Watching the Middle East Implode

Only when we recognize the fundamental role Islam plays in the region can we begin to craft sensible policies that put U.S. interests first.

by Bruce S. Thornton // Defining Ideas 

The revolutions against dictators in the Middle East dubbed the Arab Spring have degenerated into a complex, bloody mélange of coups and counter-coups, as have happened in Egypt; vicious civil wars, like the current conflict in Syria; a resurgence of jihadists gaining footholds in Libya, Iraq, Afghanistan, and the Sinai; and a shifting and fracturing of alliances and enmities of the sort throwing Lebanon and Jordan into turmoil. Meanwhile, American foreign policy has been confused, incompetent, and feckless in insuring that the security and interests of the United States and its allies are protected. Continue reading “Watching the Middle East Implode”

On 9/11 — A Look Back, a Look Forward

The as now, the Arab world’s self-induced pathologies cannot be cured by American self-doubt.

by Victor Davis Hanson // National Review Online

September 11, 2001, was not just a tragedy, but rather a willful act of war by radical Islamists who hate Western civilization and the American version of it in particular. They achieved, by their cunning and our laxity, a horrendous loss of 800px-Wtc-2004-memorialAmerican life. Indeed, they did something that no enemy had succeeded at since the War of 1812: bringing the war home to the U.S. and inflicting human, material, and economic damage on a colossal scale.

They were emboldened by our prior inability to respond to provocations. A 20-year cycle of Islamist-inspired violence from Tehran to Lebanon to the 1993 World Trade Center attack to the USS Cole in Continue reading “On 9/11 — A Look Back, a Look Forward”

Brotherhood Imposes Jizya Tribute on Egypt’s Christians

by Raymond Ibrahim // RaymondIbrahim.com 

Now that the attacks on Egypt’s Christian churches have subsided, stage two of the jihad — profiting from the fear and terror caused by stage one — is setting in:reports are arriving that the Muslim Brotherhood and its supporters are forcing the roughly 15,000 Christian Copts of Dalga village in south Minya province to payjizya — the money, or tribute, that conquered non-Muslims historically had to pay to their Islamic overlords “with willing submission and while feeling themselves subdued” to safeguard their existence, as indicated in Koran 9:29. Continue reading “Brotherhood Imposes Jizya Tribute on Egypt’s Christians”

In Egypt, Media Sympathizes with Muslim Brotherhood, Persecution of Christians Ignored

by Raymond Ibrahim // NRO’s The Corner

While Western media, following the lead of pro-Brotherhood Al Jazeera, continue demonizing the Egyptian military’s attempts to neutralize the Muslim Brotherhood terror bases – where people have been tortured, raped, and killed, all according to Islamist fatwas (yes, including the rape, more on this later) the media portray them as “sit ins” where Islamists are “holding vigil” only to be slaughtered by the military. Continue reading “In Egypt, Media Sympathizes with Muslim Brotherhood, Persecution of Christians Ignored”

Walls of Hate: Anti-Christian Graffiti Vandalizes Egypt

by Raymond Ibrahim // RaymondIbrahim.com

With the ousting of Muhammad Morsi and his Muslim Brotherhood, the homes and churches of Egypt’s Christians are seeing an unprecedented rise in anti-Christian graffiti.  The following are some of the pictures that were recently disseminated, captioned with translation of graffiti and location information.  The name of Coptic Pope Tawadros especially appears repeatedly, and is a reminder of the jihad unleashed on Egypt’s Christians, for daring to behave like free men and women by supporting the popular June 30 Revolution against the tyrannical Brotherhood. Continue reading “Walls of Hate: Anti-Christian Graffiti Vandalizes Egypt”

Al Qaeda Flag Flies High Above Christian Churches

by Raymond Ibrahim // Gatestone Institute

 

Days ago, al-Qaeda’s Egyptian leader, Ayman Zawahiri, portrayed  the overthrow of Muhammad Morsi and the Brotherhood as a “Crusader” campaign led by Coptic Pope Tawadros II who, according to Zawahiri and other terrorists, is trying to create a Coptic state in Egypt.

screenshot_2353Since then, not only are Egypt’s Christians and churches now being attacked in ways unprecedented in the modern era, but new reports indicate that al-Qaeda’s black flag has been raised on some of them, specifically St. George Church in Sohag.  Considering that it was al-Qaeda linked terrorists who  initiated one of the bloodiest church attacks in recent history, the 2010 Baghdad church attack where nearly 60 Christians were slaughtered (click here for graphic images), that al-Qaeda is singling out Egypt’s Christians bodes ill. Continue reading “Al Qaeda Flag Flies High Above Christian Churches”

The Return of Al Qaeda and Jihad

by Raymond Ibrahim // FrontPage Magazine

With the ousting of Muhammad Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, al-Qaeda has been vindicated and the terror-jihad exonerated, in the opinion of many Islamists, that is. Continue reading “The Return of Al Qaeda and Jihad”

Understanding Islam: Buddhist Common Sense vs. Western Nonsense

by Raymond Ibrahim // CBN News (Ibrahim: Islam Unveiled)

A recent New York Times article titled “Extremism Rises Among Myanmar’s Buddhists” offers important lessons on common sense and nonsense.  Witten by one Thomas Fuller, it begins by telling of how Continue reading “Understanding Islam: Buddhist Common Sense vs. Western Nonsense”

Brotherhood Torture Chambers (Finally) Exposed

by Raymond Ibrahim // FrontPage Magazine

Some time ago, Fox News published a report titled “Egyptian mosque turned into house of torture for Christians after Muslim Brotherhood protest.”   The report opens by explaining how: Continue reading “Brotherhood Torture Chambers (Finally) Exposed”

Christian Tragedy in the Muslim World

We are living through one of the largest persecutions of a religious group in history.

by Bruce S. Thornton // Defining Ideas

 

riot-620x413Few people realize that we are today living through the largest persecution of Christians in history, worse even than the famous attacks under ancient Roman emperors like Diocletian and Nero. Estimates of the numbers of Christians under assault range from 100-200 million. Continue reading “Christian Tragedy in the Muslim World”