The president of Pakistan has declared a state of emergency. I told you this is the hot spot of the world in terms of Islamic jihad.
CNN has an article if you wish to read more.
Saturday, November 03, 2007
Friday, November 02, 2007
Christianity growing in North Korea
Came as a surprise to me! From HERE:
NORTH KOREA: Great Persecution and Great Perseverance for Christians
Estimates say that one in five Christians in North Korea is in a prison camp, and that as many as four hundred Christians are executed in a year. Despite these statistics, God is growing his Church in this land. In 1989 there were an estimated eleven thousand Christians in the country. By 2004 this number had risen to as many as 100,000. By 2006 the estimate was somewhere between 200,000 and 400,000 Christians. For many of these Christians, five principles of faith are daily recited: (1) our persecution and suffering are our joy and honor, (2) we want to accept ridicule, scorn and disadvantages with joy in Jesus’ name, (3) as Christians, we want to wipe others’ tears away and comfort the suffering, (4) we want to be ready to risk our life because of our love for our neighbor, so that they also become Christians and (5) we want to live our lives according to the standards set in God’s Word. (Barnabas Fund)
NORTH KOREA: Great Persecution and Great Perseverance for Christians
Estimates say that one in five Christians in North Korea is in a prison camp, and that as many as four hundred Christians are executed in a year. Despite these statistics, God is growing his Church in this land. In 1989 there were an estimated eleven thousand Christians in the country. By 2004 this number had risen to as many as 100,000. By 2006 the estimate was somewhere between 200,000 and 400,000 Christians. For many of these Christians, five principles of faith are daily recited: (1) our persecution and suffering are our joy and honor, (2) we want to accept ridicule, scorn and disadvantages with joy in Jesus’ name, (3) as Christians, we want to wipe others’ tears away and comfort the suffering, (4) we want to be ready to risk our life because of our love for our neighbor, so that they also become Christians and (5) we want to live our lives according to the standards set in God’s Word. (Barnabas Fund)
The Oath of Saint Boniface
Boniface is an inspiration to me because he was a missionary to the barbaric people of what is now Germany. I quoted already his advice to a young Christian on the value of the Scripture, and it seems unlikely that an evangelical Christian could find anything wanting with such a strong endorsement of the study and memorization of the Bible. But here we find him making a very solemn oath in the name of God to Peter not to violate the mind of the Catholic church.
So how is this reconciled with his high view of Scripture? Very naturally I think. He will not interpret Scripture in any way prohibited by the Catholic Tradition. Tradition sets a limit around how one can interpret Scripture. It is not a second fount of doctrine at all, but a guide in rightly interpreting the sole fount: Scripture.
The Oath Taken By Boniface (30 November 722)
In the name of God and of our Saviour Jesus Christ.
In the sixth year of Leo, by the grace of God crowned emperor, the sixth year of his consulship, the fourth of his son the Emperor Constantine, the sixth indiction.
I, Boniface, by the grace of God bishop, promise to you, blessed Peter, chief of the Apostles, and to your vicar, the blessed Pope Gregory, and to his successors, in the name of the indivisible Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Ghost, and on thy most sacred body, that I will uphold the faith and purity of holy Catholic teaching and will persevere in the unity of the same faith in which beyond a doubt the whole salvation of a Christian lies. I will not agree to anything which is opposed to the unity of the Universal Church, no matter who may try to persuade me, but in all things I will show, as I have said, complete loyalty to you and to the welfare of your Church on which, in the person of your vicar and his successors, the power to bind and loose has been conferred.
Should it come to my notice that some bishops deviate from the teaching of the Fathers I [will] have no part or lot with them, but as far as in me lies I will correct them, or, if that is impossible, I will report the matter to the Holy See. And if (which God forbid) I should be led astray into any course of action contrary to this my oath, under whatsoever pretext, may I be found guilty at the last judgment and suffer the punishment meted out to Ananias and Sapphira, who dared to defraud you [Peter] by making a false declaration of their goods.
This text of my oath, I, Boniface, a lowly bishop, have written with my own hand and placed over thy sacred body [at Saint Peter's Basilica in Rome]. I have taken this oath, as prescribed, in the presence of God, my Witness and my judge: I pledge myself to keep it.
So how is this reconciled with his high view of Scripture? Very naturally I think. He will not interpret Scripture in any way prohibited by the Catholic Tradition. Tradition sets a limit around how one can interpret Scripture. It is not a second fount of doctrine at all, but a guide in rightly interpreting the sole fount: Scripture.
The Oath Taken By Boniface (30 November 722)
In the name of God and of our Saviour Jesus Christ.
In the sixth year of Leo, by the grace of God crowned emperor, the sixth year of his consulship, the fourth of his son the Emperor Constantine, the sixth indiction.
I, Boniface, by the grace of God bishop, promise to you, blessed Peter, chief of the Apostles, and to your vicar, the blessed Pope Gregory, and to his successors, in the name of the indivisible Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Ghost, and on thy most sacred body, that I will uphold the faith and purity of holy Catholic teaching and will persevere in the unity of the same faith in which beyond a doubt the whole salvation of a Christian lies. I will not agree to anything which is opposed to the unity of the Universal Church, no matter who may try to persuade me, but in all things I will show, as I have said, complete loyalty to you and to the welfare of your Church on which, in the person of your vicar and his successors, the power to bind and loose has been conferred.
Should it come to my notice that some bishops deviate from the teaching of the Fathers I [will] have no part or lot with them, but as far as in me lies I will correct them, or, if that is impossible, I will report the matter to the Holy See. And if (which God forbid) I should be led astray into any course of action contrary to this my oath, under whatsoever pretext, may I be found guilty at the last judgment and suffer the punishment meted out to Ananias and Sapphira, who dared to defraud you [Peter] by making a false declaration of their goods.
This text of my oath, I, Boniface, a lowly bishop, have written with my own hand and placed over thy sacred body [at Saint Peter's Basilica in Rome]. I have taken this oath, as prescribed, in the presence of God, my Witness and my judge: I pledge myself to keep it.
Saint Boniface on Scripture
From his letter to Nithard (AD 716-719), a disciple, on the value of learning the Scripture:
There is no doubting the truth of this. In all earnestness affection I beg you to consider this matter very carefully. rein to your natural gifts and abilities; do not stifle your literary talents and your keen spiritual understanding with gross pleasures of the flesh. Keep in mind the words of the psalmist: "His delight is in the words of the law of the Lord; in his law he meditates day and night " [Ps. I.2]:I and elsewhere: "O how I love thy law, it is my meditation all the day."[Ps cxviii.97] Call to mind also the words of Moses: "This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth, but thou shalt meditate therein day and night."[Josh i.8] Put aside all harmful obstacles; strive with unflagging zest to pursue your study of the scriptures and thereby acquire that nobility of mind which is divine wisdom. It is more precious than gold, more beautiful than silver, more lustrous than onyx, clearer than crystal, more costly than topaz,[Job xxvii.17,19]4 and, according to the opinion of the Preacher, all things that may be desired are not to be compared with it.[Prov viii.11]
Can there be a more fitting pursuit in youth or a more valuable possession in old age than a knowledge of Holy Writ? In the midst of storms it will preserve you from the dangers of shipwreck and guide you to the shore of an enchanting paradise and the ever-lasting bliss of the angels. Of it the same wise man has remarked. "Wisdom overcometh evil: it stretches from end to end mightily and disposes all things sweetly. Her have I loved from my youth and have become enamoured of her form."[Wisd. Viii.1]
If God allows me to return home, for such is my intention, I promise to remain steadfast at your side, helping you in your study of Sacred Scripture to the best of my ability.
There is no doubting the truth of this. In all earnestness affection I beg you to consider this matter very carefully. rein to your natural gifts and abilities; do not stifle your literary talents and your keen spiritual understanding with gross pleasures of the flesh. Keep in mind the words of the psalmist: "His delight is in the words of the law of the Lord; in his law he meditates day and night " [Ps. I.2]:I and elsewhere: "O how I love thy law, it is my meditation all the day."[Ps cxviii.97] Call to mind also the words of Moses: "This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth, but thou shalt meditate therein day and night."[Josh i.8] Put aside all harmful obstacles; strive with unflagging zest to pursue your study of the scriptures and thereby acquire that nobility of mind which is divine wisdom. It is more precious than gold, more beautiful than silver, more lustrous than onyx, clearer than crystal, more costly than topaz,[Job xxvii.17,19]4 and, according to the opinion of the Preacher, all things that may be desired are not to be compared with it.[Prov viii.11]
Can there be a more fitting pursuit in youth or a more valuable possession in old age than a knowledge of Holy Writ? In the midst of storms it will preserve you from the dangers of shipwreck and guide you to the shore of an enchanting paradise and the ever-lasting bliss of the angels. Of it the same wise man has remarked. "Wisdom overcometh evil: it stretches from end to end mightily and disposes all things sweetly. Her have I loved from my youth and have become enamoured of her form."[Wisd. Viii.1]
If God allows me to return home, for such is my intention, I promise to remain steadfast at your side, helping you in your study of Sacred Scripture to the best of my ability.
Victory in the Lives of Saints
Nathaniel Campbell writes:
St. Paul calls it the folly of the Cross: this world laughs at the Church, scorns her and holds her in derision, for she preaches the Cross, the ultimate sign in secular eyes of weakness. What strength is there, the world says, in a man, broken and beaten, who dies a most ignominious death? What kind of God is this who suffers a most humiliating and non-heroic death, for Christ died not in glorious battle but as a common criminal?
The answer calls from across two millenia, and the reality of victory is revealed to us in the lives of the saints: the martyrs who suffered as did their Lord; the confessors who were ready to do so; the hermits who rejected the pleasures of this world in order to find true happiness in purest poverty; the religious whose vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience are assailed by the world as the ridiculous abjurations of crazy people. And it is in the saints that we discover, finally, the key to putting together our new socio-political system of Catholic Libertarianism.
What is Catholic Libertarianism? For one, it's a political system I very much embrace. For the details though read his article here.
St. Paul calls it the folly of the Cross: this world laughs at the Church, scorns her and holds her in derision, for she preaches the Cross, the ultimate sign in secular eyes of weakness. What strength is there, the world says, in a man, broken and beaten, who dies a most ignominious death? What kind of God is this who suffers a most humiliating and non-heroic death, for Christ died not in glorious battle but as a common criminal?
The answer calls from across two millenia, and the reality of victory is revealed to us in the lives of the saints: the martyrs who suffered as did their Lord; the confessors who were ready to do so; the hermits who rejected the pleasures of this world in order to find true happiness in purest poverty; the religious whose vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience are assailed by the world as the ridiculous abjurations of crazy people. And it is in the saints that we discover, finally, the key to putting together our new socio-political system of Catholic Libertarianism.
What is Catholic Libertarianism? For one, it's a political system I very much embrace. For the details though read his article here.
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Lodi parents complain that textbook emphasizes Islam
Lodi parents complain that textbook emphasizes Islam
The Associated Press
Article Launched: 10/30/2007 11:53:32 AM PDT
LODI, Calif.—Parents at a Lodi elementary school are complaining about a history textbook they say pays a disproportionate amount of attention to the teachings of Islam.
The seventh-grade book has three chapters about the Islamic faith. It mentions Jesus twice and devotes a paragraph to other major religions, said Jim and Korina Self.
The couple is collecting signatures on a petition asking the local school board to remove the textbook from classrooms.
The book should be used as part of a broader curriculum, said Natasha Martin, a spokeswoman for the Rancho Cordova-based publisher, Teachers' Curriculum Institute.
She and Lodi school officials said the text was approved by the California State Board of Education.
"It is common for parents in the state to raise concerns about the teaching of Islam because they do not know that it is required by the state standards, and they don't understand that all major religions are taught as part of the sixth- and seventh-grade world history courses," Martin said in a statement.
"History Alive!: The Medieval World and Beyond" also drew protests in an Arizona school district. It was withdrawn by the publisher before the end of a trial period there.
The Associated Press
Article Launched: 10/30/2007 11:53:32 AM PDT
LODI, Calif.—Parents at a Lodi elementary school are complaining about a history textbook they say pays a disproportionate amount of attention to the teachings of Islam.
The seventh-grade book has three chapters about the Islamic faith. It mentions Jesus twice and devotes a paragraph to other major religions, said Jim and Korina Self.
The couple is collecting signatures on a petition asking the local school board to remove the textbook from classrooms.
The book should be used as part of a broader curriculum, said Natasha Martin, a spokeswoman for the Rancho Cordova-based publisher, Teachers' Curriculum Institute.
She and Lodi school officials said the text was approved by the California State Board of Education.
"It is common for parents in the state to raise concerns about the teaching of Islam because they do not know that it is required by the state standards, and they don't understand that all major religions are taught as part of the sixth- and seventh-grade world history courses," Martin said in a statement.
"History Alive!: The Medieval World and Beyond" also drew protests in an Arizona school district. It was withdrawn by the publisher before the end of a trial period there.
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Spirit of Islam = Spirit of Antichrist?
So claims one Egyptian pastor:
Egyptian Pastor and Advocate for Persecuted Seeks to Expose 'Spirit of Islam'
EL CAJON, Calif., Oct. 29 /Christian Newswire/ -- Native-born Egyptian David Joseph, of El Cajon, Calif., in "Let My People Go So They Can Worship Me," shares his vision that Christians "prepare the highway of the Lord" between Egypt, Israel and Assyria (Isaiah 19), by exposing the spirit of Islam, and praying for Muslims in order to win them to Christ.
In his autobiography, Joseph, now a U.S. citizen, also details the founding of his ministry to youth in Egypt in 1981, the difficulties he faced as a pastor harassed by Egyptian police, and how God led him to the U.S. in 1991, where he established an international ministry reaching Muslims for Christ.
"The spirit of Islam is a spirit of antichrist. Islam says Jesus is not the Son of God, is not God, and was not crucified. It's also a spirit of depression, control, and violence," Joseph said. "Christians will help prepare the highway in the Middle East for the return of the Lord Jesus by praying against this demonic spirit, and by helping to remove the stones of misunderstandings that keep Muslims from knowing who Jesus is."
...
"Christians are the largest religious minority in Egypt, and they are deprived of basic human rights," said Joseph. "The U.S. State Department released the 'International Religious Freedom Report' in September stating respect for religious freedom in Egypt has declined.
"The right of free speech and the right to express ideas have never been worse in Egypt than it is currently. The world community needs to give more attention to what is going on in Egypt and the other Arabic countries in the Middle East," he said.
Egyptian Pastor and Advocate for Persecuted Seeks to Expose 'Spirit of Islam'
EL CAJON, Calif., Oct. 29 /Christian Newswire/ -- Native-born Egyptian David Joseph, of El Cajon, Calif., in "Let My People Go So They Can Worship Me," shares his vision that Christians "prepare the highway of the Lord" between Egypt, Israel and Assyria (Isaiah 19), by exposing the spirit of Islam, and praying for Muslims in order to win them to Christ.
In his autobiography, Joseph, now a U.S. citizen, also details the founding of his ministry to youth in Egypt in 1981, the difficulties he faced as a pastor harassed by Egyptian police, and how God led him to the U.S. in 1991, where he established an international ministry reaching Muslims for Christ.
"The spirit of Islam is a spirit of antichrist. Islam says Jesus is not the Son of God, is not God, and was not crucified. It's also a spirit of depression, control, and violence," Joseph said. "Christians will help prepare the highway in the Middle East for the return of the Lord Jesus by praying against this demonic spirit, and by helping to remove the stones of misunderstandings that keep Muslims from knowing who Jesus is."
...
"Christians are the largest religious minority in Egypt, and they are deprived of basic human rights," said Joseph. "The U.S. State Department released the 'International Religious Freedom Report' in September stating respect for religious freedom in Egypt has declined.
"The right of free speech and the right to express ideas have never been worse in Egypt than it is currently. The world community needs to give more attention to what is going on in Egypt and the other Arabic countries in the Middle East," he said.
Christianity growing faster than Islam?
I know that more people convert to Christianity every year than to Islam, but I thought Islam was growing faster because of a high birthrate among Muslims, especially in countries in the Middle East and places like Afghanistan and Pakistan, where birth rates are very high. But Diniesh D'souza says no, check it out and see if you agree with him:
Is Islam the Fastest-Growing Religion? Guess Again
by Dinesh D'Souza
Many people think Islam is the fastest-growing religion in the world. Not true. Islam is growing fast, but Christianity is growing faster. Indeed there are twice as many Christians as Muslims in the world today and the gap is becoming larger. Moreover, Christianity has become the world's only religion that is truly universal.
Islam too has a wide reach, but Islam has only a small presence in the United States, Canada, Central and South America, and Australia. Christianity, by contrast, is strong everywhere in the world except the Middle East. Islam is growing mainly through reproduction, which is to say by Muslims having large families. Christianity is growing both through reproduction and through conversion.
So if Christianity is growing so fast, why don't we see it? Because the growth is occuring mainly in Asia and Africa. The full story is told in What's So Great About Christianity but here are some examples. In 1900 less than 10 percent of Africa was Christian. Now it's around 50 percent. That's an increase from 10 million Christians in 1900 to more than 350 million today. The story is pretty much the same in Asia. China now has an underground church numbering in the tens of millions. In Korea, Christians outnumber Buddhists and, in a remarkable historical reversal, now send missionaries to Europe to convert the natives. Some Asian and African churches have so many members that pastors have to tell people not to come very Sunday, because there is not enough room in the pews. [...]
Is Islam the Fastest-Growing Religion? Guess Again
by Dinesh D'Souza
Many people think Islam is the fastest-growing religion in the world. Not true. Islam is growing fast, but Christianity is growing faster. Indeed there are twice as many Christians as Muslims in the world today and the gap is becoming larger. Moreover, Christianity has become the world's only religion that is truly universal.
Islam too has a wide reach, but Islam has only a small presence in the United States, Canada, Central and South America, and Australia. Christianity, by contrast, is strong everywhere in the world except the Middle East. Islam is growing mainly through reproduction, which is to say by Muslims having large families. Christianity is growing both through reproduction and through conversion.
So if Christianity is growing so fast, why don't we see it? Because the growth is occuring mainly in Asia and Africa. The full story is told in What's So Great About Christianity but here are some examples. In 1900 less than 10 percent of Africa was Christian. Now it's around 50 percent. That's an increase from 10 million Christians in 1900 to more than 350 million today. The story is pretty much the same in Asia. China now has an underground church numbering in the tens of millions. In Korea, Christians outnumber Buddhists and, in a remarkable historical reversal, now send missionaries to Europe to convert the natives. Some Asian and African churches have so many members that pastors have to tell people not to come very Sunday, because there is not enough room in the pews. [...]
Monday, October 29, 2007
The Virtue of Patience
The religion of Allah Taa'la is 100% complete and was brought to us by the best of mankind, the Holy Prophet (May Allah send peace and blessings upon him). Allah Taa'la used the Holy Prophet (May Allah send peace and blessings upon him) to perfect this religion of His, meaning that the Prophet (May Allah send peace and blessings upon him) was the perfect example for us to follow.
The Prophet May Allah send peace and blessings upon him taught us what to do in every stage in life. This is one of the qualities that makes the religion of Islam very unique and standout from other religions which are practiced in many parts of the world.
The religion of Islam tells us what to do as soon as we open our eyes in the morning and throughout the remainder of the day and night till we close our eyes and go to sleep. For this and many other reasons the religion of Islam is the most complete.
Not only is this religion complete on telling us how to live our lives, but there is reward for all the good deeds we do and punishment for all the sins we commit.
I would like to discuss the rewards and virtues of one particular good deed: Patience. First I would like to put forward an example of the Prophet (May Allah send peace and blessings upon him) being patient.
The story takes place in the city not far away from Mecca , known as Ta'if. The Prophet (May Allah send peace and blessings upon him) went there to preach Islam to the locals. The Prophet (May Allah send peace and blessings upon him) approached the leaders of Ta'if and called them towards Islam. Not only did the leaders reject the call to Islam but they reacted in such a way that they set young children upon the Prophet (May Allah send peace and blessings upon him) to taunt him, stone him and chase him out of Ta'if.
The Holy Prophet (May Allah send peace and blessings upon him) bled till his footwear was drenched in blood. The Angel Jibra'eel [Gabriel for you Christians] (Alayhis Salaam) came to the Prophet (May Allah send peace and blessings upon him) and said, “If you wish, then I will give the order for two angels to crush the residents of Ta'if between the two mountains in which it lies.” The Prophet (May Allah send peace and blessings upon him) replied in the negative and said, “I am hopeful that their descendants will accept Islam.”
Allahu Akbar. This was the patience of the Prophet (May Allah send peace and blessings upon him)!
(Abu Daoud says, read it all HERE.)
The Prophet May Allah send peace and blessings upon him taught us what to do in every stage in life. This is one of the qualities that makes the religion of Islam very unique and standout from other religions which are practiced in many parts of the world.
The religion of Islam tells us what to do as soon as we open our eyes in the morning and throughout the remainder of the day and night till we close our eyes and go to sleep. For this and many other reasons the religion of Islam is the most complete.
Not only is this religion complete on telling us how to live our lives, but there is reward for all the good deeds we do and punishment for all the sins we commit.
I would like to discuss the rewards and virtues of one particular good deed: Patience. First I would like to put forward an example of the Prophet (May Allah send peace and blessings upon him) being patient.
The story takes place in the city not far away from Mecca , known as Ta'if. The Prophet (May Allah send peace and blessings upon him) went there to preach Islam to the locals. The Prophet (May Allah send peace and blessings upon him) approached the leaders of Ta'if and called them towards Islam. Not only did the leaders reject the call to Islam but they reacted in such a way that they set young children upon the Prophet (May Allah send peace and blessings upon him) to taunt him, stone him and chase him out of Ta'if.
The Holy Prophet (May Allah send peace and blessings upon him) bled till his footwear was drenched in blood. The Angel Jibra'eel [Gabriel for you Christians] (Alayhis Salaam) came to the Prophet (May Allah send peace and blessings upon him) and said, “If you wish, then I will give the order for two angels to crush the residents of Ta'if between the two mountains in which it lies.” The Prophet (May Allah send peace and blessings upon him) replied in the negative and said, “I am hopeful that their descendants will accept Islam.”
Allahu Akbar. This was the patience of the Prophet (May Allah send peace and blessings upon him)!
(Abu Daoud says, read it all HERE.)
Ex-Muslim convert in Egypt goes into hiding
From HERE:
• An Egyptian convert to Christianity has gone into hiding following calls for his execution. Mohammed Hegazy, the first Muslim-background believer to seek to have his religion changed on his national ID card, has been threatened by clerics and, he claims, tortured by police. Though conversion is legal according to Egyptian law, many Muslims uphold an Islamic law that proscribes death for apostates.
• An Egyptian convert to Christianity has gone into hiding following calls for his execution. Mohammed Hegazy, the first Muslim-background believer to seek to have his religion changed on his national ID card, has been threatened by clerics and, he claims, tortured by police. Though conversion is legal according to Egyptian law, many Muslims uphold an Islamic law that proscribes death for apostates.
Encouraging news from Saudi Arabia
Looks like King Abdullah of KSA is interested in science and education even if breaks some of the taboos present in KSA today. I hope he will be successful, but it seems like there are many challenges. Would love to here from our readers in KSA about this. I found the entire article to be fascinating:
Saudi king tries to grow modern ideas in desert
By Thanassis Cambanis
Published: October 25, 2007
JIDDA, Saudi Arabia: On a marshy peninsula 50 miles from this Red Sea port, King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia is staking $12.5 billion on a gargantuan bid to catch up with the West in science and technology.
Between an oil refinery and the sea, the monarch is building from scratch a graduate research institution that will have one of the 10 largest endowments in the world, worth more than $10 billion.
Its planners say men and women will study side by side in an enclave walled off from the rest of Saudi society, the country's notorious religious police will be barred and all religious and ethnic groups will be welcome in a push for academic freedom and international collaboration sure to test the kingdom's cultural and religious limits.
This undertaking is directly at odds with the kingdom's religious establishment, which severely limits women's rights and rejects coeducation and robust liberal inquiry as unthinkable.
For the new institution, the king has cut his own education ministry out the loop, hiring the state-owned oil giant Saudi Aramco to build the campus, create its curriculum and attract foreigners.Supporters of what is to be called the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, or Kaust, wonder whether the king is simply building another gated island to be dominated by foreigners, like the compounds for oil industry workers that have existed here for decades, or creating an institution that will have a real impact on Saudi society and the rest of the Arab world.
"There are two Saudi Arabias," said Jamal Khashoggi, the editor of Al Watan, a newspaper. "The question is which Saudi Arabia will take over." [...]
Read it all at IHT.
Saudi king tries to grow modern ideas in desert
By Thanassis Cambanis
Published: October 25, 2007
JIDDA, Saudi Arabia: On a marshy peninsula 50 miles from this Red Sea port, King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia is staking $12.5 billion on a gargantuan bid to catch up with the West in science and technology.
Between an oil refinery and the sea, the monarch is building from scratch a graduate research institution that will have one of the 10 largest endowments in the world, worth more than $10 billion.
Its planners say men and women will study side by side in an enclave walled off from the rest of Saudi society, the country's notorious religious police will be barred and all religious and ethnic groups will be welcome in a push for academic freedom and international collaboration sure to test the kingdom's cultural and religious limits.
This undertaking is directly at odds with the kingdom's religious establishment, which severely limits women's rights and rejects coeducation and robust liberal inquiry as unthinkable.
For the new institution, the king has cut his own education ministry out the loop, hiring the state-owned oil giant Saudi Aramco to build the campus, create its curriculum and attract foreigners.Supporters of what is to be called the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, or Kaust, wonder whether the king is simply building another gated island to be dominated by foreigners, like the compounds for oil industry workers that have existed here for decades, or creating an institution that will have a real impact on Saudi society and the rest of the Arab world.
"There are two Saudi Arabias," said Jamal Khashoggi, the editor of Al Watan, a newspaper. "The question is which Saudi Arabia will take over." [...]
Read it all at IHT.
Sunday, October 28, 2007
Pakistan: where the jihad lives now
I've been saying for some time now that Pakistan is the country we should be most concerned with, even more so than Iran. Pakistan already has nuclear weapons, does not have Western troops (like Afghanistan and Iraq), and has a huge and jihad-oriented population. Check out this article from Newsweek for more bad news:
Where the Jihad Lives Now
Islamic militants have spread beyond their tribal bases, and have the run of an unstable, nuclear-armed nation.
Benazir Bhutto was worried she would not survive the day. It was, for her, to be a moment of joyous return after eight years of exile, but also an hour of great peril. Just before she left Dubai for Pakistan on Thursday, Oct. 18, Bhutto directed that a letter be hand-delivered to Pervez Musharraf, the embattled Pakistani autocrat with whom she had negotiated a tenuous political alliance. If anything happens to me, please investigate the following individuals in your government, she wrote, according to an account given to NEWSWEEK by her husband, Asif Ali Zardari. Bhutto, Pakistan's former prime minister, then proceeded to name several senior security officials she considered to be enemies, Zardari said. Principal among those she identified, according to another supporter who works for her Pakistan People's Party, was Ejaz Shah, the head of Pakistan's shadowy Intelligence Bureau, which runs domestic surveillance in somewhat the way M.I.5 does in Britain. Shah, a longtime associate of Musharraf's, is believed by Bhutto supporters to have Islamist sympathies. And Bhutto had boldly challenged Pakistan's Muslim extremists, declaring before her arrival that "the terrorists are trying to take over my country, and we have to stop them."
Bhutto was certainly prescient about the threat. On Thursday, as her motorcade inched along a parade route guarded by roughly 20,000 Pakistani security forces, one or more suicide bombers set off twin explosions that killed at least 134 bystanders and police, and injured 450 others. The bombs narrowly missed Bhutto, who had ducked into her armored truck minutes before. Shaken but uninjured, she was rushed to safety. Musharraf's government quickly fingered Baitullah Mehsud, a longtime Taliban supporter and director of some of the most lethal training facilities for suicide bombers in the far-off mountains of Waziristan. Mehsud had reportedly threatened Bhutto. She and her husband, however, pointed much closer to home. "We do not buy that it was Mehsud," Zardari told NEWSWEEK. There was no immediate evidence that Shah was connected to the bombing. At a news conference the next day, though, Bhutto noted that the streetlights had mysteriously been turned off on her parade route and said: "I am not accusing the government. I am accusing people, certain individuals who abuse their positions. Who abuse their powers."
Whoever the real culprits turn out to be, the truth is that Pakistan's government has only itself to blame for the carnage in Karachi. Pakistani leaders created the Islamist monster that now operates with near impunity throughout the country. Militant Islamist groups that were originally recruited, trained and armed by Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence agency (ISI) have since become Islamabad's deadliest enemies. Twice they have nearly succeeded in assassinating Musharraf, who was once among their strongest supporters. In the last six years extremists have killed more than 1,000 Pakistani troops.
[...]
Where the Jihad Lives Now
Islamic militants have spread beyond their tribal bases, and have the run of an unstable, nuclear-armed nation.
Benazir Bhutto was worried she would not survive the day. It was, for her, to be a moment of joyous return after eight years of exile, but also an hour of great peril. Just before she left Dubai for Pakistan on Thursday, Oct. 18, Bhutto directed that a letter be hand-delivered to Pervez Musharraf, the embattled Pakistani autocrat with whom she had negotiated a tenuous political alliance. If anything happens to me, please investigate the following individuals in your government, she wrote, according to an account given to NEWSWEEK by her husband, Asif Ali Zardari. Bhutto, Pakistan's former prime minister, then proceeded to name several senior security officials she considered to be enemies, Zardari said. Principal among those she identified, according to another supporter who works for her Pakistan People's Party, was Ejaz Shah, the head of Pakistan's shadowy Intelligence Bureau, which runs domestic surveillance in somewhat the way M.I.5 does in Britain. Shah, a longtime associate of Musharraf's, is believed by Bhutto supporters to have Islamist sympathies. And Bhutto had boldly challenged Pakistan's Muslim extremists, declaring before her arrival that "the terrorists are trying to take over my country, and we have to stop them."
Bhutto was certainly prescient about the threat. On Thursday, as her motorcade inched along a parade route guarded by roughly 20,000 Pakistani security forces, one or more suicide bombers set off twin explosions that killed at least 134 bystanders and police, and injured 450 others. The bombs narrowly missed Bhutto, who had ducked into her armored truck minutes before. Shaken but uninjured, she was rushed to safety. Musharraf's government quickly fingered Baitullah Mehsud, a longtime Taliban supporter and director of some of the most lethal training facilities for suicide bombers in the far-off mountains of Waziristan. Mehsud had reportedly threatened Bhutto. She and her husband, however, pointed much closer to home. "We do not buy that it was Mehsud," Zardari told NEWSWEEK. There was no immediate evidence that Shah was connected to the bombing. At a news conference the next day, though, Bhutto noted that the streetlights had mysteriously been turned off on her parade route and said: "I am not accusing the government. I am accusing people, certain individuals who abuse their positions. Who abuse their powers."
Whoever the real culprits turn out to be, the truth is that Pakistan's government has only itself to blame for the carnage in Karachi. Pakistani leaders created the Islamist monster that now operates with near impunity throughout the country. Militant Islamist groups that were originally recruited, trained and armed by Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence agency (ISI) have since become Islamabad's deadliest enemies. Twice they have nearly succeeded in assassinating Musharraf, who was once among their strongest supporters. In the last six years extremists have killed more than 1,000 Pakistani troops.
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