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	<title>FrontPage Magazine &#187; Joe Herring and Dr. Mark Christian</title>
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		<title>An Islamic &#8216;Council of Nicea&#8217;</title>
		<link>http://www.frontpagemag.com/2014/joe-herring-and-dr-mark-christian/an-islamic-council-of-nicea/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=an-islamic-council-of-nicea</link>
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		<pubDate>Tue, 14 Oct 2014 04:25:49 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Joe Herring and Dr. Mark Christian]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Daily Mailer]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[FrontPage]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[change]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[christianity]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[council of nicea]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Islam]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[reform]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.frontpagemag.com/?p=242925</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Instead of apologizing for Islam, demand Islamic reform.]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://cdn.frontpagemag.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/conp.jpg"><img class="alignleft size-full wp-image-242961" src="http://cdn.frontpagemag.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/conp.jpg" alt="conp" width="284" height="177" /></a>Christianity and Judaism have a great deal in common, not the least of which is compassion for their fellow man and the institutional capacity to take the steps required to express that compassion in daily life.</p>
<p>It is this reverence for the individual that led both traditions to reform themselves over the centuries, eliminating anachronistic practices while maintaining fidelity to their faith. It is an ongoing process, obviously, but it is a process to which both religions are fully committed – and have been for more than a thousand years.</p>
<p>Islam in this regard is an outlier. In the 1400-odd years of Islam, there has never been a “reformation.” The religion forbids it. It is no accident that the oft-touted contributions of Islam to the world mostly came before Islam demanded dominance in all things.</p>
<p>After the Mongol sacking of Baghdad, Islam reacted by retrenching inwardly. Science was no longer science, it was only Islamic science. Economics became Islamic economics, as rules proliferated for everything in order to demonstrate adherence to the faith and resistance to the <em>infidel</em>.</p>
<p>Truthfully, Islam was better off in practice in the 10<sup>th</sup> Century than it is today. It is clear that Islam, like cigarettes, stunts your growth.</p>
<p>Now, adherence to tradition is not a bad thing on its own. In fact, tradition is the repository of the world’s “institutional knowledge,” enabling successive generations to build on the work of their predecessors.</p>
<p>Sometimes, though, new information is discovered and it becomes necessary to revisit those traditions to re-evaluate their utility for present and future generations. The idea of self-government is one such example.</p>
<p>Tradition held that some people had the right to rule other people, and this tradition was accepted and enforced for millennia until the radical experiment of individual sovereignty, which found its greatest expression in our own United States.</p>
<p>So it is with religious tradition as well. Christianity is built upon Judaism &#8212; indeed it wouldn’t exist without it &#8212; but it isn’t opposed to Judaism for those who wish to practice it. Many centuries ago, the enmity between Jews and Christians began fading with the passing of each successive generation until today it exists only as an aberration to be ridiculed and denounced whenever it appears.</p>
<p>This illustrates the internal narrative of the Western psyche. Our minds operate in a manner consistent with liberty because our minds have been developed in the presence of liberty, both political and religious.</p>
<p>We are capable of reform, because we are always seeking the better mousetrap. We look at life as a challenge, not just to survive it, but to improve it. To leave it better than we found it.</p>
<p>A mind shaped by Islam generally finds such attitudes to be anathema. Islam is in continual conflict because Islam is possessed of an impossible idea – to preserve all of creation as it existed in 632 A.D., the year Mohammed died.</p>
<p>Given the changes that have wracked the earth since that date, is it any wonder Islam is “out of sorts&#8221;? Ask yourself, how difficult would it be to conduct your daily business if you had to reconcile your actions with the cultural norms of the early Middle-Ages?</p>
<p>In Christianity, the Church has held ecumenical councils, realigning Church doctrine with new information and greater understanding of both the natural world and the people who inhabit it. These councils also addressed heresies that had sprung up in the Church, definitively establishing what is canonical and what is apocryphal.</p>
<p>In Catholicism, the Council known as Vatican II was the most recent “re-founding” of the Church. Pope Paul VI described the need for the Council in this way –</p>
<blockquote><p>“…the problems of the 1960s stemmed from the Church holding to the best values which had come to maturity over the previous two centuries, despite the fact that <em>these values were born outside the Church</em>, yet they could find their place – after being purified and corrected – in the Church’s view on the world.”</p></blockquote>
<p>The Pope was referring to the Enlightenment philosophies of science and reason. In the previous two centuries, Man had slowly crawled out from the cave of mysticism to stand blinking in the sunlight of a world he previously had only seen through the stained-glass windows of the Church.</p>
<p>Reason would emerge as a complement to Scripture – and vice-versa – while the understanding of oneself and one’s role in the world evolved into an individual pursuit, rather than a purely collective one directed by religious tradition.</p>
<p>Faith made peace with reason and a careful balance was struck between secularism and religion, between the sovereignty of God over all, and the sovereignty of Man over himself. A difficult balance to be sure, but one that is essential to the survival of both Church and individual liberty.</p>
<p>There is no such mechanism for a similar introspection in Islam, and the resultant calcification of the religion has rendered it incapable of peaceful coexistence in the modern world.</p>
<p>Pope John XXII called this process of re-evaluation <em>aggiornamento</em> – the adjustment of religion according to the facts of the world in which it lives. This is not to be confused with secularizing the Gospel or the elevation of humanism above God as many opponents of Vatican II charged, but rather represented recognition that immutable truths can arrive from sources beyond the Church, and that God doesn’t restrict the delivery of His wisdom only to men in robes and sashes.</p>
<p>Throughout, Islam has held a fierce resistance to all things non-Islamic. Around the time of the Western Enlightenment, Muslims&#8217; brutal practices had rendered them largely unwelcome anywhere in Europe (certainly not in any significant numbers), and their incessant raiding necessitated their subjugation by the more developed and cosmopolitan powers of the earth.</p>
<p>Islam now appears to have reached a point in history where it has been behind for so long adherents can’t bring themselves to admit it. Sort of like the guy who trips over his own feet, then tries to pass it off by saying, “I meant to do that.”</p>
<p>Islam needs a Vatican II. Actually, Islam needs a Council of Nicea (the 4<sup>th</sup> Century meeting in what is now modern-day Turkey) that codified Christian doctrine. Islam has never convened anything like a Council of Nicea. Indeed, Muslims have never really admitted to having a problem, which we all know is the first step in finding a solution.</p>
<p>Whether the Islamists themselves or their mewling apologists among the liberal intelligentsia care to admit it, Islam must reform, or be subjugated yet again.</p>
<p>Instead of apologizing for Islam, it is time for our leaders to demand of Islam that which we ourselves have already done –<em> aggiornamento</em> – the adjustment of our religion according to the facts of the world in which it lives.</p>
<p><a href="http://globalfaithinstitute.org/about/dr-mark-christian/"><em>Dr. Mark Christian</em><em> MD</em><em> </em></a><em>was born and raised a devout Sunni Muslim, with strong ties to the Egyptian military and The Muslim Brotherhood, but later ditched Islam and followed Jesus Christ. He is the Co-founder of the </em><a href="http://globalfaithinstitute.org/"><em>Global Faith Institute.</em></a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.abrahamstentradio.com/about-the-hosts/">Joe Herring</a> is a writer and analyst who frequently advises policy makers at all levels of government.  He is the Press/Public Relations Director for <em><a href="http://globalfaithinstitute.org/support-gfi/">Global Faith Institute</a> </em>and the host of <a href="http://www.abrahamstentradio.com/">Abraham&#8217;s Tent radio show</a>.</p>
<p>*</p>
<p><em>Don&#8217;t miss <strong>Dr. Mark Christian</strong> on <strong>The Glazov Gang</strong> discuss </em><span id="eow-title" class="watch-title long-title " dir="ltr" title="The Glazov Gang-Confronting the Muslim Brotherhood in the American Heartland"><em><strong>Confronting the Muslim Brotherhood in the American Heartland</strong>:</em> </span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe src="//www.youtube.com/embed/3gNnqePU5oQ" width="460" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p>
<p><strong>Freedom Center pamphlets now available on Kindle: </strong><a href="http://www.amazon.com/s/ref%3dnb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Ddigital-text&amp;field-keywords=david+horowitz&amp;rh=n:133140011%2ck:david+horowitz&amp;ajr=0#/ref=sr_st?keywords=david+horowitz&amp;qid=1316459840&amp;rh=n:133140011%2ck:david+horowitz&amp;sort=daterank"><strong>Click here</strong></a><strong>.   </strong></p>
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		<title>Omaha’s Tri-Faith Initiative Mirrors “Pact of Umar”</title>
		<link>http://www.frontpagemag.com/2014/joe-herring-and-dr-mark-christian/omahas-tri-faith-initiative-mirrors-pact-of-umar/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=omahas-tri-faith-initiative-mirrors-pact-of-umar</link>
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		<pubDate>Mon, 23 Jun 2014 04:47:08 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Joe Herring and Dr. Mark Christian]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Daily Mailer]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[FrontPage]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[caliphate]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[dhimmi]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Omaha]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[pact of omar]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Tri-Faith Initiative]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.frontpagemag.com/?p=234604</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Why a 7th Century Islamic pact is as terrifyingly relevant as ever.]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://cdn.frontpagemag.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/Omar.jpg"><img class="alignleft  wp-image-234613" src="http://cdn.frontpagemag.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/Omar-450x300.jpg" alt="Omar" width="308" height="205" /></a>For those of you unfamiliar with Islamic history, Umar bin al-Khattab &#8211; the second Islamic Caliph &#8211; made an agreement with the subjugated Christians of Syria setting forth the conditions under which said Christians would be permitted to live in proximity to the conquering Muslims.</p>
<p>This <a href="http://www.faithfreedom.org/the-pact-of-umar/"><em>Pact of Umar</em></a> is the origination of the concept of <a href="http://www.discoverthenetworks.org/viewSubCategory.asp?id=761"><em>dhimmitude</em></a>, a dehumanizing status belonging to subjugated non-Muslims in Islamist societies.</p>
<p>The translation I have re-produced below comes from the stellar book by Raymond Ibrahim, titled <a href="http://www.regnery.com/books/crucified-again/"><em>Crucified Again</em></a>.</p>
<p>In return for their lives, the Christians agreed:</p>
<blockquote><p><em>Not to build a church in our city—nor a monastery, convent, or monk’s cell in the surrounding areas—and not to repair those that fall in ruins or are in Muslim quarters;</em></p>
<p><em>Not to clang our cymbals except lightly and from the innermost recesses of our churches;</em></p>
<p><em>Not to display a cross on them [churches], nor raise our voices during prayer or readings in our churches anywhere near Muslims;</em></p>
<p><em>Not to produce a cross or [Christian] book in the markets of the Muslims;</em></p>
<p><em>Not to congregate in the open for Easter or Palm Sunday, nor lift our voices [in lamentation] for our dead nor show our firelights with them near the market places of the Muslims;</em></p>
<p><em>Not to display any signs of polytheism, nor make our religion appealing, nor call or proselytize anyone to it;</em></p>
<p><em>Not to prevent any of our relatives who wish to enter into Islam;</em></p>
<p><em>Not to possess or bear any arms whatsoever, nor gird ourselves with swords;</em></p>
<p><em>To honor the Muslims, show them the way, and rise up from our seats if they wish to sit down;</em></p></blockquote>
<p>Adhere to these conditions and live. Break these conditions and all bets are off. While this pact was made in the early 7<sup>th</sup> Century, it is still considered relevant today as evidenced by its widespread application throughout the Middle East.</p>
<p>The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) certainly considers these conditions to be quite pertinent to the present-day conduct of interfaith relations. They are enforcing the conditions on the Christian residents of Syria, in addition to the regions they have recently conquered in Iraq.</p>
<p>According to the <a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-26366197">BBC</a>, ISIS offers a heck of a deal – you must convert to Islam or if you remain Christian, you must accept <em>dhimmi</em> status and pay the <a href="http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/sep/10/egypts-muslim-brotherhood-convert-islam-or-pay-jiz/"><em>jizya</em></a>, (a tax for non-Muslims only) or… you can just be put to the sword.</p>
<p>As wildly enticing as the first or third choices may appear, most opt for door number two and live out their lives as second-class subjects. This is the hard-tyranny of Islamic supremacy. The inherently political and social nature of Islam and Sharia leave no room for other forms of intersection between believers and unbelievers.</p>
<p>This hard-tyranny is the hallmark of the Caliphate system. Freedom is an unknown concept; liberty is blasphemy in a system that crushes the individual into mortar paste for the building of greater Islam.</p>
<p>The global left views the advent of a new Caliphate as something akin to an Islamic version of the European Union, an economic and political alliance designed to trade with the rest of the world on an equal footing. Nothing could be further from the truth.</p>
<p>The Caliphate is a means toward an end; that end being Islamic dominance. The Caliphate is merely the structural entity that will administer Sharia throughout an Islamist-controlled world.</p>
<p>Considering the recent proliferation of “interfaith” initiatives throughout Western Europe and the United States, it seems prudent to give more than a cursory glance to the preferred ground-rules of the Islamists, and to examine the role such interfaith efforts might play in an expanding the Caliphate system.</p>
<p>One such interfaith initiative, here in Omaha, Nebraska intends to co-locate a Mosque, a Synagogue and a Church on the same campus.</p>
<p>There is a <a href="http://trifaith.org/?page_id=677">“Memorandum of Understanding”</a> (MOA) that governs the interaction between the three faiths that make up the <a href="http://trifaith.org/">Tri-Faith Initiative</a>, as they call themselves. It lays the ground rules for everything from site planning, to building design and subsequent use.</p>
<p>From the MOA:</p>
<ul>
<li><em>Each Participant controls the ultimate design of their own building.  To the extent that design issues can be coordinated among the buildings, we will attempt to do so.</em></li>
<li><em>A common “look and feel” shall be sought in the design of buildings on this campus.</em></li>
</ul>
<p>The <a href="http://faainc.com/projects/temple-israel/">Synagogue</a> has already been built on the Tri-Faith site. This building has no outward indications of the Jewish faith. No Star of David, no Menorah. The only indication that this isn’t an ordinary office building is a stylized Hebrew script on the clerestory windows, done in a much understated manner.</p>
<p>The general understanding of the MOA is that it will likewise require a similar incoherence on the exterior of the Christian church slated for the project. No exterior display of the Cross. Where have we seen this before? Let’s ask our buddy Umar!</p>
<blockquote><p><em>Not to display a cross on them [churches], nor raise our voices during prayer or readings in our churches anywhere near Muslims; Not to produce a cross or [Christian] book in the markets of the Muslims;</em></p></blockquote>
<p>While it is possibly a simple oversight on the part of the architect, the <a href="http://aiisc.org/building-plans.html">rendering</a> of the Mosque provided by the Mosque organizers features a very prominent Crescent and Star, an internationally known symbol of Islam, in apparent defiance of the MOA.</p>
<p>Similarly, the MOA outlines how people are to behave outside of their respective buildings:</p>
<blockquote><p><em>To the extent Practices take place outside the walls of one’s own religious space, consideration shall be given to the beliefs of other Participants.</em></p>
<p><em>Rules governing shared space and practices allowed therein will give <strong>maximum consideration</strong> to issues of respect for and tolerance of the beliefs of all Participants. (authors&#8217; emphasis)</em></p></blockquote>
<p>Could such an innocuous bylaw be construed as a parallel to yet another of Umar’s conditions?</p>
<blockquote><p><em>Not to congregate in the open for Easter or Palm Sunday, nor lift our voices [in lamentation] for our dead nor show our firelights with them near the market places of the Muslims;</em></p>
<p><em>Not to clang our cymbals except lightly and from the innermost recesses of our churches;</em></p></blockquote>
<p>Perhaps not. It is for the reader to decide.</p>
<p>The MOA continues:</p>
<blockquote><p><em>No Participant shall engage in any proselytizing (intending to convert members of other Participants).</em></p></blockquote>
<p>Now that exhortation rings a bell…</p>
<blockquote><p><em>Not to display any signs of polytheism, nor make our religion appealing, <strong>nor call or proselytize anyone to it</strong>; </em>(authors&#8217; emphasis)</p></blockquote>
<p>Setting aside for a moment the command of Jesus to spread the Gospel, it is instructive to note that Islam considers the Cross to be a “sign of polytheism” as is any graphic representation of the Christian concept of the Trinity, a feature of Christianity that is foundational.</p>
<p>Insisting on these sorts of prohibitions under the rubric of respect is the methodology Islamists have employed across Europe to first bully citizens, then governments into a forced respect for their often barbaric 7<sup>th</sup> Century traditions and notions of worship.</p>
<p>The end result is the functional equivalent of the installation of the Pact of Umar among the societies where Muslims are not in control of the government. This is the soft-tyranny of Islamism, utilized when hard-tyranny is not an option. One certainty however remains consistent throughout…Islam reigns supreme.</p>
<p>I have written previously about the <a href="http://dailycaller.com/2014/04/10/omaha-tri-faith-project-has-links-to-muslim-brotherhood/">troubling connection</a>s between the governing board of the Tri-Faith venture and two known fronts for Muslim Brotherhood operations in the US – CAIR (Council on American and Islamic Relations) and ISNA (The Islamic Society of North America).</p>
<p>As of the time of this writing, the board stubbornly refuses to disavow relationships with either group, despite being presented with <a href="http://www.discoverthenetworks.org/printgroupProfile.asp?grpid=6181">evidence from the FBI</a> linking these groups to the terror group HAMAS.</p>
<p>The clear parallels between the Tri-Faith Memorandum of Understanding and the Pact of Umar cannot be ignored and should not be discounted &#8211; especially given the refusal of the Mosque organizers to renounce the involvement of CAIR and ISNA in their project.</p>
<p>Islamists spread their radical ideology through all means, not just the sword. Will the Tri-Faith Initiative prove to be a Midwest expression of 7<sup>th</sup> Century subjugation, albeit a voluntary one? That remains to be seen, but the vision emerging is not a hopeful one, unless you’re Umar bin al-Khattab.</p>
<p><em><strong>Joe Herring</strong> writes from Omaha, Nebraska and welcomes visitors to his website at <a href="http://www.readmorejoe.com">www.readmorejoe.com</a>. <strong>Dr. Mark Christian</strong>, a former Muslim, is the Executive Director of the <a href="http://globalfaithinstitute.org/">Global Faith Institute</a>, also based in Omaha.</em></p>
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