About three weeks ago, I wrote a commentary following a new request made by some Christian leaders and lead by the Presbyterian denomination, asking the US congress to investigate how Israel is using funds and possibly “violating human rights”. In it, I exposed the double-standard used by Presbyterian USA in falsely pointing the finger at Israel. But far worse was done by completely ignoring some real human rights issues such as the $450 million given to Egypt’s leadership while they clearly are tied to the Muslim Brotherhood. Egypt’s president Mohammed Mursi has since then showed his true colors as he responded “amen” to an Egyptian cleric’s prayer to destroy Israel. That’s worth 450 million of our American dollars, right?
To be sure, the letter sent to congress wasn’t only signed by Presbyterian leaders. Some Lutherans, Methodists, Baptists, Mennonites and members of the Church of Christ were quick to join the ranks of the Presbyterian USA denomination and became co-signers. It goes without saying that the statement they made garnered much criticism from the Jewish community.
The Jewish Council for Public Affairs (JCPA) who has been known for being in favor of inter-faith dialogue, finally decided to sever their ties with the “Christian leadership team”. They in turn, wrote a letter back, and cancelled an upcoming interfaith meeting that they would like to see replaced by a summit of all key Church leaders and Jewish community leaders to resolve the issue and build an interfaith future together. JCPA Chair Larry Gold said it best:
Germany’s Convenient Historical Amnesia is Dangerous for Jews Worldwide!
Last July, I published an article regarding a recent court ruling banning ritual circumcision in Germany in which I expressed my grave concern about the decision and its parallel to the Nuremberg Laws of the 1930s.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel immediately expressed her concern about the Cologne ruling and how it would undoubtedly affect freedom of religion in Germany. It sounded good at first. She vowed to find a solution as quickly as possible. While I was temporarily satisfied with her voicing her concern, I was not extremely hopeful that the ruling would be reversed or that a compromise would even be found. Two rabbis have already been charged since the June ruling.
Let me reiterate that by virtue of its very bloody track record with the Jews, Germany is obviously disqualified to make such a move. Not that any country really would even have the right to forbid Jews to perform the age old brit milah (circumcision as ordained by God Himself in Genesis 17:9-14). Angela Merkel also expressed her fear that if the ban was upheld, Germany could become “a laughing stock”. Poor choice of words Madam Chancellor, because this issue is certainly NO LAUGHING MATTER!
It so happens that the next move was made yesterday by Germany when it was declared in Berlin that circumcision wasn’t illegal as long as the parents consented and that it was performed by a doctor and not a mohel (a mohel is a Jewish man, usually a rabbi, qualified to perform the ritual of brit milah). So, doctors YES, but rabbis NO!
What seems to be a victory for the Jewish community –and the Muslim community who also performs ritual circumcisions on boys before puberty–is actually a defeat! Circumcision viewed as a medical procedure might be allowed now, but it sends a chilling message to the Jewish community that they continue to be forbidden to perform it from a religious standpoint, something we have been free to do for thousands of years.
Unless Germany’s federal government decides to intervene and revert the ban, Jews in Germany will continue to be harassed, persecuted and even arrested for performing a religious rite that goes back to Genesis. I see no victory there!
It was only 70 years ago when Germany forced the Jews out of society little by little. Back then, it was socially acceptable to loathe the Jews. We can even say that it was a duty to the Third Reich that every good German ought to perform. Anti-Semitism was the fuel that helped to move Hitler’s war machine. We are only two or three generations removed from that event, and Germany is again dabbling with anti-Jewish laws. The sad part, is that we are not even talking about a revisionist country like Iran, claiming that the Holocaust never happened. We are dealing with a country who took decades to recover from the horrors it inflicted upon my people. And if you ask me, it has not recovered and learned from its horrific mistakes but instead it has gone into an inexcusable state of denial that I label convenient historical amnesia!
But, some will ask: “why see this legal decision as anti-Semitic since it is also affecting close to 4 million Muslims?”. After all, Berlin mayor Klaus Wowereit just declared that Berlin Jews can absolutely feel safe in his city and that he can even be seen wearing a kippa (skullcap) in solidarity with the Jewish community. Worry not Jews of Berlin your city is safe! Unless of course you are Jewish and wearing a kippa like the rabbi and his six-year old daughter attacked on the streets of Berlin last week by a group of four youth of Arab descent. What an empty statement of reassurance!
By the way, we have yet to hear about Muslims breaking the law by performing their version of ritual circumcision.
The very country that should proclaim their own version of NEVER AGAIN when it comes to Jewish hatred, is the one restraining Jewish life AGAIN. What a shame! What will happen in other countries who don’t even have the shadow of the Holocaust looming in their own backyard? Germans have conveniently forgotten their guilt as they start to target Jews again while the rest of the world justifies anti-Semitism under the names of anti-Zionism and anti-Israelism.
Germany is sending worldwide anti-Semites a clear message: “If WE of all people can forget the past, reenact it and get away with it, what do you all have to worry about?”
I cannot help but be reminded of the verse found in Hebrews 10:31:
It is a terrible thing to fall into the hands of the living God
Those who go after my people like the German government at the current time, will have to answer to God for their actions, while those who love Israel (Genesis 12:3) and help my people, will find themselves in the center of God’s will. Where would you rather be?
Anti-Israel Double Standard Sets a Scary Precedent in San Francisco!
Gone are the days when waiting for the bus, one was exposed to billboards and posters inviting them to try the best tissue, soft drink or candy bar. Advertising is as much a part of 21st century consumerism as it ever was, but the rules are changing. At least they are in San Francisco!
Last week, a series of ads started to appear on the side of municipal buses in San Francisco.
The ads, as shown above, were paid for by the American Freedom Defense Initiative, an organization led by very vocal pro-Israel and anti-Islamist, Pamela Geller.
When I label Ms. Geller as an anti-Islamist–a position I actually take as well– I am very specific with my terminology.We must understand the difference between a Muslim and an Islamist before we use the words interchangeably, as they are far from being synonymous. While all professed Muslims follow the religion of Islam within boundaries more our less dictated by their holy book the Qur’an, not all Muslims are Islamists. The term Islamist usually refers to a militant Muslim whose life is entirely ruled by the Qur’an and the Hadiths (commentaries on the Qur’an). As a result, Islamists are more passionate about their beliefs, less tolerant about others (even within Islam) and potentially more violent. I do believe that Muslims who adhere to the Qur’an and promote Sharia have no choice but to follow it’s teachings and as a result become vastly intolerant regarding the “infidels” (ie: all non-Muslim). This being established, I feel that the ad campaign deserves our attention for several reasons.
While I do not support some of the verbiage used in the actual copy of the ad, I support truth, justice and real peace.
I do not believe that the use of the word “savage” was the most appropriate in such a short ad where ambiguity might easily lead to confusion. According to the dictionary, the word savage can mean “uncivilized”, “barbaric”, “vicious” and/or “brutal”. What is implied in the ad as it pertains to the middle-east conflict between Israelis and Palestinians, is that Israelis are the civilized party while the Palestinians are the savages. It this true?
Anyone who is interested in the facts about the middle-east conflict and who is honest enough to search for the truth, will discover that the Palestinian Authority (Hamas and Fatah) are far from honest.
Additionally, Palestinians have been deconstructed and rebuilt by political correctness from perpetrator to victims and, Israelis have been deconstructed and rebuilt by political correctness from victims to perpetrators. A complete role reversal has been taking place under the eyes of a mostly uneducated world whose bias is so flagrant that it could almost be comedic if it was not tragically anti-Semitic.
Have Islamists acted like savages over the last few decades? You tell me?
Of all the terrorist bombings perpetrated in Israel and worldwide over the last six decades, were any done by non-Muslim? NO!
Are civilians (including children) ever used as human shield? ABSOLUTELY YES
We cannot deny that the methods used by radical Muslims (Islamists) are often barbaric. After all, if any culture or belief system values death more than Western civilization values life, “savage” actions will undoubtedly follow, and they have! Yet we must be careful to not label all Muslims as Islamists, something I am not convinced that the ad conveys clearly.
The ad also seems to imply that we will defeat Jihad simply by supporting Israel. I think that that statement also needs clarification.
Many Muslims will tell you, and rightfully so, that jihad simply means “struggle”. They will often insist on the fact that it can mean many kinds of struggles and not necessarily violence and savage killings. In the broader sense, I agree with the definition of the word jihad, but it is rarely if ever used that way within Islam and NEVER used that way by Islamic fundamentalists (Islamists).
In his book The Politically Incorrect Guide to Islam, Robert Spencer, director of Jihad Watch, documents the importance of Jihad for the Muslim world at large:
The unpleasant fact is that violent jihad warfare against unbelievers is not a heretical doctrine held by a tiny minority of extremists, but a constant element of mainstream Islamic theology…This is true of all four principal schools of Sunni Muslim jurisprudence, the Maliki, Hanafi, Hanbali and Shafi’i, to which the great majority of Muslims worldwide belong.1.
So let us call jihad what it is for most of the Muslim world: A struggle to establish Sharia law by force if necessary (why would one want to submit to Sharia by choice continues to be very puzzling to me and most Westerners). The Qur’an is clear: “Mohammed is God’s apostle. Those who follow him are harsh to the unbelievers but merciful to one another” (Surah 48:29).
In the process, infidels either accept Islam and convert, pay the jizya (tax) to the Muslim leadership as second-class citizens (dhimmis) or simply fight the Muslims. There is never an option to peacefully coexist and accept each other’s differences. Multiculturalism and tolerance as promoted by a 21st century postmodern world is only used by Islamists to further infiltrate our world and gain further control (as slowly as necessary, yet as fast possible) , but it is never accepted as an alternative approach to existence.
Looking back at the ad, it will take much more than supporting Israel to fight and defeat jihad simply because it takes a lot more than “helping a friend” to be able to defeat their enemy.
I am a fervent supporter of Israel, her biblical right to the Land and her right to exist. This doesn’t mean that I take a blinded approach to Zionism. I do not agree with every single decision made within the Knesset walls. One can genuinely disagree with a government’s policies without being blatantly against that government or its people. A fair assessment is always within reach as long as the disagreement is based on FACTS and NOT FICTION. Of course, this is hardly ever the case when it comes to the middle-East conflict.
Jihad can stop, but first people have to care and decide that they want to educate themselves about the root of radical Islam.
Jihad can stop if people actually do not allow sharia to taint the fabric of Western civilization.
Jihad will stop when real peace from Yeshua (Jesus) the Prince of Peace is established and not a Muslim caliphate ruling the world (Isaiah 9:6-7).
I guess what even bothers me the most, is the fact that the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (MUNI) decided to run a series of ads to counter the message of Ms. Geller’s campaign ON THE VERY SAME BUSES where the original ads are (see below). This is a first in advertising, when ads to counter a campaign were not ran by the people who felt targeted, in this case, the Muslim community, but by the organization used as the platform for the ads.
I am outraged because this is such a case of double standard and willful blindness. Multiple ad campaigns have appeared all across America that deface and demonize Israel but you NEVER see the people behind the medium used (such as MUNI) run counter ads to defend Israel. Of course not!
A precedent was set in San Francisco and based on the history of my people and the parallel timeline of anti-Semitism through the ages, I am certain that we will see more of the same in the months if not weeks to come. The scapegoat of humanity has ALWAYS been the Jew.
HOW MANY DIFFERENT WAYS CAN YOU SPELL ANTI-SEMITISM?
1. Robert Spencer, The Politically Incorrect Guide to Islam and the Crusades (Regnery Publishing, Washington DC, 2005) Page 38.
Is Postmodern Anti-Semitism the Fate of 21st Century Jews?
It was over 12 years ago that I started to realize that the “oldest hatred” had morphed into a new beast that could potentially be much more damaging than the old. The antisemitism of yesterday, based on the faulty Nazi assumption that Jews are a sub-human race destined to total annihilation, was no longer worth promoting. A new breed of anti-Semites started to appear–as committed to the complete destruction of the Jewish people as the old one–yet with a different message.
Psalm 83: The Conspiracy of the Arab Spring
About twelve years ago, as I was starting the research for my book on the re-birth of anti-Semitism (They have Conspired Against You), I took an in-depth look at Psalm 83. The supplication of Asaph to the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob was poignant to say the least.
The psalmist (a contemporary of King David) was begging God, pleading for justice against the enemies of Israel. Psalm 83:4 reads: They have said, “Come, and let us wipe them out as a nation, That the name of Israel be remembered no more.”
It is almost verbatim the kind of venom that Mahmoud Ahmadinejad or any leader of the Muslim Brotherhood would spew out. But what is very interesting to serious students of biblical prophecy is the list of countries and people groups that follows.
Possibly struck by naivete or an overwhelming desire to refrain from sensationalizing the Bible to make it fit current events, I originally felt that the ten countries listed in Psalm 83 were a literary device used by Asaph to describe the great danger that Israel’s enemies posed back in his days. While there is still some truth to that view, I am increasingly leaning towards a more literal view of a modern day concert of anti-Israel nations. A quick review of the countries at stake does paint a sobering picture:
The tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites; Moab and the Hagrites; Gebal, and Ammon, and Amalek; Philistia with the inhabitants of Tyre; Assyria also has joined with them (Psalm 83:6-8)
When put together, these countries form a conspiracy that geographically surrounds the Land of Israel in a way that cannot be ignored. The question remains that if this is to be a physical attack against Israel, will it occur during the future Great Tribulation or even sooner in our lifetime? With Jordan and Egypt currently at peace with Israel, maybe some would think that I am more of a doomsday hearer than necessary. Think again!
The situation in the Middle East has never been so volatile. Not to mention Iran’s masqueraded race to nuclear power, our eyes should turn to Egypt and Syria and the current turmoil they are in. The “Arab Spring” turns out to be far from what the Western world thought it would be, as the tides of change from dictatorships to democracies, appear to have been nipped in the bud. But even before we turn to the current events of Egypt and Syria, it is worth remembering that within days of Lybia’s Gaddafi death, Al Qaeda’s flags were flying high over many government buildings. Democracy? I think not!
Egyptians are gearing up for a presidential election that is CRITICAL for the future of the Middle East region. The two candidates for President are Ahmed Shafiq (prime minister and former general under Hosni Mubarak’s government) and Muslim Brotherhood’s Mohammed Morsi. Whichever way the scale tips will be far from the democracy hoped for by the instigators of the “Arab Spring”. If the Muslim Brotherhood wins, like many think will happen, we can expect a quick turn of events punctuated by the implementation of sharia law and the annulment of the over two decades old peace treaty between Israel and Egypt.
Syria’s predicament is only adding fuel to the fire, an increasing fire approaching a powder keg that would affect not only the Middle East but most of Western civilization. There are great concerns about again the Muslim Brotherhood taking control of Syria if and when Bashar Al Assad is deposed.
A very interesting sequence of events has been delineated that identifies the false premise of democracy used by Islamists to implement sharia law in recently toppled Middle East countries: