An Iraqi Muslim Family Experiences Christian Love

This is the story that's been posted up on the immigrant connect website: http://www.immigrantconnect.org/2011/06/15/shakor-ahmed-searching-for-religious-fulfillment-from-iraq-to-chicago/

Answering Muslims: Why Did Jesus Say, "The Father Is Greater Than I"?...

Answering Muslims: Why Did Jesus Say, "The Father Is Greater Than I"?...

Patt Morrison Asks: Rosetta man Ahmed Zewail

Patt Morrison Asks: Rosetta man Ahmed Zewail

Pakistan Muslim Brotherhood Wants to Ban the Bible

Pakistan: Islamic party appeals to supreme court to ban the Bible
Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam's demands make them look weak and afraid, as they send the message to the rest of the world that their faith cannot hold its own in the free market of ideas or stand up to a challenge. Then again, avoiding the challenge altogether is often the idea. Clamping down on free speech can be as much a cynical labor-saving device as a power play.

But it is not just about them. This measure, if approved, would accelerate the purge of Christianity from Pakistan that they and their fellow travelers wish to complete. The ban would be an assault on liturgy, prayer, and teaching, effectively criminalizing every element of Christian religious life. It would be a giant step in the ongoing campaign to make life so intolerable as to induce Christians to leave the country or convert under terror.

"Pakistani Muslims demand a ban on the Bible," from Fides, June 3:

The Islamic party of Pakistan, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam, has filed an appeal to the Supreme Court of Pakistan and launched a campaign asking to ban the circulation of the Bible, described as a "pornographic " and "blasphemous book". This is a new attack against the Christian community in Pakistan, frightened by the attacks and threats suffered after the death of Bin Laden, already under attack due to the damaging effects of the blasphemy law, with the consequence of death penalty to those who insult the Koran or the Prophet Muhammad. The radical group Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam, with its headquarters in Karachi, launched the campaign at a public conference.
Whose prophet?

The allegations above demonstrate why Islamic laws against blasphemy are a ticking time bomb for non-Muslims. Any expression of a belief at variance with Islam can become fair game to be branded as "blasphemy" or "defamation."

According to the group's leader, Abdul Rauf Farooqi, some passages of the Bible describe characters that Muslims regard as prophets as being "vicious and immoral".
One does get into some trouble for describing "characters that Muslims regard as prophets as being 'vicious and immoral'."

"It is a move that could fuel religious hatred against Christians. It is a threat to peaceful coexistence, an attack on the heart of our faith", says a bewildered Fr. Saleh Diego, who presides over the "Justice and Peace Commission" in the Archdiocese of Karachi. "As Christians we are already very weak and subject to pressures for the unjust blasphemy law. These radical groups want to delete us entirely. Sure, they are only minority groups, and we hope for the rise of voices of moderate Muslim leaders to stop this campaign of hatred " he remarks.
JUI has also not taken into consideration one element of human psychology: the act of banning a book has a way of making even a hitherto obscure publication an object of fascination, as people ask what could be in it that so terrifies grown men in positions of power.

"Our response as Christians in Pakistan, already seen as targets, can be only to confirm the urgency of dialogue and respect for all religious symbols and sacred books of all religions. But we expect that, at an international level, a stronger and more determined answer might emerge, in order to sustain us", concludes Father Diego, calling for a mobilization of Christians and international institutions to stop the campaign against the Bible.

Call to Ban Bible Under Pakistan's Elastic Blasphemy Laws

Call to Ban Bible Under Pakistan's Elastic Blasphemy Laws

Is Terror Mentioned in the Quran and Hadith?

Muhammad's Own Words
Prophet of Doom was written to expose what Islam’s founder had to say about himself, his ambition, religion, and god. Before you use or criticize these quotes, please read this overview from the author. For those who are serious about the study of Islam, be sure to read the source material appendix, entitled Islam's Dark Past.


Terrorism

Bukhari:V4B52N220 "Allah's Apostle said, 'I have been made victorious with terror.'"
Qur'an:8:12 "I shall terrorize the infidels. So wound their bodies and incapacitate them because they oppose Allah and His Apostle."
Qur'an:8:57 "If you gain mastery over them in battle, inflict such a defeat as would terrorize them, so that they would learn a lesson and be warned."
Ishaq:326 "If you come upon them, deal so forcibly as to terrify those who would follow, that they may be warned. Make a severe example of them by terrorizing Allah's enemies."
Qur'an:8:67 "It is not fitting for any prophet to have prisoners until he has made a great slaughter in the land."
Ishaq:588 "When the Apostle descends on your land none of your people will be left when he leaves."
Tabari IX:42 "We have been dealt a situation from which there is no escape. You have seen what Muhammad has done. Arabs have submitted to him and we do not have the strength to fight. You know that no herd is safe from him. And no one even dares go outside for fear of being terrorized."
Ishaq:326 "Allah said, 'No Prophet before Muhammad took booty from his enemy nor prisoners for ransom.' Muhammad said, 'I was made victorious with terror. The earth was made a place for me to clean. I was given the most powerful words. Booty was made lawful for me. I was given the power to intercede. These five privileges were awarded to no prophet before me.'"
Ishaq:327 "Allah said, 'A prophet must slaughter before collecting captives. A slaughtered enemy is driven from the land. Muhammad, you craved the desires of this world, its goods and the ransom captives would bring. But Allah desires killing them to manifest the religion.'"
Qur'an:7:3 "Little do you remember My warning. How many towns have We destroyed as a raid by night? Our punishment took them suddenly while they slept for their afternoon rest. Our terror came to them; Our punishment overtook them."
Ishaq:510 "When the Apostle looked down on Khaybar he told his Companions, 'O Allah, Lord of the Devils and what into terror they throw, and Lord of the winds and what they winnow, we ask Thee for the booty of this town and its people. Forward in the name of Allah.' He used to say this of every town he raided."
Bukhari:V5B59N512 "The Prophet offered the Fajr Prayer [Prayer of Fear] near Khaybar when it was still dark. He said, 'Allahu-Akbar!' [Allah is Greatest] Khaybar is destroyed, for whenever we approach a hostile nation to fight, then evil will be the morning for those who have been warned.' Then the inhabitants came out running on their roads. The Prophet had their men killed; their children and woman were taken as captives."
Bukhari:V9B87N127 "The Prophet said, 'I have been given the keys of eloquent speech and given victory with terror.'"
Ishaq:517 "Khaybar was stormed by the Apostle's squadron, fully armed, powerful and strong. It brought certain humiliation with Muslim men in its midst. We attacked and they met their doom. Muhammad conquered the Jews in fighting that day as they opened their eyes to our dust."
Tabari VIII:116
Ishaq:511 "So Muhammad began seizing their herds and their property bit by bit. He conquered home by home. The Messenger took some people captive, including Safiyah and her two cousins. The Prophet chose Safiyah for himself."
Bukhari:V5B59N512 "The Prophet had their men killed, their children and woman taken captive."
Tabari VIII:129 "After the Messenger had finished with the Khaybar Jews, Allah cast terror into the hearts of the Jews in Fadak when they received news of what Allah had brought upon Khaybar. Fadak became the exclusive property of Allah's Messenger."
Tabari VIII:133 "The raiding party went to Tha'labah. One of Muhammad's slaves, said, 'Prophet, I know where Tha'labah can be taken by surprise.' So Muhammad sent him with 130 men. They raided the town and drove off camels and sheep, bringing them back to Medina."
Tabari VIII:138 "Muhammad carried arms, helmets, and spears. He led a hundred horses, appointing Bahir to be in charge of the weapons and Maslamah to be in charge of the horses. When the Quraysh received word of this, it frightened them."
Qur'an:33:26 "Allah made the Jews leave their homes by terrorizing them so that you killed some and made many captive. And He made you inherit their lands, their homes, and their wealth. He gave you a country you had not traversed before."
Qur'an:59:2 "It was Allah who drove the [Jewish] People of the Book from their homes and into exile. They refused to believe and imagined that their strongholds would protect them against Allah. But Allah came at them from where they did not suspect, and filled their hearts with terror. Their homes were destroyed. So learn a lesson, O men who have eyes. This is My warning...they shall taste the torment of Fire."
Qur'an:33:60 "Truly, if the Hypocrites stir up sedition, if the agitators in the City do not desist, We shall urge you to go against them and set you over them. Then they will not be able to stay as your neighbors for any length of time. They shall have a curse on them. Whenever they are found, they shall be seized and slain without mercy - a fierce slaughter - murdered, a horrible murdering."
Tabari VIII:143 "In this year a twenty-four man raiding party led by Shuja went to the Banu Amir. He launched a raid on them and took camels and sheep. The shares of booty came to fifteen camels for each man. Also a raid led by Amr went to Dhat. He set out with fifteen men. He encountered a large force whom he summoned to Islam. They refused to respond so he killed all of them."
Bukhari:V4B52N256 "The Prophet passed by and was asked whether it was permissible to attack infidels at night with the probability of exposing their women and children to danger. The Prophet replied, 'Their women and children are from them.'"
Tabari IX:20 "The captives of Hunayn, along with their possessions, were brought to the Messenger. He ordered that their captives, animals, and their possessions be taken to Ji'ranah and held there in custody."
Ishaq:576 "Allah and His servant overwhelmed every coward. Allah honored us and made our religion victorious. We were glorified and destroyed them all. Allah humiliated them in the worship of Satan. By what our Apostle recites from the Book and by our swift horses, I liked the punishment the infidels received. Killing them was sweeter than drink. We galloped among them panting for the spoil. With our loud-voiced army, the Apostle's squadron advanced into the fray."
Ishaq:580 "Our strong warriors obey his orders to the letter. By us Allah's religion is undeniably strong. You would think when our horses gallop with bits in their mouths that the sounds of demons are among them. The day we trod down the unbelievers there was no deviation or turning from the Apostle's order. During the battle the people heard our exhortations to fight and the smashing of skulls by swords that sent heads flying. We severed necks with a warrior's blow. Often we have left the slain cut to pieces and a widow crying alas over her mutilated husband. 'Tis Allah, not man we seek to please."
Tabari IX:122 "Muhammad sent Uyaynah to raid The Banu Anbar. They killed some people and took others captive. Asma was one of the women taken prisoner."
Tabari IX:123 "Muhammad sent an expedition to Ghalib and to the land of the Banu Murrah. The raid on Amr and Abi was sent to the valley of Idam. Another by Aslami was sent to Ghabah. And Abd al-Rahman was ordered by the Messenger to lead an army to the seashore."
Tabari IX:69 "He who believes in Allah and His Messenger has protected his life and possessions from us. As for those who disbelieve, we will fight them forever in the Cause of Allah. Killing them is a small matter to us."
Bukhari:V5B59N516 "When Allah's Apostle fought or raided people we raised our voices saying, 'Allahu-Akbar! Allahu-Akbar! None has the right to be worshipped but Allah.'"
Tabari VII:10 "In Ramadhan, seven months after the Hijrah, Muhammad entrusted a white war banner to Hamzah with the command of thirty Emigrants. Their aim was to intercept a Quraysh caravan."
Ishaq:281 "The Raid on Waddan was the first Maghazi [invasion]. The Expedition of Harith was second. They encountered a large number of Quraysh in the Hijaz. Abu Bakr composed a poem about the raid: 'When we called them to the truth they turned their backs and howled like bitches. Allah's punishment on them will not tarry. I swear by the Lord of Camels [Allah?] that I am no perjurer. A valiant band will descend upon the Quraysh which will leave women husbandless. It will leave men dead, with vultures wheeling round. It will not spare the infidels.'"
Ishaq:285 "Then the Apostle went raiding in the month of Rabi u'l-Awwal making for the Quraysh. Then he raided the Quraysh by way of Dinar."
Tabari VII:11 "In this year the Messenger entrusted to Sa'd a white war banner for the expedition to Kharrar. Sa'd said, 'I set out on foot at the head of twenty men. We used to lie hidden by day and march at night, until we reached Kharrar on the fifth morning. The caravan had arrived in town a day before. There were sixty men with it."
Tabari VII:11 "The Messenger of Allah went out on a raid as far as Waddan, searching for Quraysh."
Tabari VII:15 "Expeditions Led by Allah's Messenger: In this year, according to all Sira writers, the Messenger personally led the Ghazwa of Alwa. [A Ghazwa is an Islamic Invasion in Allah's Cause consisting of an army unit led by the Prophet himself.] He left Sa'd in command of Medina. On this raid his banner was carried by Hamzah. He stayed out for fifteen days and then returned to Medina. The Messenger went on a Ghazwa at the head of two hundred of his companions in October, 623 and reached Buwat. His intention was to intercept a Quraysh caravan with a hundred men and twenty-five hundred camels."
Ishaq:286 "Meanwhile the Apostle sent Sa'd on the raid of Abu Waqqas. The Prophet only stayed a few nights in Medina before raiding Ushayra and then Kurz."
Bukhari:V5B57N51 "The Apostle said, 'Tomorrow I will give the flag to a man whose leadership Allah will use to grant a Muslim victory."
Bukhari:V5B59N569 "I fought in seven Ghazwat battles along with the Prophet and fought in nine Maghazi raids in armies dispatched by the Prophet."
Bukhari:V5B57N74 "I heard Sa'd saying, 'I was the first Arab to shoot an arrow in Allah's Cause.'"
Bukhari:V5B59N401 "Allah's Wrath became severe on anyone the Prophet killed in Allah's Cause."
Bukhari:V5B59N456 "Muhammad led the Fear Prayer [Allahu Akbar!] with one batch of his army while the other (batch) faced the enemy."
Bukhari:V5B59N440 "Allah's Apostle used to say, 'None has the right to be worshipped except Allah Alone because He honored His Warriors and made His Messenger victorious. He defeated the clans; so there is nothing left.'"
Ishaq:287 "The Muslim raiders consulted one another concerning them. One of the Muslims said, 'By Allah, if we leave these people alone, they will get into the sacred territory and will be safely out of our reach. If we kill them we will have killed in the sacred month.'"
Tabari VII:19 "They hesitated and were afraid to advance, but then they plucked up courage and agreed to kill as many as they could and to seize what they had with them. Waqid shot an arrow at Amr and killed him. Uthman and al-Hakam surrendered. Then Waqid and his companions took the caravan and the captives back to Allah's Apostle in Medina. This was the first booty taken by the Companions of Muhammad."
Ishaq:289 "Our lances drank of Amr's blood and lit the flame of war."
Tabari VII:20
Ishaq:287 "Abd Allah told his Companions, 'A fifth of the booty we have taken belongs to the Apostle.' This was before Allah made surrendering a fifth of the booty taken a requirement."
Tabari VII:20
Ishaq:288 "The Quraysh said, 'Muhammad and his Companions have violated the sacred month, shed blood, seized property, and taken men captive.' The polytheists spread lying slander concerning him, saying, 'Muhammad claims that he is following obedience to Allah, yet he is the first to violate the holy month and to kill our people.'"
Ishaq:288 "When the Qur'an:passage concerning this matter was revealed, and Allah relieved Muslims from their fear and anxiety, Muhammad took possession of the caravan and prisoners. The Quraysh sent him a ransom and the Prophet released the prisoners on payment. When the Qur'an:authorization came down to Muhammad, Abd Allah and his Companions were relieved and they became anxious for an additional reward. They said, 'Will this raid be counted as part of the reward promised to Muslim combatants?' So Allah sent down this Qur'an: 'Those who believe and have fought in Allah's Cause may receive Allah's mercy.' Allah made the booty permissible. He divided the loot, awarding four-fifths to the men He had allowed to take it. He gave one-fifth to His Apostle."
Ishaq:288 "Allah divided the booty stolen from the first caravan after he made spoils permissible. He gave four-fifths to those He had allowed to take it and one-fifth to His Apostle."
Tabari VII:29
Ishaq:289 "The Apostle heard that Abu Sufyan [a Meccan merchant] was coming from Syria with a large caravan containing their money and their merchandise. He was accompanied by only thirty men."
Ishaq:289 "Muhammad summoned the Muslims and said, 'This is the Quraysh caravan containing their property. Go out and attack it. Perhaps Allah will give it to us as prey."
Tabari VII:29 "Abu Sufyan and the horsemen of the Quraysh were returning from Syria following the coastal road. When Allah's Apostle heard about them he called his companions together and told them of the wealth they had with them and the fewness of their numbers. The Muslims set out with no other object than Sufyan and the men with him. They did not think that this raid would be anything other than easy booty."
Bukhari:V5B59N702 "Allah did not admonish anyone who had not participated in the Ghazwa [raid] of Badr, for in fact, Allah's Apostle had only gone out in search of the Quraysh caravan so that he could rob it. But Allah arranged for the Muslims and their enemy to meet by surprise. I was at the Aqaba pledge with Allah's Apostle when we gave our lives in submission, but the Badr battle is more popular amongst the people. I was never stronger or wealthier than I was when I followed the Prophet on a Ghazwa.'"
Tabari VII:29 "They did not suppose that there would be a great battle. Concerning this Allah revealed a Qur'an: Qur'an:8:7 'Behold! Allah promised you that one of the two parties would be yours. You wished for the unarmed one, but Allah willed to justify His truth according to His words and to cut off the roots of the unbelievers [wipe them out to the last].'"
Tabari VII:29 "When Abu Sufyan heard that Muhammad's Companions were on their way to intercept his caravan, he sent a message to the Quraysh. 'Muhammad is going to attack our caravan, so protect your merchandise.' When the Quraysh heard this, the people of Mecca hastened to defend their property and protect their men as they were told Muhammad was lying in wait for them."
Ishaq:290 "Some Meccans got up to circumambulate the Ka'aba.... Sitting around the mosque, they wondered why they had allowed this evil rascal to attack their men."
Ishaq:292 "Setting out in Ramadhan, Muhammad was preceded by two black flags. His companions had seventy camels."
Tabari VII:38 "I have been informed by authorities that Muhammad set out on 3 Ramadhan at the head of 310 of his companions. The war banner of the Messenger was carried by Ali. The banner of the Ansar was carried by Sa'd."
Ishaq:293
Tabari VII:30 "The prophet marched forward and spent the night near Badr with his Companions. While the Prophet was standing in prayer [asking Allah to help him steal] some Quraysh water-carriers came to the well. Among these was a black slave. Muhammad's men seized him and brought him to the Messenger's bivouac. They ordered him to salute Allah's Apostle. Then they questioned him about Abu Sufyan. When the slave began to tell them about the protecting force, it was unwelcome news, for the only object of their raid was the caravan."
Tabari VII:30 "Meanwhile the Prophet was praying, bowing and prostrating himself, and also seeing and hearing the treatment of the slave. They beat him severely and continued to interrogate him but they found that he had no knowledge of what they were looking for."
Ishaq:294 "The Apostle was afraid the Ansar would not feel obliged to help him fight without the enemy being the aggressor and attacking in Medina. Sa'd said, 'We hear and obey. We are experienced in war, trustworthy in combat. Allah will let us show you something that will bring you joy. The Apostle was delighted at Sa'd's words which greatly encouraged him. Muhammad shouted, 'It is as if I see the enemy lying prostrate.'"
Tabari VII:32 "When the Quraysh advanced, Muhammad threw dust in the direction of their faces, and Allah put them to flight.... The Meccan [merchant] force and the Prophet's [pirates] met and Allah gave victory to His Messenger, shamed the unbelievers, and satisfied the Muslims' thirst for revenge."
Ishaq:297 "When the Apostle saw them he cried, 'Allah, they called me a liar. Destroy them this morning.'"
Bukhari:V5B59N330
Ishaq:300 "Here is Gabriel holding the rein of a horse and leading the charge. He is equipped with his weapons and ready for the battle. There is dust upon his front teeth."
Bukhari:V5B59N327 "Gabriel came to the Prophet and said, 'How do you view the warriors of Badr?' The Prophet said, 'I see the fighters as the best Muslims.' On that, Gabriel said, 'And so are the Angels who are participating in the Badr battle.'"
Tabari VII:55 "Mihaja, the mawla [slave] of Umar [the future Caliph] was struck by an arrow and killed. He was the first Muslim to die."
Tabari VII:55 "Allah's Messenger went out to his men and incited them to fight. He promised, 'Every man may keep all the booty he takes.' Then Muhammad said, 'By Allah, if any man fights today and is killed fighting aggressively, going forward and not retreating, Allah will cause him to enter Paradise.' Umayr, who was holding some dates in his hand and eating them, said, 'Fine, fine. This is excellent! Nothing stands between me and my entering Paradise except to be killed by these people!' He threw down the dates, seized his sword, and fought until he was slain."
Tabari VII:56 "'Messenger of Allah, what makes the Lord laugh with joy at his servant?' He replied, 'When he plunges his hand into the midst of an enemy without armor.' So Auf took off the coat of mail he was wearing and threw it away. Then he took his sword and fought the enemy until he was killed."
Ishaq:301 "Muhammad picked up a handful of pebbles and faced the Quraysh. He shouted, 'May their faces be deformed!' He threw the pebbles at them and ordered his companions to attack. The foe was routed. Allah killed Quraysh chiefs and caused many of their nobles to be taken captive. While the Muslims were taking prisoners, the Messenger was in his hut."
Bukhari:V5B59N290 "The Prophet said, 'The believers who failed to join the Ghazwa of Badr and those who took part in it are not equal in reward."
Bukhari:V5B59N333 "Az-Zubair said, 'I attacked him with my spear and pierced his eye. I put my foot over his body to pull the weapon out, but even then I had to use great force. Later on Allah's Apostle asked me for that spear and I gave it to him.'"
Ishaq:301 "As the Muslims were laying their hands on as many prisoners as they could catch, the Prophet, saw disapproval in the face of Sa'd. He said, 'Why are you upset by the taking of captives?' Sa'd replied, 'This was the first defeat inflicted by Allah on the infidels. Slaughtering the prisoners would have been more pleasing to me than sparing them.'"
Tabari VII:59 "On the day of Badr I passed Umayyah as he was standing with his son Ali, holding his hand. I had with me some coats of mail which I had taken as plunder. Umayyah said, 'Abd al-Ilah, would you like to take me as a prisoner? I will be more valuable to you as a captive to be ransomed than the coats of mail that you are carrying.' I said, 'Yes. Come here then.' I flung away the armor and bound Umayyah and his son Ali, taking them with me. Muslims encircled us. Then they restrained us physically. One of the Muslims drew his sword and struck Ali in the leg, severing it so that he fell down. Umayyah gave a scream the like of which I have never heard. I said, 'Save yourself, for there is no escape for your son. By Allah, I cannot save him from these men.' Then the Muslims hacked Ali to pieces. Abd al-Rahman used to say, 'May Allah have mercy on Bial [a slave turned Muslim marauder]! I lost my coats of mail, and he deprived me of my captives.'"
Bukhari:V5B59N297 "The Prophet faced the Ka'aba and invoked evil on the Quraysh people."
Bukhari: V5B59N397 "Allah's Apostle raised his head after bowing the first Rak'a of the morning prayer. He said, 'O Allah! Curse so-and-so and so-and-so.' After he had invoked evil upon them, Allah revealed: 'Your Lord will send thousands of angels riding upon chargers sweeping down as a form of good tidings to reassure you that victory comes from Him. He will cut off parts of the unbelievers, overthrow them, and turn them back in frustration. For Allah is forgiving and kind.'"
Ishaq:303 "A cousin and I mounted a hill from which we could overlook Badr and see who would be defeated, so that we could join in the plundering afterwards. I was pursuing one of the Meccan polytheists in order to smite him, when his head suddenly fell off before my sword touched him. Then I knew that someone other than I had killed him."
Tabari VII:61 "When the Prophet had finished with his enemy, he gave orders that Abu Jahl should be found among the dead. He said, 'O Allah, do not let him escape!' The first man who encountered Abu Jahl yelled out and I made him my mark. When he was within my reach, I attacked him and struck him a blow which severed his foot and half his leg. By Allah, when it flew off I could only compare it to a date-stone which flies out of a crusher when it is struck. Then his son hit me on the shoulder and cut off my arm. It dangled at my side from a piece of skin. The fighting prevented me from reaching him after that. I fought the whole day, dragging my arm behind me. When it began to hurt me, I put my foot on it and stood until I pulled it off.'"
Ishaq:304 "Abd Allah bin Mas'ud said, 'I found Abu Jahl in the throws of death. I put my foot on his neck because he had grabbed me once at Mecca and had hurt me. Then I said, Has Allah disgraced you and put you to shame, O enemy of Allah?' 'In what way has he disgraced me?' he asked. 'Am I anything more important than a man whom you have killed?'"
Bukhari:V5B59N298 "Abu Jahl said, 'You should not be proud that you have killed me.'"
Ishaq:304
Tabari VII:62 "I cut off Abu Jahl's head and brought it to the Messenger. 'O Allah's Prophet, this is the head of the enemy of Allah.' Muhammad said, 'Praise be to Allah.'"
Ishaq:305 "Ukkasha fought until he broke his sword. He came to the Apostle who gave him a wooden cudgel telling him to fight with that. He brandished it and it became a brilliant weapon. Allah gave him victory while he wielded it. He took that weapon with him to every raid he fought with Allah's Apostle until he was killed in the rebellion. These were his dying words: 'What do you think about when you kill people? Are these not men just because they are not Muslims?'"
Ishaq:315 "It was so criminal, men could hardly imagine it. Muhammad was ennobled because of the bloody fighting. I swear we shall never lack soldiers, nor army leaders. Driving before us infidels until we subdue them with a halter above their noses and a branding iron. We will drive them to the ends of the earth. We will pursue them on horse and on foot. We will never deviate from fighting in our cause. We will bring upon the infidels the fate of the Ad and Jurhum. Any people that disobey Muhammad will pay for it. If you do not surrender to Islam, then you will live to regret it. You will be shamed in Hell, forced to wear a garment of molten pitch forever!"
Ishaq:310 "A Meccan said, 'As soon as we were confronted by the raiding party, we turned our backs and they started killing and capturing us at their pleasure. Some of our men turned tail humiliated. Allah smote some of us with pustules from which we died.'"
Ishaq:311 "When the Quraysh began to bewail their dead, consumed in sorrow, one said, 'Do not do this for Muhammad and his companions will rejoice over our misfortune.'"
Ishaq:340 "Surely Badr was one of the world's great wonders. The roads to death are plain to see. Disobedience causes a people to perish. They became death's pawns. We had sought their caravan, nothing else. But they came to us and there was no way out. So we thrust our shafts and swung our swords severing their heads. Our swords glittered as they killed. The banner of error was held by Satan. He betrayed the evil ones, those prone to treachery. He led them to death crying, 'Fear Allah. He is invincible!' On that day a thousand spirits were mustered on excited white stallions. Allah's army fought with us. Under our banner, Gabriel attacked and killed them."
Ishaq:341 "Allah favored His Apostle and humiliated the unbelievers. They were put to shame in captivity and death. The Apostle's victory was glorious. Its message is plain for all to see. The Lord brought repeated calamities upon the pagans, bringing them under the Apostle's power. Allah's angry army smote them with their trusty swords. Many a lusty youngster left the enemy lying prone. Their women wept with burning throats for the dead were lying everywhere. But now they are all in Hell."
Ishaq:342 "I wonder at foolish men like these who sing frivolously and vainly of the slain at Badr. This was nothing more than an impious and odious crime. Men fought against their brothers, fathers, and sons. Any with discernment and understanding recognize the wrong that was done here."
Ishaq:344 "I wonder at Allah's deed. None can defeat Him. Evil ever leads to death. We unsheathed our swords and testified to the unity of Allah, and we proved that His Apostle brought truth. We smote them and they scattered. The impious met death. They became fuel for Hell. All who aren't Muslims must go there. It will consume them while the Stoker [Allah] increases the heat. They had called Allah's Apostle a liar. They claimed, 'You are nothing but a sorcerer.' So Allah destroyed them."
Ishaq:348 "They retreated in all directions. They rejected the Qur'an:and called Muhammad a liar. But Allah cursed them to make his religion and Apostle victorious. They lay still in death. Their throats were severed. Their foreheads embraced the dust. Their nostrils were defiled with filth. Many a noble, generous man we slew this day. We left them as meat for the hyenas. And later, they shall burn in the fires of Hell."
Ishaq:349 "The battle will tell the world about us. Distant men will heed our warning. The infidels may cut off my leg, yet I am a Muslim. I will exchange my life for one with virgins fashioned like the most beautiful statues."
Ishaq:357 "Their leaders were left prostrate. Their heads were sliced off like melons. Many an adversary have I left on the ground to rise in pain, broken and plucked. When the battle was joined I dealt them a vicious blow. Their arteries cried aloud, their blood flowed."
Ishaq:308 "Muhammad halted on a sandhill and divided the booty Allah had given him. They congratulated him on the victory Allah had granted. But one of the warriors replied, 'What are you congratulating us about? We only met some bald old women like the sacrificial camels who are hobbled, and we slaughtered them!' The Apostle smiled because he knew that description fit ."
Tabari VII:81 "The next day I went to the Prophet. He was sitting with Abu Bakr, and they were weeping. I said, 'O Messenger of Allah, tell me, what has made you weep? If I find cause to weep, I will weep with you, and if not, I will pretend to weep because you are weeping.' The Prophet said, 'It is because of the taking of ransoms. It was laid before me that I should punish them instead.' Allah revealed: 'It is not for any Prophet to have captives until he has made slaughter in the land.' After that Allah made booty lawful for them."
Tabari VII:98 "The Messenger ordered Zayd [the prophet's former slave turned adoptive son] out on a raid in which he captured a Quraysh caravan led by Abu Sufyan at a watering place in Najd.... A number of their merchants set out with a large amount of silver since this was the main part of their merchandise. They hired a man to guide them along this route. Zayd captured the caravan and its goods but was unable to capture the men. He brought the caravan to the Prophet."[If this isn't piracy and terror the words need to be redefined.]"
Tabari VII:98 "The reason for this expedition was the Quraysh said, 'Muhammad has damaged our trade, and sits astride our road. If we stay in Mecca we will consume our capital.' ...The news of the caravan reached the Prophet, as did the information that it contained much wealth and silver vessels. Zayd therefore intercepted it and made himself master of their caravan. The fifth (khums) was twenty thousand dirhams; Allah's Apostle took it and divided the other four fifths among the members of the raiding party. Furat was taken captive. They said to him. 'If you accept Islam the Messenger will not kill you.'"
Qur'an:3:150 "Soon We shall strike terror into the hearts of the Infidels, for that they joined companions with Allah, for which He had sent no authority: their abode will be in the Fire!"
Ishaq:395 "Muslims, if you listen to the unbelievers you will retreat from the enemy and become losers. Ask Allah for victory and do not retreat, withdrawing from His religion. 'We will terrorize those who disbelieve. In that way I will help you against them.'"
Qur'an:33:9 "O ye who believe! Remember the Grace of Allah, on you, when there came down an army. But We sent against them a hurricane and forces that ye saw not. Behold! They came on you from above you and from below you, and behold, the eyes became dim and the hearts gaped up to the throats, stupefied with terror, and ye imagined various vain thoughts about Allah!"
Ishaq:461 "Muhammad besieged them for twenty-five nights. When the siege became too severe for them, Allah terrorized them. Then they were told to submit."

Something To Learn From Subway??

Something To Learn From Subway??
BY JSTROTHER, ON MARCH 28TH, 2011
What Subway Can Teach the Church The Subway sandwich chain has surpassed McDonald’s Corporation as the world’s largest restaurant chain in terms of units. At the end of 2010, Subway had 33,749 restaurants worldwide to McDonald’s 32,737.

What is even more impressive is that Subway didn’t open its first international restaurant, where growth has been most explosive for chains such as McDonald’s, Starbucks, Dunkin’ Donuts and Baskin-Robbins, until 1984. But by 2020, Subway expects its number of international restaurants to exceed its domestic ones.

How did they do it? Subway has opened outlets in non-traditional locations such as an automobile showroom in California, an appliance store in Brazil, a ferry terminal in Seattle, a riverboat in Germany, a zoo in Taiwan, a Goodwill store in South Carolina, a high school in Detroit and a church in Buffalo, New York.

“We’re continually looking at just about any opportunity for someone to buy a sandwich, wherever that might be,” says Don Fertman, Subway’s Chief Development Officer. ”The closer we can get to the customer, the better.”

Consider that a lesson, church. And before you start in on the bigger isn’t always better, and quality trumps quantity, and numbers aren’t everything, and that the church isn’t in the sandwich business, re-read Fertman’s words, and substitute the gospel:

“We’re continually looking at just about any opportunity for someone to be introduced to Christ, wherever that might be. The closer we can get to an unchurched person, the better.”

Kind of sounds like Paul in I Corinthians 9 writing about becoming all things to all people in order to reach them, doesn’t it? So how might the church take a cue from Subway and expand its reach?

It’s very common for churches to offer multiple services at varying times. It’s becoming increasingly common to offer those multiple services over multiple days. Now, the frontier that needs to be explored is offering multiple services over multiple days through multiple locations.

Meck has become a multi-site church, which simply means one church with multiple locations. We currently have five campuses with a total of seventeen services each week. Three of these campuses are physical locations in our immediate area; one is an internet “campus,” and one is international serving expatriates in the United Arab Emirates. The Charlotte Observer ran a front-page story this past weekend featuring our efforts.

We have plans to launch two more Charlotte campuses by February of 2012, and are open to additional international opportunities (Our staff has already prayed and are convinced that it’s God’s will to start one in the U.K.; they’ve also all volunteered to be on the launch team.).

Why is this a worthwhile strategy? It’s simple. If someone has to drive more than 15 or 20 minutes as a first-time guest, chances are, they won’t. You might say, “Well, if that’s their attitude, they should just be more committed!” Quick reminder: these people aren’t even Christians yet. Rumor has it that it’s our job to go to them. Same to those who say, “You’re just trying to make it easy on folks to attend.” Yes, that’s kind of the point.

When you go to multiple sites you go to where the people are, tearing down any and all geographic barriers to attend, and opening up the ability to offer vast numbers of services at optimal times. And most importantly of all, you are making it easy for anyone and everyone, no matter where they live, to invite their friends.

Due to breakthroughs in technology, including video and simulcast, in ten years, this will probably be the new normal. It will be as common for churches to be multi-site as it is now for churches to have multiple service times. It’s already exploding: In 2008, 37% of all churches averaging 2,000 or more people per week were multi-site. In 2009, over five million people attended a multi-site church in the United States and Canada.

Geoff Surratt draws an analogy from World War II in regard to the multi-site approach to reaching a city: Some 300,000 troops were pinned by Hitler at Dunkirk with their backs to the sea. The only way out was to retreat across the water. But how do you move 300,000 people by water? There isn’t a single boat big enough to carry that many people. So the call went out to anyone with a boat to rescue them. One thousand boats arrived, and over the course of ten days, all of the troops were evacuated.

They couldn’t build a boat big enough to move 300,000 people, but 1,000 little boats could do the job. No single church with a single location can fully reach your city. But a single church in multiple locations can.

Hear my heart: partner with other churches where and when you can; plant new churches wherever it makes sense; but also multiply your current church wherever possible. At the very least, think about it the next time you eat at Subway.

James Emery White writes the Church & Culture Blog www.churchandculture.org,

Sources

“Subway Runs Past McDonald’s Chain,” Julie Jargon, Wall Street Journal, March 8, 2011. Read online. “Satellite sanctuaries a hot trend,” Tim Funk, The Charlotte Observer, Sunday, March 27, 2011, p. 1A and 4A. Read online.

Geoff Surratt, Greg Ligon and Warren Bird, The Multi-Site Church Revolution (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2006).

Shin Bet agent discusses his 'special relationship' with a Hamas spy

QUOTE: "Together, G. and Yousef prevented dozens of terrorist attacks and thwarted plans to assassinate leading Israeli figures, such as President Shimon Peres and Rabbi Ovadia Yosef."

May 13, 2010
Shin Bet agent discusses his 'special relationship' with a Hamas spy

G., aka 'Captain Loai,' was a Shin Bet man who ran agent Mosab Yousef - the son of a Hamas leader and the security service's top source in that militant organization. 'I admire the road he took,' G. tells Haaretz in an exclusive interview.

By Avi Issacharoff

Something in my acquaintanceship with Mosab diverted me from the path I had chosen," says G., a former Shin Bet security service coordinator who later became responsible for all the coordinators. He was also one of the handlers of the "Green Prince," the agency's code name for Mosab Hassan Yousef. G. left the Shin Bet four years ago, but still seems to miss the period when he pursued wanted individuals in Ramallah - and also perhaps the days and nights he spent with Yousef, the source and agent who became his good friend.













The Shin Bet handler, left, and Mosab Yousef.
Photo by: Yossi Sasson

For almost seven years, the son of Sheikh Hassan Yousef - one of the founders of Hamas and one of the Islamist organization's leaders in the West Bank - supplied G. with accurate information on developments involving the top brass of Hamas, plans for suicide-bomber attacks and the whereabouts of wanted individuals. Together, G. and Yousef prevented dozens of terrorist attacks and thwarted plans to assassinate leading Israeli figures, such as President Shimon Peres and Rabbi Ovadia Yosef.

G., or "Captain Loai," as he was known in the Shin Bet, does not resemble a "legendary handler of agents." He looks more like a counselor in the boy scouts. A geek. Of average height, with a full build, he has blue eyes and a classic "nice boy" smile. Are you in contact with other agents you handled in the past?

G.: "Absolutely not."

Then why are you in touch with Mosab Yousef? And why you? After all, you were not the one who recruited him and you were not his only handler. "It just happened. The course of events that made our paths cross and led to our meeting necessitated this sort of connection between us - it is unavoidable, a self-evident part of life, something that exceeds rational decisions. I feel obliged to help a friend, and today Mosab is no longer an 'agent' or a 'source,' he's a friend. If he could come to Israel - and I know he can't - he would be like a member of my family."

On February 26, Haaretz Magazine published the story of Mosab Yousef ("Adventures of the Green Prince" ) shortly before the publication in the United States of his book (written with Ron Brackin ), "Son of Hamas." The book reveals how the firstborn son of a key Muslim religious figure in the West Bank became one of the Shin Bet's most important agents inside the Hamas leadership. Captain Loai appears in the book time and again, as a friend and as someone who lent an attentive ear to Yousef over the years. Five years ago, a move began to oust Captain Loai from the Shin Bet, because of an episode he was entangled in involving financial management. A year later, he was officially discharged from the service.

"There's something symbolic about the fact that even my dismissal was connected to the Green Prince," G. says. "I made a decision which at the time seemed right to me. There was a certain operation at the end of which we were supposed to acquire an important intelligence asset. I went into it with all my strength and determination, and I paid a price for it, but have no regrets. When things got tangled, I said, 'It's my responsibility, do as you wish.' It involved a breach of financial procedure. I was not subjected to a criminal investigation, but ultimately I was removed from the service, one reason being that I lied. But what surprised me was that the Green Prince was the only person from my place of work who made it clear to the Shin Bet, unequivocally, that 'Loai was right, he did nothing wrong.' When the subject came up for investigation he told the truth. Not all of my colleagues in the service told the truth, partly because they didn't want to get into trouble. "An almost absurd situation was created," G. continues, "in which, after everything I did, and with all the people I knew and the hundreds of preventive operations - one time I actually pulled a top wanted person out from under the table with my own hands - who is the only person who comes to my defense? The Arab, the Palestinian, the Hamas man.

An extraordinary relationship of trust between two people was forged here, which took us both a very long way in terms of our willingness to take action. And it seems to me that this special relationship produced meaningful results for the Shin Bet. The fact is that after I left, things changed." For the first two and a half years after Captain Loai left the Shin Bet, he was not in contact with Yousef. "Even before that I was transferred to a different district, so I barely had contact with him. I thought it would end very badly, that something would happen to him." But then, on August 1, 2008, G. came across a previous article I wrote in Haaretz about Mosab Yousef, the son of the Hamas leader, who had converted to Christianity and moved to the United States. When I wrote that piece, I did not yet know that Yousef had for 10 years been the Shin Bet's top agent in Hamas. G. e-mailed me to ask how he could contact Yousef, but without revealing that he had been one of his handlers in the Shin Bet. "It is my moral duty to help him in his situation," he wrote.

The next day, G. sent the following e-mail to Mosab Yousef: "Dear Mosab! (or should I write Dear Joseph? ) It was a great surprise to read Avi's article about you since it was a long time ago when we last spoke. Unfortunately I couldn't be in touch with you in order not to get in trouble with my former employer. I was kicked out of there a few years ago after a serious fight with our friend [Shin Bet coordinator] Hilal (who probably knew how much we both liked him ). As soon as we will talk (hopefully soon ) I will tell you all about it. I'm very worried about you, as I think you made a dangerous step with the article. I'm also worried about your economic and personal situation - don't let people take advantage of you!!! I'm thinking what will be the best way to help you ... I don't have much money but I can send you something ASAP so you can have something for the next few weeks ... Please tell me what I can do for my young brother. Today I'm a law student in IDC Herzliya (I've just finished my second year ). I have two children: a boy named Alon, four years old, and a girl named Ayelet, five and a half months old. By the way my name is not Luai [sic] - it's G.... Please, please call me if you can, or leave me a phone number I can reach you at. My private cell phone number is ... And again - I guess you have some tough times - let your brother have the honor to help. Yours with love, G. (Luai )" On Sunday, August 3, G. received this reply:

"Wow, I can't believe that I am in touch with you again, you just made my day or maybe my year. I had faith that we would meet one day, you were and still [are] a very good friend and brother. I was wondering where did you go, it was fishy, I had a feeling that something went wrong. What [we shared was] that both of us were free men doing everything based on our beliefs and principles, and this is what the others didn't have ... I have done a great job helping my people and the others, I was willing to die for the truth and the principle and still am ... If the others don't appreciate what we have done for humanity, we know for sure what we have done, we had power but [also] lots of love and mercy. You trusted me and helped me during the most difficult times. Your care and love made me do miracles. Once the others came along, their evil and suspicion destroyed everything that we built for a long time. God forgive them for what they have done to me ... It was a great honor for me to meet you and hopefully we will see each other soon. You can call me anytime on my cell, please don't give my number to anyone ... Love, Joseph"

'Collision course'

On the face of it, Loai and Mosab Yousef were destined to be bitter enemies. The reality in which they grew up marked them as anything but friends. Yousef was raised in Bitunya, in the home of one of the founders of the West Bank branch of Hamas. G. is the son of a brigadier general in the Israel Defense Forces who held a senior position in Central Command. "We were on a collision course, but today I see him as a friend who taught me many things," G. says. "I think that in the end it's due to the education we each received at home. I give credit here to Sheikh Hassan Yousef, who despite his problematic path raised his children with the principles of humanism. "I asked myself quite a few questions about the sanctity of life, and Mosab talked to me about this," G. continues. "He told me that his father raised him to believe in that principle, even though in our eyes their society does not sanctify life. My father taught me similar values. At the time, he took part in the famous operation in Karameh [an IDF operation in Karameh, Jordan, in 1968, which became a symbol of resistance for the Palestinians]. On the way back, his driver fell asleep at the wheel and the vehicle overturned. All my father's ribs were broken, and with his last remaining strength he climbed up to the road. An Arab driver stopped and took him to a hospital. So I learned at home that Arabs don't just 'eat Jews for breakfast.'

"At the level of simple humanity, I think this is Mosab's message: that we can and must meet midway. You know, neither side sees the other as human beings any longer, we're totally consumed with battering one another. I am at an age at which I am thinking about my son's future. We can fight, carry out preventive operations. But what then? Where does it lead? Mosab says this from the Christian standpoint; I say it from the Jewish point of view. We can and must look at the other side with compassion. "One time we had a meeting with the regional [Shin Bet] chief at the time, Ofer Dekel, and there was a discussion group about the situation. I, along with a few other coordinators, said that we have to focus our reaction on those responsible for the situation and not punish people randomly - for example, by confiscating work permits. Where is the logic? The terrorists will act with or without work permits, so by confiscating permits from innocent civilians all you are doing is adding people to the circle of hate."

G. says he was not the classic Shin Bet agent:

"I wasn't an [IDF] officer and I wasn't a commando. I didn't know a word of Arabic. I served on a Dabur patrol boat. I remember going with my wife to Majdal Shams [a Druze village in the Golan Heights] - this was before I joined the Shin Bet - and she read me signs in Arabic. It sounded as grating as an electric saw."

He studied behavioral sciences at Ben-Gurion University in Be'er Sheva and was a counselor in the scouts in a disadvantaged neighborhood of the southern city. After the assassination of Yitzhak Rabin in November 1995, he decided to join the Shin Bet, without really understanding what that entailed. Discovering a new world G.:

"I passed the tests and did an intensive course in Arabic. Suddenly you discover a new world. You listen to the news in Arabic and you understand, you go to the Old City of Jerusalem and you know what people are saying. In 1998 I started to work in the Ramallah sector. The whole story of the Green Prince was very hot at the time. He had been released from prison a few months earlier and we had started to use him. We didn't yet know how to digest all this. The scars left by the episodes of Noam Cohen and Haim Nahmani [two Shin Bet coordinators who were murdered in 1993 and 1994 by the agents they were handling] were still fresh, and the Green Prince pretty much matched the description of Abdel Munam Abu Hamad [Cohen's murderer]. Moreover, the service heard that Mosab was planning to murder his handler.

"I was young, a wimpy type, who was tutored by the coordinator who was the Prince's handler at the time. Until my first meeting with him I had never actually met anyone who was considered 'Hamas.' I thought I was going to meet some hairy, bearded, dangerous monster. And suddenly I see in front of me a wimp, just like me. Maybe even a brazen wimp. If you think in terms of a meeting between a coordinator-handler and a young Palestinian guy - you automatically think there will be a hierarchy. But the Prince was never one to 'please his masters,' and that same quality continues to characterize him. He argued, he was very opinionated and he was smart. To some extent, the meeting immediately counterbalanced some of my prejudices, which I harbored even though I came from a left-wing milieu. (I voted Meretz before entering the service. )

"The experiences I underwent over the years, particularly after the outbreak of the second intifada, made me become more right wing and even something of a racist. Maybe it was out of a desire to cope with many harsh things that we saw and did. Even before Operation Defensive Shield [April 2002, in the West Bank] we started to lose the 'inner boundary' between the prohibited and the permissible. The boundary grew blurred because we could not ignore what was happening all around. On that plane, Mosab held a mirror up to my face. For me as a coordinator, and later in charge of coordinators, it was none other than the enemy, the representative of Hamas, Mosab, who came to represent morality. "Remember that even before the intifada we had, from our point of view, 'good' Arabs, namely Fatah and the Palestinian Authority, and 'bad' Arabs - namely Hamas. He was the very embodiment of evil: the son of the Hamas leader in the West Bank. Yet he was the one who made me think and say to myself, 'Hold on, maybe we were wrong.' In what he said and what he did, he actually maneuvered us in the good sense. He gave us the option to cope with problematic surroundings and a brutal reality without our having to achieve an 'orgasm': targeted assassinations. Because that's how it was: Just as every pilot wants to chalk up an 'X' for downing a plane, many of us wanted to carry out targeted assassinations. And he was actually the one who told us that we could arrest people, not just kill them."

G. can understand why the Palestinians consider Mosab Yousef a collaborator.

"But they did not internalize the fact of how many Palestinians he saved from death. He prevented bloodshed. Take, for example, the Hamas man Falah Nida, the imam of Ali Mosque in El Bireh [near Ramallah]. In that mosque we found Qassams in the West Bank for the first time and the imam hid those who developed the rockets. The suicide bomber from the Cafe Moment attack in Jerusalem in 2000 stayed with the imam, who had hands-on involvement in hostile terrorist activity and probably would not have survived the intifada had it not been for Mosab.

"The Prince gave us an intelligence picture of the people who assisted [the imam], so that we could arrest him. He was arrested, of course, and since then even released from custody. The Prince's savvy in the field, the interrelated connections he created - there's no substitute for this. It's an asset. No one was able to give us those things the way he did. You know, we hardly knew what Hamas was. It took a long time to understand who's against who and what's going on there. "Mosab never tried to use his strength to settle accounts, as he could have. For example, he had an uncle he hated, but he did not incriminate or otherwise hurt him. We can learn a lot from that kind of restraint. The information he gave us made it possible to ask questions about the effectiveness of the targeted assassinations. Today I will be branded a leftist - but really, think about it: When Fathi Shkaki, leader of Islamic Jihad, was assassinated, it was said to be a mortal blow to the Jihad. But we have to ask now: What good did it do Israel? "It's a mistake to think that everyone who threatens us has to be eliminated. I learned the power of not liquidating people - and I learned it from Mosab. From arguments with him, from long conversations into the night. I come from the center of the Israeli political map and consider myself a moral person. But he of all people, a 'representative' of the suicide bombers, always showed us the humane point of view. Don't get me wrong: There are cases in which it's justified to kill terrorists, if they constitute a danger, but we shouldn't let it become an 'addiction.'"

Is it true, as Mosab writes in his book, that there were five suicide bombers that Israeli security forces wanted to liquidate, but were spared after he objected?

"It's true. He was able to persuade us not to assassinate them. He was an asset and as such was also aware of himself, of the influence he had over us. He had a say. To the credit of the Shin Bet, it has to be said that there was a dialogue here. It wasn't one-sided, from us alone. And we are talking about the most turbulent period, when blood ran freely. There were a few terrorist attacks in which many children were killed, after which I personally felt like going into Ramallah with an M-16 and spraying the place with bullets. The political echelon also went haywire. And Mosab, of all people, was the sane voice. You may be surprised to hear this, but we had Palestinian sources whose opinions are farther to the right than [the late rabbi Meir] Kahane. Not him. He did not go to extremes. He is crazy, but in the good sense of the word."

Did you believe every word he said?

"The trust relationships that developed over time were very important. But we checked every piece of information he gave us, out of professional considerations. I was not afraid of him and at the personal level I knew I could rely on him. And yes, sometimes that's enough to implement an operation. I remember that on the eve of Remembrance Day in 2002 he told me that two Hamas leaders - Jamal Tawil and Faiz Warda - were in a certain house in Bitunya. The army asked, 'What are the odds that we're not being set up?' There is a thin, fragile line of trust that can crack at any moment. There are warning signs, yes, but sometimes you take the risk. Strike while the iron is hot." Two equals After their e-mail exchange in 2008, the next stage in the extraordinary relationship between agent and handler was a reunion when, during a visit to the United States, G. flew to California. "I didn't arrange for him to pick me up, I only let him know when I would be arriving," G. relates. "It's night. I emerge from the long corridor in the airport and suddenly I see him in front of me. It was a very moving moment. Two people in an emotional encounter. We embraced and couldn't stop laughing over the totally unimaginable situation. It was hallucinatory to meet him outside the familiar framework, without guards, without fear. Two equal people. We hung out together for a few days, ate in restaurants and talked nonstop. "Obviously it was no trivial thing for us to be in touch, even though today I see it as more natural. I knew he was alone, and one of the things that guided me then, and now, is my responsibility for him. The guy was always with us. Yet cut off, alone. I was almost the only person who really knew him. After all, he hid what he was doing from everyone, including friends and family. He knew he could talk to me about the loneliness, the difficulties, the feeling of having been exploited by people around him.

But in California the problematic character of the connection between us was also clear to both of us. It was truly a jolting experience to meet him again." Does the State of Israel owe him a debt? "I feel regret and disappointment vis-a-vis the State of Israel, which is not doing anything for him. After the articles that were published, the stories, no one, not one politician asked what we actually did for him. I thought that someone from the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee would ask: Why is he a castaway there? Mosab's central motivation was and remains humanitarian. It's true that this was not the only motivation, but it was the central one. He thought it was important to save people, to avoid killing. And then you get all kinds of people who are trying to put him down. Like [former deputy head of the Shin Bet and now Kadima MK] Gideon Ezra, who was not even in the Shin Bet when the Prince was working, but tells Army Radio that his story as published sounds exaggerated to him. How does he know? "I read Mosab's book and also the Haaretz Magazine article, and I tell you: He did exaggerate. He exaggerated in being sparing in his descriptions of how many things he prevented and how many people he saved. Imagine what would have happened if he had not brought us the information about the terrorist who planned to assassinate Rabbi Ovadia Yosef - the whole picture here would have changed in the wake of that assassination. "Nowadays every police informant who used to buy drugs gets assistance. So why not him? He is paying a steep price for what he did. He denied himself many things during all those years. You are talking about a person whose life came to a stop the moment he was arrested at the age of 17 and a half. He became a loner, unable to share his feelings with anyone. Including his parents. Young Israelis serve in the army and then go on the big backpacking trip, but he kept dealing with fateful questions for Israel. "I think that in most of the cases I was familiar with, the reasons for collaboration were loftier than what we tend to think. At the start of my work in the Shin Bet, I thought these were people who didn't care ... Suddenly you discover people who are doing it to save lives, who don't want a terrorist Islam. Mosab was not alone - he was simply at the tip of Hamas and paid a very high price: His father ostracized him. What Sheikh Hassan Yousef has to ask himself after doing that is whether his son followed the path on which he guided him to embark. It is not by chance that Sheikh Yousef did not under his own auspices produce suicide bombers. He should ask himself why. "There is a clear case here of a son's love for his father, though many psychologists would say that he is kicking his father. But he is fighting for his father's life. It's not even relevant whether his father was targeted for assassination, but Mosab believed his father was in danger. Let everyone ask himself: What would I be prepared to do in order to save my father from death? And let Sheikh Hassan ask himself why his son did what he did. He did not betray him - he protected him. "Mosab paid and continues to pay a steep price, and I would expect the Israeli and Palestinian public to listen to him. He stood by us for long years, and the least we can do today is to stand by him." Maybe you can explain what his motive was. "I handled no few agents who had ideological motives, who did not want to see more killings. Many were critical of Israel and Mosab is no Zionist. From his point of view, the War of Independence was the Nakba [or "The Catastrophe," the Palestinians' term for what happened to them after 1948]. I am the grandson of Holocaust survivors. Our outlooks are not identical, but dialogue is possible even with a [basic set] of disagreements. I remember my meeting with him on the day of the [2003] terrorist attacks on Cafe Hillel in Jerusalem and at Tzrifin [army base]. I met in the field together with the Prince and remember how shocked he was. You know, with us, when people are killed - in a traffic accident, say - and then it turns out that they are Arabs, everyone immediately sighs with relief and says, 'What luck.' Not with him: He wanted to prevent killing on both sides. "He loved the action and loved being a kind of James Bond.

But when it comes to the big issue of motive, every intelligence organization asks itself that question, and there is no specific, clear answer. It's a complex, situation-dependent constellation. I can say with certainty: Mosab did not do it for the money. He received money, yes, but without going into details they were laughable amounts which it's best not to talk about." Making things happen Do you admire Mosab Yousef? "I definitely admire the road he took, his decision to go all the way. He did not make do with sitting at home and clucking his tongue; that would not make things happen. He has a genuine intention to make things happen. If you were to hear him talking about his desire for change, you would think he's crazy. But I believe he has the ability to change and together we can try to forge a dialogue between Israel and the Palestinians." What did he know about you when you were his handler? "He did not know my name or any other personal details. It's possible that when my daughter was born, or when I got married, I told him. He knew I was called Captain Loai and knew very well that this was not my real name." Did you get used to lying as part of your Shin Bet work? Does that affect your personal life? "What you're taught time and again is to use the power of manipulation only in one direction and not against people around you. Obviously, it happens that everyone does it to everyone, but the Shin Bet definitely tries to get you to understand that there is a distinction between lying for intelligence purposes and lying to friends and [people in] your immediate surroundings. I think the service deals with this problem perfectly well. It's not a deceitful organization; it treats people with respect."

Its sources, too? G. smiles in embarrassment. "You are sending me into a mine field. Obviously, there are all kinds of people. A certain degree of racist jokes and disrespect trickled into all of us. Like with everyone. The Shin Bet is a snapshot of the people of Israel, but only of the good guys there."

Why are you giving this interview? Are you settling accounts with the Shin Bet for ousting you?

"I don't think that what I am saying is problematic. The Shin Bet is my home; so it was and so it remains. The decision to remove me from the service was made by [current chief] Yuval Diskin. It grieves me, but maybe he was right. When I was a young coordinator, Diskin was my district head, an admired one. And afterward too, as deputy head of the Shin Bet, he did amazing things. To this day I think he is an admired person."

Are you trying to atone for something? Did you also exploit Mosab Yousef?

"I don't feel that way. I ask myself those very questions, but it's not like that. On the macro level, I don't think we need to have a sense of guilt toward the Palestinians for 1948 or 1967. My grandparents on both sides were persecuted by the Nazis, and I do not feel a sense of guilt for having the right to live here. We are in a war for our existence and need to utilize sources. I did what's expected of someone who wants to protect his dear ones and prevent them from being killed by a suicide bomber.

My connection with Mosab does not derive from guilt feelings, but from a sense of responsibility: We must not throw him to the dogs. These agents must not be used like lemons - squeezed out and then thrown away. "When I went to visit him, I didn't have a plan for what we would do. I wanted to see that he was all right and maybe even find someone to help him. Last December, my wife and I celebrated our wedding anniversary. We went to New York and he was there. It was important for me to have my wife meet him, after all the stories. And it was important for me to have him meet her.

"On Christmas Eve we went to a restaurant in Times Square. Afterward we saw an off-Broadway show. At the end the lead actor disrobes, and we laughed at the idea of staging the play in Ramallah - about how the audience there would react. There was no longer any drama between us; it was precisely the disappearance of the drama that was meaningful. It was almost a regular meeting between two people, two friends. Normal. Period."W

Where Did Jesus Say, "I Am God, Worship Me"?

Where Did Jesus Say, "I Am God, Worship Me"?
The Qur’an commands Christians to judge by the Gospel:
Qur’an 5:47—“Let the people of the Gospel judge by what Allah hath revealed therein. If any do fail to judge by (the light of) what Allah hath revealed, they are (no better than) those who rebel.”
Thus, when Christians present their beliefs, it makes sense for Muslims to ask, “Could you show us where the Bible says that?” Christians should therefore be eager to present evidence from the Gospel, because Muslims cannot condemn us for doing what the Qur’an commands. Indeed, since the Qur’an affirms not only the Gospel, but also the Torah (Qur’an 5:43), Muslims cannot ignore what the Bible says without thereby rebelling against Islam.

Muslims around the world are being trained to ask Christians, “Where did Jesus say, ‘I am God, worship me,’ in those exact words?” However, if Muslims are suggesting that Jesus could only claim to be God by uttering a specific sentence, we may reply by asking, “Where did Jesus say, ‘I am only a prophet, don’t worship me,’ in those exact words?” The unreasonable demand for a particular statement, if applied consistently, would thus force Muslims to reject their own view!

Fortunately, we have a simple way to examine what Jesus said about himself. According to both the Bible and the Qur’an, there are certain claims that only God can truly make. For instance, God alone can correctly state that he created the universe. Of course, a mere human being can pronounce the words, “I created the universe,” but the statement would be false coming from anyone other than God.

Hence, if Jesus said things that can only truly be said by God, we must conclude that Jesus claimed to be God. Interestingly, Jews, Christians, and Muslims agree on many of the claims that cannot be properly made by (or about) mere human beings. Let us consider a few of these.

THE FIRST AND THE LAST

Surah 57:3 of the Qur’an refers to Allah as “the First and the Last, the Most High and the Most Near.” The Old Testament agrees that God is the “First and the Last,” as we read in the Book of the prophet Isaiah:
Isaiah 44:6—Thus says the LORD, the King of Israel and his Redeemer, the LORD of hosts: “I am the first and I am the last, and there is no God besides Me.”
When “LORD” is written in all capitals in the Old Testament, the term refers to Yahweh, the creator of the universe. Since both the Bible and the Qur’an give the title “the First and the Last” to God, it should be quite shocking for Muslims to open the New Testament and read Revelation 1:17-18, where Jesus says:
“Do not be afraid; I am the first and the last, and the living One; and I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of death and of Hades.”
Would a mere prophet claim to be the “First and the Last”?

WHO FORGIVES SINS?

While one human being may sin against another human being, there is a sense in which all sin is rebellion against God. Similarly, while you and I may forgive one another for the wrongs we commit, only God can offer ultimate forgiveness. Thus, the prophet David could say to God, “Against You, You only, I have sinned
and done what is evil in Your sight” (Psalm 51:4), and the Prophet Daniel could declare, “To the Lord our God belong compassion and forgiveness, for we have rebelled against Him” (Daniel 9:9).

The Qur’an agrees that ultimate forgiveness belongs to God, for it asks, “Who can forgive sins except Allah?” (3:135).

It might surprise Muslims to learn that, in the New Testament, Jesus claims the ability to forgive sins. In Mark 2, a paralyzed man is brought to Jesus in order to be healed. Jesus’ response leads the religious leaders to accuse him of blasphemy:
Mark 2:5-7—And Jesus seeing their faith said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” But some of the scribes were sitting there and reasoning in their hearts, “Why does this man speak that way? He is blaspheming; who can forgive sins but God alone?”
The scribes correctly recognized that only God can forgive sins. Yet Jesus (who referred to himself as the “Son of Man”), knowing their thoughts, replied that “the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins” (Mark 2:10). He then healed the paralytic, proving that his claims were true.

THE LIGHT

In Psalm 27:1, the prophet David proclaims: “The LORD is my light and my salvation.” Similarly, the Qur’an declares that “Allah is the light of the heavens and the earth” (24:35). Yet Jesus tells his listeners that he is “the Light”:
John 8:12—“I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.”
THE TRUTH

The prophet David refers to Yahweh as the “God of Truth” (Psalm 31:5). According to the Qur’an, “Allah is the Truth” (22:6). Jesus, however, applies this as a title for himself:
John 14:6—Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.”
How can a mere human being claim to be “The Truth”?

THE FINAL JUDGE

In Chapter 3 of the Book of the prophet Joel, Yahweh declares that the nations will be gathered and that he “will sit to judge all the surrounding nations” (v. 12). According to the prophet David, “the LORD abides forever;
He has established His throne for judgment, and He will judge the world in righteousness” (Psalm 9:7-8).

The Qur’an maintains that Allah will judge the world, rewarding believers and punishing unbelievers:
Qur’an 22:56-57—The kingdom on that day shall be Allah’s; He will judge between them; so those who believe and do good will be in gardens of bliss. And (as for) those who disbelieve in and reject Our communications, these it is who shall have a disgraceful chastisement.
So why, we may wonder, would Jesus tell his followers that he will be the final judge of all people?
Matthew 25:31-32—“But when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before Him; and He will separate them from one another, as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.”
Jesus goes on to say that he will admit certain people to heaven and cast others into hell. Isn’t this something only God can do?

THE RESURRECTION

The Bible and the Qur’an agree that God is the one who will raise the dead.
1 Samuel 2:6—The LORD kills and makes alive; He brings down to Sheol and raises up.

Qur’an 22:7—Allah will resurrect those who are in the graves.
Since God will raise the dead at the resurrection, why would a mere prophet tell his followers that he will resurrect the dead?
John 5:25-29—“Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. For just as the Father has life in Himself, even so He gave to the Son also to have life in Himself; and He gave Him authority to execute judgment, because He is the Son of Man. Do not marvel at this; for an hour is coming, in which all who are in the tombs will hear His voice, and will come forth; those who did the good deeds to a resurrection of life, those who committed the evil deeds to a resurrection of judgment.”

John 11:25—Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies.”
GOD’S GLORY

The Qur’an tells us that “Whatsoever is in the heavens and the earth glorifies Allah” (57:1).

In the Old Testament, we find that Yahweh will not share his glory with anyone.
Isaiah 42:8—“I am the LORD, that is My name;
I will not give My glory to another.” (Cf. Isaiah 48:11—“My glory I will not give to another.”)
Yet Jesus claimed, not only that he would be glorified with the Father, but that he had glory with the Father before the world was created!
John 17:5—“Now, Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was.”
How can anyone see this as anything other than a claim to deity?

FURTHER EVIDENCE

In Mark 2:28, Jesus calls himself the “Lord of the Sabbath.” In Matthew 22:41-45, he proves that he is the Lord of the prophet David. In John 8:39-58, Jesus says that he has seen the prophet Abraham. In Matthew 12:6, Jesus claims to be greater than God’s Temple.

Jesus tells us that he has an absolutely unique relationship with the Father (Matthew 11:27), that he can answer prayers (John 14:13-14), that he is present wherever his followers are gathered (Matthew 18:20), that he has “all authority in heaven and on earth” (Matthew 28:18), and that he is with his followers forever (Matthew 28:20). He even makes the startling declaration that “All things that the Father has are Mine” (John 16:15).

According to Jesus, all people must honor him just as we honor the Father:
John 5:21-23—“For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son also gives life to whom He wishes. For not even the Father judges anyone, but He has given all judgment to the Son, so that all will honor the Son even as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him.”
Since one of the ways we honor the Father is by worshiping him, it should come as no surprise that Jesus’ followers worshiped him on numerous occasions. Indeed, the Gospel tells us that Jesus was worshiped throughout his life: shortly after his birth (Matthew 2:11), during his ministry (Matthew 14:33, John 9:38), after his resurrection (Matthew 28:17), and after his ascension to heaven (Luke 24:52). Jesus’ disciple Thomas even addressed him as “my Lord and my God” (John 20:28).

ASSESSMENT

Where did Jesus say, “I am God, worship me”? As we have seen, Jesus claimed to be the First and the Last, the forgiver of sins, the Light, the Truth, the Final Judge, and the Resurrection. Jesus proclaimed that he had glory with the Father before the world was created, that he is the Lord of the Sabbath and of King David, that he had seen Abraham, and that he is greater than God’s Temple. Jesus has a unique relationship with the Father, he can answer prayers, he is with his followers no matter where they are, he has total authority on earth and in heaven, he is with his followers forever, and he owns everything. Jesus even demanded that he be honored just as the Father is honored. Clearly, these are not the claims of a mere human being. They are not even the claims of a mighty prophet. These are claims only God can truly make. This is why Christians believe that Jesus is God.

POSTSCRIPT: THE ISLAMIC DILEMMA

Since the Bible obviously supports the Christian view of Jesus, Muslims who want to deny the deity of Christ will have to argue that the Gospel has been corrupted. But if the Gospel has been corrupted, why does the Qur’an command Christians to judge by the Gospel? By commanding us to judge by what we find in the Gospel, the Qur’an has inadvertently ordered Christians to reject Islam!

But it gets worse for Muslims. The Qur’an affirms the inspiration and reliability of the Christian Scriptures (3:3-4, 5:47, 5:66, 7:157, 10:94), as well as man’s inability to corrupt God’s Word (6:114-115, 18:27). Muslims therefore cannot reject what the Gospel says, which leaves them with quite a dilemma. If the Gospel is reliable, Islam must be false, since the Gospel presents Jesus as God. Alternatively, if the Gospel is unreliable, Islam must be false, because the Qur’an tells us that the Gospel is the Word of God. Either way, Islam is false, and anyone who is searching for the truth will never find it in the Qur’an.