Conference to address issues faced by Christians in the Middle East

June 20, 2011 Leave a Comment

The volatile situation facing Christians in the Middle East is a key topic of concern for members of the central committee of the World Council of Churches (WCC), and will be highlighted at an upcoming conference on Christians in the Middle East to be held in Volos, Greece from 20 to 22 June, according to a news release.

With the diminishing presence of Christians in the region, the central committee said in a statement in February, the “conviviality among peoples from different faiths, cultures, civilizations, which is a sign of God’s love for all humanity, will be endangered.” The conference in Greece will explore the issue from a theological, ecumenical, cultural, and political perspective. Read more of this post

Filed under Middle East

Genetics Analysis of Jews Confirms Genesis

June 8, 2011 Leave a Comment

A team of geneticists recently analyzed 6,529 individual genomes, representing 107 different human populations.1 They found genetic traces of African ancestry in various people groups and estimated the timing of the ancient African/non-African intermarriages. The results of their analysis of Jewish populations will come as no surprise to those who believe in the literal history of Genesis. Despite their extensive statistical analyses of reams of genetic data, the researchers relied on traditional historical sources to anchor their results to actual time. And along the way, what the authors termed a “striking finding” would actually have been anticipated by a more biblically literate investigation.

The team, led by researchers from Harvard Medical School, compared differences in DNA sequences between the individuals and processed the data with several focused analyses. For example, one algorithm called the 3 Population Test compared three populations at a time to detect whether or not one of them was ancestral to the other two. Read more of this post

Filed under Africa, Middle East

Iran: eleven Christians walk free from court

May 19, 2011 Leave a Comment

Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) has learned that eleven members of an evangelical denomination, who were charged with ‘action against the order of the country’ and drinking alcohol, have been acquitted by an Iranian court. The charges referred to their involvement in a house church meeting and to taking communion wine.

Following their arrests in April, the eleven members of the Church of Iran denomination were brought before the Revolutionary Tribunal in Bandar-Anzali on 1 May for a rushed hearing where their lawyer, Mr. Seyyed Mohammed-Ali Dadkhah, hastily drafted a statement in their defence. Read more of this post

Filed under Iran, Middle East

Pilgrims return to Jesus’ baptismal site as Israel removes landmines

May 18, 2011 Leave a Comment

Pilgrims are flowing back to the traditional site of Jesus’ baptism on the Jordan River as Israel removes 40-year-old land mines and improves the area, but barbed wire and armed soldiers testify to the area’s tense past.

“It is a very sensitive place politically and religiously and is of importance to both Christians and Jews,” said Lt. Col. Ofer Mey-tal, of the department of Civil Administration, who oversees the project. Jewish tradition holds this also is where the ancient Israelites crossed into the Promised Land following their flight from Egypt. Read more of this post

Filed under Israel, Middle East

Syrian Christians Attacked, Threatened by Anti-Government Protestors

May 9, 2011 Leave a Comment

International Christian Concern (ICC) has learned that Christian communities throughout Syria have been attacked by anti-government protestors led by hard-line Islamists in recent weeks. Christians have also been pressured to either join protests demanding the resignation of President Bashir Assad or else flee the county. With the mass immigration of Christians from the Middle East, notably from Iraq, Lebanon, and the Palestinian territories, Islamic groups are now threatening to drive Christians out of Syria. Read more of this post

Filed under Middle East, Syria

Syria – Protesters Killed

April 26, 2011 Leave a Comment

Friday, April 22 was the deadliest day yet in the ongoing protests taking place in Syria. Security forces shot and killed more than 100 demonstrators. The following day, police gunned down at least 12 people as they participated in a funeral procession.

Tens of thousands reportedly took to the streets on Good Friday, the day after President al-Assad ended 48 years of emergency rule.

The Syrian state media said the reports of violence were false and claimed “outside forces” are carrying out a propaganda campaign intended to exaggerate the unrest and the death toll.

Two members of the government resigned in order to protest the crackdown.

As one international observer noted, “This revolution was bound to come to Syria… It was in Syria where the terrorist state, the way we know it in the Arab world, basically took shape in the ’70s. So, everything about this revolution perfectly fits Syria.” Read more of this post

Filed under Middle East, Syria

The real story of Easter and the resurrection

April 23, 2011 Leave a Comment

Who wrote the authentic story of Easter? We are approximately 2,000 years removed from what actually happened. We do have eyewitness accounts and the written record of intelligent and respected men who were there. I rely on their written record. They knew what happened.

The eight days that changed the world forever and to this day determines the destiny of individuals and nations began with what we moderns call Palm Sunday. We read about that exciting day when a large crowd, perhaps as many as 2,500,000 Jews, had gathered in Jerusalem for the Feast of the Passover, the most important of all Jewish festivals. Read more of this post

Filed under Israel, Middle East

How to Tell if Your Neighbor is a Bombmaker

April 7, 2011 Leave a Comment

By Scott Stewart

Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) released the fifth edition of its English-language jihadist magazine “Inspire” on March 30. AQAP publishes this magazine with the stated intent of radicalizing English-speaking Muslims and encouraging them to engage in jihadist militant activity. Since its inception, Inspire magazine has also advocated the concept that jihadists living in the West should conduct attacks there, rather than traveling to places like Pakistan or Yemen, since such travel can bring them to the attention of the authorities before they can conduct attacks, and AQAP views attacking in the West as “striking at the heart of the unbelievers.”

To further promote this concept, each edition of Inspire magazine has a section called “Open Source Jihad,” which is intended to equip aspiring jihadist attackers with the tools they need to conduct attacks without traveling to jihadist training camps. The Open Source Jihad sections in past editions have contained articles such as the pictorial guide with instructions titled “Make a Bomb in the Kitchen of Your Mom” that appeared in the first edition. Read more of this post

Filed under Middle East

Dangerous Momentum Building For Unilateral Declaration of a Palestinian State in September

April 5, 2011 Leave a Comment

Christian leaders around the world need to wake up and take notice of a rising new threat to Mideast security: the leaders of the Palestinian people are planning to go to the U.N. General Assembly this September and unilaterally declare their state in the “pre-1967 war borders,” and a dangerous momentum of international political support for this plan is growing.

Should the Palestinians proceed with their plans, growing evidence suggests they will receive an overwhelming majority vote at the U.N. in favor of dividing the land of Israel and dividing the city of Jerusalem. Indeed, a steadily growing number of countries around the world are signaling that they are ready to recognize a Palestinian state that includes all of the West Bank, all of Gaza, and at least half of Jerusalem as its capital. Read more of this post

Filed under Israel, Middle East

Iran Upholds Prison Sentence For Baha’i Leaders Ahead of Christian’s Blasphemy Trial

April 4, 2011 Leave a Comment

Update: Christian’s Trial Postponed

Seven leaders of the Baha’i faith, currently detained in Gohardasht prison in Karaj, have been informed that their original 20-year prison term has been reinstated. The judgment came days before the blasphemy trial of five members of the Church of Iran is due to begin.

The seven Baha’is were arrested in early 2008 and held for over two years without trial.  In August 2010 they were finally tried and found guilty of espionage, acting against national security and forming an illegal cult. The group was acquitted of the two former charges at appeal following vocal international condemnation of the case, and the original sentence of 20 years was halved. Read more of this post

Filed under Iran, Middle East

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