Paris attacks darkning the world

Dena Johnson last weekend watched in horror as terror unfolded in Paris, France. Bombings. Hostages. Shootings. Innocent people targeted. Her heart broke for the people of Paris.

For lives lost. For lives shattered, forever changed.

Her writing for Christianity.com Daily Update shows unnecessary fear.

As I watched the non-stop news coverage, I began to wonder what kind of world my kids will inherit from us. What dangers are lurking behind every corner? Will they be forced to live in seclusion for their own safety? Will they fear for their lives every time they are on the street? Will they be targeted simply because they choose Christ?

It’s almost more than a mama’s heart can handle. Watching the news on a regular basis makes me fearful for my kids. Gone are the days of solid Christian morals, where seeking to follow Christ is the accepted norm.

The people in France were not targeted because they choose Christ. Many were no believers in Christ or in any god and others worshipped Allah as faithful Muslims.

She thinks the world is invaded by terrorists, but they are still in the minority.
She writes

Citizens struck at a soccer game and a concert. Shootings in the middle of a church service. We even had a beheading last year right here in Oklahoma as a woman simply went about doing her job.

How do we deal with the fear? How do we teach our children to live boldly in an increasingly dangerous world? How do we live in light of the terror that surrounds us? How do we shine our lights for Christ when we know that we could easily be targeted for our faith?

All people who have a strong opinion and or a faith they want to hold on strongly, can be a useful target because the opponent knows they can be hurt. Jesus Christ also warned those who wanted to follow him they would be target of mocking, bullying and even worse having the possibility to having to give their life for their faith.

It’s easy to become overwhelmed by the dangers and immorality in this world. It’s easy to wonder if God really sees us, understands our plight. It can be confusing to sort through the myriad of emotions, to know where we should stand on certain issues. Do we lean toward compassion or do we choose discernment? Both are present in scriptures. Both are necessary.

Christian, Jew or Muslim should follow their Holy Scriptures and should get to know them properly, knowing we may not kill innocent people and do have to respect every creation of God.

From the beginning of times man riposted. Already very early man went against the commandments of God and let evil come into his heart.

Evil has existed in the human heart since time began. Nothing. Has. Changed.

There’s still incredible evil in this world. And there are still heroes of the faith. While ISIS prowls around looking for lives to devour, God is raising up an army of believers with faith that shines bright. While terror seems to be the constant news of the day, Christians around the world are standing strong in their faith, determined to let their lights shine in the midst of the darkness.

We must trust that God is our salvation, our fortress, watching over and protecting us. We must trust that he sees and knows the truth about this world, about our hearts. We must trust that he has the power to protect us, to rescue us from these very real troubles. We must remain confident that he is able, he is greater than this world.

We must cry out to him for wisdom, discernment, direction. We must seek to know him deeply, intimately. We must strive to follow him, every step, every day. We must wait patiently, expectantly, for him to rescue us. We must cling to every word, every promise, he has made. We must be brave and courageous, knowing that he has overcome the world.

The darker this world gets, the brighter our light shines. Hang on to God, my friends. He is our hope.

The LORD is my light and my salvation—so why should I be afraid? The LORD is my fortress, protecting me from danger, so why should I tremble? When evil people come to devour me, when my enemies and foes attack me, they will stumble and fall. Though a mighty army surrounds me, my heart will not be afraid. Even if I am attacked, I will remain confident.

The one thing I ask of the LORD—the thing I seek most—is to live in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, delighting in the LORD’s perfections and meditating in his Temple. For he will conceal me there when troubles come; he will hide me in his sanctuary. He will place me out of reach on a high rock. Then I will hold my head high above my enemies who surround me. At his sanctuary I will offer sacrifices with shouts of joy, singing and praising the LORD with music.

Teach me how to live, O LORD. Lead me along the right path, for my enemies are waiting for me. Do not let me fall into their hands. For they accuse me of things I’ve never done; with every breath they threaten me with violence. Yet I am confident I will see the LORD’s goodness while I am here in the land of the living.
Wait patiently for the LORD. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the LORD.

Psalm 27:1-6, 11-14 (NLT)

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Preceding:

Trump brand of migrant demonization #1

Trump brand of migrant demonization #2 

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Additional reading

1. Brussels-born Salah Abdeslam key suspect Paris terrorist attacks
2. Refugee crisis, terrorist attacks and created fear
3. Are people willing to take the responsibility for others
4. Can We Pay The Price To Free Humanity? 
5. Human tragedy need to be addressed at source 
6. Vatican against Opponents of immigration

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Trump brand of migrant demonization #2

English: The Ethnic composition of Muslims in the United States, according to the United States Department of State based on the publication of Being Muslim in America as of March 2009 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The so called Christian American politicians John Kasich, Bobby Jindal, Rick Scott,
Rick Snyder, John Kasich, but also democrat Maggie Hassan have made declarations to refuse refugees, to see the South rising up to keep brown-skinned people out instead of in, not because they are overwhelmed by the refugee influx and find resources stretched to the limit.

These governors’ objections to the Obama administration’s resettlement plans revolve around the belief that Syrian refugees, the majority of whom are Muslim, have not been properly “vetted.”  So some of them could be ISIS operatives trying to sneak into America to launch terrorist attacks and weaken the country. (Ridiculously some wants American citizens to believe the black president is also a 'Hussein' Obama Islamic mole.) 

Many Americans do not seem to know or to believe that most of the plotters and attackers involved in the Paris slaughter were (so called) Muslims of French and Belgium origin. They did not come from an influx of people who tried to escape just the sort of violence which struck Paris last weekend.

Also the faith issue seems to have deeper wounds, because it is a matter of frustrated boys who did not find a place in our society but also not in the present Muslim communities. Whatever radicalisation they underwent has deeper roots in the societies of France and Belgium, where most of them lived. Will this have to mean that America is also going to stop any Belgian or Frenchman entering Belgium? Or are they prepared to stop anyone with a passport from a European country from coming into the United States of America?

The pope may look at those American politicians who try to create division between people who want to worship God. They want to let the Americans believe that all refugees are Muslim, which they are not, and that they are all extremists and dangerous for our society, which is not true. 

On Thursday September 24 in a historic address to Congress the pope had already called to open the hearts to new generations of immigrants.

Pope Francis’s passionate call for

 “as many young people as possible [to] inherit and dwell in a land which has inspired so many people to dream”

comes amid a fierce national debate over how to handle an estimated 12 million undocumented immigrants in the US.

“In recent centuries, millions of people came to this land to pursue their dream of building a future in freedom,”

Francis told hundreds of lawmakers, cabinet members and supreme court justices in a packed joint session of Congress. It was the first time in history a pope had addressed the legislative body.

“We, the people of this continent, are not fearful of foreigners, because most of us were once foreigners,”

 added Francis, who was born in Argentina to Italian parents.

 “I say this to you as the son of immigrants, knowing that so many of you are also descended from immigrants.”

What is also so contradictory is that most of those complaining about emigrating people to the United States are children of descendants from people who also emigrated from their country to look for better pastures. they too were people looking for a nicer place to stay. But often they were not fleeing such horror as those immigrants and refugees of war zones are today.

Perhaps it is good to remember those words spoken by the pope wo months ago:

“We must not be taken aback by their numbers, but rather view them as persons, seeing their faces and listening to their stories, trying to respond as best we can to their situation,” he said.

“To respond in a way which is always humane, just and fraternal,”

 added Francis.

 “We need to avoid a common temptation nowadays: to discard whatever proves troublesome. Let us remember the Golden Rule: ‘Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.’”

Speaking during Sunday Mass, November 15, the Pope expressing his

 "deep sorrow for the terrorist attacks that bloodied France late on Friday, causing many casualties."

condemned the Paris terror attacks, calling it "blasphemy" to use the name of God to justify "violence and hatred."

"We wonder how can it come to the heart of man to conceive and carry out of such horrible events",

 he said.

"The road of violence and hatred does not resolve humanity's problems. And using the name of God to justify this road is blasphemy."

Reading from Sunday's scripture, the Pope spoke of Jesus' preaching on the end of the world containing

"apocalyptic elements, like war, famine, and cosmic catastrophes."

Although he acknowledged these signs, he highlighted that they are not the most important things. Rather,

 "our final goal is the meeting with the resurrected Lord."

Rather than focusing on when or how the end will come, Francis compelled his audience to

 "live in the present."

For him we all should have the same goal, to meet the returned Messiah, who is a bringer of peace.

"This is our goal: this meeting. We do not expect a time or a place, but we encounter a person: Jesus."

At the end of the world, Francis said,

"Jesus' triumph will be the triumph of the cross, the demonstration that the sacrifice of oneself out of love for one's neighbour, in imitation of Christ, is the only victorious power and the only stable point in the midst of the upheavals and tragedies of the world."

This time imams in France and Belgium came out to tell the public those people are not real Muslims. They also wanted to warn their Muslim brothers that the violent reaction France took will not solve the problem but if some Muslims in turn would like to go to Syria they better think twice.  It is good that the public could see and hear the open public warning for the members of their community in France and Belgium that joining the jihadist group will only drag them to their death,

"to hellfire, because suicide and slaughter are not permitted in Islam."

Based from information shared by the French interior ministry, French nationals comprise the biggest number of European jihadis in Iraq and Syria with at least 570 of them fighting for ISIS.

Abdalali Mamoun, an imam at a southern Paris mosque, was one of 20 Muslim clerics who came to lay flowers near the Bataclan theatre where four terrorists wearing explosive vests killed more than 80 people during a rock concert. He urged young French Muslims to stay away from ISIS.
Another imam
Yasser Laouti, spokesman for the Collective Against Islamophobia in France, said

"As French citizens, and as human beings, we have been wounded by this attack."

and made it clear that those terrorists were not afraid to kill Christians, Muslims and Jews indiscriminately.

However, the French Muslim leaders said that although they sympathise with the families of the terror attack victims, they do not support the French airstrikes in the ISIS capital of Raqqa, in Syria.

"I saw that yesterday, after what happened, Francois Hollande decided to bomb Raqqa,"

 human rights activist Samia Hathroubi said.

 "Do we really think that bombing a city of 200,000 people will help us combat terrorism in our own country?"

also Belgian imams expressed their concern for such actions which could bring more oil unto the fire.

On the different television channels everywhere comes up the same story of people who live here in our own regions but did not feel at their place because they seemed to be a stranger here but also in the land of their ancestors. Several have problems that though they are born in Belgium or in France they are still considered Moroccan, Turk, Tunisian, but never accepted as Belgian or French, though they often speak the dialects of the region where they live at.

The youngsters still do feel discrimination and often are a victim of poverty, political and economic marginalisation. This are some of the reasons why so many young Belgian and French Muslims are joining ISIS.

Americans like others should recognise that Muslim leaders throughout the world strongly condemned the terrorist attacks in Paris.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani sent a message of condolences to Hollande on Saturday, informing him Iran was offering its thoughts and prayers to the French people. Iran and its allies, Hezbollah and the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, have been fighting ISIS.

Indonesian President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo also condemned the violence that took place in Paris, as he called for international cooperation against terrorism, according to the Jakarta Post. Indonesia is the largest Muslim country in the world.

The leaders of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Qatar and Egypt also denounced the attacks just hours after the attacks late Friday.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations, the largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organisation in the United States, also joined in the condemnation, saying:

"These savage and despicable attacks on civilians, whether they occur in Paris, Beirut or any other city, are outrageous and without justification."

In YouTube video that became viral, one Moroccan Muslim named Wafi Abdouss blasted the ISIS terrorists, saying

 "these so-called jihadists only represent themselves."

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Please do read also:
Cowardly governors give ISIS a propaganda victory: Refusing refugees is a moral outrage & a strategic blunder

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Preceding article: Trump brand of migrant demonization

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Additional reading

1. Brussels-born Salah Abdeslam key suspect Paris terrorist attacks
2. Refugee crisis, terrorist attacks and created fear
3. Are people willing to take the responsibility for others
4. If Europe fails on the question of refugees, then it won’t be the Europe we wished for
5. State of Europe 2015 – Addressing Europe’s crises
6. Schengen area and Freedom for Europeans being put to the test as never before
7. The New gulf of migration and seed for far right parties
8. Asylum seekers crisis and Europe’s paralysis
9. Can We Pay The Price To Free Humanity?
10. What we don’t say about the refugee crisis?
11. Human tragedy need to be addressed at source
12. Poster: Please help the refugees
13. Real progress leaves nobody behind
14. Swallowed in the Sea but belonging to earth
15. The natural beauties of life
16. How to make sustainable, green habits second nature
17. Vatican meeting of mayors talking about global warming, human trafficking and modern-day slavery
18. Republican member of Congress from Arizona to boycott pope’s address over climate change
19. Vatican against Opponents of immigration 
20. Welfare state and Poverty in Flanders #12 Conclusion

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Brussels-born Salah Abdeslam key suspect Paris terrorist attacks

Brussels-born Salah Abdeslam, 26, is a key suspect, who passed the French-Belgian border control after several horrible actions took place in the French capital.
He was reportedly stopped by officers in the wake of the attacks while crossing into Belgium but then let go. This means he and the others in the car must have been very calm and very sure they could get away with it when they could control their nerves, which they did.

He is considered to be the "head" behind Friday night's deadly attacks in Paris by gunmen and suicide bombers were a concert hall, a major stadium, restaurants and bars, were hit almost simultaneously - leaving at least 129 people dead and hundreds wounded.

For many present at the seen it was an incomprehensible act, like being at war. the fighters sent from the Belgian capital which is for the jihad fighters a good place to have a safe base in the centre of Europe. From Molenbeek in Brussels three co-ordinated teams found their way to the Paris night life ware with the nice temperatures the terraces still could attract lots of people to have some nice social time.

At 9.20 pm the first of three explosions did not seem to stop the football players in the Stade de France stadium, though on one black football player having the ball at the moment the first bomb exploded outside the stade looks strange and with the second blast we can see his face doubting, though they all just continue like nothing happened.
On the northern fringe of Paris France having an international football friendly against Germany continued whilst after a second man detonated his suicide vest outside a different stadium entrance at 9:30 pm, the president was rushed to safety and the president went to the phone to hear what was going on.

Meanwhile a black Seat car had man shooting with their Kalishnikovs nearer to the centre of town, around popular nightlife spots. The first took place at about 9:25 pm in the 10th district (arrondissement), not far from the Place de la Republique.
A man then crossed the road and turned his semi-automatic rifle on a restaurant, Le Petit Cambodge (Little Cambodia). At the scene more than 100 bullets were fired killing 15 and having 15 severely injured.

The 11th district was the next one on the list. south of the first restaurant attacks, at La Belle Equipe bar in the rue de Charonne two men opened fire on the terrace of the cafe. in two minutes time they managed to kill 19 people and leave a further nine in a critical condition.

But the deadliest attack of the night came at a concert venue on Boulevard Voltaire, also in the 11th district, where the Californian rock group Eagles of Death Metal was playing for a sold out house.
In a black Volkswagen Polo the attackers arived in front of the 1,500-seat 'Bataclan' hall .
Three attackers wearing suicide belts stormed in through the main entrance and into the back of the concert hall.
Eighty-nine people died as the men fired Kalashnikov-type assault rifles into the crowd. At least 99 others are in a critical condition in hospital.


One of the attackers was said to have shouted "God is great" in Arabic. One witness heard a gunman in good French blaming President Hollande for intervening in Syria. It was the first clear evidence that Paris was once again being targeted by Islamists.


By now, President Hollande was in crisis talks with Prime Minister Manuel Valls as well as Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve. Mr Hollande announced a state of emergency throughout France and a tightening of border controls.
The order was then given to send elite security forces into the concert hall. As the operation came to a head, at about 00:20, a police officer shot one of the gunmen, and his suicide belt detonated. The siege ended with the other two blowing themselves up.

France's Prime Minister Manuel Valls has said the attacks were planned and organised from Syria.
The French police have raided more than 150 locations overnight. Five people have been arrested in Lyon, where police also found an arsenal of weapons.

When it is organised from Syria, they clearly have their pawn in Belgium. Police forces are looking for Brussels-born Salah Abdeslam, 26, as a key suspect.

His brother, Mohammed Abdeslam, has been reportedly arrested in Belgium. A third brother, Braham Abdeslam, 31, has been named as the attacker who detonated his suicide vest on the Boulevard Voltaire.
Another of the dead attackers has been identified as a 29-year-old Frenchman Omar Ismail Mostefai. He had a criminal record but had never spent time in jail. However, he had been flagged up as a possible Islamist extremist.
Bilal Hadfi, 20, has been named as one of three suicide bombers who struck near the Stade de France stadium.
All seven militants had used Kalashnikov-type assault rifles and the same type of explosive vests.
A total of three men were arrested in Belgium on Saturday. More raids have been taking place in the Brussels neighbourhood of Molenbeek, a district with large Turkish and Moroccan communities and which has been connected to a number of Belgium's recent terrorist-related incidents.

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An emergency hotline for information: 0800 40 60 05 (within France) as the search for potential accomplices continues.

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Fraternal week-end at Easter in Paris

The 14 Nisan gathering for the Memorial service is this year on the 14th of April. Because not all brethren and sisters can make it on a week day, we also invite them to come together at our usual meeting place for the 'Easter' celebration, at the Quaker house in Paris on the Sunday.

Each year there is a fraternal week-end at Easter in Paris, France. This year the relevant dates are 18 – 21 April. We stay together in a modest hotel, do the readings together and have 2 formal meetings where we are joined by some of our members who live in France and Belgium. The ability to speak/understand French is useful but not at all essential.

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