Archive

Archive for 03/08/2013

Again: City-Block Sized Asteroid To Make Close Flyby Of Earth On Saturday

03/08/2013 1 comment

It’s only a matter of time before one of these massive asteroids goes from a simple flyby to a mountain of fire …

ANI – “An asteroid the size of a city block, will make its closest approach to Earth on Saturday, March 9th, less than 7 days after it was discovered, it has been revealed.

The asteroid dubbed NEO (near-Earth object) 2013 ET was discovered on March 3, 2013, by the Catalina Sky Survey.

The asteroid is estimated to be approximately 64-140 meters (210-460 feet) wide and will pass 2.5 times the Moon’s distance from our planet. At its maximum brightness on March 9th, NEO 2013 ET will be at a relatively dim magnitude of 17 — not bright enough to view through a backyard telescope, but should be reasonably bright through Slooh telescopes in the Canary Islands, off the coast of west Africa.

The asteroid will be traveling across the sky with a relative velocity of 11.88 kilometers per second or 26,552 mph, which is about 15 times faster than a rifle bullet. If asteroid 2013 ET were to hit Earth, the damage would be significant-potentially destroying a small city.

Slooh Space Camera will cover its closest approach on Saturday, live on Slooh.com, free to the public, starting at 12:15 p.m. PST / 3:15 p.m. EST / 20:15 UTC-International times at http://goo.gl/kQJuL -accompanied by real-time discussions with Slooh president Patrick Paolucci, Slooh engineer Paul Cox, and documentary filmmaker Duncan Copp.

Viewers can watch live on their PC/MAC or iOS/Android mobile device.

‘We only have a short viewing window of an hour or so from our Canary Islands observatory on March 9th, but we wanted to give the general public a front row seat to witness this new asteroid in real time as it passes by Earth,’ said Slooh president Patrick Paolucci.” Source – ANI.

Categories: Cosmic Craziness

Hamas: Obama Visit To Temple Mount Will Be A ‘Declaration Of War’ On The Islamic World

03/08/2013 3 comments

By Elad Benari, INN – “The Hamas and Islamic Jihad terror groups threatened on Friday that a visit by U.S. President Barack Obama to the Temple Mount during his upcoming visit to Israel will be a declaration of war on the Arab and the Islamic world.

A Hamas representative in the Al-Aqsa mosque, Mushir al-Masri, even called for a third intifada (uprising) and for Egyptian assistance in the ‘resistance’ if Obama chooses to visit the Temple Mount.

According to the Bethlehem-based Ma’an news agency, the Gaza-based terrorist organizations made the threats during a protest march on Friday over the riots that broke out earlier in the day on the Temple Mount.

According to the report, Khalid al-Batash, a senior Islamic Jihad member, also called to prevent Obama from visiting the compound.

Obama will be arriving in the region later this month, and PA media has been widely speculating that he plans to visit the site of the Al-Aqsa mosque. However, Washington is not planning such a visit.

Political and religious leaders in the Palestinian Authority have stressed that Obama should not visit the Al-Aqsa mosque compound in a way that might compromise what they called its ‘Muslim sovereignty.’

Sheikh Akrameh Sabri, head of the higher Islamic council and former Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, said that Obama must enter through a gate that was not under Israeli auspices.

‘Any visitor is welcome to Al-Aqsa, but they should follow the regulations of the Waqf and enter through the Lions’ Gate and not through Mughrabi Gate, to ensure Muslim sovereignty,’ he said.

Israel liberated the Temple Mount during the 1967 Six Day War, leaving the Waqf in charge of the compound.

The Waqf, in return, has removed every sign of ancient Jewish presence at the Jewish holy site and has consistently destroyed Jewish antiquities on the Temple Mount in a direct violation of a ruling by the Supreme Court.” Read more.

‘The Loss Of Jewish Sovereignty On The Mount’: Violent Muslim Mob Prevents Jews From Visiting Temple Mount – “As the groups began to move through the gate, a group of Muslim women blocked their path and began hurling insults at the Jews. Police officers managed to disperse the women, only to then be confronted by an even larger group of angry Muslim men. In order to avoid any violence, Israeli police decided to close the Temple Mount to non-Muslim visitors and ordered the Jewish groups to leave… Feiglin said it was ‘a clear admission of the loss of Jewish sovereignty on the Mount.’” Read more.

Al-Aqsa Group: The Temple Mount Is An Islamic Site, Demands Jewish Prayers Cease Because They’re ‘Defiling The Holiness’ Of Western Wall – “An Israeli Arab group, ‘The Al-Aqsa Heritage Institute,’ on Thursday issued a statement demanding that Israel halt its plans to bring more Jews to the Kotel (Western Wall) – which, the group claims, is holy not to Jews, but to Muslims. In fact, the group says, Israel is ‘defiling the holiness of the site’ by conducting Jewish prayers there. In Jewish tradition, the Kotel is the outer retaining wall of the Holy Temple, which stood on the Temple Mount, approximately at the same location as the Al-Aqsa Mosque… In Islamic legend, however, the Kotel is a Muslim site – famous as the wall that Muhammad used to tie up his donkey when he ascended to heaven on his ‘night journey’ from the Temple Mount.” Read more.

Categories: Radical Islam, Wars and Rumors of War

‘They Are Being Persecuted For Their Christian Faith’: Five Iranian Christians Arrested At Prayer Service Facing Trial With ‘Political’ Charges

03/08/2013 1 comment

Matthew 22:37-40, “Jesus said to him, ‘You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.'”

Revelation 14:12, “Here is the patience of the saints; here are those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.”

By Katherine Weber, Christian Post Reporter – “Recent reports indicate that five Christian members of the Church of Iran will soon be going on trial for their religion, facing multiple charges which include threatening national security and evangelism.

The five imprisoned men, Mohammad Roghangir, Surush Saraie, Eskandar Rezaie, Shahin Lahooti and Massoud Rezaie have been detained since October 2012, and are facing charges of disturbing public order, evangelizing, action against national security and an internet activity against the system, according to religious persecution watchdog group Christian Solidarity Worldwide.

The trial for the five men will begin at the Revolutionary Court in Shiraz, located in the Fars Province, on March 10.

As Andrew Johnston, Christian Solidarity Worldwide’s advocacy director said in a recent statement, the charges of these five men have been cloaked in political terms, although it is evident that they are being persecuted for their Christian faith.

‘Once again Iranian Christians face charges couched in political terms that in reality stem from their choice of faith and desire to exercise the right to worship in community with others, as guaranteed in article 18 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Iran is party,’ Johnston said in a statement emailed to The Christian Post.

The five men facing trial were arrested, along with two other Christians, in October 2012 in an authority-implemented prayer service raid in Shiraz, in the country’s Fars province.

At the time, Christian Solidarity Worldwide pointed to an increased crackdown on Christians in the country on behalf of government authorities.

‘There appears to be an increasing tendency by the Iranian authorities to characterize legitimate religious activities as crimes against the state,’ CSW Chief Executive Mervyn Thomas said at the time, as previously reported by The Christian Post.” Read more.

Flashback: Fearing ‘The Growth of Christianity Like Never Before’ Iranian Authorities Escalate Crackdown on Christians in Ahwaz, Shiraz, Esfahan and Kermanshah – “The Islamic Republic of Iran has intensified its crackdown on Iranian Christians during recent weeks. This has resulted in the arrest of a number of Christians in Ahwaz, Shiraz, Esfahan and Kermanshah. (The interview is concerning this issue)… Today, the regime of Iran crackdowns on Christians, especially Christian converts, for it is observing the growth of Christianity like never before. This fact has made them concerned.” Read more.

Categories: Radical Islam Tags:

Eritrea: Government Beats, Detains 125 Christians For ‘Illegal’ Worship, ‘Christians Are Treated Like Enemy No. 1’

03/08/2013 1 comment

Charisma News – “Over the past week, 125 Christians have been beaten and detained in Eritrea.

‘Police arrested these church members from homes and workplaces during broad daylight and then marched them through town to the police station while beating them,’ an investigator for Open Doors reported to Worthy News.

Among the 125 Christians, 45 men and women were arrested on Feb. 27 for worshiping outside highly regulated government-approved churches in Eritrea. According to Worthy News, all of the 125 individuals detained were members of an evangelical denomination located in the southwestern town of Barentu.

Worthy News has reported that the Eritrean government has denied any wrongdoing in regard to the arrests.

Eritrea, sometimes referred to as the ‘North Korea of Africa,’ has been ruled by President Isaias Afwerki and his Popular Front for Democracy and Justice Party since the country gained independence in 1993. Since taking power, the Afwerki regime has instituted a totalitarian government that seeks to control all aspects of life in Eritrea, including the religious practices of its citizens.

‘Being a Christian in Eritrea is like living in hell,’ a source inside Eritrea told International Christian Concern. ‘Christians are treated like enemy No. 1.’

Paranoid about losing power, the Afwerki regime targets any religious activity conducted outside highly regulated government churches. According to the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), ‘Systematic, ongoing and egregious religious freedom violations continue in Eritrea. These violations include: torture, sometimes resulting in death, arbitrary detention and prolonged bans on religious activities.’

It is estimated that more than 2,000 Christians remain imprisoned in Eritrea. As ICC’s source in Eritrea can attest by personal experience, the conditions these prisoners are exposed to are among the most inhumane conditions in the world. Afwerki has stated that his restrictive policies on religion are aimed at groups that have been ‘duped by foreigners [and] are seeking to distract from the unity of the Eritrean people.’

ICC Regional Manager for Africa William Stark said, ‘Christians in Eritrea continue to be rounded up and arbitrarily imprisoned by the increasingly repressive government. The prison conditions these Christians are exposed to defy all international human rights standards. Prisoners have testified to being locked in tiny, pitch black cells for months on end, tortured, starved and constantly abused, both mentally and physically, by prison guards.'” Read more.

Flashback: Eritrean Christian in Saudi Arabia Faces Death Penalty for Sharing His Faith – “An Eritrean Christian is facing the death penalty in Saudi Arabia after being arrested for sharing his faith with Muslims. Mussie Eyob was detained by the authorities at a mosque in Saudi’s second largest city, Jeddah, on 12 February. He had gone there to meet and talk with local Muslims after speaking about Christianity at the Eritrean Embassy for three days. Eyob was arrested for preaching to Muslims, an offence that carries the death penalty in Saudi Arabia.”  Read more.

Flashback: Eritrean Christians In Cairo Abducted By Islamists, Told To Convert To Islam – “Christian Solidarity Worldwide has received alarming reports of the abductions of six Eritrean women in Cairo. The women were reportedly abducted in the Egyptian capital by men purporting to be police officers. The women, aged between 20 and 32, claim to have travelled in a white taxi that was stopped by men in police uniforms, who opened the vehicle and sprayed an unknown substance into their faces that caused them to lose consciousness. When they awoke, they were in an unfamiliar location.” Read more.

Categories: Radical Islam Tags:

Israel: Palestinians Riot On Temple Mount After Palestinian ‘Protester’ Dies From Rubber Bullet, Policeman ‘Desecrates’ Qur’an

03/08/2013 2 comments

By Efrat Forsher and Daniel Siryoti, Israel Hayom – “Jerusalem Police is bracing for violence near the Temple Mount on Friday after the spread of an inflammatory internet article claiming that one of its policemen threw a Quran onto the ground and stepped on it.

Police have reinforced their presence near the Temple Mount out of concern that extremists may stir violence at the most sensitive of locations in Jerusalem.

Muslim Internet forums published photos of an Israeli policeman earlier this week, accusing him of defiling Islam’s holy book, the Quran. The man serves in the Israel Police’s religious sites unit, and the website called on Muslims to throw shoes at the man, and to even slit his throat.

The event which sparked the controversy took place this past Sunday. A group of female Muslim worshippers at the entrance to the Temple Mount were disrupting visitors from entering through the Jewish entrance. Police on site attempted to move the group of women and during the ensuing commotion a Quran fell out of one of the women’s bags.

A police officer standing next to the woman in question became the subject of an intense smear campaign; he was accused of throwing the Quran to the ground, kicking it and even stomping on it. As a result of the ensuing death threats against the policeman, Jerusalem police have had to take measures to ensure his safety.” Read more.

Palestinians Riot on Temple Mount – “Israeli police entered Jerusalem’s Temple Mount on Friday to disperse hundreds of Palestinians who were throwing rocks. Rioters also threw two molotov cocktails at officers… The contested site, where the al-Aqsa Mosque compound is built above the ruins of the biblical Jewish Temple, is one of the region’s most volatile… On Thursday, a Palestinian man, who was shot by IDF soldiers during clashes near Ramallah two weeks earlier, died in an Israeli hospital.” Read more.

Categories: Radical Islam, Wars and Rumors of War