Acts 17 Apologetics Radio Show on Rifqa Bary

Our anti-Islamist Christian friends that recently had their freedom of speech denied at a recent Arab festival in Michigan, are taking it to the radio tonight. The subject will be Rifqa Bary, and apostasy in Islam.

"David Wood of Acts 17 Apologetics and I are going to be guests on the Aramaic Broadcasting Network show, "Jesus or Muhammad," tonight. We are covering the Rifqa Bary story and more generally, apostasy in Islam. The show is 6:30 to 9:00pm EST and then again at 10:30pm to 1:30am EST. We will have a guest caller, Jamal Jivanjee, a personal friend of Rifqa's from Ohio."

The show can be listened to HERE.


From From the "Apostasy From Islam" (Ridda) chapter of Reliance of the Traveller
A Classic Manual of Islamic Sacred Law

o8.0 "Apostasy From Islam" (Ridda)

(O:Leaving Islam is the ugliest form of unbelief (kufr) and the worst.)

o8.1 When a person who has reached puberty and is sane voluntarily apostatizes from Islam, he deserves to be killed.

o8.4 There is no indemnity for killing an apostate (O:or an expiation, since it is killing someone who deserves to die).


The Expiation to Allah for Taking a Human Life

05.4 (O:There is no expiation for killing someone who has left Islam,)

Would anyone from the Islam is "tolerant" crowd care to chime in?

Conservatives Speaking out=low Turnout at Muslim Prayer Event

What was originally being billed as a 50,000 Muslim prayer gathering, has now been documented as approximately 1000 Muslims showing up today at Capitol Hill. Muslims are stating that reason for the low turnout was that they were in fear of showing up because of the conservatives who have spoken out against the event. Christians even counter protested there today. I applaud everyone who has spoken out against this event. Remember we still have the numbers here, and within the law we can win this.

Muslims Gather at the Capitol for Prayer Event

About 1,000 people gathered Friday morning on the west front lawn of the Capitol, with more streaming in via charter buses and Metro, for a day of Muslim unity that organizers said was about prayer, not protest.

"We are decent Muslims," said one of the organizers, Imam Ali Jaaher from Dar-ul-Islam mosque in Elizabeth, N. J. "We work, we pay taxes. We are Muslims who truly love this country."

Organizers had said they hoped 50,000 worshipers would show up for the traditional Muslim afternoon prayer at 1 p.m. But they said many people have been frightened away by the backlash against the event. Some conservative Christian groups and bloggers have been calling it anti-Christian and un-American.

Two groups of protesters gathered across the traffic circle from the gathering, waving banners and flags and passing out flyers with crosses and pro-Christian messages. One group, which stood next to a large wooden cross and two giant wooden tablets depicting the 10 commandments, was led by the Rev. Flip Benham of Concord. N.H.

"I would suggest we convert to Christ," Benham shouted over a megaphone that was barely audible from the Muslim gathering. Islam "forces its dogma down your throat."

Benham said he heard about the event last week and brought about a dozen supporters from around the country to protest it. He called Islam a "false religion."

"Unfortunately, our president has opened up the door to this," he said, gesturing toward people streaming toward the gathering. He "has prostrated Christianity to the level of other religions. That's just stunning to me."

Link to Article

UK:Two Christians Arrested for "Offending" a Muslim!

Once again we see just how backwards things in the UK are. Last week the Manchester Council was calling for an upcoming anti-Islam protest to be canceled. Now two Christians have been arrested for discussing Islam with a Muslim. Apparently non-Muslims there now have restrictions on their free speech, while Muslims can openly call for holy war.

Hat tip to Frank.

Christian hotel owners hauled before court after defending their beliefs in discussion with Muslim guest
By JONATHAN PETRE
20th September 2009

A Christian couple have been charged with a criminal offence after taking part in what they regarded as a reasonable discussion about religion with guests at their hotel.

Ben and Sharon Vogelenzang were arrested after a Muslim woman complained to police that she had been offended by their comments.

They have been charged under public order laws with using ‘threatening, abusive or insulting words’ that were ‘religiously aggravated’.

The couple, whose trial has been set for December, face a fine of up to £5,000 and a criminal record if they are convicted.

Although the facts are disputed, it is thought that during the conversation the couple were challenged over their Christian beliefs.

It is understood that they suggested that Mohammed, the founder of Islam, was a warlord and that traditional Muslim dress for women was a form of bondage.

They deny, however, that their comments were threatening and argue that they had every right to defend and explain their beliefs.

Mrs Vogelenzang, 54, who has run the Bounty House Hotel near Aintree racecourse in Liverpool with her husband Ben, 53, for six years, said: ‘Nothing like this has happened to us before. We are completely shocked.’

She added that the episode had damaged their business and they had been forced to lay off staff and run the nine-bedroom hotel by themselves, leaving them exhausted.

Sources said that a number of guests staying at the hotel, which charges £92 a night for a double room, were having breakfast in its restaurant on March 20 when comments were made about religion.

One of those involved was the Muslim woman, who was staying at the hotel while she received treatment at a hospital nearby.

The couple, who are members of the Bootle Christian Fellowship, and their solicitor, David Whiting, said they could not discuss the content of the conversation for legal reasons. But the independent lobby group, the Christian Institute, which has seen both the prosecution and defence legal papers, is supporting their defence.

Mr Whiting, who last year successfully defended street preacher Anthony Rollins in Birmingham, said: ‘There is a dispute as to the facts of the allegations, but Ben and Sharon do not accept they were threatening, abusive or insulting.

‘They are committed Christians and it is the defence’s contention that they have every right to defend their religious beliefs and explain those beliefs to others who do not hold similar views.’

After the incident, the couple voluntarily attended St Anne’s Street police station in Liverpool, where they were interviewed under caution.

In July they were arrested and charged under Section 5 of the Public Order Act 1986 and Section 31 (1) (c) and (5) of the Crime and Disorder Act 1998.

Link to Article

Five Baghdad Churches Bombed in 24 hours

Since the Iraqis were freed from the iron hand of Saddam Hussein, Christians there have been persecuted. Where is the Muslim outrage over this, or even the outrage by our own government? Obviously what happens to Christians does not matter.

July 12th, 2009
Five Baghdad churches bombed in 24 hours
From Jomana Karadsheh

BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) — Four Baghdad churches were bombed in less than 24 hours and eight civilians were wounded, officials said Sunday.

Three bombs exploded outside churches Sunday afternoon, wounding the civilians, an Interior Ministry official said. The bombs detonated within a 15-minute span, between 4:30 and 4:45 p.m. local time (9:30 and 9:45 a.m. ET).

Two of the churches are in central Baghdad’s al-Karrada district, and the third is in al-Ghadeer in eastern Baghdad.

The churches were damaged in the bombings, the official said.

Saturday night, a church in western Baghdad sustained damage in a double bombing, the official said. The two bombs placed inside St. Joseph’s church detonated at around 10 p.m. local time (3 p.m. ET). There was no one in the church at the time of the attack.

St. Joseph’s was one of six churches hit by coordinated bombings of Christian houses of worship in Baghdad and Mosul in 2004. The church is in the al-Jamiaa neighborhood of Baghdad, a former stronghold of al-Qaeda in Iraq. There have been recent reports of an increase in targeted attacks in the area.

Many of Iraq’s estimated 1 million Christians have fled the country after targeted attacks by extremists. In October, more than a thousand Iraqi families fled the northern city of Mosul after they were reportedly frightened by a series of killings and threats by Muslim extremists, who apparently ordered them to convert to Islam or face possible death. At least 14 Christians were killed in Mosul in the first two weeks of October.

Separately, gunmen shot and killed an official in the Iraqi city of Kirkuk on Sunday morning, a local police official told CNN.

Using guns with silencers, the assailants opened fire on Rizko Aziz Nissan outside his home in central Kirkuk at 8:15 a.m. (1:15 a.m. ET). Kirkuk is 150 miles (240 km) north of Baghdad.

Nissan was an Iraqi Christian, but the motives behind his killing were not immediately clear.

Link to Article

Philippines:Christians Attacked 1 Dead, 32 Hurt

Just like the Christians in Indonesia are under attack , the Christians in the neighbouring Philippines are also. It is a worldwide problem that is not going away.

Grenade blasts kill 1, wound 32 in Philippines

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Suspected Muslim guerrillas hurled two grenades near a crowded town plaza where a beauty contest was being held in the southern Philippines, killing at least one person and wounding 32 others, security officials said Sunday.

The attack happened late Saturday in Maasim, Sarangani province, about 600 miles (1,000 kilometers) south of Manila, police chief Abraham Madrid said.

More than 100 policemen and army troops from nearby regions will be deployed to secure Maasim township, which will celebrate a religious festival Sunday, officials said.

Maasim is a predominantly Christian town of more than 30,000 in the Philippines' south, a region which is home to most of the country's minority Muslim population. A bombing there last August was blamed on Muslim rebels, and Madrid told The Associated Press that investigators were trying to determine if the same guerrillas were behind Saturday's attack.

He said two men hurled one grenade each: one at a group of men who were playing a card game at a table, the second at another group of men at a karaoke bar, near the Maasim town plaza, where a beauty contest was being held. At least one person was killed and 32 wounded. The injured were being treated in two hospitals.

Army Lt. Col. Edgardo de Leon later Sunday blamed Moro Islamic Liberation Front guerrillas for the attack.

He said the military had received an intelligence that the rebels planned to carry out bombings in Maasim and nearby regions, but the attacks happened shortly before additional troops arrived in the area.

Regional military commander Maj. Gen. Reynaldo Mapagu condemned the grenade attacks as a "terrorist act," adding that such violence has long hampered economic progress.
The rebels could not immediately be reached for comment.

Last year, they attacked several predominantly Christian towns in the region to protest a failed autonomy deal with the government. The rebel attacks led to the collapse of Malaysian-brokered peace talks and prompted a major military offensive.

The 11,500-strong rebel front has been fighting for decades for self-rule by minority Muslims in the country's south.

Link to Article

Iraq:Christian Sisters Murdered, Christians Shut out by the Govt

Two Christian sisters were shot dead and their mother stabbed by a Muslim mob just one day after it was reported that Iraqi Christians were returning to their homes in Mosul after fleeing Muslim persecution about one month ago.

These horrible acts which are common across the Islamic world are only part of the problem for the Iraqi Christians since we gave the Iraqi Muslims their freedom from Saddam. In October right before the Christians were forced to flee their homes in Mosul, it was reported that they were told to convert, pay jizya or they would be killed.

This is the only part of the nightmare in Iraq for the Christians. The government was being pressured by the United Nations to draft a bill to get article 50 into law. Article 50 was supposed to guarantee 15 out of the 440 government seats to minorities. Thirteen seats were for Christians. The article was never drafted so now the Christians are entitled to one seat in the government. How much worse will it get for the Christians once our troops leave?

Indonesia:Christianity Under Attack

During the month of August it was reported that Christians, their schools, and Churches were under attack in Indonesia. Now the persecution of Christians there has become systematic.
Isn't Indonesia supposed to be moderate Islamic country?

In Jakarta Christian priests and activists first target of Islamic terrorists
by Mathias Hariyadi
Police spokesman reports that following the arrest of dangerous terrorists it is becoming evident that some groups are shifting strategy, focusing primarily on domestic targets, like Christians, in order, among other things, to prevent inter-faith dialogue.

Jakarta (AsiaNews) – Islamic terrorists are moving to a new strategy, opting for attacks against Christian clergymen and activists, targeting vital installations across the country instead of US interests, this according Police spokesman Inspector General Abubakar Nataprawira. Equally the threat of attacks linked to the November execution of three men sentenced for the October 2002 Bali bombings remains high.

Inspector General Nataprawira spoke at a press conference, unveiling the results from investigations sparked by the arrest on 21 October in Kelapa Ganding (North Jakarta) of members of a new terror group called Tauhid Wal Jihad.

“They were planning attacks against Christian priests and peace activities involved in peace actions and interfaith activities against terrorism,” the inspector said.

North Jakarta’s main fuel depot in Plumpang owned by Pertamina was also the group’s target list. Also the group was planning to bring weapons into the country and launch a six-month mass drive to recruit new members.

Wahyu, who has been involved in various terrorist attacks in Poso and Ambon (during the 2005-2006 sectarian clashes) and against the police, is among those arrested. He had been on the run since 2005.

Meanwhile some people are wondering whether the brutal assault against Fr Benny Susetyo was part of this strategy.

The clergyman, who is the secretary of Interfaith Dialogue Commission of the Indonesian Bishops of Conference, was savagely beaten by unknown assailants on 11 August in South Jakarta.

Link to Article

Truth for Muslims Organization

I would like to introduce an organization called Truth for Muslims. Their goal is to help free Muslims from a life of oppression and hate by introducing them to Christianity. The organization is lead by John Marion who had a ministry directed toward Afghan refugees in the Washington, DC area for many years and he had also lived in Afghanistan for a couple of years in the mid 1990’s. He has made Bibles translated into the language of Dari available at AfganBibles, and here is an outline of their mission.


Truth For Muslims is bringing a comprehensive, biblical response to Islam in America. We do this by addressing three critical areas:


Evangelism – Telling Muslims about the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We distribute material to Muslims in America in their mother languages, such as Arabic, Urdu, Farsi, Somali, and Turkish among others. A 16-language DVD, The Life of Jesus Christ, is one example of what we are distributing. The rationale behind our evangelism is that Islam is a spiritually dark ideology which entraps Muslims while the Gospel of Christ brings light and changes the hearts of people from hatred to love. I have heard many stories of former Muslims who have become Christians and their changed lives powerful testimonies to the fact that evangelism works. Evangelism impacts the lives of ordinary Muslims, who may or may not understand their own religion very well.



Apologetics – This answers the theological challenges of Islam. Apologetics comes from the Greek word in the New Testament where Christians are exhorted to give a defense, to provide and answer, about the Christian to those who ask. Since Islam questions the core teachings of Christianity, the person and work of Jesus Christ, Truth For Muslims is teaching Christians how to answer the attacks of Islam against the Christian faith. Apologetics confronts the Muslim religious leadership which trains Muslims to attack Christianity.



Accountability – This involves speaking out in the public forum to fight against the injustice of Islam in society and to hold our leaders accountable for the things they say about Islam, such as “Islam means peace,” or “extremists have hijacked a great world religion.” Islam at its very core is diametrically apposed to the United States Constitution. Our leaders must understand and speak out against Islamic sharia law, the law of apostasy, and Islam’s determination to rule the world. Truth For Muslims is providing a public voice for these important issues through our 2008 Voter Leadership Guide, educational newsletters, books, media, and website content. Accountability holds both political and religious (Muslim or Christian) leaders accountable.



Our online shop includes resources to help equip people to respond to Islam in each of these three critical areas.


Truth for Muslims

Iraqi Christians Told to Convert, pay Jizyah or die!!

Several months ago I reported that Iraq was turning into the Islamic Republic of Iraq , as Christianity is clearly under attack there. Today a new report comes out showing that the situation for Iraqi Christians has gotten even worse. They have been told to convert, pay jizyah or die. We have let the Islamic genie out of the bottle in Iraq.

Sat October 11, 2008
Christians flee Iraqi city after killings, threats, officials say

BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- At least 900 Christian families have fled Mosul in the past week, terrified by a series of killings and threats by Muslim extremists ordering them to convert to Islam or face possible death, officials said Saturday.


The attacks may have been prompted by Christian demonstrations ahead of provincial elections, which are to be held by the end of January, the deputy governor of Nineveh province said.

Deputy Gov. Khasro Goran said 13 Christians have been slain in the past two weeks inMosul, about 260 miles (420 kilometers) north of Baghdad. Fleeing Christians have sought refuge in monasteries and churches and with family members in other towns, an Interior Ministry official said.

The attacks began after hundreds of Christians took to the streets in Mosul and surrounding villages and towns, seeking greater representation on provincial councils, whose members will be chosen in the local elections.

Duraid Mohammed Kashmoula, Nineveh's governor, told The Associated Press that the exodus was "a major displacement."

"Of course, al Qaeda elements are behind this campaign against Christians," Kashmoula told AP.

The Interior Ministry official said the homes of three families were destroyed with explosives Saturday after the occupants left. No injuries were reported.

A week ago, leaflets were distributed in several predominantly Christian neighborhoods, threatening families to "either convert to Islam or pay the jizyah or leave the city or face death," said the Interior Ministry official.

Historically, jizya is a tax paid by non-Muslims in exchange for protection.

Goran said that a few days after the leaflets were passed out, gunmen set up checkpoints in parts of Mosul, stopping vehicles to inspect identification papers, searching for Christian names or other signs of religious affiliation. Many of the Christians killed were targeted in this way, he said.

Bashir Azoz, 45, told AP he fled his Mosul home after gunmen warned a neighbor to leave or be killed.

"Where is the government and its security forces as these crimes take place every day?" asked Azoz, a carpenter who is staying with his wife and three children in a town about 25 miles (40 kilometers) east of Mosul, according to AP.

The Rev. Bolis Jacob, of Mosul's Mar Afram Church, told AP he couldn't understand the attacks.

"We respect the Islamic religion and the Muslim clerics," he said. "We don't know under what religion's pretexts these terrorists work."

Goran said police have set up security checkpoints in Christian neighborhoods.

In response to the violence, Iraqi Defense Minister Abdul Qader al-Obaidi visited Mosul on Saturday morning, conducting meetings with local authorities and military commanders.

His spokesman, Mohammed al-Askari, said that in addition to ordering more checkpoints in Christian neighborhoods, al-Obaidi ordered more troops deployed, additional security patrols and an increase in aerial surveillance of Christian areas.


Al-Obaidi also ordered more guards for Christian clerics, al-Askari said.

Link to Article