qur’an that specifically instruct Muslims to kill Christians and Jews and polytheists – in fact, anyone who does not accept the religion of Islam. It not only says “fight against those who do not believe in Allah…until they are utterly subdued” (Qur’an 9:29), but it also provides a religious justification for the terrorists who do the killing: “You did not kill them but Allah killed them, and when you smote them, it was not you but Allah who smote them so that he might richly reward the faithful. Allah is the one who hears all and knows all” (Qur’an 8:17).

The leaflet also devotes a whole page to denying that Islam practices forceful conversion. It has the headline: ‘IS IT ACCEPTABLE TO FORCEFULLY CONVERT OTHERS TO ISLAM?’ Their answer:

No. The Holy Quran is very clear that mankind has a free choice in the matter of religion. Muslims are encouraged to spread the message of Islam peacefully with respect and love. The Holy Quran is very clear that each person is free to follow or change the faith of his or her choice.

This is the exact opposite of the truth! Mohammed’s practice was to slaughter all the non-Muslim men and take the women and children into slavery, using the girls for sex slavery. This is exactly the practice that has been followed in recent years by the Islamic State fighters in Syria and Iraq. And the same attitude to non-Muslim girls is repeatedly rearing its head in Britain too, from Rochdale and Rotherham to, now, Telford.

The Ahmadiyya Sect

It is important to note that both the leaflets referred to above were produced and circulated by the Ahmadiyya sect of Islam, which mainstream Sunni and Shia Muslims regard as heretical.

The Ahmadiyya are committed to spreading Islam peacefully. Their tagline is “Love for all, hatred for none”. It was an Ahmadi Muslim shopkeeper in Glasgow who took to social media in 2016 to wish his Christian customers a ‘Happy Easter’ – and was later murdered by another Muslim who travelled all the way from Yorkshire to stab him for this act of kindness.

The Ahmadiyya are committed to spreading Islam peacefully – but they are regarded as heretical by mainstream Sunni and Shia Muslims.

It was regarded as an insult to Mohammed because the Qur’an instructs Muslims not to make friends with Jews and Christians, which is why Britain now has so many cities like Blackburn and Leicester where there are whole areas that are solidly Muslim, and people don’t even speak English. The Qur’an says to Muslims: “Take neither the Jews nor the Christians for your friends. They are friends with one another. Whoever of you seeks their friendship shall become one of their number. Allah does not guide the wrongdoers” (Qur’an 5:51).

There is a clear cultural clash here which undermines our Government’s policy of integration. There will never be integration until the mainstream Muslim and Ahmadi scholars sort out their differences and initiate a public debate of the Qur’an; and their scholars give rulings on which of its content they consider to be relevant for today and which should only be regarded as having been given for the Mediaeval period when Islam was first formed.

A Test from the Lord

Such a modernisation could release all Muslims from the obligations of jihad and would be a tremendous boon to Muslim integration in the West – but is it possible? We must, of course, see the rise of Islam in a proper spiritual context, “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms” (Eph 6:12).

Islam, despite its manifold sects and interpretations, remains a spiritual power set up to rival (and counterfeit and invert) the glorious truths revealed in the Bible about the One True God. Beneath Islam’s complicated exterior are demonic spirits – not least of violence and tyranny – which accounts for its total conflation of religion and state.

Its growing influence in the West – gradually through immigration and demographic growth, and more immediately through terrorisation – is being allowed to happen by our Sovereign God. Why? To test us, to know what is in the hearts of this ‘post-Christian’ generation.

Islam, despite its manifold sects and interpretations, remains a spiritual power set up to rival the glorious truths revealed in the Bible.

Will our politicians and leaders wake up and realise that the ascent of Islam represents a direct assault on what has been the bedrock of our Judeo-Christian culture for centuries – a faith and a set of biblical values which have no equal on this earth – and never will?

Will the public (including the Church!) recognise that our great Christian heritage is worth defending and celebrating, not ignoring and compromising?

And will believing Christians take the great opportunity to witness to the truth of the Gospel which has now, like the Ahmadiyya leaflets, arrived on our very doorstep?

Tom Lennie reviews ‘No Go Zones’ by Raheem Kassam (2017, Regnery Publishing).

There has been much heated debate in recent years regarding the extent and effects of Islamic extremism across Europe, with Donald Trump being vilified for daring to suggest that Sweden was experiencing major problems with its steady influx of Muslim immigrants.

The idea that there are actual ‘no-go zones’ in various European cities – Muslim-dominated districts where Sharia law can prevail and from which the police stay well clear - has caused even more contention, many liberal commentators insisting that such ‘zones’ are purely a figment of the ‘far right’s’ imagination.

Both the title and sub-title of this book – ‘How Sharia Law is Coming to a Neighbourhood Near You’ - are deliberately (and perhaps unnecessarily?) provocative. The author, a former senior advisor to Nigel Farage and editor of the Breibart website, is himself an ex-Muslim, being brought up in the Ismaili sect of Shia Islam.

In this his first book, Kassam (now a self-confessed atheist) takes on the role of investigative journalist, as he makes a personal tour of the most potent Islamic community-strongholds across the Western world – or at least across Europe and North America.

Kassam makes a personal tour of the most potent Islamic community-strongholds in the Western world.

Selective Survey

I was surprised that the Kolenkit area in Amsterdam isn’t given a mention, nor one of the Muslim-majority districts of Rotterdam. Instead, Kassam restricts his European survey to four other countries - France (various Parisian suburbs, such as Aulnay-sois-Bois, and the southern town of Beziers), Sweden (particularly Malmo, but also Stockholm), Belgium (the north Brussels district of Molenbeek, home to one of the surviving terrorists who took part in the 2015 Paris attacks which killed 130 people and injured hundreds more), and the United Kingdom. Here attention is focused on the Yorkshire town of Dewsbury and on various parts of London.

Crossing the Atlantic, the areas the author is concerned with in the USA are Hamtramck, Michigan (“essentially an Islamic colony in the Midwest”), and the Californian city of San Bernardino – quite different communities to those investigated by Erick Stakelbeck in his 2011 book, ‘The Terrorist Next Door’.

Conversations On the Ground

Kassam discusses the varying degrees to which these districts truly are ‘no go zones’ – clearly not wholly so, since he himself entered each of them relatively freely, although he was careful in his movements. He converses with local residents of differing ethnic backgrounds, as well as local policemen (whose anonymous testimonies often contradict official police reports) and other intelligent parties. 

Through these, and his own insights, Kassam provides evidence that in each of these districts ‘infidels’ are made to feel distinctly unwelcome, a subculture of resentment is fostered against the very nation that hosts them (and very often houses, clothes and feeds them), every effort is made to ensure that Islamic law governs, and extremism is growing at an alarming rate.

Kassam converses with local residents of differing ethnic backgrounds, as well as local policemen.

A Compelling Read

While the intent is clearly to shock and disturb, Kassam does provide a degree of balance.

He is first to admit that the areas discussed in the book are not aflame (for the most part) with radical Islam. You won’t get flogged if you enter them, and you’re unlikely to encounter screeching Islamist imams on their street corners. As is stated in the foreword, often the people who inhabit such districts are victims of their own community leaders, whose very desire is to create no-go zones and to drive a wedge between migrant communities and native populations.

It’s a fast-moving, compelling read, which also discusses the degree to which socio-economic factors play a role in extremism, as well as the part played by Western media and governments, who constantly downplay the reality of the tensions within such ‘problem’ communities. All in all, a fascinating book.

‘No Go Zones: How Sharia Law Is Coming To A Neighbourhood Near You’ (256pp, hardcover) is available widely, including on Amazon. RRP £20.99. Also available as an audio-book and as an e-book. 

News of church growth in Iraqi Kurdistan.

It is not making news headlines here in the UK, but there is a growth of believers in Christ Jesus in Kurdistan. They are getting saved from Islam in the wake of the withdrawal of ISIS.

Below is a collection of reports from personal contacts who have visited the area and comments from believers there. The aim is to encourage believers in the West to think of these brothers and sisters in Christ and hold them in prayer as they struggle in difficult circumstances, often facing persecution and hardship.

They are so very gracious and encouraging in their communications - they need encouragement and whatever support we can give.

In Yeshua,

Peter Adams

The Untenable Situation of the Nineveh Plains Christians

Iraq is split into three general areas: Kurdistan in the north, Sunni Islam in the centre-north of Baghdad, and Shi’a Islam in the south.

The Nineveh Plains of central Iraq are the biblical areas where the Prophets Jonah and Nahum preached. Jonah gave them the besorah (news) and they repented and turned to the God of Israel. 150 years later, Nahum brought news of impending judgment from God. They had, in that short time, turned away from him.

However, Christian societies have survived in this same area for 2,000 years. Those who remain today are facing an existential threat. Their future literally hangs in the balance.

ISIS has all but decimated Christian towns like Qaraqosh and Bartella. I’ve seen their disastrous conditions. There is little or no support from central Government. The powerful Orthodox priests (think of the Jewish priesthood of Yeshua’s day) managed to undermine and ruin the help that was promised by Franklin Graham’s Samaritans Purse. They could have had 500 homes repaired and made habitable, but Evangelical help is not wanted by these men - they’d rather the people suffer.

There is a growth of believers in Christ Jesus in Kurdistan, getting saved out of Islam.

The latest attempt to undermine the demography of the Christian town of Qaraqosh, which has a massive cross at the city entrance that can be seen from miles around, is to infuse Shi’a students into its Christian college. Incredibly, these students are now angered because there is no accommodation for them in town! Meanwhile, 1,000 Christian refugee families returning to the area are themselves desperately trying to repair homes so as to settle down, after three to four years away living in camps.

These people, like my friend RS, need our prayers more than ever before. They are fighting what seems like a losing battle, but for their hope and faith in Yeshua. I do not know how they continue, how they even have the zeal to fight on. But what alternatives do they have? Christians are not welcomed into Europe and America - only Muslims. Such is the skewed world in which we live.

Surely God is coming swiftly and his recompense is with Yeshua, who will wage a ferocious war against his enemies - even these who are destroying the lives of his children.

Thank you father for having a godly heart for the people and the new believers in Kurdistan. It’s true, our area is under threats and [there has been] a hard situation of the economy recently. Please, whenever you guys give help…to the people in Kurdistan, at first pray about it for the families for…grace, peace and [that] hearts would be soft. (HK)

Great Numbers Departing from Islam

I am reliably told that many, many Muslims are departing from Islam in Kurdistan and Iraq. Although they still go to mosque and play the part out of fear, they are no longer practising their faith. This is an indication that the ‘prince of power of the air’ (Eph 2:1-2) is to some degree being challenged.

Yes my father, many Muslims leave Islam. I was a Muslim 5 years ago…I believed in Jesus Christ… (XS)

Many are simply becoming atheists, while others are turning to Christianity. This has been driven by a realisation that the god of ISIS is no god worth following. Attending the mosque has become perfunctory, a way to not draw attention to themselves.

This does not mean all are coming to faith in Yeshua, but it does mean the grip satan has had in these areas is loosening. And in this atmosphere, Kurds in particular are being saved.

These people need our prayers more than ever before. They are fighting what seems like a losing battle, but for their hope and faith in Yeshua.

Meanwhile, the example being set by Christians in the West is no help to these new believers. “It does not inspire Muslims to come to Messiah”, ZH said. “We are coming to Yeshua because of direct revelation from God, reading the Bible and seeing our fellow Muslims in the face of persecution willing to leave Islam to follow Jesus”.

Another commented: “The strength of Islam is the weakness of so-called Christianity in the West...we are bending over backwards to please everybody except Jesus Christ, instead of living to the Glory of the One and Only God the Father.”

Revelations of Jesus

Nevertheless, the Spirit of God is at work in Iraq – for which we need to rejoice! Yeshua, the great revelation of God to man (which the Allah of Islam is incapable of producing), has been causing many Muslims to lose hope in Islam. As they understand and grasp the Judeo-Christian message they are filled with hope.

And the fact that Yeshua suffered persecution gives them greater strength to endure their difficult conditions. It is a motivation to live for him and not to fear any coming tribulation. They are not forsaken, they sense His presence, and KNOW His peace.

A message from XS in Kurdistan who has left Islam:

A God who cannot reveal Himself is not a god…Thanks be to God, the faith is much stronger because God created us in His image. And he revealed [himself in] human flesh to let us not have any doubts about Him...! …that’s the reason we are feeling so pleased because Jesus has been persecuted before each of us, and this persecution is [bearable for] us for the sake of His name.

Others are coming to faith as they see the steadfastness of the believers who have counted the huge cost of leaving Islam. This is truly different from our Western idea of people coming to Jesus to see what they can get out of him. But coming to the Lord is not a formula to a better lifestyle. The reality is that most Christians who come to Yeshua in earnestness find themselves literally surrounded by problems.

Our brothers in Kurdistan see the life of a believer quite differently. They see Yeshua walking beside them in the midst of their storms. This is the type of faith that draws unbelieving Muslims to Yeshua. They are not coming for a better lifestyle; they are coming because he is the only hope we have in this life. A new lifestyle, or a new life? There is a huge, huge difference.

New Death Threats for Kurdish Believers

Recently I had a video call to Christian friends in Kurdistan who I visited a couple of months ago. They have bad news concerning their safety, yet in this darkness there is the encouragement of seeing the light of new believers coming to faith.

After a recent distribution to Muslim widows and mothers who lost sons fighting ISIS, they’ve received death threats. This has unfortunately meant they have had to leave their homes for the safety of Irbil. Quite incredibly, in the midst of these tribulations, they are seeing Muslims come to faith. Another two men have come to believe in Yeshua in these last days.

It seems almost bizarre that while we in the West are busy discussing and debating the rapture, and whether Christians are due to go through tribulation, our brothers are faced with some very trying and testing times. Consider the domestic difficulties on top of this, with some spouses not being saved and the pressure on these marriages.

While we in the West are busy discussing and debating the rapture, and whether Christians are due to go through tribulation, our brothers are faced with some very trying and testing times.

Apart from this, they have the looming political spectre of Iran hanging over them, barely half an hour away. Iran is pushing to have a crescent running from ancient Persia through Iraqi Kurdistan, Syria and Lebanon opening the way to the Mediterranean Sea. And of course poised to take Israel from her northern border.

Thankfully we have the scriptures full of exhortation to those enduring hardships and living under an anti-Christ system already. These are two we discussed recently:

They will make you outcasts from the synagogue, but an hour is coming for everyone who kills you to think that he is offering service to God. (John‬ ‭16:2‬)‬

While the context John speaks about is Judaism, exactly the same applies to those put out of the mosques. The Mullahs have been speaking about our brethren and their need to be put to death.

…strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying, ‘Through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God’. (Acts‬ ‭14:22‬) ‬‬

Paul gives further warning here that followers of Yeshua must not expect to enter the Kingdom any other way than by tribulation.

I ask you who care to please pray for them. And those already praying, please continue praying the Lord’s protection over them and their families. These people do not have other Christians to look to for guidance and support. They are in desperate need of our prayers and have asked that I convey their deep appreciation for our love and concern towards them.

Points for prayer:

• Please pray for Muslims departing from Islam in Kurdistan and Iraq: that the Spirit of our Lord God may draw them to himself, and that they do not stay in a spiritual vacuum, only for it to be filled by something else. Our prayers can be influential in the redemption of these people, for whom Yeshua died.
  
• Please pray for the believers in Kurdistan who have left Islam - that they continue in this new faith in Yeshua the Messiah.

Point for action:

There are some believers in Kurdistan who cannot afford kerosene for their heaters, and those in Soran and Irbil also need food support through the winter. Temperatures drop below freezing and I am planning to send some money to my contacts there who will see it gets into the right hands.

If anyone has a desire to help, any amount will be greatly appreciated. It would not take much for us believers to make a huge difference in their lives of our Kurdish brethren this winter over a three-month period.

If you would like to contribute, please make a direct payment to Prophecy Today (details below) and include the instruction ‘Kurdistan’ – we will collect the gifts and send them directly.

Bank transfer details: Prophecy Today Ltd / Account Number: 19560260 / Sort Code: 77-66-03

Editorial note: These reports were received via email and have been edited slightly and anonymised for publication. The content remains unchanged. Names of believers have been abbreviated for their protection.

Paul Luckraft surveys the Barnabas Fund’s short booklets on Islam.

(See base of article for ordering information)

Is the Muslim Isa the Biblical Jesus? (Patrick Sookhdeo, 2012, 24 pages)

This is one of the most important questions to ask when it comes to comparing Islam with Christianity, and a fitting starting point for our survey of booklets produced by the Barnabas Fund.

Islam is the only non-Christian religion which mentions Jesus in its holy book and yet it “denies His deity, His atonement, and His supreme place as Lord of all” (p5). The person of Christ is clearly a challenge to Muslims and likewise their response to Jesus challenges Christians.

The booklet sets out how Islam views Jesus (called Isa) in both the Qur’an and the Hadith (traditions) with lots of quotes from both which leave us in no doubt about the fundamental differences between the Muslim Isa and the biblical Jesus. There is also a short section on the role of Isa in the Islamic apocalyptic narrative, namely that he will return (as a Muslim) to fight and destroy the enemies of Islam which, of course, includes Jews and Christians!

Overall the booklet “explores Muslim beliefs about Jesus [and] shows how incompatible they are with the Christian confession of Jesus as Lord and Saviour” (p7). Although Islam reveres Isa as a prophet and miracle worker, its claim that he was a mere human being is the major point of departure from Christianity. For Christians who seek common ground with Islam it is important not to ignore or suppress the real differences over these two views of Jesus.

For those seeking to witness to Muslims here is a useful booklet, full of facts to help them discuss and debate from a secure place of knowledge.

In the same series…

Four other booklets in the same series also help equip Christians to this end. ‘What is Islam?’ is a useful 8-page summary covering the history and background of the Quran, Sharia law and what Muslims believe and practice. It concludes with two pages on the different kinds of Muslims in the world today, including Sunni, Shia, Sufi and Wahhabi.

‘What is Sharia?’ adds to the section in the above on the topic of Sharia. It covers its development and characteristics, and discusses the challenges of Sharia in Western countries.

‘Islam and Truth’ tackles the doctrine of taqiyya (dissimulation or concealing true beliefs and motives), and ‘Islam and Slavery’ provides an historical survey of how Islam has interacted with the contentious issue of the enslavement of human beings.

The UK, Islam and Operation Nehemiah

There are two other much longer booklets (just over 50 pages each) which may interest readers who want to know more about Islam in the UK. Both are written by Patrick Sookhdeo and explain the aims and objectives of the Barnabas Fund’s Operation Nehemiah, a project dedicated to the spiritual transformation of the UK.

One of these (‘Slippery Slope’) focuses on the increasing Islamisation of the UK, but also covers similar trends in Europe. The chapters are simply titled ‘Immigration’, ‘Integration’, ‘Islamisation’ and ‘Implications’. It ends with the mission statement of Operation Nehemiah (based on Nehemiah 3, rebuilding the walls) and encourages readers to sign up and support the mission.

The second booklet (‘The Way Ahead’) ends in a similar fashion and is subtitled ‘Returning Britain to its Christian Path’. This may well be on the heart of many who have experienced recent changes in society and at the very least want to understand this better, if not be spurred into action.

The retreat of Christianity in public life over recent decades has created a vacuum that has lent itself well to the increasing influence of Islam. This booklet is an eye-opening and thought-provoking assessment of what has become a vital aspect of the UK today and should be required reading for those wanting to engage in the important debate of how Britain will develop in the years to come.

Ordering information

All booklets are £1 each. Order from the Barnabas Fund website, by telephoning 02476 231923, or by writing to Barnabas Books, 9 Priory Row, Coventry CV1 5EX.

Simon Pease reviews ‘MidEast Beast: The Scriptural Case for an Islamic Anti-Christ’ by Joel Richardson (2012).

Joel Richardson's thought-provoking MidEast Beast challenges the widely-held belief that the final empire of biblical prophecy is a European-revived Roman Empire. Instead, he makes the case for a resurrected Islamic Ottoman empire, a view which is increasingly being taken seriously by students of prophecy.

MidEast Beast is one book in a series by the author looking at biblical prophecy from a Middle East perspective and follows on directly from Islamic Anti-Christ, which studies the close parallels between Islam's eagerly-awaited messianic leader and the biblical Anti-Christ. His later work dealing with Jesus and Israel, When a Jew Rules the World, has already been reviewed by Prophecy Today.

Taking Prophecy Literally

The book opens with recommendations on interpreting biblical prophecy, such as starting with easier, literal prophecies, rather than diving straight into Revelation and highly symbolic material. Richardson takes biblical prophetic references to places such as Egypt and Persia (Iran) literally, rather than spiritualising them to refer in general to the enemies of God.

Applying this principle, the author demonstrates from several of the prophets how God will bring vengeance on Israel's enemies in the Middle East on the ‘Day of the Lord’, highlighting specific nations, all of which are Islamic. He challenges the view that the Anti-Christ will rule over the entire world, exploring the biblical use of hyperbole and drawing attention to passages which describe the Anti-Christ kingdom at war with opposing nations.

Referring to Daniel's vision of a fourth kingdom crushing the others which preceded it, Richardson presents an argument for this kingdom being the Islamic Ottoman Empire, rather than the Roman Empire (as is often assumed). He uses maps to illustrate strikingly how the Islamic caliphate, unlike Rome, conquered all the areas previously occupied by the Babylonian, Medo-Persian and Greek empires.

Joel Richardson makes the case for the final empire of biblical prophecy being a resurrected Islamic Ottoman empire.

He argues that the related ‘legs of iron’ in Nebuchadnezzar's dream represent the Sunni and Shiite parts of the Ottoman Empire. He also presents historical evidence that the "people of the prince who is to come" (Dan 9:26), prophesied by Daniel and who destroyed the Temple in 70 AD, were legions recruited by Rome from the local populations of regions which today are mostly in Syria and are all Islamic.

Richardson also investigates the seven-headed beast of Revelation, pointing out that the argument for Rome being both the sixth beast which ‘is’ and the seventh which replaces it, is contradictory. Islam overtook Rome in the Middle East, conquering its capital Constantinople (now Istanbul), with the Ottoman Empire receiving a "fatal head wound" nearly 100 years ago. The author makes a compelling argument for its future reappearance as the eighth beast, which is intriguing in the light of recent developments in Turkey.

Direct, Analytical, Logical

Although Richardson writes primarily for the biblically-literate believer with an interest in ‘end times’ prophecy, his compelling argument for the veracity of Scripture has caused me to recommend MidEast Beast to believer and non-believer alike.

His style is direct, analytical and logical, whilst being highly readable and devoid of theological jargon. Not surprisingly, his views have generated much debate, so he engages in a spirited defence of his position against his critics, including citing the opinions of prominent believers from earlier generations who also understood biblical prophecy as referring to Islam.

As a result of the author’s meticulous research, some readers may find MidEast Beast overly long at nearly 270 pages, but this is probably necessitated by the controversy he has generated.

Richardson’s views have generated much debate, so he engages in a spirited defence of his position against his critics.

Thoroughly Recommended

This book is more than just theological argument – it is a call to action, challenging Christians to recognise that Islam will continue to grow powerfully. Richardson argues passionately that this knowledge should impact believers' attitudes towards the evangelisation of Muslims, our preparation for increasing persecution and our commitment to stand with the Jewish people.

I thoroughly recommend MidEast Beast, not only because it challenges us to consider carefully what the Bible actually teaches (rather than simply accepting recycled opinions at face value), but also because of the implications if his interpretation of Scripture proves to be correct.

Mid-East Beast (published by Joel Richardson) is available from Amazon in hardcover, Kindle and audio forms.

Sharon and Frances Rabbitts review ‘Sister Religions’ (Hatikvah Films, 2014).

In ‘Sister Religions’, we are offered a sensitive yet no-nonsense consideration of what has become a defining issue of our day: the relationship between Judeo-Christianity and Islam.

This series of five interviews, each half an hour or less, gives viewers a frank and biblical response to the common misconception that Jews, Christians and Muslims all worship the same god (bracketed as they often are under the term ‘the Abrahamic religions’) and equips Christians to respond well to the challenge of Islam.

There are four interviews with Dr Mark Durie (Australian theologian, pastor and researcher), book-ended with an introduction from former bishop Michael Nazir-Ali and a final interview with religious liberty advocate Elizabeth Kendal. Each session approaches this minefield of a topic from a slightly different angle – and the interviews necessarily jump around a bit, as interviews tend to do – which can make for confusing viewing. However, the general structure is clearly chronological.

A Stormy Relationship

After the introduction, in which Nazir-Ali tackles the disputed belief that Jews, Christians and Muslims share ancestry in Abraham and gives a brief overview of the “stormy” relationship between the three religions, Mark Durie begins with the historic foundation of Islam, including the different stages of Mohammed’s life and their connection into the writings that have become the Qur’an.

In the third session, he turns to the colonial expansion of Islam and how this was prophesied in the Bible, as well as the development of classic Muslim attitudes to non-Muslims (dhimmi), as exemplified in the ‘jizya’ tax. Durie’s discussion here is fascinating, as he not only clarifies the Islamic mindset towards non-Muslims, but also alludes to the profound spiritual impacts the jizya can have, as a curse.

There is fascinating discussion of how the jizya tax operates as a curse.

There is also a very useful overview in this session of the Islamic co-option of history and the Christian scriptures to suit its own theology – and the continuation of such practice today.

Durie’s final session engages with the tricky area of inter-faith dialogue - its potentials and dangers. The last interview (Kendal) departs from discussions about theology and history to focus on contemporary Islamic persecution of Jews and Christians around the world – and how Western Christians might respond.

As the DVD progresses, viewers not only get a decent potted history of the relationship between Islam and Judeo-Christianity, they also get expositions of key terms like ‘jihad’, ‘Islam’ and ‘jizya’. The sessions also develop a clear sense of the classic Islamic attitude towards Jews and Christians, which is being revived in modern-day jihad with deeply concerning fidelity.

Sobering Viewing

This is not intended to be light-hearted viewing; it is a sobering production designed to be a serious study aid. It is visually unexciting, being simply a series of face-to-face interviews rather than a documentary – and Durie and Kendal perhaps speak more engagingly than Nazir-Ali. However, all three are clearly experts in their field and answer the questions in a grounded, sensitive way.

In all, it is to be commended for its concise and eloquent yet uncompromising coverage. It blows out the water the common misunderstanding that Islam is somehow on the same footing as Christianity and Judaism and is able to be compared and contrasted as an equal. Instead, it shows that Islam has a fundamentally different set of starting points and a different mindset.

This is a serious study aid with concise, eloquent and uncompromising coverage.

For those new to the topic, this DVD is a good and thought-provoking introduction. For those already well-versed in the matter, there might be little new material (excepting, perhaps, Kendal’s interview) – but the whole thing would make a good discussion prompt for study groups or interested friends.

Explosive questions about how Christians should treat and engage with Muslims are tackled with sensitivity and respect. It would be suitable for open-minded non-Christians to watch, even though it is made with Christian viewers in mind. It should generally be targeted at teenagers and older, given the seriousness of the subject matter.

If anything, the DVD would benefit from an accompanying study guide – particularly for use in a group context. If you are planning to use it in this way, we would recommend the group leader watching it ahead of time and noting stand-out points and questions, to aid discussion. Alternatively, books by Mark Durie (e.g. Which God? Or The Third Choice, both available from Hatikvah) stand as recommended accompaniments.

‘Sister Religions’ is available from Hatikvah Films (where you can also watch a trailer) for £9.99 plus P&P, or rent online for less.