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Archive for February, 2012

Pakistan: Islamic Extremists Attack Christian Community in Faisalabad, Two Seriously Wounded

02/23/2012 Leave a comment

“Faisalabad (AsiaNews / Agencies) – A dozen armed Muslims stormed the Grace Ministry Church in Faisalabad, seriously wounding two Christians. Sajid Masih was hit by bullets and is in critical condition in hospital, the man risks having his amputated arm. Another member of the Protestant community, Boota Masih, was pushed from the roof – a height of about six meters – after being struck repeatedly with a rifle butt. The extremist raid was sparked by charges that church was trying to evangelize Muslims in an attempt to convert them to Christianity. The community several times in the past has been the subject of assault and the pastor and his family the subject of death threats.

Sources of Pakistan Christian Post reported that Sajid (pictured) and Boota were transported to hospital for a delicate operation, which lasted over four hours. Doctors have removed a bullet from Sajid’s arm, but his condition remains serious and they may decide to amputate the arm that is at risk of gangrene. The bullet pierced the arm and is lodged in his rib.

The attack took place at Grace Ministry Church yesterday and the Christian community is still in shock. Meanwhile, the police, instead of pursuing the perpetrators of violence, have opened an investigation against the Rev. Altaf Khan – pastor of the community – and 20 other faithful. The agents have already arrested the driver Pervaiz Masih, another Christian faithful called Nazish Nadeem, along with two guards, security officers, Rafiq Masih and Shahzad.

The Protestant church was founded in 1987 and has recently undergone intense pressure attacks, and allegations of proselytizing. Over the past two months, says Rev. Khan, ‘I and my family have received death threats from extremists and terrorists.’ The charge of proselytism was made by the only Muslim family, who lives in the street home to the Grace Ministry Church Faisalabad. ‘Some Christian groups and Muslims – said the rev. Khan -jealous of our ministry have financed and supported terrorist groups in their attacks.'” Source – AsiaNews.

Israeli Navy Reveals New German-Made Nuclear Super-Sub, ‘Most Advanced Underwater Vessel’ Constructed by Germany Since WWII

02/23/2012 Leave a comment

By Udi Etsion – “Israel’s ‘doomsday weapon’ revealed? The Navy will soon begin its test-deployment of Israel’s new super-submarine, Yedioth Ahronoth reported Wednesday.

The report quoted various foreign newspapers as saying that the new Dolphin-Class submarine’s systems will enable it to spends prolonged periods of time at sea and fire nuclear missiles.

The submarine, names the ‘INS Tannin,’ is also said to be equipped with special diesel and hydrogen conversion systems that will allow it to produce its own fuel; as well as with a stealth system making its acoustic signature virtually undetectable by sonar.

The INS Tannin (‘Alligator’) is the namesake of the Israel Navy’s first ever S-Class submarine, which was retired from active duty in 1972.

According to German media, the Tannin – which will be supplied by the end of 2012 – is the first of three super-submarine slated to eventually be deployed by the Navy. A second super-sub – the INS Rahav (‘Splendor’) will arrive in 2014 and the third, which has yet to be named, by 2015.

Germany’s Kieler Nachrichten newspaper said that the super-sub is the biggest and most advanced underwater vessel to be constructed in Germany since World War II.” Read more.

‘Fire Sale’: Hacking Group ‘Anonymous’ Could Shut Down Entire US Power Grid, Head of National Security Warns

02/23/2012 1 comment

By Graham Smith – “Computer hackers could have the ability to take down the entire U.S. electrical grid within the next two years, the head of the National Security Agency has warned.

General Keith Alexander expects the ‘hacktivist’ group Anonymous to be able to bring about a limited national power outage through a cyber attack.

He has relayed his concerns over the growing threat during a White House meeting last week, reports the Wall Street Journal.

Although he has made no public statement regarding Anonymous in particular, cyber attacks represent an increasing security risk for the U.S. government.

General Alexander has previously warned of the ongoing determination of hacker groups to expose institutional corruption, and now believes Anonymous is moving in a more disruptive direction.

James Lewis, a cyber security specialist at the Center for Strategic and International Studies who is currently researching the group, told the Journal: ‘It’s a real threat. You want to occupy Wall Street? How about turn Wall Street off? Even for a day.'” Read more.

Categories: Man-Made Disasters

Taliban to All Afghans: Kill Non-Muslims Over Qur’an Burnings, Two US Soldiers Killed by Uniformed Afghan Army Soldier

02/23/2012 Leave a comment

Here’s an update on this story

“KABUL, Afghanistan — The Taliban urged Afghans Thursday to target foreign military bases and kill Westerners in retaliation for burnings of copies of the Quran at NATO’s main base in the country as a third day of violent protests began.

Thousands of demonstrators gathered across the country, some chanting ‘Death to America!’, Reuters witnesses and officials said. In eastern Kabul, hundreds of youths threw rocks at police, who fired shots into the air to try disperse the crowds.

‘Our brave people must target the military bases of invader forces, their military convoys and their invader bases,’ read an emailed Taliban statement released by the insurgency’s spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid. ‘They have to kill them (Westerners), beat them and capture them to give them a lesson to never dare desecrate the holy Quran again.’

However, provincial officials and police said Thursday that there were peaceful demonstrations in three eastern provinces to vent anger over the Quran burnings.

More than 2,000 people turned out at the biggest demonstration in the capital of eastern Laghman province, officials and police said.” Read more.

Afghanistan: 2 US soldiers reportedly killed by Afghan, as Obama apologizes over Quran burning – “President Barack Obama apologized to Afghan President Hamid Karzai for the burning of Qurans by NATO troops, calling the act an inadvertent ‘error,’ Karzai’s office and National Security Council spokesman Tommy Vietor said Thursday. ‘We will take the appropriate steps to avoid any recurrence, including holding accountable those responsible,’ Obama said in the letter, which was delivered by U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan Ryan Crocker… Two American troops were killed Thursday by a person wearing an Afghan National Army uniform, a U.S. official said, asking not to be named discussing casualties.” Read more.

Israel – America – Isaiah & Judgement

02/22/2012 Leave a comment

By Ray Gano

Over the past week or so I have been reading Isaiah.

To be honest I am blown away at the similarities mentioned about Israel and then looking at modern day America.

I am not promoting some replacement theology idea or anything like that; but I do believe that when people or nations turn their backs on God, the laws of nature, God’s Law, comes into play.

I am one who firmly believes that our nation was brought about by divine providence. King James, the very same king who put his name to the only Authorized version of the bible, also sent people to “the new world” to spread the Gospel and claim the land for God in the name of His Son, Jesus Christ. This is the basic tenants of the James Town Charter claiming America for His Glory.

We are not God’s chosen people and in no way replace Israel, but I believe we have a special place in God’s plan and because we have remained a Christian nation up until about 40 years ago, God has blessed us immensely.

Our nation has done more to further the gospel, protect the innocent, stood for what was right, and against what was wrong than any other nation. We have defended the weak, opposed tyranny and tyrants.

On July 4th 1776 we declared our freedom beginning with these words…

When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

At the base of the Statue of Liberty it states,

“Give me your tired, your poor/Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free”

We are a nation built upon the principals of God and His Word.

But somewhere on this journey, our great republic strayed and instead of being good, we have chosen Read more…

Muslim Passenger Detained After Causing Disturbance, Screaming ‘Allah is Great!’ on Continental Flight Headed to Houston

02/22/2012 Leave a comment

The liberal media will file this one under “When Nic Fits Go Bad”. Allah didn’t feel as great as a fresh pack of Marlboros for this passenger apparently, and he simply felt the need to convince himself otherwise …

By KHOU.com staff – “HOUSTON—Charges may be filed against a man accused of causing a disturbance on a Continental Airlines flight bound for Houston on Tuesday.

Passengers said the man was a hassle from the beginning and once the flight took off, he tried to light an electronic cigarette.

Flight attendants asked the passenger to turn off the cigarette, but he refused.

Other fed up passengers helped subdue the unruly man while the pilot turned the plane around and headed back to Portland.

The passenger was taken into custody when the plane landed.

According to one of the passengers, the unruly passenger kept repeating, ‘Allah is great.’

The flight resumed and departed Portland around 2:05 p.m. The passengers finally arrived to Houston Tuesday night.” Source – KHOU.com.

Honeybee Populations — Responsible for 90% of All Commercial Pollination — Continue to Disappear, Will Impact Humans

02/22/2012 Leave a comment

By Julia Rauchfuss – “Best known for prompting shrieks and swatting of air, bees rarely receive proper recognition for their contributions to humankind. But now that they are disappearing by the thousands, it will be up to humans to ensure their survival.

Over the past five years, about 30 percent of the yearly captive honeybee population has died every winter, according to CNN, and about 10 percent of bees simply vanish. While recent reports suggest that this may not cause significant damage to the U.S. agriculture industry due to better farming technologies, preservation of the species still deserves immediate attention.

Humans have always shared a close partnership with honeybees but if care is not taken soon human ignorance could twist this simple, symbiotic relationship into a form of parasitism. Bees are far more beneficial to humans than they are dangerous.

Honeybees are pollinators, and play a crucial role in the production of seeds, which are contained in the fruits, vegetables and grains that line grocery store shelves.

Though some crops such as wheat are pollinated by the wind, honeybees are responsible for the 90 percent of all commercial pollination, according to an article in Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology.

According to researchers, the shrinking honeybee population is the result of colony collapse disorder, the sudden and unexplained disappearance of all the worker bees in a hive. Agricultural insecticides are a prime suspect, as beekeeper accounts suggest certain insecticides negatively affect bees, according to an article in Issues in Science and Technology. However, the Environmental Protection Agency requires more scientific data to take products off the market.

The phenomenon also puts another population at risk.” Read more.

Vanishing of the Bees – Beekeeper Leaks EPA Document (Video)

‘Caliphate Conference’ Seeks to Islamize America and Europe, Make It An International Crime to Criticize Islam

02/21/2012 1 comment

Revelation 13:16, “And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.”

By Soeren Kern – “A Muslim fundamentalist group is organizing a conference focused on turning Austria and other European countries into Islamic states.

The ‘Caliphate Conference 2012‘ will be held on March 10 in the Austrian town of Vösendorf, situated just south of Vienna. The main theme of the event will be ‘The Caliphate: The State Model of the Future.’

The conference is being organized by Hizb ut-Tahrir [Party of Liberation], a pan-Islamic extremist group that seeks to establish a global Islamic state, or caliphate, ruled by Islamic Sharia law.

Hizb ut-Tahrir — which is banned in many countries, including Germany, but is free to operate in Austria — is virulently opposed to Western capitalism and democracy and seeks to extend the future caliphate to Europe and the United States.

According to a promotional video (in German) for the conference, ‘the Islamic Caliphate is the only social and political system that has the right solutions to the political, social and economic problems of humanity.’

Hizb ut-Tahrir has been banned from holding a similar conference in Belgium that had been scheduled for March 4. The group also organized a Caliphate Conference in Amsterdam last July, 2011, and well as a year earlier in Chicago in June, 2010.

Analysts say the open nature of the conference in Vienna indicates that Hizb ut-Tahrir is enhancing its recruiting efforts among European Muslims.

According to Steven Emerson, a leading authority on Islamic extremist networks, Hizb ut-Tahrir is emulating the three-stage process by which Muslims established the first Islamic caliphate after the death of the Islamic Prophet, Mohammed, in the year 632.

During the first stage, Hizb ut-Tahrir builds a party by cultivating a small number of supporters to engage in recruitment and propaganda. In the second stage (which Hizb ut-Tahrir is now entering in Europe and the United States), the group

Read more…
Categories: Radical Islam Tags:

Thousands of Afghans Vent Fury Over Qur’an Burning, NATO Apologizes for ‘Error’

02/21/2012 Leave a comment

They’re angry because no Muslim has, in Islam’s 1400 year history, ever thrown out a Qur’an or any piece of paper containing a single written or printed verse from the Qur’an. That would be sacrilegious. An abomination. Downright Evil. In today’s other news, Muslims blow up men, women and children at a supermarket …

By Emma Graham-Harrison – “Nato forces have rushed to apologise for discarding and possibly burning copies of the Qur’an, as thousands of furious Afghans gathered to protest outside Bagram military airbase.

Some carried ancient hunting rifles and others used slingshots to pelt the outer walls of the airbase with stones for several hours, despite the bitter cold, shouting “down with America” and other slogans.

The crowd swelled to up to 3,000, and police stationed on roads leading to the base turned back other would-be protesters from further away, according to General Muhammad Akram Bekzad, Parwan province’s police chief. At least 12 civilians were injured by rubber bullets fired by coalition soldiersto control the protesters, said Haji Abdul Aziz, police chief for Bagram district. Nato-led forces confirmed that “some non-lethal munitions were used to help disperse the crowd.”

Any destruction of, or damage to, Islam’s holy book is a highly sensitive issue in Afghanistan that has sparked sometimes deadly riots in the past. As details of the apparent burning emerged, the top US and Nato general in Afghanistan apologised and promised an inquiry – seemingly to try to contain the spreading outrage.

‘I assure you … I promise you … this was NOT intentional in any way,’ General John Allen said in a statement addressed to the ‘noble people of Afghanistan’.

Copies of the Qur’an taken from prisoners at the airbase had been handed over for incineration late on Monday, and were spotted by Afghan workers, according to Afghan and western officials.” Read more.

Flashback: Iranian officials burn 300 Bibles, claim they are protecting youth – “Iranian authorities have seized 6,500 copies of the Bible in northwest of Iran. In another incident, officials burned 300 Bibles. A spokesman said the Bibles were confiscated to block missionaries who ‘are trying to deviate our youth.’ Dr. Majid Abhari, adviser to the social issues committee of the parliament in Iran, told the official Iranian news agency, Mehr, ‘With regard to the activities of these Christian missionaries to deceive people specially youngsters, they have begun a huge campaign by spending huge sums and false propaganda for deviating the public.’” Read more.

Flashback: Saudi Arabia Desecrates Hundreds of Bibles Annually – “The Saudi government burns and desecrates hundreds of bibles its security forces confiscate after raids on Christian expatriates worshiping privately or at border crossings. As a matter of official policy, the government either incinerates or dumps bibles, crosses and other Christian paraphernalia. Hundreds of Christian worshipers are arrested every year by Saudi police in raids on their private gatherings. Bibles, crosses and printed materials are confiscated and later burnt or dumped into trash. Bibles and other Christian paraphernalia found with travelers into the country are confiscated and destroyed.” Read more.

Above-Normal Number of Tornadoes Expected in 2012

02/21/2012 Leave a comment

“State College, Pa. — 21 February 2012 — AccuWeather.com reports following a near-record number of tornadoes in 2011, an active severe weather season with above-normal tornadoes is expected in 2012.

There were 1,709 tornadoes in 2011, falling short of the record 1,817 tornadoes set in 2004. In comparison, the average number of tornadoes over the past decade is around 1,300.

Last year ranks as the fourth most deadly tornado year ever recorded in the United States.

In 2011, there was a very strong La Niña, a phenomenon where the sea surface temperatures in the central and eastern Pacific around the equator are below normal. As a result, there was a very strong jet stream, which is a key ingredient for severe weather.

Often in a La Niña year, the ‘Tornado Alley’ shifts to the east, spanning the Gulf States, including Mississippi and Alabama, and the Ohio and Tennessee valleys. During the extremely active severe weather season of 2011, many tornadoes touched down east of the typical ‘Tornado Alley,’ which stretches from Texas to Kansas. Twisters frequently hit Texas to Kansas during the spring as warm, humid air from the Gulf of Mexico clashes with drier air coming out of the Rockies.

Above-normal tornadoes are anticipated again this year.

Warmer-than-normal Gulf of Mexico water is a key component to the active severe weather season anticipated in 2012. There will be a sufficient supply of warm and humid air to fuel supercell thunderstorms, the type of storms that spawn strong tornadoes, because of the warm Gulf water.

The weak to moderate La Niña during this winter is much weaker compared to last winter, and it is weakening even more now. There is evidence that warming is occurring in the equatorial Pacific, so the El Niño/La Niña Southern Oscillation (ENSO) is expected to turn neutral by April. In other words, the temperatures in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific will be near normal by spring.

‘Areas that seemed to miss out on frequent severe weather last year may see an uptick this year,’ AccuWeather.com Exert Senior Meteorologist Dan Kottlowski said regarding the difference in pattern.” Read more.

Categories: Natural Disasters

Iran: Churches Forced to Stop Farsi-Language Worship Services in Tehran

02/21/2012 Leave a comment

“ISTANBUL, February 17 (CDN) — Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence has ordered the last two officially registered churches holding Friday Farsi-language services in Tehran to discontinue them.

Emmanuel Protestant Church and St. Peter’s Evangelical Church were the last two official churches offering Farsi-language services on Fridays in Tehran, according to Middle East Concern (MEC). Officials issued the order on Feb. 10

Authorities had ordered the Central Church of Tehran to close its Friday Farsi services in December 2009. The Central Church, an Assemblies of God (AOG) congregation, had conducted multiple services on Fridays.

Friday services in Tehran attracted the city’s converts to Christianity as well as Muslims interested in Christianity, as Friday is most Iranians’ day off during the week. Authorities told the churches they can hold the services on Sunday, a working day when most Iranians are not able to attend.

‘This decision means that there are now no Farsi-language services on Fridays in any officially registered church in Tehran,’ an MEC report issued this week stated.

Emmanuel and St. Peter’s are Presbyterian churches, and, along with the Central Church, are among Tehran’s few registered churches. They exist mainly to serve the Armenian and Assyrian communities. The three churches’ Armenian- and Assyrian- language services are typically held on Sundays.

Because these churches belong to minority groups, government officials cannot stop them from operating but are doing what they can to limit them and the spread of Christianity to Farsi speakers, an Iranian Christian who requested anonymity told Compass.

‘Authorities want church operations to stop, but because these churches are established by Armenians and Assyrians and their leaders are Armenian and Assyrian, they can’t stop them,’ the source said, ‘but they can stop the Farsi-speaking services.’

The source said that the newest restrictions have cut the two churches’ attendance by half.” Read more.

Iran Threatens Pre-Emptive Action Amid Nuclear Tensions

02/21/2012 Leave a comment

NBC – “TEHRAN, Iran — Iran would take pre-emptive action against its enemies if it felt its national interests were endangered, the deputy head of the Islamic Republic’s armed forces was quoted by a semi-official news agency as saying Tuesday.

‘Our strategy now is that if we feel our enemies want to endanger Iran’s national interests, and want to decide to do that, we will act without waiting for their actions,’Mohammad Hejazi told the Fars news agency, NBC News reported.

Iran announced air defense war games to practice protecting nuclear and other sensitive sites, the latest in a series of military maneuvers viewed as a message to the West that Iran is prepared both to defend itself against an armed strike and to retaliate.

The U.S. and Israel have not ruled out military action against Iran’s nuclear program.

The official news agency IRNA said the four-day air defense war games, dubbed ‘Sarallah,’ or ‘God’s Revenge,’ were taking place in the south of the country and involve anti-aircraft batteries, radar, and warplanes.” Read more.

The Washington Times: If Iran already has the bomb, what then? – “A majority of Americans support a military strike to stop or slow Iran’s nuclear weapons program. But that assumes Iran doesn’t already have some. What if Iran already has one or more nuclear weapons and the capability to make a nuclear strike on the United States – right now? If true, this would change the calculation for the American people. Then the risks of a U.S. or Israeli military attack on Iran’s nuclear program would change radically. The truth is, no one knows for sure just how far advanced Iran’s nuclear weapons program is. There are sound reasons for doubting Washington’s official estimates that Iran does not yet have the bomb or the ability to make a nuclear strike on the United States.” Read more.

Flashback: Former Ambassador John Bolton: Iran May Be Much Closer to a Nuclear Bomb Than the World Realizes – “A report that Iran is about a year away from having the capability to build a nuclear bomb may be too optimistic, contended John Bolton, former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. ‘I worry the publicly available information is giving only a very small picture and that Iran is actually even much further along,’ Bolton said today in a radio interview. Bolton was on ‘Aaron Klein Investigative Radio’ on New York’s WABC Radio… Reacting to the one-year timeline, Bolton stated, ‘I think it can be even less than that.’” Read more.