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Worship Site Demolished, Pastors Arrested
Nov 2nd, 2009
Daily NewsCompass Direct News
Categories: Today's Headlines;The Church;Persecution

October 7  – Following a mob attack on a church in northeastern China and the demolition of their worship site last month, the government put officials on alert to use military force against churches to quell potential “unrest,” according to a leading advocacy group. Citing reliable government sources, China Aid Association (CAA) reported that the central government on Sept. 26-27 ordered officials in “all relevant government agencies” to prepare to use military force against Christians who might react to the attack on the Fushan Church branch congregation in Linfen city, Shanxi Province. On Sept. 13 some 400 uniformed police and civilians bearing shovels, batons, bricks, iron hooks and other weapons beat members of the church who were sleeping at the nearly finished factory building used as a worship site. With several Fushan County officials involved in the attack, dozens of Christians were seriously injured among the more than 100 who were hurt, according to CAA. On Sept. 25 Shanxi Province officers of the Public Security Bureau detained nine Fushan Church leaders on their way to Beijing to protest the attack, and the next day authorities placed state military police inside and around the main Fushan Church building in Linfen city, the advocacy organization said. In Beijing, the crackdown ahead of the Oct. 1 National Day included the arrest of an internationally known house church rights defender. Public Security Bureau and State Security agents from Fengtai district in Beijing seized Pastor Hua Huiqi of Tent-Making Ministry on Sept. 17; his whereabouts are unknown.

U.S. Report Criticizes Israel's Jewish Character
Nov 2nd, 2009
Daily NewsArutz Sheva - Hillel Fendel
Categories: Today's Headlines;The Nation Of Israel;Anti-Israel

In its 2009 International Religious Freedoms Report, the U.S. State Department accuses Israel of “governmental and legal discrimination against non-Jews and non-Orthodox streams of Judaism.” The JewishIsrael organization, in its review of the document, calls it a “protracted denunciation against Israel’s Jewish character.”

The State Department report, released last week, analyzes religious freedoms in many countries of the world, and its section on Israel is entitled Israel and the Occupied Territories; the text explains that “Occupied Territories” includes “areas subject to the jurisdiction of the Palestinian Authority.”

JewishIsrael is an interactive internet portal that “provides a platform for ongoing monitoring and pro-active responses to aggressive missionary campaigns now targeting Jews for conversion in the Jewish State.”

“A disproportionate amount of the [State Departmen report,” JewishIsrael notes, “is dedicated to depicting Torah traditions and Orthodox Judaism as oppressive, and to reporting on Israel’s ‘growing’ but ‘harassed’ community of apostate Jews and Christian missionaries.”

The report emphasizes, “Proselytizing is legal in the country and missionaries of all religious groups are allowed to proselytize all citizens.” It then criticizes Israeli “society” by reporting, “Society's attitudes toward missionary activities and conversion generally were negative. Most Jews were opposed to missionary activity directed at Jews and some were hostile to Jewish converts to Christianity.” Though this sentence merely describes the natural attitude of Jews living in the Jewish State after centuries of religious persecution, the implication is one of criticism.

The report notes that 56 percent of the public describes itself as traditional or religious, and that most of the remainder also “observe some Jewish traditions.” Despite this, it also includes the following statements of criticism: “The Government implements some policies based on Orthodox Jewish interpretations of religious law which thereby discriminates against citizens adhering to other religious groups.”

“The Orthodox Jewish establishment also determines who is buried in Jewish state cemeteries, limiting this right to individuals considered Jewish by Orthodox standards.”

“Jews in most professions were prohibited from working on the Sabbath unless granted a special permit by the Ministry of Industry, Trade, and Labor.”

“In order to marry in government-recognized ceremonies, Jews had to undergo marriage counseling administered by the Orthodox religious authorities.”

“The Interior Ministry distinguishes between Jews and non-Jews on identification cards by printing the birth date of Jews in Hebrew letters according to the Jewish calendar while listing that of others according to the Gregorian calendar.”Critical of Western Wall Prayers

The report is critical of prayer customs at the Western Wall, second in Jewish sanctity only to the Temple Mount just above it. The report states:

“Governmental authorities prohibit mixed gender prayer services at religious sites in deference to the belief of most Orthodox Jews that such services violate the precepts of Judaism. At the Western Wall, the holiest site in Judaism [si, men and women must use separate areas to visit and pray. Women also are not allowed to conduct prayers at the Western Wall while wearing prayer shawls, which are typically worn by Jewish men, and are not permitted to read from Torah scrolls.”

The report quoted that Jerusalem Institute of Justice (JIJ) as “alleg[in that the Interior Ministry refused to process immigration applications from persons entitled to citizenship under the Law of Return if it was determined such persons held Christian or Messianic Jewish religious beliefs.”

According to the State Department, the JIJ filed a petition to Israel’s High Court in May of this year on behalf of three Messianic Jews whose application for immigration was blocked by the Ministry of Interior. They cited an April 2008 High Court ruling according to which a person eligible to immigrate under the Law of Return could not be denied immigration rights on the basis of his identification as a Messianic Jew. “The case was ongoing at the end of the reporting period,” the report noted.

Noting that “most Jews were opposed to missionary activity directed at Jews,” the report still had this to say about grass-roots counter-missionary efforts in Israel:

“The Messianic Jewish and Jehovah's Witnesses communities, among others, accused groups such as Yad L'Achim and Lev L'Achim, and Jewish religious organizations opposed to missionary activity, of harassing and occasionally assaulting their members. According to Yad L'Achim's annual report for 2008, quoted in the newspaper Yom L'Yom, the organization ‘saved 174 souls from the clutches of the [Messianic and evangelica mission" during the year.’ The organization's semi-clandestine Counter-Missionary Department, headed by Rabbi Alex Artovski, also claimed to have dozens of informants and infiltrators in the Government and in Christian or Messianic Jewish congregations, enabling the organization to force the closure of 18 religious meeting places and expel 12 ‘top-ranking’ missionaries from the country during 2008.”

Agudath Israel: Israel is True to Its Foundational Ideal

Agudath Israel of America stated, “Criticism of Israel for being true to its foundational ideal is ill-conceived.” The organization issued the following statement in response to the report: “Much of the criticism of Israel in the [repor is misplaced. The United States is rightly proud of its tradition as a republic that embraces no official religion. But numerous other countries, with equal pride, define themselves as Muslim or Christian. One country was created as a Jewish state. Israel’s choice of timeless Jewish tradition in the public realm and with regard to issues of personal status requires no apology. Criticism of Israel for being true to its foundational ideal is ill-conceived.”              

For its part, the JewishIsrael organization concludes that the State Department’s report is a “clear case of Judeo-Christian tolerance and values becoming tyranny.  In a sort of ‘clash of civilizations,’ Jewish heritage and tradition has been pitted against American-style Freedom of Religion and Democracy. The bitter irony is that it was Orthodox Jew Michael Horowitz of the Hudson Institute who in the mid-1990’s, teamed up with evangelicals and spearheaded the Congressional International Religious Freedoms Act of 1998 which would result in the current State Department reports which are now challenging Israel’s right to be a Jewish nation. That this law and subsequent reports would be used to defend missionary activity in Israel, promote ‘messianic’ Christianity as Judaism, and pressure Israel into withdrawing counter-missionary legislation, was written on the wall early on, and in a number of publications.”

Art's Commentary......America is turning out to be a bitter enemy of Israel, rejecting all Israel stands for. If this inherant attitude continues, where will it end up?

Sharia Law, the law of the land in Islamic nations, is making great strides in the Middle East, into the West, and in fact, around the world
Nov 2nd, 2009
News UpdateJimmy DeYoung
Categories: Jimmy DeYoung News

Pakistan recently gave in to the pressures of Islamist militants and in order to buy off peace, Pakistani authorities allowed the imposition of Sharia, Islamic law, to be implemented in the Swat Valley, a war-torn tribal area of the Islamic nation of Pakistan.

The Pakistani government not only allowed a precedent that could spread throughout all Pakistan, but the truth be known, Islamic law, Sharia law, is making inroads across all of the Middle East and even creeping into the Western countries as well.

Jimmy's Prophetic Prospective on the News

The spread of Sharia law, Islamic law, across the Middle East and in the nations in the West coupled with the ever-expanding Moslem populations around the world is setting the stage for Bible prophecy to be fulfilled.

European leaders have been very concerned with the ever-expanding Moslem populations in their nations and have been confused as how to handle this phenomenon. Now, in these highly populated Moslem areas, there has surfaced a new phenomenon, the demand for Sharia law, the Islamic law of the land, to be implemented and these Moslem communities want this done right now. Sharia law is the law of the land that would rule every nation in the world if Islamic leaders are successful in bringing about a worldwide caliphate, an Islamic kingdom on earth with everyone subject to Allah, the Islamic god.

Ancient Jewish prophets, though not using the words Islam or Sharia, actually spoke to the issue under discussion in their volumes of pre-written history. Joel in Joel 2:3-4 spoke of a mighty militia, a Moslem militia, the largest the world has ever seen, heading towards Jerusalem to destroy the Jewish state. Daniel 11:40-44, Ezekiel 38 and Psalm 83 all list nations that will join this mighty Moslem militia to destroy the Jewish state of Israel.

The spread of Sharia law as the law of the land in more and more nations in our world today is indeed setting the stage for Bible prophecy to be fulfilled.

Obama Appoints Anti - Israel Chuck Hagel As Intelligence Aide
Nov 2nd, 2009
Daily NewsArutz Sheva - Tzvi Ben Gedalayhu
Categories: Today's Headlines;The Nation Of Israel;Anti-Israel

Jewish Republican party officials and the Zionist Organization of America (ZOA) are among several groups that have called on U.S. President Barack Obama to rescind his appointment of former senator Chuck Hagel as co-chairman of his Intelligence Advisory Board.

Hagel made clear his attitude towards Israel when he spoke at the pro-Arab and self-proclaimed pro-Israel Jerusalem Street lobby last week. He echoed President Obama’s previous statements that meeting the demand of the Palestinian Authority for a new Arab state within Israel’s current borders “is central, not peripheral, to U.S. vital security interests in combating terrorism.”

He also said that the “special relationship” between the United States and Israel “must not come at the expense of our Arab relationships.”

Republican Jewish Coalition Executive Director Matt Brooks stated that Hagel’s record reflects “a fundamental misunderstanding of the region and of the nature of the threats to U.S. interests in the region. Hagel does not seem to understand that the U.S. and Israel are fighting a war against terrorists whose agenda is an existential threat to our free and democratic system.”

Hagel, who once criticized President George W. Bush for refusing to meet with Yasser Arafat, has questioned the loyalty of American Jews who support Israel, stating that “the political reality is that ... the Jewish lobby intimidates a lot of people up here.”

The ZOA stated that Hagel has a "long and troubling record of hostility to Israel,” including his refusal to join fellow congressmen to ask the European Union to declare Hizbullah a terrorist organization. He also was one of four senators who refused to sign a letter backing Israel after the outbreak nine years ago of the Second Intifada, also known as the Oslo War.

His appointment is another in a long list of Obama aides whose policies are against Israel. One of the president's advisors is Zbigniew Brzezinski, who was national security advisor to former President Jimmy Carter. He recently stated that the U.S. should shoot down any Israeli planes that fly through Iraqi air space on the way to attacking Iran’s nuclear reactors that are preparing nuclear uranium for nuclear weapons.

President Obama also has appointed Prof. Samantha Power as senior director for multicultural affairs on the National Security Council. The Obama team originally distanced itself from her during the presidential campaign because of her nasty remarks about Israel and now U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

One potential Obama advisor who backed out following harsh criticism is Charles Freeman, who was nominated to head the sensitive National Intelligence Council of which Hagel will be co-chairman. Freeman’s history includes close financial ties with King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia.

Death Threats Against Bedouin With Jewish Ancestry
Nov 2nd, 2009
Daily NewsArutz Sheva - Tzvi Ben Gadalyahu
Categories: Today's Headlines;Anti-Israel

 
Bedouin in the area of Rahat, northwest of Be’er Sheva, have threatened the life of a neighboring sheikh and set his house on fire following his recent meeting to reinforce ties with Jews and Judaism that are part of his ancestry.

Sheikh Salem al-Huzeil maintains that most his tribal ancestors were Jewish until they were forced to convert during the Muslim conquest approximately 1,300 years ago. Hundreds of Bedouin and Arabs families in neighboring villages are known to practice certain Jewish customs, such as lighting candles Friday night, evidence of their Jewish roots.

Bedouin enemies have reacted violently to his efforts to maintain friendly relations with the Jewish community and to demonstrate for the release of kidnapped soldier Gilad Shalit. Posters recently have been distributed calling for the death of Sheikh al-Huzeil, although he has said that his tribe has no intentions of converting to Judaism. Several members of his family suffered severe burns after Bedouin opponents set his house on fire.

The Islamic Movement in the south does not want good relations with Jews,” noted Rabbi Dov Stein, who as among those who met with the Sheikh. Rabbi Stein has urged Defense Minister Ehud Barak to investigate the threats and calls for incitement. The movement's northern branch is headed by Sheikh Raad Salah, who has been convicted several times for incitement,

Art's Commentary.....How can Israel live side by side with such enemies as the Palestinians?

Commercial Lending Giant Cit Files Bankruptcy
Nov 2nd, 2009
Daily NewsAP
Categories: Today's Headlines;Warning

Government to likely lose $2.3 billion it spent to prop company up last year

NEW YORK - Lender CIT Group has filed for bankruptcy protection, in an effort to restructure its debt while trying to keep loans flowing to the thousands of mid-sized and small businesses.

CIT made the filing in New York bankruptcy court Sunday, after a debt-exchange offer to bondholders failed. CIT said in a statement that its bondholders have overwhelmingly approved a prepackaged reorganization plan which will reduce total debt by $10 billion while allowing the company to continue to do business.

Clinton to Meet Arab Ministers on Peace
Nov 2nd, 2009
Daily NewsAssociated Press , THE JERUSALEM POST
Categories: Today's Headlines;Peace Process

US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton prepared Monday to consult with Arab foreign ministers on Obama administration efforts to get Israel and the Palestinians to resume peace negotiations, two days after she raised Arab ire by praising Israel's offer to limit - but not stop - settlement construction.

Clinton was to meet first with Moroccan Foreign Minister Taieb Fassi Fihri before flying to the southern-central city of Ouarzazate for an audience with King Mohammed VI. Later she was returning to Marrakech for talks with foreign ministers of several Persian Gulf nations.

Clinton also was expected to meet separately with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal, who has rejected US appeals for improved Arab relations with Israel as a way to help restart Middle East peace talks, saying the Israel is not interested in a deal.

Clinton urged Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas in a face-to-face meeting in Abu Dhabi on Saturday to renew talks, which broke down late last year, without conditions. Abbas said no, insisting that Israel first halt all settlement activity in the West Bank and east Jerusalem.

Then, at a joint news conference with Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu late Saturday in Jerusalem, Clinton praised Netanyahu's offer to curb some settlement construction, saying it was an unprecedented gesture.

"I believe that the US condones continued settlement expansion," Palestinian government spokesman Ghassan Khatib said Sunday in a rare public chiding of Washington.

"Calling for a resumption of negotiations despite continued settlement construction doesn't help because we have tried this way many times," Khatib added. "Negotiations are about ending the occupation and settlement expansion is about entrenching the occupation."

Palestinians expressed deep disappointment and frustration at Clinton's words, which signaled a softening of the past US call for a complete freeze on settlement activity.

Jordan and Egypt also issued statements Sunday critical of the latest US approach to the settlements issue. Clinton spoke by telephone with Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit.

Clinton was in Marrakech to attend a regional conference called Forum for the Future, with representatives of nations of the Middle East and North Africa, as well as advanced industrialized countries. It is the final stop on a weeklong journey that began Wednesday in Pakistan.