Inside The Mind Of A Jihadist

Inside The Twisted Mind Of A Jihadist: He's Addicted To Al Qaeda Websites, And Loathes Decadent Non-Believers -- Michael Burleigh, Daily Maily

MI5 believes there are 2,000 potential terrorists in the UK who pose a threat to national security and the great majority are radicalised Muslims. Here, terror expert and historian MICHAEL BURLEIGH imagines the mindset of such an extremist in Britain.

He was already exhausted when he woke at 11am, for, as a devout Muslim, he had prayed as dawn broke, eating some bread and fruit by way of breakfast, and had then fallen asleep again while reciting favourite passages from the Holy Quran.

The rest of the day stretched ahead, as there was no need to work in a society that subsidised idleness.

But his mind was always busy and time was punctuated by the ritual of prayers, though he had not yet developed the bump on his forehead that praying put on the heads of the pious from bowing to Mecca.

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My Comment: An interesting take from Michael Burleigh. As to what is mine .... when religion is exploited by fanatics .... anything becomes possible. Christianity had it's "dark ages" centuries ago .... and Islam is having it's period right now .... especially for those who fiercely believe in Jihad. I can also throw in the Hindu - Muslim conflict that has occurred (on and off) in the past century on the Indian subcontinent and the Muslim - Bhuddist battles in Burma of today.

Pentagon: Christian Soldiers May Face Court-Martial Proceedings If They Share Their Faith

Photo: Courtesy of American Atheist

Breaking: Pentagon Confirms May Court Martial Soldiers Who Share Christian Faith -- Breitbart

The Pentagon has released a statement confirming that soldiers could be prosecuted for promoting their faith: "Religious proselytization is not permitted within the Department of Defense...Court martials and non-judicial punishments are decided on a case-by-case basis...”.

The statement, released to Fox News, follows a Breitbart News report on Obama administration Pentagon appointees meeting with anti-Christian extremist Mikey Weinstein to develop court-martial procedures to punish Christians in the military who express or share their faith.

(From our earlier report: Weinstein is the head of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation, and says Christians--including chaplains--sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ in the military are guilty of “treason,” and of committing an act of “spiritual rape” as serious a crime as “sexual assault.” He also asserted that Christians sharing their faith in the military are “enemies of the Constitution.”)

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Update #1: Pentagon May Move to Court-Martial Christian Soldiers Who Share Faith -- Charismanews
Update #2: Pentagon: Religious Proselytizing is Not Permitted -- FOX News

My Comment: This is a story that no one in the main stream media wants to touch. As to what is my take .... I am stunned that on this issue the Pentagon is taking counsel and advice from the Military Religious Freedom Foundation .... but I guess this is the state of American politics and the U.S. military today. I guess it is also only a question time before military chaplains will become silenced under these Pentagon rules.

U.S. Army Removes Bible Verses From Their Scopes

(Click on Image to Enlarge)

Army Removes Bible Reference from Scopes -- Todd Starnes, FOX News

The U.S. Army is directing troops to remove a Bible inscription that a vendor etched into the serial numbers of weapon scopes, Fox News has learned.

Soldiers at Fort Wainwright in Alaska told Fox News they received a directive to turn in their scopes so the Bible references could be removed.

The scopes were made by Trijicon and referenced New Testament passages in John 8:12 and Second Corinthians 4:6. The verses appeared at the end of the scope serial numbers – “JN8:12” and “2COR4:6.”

“The biblical verse (JN8:12) must be removed utilizing a Dremel type tool and then painted black,” read instructions on how to remedy the matter.

After the letters and numbers were scraped off, soldiers were directed to use apply black paint to ensure the verses were totally covered.

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More News On The U.S. Army Removing Bible Verses From Their Scopes

Army scraping off biblical reference from weapons scopes -- American Thinker
Troops Ordered to Remove Verses from Scopes -- CBN News
Army orders Biblical references scraped off scopes -- Examiner
Army removes Bible verses from scopes -- WND

U.S. Military Continues To Enforce A Policy Of Not Permitting Religious Symbols At Bases

Photo: Courtesy of American Atheist

Army Removes Crosses, Steeple From Chapel -- FOX News

The U.S. military reportedly ordered soldiers to remove a cross and a steeple from atop a chapel and to board up cross-shaped windows at a remote American forward operating base in Afghanistan.

The removal of Christian symbols from the chapel at Forward Operating Base Orgun-E came after a solider complained — leading American Atheists president David Silverman to send a letter to the Pentagon.

The removal of Christian symbols from the chapel at Forward Operating Base Orgun-E came after a solider complained — leading American Atheists president David Silverman to send a letter to the Pentagon.

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My Comment: No Christian church symbols should be displayed because of regulations and that it may inflame the local Muslim population .... OK .... I guess I can buy that.

But this is OK?

Too Much Religion At U.S. Military Academies?

U.S. military academy cadets throw their caps into the air after their graduation ceremony at West Point, New York, May 26, 2012. (Reuters)

Too Much Religion At Military Academies? West Point Cadet Revives Charge. -- Anna Mulrine, Christian Science Monitor

Citing overt religiosity on campus, a West Point Academy cadet publicly quit this week just months before graduation. This is not the first time the military has come under fire for practices that nonreligious students see as aggressively evangelical.

When Blake Page announced this week that he was quitting West Point a few months before graduation, citing the overt religiosity on campus, he raised recurring questions about the pervasiveness and impact of evangelical Christianity within the ranks of the US military.

“I do not wish to be in any way associated with an institution which willfully disregards the Constitution of the United States of America by enforcing policies which run counter to the same,” Mr. Page wrote in his letter of resignation to the US Military Academy at West Point, in New York.

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My Comment: It appears that other issues are at play with Blake Page's decision to drop out from West Point. But as to the question of religion at military academies .... people are free to worship (or not) any God while attending. If I have a debate on this issue .... it is over whether preferential treatment is given to those who espouse a certain religion .... but for the moment there is no evidence that such behavior is happening.

A Double Standard On Religion In The U.S. Military

Lifting Obama’s Gag Order On Military Chaplains -- Sen. Jim Inhofe and Sen. Roger Wicke, Washington Times

Military Religious Freedom Act defends conscience.

Our Founding Fathers spoke much about the importance of “freedom of conscience” and its underpinning of all other freedoms. In 1803, Thomas Jefferson said, “We are bound, you, I, and every one to make common cause even with error itself, to maintain the common right of freedom of conscience.”

Recent decisions by the Obama administration and Pentagon leaders threaten this common right, and their assault on freedom of conscience raises new and serious concerns — especially for our servicemen and women. Our armed services were created with an apolitical framework, and this unique platform has helped maintain Americans’ trust and respect for the military. Since repeal of the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy, however, the administration has looked to the military as a way to advocate a liberal social agenda and challenge Americans’ freedom of conscience.

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My Comment: A double standard at play .... you betcha .... and everyone in the military knows that. It should then not be a surprise to the White House when polls like this one are released.

Hatred Against Afghanistan's Non-Muslim Community Escalating

Citing Taliban Strife, Afghan Sikhs And Hindus Ask UN For Asylum -- Stars and Stripes

KABUL — Living in a deeply religious, overwhelmingly Muslim nation, Afghan Sikhs and Hindus have suffered their share of hardships: taunts, attacks, desecration of cremation sites, marginalization and poverty. Many possess a bottomless collection of grim tales.

Few of their stories, however, are from the five years of fundamentalist Islamic theocracy imposed by the Taliban, who made Hindus and Sikhs wear yellow badges, or even the brutal wars of the 1980s and ’90s.

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My Comment: What can I say .... intolerance against other religions has been a part of the human condition for as long as records indicate .... and for the 21rst century the focus is now on Muslim communities and their intolerance to non-Muslim groups as well as within the different sects of Islam.

Church Of The Nativity Has Been Designated As An Endangered Site

A nun walks outside the Church of the Nativity, the site revered as the birthplace of Jesus, in the West Bank town of Bethlehem June 28. Ammar Awad/REUTERS

UNESCO Designates Church Of The Nativity As Endangered Site -- Christian Science Monitor

Palestinian leaders consider the designation a political victory.

The Palestinians on Friday persuaded the U.N. cultural agency to list the Church of the Nativity — the place where Christians believe Jesus was born — as an endangered World Heritage site despite misgivings by churches in charge of the basilica.

The Palestinians hailed the nod by UNESCO as a step forward in their quest for global recognition of an independent Palestine in the West Bank, Gaza and east Jerusalem, captured by Israel in 1967.

The centuries-old basilica is located in a part of the Israeli-occupied West Bank where the Palestinians have self-rule. UNESCO's decision was seen by them as validation of their rights to the territory.

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My Comment: Considering how important the site is ..... any steps to protect it are welcomed on my part.

Marines Fight To Protect Crosses At Camp Pendleton

Marines Fight To Protect Crosses At Camp Pendleton As Atheist Groups Seek Removal -- FOX News

Planted atop a remote hill in the middle of California's Camp Pendleton Marine Corps Base rests two 13-foot crosses.

Originally erected back in 2003 by seven Marines grieving over lives lost in the war on terror, this site originally established for reflection has now become grounds for controversy.

“It's not a religious spot at all, it's a place for the Marines to grieve and to grow to let go of their burdens of what they had in their soul, so they can go back down that hill and back into battle and put their own lives on the line,” says Marine widow Karen Mendoza.

Her husband Ray was one of those original seven who climbed the hill that day, three of whom have since been killed in action, including Ray.

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My Comment: Three of the original seven marines who erected the cross have been killed in combat .... but instead of leaving the crosses and Marines who erected them alone, this group of atheists just cannot help but be who they are.

Saudi Arabia's Top Cleric: All Churches Must Be Destroyed In The Region

Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul Aziz ibn Abdullah Al-Asheikh. Arab News

Saudi Grand Mufti Calls For "Destruction of All Churches in Region" -- Middle East Forum

According to several Arabic news sources, last Monday, Sheikh Abdul Aziz bin Abdullah, the Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia, declared that it is "necessary to destroy all the churches of the region."

The Grand Mufti made his assertion in response to a question posed by a delegation from Kuwait: a Kuwaiti parliament member recently called for the "removal" of churches (he later "clarified" by saying he merely meant that no churches should be built in Kuwait), and the delegation wanted to confirm Sharia's position on churches.

Accordingly, the Grand Mufti "stressed that Kuwait was a part of the Arabian Peninsula, and therefore it is necessary to destroy all churches in it."

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My Comment: Such is the mindset and culture in the Middle East .... and why it will probably take centuries (if ever) for it to change. Sadly .... such a mindset and intolerant culture all but guarantees more wars and suffering in the region .... especially between the Sunni-Shiite sects in Islam.

The Christian Exodus From The Middle East Is Reaching Biblical Proportions: Robert Fisk

A cross is decorated with lights as an Orthodox Christians in the northern Iraqi city of Arbil commemorate the Elevation of the Holy Cross on September 13, 2010. Getty Images

Exodus. The Changing Map Of The Middle East -- The Independent

From Israel to Iraq, a Christian flight of Biblical proportions has begun.

In the centre of the rebuilt Beirut, the massive old Maronite Cathedral of St George stands beside the even larger mass of the new Mohammad al-Amin mosque.

The mosque's minarets tower over the cathedral, but the Maronites were built a spanking new archbishop's house between the two buildings as compensation. Yet every day, the two calls to prayer – the clanging of church bells and the wailing of the muezzin – beat an infernal percussion across the city. Both bells and wails are tape recordings, but they have been turned up to the highest decibel pitch to outdo each other, louder than an aircraft's roar, almost as crazed as the nightclub music from Gemmayzeh across the square. But the Christians are leaving.

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My Comment: The times are a changing .... and more so than in the Middle East.

Church Of Scotland Churchman: Soldiers Who Kill The Enemy Should Not Be Awarded Medals

Soldiers Should Not Be Awarded Medals For Killing, Says Churchman -- The Telegraph

Soldiers who kill their enemy on the battlefield should not be awarded medals, a leading Scottish churchman has said.

The Rev Ian Galloway caused uproar when he told MSPs it was “terrible” that troops be honoured for killing others and blamed the British “values system”.

Former servicemen said they were appalled by the comments, arguing they displayed a complete lack of understanding that medals recognise extreme bravery.

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My Comment: Another example on how out of touch some in the church are now becoming when it comes to the conflicts that we are fighting today.

Army Chaplin Killed In Afghanistan, First To Die In Combat Since Vietnam

Photo: Chaplain Dale Goetz

Army Chaplain First To Die In Combat Since Vietnam -- Christianity Today

Capt. Dale Allen Goetz, a Baptist minister from Oregon, was killed in a roadside bombing.

(RNS) A Baptist minister from Oregon who was killed in Afghanistan on August 30 is the first Army chaplain to die in combat since Vietnam, according to the Army.

Capt. Dale Allen Goetz, 43, died in a roadside bombing in Afghanistan's Arghandab River Valley. He had been in Afghanistan less than a month. Four other Fort Carson, Colo., soldiers were also killed in the attack.

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More News On The Death Of Capt. Dale Allen Goetz

Army: Chaplain is 1st killed in action since '70 -- Yahoo News/AP
Army chaplain, raised in Hood River, dies in Afghanistan bomb blast -- Oregon Live
Slain chaplain found his faith in Oregon -- Oregon Live
Capt. Dale Goetz From Fort Carson Is 1st Chaplain Killed In Action Since '70 -- Huffington Post

My Comment: Our thoughts and prayers are for his family and loved ones.

Evangelist Franklin Graham May Be Disinvited To Prayer Day Event At Pentagon

Evangelist Franklin Graham is seen here at the Celebration of Hope in Northern Ireland in April 2008. (Photo: The DeMoss Group)

Army Considering Rescinding Graham Invitation -- Baltimore Sun

The Army is considering whether to rescind an invitation to evangelist Franklin Graham to appear at the Pentagon amid complaints about his description of Islam as evil, the Associated Press reports.

Graham, the son of famed evangelist Billy Graham, was to appear at the Pentagon on May 6 — the National Day of Prayer.

He said he will be a guest of the Pentagon and would speak only if he's still invited.

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More News On Evangelist Franklin Graham Being (Maybe) Disinvited To Prayer Day Event At Pentagon

Evangelist May Be Disinvited to Prayer Day Event at Pentagon -- New York Times/AP
Army Considers Rescinding Invitation To Evangelist -- CBS News
Army Reconsidering Invite to Evangelical Minister -- AOL News
Army considers rescinding invitation to evangelist Franklin Graham to Pentagon prayer event -- Newser
Group Demands Pentagon Rescind Invitation to Franklin Graham -- Christian Post
MRFF Demands that Pentagon Disinvite Franklin Graham from NDP Event -- Huffington Post

My Comment: If he is disinvited, the uproar will be overwhelming.