In the 1970s and 1980s, I led many tours to Israel. Back then, I would take my fellow travelers up to the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. We carried our Bibles as well as our cameras. We would see Jews wandering freely among the trees and buildings on the Mount. I would seek out a secluded part of the 35 acre plateau, away from the mosques, and we would have an impromptu Bible study. We would all hold hands and pray. It was always a special time for the members of the tour to be able to stand in a place that held such meaning for our spiritual heritage.
Beginning in the 1990s, that all changed. As the Muslims were given greater control of the Temple Mount, they pushed for even more. By mid-decade, I had been arrested three times during my visits to the Mount. Twice for carrying a Bible and once for holding my daughter's hand.
Today, non-Muslims visiting the Temple Mount grounds are shadowed by Muslim "officials." You can't even appear to "pray" without facing arrest. Muttering under your breath is dangerous.
Recently, a member of the Israeli Knesset (Israel's parliament) told a reporter that she was considering a visit to the Temple Mount. MK Miri Regev wants to draw the public's attention to the fact that it's "illegal" for a Jew to pray while on the Temple Mount. She said, "I don't understand why a Jew is not allowed to pray in the most sacred place for him -- the Temple Mount."
Well, that statement has caused somewhat of a panic. She even has one of her fellow MK's cautioning that merely mentioning the subject may ignite a "third intifada."
If you remember, Ariel Sharon touched off the extremely violent "second intifada" in 2000 when he visited the Temple Mount. He, too, was a Member of the Knesset and had made all the proper arrangements and secured the proper permissions. But the mere presence of a prominent Jew on the Mount sent the Palestinians into a frenzy.
Of course, now we know that Sharon's visit was merely an excuse to begin a pre-planned campaign of violence against Israel. A campaign that was waged to force the world to force Israel to cede even more control of the area and of Jerusalem to the PLO.
But that's the point: everything is intended to give the Muslims more control. If you're an American of any vintage, you know the saying: "Give them an inch and they'll take a mile." I don't know for sure, but I don't think that adage was coined to describe Islam. However, it does. Perfectly.
Have you noticed that there is no other religion, ethnic group, or national group (with the possible exception of the homosexual community) that evokes more "walking on eggshells" than does Islam and Muslims? Entire governments are terrified to utter those two words -- Islam or Muslim -- for fear of saying something "offensive" to them. And what happens when you "offend" Islam? Well, you may die! Or your neighborhood, city, or nation may be thrust into violent confrontation. If you're lucky, there will only be aggressive and vulgar protests. If not, your whole neighborhood may be burned to the ground.
I'm just thankful that Islam is a "religion of peace." At least that's what Muslims say and all of our living past presidents and our current Administration agree. So it must be true. And if you disagree, don't do so publicly or you'll be sorry. Just ask Paris or London or Madrid or New York or Mumbai or Fort Hood or non-Muslims in Lebanon, Libya, Egypt, Pakistan, Iran, Iraq, and, now, Boston.
God help you if you're a Jew or Christian caught in an Islamic nation. The "religion of peace" wants a piece of you. Just ask Pastors Saeed Abedini or Yusef Nadarkhani, both languishing in Iranian prisons because they refuse to renounce their faith in Jesus Christ.
I am genuinely grateful that our fear of Islam hasn't quite brought America to its knees yet, but I see evidence of that happening all around us. It's sad and embarrassing to watch the contortions the mainstream media and our government officials go through to avoid saying what the Tsarnaev brothers posted in the social media: they are (and were) Muslims and they want (and wanted) to wage violent jihad on nonbelievers (also known as 'infidels') and apostates (also known as 'moderate Muslims').
Please forgive me if you've noticed more than a touch of frustration at what I see happening in our nation. We have already forgotten a great lesson from our own recent history: it's more important to be 'correct' than 'politically correct.' The Bible warns that a nation that has been given great light from God, and rejects it, will be given a mind, by God, that cannot even think in its own best interest. That's a perfect definition of 'political correctness.' And that's what's happening in America right now.
But you may be asking yourself a very legitimate question: why are otherwise smart people so confused about Islam? Many Muslims, and not so many non-Muslims, seem to genuinely believe that it's a "religion of peace." That's because there is a dramatic contradiction within the foundations of Islam itself. Once you understand this contradiction, you will be able to see the danger Islam poses for the rest of the world as a whole and for each of us individually.
I'm going to show you some of those contradictions this week and, hopefully, help you understand why Islam, by its very structure and history, cannot be a "religion of peace," but must be just the opposite: a religion of hatred, violence, and war.
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