JIHAD IN AMERICA-PART I

ISLAM-A RELIGION OF PEACE? THINK AGAIN! Wednesday, October 31, 2001 Tim Timmons

Although there has been a great propaganda flow that pushes the theme that Islam is a religion of peace, this message must be examined more closely before buying into it. In the latest U.S. News & World Report (October 29, 2001) entitled “Muslim in America,” Jeffrey L. Sheler sums up Islam well when he speaks of the rules: “Indeed, Islam embraces the monotheism of Christianity and Judaism, accepts the Hebrew Bible, and venerates Jesus as a prophet. It is centered on the Koran-the Islamic scriptures, which Muslims believe were revealed to the prophet Mohammed-which commands five basic devotional duties, called the “Five Pillars”: a declaration of belief that “there is no God but Allah [Arabic for “the God”] and Mohammed is his prophet”; prayers offered five times a day; daytime fasting during the month of Ramadan; charitable giving; and at least one pilgrimage to Mecca. Muslims are forbidden to consume alcohol, illicit drugs, pork, or any meat that is not halal-the Islamic equivalent of kosher. Premarital sex and extramarital sex are sternly prohibited, as are most forms of unchaperoned dating. Emphasis on public modesty prompts many Muslims to cover themselves from the wrists to the ankles. Muslims also may not gamble or pay or accept interest on loans or savings accounts. It is a regimen that often runs in conflict with the dominant culture. Most American Muslims have no choice but to break the prohibition on usury to buy homes and automobiles, for example. . . .But if the intense scrutiny focused on world Islam since September 11 has revealed anything, it is that the faith is no monolith. While there is much that binds the world’s 1.2 billion Muslims together, there is no authoritative hierarchy-no pope, no central group of elders-that speaks to them or for them. And American Islam, it emerges, is its own special brand.” “What divides American Muslims most often is not liberal-versus-conservative ideology, but how best to domesticate Islam in a Western society without doing violence to either. What, for example, are American Muslims to do with sharia, the Islamic legal and ethical codes that tradition says should under gird Islamic society? Radical clerics say it is a Muslim’s duty to impose sharia throughout the world, by force if necessary. But moderates argue that Islamic law must be internalized.” Even though Sheler has gleaned most of his material from identified front-groups in America that raise funds and spread propaganda for the terrorists (CAIR, ISNA, etc.), the Muslim community has proven to be more peaceful and accepting of differences between faith and culture in America than in the rest of the world. These front groups enjoy a highly visible Washington presence, working to rally Muslim political activism and acting as media watchdogs. There is a peaceful fa §ade and message of peace among the leadership, but there is an underlying agenda that betrays a spirit of conquest and domination that is most disturbing. After all is said and done, there is more said than done toward a genuine mission of peace in this world within the religion of Islam.

Just a quick overview of what is taught and done demonstrates clearly the true nature of the spirit of Islam.

? WARS ALL OVER THE PLANET. With the exception of the Protestant-Catholic scene in Ireland and a few tribal conflicts you will be hard pressed to find a conflict or war or uprising in the entire world that is without Moslem roots. The spirit of conquest and not the spirit of peace is the fundamental principle of Islam throughout the world.

? MOHAMMED’S EXAMPLE AND TEACHINGS. Islam is founded on four sources: the Qur’an (eternal and inspired Word of God received by Mohammed), the Hadith (canonical traditions that are the key to interpreting the Qur’an), ijma’ (community consensus), and qiyas (analogy). Of these four sources the first two are most important. These two-the Qur’an and the Hadith-form the foundation for Islam’s holy law known as shari’ah. Muslims believe this combination form the most perfect expression of God’s will for them to follow.

Ernest Hahn, in his book entitled, Muslims, makes it clear that “Islam without Islamic law is no longer Islam. It is Islamic law that brings order out of chaos. That is why political sovereignty must be in Islamic hands. …Today many Muslims are frustrated with the present status of the Muslim community. They press for community and country renewal through the imposition of the shari’ah (Islamic law in the world), and, if necessary, for revolution. Meanwhile, they continue to promote the spread of Islam throughout the world.” And this promotional spread of Islam is primarily through the spirit of conquest and overthrow, not peace.

Mohammed’s example of leading his people into 27 conquests during his life paves the way for the endless pursuit of jihad. Jihad is an ongoing war being fought for conversion and domination. All true and knowledgeable Muslims believe in it and pursue it to some extent. Maybe this is why it’s so difficult to elicit a clear repudiation out of the Muslim clerics regarding the terrorism that has struck America.

? MESSAGE OF ‘PEACE’ IS A TOOL FOR CONQUEST. A little known teaching in Islam is to use the talk or commitment of peace in order to get you closer to conquest. If you can’t convert, dominate or conquer the infidels, then make peace with them until you are able to overtake them.

? ONLY 3 OPTIONS FOR PEACE WITH ISLAM. According to Islamic law non-Muslims don’t belong to the House of Islam (Dar al-Islam), therefore they belong to the House of War (Dar al-Harb). Under the Islam legal system there are only three ways for Muslims to deal with non-Muslims. Each of these ways produces some form of peace.

First, peace through conversion. Non-Muslims must be converted and if converted, there is a sense of peace. Second, peace through submission. Non-Muslims must be brought into submission or subjugated under Islam. This, too, will bring a certain level of peace. Third, peace through death. Non-Muslims must be eliminated (except for women, children and slaves). In this case there is a sense of perfect peace. You’re dead!

There is only one exception to the three approaches to non-Muslims. It’s called a dhimmi. According to Islamic law a dhimmi is when a Muslim state allows the ‘infidel’ to enter a formal agreement or treaty that spares the non-Muslim’s life and property, as long as the non-Muslim is under some form of subjugation to Islam. Maybe this dhimmi mentality underlies the Muslim states’ view of the West. While Western countries see petroleum issues in economic and political terms, the Islamic mind is thinking dhimmi. They know that they can demonstrate their superiority at any time by humiliating and subjugating the West through manipulating our oil supplies. It’s the new sword of conquest and dominion of Islam.

There is an old fable that is popular among the Afghans about the frog and the scorpion. The scorpion asks the frog to carry him across the lake on his back. The frog protests, “Are you serious? About the time we got half way across the lake you would sting me and we’d die!” “Why would I do that? That would kill me, too! Please help me get to the other side? Let me ride on your back…I won’t hurt you!” the scorpion pleaded. The frog finally consented and as they made their way across the lake, the scorpion stung the frog and they began to sink. “Why did you do that? Now, we’re both going to die! Why?” gasped the frog. The scorpion simply said, “It’s my nature!”

Make no mistake about it. The nature of the Islam religion is filled with a spirit of violence and worldwide domination. There are many loving and peaceful Muslim people in the world, but peace and love are only on certain terms within the religion itself.

Do you think Islam is a religion of peace? Think again!

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JIHAD IN AMERICA-PART II

WHAT IN HELL IS HAPPENING ON PLANET EARTH? The 3 Faces of Evil

Tim Timmons

“An attack from hell” was the frequent reference to America’s most recent terrorist attacks in New York and Washington DC! President Bush has made it clear that our battle is not against a specific race or a certain race of people, but against “evil” and the “evil-doers” who are bent on destroying all that we are and have. But just what is meant by evil? If we are to wage a successful war on evil, then we must identify this enemy clearly. What or who is evil? In the USA we are familiar with evil at a distance-evil that has a remote chance of ever touching or harming us personally. We experience slight brushes with evil in the movies as we allow ourselves to be scared by Freddie on Friday, the 13th or the relentless little Chucky who seems to maneuver in and out of people’s lives. We faced Darth Vader; we have endured the many maniacal bad guys using James Bond’s skills to Harrison Ford’s dogged determination to stop them. But we can easily dismiss these as entertainment scares and not real threats. We watch the atrocities of man’s inhumanity to man around the world through the man-made famines and the political and religious slaughters of one group over another. Our TV sets serve as a way of watching without actually being involved. Then, we are set up on nightly news with the latest horror of a serial killer or a rapist or a child-abuser or an enraged, depressed family member who has wiped out his or her entire family. But again, it’s still at a distance. Our view of evil moved just a little closer, when the Exorcist hit the movie screen. This time the picture of evil was not simply entertainment built around a script. The Exorcist was based upon a real encounter with evil at its worst! The true story was a boy, not a girl. Though these encounters are not a common occurrence, this did open up the reality of the kind of evil forces that are out there to destroy people in any way they can. Dr. Scott Peck was one of the first popular psychiatrists to give credence to the reality of evil in the counseling room with his best seller, People of the Lie. More and more therapists are accepting this as a reality in our modern world that must be encountered from time to time. Still this reality remains at a distance… Terrorist attacks against the United States have been occurring for several years–our foreign embassies, the USS Cole, downed planes, but always at a distance. Or, so we thought. Then, evidence is slowly leaking out with serious terrorist connections with the same Islamic radicals to the Oklahoma Federal Building bombing and the TWA800 flight that was blown out of the air. Now, the distance has been dramatically shortened. Evil showed its ugliest face yet on September 11th in New York City and Washington DC. Now, we are treated with terror at every news break 24 hours a day in our homes, around the coffee pot at work, waiting in lines, on TV, radio and in the print media. It’s now here and it’s very evil-body bags, war maneuvers, bio-terror, nuke-talk and radical cell groups in our neighborhoods. And now as this evil hits our country with an “in your face” attitude, it has gripped us with new fears, angers and a sense of hopelessness. As are other therapists, I am being flooded with calls from everywhere, searching for answers on how to respond to this evil. It seems to help people put it all in perspective when I share the following about the “great controversy” of the universe and the 3 faces of evil… THE GREAT CONTROVERSY There is an ancient biblical perspective on how it all began. After Lucifer (the highest angel in heaven) rebelled against the God of gods, he was cast out of heaven down to planet earth. Then, when God created mankind, He chose to do it on this same, planet earth. The question is “Why?” God commands Adam and Eve with a three-part purpose for them on this planet. First, mankind is to “reflect” God’s image to the world. The image of God is all that is good, wholesome, loving and healing. Second, mankind is to “reproduce” godly children and fill the earth with them. This may be mankind’s most important accomplishment. Third, mankind is to “reign” over the earth-to cultivate the garden and to guard it. Mankind is to work (a good thing) and to guard the garden. From whom? From Lucifer, the Evil One! It’s as if mankind was strategically placed here by God as a “5th column” against evil to reign against it! I have come to three conclusions from this approach to the beginning of life: 1. All of life is a stage upon which the Great Controversy unfolds between good and evil. God intends to take back planet earth through voluntary obedience to Him. 2. We are the players who act out this Great Controversy. Therefore, there is great meaning to our lives at each and every turn. 3. There is a watching world, therefore, it matters how we play it out. There is significance to the outcome of your life.

So, what in hell is happening on planet earth? It’s the most classic illustration of the Great Controversy between good and evil-God and Lucifer! We humans have not been faithful to fulfilling our purpose on this planet. Instead of fighting against the real, invisible enemy, we tend to look for visible representations of what we deem to be wrong and attack it or them. Thus, we win a few battles, but we have been losing the war! Rather than bowing to the gods of tolerance and political correctness we must regenerate a sense of what’s right and wrong, wise and foolish-a world with consequences for our actions. Since God gave 5 senses plus horse and common, we have to get back to making sense out of life-for good and against evil. This brings me back to the original question: “What or who is evil?” In order to answer this, let’s look at the 3 faces of evil. THE 3 FACES OF EVIL First-The Deceptive Face of Evil. The devil rarely travels in his well-publicized, costume of a red suit with tail, pitch-fork and horns. How can you trick someone dressed like that? Instead, evil traffics in costumes of peace, light, promise of things to come, psychic power, supernatural knowledge, the tyranny of the urgent and the quick fix. Second-The Depressive Face of Evil. Evil always leaves a residue of depression wherever it traffics. The self-talk that puts you down and shames you. The evil thoughts that seem to be shot into your mind-words and thoughts that you have never even imagined before. The residue of depression is a direct result of the paralyses of fear, anger and guilt. The depressive face of evil is a constant downward spiral toward your personal destruction. Third-The Despicable Face of Evil. Evil ultimately shows itself for what it is and when it does, the deception mask is ripped off and the depression mask is lifted slightly so that you can see light in the midst of your prison of darkness. This is exactly what’s happened to us in America! We have been deceived, as evil has taken advantage of our virtues and freedom. And we are presently being deceived by words of peace by those who have an agenda for our destruction. We pick up short glimpses of this deceptive face of evil and experience an overwhelming sense of hopelessness and confusion-a low-grade depression that only evil sponsors. Add to this the terror that is threatening the simplest form of everyday life-our mailboxes! This is a threat of destruction, but it is possibly serving up a greater terror-the threat of distraction! The threat of distraction relentlessly keeps the spirit of fear alive just enough to keep everyone off-balance. Then, finally, the most evil face of all confronted us as we watched the World Trade Center towers collapse and the attack against the symbol of America’s military power-the Pentagon. This despicable face of evil unveiled what’s really been happening. There are dozens of non-profit organizations in the USA that position themselves as raising money for orphans and widows and the hungry, yet are being revealed to be “front-groups” for the most despicable of the terrorist cells in our world. Then, there is the wave of propaganda that comes from the lobbies in Washington, DC. INVISIBLE INVASION OF EVIL The invasion of evil with its three faces is difficult to detect, because of its invisibility. Therefore, don’t target a specific race or religion, but aim at fighting the insidious and invisible evil that is waging war against all that we know of God and good. A media and religious propaganda machine that fuels the thoughts and feelings of the many observers looking on always accompany this invasion. Through propaganda machines truth and falsehood switch places. “Terrorists” become “freedom fighters” and “victims” become “perpetrators.” The Jewish holocaust becomes morally equivalent to America’s retaliation against its latest terrorist attack on our shores. The invisible invasion must be identified for what it is and resisted. If you are a victim of a home invasion and you are certain that you are dealing with an evil intent to harm you and your family, you don’t have the option of negotiating. The evil empowering this invader is out for your destruction. This is no time for a philosophical or theological discussion of right and wrong. Your best and only option is to resist him in any way you can! In the Middle East, when total domination and destruction of the Jewish people still remains in the Palestinian constitution, no amount of negotiation with this insidious evil intent can produce even a modicum of peace! This evil must be resisted! When the evil intent of the Islamic extremists is to dominate and destroy all infidels (those who are not believers in Allah and Islam), no amount of negotiation, compromise, food drops or peace demonstrations will stop them. The best and only option is to resist this kind of evil! When it comes to the Great Controversy between God and Evil, Evil is only out for your destruction. There is no room for negotiation or compromise. You must resist it with your life and lifestyle! Every civilization has come to a point of self-destruction, primarily by tolerating evil and ignoring God. When God is missing in our lives, evil thrives. One of my favorite stories is about two boys in a parochial school who were called into the Headmaster’s office. The Headmaster brought one student in and left the other in the waiting room. He sternly asked the boy, “Where is God?” The kid had no idea what he was getting at, so he just sat there. “Come on, Bobby, where is God?” Bobby could think of nothing to say. The Headmaster sent him out and told him to send his buddy in. When Bobby passed his buddy in the waiting, his friend said, “What’s going on?” Bobby said, “I’m not quite sure, but apparently God is missing and they’re trying to blame it on us!” This is our precisely our situation…God is missing in our daily lives and evil is thriving! Most people think of God during tragedy and trouble. However, I have found that most people don’t turn to God, until they come to the realization that nothing else works. In our battle against evil on planet earth, nothing else will prove to be more effective than for us to resist evil and return to God. You see, you were created to be dependent upon your Creator Who knows you best and loves you the most. If you don’t choose to be dependent upon God (source of life), you’ll find yourself dependent upon all kinds of things that will most surely destroy you that stem from Evil (source of death). This is the Great Controversy in action! It all revolves around your everyday choices. I see three choices that must be made: 1. Recognize the true enemy as Evil! Therefore, there is no true victory without turning to God. 2. Renew your relationship with your Creator! a. Observe God’s creation around you everyday! Get outside your concrete jungle and focus on gratefulness. b. Offer your body as an instrument for God everyday! Start your day with “Good morning, God! What do you have for me to do today?” rather than, “Good God, it’s morning!” c. Overhaul your mind with good stuff everyday! Read the best seller of all time-the Bible. Try a chapter of the book of Proverbs each day (31 of them-one for each day of the month). d. Obtain a servant’s heart everyday! Give your life away to the needs of others…you’ll get your investment back in the act of giving. e. Operate within a ‘growth group’ everyday! Hang out with other people in a supportive relationship. Don’t go it alone. You need them and they need you. 3. Resist evil with everything you are and have! A conscious effort to fight against evil no matter what form it takes-Moslem or Christian, religious or political, at home or at work.

What in hell is happening on planet earth? We are in the classic struggle between good and evil-God and the Evil one! Don’t try to reason or renegotiate, resist it at every level!

Tim Timmons, LA talk show host, author, educator, therapist and pastor…maintains an active website, http://www.timtimmons.com, that is most empowering for personal, people and professional success.