Current Events

Prophetic Significance of Islam

See also:
"Islam" at Apologetics Central
Muslim Brotherhood
War in America
Mid-East Conflict
Persecution
Terrorism
Disaster Preparedness
War of Gog and Magog
Revived Roman Empire
Information About The Crusades

Iraq Crisis: Islamic State Militants Driven From Mosul Dam

Aug. 19, 2014 -

... backed by Iraqi troops and U.S. airstrikes, the Kurdish forces had wrested back control of the fragile dam and driven out militants from the group also known as ISIS or ISIL.

Source: Wall Street Journal

Prophetic Significance of Islam

Vatican calls on Muslim leaders to condemn Christian persecution in Iraq

Aug. 13, 2014 -

The Vatican has called on Muslim leaders to denounce unambiguously the persecution of Christians and Yazidis in Iraq – and hinted that it is considering breaking off dialogue with Islamic representatives if they fail to do so.

Some 100,000 Christians have reportedly fled their homes in Iraq because of death-threats by ISIS. The statement said that ISIS was slaughtering people solely for religious reasons and were committing "the execrable practice[s] of decapitation, crucifixion and hanging of corpses in public places."

The Vatican's Pontifical Council for Inter-religious Dialogue said that all religious leaders, including those espousing Islam, must condemn these crimes if they want to continue dialogue with the Catholic Church.

Source: The Guardian

Vatican Approves U.S. Airstrikes in Iraq in Rare Exception to Peace Policy - Breitbart

The norming of jihad -Pamela Geller - WND

US air strikes in Iraq will have minimal impact on Isis – Pentagon

Aug. 12, 2014 - Army Lt Gen William Mayville, a senior Pentagon planning officer says that the current air strikes will not stop ISIS (ISIL).

"So I in no way want to suggest that we have effectively contained or that we are somehow breaking the momentum of the threat posed by Isil.”

He believes that ISIS will "look for other things to do, to pick up and move elsewhere."

Maryville did say that the US strikes have given US-backed Kurdish irregular forces, known as Peshmerga, “time to fortify their defensive positions.”

Source: The Guardian

ISIS Swallowing Iraq: 'They're Beheading Children' - CBN

Wahhabi preacher teaches ‘beheading with pleasure’ - InSerbia

- Telegraph - UK

Iraq crisis: 'It is death valley. Up to 70 per cent of them are dead' - IJReview

5-year-old Christian boy cut in half by ISIS - WND

How ISIS and other jihadists persuaded thousands of Westerners to fight their war of extremism - Washington Post

British brothers fighting for Isis in Syria were groomed by extremists using Violent Video Game "Call of Duty" - Daily Mail

Western Sex Slaves for ISIS: The Twisted Psychology of Jihad Brides - Breitbart

ISIS Rising

Aug. 10, 2014 - Hal Lindsey explains the seriousness of the rise of the powerful terrorist group ISIS. He says it may signal the "complete reshaping of the situation in the Middle East." General Jack Keane, former Army Chief of Staff, said, “This is the most significant threat to the Middle East that I’ve ever observed.”

ISIS claims to be a new Islamic caliphate and is now calling itself simply “The Islamic State.” Lindsey warns that if they take complete control of Syria, or its other targets -- Jordan and Lebanon -- this radical caliphate will be next door to Israel.

At this time Lebanon's Hezbollah is helping Syria resist ISIS.

Hezbollah is Shi’ia Muslim while ISIS is Sunni Muslim, which makes them practically mortal enemies. Since ISIS is now stirring in Lebanon, Hezbollah may have to withdraw and return home to defend Lebanon. If that happens, Syria’s fall is more likely.

Source: Hall Lindsey

Iraq Christians flee as Islamic State takes Qaraqosh

Aug. 7, 2014 -

Up to a quarter of Iraq's Christians are reported to be fleeing after Islamic militants seized the minority's biggest town in the country.
The Islamic State (IS) group captured Qaraqosh in Nineveh province overnight after the withdrawal of Kurdish forces.

It is believed that some 100,000 displaced Christians are fleeing into the autonomous Kurdistan Region.

Source: BBC

Official: Kurdish forces fend off ISIS fighters, hold Mosul Dam

Aug. 7, 2014 - It had been reported that militants from the newly formed Islamic State (formerly the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, or ISIS) had taken control of Iraq's largest hydroelectric dam, which is on the Tigris River just north of Iraq's second largest city, Mosul. However, fierce resistance by the Kurdish forces there kept the dam from being overtaken, and reinforcements arrived early Monday morning.

Source: CNN

ISIS to Iraqi Christians in Mosul: Convert or Die

July 18, 2014 - Leaflets were distributed to Christians in Mosul, Iraq, requiring them to convert to Islam or pay extra taxes to the Islamic Sharia courts.

According to a message from ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, non-complying Christians were permitted to "evacuate themselves only from the caliphate state" by 12 p.m. local time on Saturday or their "only option is the sword."

Meanwhile ISIS has reportedly turned parts of Mosul over to another Sunni militant group, the Naqshbandi Army (also referred to as JRTN - led by Saddam Hussein-era Baathists). ISIS has gone on to fight Iraqi armed forces in Tikrit

Source: Breitbart

Facing fines, conversion or death, Christian families flee Mosul - Breitbart

After 2,000 Years, the Last Christian is Forced to Leave Mosul - Breitbart

ISIS torches 1800 year-old church in mosul priest says city is now empty of christians - Christian Post

US, UN Denounce ISIL Persecution of Iraqi Minorities - Voice of America

ISIS to Iraqi Christians in Mosul: Convert or Die

July 18, 2014 - Leaflets were distributed to Christians in Mosul, Iraq, requiring them to convert to Islam or pay extra taxes to the Islamic Sharia courts.

According to a message from ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, non-complying Christians were permitted to "evacuate themselves only from the caliphate state" by 12 p.m. local time on Saturday or their "only option is the sword."

Meanwhile ISIS has reportedly turned parts of Mosul over to another Sunni militant group, the Naqshbandi Army (also referred to as JRTN - led by Saddam Hussein-era Baathists). ISIS has gone on to fight Iraqi armed forces in Tikrit

Source: Breitbart

Facing fines, conversion or death, Christian families flee Mosul - Breitbart

After 2,000 Years, the Last Christian is Forced to Leave Mosul - Breitbart

ISIS Crucifies Young Men For Leaving The Peaceful Religion of Islam - Shoebat

Syria-Iraq 'caliph' incites Muslims to holy war

July 2, 2014 - Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, claiming to be caliph of the new "Islamic State," carved out from the terrorist advances in Syria and Iraq, issued a call to Muslims everywhere to join the jihad [holy war] and be part of a "new era" in which Muslims will ultimately triumph.

Baghdadi, who has assumed the mediaeval title of caliph, used the message to seek to assert authority over Muslims everywhere. He called on them to rise up and avenge the alleged wrongs committed against their religion, from Central African Republic to Myanmar (Burma)

Source: Reuters

ISIS Leader: 'Soon... A Day Will Come When the Muslim Will Walk Everywhere as a Master' - Breitbart

Sunni militants declare Islamic state in Iraq and Syria - Fox

Sunni rebels declare new 'Islamic caliphate' - Al Jazeera

Official Document claiming to establish a caliphate

Here's What We Know About The 'Caliph' Of The New 'Islamic State' [Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi] - Business Insider

U.S., Israel aid Jordan amid ISIS threat - Aaron Kline - WND

See the Terrifying ISIS Map Showing Its 5-Year Expansion Plan - ABC

Successors to the prophet: Islam's caliphates - Yahoo

Iraqi Kurds dig frontier around disputed areas - Times of Israel

Jay Smith and Sid Cordle at Speaker's Corner - Hyde Park - What is ISIS? - YouTube

It’s Not the ‘Occupation’ —- It’s Islam - FrontPage Magazine

In the grisly delusions of Isis, past and present are one - "The caliphate announced at the weekend is likely to expire as it was born: amid a welter of blood." - Tom Holland, Historian, Author of In the Shadow of the Sword - FT (Free registration required).

Iraqi leaders seen as desperate as Kerry arrives in Baghdad

Jun. 23, 2014 - As Iraqi towns continued to fall to the advancing Sunni insurgents, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry flew into Baghdad for a series of meetings with Iraqi leaders. During this trip the U.S. team switched their terminology for the ISIS rebels. Initially they were calling them "a highly capable and sophisticated terrorist organization [that] is also essentially a criminal syndicate." They now refer to the attackers as an "army."

Source: Fox

Convert to Islam or face the sword: Iraqi Christians flee cities captured by extremists known to kill non-Muslims - National Post

Major U.S. city next target for Islamic terror - F. Michael Maloof - WND

Top Malaysian Court Rules 'Allah' Only for Muslims

Jun. 23, 2014 - Malaysia's highest court decided that the name "Allah" cannot be used to refer to other gods. A Roman Catholic newspaper and some translations of the Bible have been using the word "Allah" to refer to the God of the Bible. The court agreed that...

... Allah should be reserved exclusively for Muslims, because if other religions use the word, it could be confusing and lead Muslims to convert.

Source: Voice of America

Editor's Note: This confusion goes all the way back to Muhammad, the founder of the Islamic religion. He borrowed many of the stories of the Old and New Testament. This would imply that Allah was the god of those stories. But he re-defined this god, applying the name of the existing moon-god Allah, declaring that Allah was the only true god, and insisting that Allah did NOT have a son. He even re-defined Jesus as one of the prophets, but positioned himself as the true prophet of Allah.

Pakistanis rebuke West for appeasing Islam

May 17, 2014 - Several Pakistani columnists and journalists are critical of the way western news sources report the news of the mass abduction of Nigerian schoolgirls. Even though Pakistan is an Islamic nation, these writers claim that there is a link between Islamic law and the actions of groups like Boko Haram and the Taiban.

In an article in the Pakistani daily Dawn titled “There is a mini Boko Haram thriving in every Muslim society,” columnist Murtaza Haider warned that such acts are inherent in Muslim societies

The Middle East Media and Research Institute (MEMRI)noted an article that chastised Western leftists for describing any critique of Islam as “Islamophobia.”

Source: WND

New age of terror: Islam 'metastasizing worldwide' - Expert Brigitte Gabriel warns, Muslims 'feeling empowered to resurrect an Islamic caliphate' - WND

Ground Zero cross a powerful symbol for 9/11 museum

May 15, 2014 - The 9/11 Memorial Museum is being dedicated today below ground level under the place where the Twin Towers once stood. It is a massive shrine to honor the memory of the nearly 3000 people who died there.

Thousands of pieces of memorabilia, large and small, are on display in the museum. Among them there is a 17-foot-high cross-section of steel I-beams from the North Tower, shaped like a cross. It had plummeted into an adjacent office building. Two days after the attack one of the rescue workers spotted the cross:

He spray-painted arrows around the site pointing to "Gods House'' (sic). Recovery and rescue workers came by on their breaks; some wrote the names of the dead or their units on the cross.

Source: USA Today

Film at 9/11 Museum Sets Off Clash Over Reference to Islam - NY Times

CAIR: Remove ‘Islamist Extremism,’ ‘Jihadism’ From 9/11 Museum Video - CNS

Boko Haram video claims to show kidnapped schoolgirls

May 12, 2014 -

Boko Haram released a new video on Monday claiming to show the missing Nigerian schoolgirls, alleging the teenagers had converted to Islam and would not be released until all militant prisoners were freed.

Source: Times of Israel

Why the World Is Becoming More Violent - Christianity Today

'I will sell them,' Boko Haram leader says of kidnapped Nigerian girls

May 6, 2014 - In Nigeria Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau released a video explaining about the organization's abduction of more than 200 girls. He warned,

"There is a market for selling humans. Allah says I should sell. He commands me to sell. I will sell women. I sell women," he continued, according to a CNN translation from the local Hausa language.

Boko Haram was nammed by the U.S. as a terrorist group in 2013. They are Islamists who are opposed to Western education. The name Boko Haram means "Western education is sin." The group received training from al Qaeda affiliates.

Source: CNN

Nigeria abductions: 6 reasons why the world should demand action - CNN

A new low – even for Islamic terrorists - OneNewsNow

Most of Boko Haram Kidnapped Schoolgirls Are Christians, Nigerian Evangelist Sayss - Christian Post

Muslim Officials Condemn Boko Haram Kidnapping of Nigeria Girls - Epoch Times

Top Muslim body demands Boko Haram free girls-news24 - Nigerian Bulletin

The Middle East War on Christians

Apr. 18, 2014 - The latest report from Open Doors revealed that 9 of the 10 most oppressive countries for Christians are Muslim-majority states like Iran, Syria, and Saudi Arabia. At the beginning of the 20th century 26% of the residents of the Middle East were Christians.

Today, that figure has dwindled to less than 10%. Intolerant and extremist governments are driving away the Christian communities that have lived in the Middle East since their faith was born.

Israel is the only country in the Middle East with a growing Christian population (from 34,000 in 1948 to 140,000 today).

Source: Ron Proser, Israeli Ambassador to the UN - The Wall Street Journal

World Watch List - Open Doors

Muslim 'disinformation' campaign strategic ... and dangerous

Apr. 1, 2014 - In Ohio an Islamic group called "Ask a Muslim" is using billboards to claim "Jesus is Muslim" and "Mohammad is in the Bible." Dr. Alex McFarland, a Christian apologist and co-host of American Family Radio's "Exploring the Word." says Muslim groups are using disinformation about Christianity to try to convert people to Islam. He says, those who do not know the Bible and the facts of history may be misled. He also says,

"Allah is not God, the Koran is not scripture, and Mohammad is not a true prophet of God" – and believes Muslims and the world need to know that Jesus Christ is Lord.

Source: One News Now

Egyptian Islamists Murder Young Christian, After Dragging Her From Car

Apr. 1, 2014 -

Eyewitnesses have given a harrowing account of the murder in Cairo of a young Coptic Christian woman, hauled out of her car and beaten and stabbed to death by a Muslim mob, apparently targeted because of a cross hanging from her rear-view mirror.

The victim, 25-year-old Mary Sameh George was planning to deliver medicine to an ill and elderly woman. The incident was barely reported by Egyptian news, but an Interior Ministry spokesman told one wire service that the Muslim Brotherhood was to blame.

Source: CNS News

Hamas Lawmaker: Koran Says We Must Massacre Jews

Mar. 24, 2014 - In a telecast a Hamas lawmaker, Yunis Al-Astal, quoted the Koran: "If you gain mastery over them in a war, use them to disperse those who follow them that they may remember." He then said,

This indicates that we must massacre them, in order to break them down and prevent them from sowing corruption in the world. They are the ones who still spark the flame of war, but Allah has taken it upon Himself to extinguish it.

Source: Israel National News

Arab League rejects Israel as Jewish state

Mar. 11, 2014 - US-backed peace negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians is approaching a deadline next month. Israel is demanding that they be recognized as a Jewish state but Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas says that he will never give in to that condition. Arab foreign ministers, meeting in Cairo, agreed with Abbas. They said,

"The council of the Arab League confirms its support for the Palestinian leadership in its effort to end the Israeli occupation over Palestinian lands, and emphasizes its rejection of recognizing Israel as a 'Jewish state'."

Source: Al Jazeera

Report: Entire Families Coming to Christ in Saudi Arabia

Mar. 6, 2014 - This article gives many examples of Saudi men, women, and even whole families learning about the Gospel and accepting Christ. Some of them are finding the truth on the Internet. Some are responding to the testimonies of other ex-Muslims who have come to Christ. Some have experienced dreams or visions that led to their conversion.

Source: Charisma News

More stories - Charisma

Brave German Woman Rebukes The Lie Of Chrislam In Church Service

Feb. 12, 2013 - See the video of a German woman who protested when a Muslim cleric was participating in a Christian service. Read about the dangers of accepting the concept of "Chrislam," a blending of the two beliefs and the false claim that Allah and Jehovah are the same.

Source: NowTheEndBegins

Number of Christians killed for their faith doubled in 2013

Jan. 9, 2013 -

Open Doors, a non-denominational group supporting persecuted Christians worldwide, said on Wednesday it had documented 2,123 “martyr” killings, compared with 1,201 in 2012. There were 1,213 such deaths in Syria alone last year, it said.

Open Doors, a ministry to persecuted Christians has published a list of the 50 countries that are the worst persecutors of Christians. North Korea is at the top of its list. Radical Muslims are the main source of persecution in 36 of the countries on the list.

The persecution watchdog group estimates that last year about 100 million Christians around the world suffered persecution for their faith.

Source: Globe and Mail

Top 50 list of Christian persecutors - WND

World Watch List - Open Doors