'76 Blog

I spent most of May 2010 in predominately Muslim neighborhoods in the UK.  As I walked the streets, I had often had the feeling that I was in the Middle East.  I took a group of CCU students over to England to build relationships with Muslims, and to share Jesus with them.  We set up book tables offering free New Testaments, the Jesus film with subtitles, and other literature in English as well as several other Middle Eastern languages.  I implored my students to never say anything which could be construed as anti-Muslim, but only to promote Jesus, whom Muslims consider an important prophet.  I was amazed at how open most Muslims were to reading the words of Jesus.  Although a few wanted to argue, we avoided doing so, merely challenging them to better inform themselves of what Jesus taught. The mosques in the UK are full to overflowing, while most churches are nearly empty, except for the evangelical ones.  Just before Friday prayers we walked past a mosque where the faithful were gathering.  There were so many people that loudspeakers were set up outside the mosque, and hundreds were on the sidewalks and street blocking traffic all the way to the corner.  It was from this mosque that several young men were arrested, attempting to smuggle explosives on planes.  They are the reason we can’t bring shampoo or toothpaste onboard.  We stood on the steps of a Baptist Church along that street, observing the Muslims on the sidewalk and street in front of us performing their obligatory prayers.  I was a little uneasy, thinking we were barging in on their service, until I reminded myself that I was a Baptist on the steps of a Baptist church, even though its doors were locked and there seemed to be nobody inside.  Some of the older English have complained to us of the problem, but the upper class young English are politically correct to a fault, and many of the lower class young English have tattoos, body piercing, or seem zoned on booze or drugs. From what I have seen, England is in trouble, but it may be different in less Muslim neighborhoods.  Downtown London was very diverse, and Oxford still seemed to be quite English.  Right now Muslims are on islands in a sea of English, but given recent birthrates, will English soon find themselves on islands in a sea of Muslims?  There is hope, however, that British civilization won’t be ending soon. We were invited into the homes of many Muslims, and met warm and friendly people.  Many of the Muslims we met respected Jesus and acknowledged the miracles he performed.  They asked us to pray for them.  A charismatic church sets up chairs in a square every Saturday in one predominately Muslim neighborhood offering prayer for healing.  I was amazed to discover that more Muslims than English took them up on it.  The Quran speaks of the healing ministry of Jesus, and Muslims often seek Christians for this purpose.  One troubled Muslim man came up to me at our table, asking me to perform an exorcism to relieve him of demonic oppression. Several Muslims we met didn’t care for Islam, but feared converting.  Others said they would live a wild life until they married, then practice their religion.  Still others wanted to move to New York or LA to meet film stars, live a life of glamour, and get away from the oppression of their culture.  However, the fear of bringing shame to their families or ending up dead in an honor killing dissuaded them.  I did meet some converts from Islam, who lived in hiding and fear, relocating to live under a pseudonym, fearing their families would find them.  Some of the more courageous converts joined us at our book table, even though the penalty for leaving Islam is death.  In my presence some Muslims asked them if they were born Muslim, but the converts responded that they were born "babies", avoiding the question.  One of my CCU students was asked that often, but (although born in Pakistan) was from the persecuted Christian minority. One former Muslim was passing out gospels in a suburb near Heathrow airport, where one can hardly find an English face.  As he distributed literature near a Mosque during Friday prayers, a crowd of Muslims surrounded and threatened him.  He called 911 with a cell phone hidden in his pocket and police appeared in minutes. He reminded the angry crowd that they were in the UK, where there was freedom of speech and religion, not in the Middle East. Many of the missionaries training us were in Muslim countries until they were expelled for their activities.  Now they cool their heels in the UK, working with the only Muslims they can now reach, waiting for another opportunity to go back to the Middle East.  They also hoped that some of my students would dedicate themselves to working in the Muslim world, and gain access to where they have been denied.    

Three jihad attacks on US soil in six months should cost Attorney General Eric Holder and Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano their jobs, says John Andrews in the May round of <em>Head On</em> TV debates.  But Susan Barnes-Gelt dismisses the Times Square bomber as "an inept dissident" and condemns talk of jihad and sharia as "fear-mongering." John on the right, Susan on the left, also go at it this month<!--more--> over offshore drilling, the Kagan Supreme Court nomination, school reform, and the McInnis-Hickenlooper race for governor. <em>Head On</em> has been a daily feature on Colorado Public Television since 1997. Here is the first of their five scripts for May: 1.  NEW YORK CITY BOMB Susan:  Alert citizens and quick response of law enforcement combined to avoid tragedy in mid-town Manhattan when an inept dissident tried to set off a car bomb in Times Square.  The Pakistani-American claims ties to the Taliban.  Stateless terrorism may be the greatest threat to America's security. John: Susan, please.  Your “stateless terrorism” is a meaningless euphemism.  The threat to America is fundamentalist Islam.  Its goal is a global superstate, erasing America.  Obama won’t even mention Islam with its violent jihad and its theocratic sharia law.  Fort Hood, Detroit, Times Square, all in six months.  This president needs to wake up. Susan:  John, your Fox News talking points ignore the fact that US intelligence caught the wanna be Times Square bomber in 53 hours and no one was injured.  Your so-called fundamentalist global superstate is fear-mongering and does nothing to mitigate the need for a watchful public and fully integrated intelligence community. John: Counting on luck for the bombers to fail and then bragging about catching them is NO way to keep America safe from this fanatical enemy.  Jihad seeks the destruction of our country, nothing less.  This is a war situation, not a crime situation.  Obama should fire Napolitano and Holder. Read the other four Head On scripts for May 2010.

('76 Editor) Tawfik Hamid, an Egyptian medical doctor once recruited to a radical Islamist cell by Ayman al-Zawahiri (himself an MD in Egypt who has since become second in command of Al Qaeda), spoke on "Confronting Radical Islam" to a lunchtime audience of almost 100 students, faculty, and friends from the community at the CCU dining commons on March 3.The violent and brutal doctrines assumed by many Westerners to be part of an extremist fringe are in fact mainstream Muslim teachings, Dr. Hamid said.  He described an "ABC list" of such doctrines that can be used to test the claim that Islam is a religion of peace.  The first seven letters of his alphabet, all derived from the Koran, are apostate-killing, barbaric treatment of women, calling Jews pigs and monkeys, declaring war on non-Muslims, enslaving fellow human beings, fighting Jews and Christians by holy command, and gay-killing.Not one book is in print from a Muslim authority denouncing these practices, Dr. Hamid said.  Nor are there any prominent mosques and clerics on record against them.His own book "Inside Jihad" was on sale after the talk, which was jointly sponsored by the Centennial Institute and a new CCU student group called the Mideast Reconciliation Initiative.  Chapters in the book address the making of an Islamic terrorist, myths and misconceptions about Islamism, the failure of Islamic societies, the failure of the West, steps toward an Islamic reformation, and a strategic plan to defeat radical Islam.  The author's website, TawfikHamid.com, has ordering information for the book.Tawfik Hamid's talk at CCU is linked here.  (Allow time for file to fully download before playing.)   The West must wake up to the cancerous threat of violent Islam not only on its borders but in its midst, Hamid told CCU audience

('76 Editor) This week Centennial Institute officially begins its second year. We're working to become known in Colorado and nationally as the open forum where current issues are tested against timeless principles.  Our Spring 2010 events calendar features topics from drug policy to mobility strategies to the Christian testimony of an ex-Muslim terrorist.  We'll also feature Arthur Brooks of the American Enterprise Institute on capitalism in crisis, Douglas Bruce on taxpayer protection in Colorado, and Michael Poliakoff on the classical legacy of Vergil. The full schedule, confirmed with a few exceptions, is below.  There's no charge for these events, but space is limited, so you will need to reserve early.  For reservations, email Centennial@ccu.edu or call 303.963.3424. Wednesday, February 17, 7pmCCU Music CenterDebate: "Why Not Legalize All Marijuana?"State Rep. Tom Massey, State Sen. Sean Mitchell,DA Carol Chambers, Attorney Jessica Corry-----------------------------------------  Monday, February 22, 7pmCCU Business School 101Issue Monday: "Mobility Solutions for Colorado"Randal O'Toole, Author of "Gridlock"-----------------------------------------  Wednesday, March 3, 12 noonCCU Dining Commons AnnexLuncheon Briefing: "Confronting Radical Islam"Tawfik Hamid, Author of "The Roots of Jihad"----------------------------------------- Monday, March 15, 7pmCCU Beckman Center 202Issue Monday: "Vergil's Epic of Western Civilization"Dr. Michael Poliakoff, Former Academic VP, University of Colorado-----------------------------------------  Friday, March 19, 730amBrown Palace HotelPolicy Breakfast: "Reviving Democratic Capitalism"Arthur Brooks, President, American Enterprise Institute-----------------------------------------  Wednesday, April 7, 12 noonCCU Dining Commons AnnexLuncheon Briefing: "From Muslim Terrorist to Christian Believer"Kamal Saleem, Author of "The Blood of Lambs"-----------------------------------------  Wednesday, April 14, 7pmCCU Music CenterLecture: "Defending Liberty"Wayne LaPierre, President, National Rifle Association (invited)-----------------------------------------  Monday, April 19, 7pmCCU Beckman Center 202Issue Monday: "Taxpayer Protection in Colorado, 1985-2010"Douglas Bruce, Author of the Taxpayer's Bill of Rights