Thanks to Nicolei for this piece from Reuters.
QUETTA, Pakistan, May 16 (Reuters) - A Pentecostal preacher was feared kidnapped in Pakistan on Sunday, apparently by an unknown Islamic militant group after he disappeared in the southwestern city of Quetta, his friends and family said.Wilson Fazal, a Pakistani Christian cleric at a local city church, had been receiving threatening letters from an unknown group of Islamists urging him to convert to Islam or face unspecified consequences, his son Jerry told Reuters.
Jerry said the latest hand-written letter was delivered to their house five days ago asking Wilson to stop preaching Christianity. The letter was apparently sent by a group calling itself Mahaz-e-Jihad, or "Frontier of the Holy War."
"Get ready, ready, ready, or else...," said the letter which had a hand-drawn rifle for a signature at the bottom.
But Reuters is quick to make sure that blame is not placed on Islamic militants. It's our fault, of course, for making them angry.
There are about eight million Christians who comprise a small minority in mainly Muslim Pakistan. Some have been targeted by Islamic militants angered by the U.S.-led "war on terror".
"Some have been targeted by Islamic militants angered by the U.S.-led "war on terror"
As if Christians were not targeted before 9-11?
It never occured to me before: my uncle is a Maryknoll missionary, and travels quite extensively... On the East coast of Africa, Nepal, India, China, Malaysia... Not a great place for Christians who are trying to make a difference in people's lives. I hope he knows what he's doing....
Why isn't there any group of people actively working to get the Christians out of Pakistan and into the West? North America and Europe have taken in millions of Muslim "asylum seekers" - don't these people also qualify as "asylum seekers"?
Pakistani Christians would be a much better cultural fit for demographically declining Europe than the North African Muslims they are currently bringing in. The same with the Copts.
To please the western press we must all become Muslims. Then we can be viewed as victims.
perhaps these christain pakistanis should do that then apply for refugees status and convert back over here.
IN the meantime our governments are fighting two enemies the Islamofascists and our own press media.
Can you imagine what would have been the outcome of WW2 if we had then the press we have today ?
Mein GOTT !!
An article tip:
"US wakes up to Islam, many less informed"
http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/66CEFC7C-27CB-4190-BE4D-557634691064.htm
"While there are no exact statistics on the purchase of material related to Islam, there have been trends.
One main reading source has been Islam's holy book, the Quran."
"But Americans have also turned to the works of many different authors, with a variety of backgrounds and outlooks. For instance, in their search for answers, many in the US read books by British theologian Karen Armstrong.
The former Roman Catholic nun is the best-selling author of books such as Islam: A Short History and The Battle for God. Works by Armstrong have ranked in the top 10 in national lists of best-selling books on religion for the past three years.
Georgetown University Professor John Esposito has also been a popular choice by Americans.
As a leading US scholar on Islam, his more than 25 books have served as a tremendous resource for a long time but have been of particular significance in recent years.
As author of such books as What Everyone Needs to Know about Islam and The Islamic Threat: Myth or Reality? Esposito has attempted to tackle Western misconceptions head-on and expose their historical, cultural, and political root causes.
Reading list
Author Michael Sells also saw sales of his Approaching the Quran: The Early Revelations increase after 9/11, though this was not without controversy.
An uproar over the book emerged after the University of North Carolina assigned it as summer reading for incoming freshmen in 2002.
A lawsuit by several students that was subsequently dismissed argued that the school was indoctrinating students with deceptive claims about the peaceful nature of Islam by assigning a selective source.
In spite of the fact that many Americans attempted to educate themselves on Islam and the Middle East in the aftermath of 9/11, there has been a visible downward shift in American public opinion toward Islam.
Views on violence
A nationwide survey by the Pew Forum, released in July 2003, shows a shift in public perceptions of Islam.
Forty-four per cent of Americans agreed that Islam is more likely than other religions "to encourage violence among its believers". In March 2002, only six months after 9/11, just 25% expressed this view.
More interestingly perhaps, this view is as prevalent among those who consider themselves knowledgeable about Islam as it is among the admittedly less educated."
It would be nice to see more data on what books about islam that are selling well and more polls of how different groups view other religions.
I saw the Al-Jazeera article and what a scam,they cite a non-scientific survey which usually skews the questions to create the desired answer. I wanted to learn about Islam the week after the 911 attack,websites shocked me on how the over antisemitism and general hatred was posted as an order from Allah to be revered.
One site blamed the Jew for the attacks on Muslims because they demonize Islam,I left a response for the cleric running the page and
said I didn't like the hateful message towards Jews,he called me a racist and Islamophobe.
The interest in Islam was not for conversion but to know thine enemy,I read enough to convince
me the terrorists believe their version of islam is correct and Western Muslims are traitors to Allah and must be killed with the infidels.
When a Muslim claims to a follower of a Peaceful and foregiving faith,tell them to prove it,and don't fall for the non-Quranic anicdotel
examples,proof...give me PROOF.
i would imagine we will see more and more stories like the above as time goes on. this war is elevating into the religious/spiritual realm more and more, and people are becoming aware of this phenomenon.
i would imagine we will see more and more stories like the above as time goes on. this war is elevating into the religious/spiritual realm more and more, and people are becoming aware of this phenomenon.
Saw the al Jazeera article.
"In spite of the fact that many Americans attempted to educate themselves on Islam and the Middle East in the aftermath of 9/11, there has been a visible downward shift in American public opinion toward Islam."
That's their problem. Americans ARE becoming more educated about Islam.
"An October 2003 ABC News poll shows ...
According to the poll's analysts, Steven Waldman and Deborah Caldwell: "This suggests that any additional information people have gleaned about Islam has confused more than clarified." "
Sure. After years of hearing "Islam is a religion of peace", a look at what's been happening around the world, and even a cursory study, some people don't what to believe what their heads are telling them. So they get confused.
jay
John Esposito and Karen Armstrong are both long-time apologists for Islam, in response to the e-mail from the curious person from Sweden. I believe that one of the primary reasons that their books have large sales is because they are "required readings" at some universities. John Esposito has, when pressed by a well-versed opponent, acknowledged the sufferings and inequalities of Christian minorities in Islamic countries, but just barely and in a small weak voice. He saves his loud voice to explain how "wonderful" Islam is. He has a nice cushy job at Georgetown U., the same university where the noted author, Bat Ye'or, who writes the truth about Islam, was shouted down last year.
Davo, the press was equally as bad just proir to ww2. Democrats thought Hitler was an "ok guy".
The NYT hid the whole great fammine holocaust, and got a pulitzer prize for it, which has been the subject of hot debate recently
Nathan,
things will change the press feel a threat to their own person. With the sarin. yor book is huge!
hope killjoy got it off his chest and how did h think I don't speak english! if he wouldn't call with an unlisted number??
Part of the American Tribe
God Bless the USA and her Fighting Forces and all who Fight with her. Amen