Do Al-Qaeda, Islamic State, ISIS and ISIL belong to true Islam

President Barack Obama channeled George W. Bush.  The former has assembled a grand coalition to fight a new Middle Eastern war.  According to Forbes only President Obama acted without legal authority and stuck the U.S. with most of the work.

President George W. Bush and President-elect Barack Obama meet in the Oval Office of the White House Monday, November 10, 2008. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

According to Forbes Contributor Doug Bandow the Islamic State is evil, but the organization’s raison d’etre is establishing a Middle Eastern caliphate, or quasi-state, not terrorizing Americans.  In fact, grabbing territory provided the U.S. with a target for retaliation in response to any attack, something lacking with al-Qaeda and its many off-shoots.
But are the aims of Al-Qaeda and Islamic State not going further, hoping to convert the whole world to the Islam and having one world regime under Islamic Law?

U.S.A. Secretary Jeh Johnson said:  “We know of no credible information that ISIL is planning to attack the homeland at present.”

Two weeks ago President Barack Obama did try to make a broader point when he uttered

 "Let’s be clear: While this group may call itself the “Islamic State,” it is not “Islamic.”c,"

which made that several Americans and critics on Twitter quickly fired off on the President for making the assertion, with many noting that ISIL in fact stands for the "Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant." 

What Obama said in his prime-time speech Wednesday night September 10 can be found in ISIL will find no safe haven where the president rightly accuses those who just kill innocent people and destroy also Islamic heritage not to be people who live according the rules of the faith they say to defend. Why would they rape and kill other Muslims if they are real faithful Muslims and how can it that they bomb, burn and destroy Qurans, whilst in case Western people would do such a thing they would call for a fatwa and shout for murder of that person.

Muslim political, religious and social commentator regularly appearing on British television and radio presenter Mohammed Ansar also know as a leading public advocate against extremism, has tackled both international terror threats and domestic far right radicalisation. Mohammed is well known for his advocacy for Muslim civil rights and is outspoken against Islamophobia. Mohammed became the focus of international attention when he was named at the top of terrorist organisation Al Shabab's most-wanted list. In spite of this, Mohammed has continued to speak out publically against the rise of terror and extremism, and to promote peace and tolerance amongst communities. Mohammed advocates a return to an authentic Islamic enlightenment as part of the Muslim revivalist and spiritual reformational movement.

For him there is no doubt that in these coming days, global Islam, almost a third of humanity, will unite across all forms of division, in the worship of one God. But to have Islamic State being part of that true worshipping community seems to be a bridge too far. Many today still have no idea that Islam is the completion of the religion which was revealed to mankind through a single line of Prophets.

On the 11° of September he tweeted:

 ISIL is not Islamic, says prime time @BarackObama (and virtually every Muslim and reasonably educated person on the face of our planet).

Also for Ameena Jandali, the Content Director for Islamic Networks Group ( ING), a non-profit organization that counters prejudice and discrimination against American Muslims by teaching about their traditions and contributions in the context of America’s history and cultural diversity, while building relations between American Muslims and other groups, it is clear there is something wrong in the attitude of those Jihad fighters. 

this year, hajj will take place against the ugly backdrop of a group that has come to represent the antithesis of what the pilgrimage signifies: Unity through diversity, brotherhood and equality, and the sanctity of religion, its symbols and holy places.

For Patheos and Time he writes:

As ISIS sends another two hundred thousand Muslim Kurds fleeing into Turkey after terrorizing Christian, Yazidi, and other populations for months, millions of pilgrims in Islam’s two holiest cities are gathered to peacefully commemorate Abraham, the father, not only of Islam, but of Judaism and Christianity.

Jandali points to the other major theme of hajj which is the interconnectedness of humankind, which is demonstrated by the simple white pieces of cloth which all male pilgrims wear during the duration of the hajj, no matter from where in the world they come.

Jandali continues:

Especially at this holy time, the stark contrast between the lofty goals of the religion and the actions of groups like ISIS, Boko Haram and others who make a mockery of Islam with their brutal and merciless behavior is a painful reminder that religion is not about terminology or slogans. Rather, true religion is explained in a saying of the Prophet Muhammad,
“I was only sent to perfect good character.”

I also think when we see and hear what those fundamentalists do that they do too many things which are against the idea of Quran and certainly against the Words of God like we know them. Seeing how they treat other Muslims makes us think and wonder what their real motives are. There we clearly can see that power and making an own state is the major mover. In case the incentive would be to make a sacred Islamic State than they should accept all Muslim brothers and sisters as part of the people united under the teachings of the prophet Muhammad. In case their ideas, motives are really funded on the believe they should spread the true belief in One God, they would not destroy such books like the Quran, which would and should be a Holy Book for all Muslims.

In my article Not true or True Catholicism and True Islam I go deeper into this matter and show more reasons why Islamic State (IS) is not a real true Islamic Movement.

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Please do find to read:

• Obama's Needless War Against The Islamic State Puts Americans At Risk: Washington Should Let ISIL's Neighbors Defeat The Caliphate-Wannabe
• Not true or True Catholicism and True Islam
• ISIS is the Antithesis of Hajj, the Holy Pilgrimage
• Public not informed enough about Jihad terrorism in Belgium
• Quran versus older Holy Writings of Divine Creator

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Related articles

• ISIL IS NOT ISLAMIC? -OR- IS ISIS Really ISIL or ISISn't It? (pumabydesign001.com)
  In Todd’s view, calling the group “ISIL,” or the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant, avoids the direct reference to Syria in “ISIS.” And since the Obama administration had mostly tried to keep the idea of fighting the group in Syria off the table, they wanted to keep that specific reminder out of the group’s name. With the president’s speech to the nation last week, that inclination may have shifted, but either way, at this point the administration is committed to the term “ISIL.”
• Former Muslim To President Obama: "I Can Tell You, With Confidence, That ISIL Speaks For Islam" (midnightwatcher.wordpress.com)
  Brother Rachid on “A Message to President Obama From a Former Muslim” – “Dear Mr. President, with all due respect, sir, I must tell you that you are wrong about ISIL. You said ISIL speaks for no religion. I’m a former Muslim. My dad is an imam. I spent more than 20 years studying Islam.
• ISIL IS NOT ISLAMIC? -OR- IS ISIS Really ISIL or ISISn't It? (cryandhowl.com)
  No religion condones the killing of innocents, and the vast majority of ISIL’s victims have been Muslim. And ISIL is certainly not a state; it was formerly al Qaeda’s affiliate in Iraq
• Good Question: Is It ISIS, ISIL, Or The Islamic State? (minnesota.cbslocal.com)
  Surveys have shown these names can cause confusion about the terrorist group that split off from al-Qaeda and has taken over large parts of Iraq and Syria.
  So, Cindy from Eagan asked: Why do we call the same group different names?
  “The whole acronym debate comes because we’re trying represent what is really an Arabic set of terms,” said Mark Berkson, a professor of religion at Hamline University.
  The Arabic term is Al-Dawla Al-Islamiya fi al-Iraq wa al-Sham. Al-Dawla means state, Al-Islamiya means Islamic and al-Iraq means Iraq.
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  given the vast, vast majority of Muslims reject this group, some Muslim scholars have suggested not calling it an Islamic state at all. They say call them what they are: Al-Qaeda separatists in Iraq and Syria, or QSIS.
  “The important thing to understand here is that this won’t become a widely used acronym, but that these words have important meaning, symbolic meaning,” Berkson said.
  
  
• Once Again... Barack Obama Lectures ISIS on Proper Islamic Behavior (Video) (thegatewaypundit.com)
  ISIL is a terrorist organization, pure and simple. And it has no vision other than the slaughter of all who stand in its way.
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  Progressives Today @ProgsToday Follow
  #YouKnowYoureProgressive if you think you can lecture #ISIS on Islam! #ObamaSpeech #Fail #FailureInChief #DemocratMeansPeace
• 'ISIL Is Not Islamic'? Is Obama Completely Insane? (sgtreport.com)
  The stated goal of these religious radicals is to establish an Islamic caliphate which will be governed by a single supreme Islamic leader known as a khalifah.  The law in the caliphate will be Islamic sharia law, and anyone not willing to convert to the form of Islam practiced by the Islamic State will be either killed or persecuted intensely.  But because of Barack Obama’s extreme political correctness, he simply cannot admit that the Islamic State has anything to do with Islam.  As a result, he continues to pursue policies that will not solve anything in the Middle East and at this point our foreign policy in the region is a total joke.
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  Abby
  September 12, 2014 at 7:16 am · Reply
  Well… I have to agree with him. It isn’t.
  Most Muslims around the world are horrified at what ISL is doing and they will tell you that this is not Islam.
  We all know that ISL has been trained in Jordan by the CIA, is funded by Saudi Arabia and in recent disclosures, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi is a trained actor and is actually an Israeli agent.
  As a number of people have pointed out, ISL attacks Christians and there is a deafening from Christian communities in Europe and in the USA, and it does not attack Israel.
  More recently is it being revealed that the Muslim Brotherhood and their attempt at over throwing Egypt is in lock step with ISL and Saudi Arabia. They were going to hand over the Sinai to Hamas, which in turn was started by Mosaad. The Muslim Brotherhood was also being funded by Obama and Clinton.
  The objective is, the creation of Israel from the Nile to the Euphrates River, including Syria, whilst Saudi Arabia will head and Islamic Caliphate across North Africa and the southern regions of Iraq and Iran.
  The other main objective of CIA, Mosaad and ISL, is to obliterate all Orthodox Christians from the whole area. This, under the Muslim Brotherhood when they controlled Egypt also included a war with Ethiopia, 80% Christian, Orthodox and also one of the oldest Christian communities in the world. In Iran by comparison, Jews and Christians are protected, as they are under Asaad in Syria. Iran has the largest community of Jews outside of Israel.
  Muslims , both Sunni and Shia will tell you that the actions of these people go against the very fundamentals of Islam. These people are MKULtra mind controlled and trained covert military operatives. So Obama is actually right, they are not Islam.
  
• Obama Puts Americans at Risk: ISIL's Neighbors Should Eliminate the "Caliphate" (cato.org)
  Washington has never had much success in fixing the Middle East. The United States has been bombing Iraq since 1991. ISIL would not exist but for America’s 2003 invasion.
  Washington has been battling al-Qaeda since 2001. While the national organization is largely kaput, the group has spawned multiple national off-shoots.
  The Bush administration justifiably overthrew the Afghan Taliban as punishment for hosting al-Qaeda. But 13 years of nation-building has been far less successful.
  Three years ago, the Obama administration declared that Syria’s Bashar al-Assad had to go. Since then, “moderates” have lost ground. The Islamic State’s capture of the city of Raqqa created a base for attacking Iraq.
  
• How could a group called 'Islamic state' not be Islamist? (israelmatzav.blogspot.com)
  He lost me when he referred to ISIS as ISIL, thus undercutting their view of themselves as a routinely Islamist imperialist venture which views not only Iraq and Syria as part of their future "Caliphate," but one which includes Lebanon, Jordan, Israel, and the disputed Palestinian territories—and perhaps Saudi Arabia and the Gulf Emirates--as theirs to command.
  +
  If there are currently fewer Christians and Yazidis, not to mention Kurds, in the cross-fire, (let's not forget the Christians of Lebanon or Egypt at the hands of Hezbollah and the Muslim Brotherhood), it is only because those who could, fled long ago or were just forced to flee and now swell the ranks of refugees living on the edge, far, far greater in number than the poster-children among refugees, the Palestinians.
• 'ISIL Is Not Islamic'? Is Obama Completely Insane? (dcclothesline.com)
  because of Barack Obama’s extreme political correctness, he simply cannot admit that the Islamic State has anything to do with Islam.  As a result, he continues to pursue policies that will not solve anything in the Middle East and at this point our foreign policy in the region is a total joke.
  +
  Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the leader of the Islamic State, is calling himself “Caliph Ibrahim” these days.  And his public statements leave no doubt about what the group is trying to do.  Here are just three examples…
  #1 “Allah likes us to kill his enemies and make jihad”
  #2 “The establishment of a caliphate is an obligation. The religion cannot be in place unless the sharia (law) is established.”
  #3 “God gave your mujahedeen brothers victory after long years of jihad and patience… so they declared the caliphate and placed the caliph in charge”
  
• ISIL, ISIS - Now QSIS? Top Sunni Cleric Says Stop Calling Terrorists 'Islamic' (cnsnews.com)
  One of the Arab world’s top Sunni authorities launched a campaign Sunday urging media to drop all names for the group that incorporate the word “Islamic,” in favor of “al-Qaeda separatists in Iraq and Syria” (QSIS).
  Dar al-Iftaa (“the House of Fatwas”) in Cairo, headed by Egyptian grand mufti Shawki Ibrahim Allam, has launched an Internet-based campaign aimed at distancing Islam from the group known variously as Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant, Islamic State in Iraq and al-Sham, or simply Islamic State.
  The campaign includes the launching of a Facebook page entitled “Call it Qa’ida Separatists not Islamic State,” and calling for people to post messages or video clips opposing ISIS terrorism.
  “This page aims at clarifying the tarnished image of Islam across the globe due to the terrorist group’s horrendous act of attaching the name of Islam to their appalling acts which could not be justified under any religion or creed,” Dar al-Iftaa said.
  “Muslim and non-Muslim thinkers across the world are invited to post their opinions, videos and posts against Qaeda Separatists.”
  +
  
  Shaykh Bin Bayyah talks about ways to counter violent extremism in our modern world...
  
  

  

  
  

  
  

  Countering Violent Extremism - Shaykh Abdallah Bin Bayyah

  Countering Violent Extremism with Shaykh Abdallah Bin Bayyah, translated by Shaykh Hamza Yusuf, from a workshop at the United States Institute of Peace. Ther...
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  Latest news: Dar al-Iftaa signs an #open_letter addressed to #QSIS to condemn their extremist ideologies and clarify the true teachings of #Islam
  
  Dar al-Iftaa signs an open letter addressed to QSIS to condemn their extremist ideologies and...

  eng.dar-alifta.org
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• Servando Gonzalez – historian, semiotician, writer, political satirist, intelligence analyst (gunnyg.wordpress.com)
• ‘ISIL Is Not Islamic’? Is Obama Completely Insane? (sgtreport.com)
• Servando Gonzalez – Why the House Can’t Impeach Obama… “…..So, there is strong evidence pointing to the fact that this man who calls himself Barack Hussein Obama is actually an impostor. Therefore, he could never be impeached, because impeachment is a fun (gyggrey.wordpress.com)

Quran can convert to Christianity

That the holy Quran can convert people to Christianity has been said already previously by former Muslims who became Christian. Recently also a former Muslim imam convert to Christianity and believes that God protected him from death threats and torture at the hands of his family members.

Mario Joseph, a former imam who shared the story of his conversion and subsequent persecution with the HM Television program “Changing Tracks,” broadcast by the EUK Mamie Foundation run by the Home of the Mother religious community, got the English-language interview, first posted in April 2014, by now has more than 250,000 views on YouTube.

Mario Joseph got onto this world because his mother rejected doctors’ advice to abort him when she had an infected womb during pregnancy. After his birth she dedicated him to God. Studying the Quran, he noticed that the name of Jesus was mentioned more often than the name of Islam’s prophet Mohammed and that Mary, known in Arabic as Mariam, was the only woman mentioned by name in the Quran. In Islam, Mary is recognized as a perpetual virgin who was conceived without sin.

Mario Joseph decided to accept Jesus, which was not happily received by his parents, who found they had to punish him. He was bound and deprived of food and water for several days and his brother forced him to drink urine as a punishment. The lack of food and water affected him severely, he recalled, adding that after as many as 20 days, his father entered his cell, choked him and threatened him with a knife unless he renounced Jesus.

“I knew my dad well that he would kill me,”

Mario Joseph said.

“When I knew that it was my last moment… I thought, ‘Jesus died, but He came back. If I believe in Jesus and die, I too may get my life’.”

At that point he felt energized, pulled his father’s hand down, and cried out Jesus’ name. His father then fell down and was cut severely by his own knife, causing him to foam at the mouth, Mario Joseph said. When family members took his father to the hospital, they forgot to lock the room.

The young man then ran out and caught a taxi. The driver was a Christian and helped get him food and drink.

“That day, really I understood, my Jesus is alive even now. When I called him for my need, he saved me.”

Mario Joseph found a Catholic retreat center in India, where he could stay and give talks in various languages.

He took the name “Mario,” a male version of Mary in Italian. He also took the name Joseph for Mary’s spouse.

Mario Joseph said he did not expect that he would still be alive 18 years after his conversion. He said people are still trying to kill him, and his parents held a mock funeral ceremony for him to signify that he was an outcast. On the mock grave, they marked as his death date the date of his baptism.

Although he has had no contact with his family members, he prays for them and believes that “God can touch them within a moment.”

Even if they never accept Christianity, he explained,

 “I’m always saying ‘Jesus, please take them to heaven’.”

This imam former Muslim imam may have found Jesus, and found many things in Catholicism where he found himself at ease.

It is strange he came to accept the Trinity and even came to do worship of the human being Mary. For such conversions Muslims are very afraid, but if some of their Muslim brothers and sisters would come to see who Jesus really is, and what the Plan of God is with humanity, they should not be so much afraid.

I do invite Christians and Muslims to come and look at the Quran and Bible verses which are presented to come to understand both writings better and see the similarities and come to see where certain Quran  verses can lead tot and how certain teachers can twist the words of those holy books.

Come and have a look at the series Quran and Bible verses comparison:

Quran versus older Holy Writings of Divine Creator

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Quran quotes

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• Jesus in the Qur'an (diglot.wordpress.com)
  
  The Qur’an and the Crucifixion of Jesus
  Last year I posted the commentary found in a popular Qur’an edition by Maulana Muhammad Ali.
  +
  If Muslims do not want to believe that Jesus died and was resurrected, fine. That’s your prerogative. But to argue that the New Testament Gospels do not depict Jesus as dying is… well… crazy!
• Syriac Orthodox Bishop: Slaughtering Christians "Is Normal For Muslims", They Are The Enemies Of Christ (midnightwatcher.wordpress.com)
  as one Muslim visitor recently attempted to claim, “we love Jesus much more” than even Christians do. The fact of the matter, however, is that the Qur’an has intentionally altered and corrupted the original narrative of Jesus as recorded in the Gospels and has abandoned the truth of Christ and His mission, inventing instead a false narrative around a false “Jesus.” According to Islam, God is not a Heavenly Father and Jesus is not His only begotten Son. And we know what Scripture has to say about those who deny precisely that …
• Meriam Ibrahim: 'I knew God would stand by my side' (christiantoday.com)
  Meriam Ibrahim, the Sudanese Christian woman who was sentenced to death for her faith, has spoken in depth about her ordeal for the first time since her release.
  First imprisoned in January 2014, Meriam Ibrahim was sentenced to the death in May, with a two-year suspension as she was pregnant.
  Following an international campaign for her release, she was at last freed in June, only to be stopped at Khartoum airport. She finally managed to leave Sudan in July, and after meeting Pope Francis in Rome, she arrived in New Hampshire with her family on August 1.
  
• The Abrahamic Religions (robertjrgraham.com)
  The Prophet Muhammad met both Jews and Christians during his lifetime, and Islam has come into frequent contact with both of its fellow monotheistic faiths throughout most of its history.
  As a brief guide of the similarities and differences of Islam, Judaism and Christianity, the following chart compares the statistics, origins, history and religious beliefs of these three great monotheistic faiths.
  Please note that, as with all charts of this kind, the information is oversimplified and should not be used as a sole resource.
  
• Uganda: Islamic Sheikh Converts To Christianity, Muslim Relatives Develop Sudden Urge To Kill Him (midnightwatcher.wordpress.com)
  “Muslim relatives of a convert from Islam in a village in eastern Uganda last week tried to poison him to death, the Christian told Morning Star News. According to a story by Morning Star News, Hassan Muwanguzi, who lost his wife and job as a schoolteacher shortly after his conversion in 2003, was hospitalized on March 31 in Mbale. That was after an aunt who called a family gathering in Kadimukoli village, Budaka District, put insecticide in his tea, he said.
  ‘After eating and taking tea, I started feeling stomachache, then I realized that she was the one responsible for it – and I believe she did not do it alone, since they have been hunting for me directly and indirectly, because when I left them and converted to Christianity it pained them so much,’ Muwanguzi said in an email.
  He added, ‘The reason they want to kill me is very clear – it is because of being a convert to Christianity; above all, to them it is like I brought shame by converting, as a (former) sheikh. But to God the Almighty Father, this was His plan for me to expand His Kingdom.’
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  Flashback: Uganda: Daughter Beaten By Her Father, Hospitalized After Converting To Christianity – “A dream of praying in a church frightened a recent college graduate in Uganda, the Muslim daughter of sheikh; she knew he was capable of seriously hurting her for such a religious switch. Wenene Nuru, 23, of Iki-Iki township in Pallisa District, had been listening to a Christian-Muslim dialogue on ‘The Sonship of Jesus Christ’ on the radio before she had the dream on Feb. 28… On March 4, at about 8 p.m., her father, Nuru Rajabu, could no longer contain his anger. ‘My father began beating me with clubs and blows, and I started screaming in great pain,’ she said. ‘While I was down on the floor bleeding, my father went looking for a knife to kill me…'” Read more.
  
• Imam who embraced Christianity survives attempted honor murder by this father (atlasshrugs2000.typepad.com)
“Imam embraces Christianity” Pravoslavie, New Delhi, November 15, 2013The Linga portal with the reference to the Spanish radio station Сadena Сope tells about the joys and tragedies of a young man who turned to Christianity from Islam.
• Overthrowing Judaism and Christianity (mohammadalbaba.wordpress.com)
  {And say, "Truth has come and falsehood has vanished. Falsehood is surely bound to vanish." (81)}, Al-Isra, Translation of The Holy Quran. In this article, I confute Judaism and Christianity from an Islamic, or logical, point of view. As Muslims, we believe in Moses peace be upon him and his Scripture (the Torah), and in Jesus peace be upon him...
• Alan Henning: British Muslim leaders unite to call on Isis to release hostage (independent.co.uk)
  
  More than 100 Muslim leaders today make an unprecedented joint appeal to the kidnappers of Alan Henning to release the aid worker unharmed or commit the “worst condemnable sin” against Islam.
  
  The statement to The Independent has been signed by dozens of Imams from across the UK as well as community leaders and other prominent Muslims. It has been passed on to Mr Henning’s family.
  It pleads with those holding the British hostage to accept that he was on a mission to Syria to help innocent civilians and to see the errors of their ways.
  “In Islam, concern for fellow humans and the duty to help everyone is a religious obligation,” they write. “Anyone undertaking a humanitarian act is paving his or her way to receive help from heaven.
  
• Imam Embraces Christ: 'I Started Reading The Bible, And Upon Its Completion I Was Absolutely Convinced' That Christianity Was True (midnightwatcher.wordpress.com)
  According to Mario, the choice was not an easy one: ‘Before making the final decision, I besought the Lord for a long time to give me true guidance… Once, still hesitating, I opened the Koran, and I came across the following ayah (inexact translation): ‘If you doubt what we granted to you, then ask those who read the Scriptures before you. The Truth from your Lord has come to you; so do not be among those hesitant!’ Then I started reading the Bible, and upon its completion I was absolutely convinced of truthfulness of the Christian Scriptures; and at last found my God-Redeemer!’
• Imam converts to Christianity, father holds knife to him and threatens to kill him, builds gravestone for him in Muslim cemetery (jihadwatch.org)
  The death penalty for apostasy is part of Islamic law according to all the schools of Islamic jurisprudence. So Joseph's father was just being pious, you greasy Islamophobe. "Imam embraces Christianity," from Pravoslavie,

Brussels’ Jewish Museum re-opened on Sunday

English: Jewish Museum building line drawing (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Around 300 people came to attended the emotional reopening of the Brussels The Jewish Museum on Sunday, four months after a gunman shot dead two Israeli tourists and two members of staff inside the building.

 Prime Minister Elio Di Rupo told those present that Belgium had redoubled its fight against terrorism since the attack.
Mehdi Nemmouche, a French-Algerian who allegedly spent time fighting in Syria, is accused of the killing.
"Those who commit antisemitic attacks shouldn't be able to hurt again. They should be prosecuted and sanctioned," said Mr Di Rupo.

 

The re-opening of the museum in downtown Brussels (pictured) followed the introduction of a number of security measures. Police will now be posted at the entrance, and visitors will have to pass through a metal detector.

“We don’t want to serve the interests of extremists who want to muffle our culture,” said museum director Philip Blondin. “We wanted to reopen our doors as soon as possible, but it wasn’t [immediately] possible because the Belgian authorities had to do their work,” he said.

A memorial plaque bearing the names of the victims of the attack — the Rivas, a museum employee, and a volunteer — has been affixed to the entrance of the museum. As part of the increased security measures, two armed police officers will be stationed at the site, and security checks at the entrance will be more stringent.


 > http://www.flanderstoday.eu/current-affairs/brussels-jewish-museum-re-open-sunday

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Online Bijbel Android app gratis Basis Pakket

English: Wikipedia Android app (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

English: Wikipedia Android app (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Cross Link Services heeft in de afgelopen maanden hard gewerkt aan de totstandkoming van de Online Bijbel voor Android.

Vanaf vandaag is het Basis Pakket ook voor Android beschikbaar. Naast het Basis Pakket zijn ruim 100 titels (gratis en betaald) beschikbaar vanuit de winkel in de app.

Niet alleen is een Android-app ontwikkeld, maar er is ook een eerste opzet gemaakt voor een gebruikers-account systeem. Hierdoor is het mogelijk om met de Android app titels te delen over verschillende Android apparaten, zoals de telefoon en tablet. Ook de uitgebreide winkel met gratis en betaalde downloads is geheel nieuw opgezet.

Voor meer informatie en downloadlink: www.onlinebibleapp.com

In de ontwikkeling van de Android-app en de eerste versie van het gebruikers-account systeem zijn honderden uren gaan zitten. Zorg daarom dat zoveel mogelijk mensen gaan profiteren van de mooie inhoud die met het gratis Basis Pakket geboden wordt.  De app heeft een unieke inhoud die veel mogelijkheden biedt. Praat er over in uw kerk en gemeente, de huiskring, onder uw vrienden en zorg dat ze de app op hun apparaat zetten. Ondertussen gaan wij door met de volgende stappen om het allemaal nog mooier te maken.

Verdere ontwikkeling ...
De volgende stap die gemaakt gaat worden is de gebruikers van de iOS-app ook aansluiten aan het gebruikers-account systeem. Hierdoor krijgen zij toegang tot meer titels en kunnen titels ook cross-platform (Android vs iOS) gebruikt worden, als een gebruiker bijvoorbeeld een Android telefoon en een iPad bezit.

Nadat deze synchronisatie gereed is kan begonnen worden aan het ontwikkelen van een dienst voor de Online Bijbel abonnee's, zodat zij Online Bijbel titels kunnen gebruiken op hun desktop, Android en iOS-apparaten vanuit één gebruikers-account. Hiertoe is Importantia Publishing, de uitgever van het Online Bijbel abonnement, een samenwerking aangegaan met Cross Link Services BV, de uitgever van de Online Bijbel apps. De planning is dit in de loop van 2015 te kunnen bieden.

Ondertussen zullen de iOS en Android apps updates ondergaan om functionaliteit toe te voegen en bugs te verhelpen. Ook zal de hoeveelheid beschikbare titels verder uitbreiden.


Laat meer mensen profiteren van de Online Bijbel app

• Kopieer dit artikel en verstuur het per email naar vrienden en bekenden.
• Plaats een bericht op uw Facebook of Twitter een bericht. Vermeldt www.onlinebibleapp.com
• Vindt onze facebook-pagina leuk
• Laat de app aan anderen zien
• Schrijf uw review van de app

Ondersteun Online Bijbel met uw gift

Het ontwikkelen van een app als de Online Bijbel kost geld. Heel veel geld. Het liefst willen we zoveel mogelijk gratis beschikbaar maken, maar zowel de app als de content kost geld. Zelfs als content al digitaal beschikbaar is, gaan er nog steeds veel arbeidsuren zitten in het ontsluiten van de inhoud. Die arbeidsuren moeten betaald worden. Wij werken met professionals om alles van optimale kwaliteit te laten zijn. Uw gift wordt daarom zeer op prijs gesteld:

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Schatgraven in Genesis

The Westerkerk (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Van 18 september tot 27 november kunt u tweewekelijks op donderdagavond van 20:00 – 22:00 uur komen Schatgraven in Genesis, in de Westerkerk in Ermelo. Voor wie op vernieuwende wijze wil putten uit Gods Woord vanuit de oorspronkelijke Hebreeuwse denkwereld. Op deze avonden wordt u ook toegerust voor pastorale en missionaire taken.
 

De studieleider (Kees Bloed) zal de avonden inleiden en de vragen stellen aan de hand waarvan we interactief met de groep gaan ontdekken hoe God Zichzelf openbaart aan de mens in Genesis en hoe Hij de mens nu eigenlijk voor Zich ziet. Aan het eind van de rit zal er een bundel verschijnen met Bijbelstudies, vertalingen en verdiepingsvragen bij Genesis 1-23 volgens de oorspronkelijke hoofdstukindeling. Een dergelijke bundel met de titel Nieuwe Identiteit verscheen in het voorjaar van Exodus 1-24. Te bestellen voor 12 euro (excl. verzendkosten) bij Sjemajah via sjemajah@gmail.com.

Is Ermelo te ver? De leergang schatgraven zal ook in andere plaatsen worden aangeboden. Mensen uit o.a. Amsterdam, Hoogvliet, Dieren en Almere hebben al aangeven graag ook te willen schatgraven in hun eigen woonplaats, dat kan. Wilt u in één van deze plaatsen meedoen of in uw woonplaats een leergang helpen organiseren? Stuur dan een e-mail naar Kees Bloed (sjemajah@gmail.com), hij zal u dan van informatie voorzien.
Belangstellende voor het project Sjemajah

Mailing address:
Stichting Sjamajah

Oude Nijkerkerweg 22

Ermelo, NH 3853RL

Netherlands

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Christen vervolgingen in het Midden-Oosten

Vijf patriarchen van verschillende Assyrische kerken in Irak vergaderden op 20 augustus jl. in Erbil (ten oosten van Mosul) om de christelijke culturele genocide onder IS-bewind te bespreken. Zij kwamen unaniem tot de conclusie dat alleen vluchten voor het geweld dat nu gepleegd wordt, schadelijk zou zijn voor de christelijke aanwezigheid in het Midden-Oosten. Er moet een keer komen in de eindeloze vervolgingen en geweldplegingen die sinds honderd jaar de christenen in het Midden-Oosten teisteren. Deze vervolgingen resulteerden bijna in een decimering van 1.5 miljoen naar max. 0.3 miljoen Assyrische christenen in Irak tussen 2003 en nu, volgens het ACE-onderzoek dat in augustus jl. uitgebracht werd door het Assyria Counsel of Europe. De vervolgingen die hierin zijn gedocumenteerd, verschillen niet in aard met de bekende Joden-vervolgingen door de Nazi’s. Oplossing De optie dat de Assyrische christenen voor hun voortbestaan aansluiting zoeken bij de Koerden is overwogen. Dat is echter slechts een verschuiving van het probleem omdat ook zij een Islamitisch ideaal nastreven, en christenen onder Koerdisch bewind weer tweederangs burgers, en dus het mikpunt van onlusten, worden. De énige oplossing die nog kans van slagen heeft om de christelijke aanwezigheid op de bakermat van onze beschaving veilig te stellen, is het nastreven van een defensieve, veilige haven. Dit wordt bevestigd door 67 genocide-wetenschappers wereldwijd. Het idee van zo’n veilige haven bestaat al langer, en is regelmatig overwogen als het geweld weer oplaaide, maar nooit kwam het zover dat men dit wanhopige ideaal ook naar het westen uitte, omdat de nood eenvoudigweg niet zo groot was dat een volledig uitsterven van de christelijke aanwezigheid een reële bedreiging vormde. Men kon nog de andere wang toekeren, en als tweederangs burger een redelijk bestaan nastreven onder Islamitisch georiënteerd bewind. Nu echter de sjiieten in de minderheid raken en geen tegenoffensief meer kunnen bieden tegen gewelddadige soennieten, is die kans verkeken. Het zou echter niet voor het eerst zijn dat door de VN een veilige haven wordt gecreëerd voor een minderheid in Irak. In 1991 werd tijdens de tweede golfoorlog een dergelijke haven ingericht voor vervolgde Koerden. Waarde van de christelijke aanwezigheid in het MO Deze voorgeschiedenis is blijkbaar onbekend bij degenen die zich afgelopen weken hebben geuit op christelijk erf in Nederland. Erik Borgman bijvoorbeeld is gealarmeerd door de gevolgen voor christenen van de oprichting van de I.S. (Trouw 8-8). Hij kan er alleen niet duidelijk de vinger opleggen waarom de christelijke aanwezigheid in het MO zo belangrijk is. Machteld Jansen in hetzelfde artikel, weet ook dat we op moeten komen voor de christelijke aanwezigheid in het Midden-Oosten. Het verdwijnen daarvan zou jammer zijn volgens haar, omdat verschillende religies vreedzaam naast elkaar zouden moeten kunnen leven. Deze vooraanstaande theologen zijn kennelijk niet op de hoogte van de rijkdom die de kerk van het Oosten in haar geschiedenis heeft opgebouwd. Je zou bijna denken dat deze kerk slechts een minimale rol heeft in de marge van het Westerse christendom. Maar niets is minder waar! Met name Britse theologen (o.a. Asahel Grant, G.P. Badger en W.A. Wigram) hebben zich ernstig verdiept in hun geschiedenis en stonden keer op keer verbaast van wat zich in de kerk van het Oosten heeft afgespeeld. In Nederland is Albert Stol (journalist) degene die in zijn boek Nestorianen, de ondergang van een christenvolk (1977), de geschiedenis van Assyrische christenen blootlegt. Volgens hem hebben we historisch gezien bijvoorbeeld een belangrijk deel van de overlevering van de Griekse wijsbegeerte en geneeskunde te danken aan de kerk van het Oosten. Daaraan is nog toe te voegen zij de schatbewaarders zijn van de oudste en meest vruchtbare vorm van christelijke religie in de geschiedenis. In het eerste millennium hebben zij, ten oosten van het Romeinse rijk, de grootste missionaire beweging meegemaakt die er te vinden is in de geschiedenis. Kloosters van de cultureel zo rijke Assyrische christenen waren te vinden tot in Mongolië en aan de stille Oceaan. Wat doen we ermee? In Nederland beseffen we wel dat er iets moet gebeuren om de veiligheid voor vervolgde christenen te garanderen. Wat kunnen we doen? Door christelijke politici wordt geopperd om de grenzen de openen. Maar Halbe Zijlstra (VVD Fractievoorzitter) heeft een punt, als hij zegt dat de grenzen dicht moeten, omdat de miljoenen vluchtelingen die worden verwacht een ontwrichtende werking zullen hebben op de samenleving in Europa. We hebben eenvoudigweg de draagkracht niet om het wereldleed op die manier op te lossen. Maar grenzen sluiten mag niet gelijk staan aan oogkleppen opzetten. Een veilige haven, is dat wel zo’n goed idee? We worden zo overdonderd door dit idee, omdat we nauwelijks weten dat er christenen in Irak wonen. “Zijn er christenen in Irak?!” zo beschrijft Borgman treffend ons collectieve bewustzijn. Voordat bij ons een dergelijke oplossing grond kan vinden, moeten een aantal vooroordelen worden weggenomen en moet het besef ontstaan dat deze oplossing bijna te laat is geopperd door de christenen om tijdig de juiste hulp hiervoor te kunnen krijgen uit het Westen. Tegen de tijd dat we hier enigszins begrijpen hoe nijpend de situatie is, hoeft het niet meer, want dan zijn de christenen in het Midden-Oosten er niet meer. (Blijf hier op de hoogte van de stand van zaken volgens de christenen ter plaatse.) Geweld De 67 wetenschappers roepen de VN op om een zwaarbewapend leger in te zetten en zo nodig een veilige haven te openen om minderheden te kunnen beschermen. Dat brengt echter geweld met zich mee. En sinds de Amerikaanse missie in Irak, is een militair optreden volgens ons ouderwets. Maar wat nu we weten dat o.a. christenen in zo grote getale vervolgd, en verdreven worden, en dat annihilatie een reële bedreiging vormt? Is het zo vreemd dat zij nu, na 100 jaar van continue vervolging, besluiten om toch weer de wapens op te pakken om het laatste beetje christelijk leven in het Midden-Oosten te verdedigen? Op zich is dat niet nieuw. Eerder deden zij dat in 1915, toen een deel van hen, als enige volk in het Midden-Oosten, zich aansloot bij de geallieerden om mee te vechten voor ónze vrijheid. (Lees hier het ongelofelijke verhaal in het Nederlands) Hierover schreef dr. W.A. Wigram onder andere het boek ‘Our smallest Ally’ (in 2010 opnieuw uitgegeven). Hij was diep onder de indruk van de moed die de oosterse kerk op wist te brengen, omringd door vijanden die tot allerlei wraakacties in staat zouden zijn. Maar “Nee”, zeggen wij in het Westen nu, “geweld is verfoeilijk, dat moet je niet willen.” Daarbij vergeten wij dat deze christelijke minderheid nu niet meer kans maakt dan de Joodse minderheid destijds maakte onder het Nazi-bewind. We moeten dus “Ja!” zeggen, als we ons op enige wijze verbonden weten met deze christelijke minderheid in het Midden-Oosten. Zij nóch wij hebben er baat bij als een dergelijke extremistische Islamitische Staat vrij spel krijgt. Bidt mee om een veilig voortbestaan van christenen in het MO De VN, Human Right Watch, Amnesty International en de kerkleiders van Irak, hebben zich uitgelaten over de situatie van de door de IS bedreigde christenen in Irak. Ook steeds meer politieke leiders sluiten zich ben hen aan. Zelfs voormalig minister-president van Libanon Saad Hariri. Gezien de geschiedenis is de christelijke aanwezigheid in met name Syrië en Irak, en de laatste christelijke dorpjes in Turkije, niet een kwestie in de marge van het christendom, maar een fundamentele aanwezigheid zonder welke onze beschaving beduidend armer zou zijn geweest. Wanneer wij het nu presteren om hen te laten creperen en slechts op te vangen door het rode kruis of in ballingshap in het Westen, maken wij een morele overtreding. We laten dan een krachtig christenvolk, met een eeuwenoude cultuur, stikken omdat we slechts willen praten en water bij de wijn doen. Is dat opkomen voor de vervolgde christenen? Is dat wat we de Assyrische christenen in Irak terugbetalen voor hun aandeel aan het werelderfgoed en hun hulp toen ónze westerse beschaving bedreigd werd? Laten ook wij, westerse christenen, de God van Israël vragen of Hij een keer wil brengen in hun lot. En daarnaast onze regeringen oproepen om de christenen in het MO defensief te beschermen.

De schrijver van dit artikel (Kees Bloed) is theoloog bij stichting sjemajah. Voor wie meer wil weten over de geschiedenis van Assyrische Christenen en van het profetische belang van hun aanwezigheid, geeft Kees lezingen. Neem a.u.b. contact op via sjemajah@gmail.com of het contactforumulier als u een lezing wilt organiseren, of tip een commissie bij u in de buurt.   Voor meer informatie: www.aina.org www.assyriacouncil.eu www.indefenseofchristians.org Nederlandstalig: www.wearen.nl www.shlama.be www.sjemajah.nl

Improving the world by improving the Faith

Do your best to improve your faith. You can do this by

         adding goodness, understanding, self-control,

patience, devotion to God, 

concern for others, and love. 

-2 Peter 1:5-7 CEV

 When we do live according to the Scriptures we shall take on the right attitude to the world and shall be eager to bring others the message of Good Hope and the importance of protecting our environment and to share the agape love with others around us.
 

How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single 

        moment before starting to improve the world.

- Anne Frank

Don't put off for tomorrow what you can do today

Don't put off for tomorrow what you can do today,

          because if you enjoy it today,  

                     you can do it again tomorrow.

- James A. Michener

Trust in the LORD, and do good;
so you will dwell in the land, and enjoy security.

               Take delight in the LORD, and  

                      He will give you the desires of your heart.  

-Hebrews 1:2; 2:1

Author James Albert Michener attends an observance commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Location: Pearl Harbor, Hawaii (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

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