(Image by Getty Images via @daylife)

This week Libya’s Muammar Gaddafi has been visiting in Italy and has caused a stir by giving away Qurans and telling everyone that Europe should convert to Islam:

"Islam should become the religion of all of Europe.”

“Islam is the last religion and if we are to have a single faith then it has to be in Mohammed."

In another speech Gaddafi suggested that Europe needed to pay Libya $billions or risk the onslaught of illegal immigration from Africa that would turn the whole continent ‘black’. Many European leaders considered this statement to be tantamount to blackmail.

Meanwhile the government of Italy did agree to spend five billion dollars to build a 1,700 kilometre (1,050 mile) highway in Libya and Gaddafi agreed to allow the Italian Navy to intercept illegal migrants at sea and return them to Libya.

Response: In essence Gaddafi threatened Europe to join Islam or give him a payoff.  The fact is that Muammar only responds properly to strength and the present Western leaders are far too ignorant and weak to properly deal with him.  

Gaddafi had been quiet for years after President Reagan authorized an airstrike against his personal residence. Up to then he had been a major supporter of terrorism and Libya was the training ground for thousands of terrorists over the years.  When President Bush went after Iraq and in essence declared war on terrorists and anyone who protected them Gaddafi got the message and immediately gave up his plans for atomic weapons and sued for peace with the USA.

However in the last year or two there has been a changing of administrations in the USA and in Europe and the new leaders have declared that the ‘war on terror’ is over. Then the Lockerbie bomber was released and received a ‘heroes’ welcome and since then Gaddafi has visited the UN in NY City and now Italy. He is no longer treated as ‘persona non grata’ on the international stage but he is now being treated as a regular ‘head of state’.

The fact is he is still the same old ‘terrorist’ leader that he has always been and all of the attention has now convinced him to be even bolder than he ever was in the past. Gaddafi now looks upon Europe as being weak and now demands that it joins Islam or else.

This is totally in line with how Muhammad suggests dealing with the enemies of Islam. The Prophet of Islam counseled that enemies should be given 3 options:

1. Join Islam

2. Pay a Ransom tax (Jizya)

3. Or fight

This week Gaddafi told Europe to join Islam and pay him $Billions in tribute or else. What do you think comes next?

I believe that Libya will become once more a major training ground for terrorists against Europe and the USA thanks to the weak leaders we now have in the West.             *Top of The Blog 

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(Image by Getty Images via @daylife)

The Backers of the Ground Zero mosque are hoping to raise at least $70 million though tax-exempt public bonds to build the $100 million plus facility.

The bonds could be issued through a local development corporation created for that purpose and would be one of the least expensive ways to fund the Muslim center.

Scott Sieber, a spokesman for NY City Comptroller John Liu said on Friday that Liu supported the project and is willing to consider approving the public subsidy. Public subsidized funding like this is allowed for religiously affiliated non-profits if they can show that the facility will benefit the general public and if the religious activities are funded separately.

The center is supposed to house a number of recreational and educational facilities along with the worship center.

Response: It is really going the extra mile for the City to help get financing for the building of the mosque.  Approving the plans is one thing but helping to fund the Muslim center is going way beyond the pale.

Meanwhile 70% of the country opposes the Cordoba Center going up so close to Ground Zero and in a building that was partially destroyed by the landing gear from one of the planes on 9/11.

My only question is this –If the city can help put together financing for the Mosque what about doing the same thing for the church that was actually destroyed in the 9/11/01 attacks? 

St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church was across the street from the World Trade Center and had been there since 1922. They really should receive help from the city but have gotten nothing but grief instead. The City and the Port Authority have blocked the church from rebuilding on their own property. The authorities want to take the church property and build an underground parking facility for the new trade center building instead.

Somehow the mosque has become a cause celebre for the ‘Freedom of Religion’ in America but the church is facing eminent domain instead? This is outrageous!

Both should receive at least equal consideration if our freedoms still mean anything in this country. But since the St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church was and is still a functioning religious group in the City since 1922 it should receive priority over any new project like the Cordoba Mosque.            *Top of the Blog

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(Image by Zooomabooma via Flickr)

The US 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled on Monday that World Vision, a Christian humanitarian organization, could continue to base its hiring practices and decisions on matters of religious faith.

A three judge panel majority opinion declared that World Vision was a “religious organization” and qualified for the religious exemption to the Civil Rights Act which prohibits hiring or firing based on religious beliefs.

The suit was brought by three former employees of World Vision who were fired for disagreeing with central tenets of the organization’s Statement of Faith. The former employees tried to assert that “religious organizations” were legally limited to “churches, synagogues, and the like” and therefore World Vision violated the law in their firing.

According to 9th Circuit Judge Diarmuid F. O’Scannlain:

“If Congress had intended to restrict the exemption to ‘[c]hurches, and entities similar to churches’ it could have said so. Because Congress did not, some religious corporations, associations, and societies that are not churches must fall within the exemption.”

It stated in the majority opinion that a “nonprofit entity” like World Vision qualifies as religious if it:

“1) is organized for a self-identified religious purpose…

2) is engaged in activity consistent with, and in furtherance of, those religious purposes, and

3) holds itself out to the public as religious.”

According to the 9th circuit ruling World Vision meets these criteria.

Dean Owen, World Vision’s director of media relations responded to the ruling:

“This is a significant victory for World Vision’s religious hiring rights. The right of faith-based organizations to hire people who are co-religionists, who are of their own faith, has been law in this country for nearly 50 years.”

“Our Christian faith has been the foundation of our work since we were established in 1950, and we believe that the hiring policy of the US offices of World Vision…is vital to our integrity as part of our mission.”

Response: This is a major precedents setting case where faith-based organizations are concerned. Many similar religious groups have been under legal attacks lately on a number of different fronts.

In this case it was attempted to cast allied faith-based religious organizations like World Vision as being outside of the Constitutional prescriptions and exemptions for the ‘freedom of religion’ in this country. The ruling defined a basis for qualifying faith-based nonprofits as ‘religious organizations’.

For once a bunch of judges actually ruled according to common sense and for the common good. The judges ruled in favor of maintaining ‘freedom of Religion’ in this country as it has been for over 200 years.

If faith-based organizations were no longer allowed to define their own rules of conduct and could no longer limit hiring to people of similar faith or religion than they would cease to exist and become something entirely different than they are now. Freedom of religion in America would then be on the decline, challenged, and severely limited.             *Top of the Blog

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There are over a million Jews living in NY City and the Jewish community was particularly affected by the 9/11 attacks and even salt has been poured on with the popular Arab urban legend/conspiracy theory that blames it all on them or the Israelis. So you would expect that the Jewish community in New York would have a definite opinion on the the ‘Ground Zero’ Mosque?

Apparently they do but they are divided over the issue just like the rest of America.

Early on Abe Foxman and the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) came out against the mosque and this was the first Jewish voice that was initial heard on the matter at least nationally. Now former NY Mayor Ed Koch has weighed in in support of the Muslim center following the lead of current Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

Mr Koch quoted from a letter sent by President George Washington to the Jews of Rhode Island:

May the children of the Stock of Abraham, who dwell in this land, continue to merit and enjoy the good will of the other Inhabitants; while every one shall sit in safety under his own vine and fig tree, and there shall be none to make him afraid. May the father of all mercies scatter light and not darkness in our paths, and make us all in our several vocations useful here, and in his own due time and way everlastingly happy.

Mayor Koch would like to extend the same blessings to the Muslim community and so would apparently at least 10,000 other Jewish folks in New York who in just 24 hours have signed on to a petition online sponsored by J Street in support of religious freedom.

Response:  The Jewish folks in New York have every right to question the building of the mosque considering the way they have been treated by the Muslim community at times. Yet they are far more supportive of it than the general American public. Kudos should go to them for their deep support for freedom of religion and the American Constitution.

If the mosque does get built it will be very interesting to see if imam Feisal Abdul Rauf actually follows through and has somewhat of a outreach in the facility to other religionists including Jews. I must say that I doubt his sincereity in creating bridges since he seems to be forcing the mosque down everyone throat including the 9/11 families even though 70% of the country is against it.

He doesn’t seem to be trying to accomodate others and bring healing to the community as far as I am concerned. It is particularly offensive and telling that he plans to dedicate the new mosque on the 10th anniversary of the attacks- September 11, 2011.             *Top of the Blog  

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(Image via Wikipedia)

Is President Obama a Muslim?

No!

But he is very sympathetic to Islam. Also apparently 24% of the country think he is while only 47% believe that he’s a Christian.

His father and his step father were Muslims and a good share of his extended family in Africa. Plus over the years he has had several close friends and associates who were Muslims.

As a child in Indonesia he attended a Muslim elementary school so is very familiar with Muslim practices and prayers. He is easily the most knowledgeable President we have ever had when it comes to Islam.

Not only that, but in many Muslim countries he is considered to be a Muslim still since his father was one even if he did join Christianity. Some would consider him however to be an ‘apostate’ because of his confession of the Christian faith.

Interestingly this is probably why Michelle did not go with him when he went to Egypt or Saudi Arabia. The fact that his father was Muslim would dictate that his wife should abide by the Islamic dress code. Better she doesn’t go and avoid any embarrassing situations. It was bad enough last time when Pres. Obama bowed to the Saudi King like Muslim head of states traditionally do in deference to his rule over Mecca and Medina. 

However, as a young man Barack left Islam and joined a Christian Church where he attended for more than 20 years. He has also said in the past that the Resurrection of Jesus is particularly meaningful to him –not something that a Muslim would dare say.

He confesses a belief and a faith in Jesus and we should accept him at his word.

At his inaugural he had two prominent Christian ministers say prayers and reportedly includes several Christian clergy as his spiritual advisors.

In some ways Barack himself is to blame for the confusion. He hasn’t attended a church regularly in DC plus he seems to avoid some of the more public displays of faith like the National Day of Prayer.

I would bet almost anything that the Obama family will soon be attending a Washington DC Church and making a far more public display of their religious faith in the near future with the midterm elections on the horizon this fall.            *Top of the Blog

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In a chilling development House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called for an investigation of ‘Ground Zero Mosque’ opponents and their funding:

"There is no question there is a concerted effort to make this a political issue by some. And I join those who have called for looking into how … this opposition to the mosque is being funded."

Wow, shades of McCarthyism!

Meanwhile, asking where the $100 million plus is coming from to build the mosque is supposed to be off limits at least according to Mayor  Bloomberg who called it ‘un-American’ to even ask.

So let me get this strait-  It’s OK if funding for the mosque comes from radical sources in the Middle East but it is the opponents and the 9/11 families that should be investigated instead?

UPDATE: Later on Wednesday after her comments hit the fan Speaker Pelosi made another more equitable statement:

“The freedom of religion is a Constitutional right.  Where a place of worship is located is a local decision.

“I support the statement made by the Interfaith Alliance that ‘We agree with the ADL that there is a need for transparency about who is funding the effort to build this Islamic center.  At the same time, we should also ask who is funding the attacks against the construction of the center.’

“For all of those expressing concern about the 9/11 families, we call upon them to join us in support of the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act when Congress returns in September.”

Response: Speaker Pelosi, it is that ‘local decision’ that is being questioned in this case. Many of the local 9/11 families that lost loved ones at Ground Zero consider it sacred ground and their opinions have been totally disregarded by the NY politicians and the Muslims building the mosque.

What does Pelosi offer those families? She asks them to support her in passing a bill which they should get anyway and has nothing to do with the issue at hand –such complete arrogance. San Fran Nan thinks she knows what’s best for those 9/11 ‘little people’ – forget the mosque and support the bill you’ve been waiting for, should have gotten, and was promised long ago instead.

Meanwhile the Speaker promises to call for an investigation of all you folks that continue opposing the mosque. She just doesn’t get it. It’s a grass roots issue Ms. Pelosi and the only funding going on is for the Mosque.

Madame Speaker if you want to investigate you can begin with me along with hundreds of other bloggers who have kept this story alive for free while it was substantially ignored by the MSM.              *Top of the Blog

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The ‘Ground Zero Mosque’ controversy keeps on going. President Obama weighed in over the weekend with a few comments that hit the fan so to speak. One observation he made is that Islam should be treated just like any other religion in America and I totally agree.

In a previous post I commented that I believed that NY was giving preferential treatment to the Cordoba Mosque project and that I really doubted that a church would ever approved by the city to be built at the same location as the so-called ‘Ground Zero Mosque’. Turns out that I was entirely correct.

St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church which stood across the street from the World Trade center was reduced to dust on September 11, 2001. For 9 years the NY Port Authority has refused to let them rebuild their church—a church that was actually destroyed in the attack but plans for a new mosque are approved by the city?

It is my view that St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church should be rebuilt. The President talked about private property rights and that the Muslims should be allowed to build on their own property near ‘Ground Zero’. Well, what about the property rights of the  St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church? The church had been there since 1922 but their rights are being totally disregarded.

The church that was destroyed in the 9/11 attacks should be rebuilt first before any new project like the Cordoba Mosque is considered. It is obvious to me that the Muslims in this case are receiving better treatment from the city than the church.

Here’s an article written by George Demos who is running for Congress in that very area about the Church and the Mosque: “Rebuild the Church at Ground Zero, Not the Mosque”

*Top of the Blog

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