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• SYRIAN RELIGIOUS MINORITIES BEING BURIED UNDER A MOUNTAIN OF PROPAGANDA
• OPPOSITION MOUNTS TO GROWING USE OF SHARIA LAW IN BRITAIN
• HOW THE BRAIN DECIDES WHETHER TO “SELL OUT”
• FORMER MUSLIM WOMAN RAISED FROM THE DEAD WINS MANY TO CHRIST
• CHRISTIANS URGED TO AVOID SINS OF THE FLESH DESPITE FACING RIDICULE
• EUROPE’S TOP COURTS ON A PRO-LIFE ROLL
• BACK TO CHURCH SUNDAY A SUCCESS IN BRITAIN

SYRIAN RELIGIOUS MINORITIES BEING BURIED UNDER A MOUNTAIN OF PROPAGANDA

The battle in Syria is a battle for Syria. It is a battle that will determine the balance of power in the Middle East. It is a battle between the Iranian-Shi’ite ¢â‚¬â„¢s and the US-Saudi-Gulf Sunni Arabs. Iran needs Syria to link it geographically to Lebanon; while Syria’s minority Government needs Shi’ite protection for their security. Meanwhile, the Saudi and Gulf Sunni Arabs want to bring Syria back into the Sunni-Arab axis to counter the Iranian-Shi’ite ascendency. The West supports the Sunni-Arab agenda as being in the West’s economic interests. That support however, will not bring security to the region, for the Sunni-Arab axis is increasingly as belligerent as the Iranian-Shi’ite axis.

If the Muslim Brotherhood and Salafi groups are empowered in Syria as they have been in Egypt it will spell a bloody end to the religious liberty that has been a feature in Syria for the past half century. The Saudi and Gulf Arabs are not bothered by the fact that regime change in Syria will come at the cost of Syria’s religious minorities. But the West should be. The West should reject the cost as unacceptable. Instead they seem to be intent on burying these peoples under a mountain of propaganda. The recent report by the League of Arab States Observer Mission to Syria turns the Western-Saudi-Gulf Arab narrative, of an evil regime vs a peacefully protesting nation, on its head.

Author Pepe Escobar, an expert on the geo-politics of the Middle East, has written a stinging critique exposing the Arab agenda in Syria. Escobar notes: “The League of Arab States report is adamant. There was no organized, lethal repression by the Syrian government against peaceful protesters. ¢â‚¬  Escobar continues  ¢â‚¬Å“Instead, the report points to shady armed gangs as responsible for hundreds of deaths among Syrian civilians, and over one thousand among the Syrian army, using lethal tactics such as bombing of civilian buses, trains carrying diesel oil, bombing of police buses and bombing of bridges and pipelines.”

Escobar describes the Syrian National Council as “essentially a Muslim Brotherhood outfit affiliated with both the House of Saud and Qatar”. He describes the Free Syrian Army as a conglomerate of Sunni defectors, well-meaning opponents of the Assad regime, and “foreign mercenaries armed by the GCC [Gulf Cooperation Council], especially Salafist gangs”.   Escobar also notes, “GCC leaders, the House of Saud and Qatar, bluntly dismissed their own report and went straight to the meat of the matter, to impose a NATO/GCC regime change via the UN Security Council.” But Russia and China vetoed the resolution, decrying it as unbalanced and biased.

It was the existence of an “armed entity” that Russia sought to address when it proposed amendments to the UN Security Council resolution. Russia wanted guarantees that the Syrian opposition would “dissociate themselves from armed groups”. Russia also wanted assurances that the Syrian Army would only be required to withdraw as the armed groups also withdrew, thereby ensuring that the vacuum left by the withdrawal of Syrian forces would not be filled by foreign jihadist outfits. Russia also rejected the vague wording of the resolution, claiming it left the door open for possible international military intervention in Syria.

Russia believes international military intervention would only aggravate any civil war. Syria Tribune editor Ali Mohamad said that he doesn’t believe the Western backers of a UN Security Council resolution on Syria “are working for the best interests of the Syrian people.” “Mohamad says, ‘there was a very good chance this week to find a draft that could satisfy all sides  ¢â‚¬“ but it was not supported by Western countries. The Arab league initiative, supported by the Security Council, wants to portray an image where the problem is between Assad and the Syrian people, but this is not the reality.'”

Source: Compiled by APN from various Christian media sources

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OPPOSITION MOUNTS TO GROWING USE OF SHARIA LAW IN BRITAIN

Opposition is mounting to the growing use of Islamic law to settle civil disputes in Britain as a Muslim campaigner backs a bill that aims to stop sharia councils from falsely claiming legal status in England and Wales. The BBC recently highlighted the increasing use of sharia by thousands of Muslims to settle disputes each year. An estimated 85 sharia councils now operate in Britain, and several bodies, such as the Islamic Sharia Council, have reported a large increase in their case-load. Sheikh al-Haddad said: Our cases have more than tripled over the past 3 to 5 years. On an average month we can deal with anything from 200 to 300 cases. A few years ago it was just a small fraction of that.

Muslims are becoming more aligned with their faith and more aware of what we are offering them. As demand for the use of sharia law increases, opposition to it is also growing. Campaigners are concerned that women are being denied justice in sharia courts where they do not enjoy the same rights as men. Non-Muslims are also discriminated against under Islamic law. The Christian and humanitarian campaigner Baroness Cox introduced a bill to the House of Lords last year that seeks to create a new offence  ¢â‚¬“ punishable by up to five years in prison  ¢â‚¬“ of falsely claiming legal jurisdiction over criminal or family law.

The Arbitration and Mediation Services Bill, which has the backing of the National Secular Society, has   also gained the support of Tehmina Kazi, director of Muslims for Secular Democracy. She is concerned that Muslim women are not aware of alternatives to sharia law. Ms Kazi said:    ¢â‚¬Å“They don ¢â‚¬â„¢t have legal power and are completely informal so very hard to regulate ¢â‚¬ ¦ We want to educate women so they know what their rights are. Another advocate for Muslim women ¢â‚¬â„¢s rights Cassandra Balchin, chair of the Muslim Women ¢â‚¬â„¢s Network-UK, is also backing the Bill saying it would probably increase pressure on sharia councils to make clear to their clients that their decisions have no legal weight.

The Iranian and Kurdish Women ¢â‚¬â„¢s Rights Organisation is campaigning for sharia councils to be completely banned. Sharia councils have been operating in Britain since 1982, effectively creating a parallel legal system by which Muslims can resolve disputes. They deal with family, financial and commercial matters in accordance with sharia principles; 95 per cent of their cases relate to divorce. Although they have no legal powers and cannot impose their rulings, in practice they function as courts and carry the same authority within the Muslim community.   And in 2008 the British government acknowledged that it had accepted the role of sharia tribunals in arbitration, in certain limited fields.

Opponents are concerned that the acceptance of certain aspects of Islamic civil law in Britain could be the start of a slippery slope into full-blown sharia. In a report published in 2010, human rights campaign group One Law For All argued: Despite all efforts to package Sharia ¢â‚¬â„¢s civil code as mundane, its imposition represents an attempt by Islamists to gain further influence in Britain. By undermining British legal principles of equality before the law, the concept of one law for all and the protection of the rights of women and children, these courts help to increase discrimination against the most vulnerable. They also deny people their rights and leave them at the mercy of Islamists.

Source: Barnabus Fund

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HOW THE BRAIN DECIDES WHETHER TO “SELL OUT”

A neuro-imaging study shows that personal values that people refuse to disavow, are processed differently in the brain than those values that are willingly given up. “Our experiment found that the realm of the sacred, i.e. a strong religious belief, a national identity or a code of ethics ¢â‚¬”is a distinct cognitive process,” says Gregory Berns, Director of the Centre for Neuropolicy at Emory University and lead author of the study.   Sacred values prompt greater activation of an area of the brain associated with right-or-wrong thought processes, as opposed to the regions linked to processing of costs-versus-benefits.

Berns said “We’ve come up with a method to start answering scientific questions about how people make decisions involving their values. That has major implications in understanding what influences human behaviour. ¢â‚¬  The researchers recorded the brain responses of 32 adults during key phases of an experiment. In the first phase, participants were shown statements ranging from the mundane,  ¢â‚¬Å“You are a tea drinker,” to hot-button issues such as “You support gay marriage” and “You are Pro-Life.” Each of the 62 statements had a contradictory pair, such as “You are Pro-Choice,” and the participants had to choose one of each pair.

At the end of the experiment, participants were given the option of earning as much as $100 by disavowing their previous choice and stating the opposite of what they believed. “We used the auction to measure the integrity of specific statements,” Berns explains. “If a person refused to take money to change a statement, we considered that value to be sacred to them. But if they took money, then we considered they had low integrity for that statement and it wasn’t sacred.” The brain imaging data showed a strong correlation between sacred values and activation of the brain systems associated with evaluating right and wrong.

Berns said “Our findings show that it’s unreasonable to think that a policy based on costs-and-benefits will influence people’s behaviour when it comes to their sacred personal values, because they are processed in an entirely different part of the brain.” Research participants who reported more active affiliations with churches, sports teams, musical groups and environmental clubs, had stronger brain activity in the regions that correlated to sacred values. The experiment also found activation in the region of the brain associated with emotional reactions, but only in cases where participants refused to take cash to state the opposite of what they believe.

“Those statements represent the most repugnant to the individual,” Berns says, “and would be expected to provoke the most arousal, which indicates that when sacred values are violated, it induces moral outrage. As culture changes, it affects our brains, and as our brains change, that affects our culture. You can’t separate the two,” Berns says. “We now have the means to start understanding this relationship, and that’s putting the relatively new field of cultural neuroscience onto the global stage.” Future conflicts over politics and religion will likely play out biologically, Berns says. He cites the battles over women’s reproductive rights and gay marriage as ongoing examples.

Source: Press release – Emory University

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FORMER MUSLIM WOMAN RAISED FROM THE DEAD WINS MANY TO CHRIST

Her Muslim neighbours and relatives grieved the loss of this relatively young mother of nine children. But after mourning her death for 12 hours, God brought a miracle that touched many lives.  ¢â‚¬Å“This is one of the most unusual and dramatic testimonies we ¢â‚¬â„¢ve ever recorded in our   ministry, ¢â‚¬  says Dr. Howard Folz, president and founder of AIMS.  ¢â‚¬Å“It all started when a man named Warsa got saved and then God spoke to him that he would be used by God to see the dead raised. ¢â‚¬  Trained as a missionary by AIMS, Warsa was already reaching many Muslims with the good news about Jesus Christ. Then one of women in his village became ill.

 ¢â‚¬Å“For two months I was very seriously sick, ¢â‚¬  says Fatuma Shubisa.   Fatuma grew up in a Muslim home, but she and her husband converted to Christianity. One day Fatuma ¢â‚¬â„¢s mother came to visit her ailing daughter was shocked to find her lying motionless and unresponsive. She searched in vain for a pulse or heartbeat, but Fatuma ¢â‚¬â„¢s body was already cold. She closed Fatuma ¢â‚¬â„¢s eyes and straightened her leg. Unable to control her grief, she began to wail, and her shreiks aroused many of her Muslim neighbours who gathered in and around the home. They too began to grieve.

Meanwhile, a missionary named Warsa Buta was walking nearby and saw the crowd gathered around Fatuma ¢â‚¬â„¢s home. When he learned of her passing, he went inside and began to pray. Some wondered why he prayed, since she had already been dead 12 hours. When he heard the murmuring, he persisted in prayer, because he remembered the promise God gave him as a young believer, that he would be used in such a time as this. Could this be the day?  ¢â‚¬Å“I had faith the Lord would work through me, ¢â‚¬  Warsa says.  ¢â‚¬Å“I prayed as Peter prayed,  ¢â‚¬ËœFatuma, be raised ¢â‚¬ ¦I ask you in the name of the Lord, come to life ¢â‚¬ ¦  ¢â‚¬Å“Fatuma, be raised in the name of Jesus! ¢â‚¬ 

Suddenly, Fatuma sat up in the bed, as everyone gasped in astonishment. Most of those around her were speechless.  ¢â‚¬Å“Can he call back a dead person  ¢â‚¬“ a dead soul to a body? ¢â‚¬  someone asked.  ¢â‚¬Å“If this is real, we will all become Christians, ¢â‚¬  one man said.  ¢â‚¬Å“Your God is a very powerful God! ¢â‚¬  another shouted. Many believed in the Lord Jesus that day and there was great rejoicing in Fatuma ¢â‚¬â„¢s village. She is convinced she knows the reason for her return.  ¢â‚¬Å“I came back because it was the will of God for me to live with my children, but I would be very happy to go back to heaven ¢â‚¬  she notes.  ¢â‚¬Å“When a Christian dies he goes to a place where everything is good, where everyone is happy. ¢â‚¬ 

Source: OpenHeaven.com

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CHRISTIANS URGED TO AVOID SINS OF THE FLESH DESPITE FACING RIDICULE

Catholics in a sex-saturated society need to “regain the upper ground,” and preach “the ancient wisdom of chastity and purity,” New York Archbishop and Cardinal-designate Timothy Dolan told his congregation last Sunday. In a powerful sermon delivered at St. Patrick’s cathedral, Dolan reflected on the second reading from that Sunday, in which St. Paul tells the Corinthians that the body is a “temple of the Holy Spirit,” and exhorts Christians to avoid sins of the flesh. Contending that many “still seem nervous about preaching chastity and purity,” he continued by saying chastity is often “mis-represented as anti-sex.” and ridiculed as “freakish.”

The Archbishop defined chastity as “the virtue by which we integrate God’s wisdom about the joy, beauty, responsibility and nobility of sexual love. Sexual love is so sacred, noble, powerful and awesome, that it actually reflects God’s passionate, personal love for us,” he said. “Human sexual love should have the very same characteristics as Divine love ¢â‚¬”namely it’s forever, it is faithful, and it is life-giving. Thus the Lord intends that sexual love occur only within the life-long, life-giving, faithful living bond of a man and woman in marriage.” “It is chastity and purity that liberates us, while immorality enslaves us,” he said.

Source: LifeSiteNews

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EUROPE’S TOP COURTS ON A PRO-LIFE ROLL

The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has upheld Austria’s ban on in-Vitro fertilization and ruled against destroying human embryos for scientific research. In addition they surprised many by upholding Ireland’s abortion ban. Roger Kiska of the Alliance Defence fund said “Two or three years ago, you would never have thought that within a year you would have three pro-life victories in the courts. ¢â‚¬  Some of the credit is given to the fact that Catholic majority eastern European nations are serving as a moral balance to the more humanistic western nations in the European Union. The very Western, liberalized way of thinking is losing its monopoly over the ECHR.

Source: Christianity Today

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BACK TO CHURCH SUNDAY A SUCCESS IN BRITAIN

The UK “Back to Church Sunday” initiative, in which Christians invite neighbours and friends to attend a church service with them began when research revealed that non-churchgoers would come to services if they were invited by their friends. Last year, 20,000 people responded to the invites. “Unchurched people can imagine that they ¢â‚¬â„¢ll be unwelcome intruders if they walk into a church” said Anglican Vicar Rev. Paul Moore. “Nothing could be further from the truth. We ensure they feel really at home. Sometimes people lose touch with church for different reasons and feel it would be hypocritical of them to return” he said. “Our job is to persuade them that they are actually welcome.”

Source: Intercessors Network

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