Zainab Ibrahim, a Muslim Fanatic wrote: Do not believe any muslim who told you that he hates boko haram. What is the mission of Boko haram? They want to esbablish a sharia state. Fight the Federal police and Army. Kill those who do not agree with them. Eradicate Christianity. That is exactly how Meccan was conquerred Mecca used to be 40% Pagans. 30% Christians and 30% Jews. Most of the pagans were arabs. And most of the Christians were Meccans. For 10 Years Muhammed and his thugs, constantly terrorized Mecca from their hide out in Medina until their men and children were nearly wiped out and those who were alive, joined boko haram muslim thugs led by Muhammed. The mission of Muhammed was to establish a sharia state in mecca. Force the entire meccans to accept him as the prophet of allah and worship his own version of allah. He killed jews and eradicate Christianity from Mecca and establish Islam as the only religion that can exist in Mecca. Today, that Sharia law still exist in Islamic holiest city. Any muslim who is against boko haram should be against muhammed. There is no difference btw the mission of muhammed and the vision and mission of boko haram. Her facebook profile: https://facebook/zainab.ibrahim.92102564 -------------------------------------------------------------- Whats your view in reaction to this outburst from Zainab Ibrahim! [Below Picture of Zainab Ibrahim lifted from her facebook Profile] Zainab Ibrahim, a Muslim Fanatic wrote: Do not believe any muslim who told you that he hates boko haram. What is the mission of Boko haram? They want to esbablish a sharia state. Fight the Federal police and Army. Kill those who do not agree with them. Eradicate Christianity. That is exactly how Meccan was conquerred Mecca used to be 40% Pagans. 30% Christians and 30% Jews. Most of the pagans were arabs. And most of the Christians were Meccans. For 10 Years Muhammed and his thugs, constantly terrorized Mecca from their hide out in Medina until their men and children were nearly wiped out and those who were alive, joined boko haram muslim thugs led by Muhammed. The mission of Muhammed was to establish a sharia state in mecca. Force the entire meccans to accept him as the prophet of allah and worship his own version of allah. He killed jews and eradicate Christianity from Mecca and establish Islam as the only religion that can exist in Mecca. Today, that Sharia law still exist in Islamic holiest city. Any muslim who is against boko haram should be against muhammed. Introduction Key Names, Locations, and Terms Thesis Africa has played a decisive role in the formation of Christian culture from its infancy. Decisive intellectual achievements of Christianity were explored and understood first in Africa before they were recognized in Europe, and a millennium before modern North America. Christian mind points to Christian intellectual history. This includes the history of exegesis, literature, philosophy, and psychological analysis. African mind points to ideas and literary products produced specifically on the continent of Africa during the first millennium of the Common Era (CE). Early African Christianity refers to all the past history of Christianity in the first millennium in the millions of square miles of Egypt, Sudan, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Libya, Tunisia, Algeria, and Morocco, and possibly further south than we now know. The geography of the continent shaped the fact that African Christianity happened first north of the Sahara in the first millennium, and then its second millennium saw exponential growth in the south. Both north and south have been blessed by an enduring heritage of centuries of classic Christianity. Early African Christians spoke many indigenous languages, and were not limited to the major commercial languages along the Mediterranean coast. The ancient maps and Christian memory: three land masses—Asia, Africa, and Europe. Asia: in the ancient sense we refer to Palestine, Syria, Anatolia and all that lies east. The term Asia was used by the Greeks long before the Turks were there to refer to the people inhabiting the western edge of the peninsula we now call Turkey. Gradually the term Asia became extended to refer to the great Anatolian plain and as far east as anyone could see or imagine. Africa in its ancient sense we refer to the massive continent that lies silently to the south of the Mediterranean. Geographically Africa is a continent. Culturally it is a vast medley of diverse cultures and languages. Among historic cultures known in ancient North African times: Nilotic, Berber, Libyan, Numidian, Nubian, and others dating back to prehistoric times. Europe in the ancient sense we refer to the territory north and west of the Straits of Byzantium, still considered the division between east and west. Europe stretches all the way from Thrace to Ireland, from Sicily to Scandinavia. African Traditional Religions: An important source for the expression of the Christian gospel in an authentically African manner of thought and way of life. Though there are a vast number of religious and practices in Africa, there are some common features: a belief in a Supreme Being which is above a number of spirit beings and divinities, a belief in ancestral spirits, and the idea of sacrifice, often involving death to ensure divine protection and generosity. Questions: 1. What are your initial reactions to the central thesis of the book: Africa has played a decisive role in the formation of Christian culture from its infancy? 2. Do you think it is reasonable to define Africa continentally? How do you define Africa? Or African? 3. “Most African theologians see the presence of Christianity in three stages: the infant Jesus as a refugee in Egypt; Christianity in Africa under Portuguese prowess of the fifteenth to the seventeenth century; and, finally the dramatic nineteenth-century awakening.” Gwinyai Muzorewa, The Origins and Development of African Theology. The missing link in this chronology is Early African Christianity. Why is the recovery of this missing link important to African identity and theology? 4. For much of European history ancient African writers whose ideas were formed on Africa soil were regarded as essentially Roman, European, or Western but not African. Oden argues this is a distortion of history? What do you think? 5. As we think through this thesis we will need to question some of our historical assumptions. o Assumption: No culture or civilization existed before the colonization of North Africa by Rome. As a result, the entire Mediterranean region became Greco-Roman with colonization. o Assumption: because these writers composed their theological works in Latin or Greek, the language of the Empire, and not the local languages, their ideas do not reflect the thought patterns of the local culture. Ancient North Africa Yearns for Rebirth Click for a larger map Contents: • The Blood of the Martyrs is the Seed of the Church • A Letter from the International Director • The Call to North Africa o A Call for Prayer o A Call for Workers o A Call for Partnership o A Call for Media Ministry o Sidebar: Satellite TV in North Africa o A Call for Business Development o A Call to Observe the Secrets of the Early Christians Success in North Africa o A Call to Learn Why the Churches Died o A Call for Practical Church Planting Principles o Conclusion • The Countries of North Africa • Perpetua, Martyr for Christ • God is moving among the Berbers in North Africa • What you can do • How you can pray • Peoples of the Maghreb The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church. - Tertullian Endless sand... sun... camels... caravans... nomads... ancient trade routes crossing the emptiness... these are a few of the mental pictures that flash across the mind-screen when most of us hear the words North Africa. For others the images are more personal and fearful: gunshots... tear gas... smoke... screams filling the streets from religious, ethnic and political conflict both ancient and modern. The Arabic-speaking people who live to the east simply call it The Maghreb (The West). But to Christians everywhere North Africa is known best as the Land of the Vanished Church. The church in North Africa was born on the very day the global church was born. From the lands we now know as Libya, people first brought news of that remarkable Pentcost (Acts 2:10). They were soon followed by others who had lingered in Jerusalem to spend more time in the company of the apostles and the other Christians there. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts. (Acts 2:46) Sometime later, news reached the Libyan coast that Peter had visited a Roman centruion, and the Gentiles in his house had received the salvation of God and the gift of the Holy Spirit just as the Jews had. The Gentiles of North Africa - Romans and Berbers - heard with great interest how the apostles and elders in Jerusalem had welcomed men and women like themselves into the church of Christ. Christianity is therefore a fundamental part of the rich North African heritage. The way of Christ was known and loved here long before it reached northern Europe and America. The gospel that took root in North Africa in the first century was the vulnerable faith of a persecuted minority. For three hundred years the Berbers heard and responded to the Word of God not because Roman power but despite it. Roman governors and magistrates did their utmost to suppress the faith, destroy its leaders and force its followers back into the pagen temples. A relentless stream of stringent laws, enacted at the highest levels by a succession of tyrannical emperors, was designed to wipe Christianity off the face of the globe. Yet the churches of North Africa flourished in those years of persecution. (See the testimony of Perpetua.) Tertullian, a leader of the 4th century church, wrote: Despite the fiercest opposition, the terror of the greatest persecution, Christians have held with unswerving faith to the belief that Christ has risen, that all men will rise in the age to come and that the body with live forever. So firm was their faith, and so effective their outreach, that by the third century most of what is now Tunisia and much of Algeria had become Christian. The early believers achieved these marvelous results through personal witness - without radio, correspondence courses, audio or videocassettes or printed literature. North Africa produced many celebrated martyrs and some of the greatest theologians, including three of the foremost Christian writers of all time - Terullian, Cyprian and Augustine. Their words rise up and speak to us today: • Tertullian: the triumph of spiritual life in a sick society • Cyprian: the challenge of church growth in hard times • Augustine: the quest for faith in a stricken world In the fourth and fifth centuries, however, this spectacular Christian growth was followed by an equally remarkable collapse. The churches which were poised to take the gospel throughout Africa faltered, stumbled and soon disappeared without a trace. They failed completely to capitalize on the freedom offered them by the Edict of Milan in AD 313. When Vandal and Arab invaders arrived in the fifth and seventh centuries, the churches were unable to offer any resistance or even to survive the introduction of new religious systems. Centuries have passed with little visible Christian presence. Today, however, there is a fresh movement of the Holy Spirit across North Africa. Christians around the world are praying that the so-called Vanished Church will become a visible and victorious church in the near future. A mission leader who has ministered in the Middle East for more than twenty years tells story after story of Gods working in recent times. He conculdes that The Spirit of God is moving in currents across the Muslim world. We are living in pregnant days. Today there are an esitmated 10,000 known Arab and Berber believers in North Africa. Certainly there are many more secret believers. Intense pressure and outright persecution have driven many to emigrate overseas. In many ways simply preserving the existing church is a great victory. But could there be hope for more than mere preservation? Could this be the time for the rebirth of the vital church of ancient North Africa? Back to theAD2000 home page Webmaster 11/29/99 A Letter from the International Director I stood at the southern tip of Europe - Gibralter - and studied the mass of North Africas 2,800-foot Jebal Musa, lurking low on the horizon 15 miles away. I thought of the Moroccan tourist who had driven near this very spot on his way back to Morocco from vacation in Spain. He saw volunteers handing out Christian materials, and he spontaneously put both his hands out of the car as though asking for a bundle of packets. When asked what he wanted the man answered: On the way into Spain I received a packet and talked at length with one of the volunteers. I have made a decision to follow Christ. Not just me; my wife too has decided to follow Him with me. The Spanish pastor who was handing out packets loaded the mans car with materials he could take back to his people in Morocco. For six years several agencies have been giving New Testaments, videos, audiocassettes and childrens books to an estimated 800,000 visiting North Africans who pass through ten gateway ports in southern Europe. On some days as many as twenty percent of those who hear the message of Christ through personal conversation, pray to become Christians. The organizers of the unique outreach met while I was in southern Spain to evaluate the program. They agreed that it had been the most responsive year that they had experienced. Its not because of our ministry alone that this is happening, the project coordinator has said. God is preparing hearts. There is such a hunger that people are responding with joy to the gospel. This imaginative evangelistic outreach is just one indication of an awesome movement of God among the people of North Africa. In a land many Christians have considered impenetrable, God is rapidly breaking down centuries-old emotional, regligious and cultural barriers to the gospel. A mission statesman from the region, following a trip to a country in North Africa reported recently: Although most of them are with very limited resources, I have seen the POWER of GOD working there as I have seen NOWHERE ELSE IN THE ARAB WORLD among people from non-Christian backgrounds. Yours for the Harvest, Luis Bush International Director AD2000 & Beyond Movement Saudi Arabia Map reflects the 30 most recent Persecution Reports. Click HERE for the Map Legend. Search Older Entries Catholicism Growing in Heart of Muslim World Thursday, March 13th, 2014 A surprising fact that many are not aware of is that the Arab peninsula is home to more than 2 million Catholics. At a time when the region is seeing an exodus of its Christian population, there are hundreds of thousands of Catholics coming to the region, largely as foreign workers. This is creating challenges regarding the treatment of minority faiths in the heartland of Islam. There have been some steps towards the opening of a church in Bahrain that would serve as the cathedral for Northern Arabia. Protecting the rights of foreign workers – both their personal and religious rights – is a topic that the countries of the Arab peninsula most seriously consider. Posted in Bahrain, Countries, Kuwait, Middle East, News, Saudi Arabia | 0 Comments Coptic Pope Tawadros and Saudi Ambassador Agree to Open Saudi Arabia’s First Church Thursday, February 20th, 2014 According to sources in Egypt, an agreement has been reached to officially open a Coptic church in Saudi Arabia. This is being described as the first church ever built inside Saudi Arabia. It is unclear whether the church would be permitted to accept Saudi nationals who may wish to come. There are estimated to be more than a million foreign Christians living inside Saudi Arabia who have very limited access to religious activities or services. A formal church would be a step in the right direction, though is largely symbolic rather than a substantive change of policy towards Christianity. Posted in Africa, Countries, Egypt, Middle East, News, Saudi Arabia | 0 Comments Christians Fight for Middle East Religious Freedom Watchdog Wednesday, February 19th, 2014 Christians face a rising level of religious freedom around the world, and especially in the Middle East. Two recent studies from respected research organizations, Pew Forum and Open Doors, have highlighted the massive scale of the issue. Many are pushing for the United States to make the protection of religious minorities a core part of foreign policy, which the administration says that it already is. The problem has been in the failure to back the rhetoric with action. While there are political issues involved, it is imperative that the positions that exist to protect religious minorities be quickly filled if the United States is to have any credibility behind its claims to be a defender of religious freedom. Posted in Afghanistan, Africa, Asia, Countries, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Libya, Middle East, Morocco, News, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, West Bank and Gaza, Yemen | 0 Comments Congress Hears Testimony on ‘Flagrant’ Christian Persecution in Middle East Friday, February 14th, 2014 Lawmakers listened to testimony from experts and religious leaders highlighting the persecution of Christians that is rampant across the Middle East. As a representative from the Vatican stated, Arab Christians “find themselves the target of constant harassment for no reason other than their religious faith.” The United States has an important role to play in leading the conversation to find solutions to religiously based discrimination and persecution. Posted in Africa, Countries, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Islam, Jordan, Middle East, Morocco, News, Palestine, Palestinian Areas, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Turkey, West Bank and Gaza, Yemen | 0 Comments Persecution of Christians May Hit Record Levels in 2014 Monday, January 27th, 2014 While 2013 marked a very difficult year for Christian communities around the world, 2014 may be even more dangerous. The Middle East saw unprecedented levels of persecution, especially in Syria, where Open Doors recorded 1,213 Christian martyrs in 2013. Western media and governments can do more to cover the subject and to pressure nations who allow religious persecution to step in and protect Christians from violence. Posted in Countries, Iran, Iraq, Middle East, News, Saudi Arabia, Syria | 0 Comments World’s Oldest Christian Communities Threatened with Extinction Thursday, January 23rd, 2014 The following article provides an excellent overview of the situation for Christians across the Middle East who, if current trends continue, are facing extinction. It also asks the pivotal question, why isnt the West outraged? For a decade the Middle East has been emptying of Christians by the hundreds of thousands as radical Islamic movements in the region become increasingly violent. Syria, Iraq, and Egypt are perhaps the best examples of this trend. ICC is actively working to raise awareness and bring assistance to many of these communities. Posted in Countries, Iran, Iraq, Middle East, News, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria | 0 Comments Report: 9 out of 10 Top Christian Persecution Countries Due to Islamic Extremism Friday, January 10th, 2014 In the latest report highlighting the status of Christian persecution around the world, 9 out of the top 10 countries are Muslim majority states, and Islamic extremism is the primary cause of their persecution of Christians. North Korea again holds the spot at #1 for the worst persecutor of Christians, but behind that it is Islamic extremism that is largely driving the problem. Another troubling aspect has been the relatively silence of the United States government on the issue, despite efforts within Congress to make it a higher priority for the State Department and the White House. Posted in Africa, Countries, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Islam, Jordan, Middle East, News, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Syria | 0 Comments Reported Christian ‘Martyr’ Deaths Double in 2013 Wednesday, January 8th, 2014 A newly released study documents that more than 2,100 Christians were killed as “martyr’s” in 2013. The greatest increase was seen in Syria. With a reported 1,213 deaths, Syria alone eclipsed the global total of 1,201 from 2012. The report is intentionally narrow in its definition of “martyr” and tries to distinguish between Christians killed in the midst of broader conflict and those killed explicitly for their faith. Nine of the ten worst persecuting countries are Muslim-majority states. As a whole, the report finds that “Islamist extremism is the worst persecutor of the worldwide church.” Posted in Afghanistan, Africa, Asia, Countries, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Islam, Middle East, News, North Korea, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Yemen | 0 Comments Why Christians Are Crucial to the Middle East’s Future Tuesday, January 7th, 2014 The following interview with Thomas Farr, director of the Religious Freedom Project at Georgetown University, provides important insight into why Christians play such an important role in the Middle East and how the promotion of religious freedom and the protection of Christians specifically is in the best interests of all peoples in the Middle East, and even in the West as well. Posted in Africa, Countries, Egypt, Iraq, Islam, Jordan, Lebanon, Middle East, News, Palestine, Palestinian Areas, Saudi Arabia, Syria | 0 Comments Blasphemy Laws: The Legalization of Christian Persecution Wednesday, July 10th, 2013 Blasphemy and defamation of religion laws continue to repress the Christian faith in countries across the world. Known for inciting violence, accusations and prosecutions on the basis of blasphemy or religious defamation have proven detrimental to the free exercise of religion and harmful to minority Christian communities throughout the world. Social hostilities, advanced by cultures of impunity, continue to pose a serious threat to Christians worldwide. Tags:Africa, Asia, Egypt, Europe, Indonesia, Iran, Middle East, Pakistan, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Tanzania, Turkey Posted in Africa, Asia, Countries, Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, Middle East, News, Pakistan, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Tanzania, Turkey | 0 Comments Gender-based Violence Evident Against Christian Women in Muslim Lands Friday, June 14th, 2013 “The conclusion of a new report by the US Hudson Institute researcher Lela Gilbert is clear and unequivocal: gender-based violence plays a key strategic role in the plans of those who wish to eradicate Christians and Christian belief from Muslim lands.” Tags:Africa, Egypt, Iran, Middle East, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia Posted in Africa, Egypt, Iran, Middle East, News, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia | 0 Comments Lashings, Imprisonment for Converting Coworker in Saudi Arabia Friday, May 24th, 2013 The sentencing of a Lebanese Christian to lashings and imprisonment for converting a Saudi coworker puts the spotlight on the laws of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and its firm resistance to reason or political persuasion. Tags:Middle East, Saudi Arabia Posted in Middle East, News, News Releases and Featured Articles, Saudi Arabia | 0 Comments Saudi Arabia Sentences Men to Prison, Lashings for Role in Woman’s Conversion to Christianity Tuesday, May 14th, 2013 Two men accused of helping a young woman flee Saudi Arabia after her conversion to Christianity were sentenced to prison terms and lashes with a whip by a Saudi court on Sunday. Posted in Countries, ICC News, Middle East, News, News Releases and Featured Articles, Priority News, Saudi Arabia | 0 Comments Christianity ‘close to extinction’ in Middle East Sunday, December 30th, 2012 “Christianity faces being wiped out of the “biblical heartlands” in the Middle East because of mounting persecution of worshippers,” The Telegraph reports. Posted in Countries, Iran, Middle East, News, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia | 0 Comments Saudi Textbooks Teach Hate Toward Christians and Jews Wednesday, December 12th, 2012 Textbooks in Saudi Arabian schools continue to discriminate against minorities and teach outright hatred toward Christians and Jews. “The Jews and the Christians are enemies of the believers, and they cannot approve of Muslims” and “The apostate has two punishments; worldly and in the hereafter. Punishment in this life: Death if he does not repent,” are among the teachings studied by Saudi children. Despite international pressure to reform Saudi curriculum, progress has yet to be made. Posted in Countries, Middle East, News, Saudi Arabia | 0 Comments Arab Spring Threatens the Existence of Ancient Christian Communities in the Middle East Sunday, November 4th, 2012 Christians in Iraq, Syria, and throughout the Middle East have been the killed, kidnapped, and driven from their homeland “by the forces of intolerant Muslim supremacism that were unleashed as a result of the so-called Arab Spring,” John Eibner, the President of Christian Solidarity International, told World Net Daily. “The biggest complication today arising from the threat of the eradication of Middle Eastern Christian communities is related to America’s alliance with Sunni Islamist states, such as Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Qatar and Turkey.” Posted in Countries, Egypt, Iraq, News, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Turkey | 0 Comments Intolerance is rife in Islamic lands Thursday, August 30th, 2012 A religious freedom report released by the U.S. State Department signifies that violence and discrimination targeting Christians and other religious minorities is most prevalent in the Islamic world. In Egypt, Christians have been arrested for “insulting Islam” and several churches have been burned and destroyed. In Iran, tens of Christians are imprisoned, including one on death row, for apostasy. And, in Pakistan, Christians have been attacked by mobs and harassed by police for allegedly blaspheming Islam. With the political rise of Islamists following the Middle East’s so-called ‘Arab Spring’, it is likely that Christian persecution will continue to increase. Posted in Africa, Countries, Egypt, Iran, Middle East, News, Saudi Arabia | 0 Comments The Mideast’s Vanishing Christians Sunday, August 26th, 2012 Christians throughout the Middle East are being attacked and killed while thousands upon thousands have fled their homeland in hopes of finding a safe haven in western countries. For example, in Iran, the Revolutionary Guard has taken over the oversight of churches and has arrested scores of Christian converts from Islam. In Kuwait, the Saudi grand mufti told crowds that it is “necessary to destroy all the churches in the Arabian Peninsula.” In Gaza, Christians have allegedly been kidnapped and forced to convert to Islam. These cases are just a few of many extreme acts and threats of persecution in the Middle East that The National Interest brings to light in this revealing article. Posted in Africa, Countries, Egypt, Iran, Islam, Middle East, News, Palestine, Palestinian Areas, Saudi Arabia, West Bank and Gaza | 0 Comments Saudi Woman Publicly Announces her Faith in Christ Wednesday, August 8th, 2012 “A Saudi woman who introduced herself as ‘Maryam’ announced in a video… that she has forsaken Islam and converted to Christianity,” Mohabat News reports. Posted in Countries, Middle East, News, Saudi Arabia | 0 Comments Saudi Arabia Deports 35 Ethiopian Christians For Practicing Their Faith Friday, August 3rd, 2012 Posted in Countries, ICC News, Islam, Middle East, News, News Releases and Featured Articles, Saudi Arabia | 4 Comments US: Egypt’s Islamists must respect minorities Tuesday, July 31st, 2012 A U.S. State Department report on religious freedom expresses concern over whether or not the newly elected Islamist government in Egypt will respect the freedoms of religious minorities. The report also criticizes Afghanistan for trying non-Muslims in Islamic courts and Pakistan for issuing death sentences for blasphemy. Posted in Afghanistan, Africa, Asia, Countries, Egypt, Islam, Middle East, News, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia | 0 Comments Saudi Girl Flees Country after Embracing Christianity Monday, July 30th, 2012 The right to choose one’s own religion is a foreign concept in Saudi Arabia. Girls and women can be killed by their own families or imprisoned and even executed under Saudi law for converting from Islam to Christianity. In this story, the Saudi Gazette (note – this is a Saudi newspaper) reports on the story of a girl who embraced Christianity and fled to Lebanon for refuge. The girl came to Christ as a result of a dream where she heard God telling her that Jesus is His son. Posted in Countries, Middle East, News, Saudi Arabia | 2 Comments Muslim Persecution of Christians: June, 2012 Saturday, July 28th, 2012 Raymond Ibrahim writes for the Gatestone Institute that, “The bloody jihad waged against Nigerias Christians, which has seen hundreds killed this year alone, now includes plans to kill Christians with poisoned food, as part of the Islamic organization Boko Harams stated goal of purging Nigeria of all Christian presence.” Ibrahim’s series, titled ‘Muslim Persecution of Christians,’ is published each month to document cases of persecution – whether it be general discrimination, arrests, or murder – committed by Muslims in majority Islamic countries, Asia and the West. Posted in Africa, Asia, Countries, Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, Islam, Kazakhstan, Mali, Middle East, News, Nigeria, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Sudan, Syria, Turkey, Turkmenistan, United States | 0 Comments Ethiopian Christians Remain Imprisoned Tuesday, June 12th, 2012 It has six months since the Saudi Arabian officials arrested 35 Ethiopian Christians for praying at a private home. The Christians have been facing mistreatment at the hands of Saudi security officials. Posted in Africa, Countries, Ethiopia, Islam, News, Saudi Arabia | 2 Comments Saudi Arabia Offers Conflicting Explanations As 35 Ethiopian Christians Continue To Languish In Prison Monday, June 11th, 2012 Speaking with ICC, one of the prisoners reported feeling “very sad, and very surprised” at the constantly changing allegations. “Why haven’t they brought us to court? Why don’t they show us some evidence and bring charges against us?” said one of the prisoners. “[We feel like] the Saudi’s are trying to punish us for being Christians by keeping us in prison.” Posted in Countries, ICC News, Middle East, News, News Releases and Featured Articles, Saudi Arabia | 0 Comments Saudi Arabia Offers Conflicting Explanations as 35 Ethiopian Christians Continue to Languish in Prison Thursday, June 7th, 2012 Posted in Africa, Countries, Ethiopia, Islam, Middle East, News, Saudi Arabia | 0 Comments Arab Believers Risk Death For Faith Tuesday, June 5th, 2012 We have fear, but Jesus is with us—Emmanuel is with us, Rasim said. Jesus said, I am with you forever and we need to go to the mosques and everywhere to tell people the truth about Him and His love. Posted in Countries, Iran, Iraq, Middle East, News, Saudi Arabia | 0 Comments Saudis Demand Punishment for McDonald’s Toy They Say “Insults Muhammed” Tuesday, May 29th, 2012 “According to a report appearing today (5/27/12) on the Arabic news website, Kermalkom, the McDonalds fast food restaurant ‘abused the Prophet Muhammad by placing his name at the base of a toy that is being distributed as part of the Happy Meal, a toy which steps on the name Muhammad.’” Gatestone Institute reports. Posted in Countries, Islam, Middle East, News, Saudi Arabia | 0 Comments Top Saudi Cleric: Destroy All Christian Churches, Let Girls Marry at Age Ten Thursday, May 24th, 2012 This article exposes what the practical walking out of radical Islam looks like; especially in Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Nigeria. The main problem: Marrying off young girls and violence against Christians. The top Saudi Cleric said: Our mothers and grandmothers got married when they were barely 12. Good upbringing makes a girl ready to perform all marital duties at that age. Before this, in mid-March, the same cleric called for the destruction of all Christian churches in the Arabian Peninsula. We don’t know about you, but this article left us scoffing at the incredulous ideas (that are straight from Muhammad ) and broken hearted at the same time. Posted in Countries, Egypt, Islam, News, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia | 0 Comments Saudi man declared insane for faith in Christ Wednesday, May 9th, 2012 Mission Network News shares the story of a Saudi man whose family committed him to a mental hospital after he gave his life to Christ. Posted in Countries, Middle East, News, Saudi Arabia | 0 Comments History of the Jews in Saudi Arabia From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Not to be confused with History of the Jews in the Arabian Peninsula. Map of the territory and area covered by present-day Saudi Arabia. The history of Jews in Saudi Arabia refers to the Jewish history in the areas that are now within the territory of Saudi Arabia. It is a history that goes back to Biblical times. Contents • 1 Early history • 2 Tribes of Medina o 2.1 Other Arabian Jewish tribes • 3 The journey of Benjamin of Tudela • 4 Najran community • 5 Modern Era • 6 See also • 7 Notes • 8 References o 8.1 History and travels of Benjamin of Tudela Early history The first mention of Jews in the areas of modern-day Saudi Arabia dates back, by some accounts, to the time of the First Temple. Immigration to the Arabian Peninsula began in earnest in the 2nd century CE, and by the 6th and 7th centuries there was a considerable Jewish population in Hejaz, mostly in and around Medina, in part because of the embrace of Judaism by such leaders as Dhu Nuwas (who was very aggressive about converting his subjects to Judaism, and who persecuted Christians in his kingdom as a reaction to Christian persecution of Jews) and Abu Karib Asad.[1] Tribes of Medina Map showing the region of Hejaz outlined in red There were three main Jewish tribes in Medina before the rise of Islam in Arabia. These were the Banu Nadir, the Banu Qainuqa, and the Banu Qurayza. Banu Nadir was particularly hostile to Muhammads new religion. Other Jewish tribes lived relatively peacefully under Muslim rule. Other Arabian Jewish tribes Other Arabian Jewish tribes in Muhammads time: • Banu Awf • Banu Harith • Banu Jusham • Banu Alfageer • Banu Najjar • Banu Saida • Banu Shutayba[2] The journey of Benjamin of Tudela Map of the route.[3] A historical journey to visit far-flung Jewish communities was undertaken by Rabbi Benjamin of Tudela from 1165 to 1173 that crossed and tracked some of the areas that are today in the geographic area of Saudi Arabia. One map of his travels in the areas of present-day Saudi Arabia shows that he stopped at Jewish communities living in Tayma and Khaybar[4] two places that are known to have a longer significant historic Jewish presence in them, see Jews of Tayma and Khaybar where the Battle of Khaybar was fought between Muhammad and his followers against the centuries-long established Jewish community of Khaybar in 629. Tudelas trek began as a pilgrimage to the Holy Land.[5] He may have hoped to settle there, but there is controversy about the reasons for his travels. It has been suggested he may have had a commercial motive as well as a religious one. On the other hand, he may have intended to catalogue the Jewish communities on the route to the Holy Land so as to provide a guide to where hospitality may have been found for Jews travelling to the Holy Land.[6] He took the long road stopping frequently, meeting people, visiting places, describing occupations and giving a demographic count of Jews in every town and country. One of the known towns that Benjamin of Tudela reported as having a Jewish community was El Katif [7] located in the area of the modern-day city of Hofuf in the northern part of the Arabian Peninsula. Al-Hofuf also Hofuf or Al-Hufuf (Arabic: الهفوف) is the major urban center in the huge Al-Ahsa Oasis in Eastern Province, Saudi Arabia. The city has a population of 287,841 (2004 census) and is part of a larger populated oasis area of towns and villages of around 600,000. It is located inland, southwest of Abqaiq and the Dhahran-Dammam-Al-Khobar metropolitan area on the road south to Haradh. Najran community There was a small Jewish community lived in one border city from 1934 until 1950. The Yemeni city of Najran was conquered by Saudi forces in 1934, absorbing its Jewish community, which dates to pre-Islamic times.[8] With increased persecution, the Jews of Najran made plans to evacuate. The local governor at the time, Amir Turki ben Mahdi, allowed the 600 Najrani Jews[9] a single day on which to either evacuate or never leave again. Saudi soldiers accompanied them to the Yemeni border. These Jews arrived in Saada,[10] and some 200 continued south to Aden between September and October 1949. The Saudi King Abdulaziz demanded their return, but the Yemeni king, Ahmad bin Yahya refused, because these refugees were Yemenite Jews. After settling in the Hashid Camp (also called Mahane Geula) they were airlifted to Israel as part of the larger Operation Magic Carpet.[11] Modern Era There is virtually no Jewish activity in Saudi Arabia in the beginning of the 21st century. Jewish (as well as Christian and other non-Muslim) religious services are prohibited from being held on Saudi Arabian soil.[12] When American military personnel were stationed in Saudi Arabia during the Gulf War, permission for small Christian worship services was eventually granted, but Jewish services were only permitted on US warships.[12] Census data does not identify any Jews as residing within Saudi Arabian territory.[13] Persons with an Israeli government stamp in their passport or who are openly Jewish are generally not permitted into the Kingdom. In the 1970s, foreigners wishing to work in the kingdom had to sign an affidavit stating that they were not Jewish[14] and official government forms granting foreigners permission to enter or exit the country, do ask for religious affiliation. During the first Gulf War, American servicemen and women who were Jewish were allowed into the kingdom, but religious services had to be held discreetly on base and—according to an unsubstantiated story reported by one person who wrote she had heard it from another—alternative Protestant B dog tags were created, in the event that a Jewish serviceman or woman was taken prisoner in Iraq.[15]
Posted on: Mon, 24 Mar 2014 19:23:33 +0000
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