French Is jizya—the money non-Muslims historically paid their Muslim conquerors—meant to buy them “protection,” including from outside enemies, as modern Western academics maintain? Or was it simply extortion money meant to buy non-Muslims their lives, as Islam’s scriptures mandate? The word jizya appears in Koran 9:29: “Fight those among the People of the Book … [Read more...]
World Leaders Lambast Obama’s “Failures” in the Middle East
World leaders are increasingly pointing to U.S. President Obama’s failures in the Middle East. Some are direct and blunt. For example, during his recent visit to Brazil, Russian President Vladimir Putin was asked by journalists about U.S. sanctions against Russia due to the Ukrainian crisis. While naturally condemning such moves, part of his response was to accuse the … [Read more...]
Presbyterian Church USA Criticizes Israel, Ignores Christian Persecution
CBN News Days before the recent Israel/Hamas conflict erupted, the Presbyterian Church USA withdrew $21 million worth in investments from Israel because, as spokesman Heath Rada put it, the Israeli government’s actions “harm the Palestinian people.” Soon after, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appeared on NBC’s “Meet the Press” and was asked if he was “troubled” by … [Read more...]
Islamic State Torches Syriac Catholic Diocese in Mosul
French According to a number of independent sources, the so-called "Islamic State" (formerly "of Iraq and Syria," or "ISIS"), just recently burned down the Syriac Catholic Diocese in Mosul, destroying all its contents. This comes soon after the organization threatened all Christians under its authority either to pay jizya, or extortion money, convert to Islam, or die. … [Read more...]
New Islamic Caliphate Declares Jihad on … Muslims
French The new “caliphate” of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi—the Islamic State, formerly “ISIS”—recently made clear that it means to follow in the footsteps of the original caliphate of Abu Bakr al-Sadiq (632-634), specifically by directing its jihad against fellow Muslims, in Islamic parlance, the “hypocrites” and “apostates,” or in Western terminology, “moderates.” This came out in … [Read more...]