Podcasts about sunni muslims

Ismail Youssef is a former Muslim who converted to Christianity and was raised between two distinct cultures—the West and the Middle East. Drawing from this unique background, he has dedicated his life to defending Western values and promoting Christian ethics and moral principles. He advocates for a strong, confident Western cultural identity and calls on all who call the West home to embrace and uphold these shared values through meaningful integration. @ishofarabia  In this conversation, Kelsi Sheren and Ismail Youssef delve into Ismail's personal journey from being raised in a Sunni Muslim family to converting to Christianity. They explore the complexities of cultural identity, the challenges faced by second-generation immigrants, and the radicalization within certain communities. The discussion also critiques various religious practices and societal norms, particularly in relation to women's rights and the perception of Western values. In this conversation, Ismail Youssef shares his journey of questioning the moral implications of Islamic teachings and the historical context of religious texts. He discusses the personal revelations he experienced at a young age, leading to a crisis of faith and identity. The dialogue explores the indoctrination within religious communities, the struggle for personal belief, and the consequences of leaving Islam. Youssef also addresses the financial and moral implications of faith, the concept of spiritual homelessness, and the challenges of navigating family dynamics. The conversation culminates in a discussion about the dangers of ideological extremism and the cultural shifts occurring in Western societies. In this conversation, Ismail Youssef and Kelsi Sheren explore the complexities of cultural identity in Canada, the challenges of integration, and the myths surrounding Eastern cultures. They discuss the fundamental differences between Islam and Western values, emphasizing the ethical implications of each. The dialogue highlights the need for reform within Islam and questions the compatibility of Islamic practices with Western societal norms. In this conversation, Ismail Youssef shares his personal journey of faith, identity, and the challenges he faced after converting to Christianity from Islam. He discusses the complexities of family dynamics, acceptance, and the uncomfortable truths surrounding immigration and cultural identity in Western societies. The dialogue emphasizes the importance of questioning beliefs and the legacy one hopes to leave behind, advocating for open-mindedness and community support.Substack: https://substack.com/@kelsisheren - - - - - - - - - - - -SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS - - - - - - - - - - - -RHO Nutrition - Code: KELSI20 -  https://rhonutrition.com/KELSIXX-XY Athletics - Code: KELSI20 - https://www.xx-xyathletics.com/?sca_ref=7336247.FtJS2YUK4OKetone IQ- 30% off with code KELSI - https://ketone.com/KELSIGood Livin- 20% off with code KELSI - https://www.itsgoodlivin.com/?ref=KELSIBrass & Unity - 20% off with code UNITY - http://brassandunity.com - - - - - - - - - - - - -SHOPB&U Jewelry & Eyewear: https://brassandunity.com - - - - - - - - - - - - -Follow #thekelsisherenperspective- - - - - - - - - - - - -CHARITYHeroic Hearts Project - https://www.heroicheartsproject.orgAll Secure Foundation - http://allsecurefoundation.orgDefenders of Freedom -https://www.defendersoffreedom.usBoot Campaign - https://bootcampaign.org

Democrats in total grief over the loss of the cherished family. They're just innocent illegal immigrants. Okay. Yeah. They overstayed their abuses too, but we gotta keep them. I mean, one of them is, like, four. The rest are like teens and stuff. We have to wait to keep them. They're they're they're future Democrat voters. There's Sunni Muslims. They vote 92% Democrat. I mean, it's not fair. It's not fair. We can't do this anymore when a judge agrees what the the family gets to say. Are you kidding me? Are you kidding me? Is this a joke? And folks, Bunchy over at Red State absolutely nails this this morning. How Trump has come out with the travel ban? He's right. He says this isn't complicated. If judges are going to make it impossible to deport deport visa overstays from Islamist countries, then the only alternative is to stop issuing visas to those countries completely. That's exactly what Trump did yesterday. We're we're just done here. We don't have time for Democrat judicial dictators to say this terrorists can say and this terrorist can say, and you might be a terrorist. But let's think about what the Democrat party is proposing here. Okay? Come on. Is it really fair to pick on his family? I mean, some of them are women. I mean, yeah, they're here illegally, and, yeah, their first act was to break our laws. But, you know, you know, are they just because dad decided to take a flame thrower to some Jews does not mean they're bad people. You know what's interesting about this? The number one trending story this morning on that app we have, we pay a lot of money for us so we could see what the top stories in the country are. It was a story that was popular mainly with women, and it was why is Trump blocking people from other countries. God, women are just like they're like, shit. I swear so many women are like sheep to the slaughter. Why are we in this line? I don't know. What's that bolt gun for? I don't know, Roger. I'm sure it's nothing. We're like sleep sheep to the slaughter. Why would he do that? Why can't people from Yemen come here? Oh, you mean the country with the Houthis? The ones who've been who've revived piracy and are launching, you know, drone missiles at our ships, those people? The ones with the terror training camps that we just annihilated? Yeah. They seem really nice. I mean, they do fine here. Oh, we're weak. I want you to understand why we cannot allow the family of the Colorado terrorist to stay in our country. You want to see it for yourself, you can go on my x feed. This is him driving to the slaughter. He leaves a message for his family, giving us a nice insight. You know what might have been going on in his home? Did he just randomly one day decide to incinerate some Jews? Because what's going on in Gaza is really unfair. He saw they were children. He saw there was a grandmother. It turns out she's a holocaust survivor. No. No. No. He didn't. He made it clear to his family. The message was for his family. He hates America. He hates our military. Jihad is the only way. And Allah wants us to kill Jews. How many times did his kids hear that? He seems pretty committed. Here, I'll translate for you. Allah is greater than anything. Allah is greater than the Zionist. Allah is greater than America and its weapons. Allah is greater than f 35 planes. Allah is greater than everything else. So why do we fear those who are inferior to Allah rather than fear Allah himself? I told my wife and son every day to do this, to do something, but they didn't do it. I would be angry. Maybe I would divorce my wife. Maybe what I would kick my son out of my home. What's the next line, folks? Then what about Allah who says to us every day dozens of times, Allahu Akbar. Allah wants jihad. He's talking to his kids. Do not forget Allah Akbar. Do not forget that Allah is greater than everything, he says. Not Zionist America, Britain, France, or Germany. Only a law has the right to be feared, he says. Again ...

In this powerful episode of Simple Faith, Rusty George sits down with Zia Hassan, a former Sunni Muslim born in Pakistan who spent over five decades faithfully practicing Islam. After moving to the United States in the early 1980s and building a successful life as a restaurant executive, husband, and father, Zia experienced a profound transformation in 2004—one that would lead him to explore the Christian faith of his ancestors.Zia shares his remarkable story of how a life-changing moment sparked a spiritual journey toward Jesus Christ, ultimately leading him to embrace a new faith. Now a devoted follower of Christ and active member of Crossroads Christian Church in Grand Prairie, Zia opens up about the challenges, revelations, and deep peace he's found along the way.Join us for an inspiring conversation about courage, conviction, and the simple yet profound power of faith.

The Three Resurrections (Various Passages) For the bulletin in PDF form, click here. Message Slides The Past ResurrectionThe Present ResurrectionThe Future ResurrectionDiscussion Questions1. Explain what we mean by the resurrection of the past, the resurrection of the present, and the resurrection of the future. Which of these three do you think about most/least? Why?The Past Resurrection 2. We have good reasons to believe Jesus rose from the grave. What are some of the most convincing arguments? 3. What are some key passages that talk about Jesus' resurrection? Why is it important we affirm this historical event when Jesus rose from the grave?The Present Resurrection4. What are some of the benefits we can experience today because of Jesus' resurrection? 5. In Eph 1:18-23 Paul talks about how we can experience resurrection power today. How have you experienced resurrection power in your life? What area in your life needs to experience this benefit today?The Future Resurrection6. 1 Cor 15:20 refers to Jesus' resurrection as the “firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.” What are you looking most forward to about experiencing the future resurrection and having a resurrection body? Why is it important that we think and talk about this future hope we have in Christ?7. DA Carson said, “I am not suffering from anything that a good, general resurrection can't fix.” What are you looking most forward to being “fixed” by our future resurrection in Christ?8. Is it helpful to you to think about the resurrection of the past, present, and future? Explain. Mission Highlight - Pray for the Unreached: The Bon Gula ChadThe Bon Gula people of Chad number approximately 3,800. Though they are nominally Sunni Muslim, most fiercely adhere to their traditional Marghai religion including sacred sites and revered animals. Only 0.42% are Christian adherents, and they have no Christian resources available in their language. With no access to the message of the gospel, the Bon Gula remain deeply unreached. Pray for workers to reach the Bon Gula, for Christian resources to be translated into their language, and for a movement to Christ to take root among them.FinancesWeekly Budget 35,297Giving For 04/06 41,352Giving For 04/13 26,958YTD Budget 1,447,183Giving 1,414,996 OVER/(UNDER) (32,187)Fellowship on the Lawn - Gather together as one united faith familySunday, May 4, at 4:00 p.m. here at Fellowship. We have completely revamped our church-wide gathering to make it a very family-orientated event. We will have a live band, a DJ, a time of organized games for families with prizes, food trucks, and Kona Ice. There will also be Baggo, Pickle Ball and even more for the adults. ”This is a “Can't Miss Event”. We hope to see you there!New to Fellowship?We are so glad that you chose to worship with our Fellowship Family this morning. If you are joining us for the first time or have been checking us out for a few weeks, we are excited you are here and would love to meet you. Please fill out the “Connect Card” and bring it to the Connection Center in the Atrium, we would love to say “hi” and give you a gift. VBS 2025 | June 23-27 | 9:00 am - 12:00 pmJoin us in ancient Egypt! You'll explore Pharaoh's palace, experience thrilling “real-life” dramas, play high-energy games, sample tasty snacks, and hear unforgettable music. Plus, you'll meet lots of new friends! VBS is for children currently in kindergarten through fourth grade - invite a friend for free! Register by June 6, at fellowshipconway.org/register. The cost is $5 per child. HIGH SCHOOL SENIORSSeniors 2025, Fellowship wants to honor you for your graduation from High School. We ask all graduating seniors that call Fellowship home to complete a simple form for Senior Sunday on May 18th at fellowshipconway.org/register. Also, please send five pictures of your senior for the slideshow to be shown during both services to Michael Mercer at mmercer@fellowshipconway.org by April 27. Luncheon for WidowsThe widows of Fellowship are invited to a Spring Luncheon at the home of Ambra Austin on Thursday, May 15th at noon. We look forward to a time of fun, fellowship and feasting! Please RSVP by May 1st to Ambra at 501-730-6795. Imperishable: a 4-Week Study of 1 peterJoin us for Imperishable, a four-week study of 1 Peter led by Heather Harrison. We'll meet Wednesday nights beginning May 28, at 6 p.m., here at Fellowship. Text Shanna at 501-336-0332 to reserve childcare. Register at fellowshipconway.org/register.Fellowship 101We invite you to join us on Sunday, June 8, at 9:00 a.m. to learn more about Fellowship. This is a great opportunity to hear about our mission, values, and ministries. If you're new to Fellowship, join us in the conference room (first floor) to hear what God is doing and where He is taking us. During this time, you will meet some of our ministry leaders and get to ask questions. Register at fellowshipconway.org/register.Baby dedicationMark your calendar for May 11 to dedicate your children to the Lord. More information to come.

Introducing Deacons (A Message on Ministry and Methods)Message SlidesChurch Government - SwindollElders - J.I. PackerElders & Deacons - Brian TuckerINTRODUCTION: A Little Bit of History• Fellowship Bible Churches - The 1960s, DTS, Gene Getz & Joe Wall• Fellowship Bible Church - Conway (Little Rock & Northwest Arkansas)A Biblical Philosophy of Church MinistryThe Functions of the Church - Functions Over Forms (Acts 2:42-47)• Worship• Instruction• Fellowship• EvangelismThe Focus of the Church - Making Disciples (Matthew 28:16-20)• The Command - “Make Disciples”• The Context - “As you are going…”• The Method - Evangelism & Discipleship• The Extent - “All Nations”The Pattern of the Church - Equipping the Saints (Ephesians 4:11-16)• Gifted Leaders Equip.• Saints are Involved in Ministry.• Every Part Works in Unity.• The Final Result is Maturity in Christlikeness.A Biblical Philosophy of Church LeadershipPlurality of Leaders (Acts 11:30; 14:23; 15:2; 20:17; Titus 1:5; James 5:14 )Functions Over Forms (New Testament Epistles)• Jesus is Head of the Church (Eph. 1:22-22; 4:15; 5:23; Col. 1:18; 2:19)• Gifted Leaders (1 Thess. 5:12–13; Heb. 13:7, 17; Eph. 4:11)• Elders (1 Tim. 3:1-7; 5:17-19; 1 Pet. 5:1-4; James 5:14)• Deacons and Deaconesses (Acts 6:1-6; 1 Timothy 3:8-13) The church is accomplishing God's purpose wheneveryone is involved in ministry & growing toward maturity! So Christ's immediate purpose in giving pastors and teachers to his church is through their ministry of the word to equip all people for their varied ministries. And the ultimate purpose of this is to build up his body, the church. In other words, the church's goal is not Christ but its own maturity in unity which comes from knowing, trusting and growing up into Christ.Home Church Questions• Read Ephesians 4:11-16.• What is your favorite part of church activities? What is your least favorite part of church? • What is the best thing that has ever happened to you in the church context (This doesn't have to be something that happened on Sunday Morning or even at Fellowship)?• How have you experienced positive church leadership in your life?• How is Fellowship currently “equipping” (repairing or preparing) you for growth and service right now?• What are four key elements of doctrinal stability a church should have?• How does unity result in growth and effectiveness in ministry?Mission Prayer Focus: The Somali in Ethiopia8.2 million primarily speak Somali and identify as Sunni Muslims. Many blend Islamic practices with folk beliefs and traditions. Only 0.22% are evangelicals. Despite having access to the complete Bible and the Jesus Film, they remain largely unreached with the gospel in Ethiopia. Pray for laborers, for the gospel to spread through media, and for disciples to rise up and make more disciples. FinancesWeekly Budget 35,297Giving For 03/30 18,053Giving For 04/06 41,352YTD Budget 1,411,886Giving 1,388,039 OVER/(UNDER) (23,847)Crucifixion DinnerJoin us Good Friday, April 18, at 6:30 p.m. as we remember together what Christ did on the cross through the Crucifixion Dinner (broth and bread). Child care for ages six and under is available by texting Shanna at 501-336-0332. Please feed the kids before dropping them off in child care. New to Fellowship?We are so glad that you chose to worship with our Fellowship Family this morning. If you are joining us for the first time or have been checking us out for a few weeks, we are excited you are here and would love to meet you. Please fill out the “Connect Card” and bring it to the Connection Center in the Atrium, we would love to say “hi” and give you a gift. Holy Week on HoganThe pastors of several of the churches on Hogan have organized a time of gathering together throughout Holy Week (April 14-18). The gathering will meet each day of Holy Week at Grace Methodist from 12:00-1:00 pm and will include a short service with worship led by members of our worship teams, a short message by one of the pastors, followed by a meal. We all felt this was a great way to show our community that we are united around our risen Savior. Donations to cover the cost of the meal will be given to a local Christian ministry. HIGH SCHOOL SENIORSSeniors 2025, Fellowship wants to honor you for your graduation from High School. We ask all graduating seniors that call Fellowship home to complete a simple form for Senior Sunday on May 18 at fellowshipconway.org/register. Also, please send five pictures of your senior for the slideshow to be shown during both services to Michael Mercer at mmercer@fellowshipconway.org by April 27.Fellowship on the LawnGather together as one united faith family on Sunday, May 4, at 4 PM here at Fellowship. We have completely revamped our church-wide gathering to make it a “can't miss” event. We will have a live band, a DJ, a time of organized games for families with prizes, food trucks, and Kona Ice. We will have Baggo, basketball, and Pickle Ball for the adults. Put this event on your calendar and plan to join us!VBS 2025 | June 23-27 | 9:00 am - 12:00 pmJoin us in ancient Egypt! You'll explore Pharaoh's palace, experience thrilling “real-life” dramas, play high-energy games, sample tasty snacks, and hear unforgettable music. Plus, you'll meet lots of new friends! VBS is for children currently in kindergarten through fourth grade - invite a friend for free! Register at fellowshipconway.org/register. The cost is $5 per child. Imperishable: a 4-Week Study of 1 peterJoin us for Imperishable, a four-week study of 1 Peter led by Heather Harrison. We'll meet Wednesday nights beginning May 28, at 6 p.m., here at Fellowship. Text Shanna at 501-336-0332 to reserve childcare. Register at fellowshipconway.org/register.

Joyful Outsiders as Gospel Partners (Philippians 4:20-23)For the bulletin in PDF form, click here. Message SlidesLooking Within, Looking Around, Looking Up - SwindollThe Grace of the Lord Jesus Christ #1 - Alec MotyerThe Grace of the Lord Jesus Christ #2 - Alec MotyerGlory (כָבוֹד) Word Study - Allen RossIntroduction: Participating Partners in the Gospel Project (SHAPE+)“To God be the Glory.”The ultimate goal of life is bringing glory to God. (4:20)“When the Saints Go Marching In” Every believer has a role to play. (4:21-22)• Unity in the gospel project is pervasive. (4:21)• No one is excluded from gospel partnership. (4:22)“Amazing Grace”The ultimate motivation for serving is the grace of Jesus. (4:23)Because of the grace we know through Jesus Christ every believer has a part to playin advancing the gospel message to the glory of God.Serving in Your SHAPE Spiritual Gifts: Your Spiritually Empowered Service (Romans 12)Heart: Your Passion for Service (Romans 1:8-10; 1 Timothy 1:3-5) Abilities: Your Natural Abilities God Uses (Exodus 31:1-11)Personality: Your Unchanging Orientation to Life (Acts of the Apostles)Experience: Your Life Story Shaped by God (Romans 8:28)Home Church QuestionsRead Philippians 1:27-30; 2:1-11; 3:7-11; and 4:10-23Paul's letter to the Philippians is relationally warm and eminently practical. Among the truths he presents in these verses, what would be the truth you would select as your most encouraging? most challenging?If Paul were to point out one of these truths as most critical for the effective ministry of FBC, what would it be?How does it change the way you view yourself to know that “every believer has a role to play” in the cause of the gospel?In verses 21-22, Paul was linking all believers together around the gospel. What can we do as individuals and as a church to build bridges across divisive lines in the body of Christ?Paul starts his letter with grace (1:2) and ends the letter with grace (4:23). As you have learned and experienced God's grace in your life, how has that shaped your view of God? of the Christian life?As we wrap up our study of Philippians, pray together that every person at FBC, young, old, and in between, would find their role so that we together would bring glory to God.Pray for the Unreached: The Tuareg, Tamasheq of MauritaniaThese people of Mauritania number approximately 136,000. Though they primarily speak Tamasheq and identify as Sunni Muslims, their faith is often mixed with folk beliefs and magic. Only 0.04% are Christian adherents, and 0.00% are evangelicals. Despite having access to the New Testament, Jesus Film, and audio recordings, the Tamasheq Tuareg remain largely unreached with the gospel. Pray for laborers to focus on the Tamasheq Taureg. Pray for influential leaders to be reached with the gospel and boldly share with others, resulting in disciple making movements among these peoples.FinancesWeekly Budget 35,297Giving For 03/16 25,450Giving For 03/23 30,039YTD Budget 1,341,292Giving 1,328,634 OVER/(UNDER) (12,658)Fellowship 101We invite you to join us on Sunday, April 6, at 9:00 a.m. to learn more about Fellowship. This is a great opportunity to hear about our mission, values, and our ministries. If you're new to Fellowship, join us in the conference room (first floor) to hear what God is doing and where He is taking us. During this time, you will meet some of our ministry leaders and get to ask questions. Register at fellowhipconway.org/events.New to Fellowship?We are so glad that you chose to worship with our Fellowship Family this morning. If you are joining us for the first time or have been checking us out for a few weeks, we are excited you are here and would love to meet you. Please fill out the “Connect Card” and bring it to the Connection Center in the Atrium, we would love to say “hi” and give you a gift. Men's Muster 2025 Join us April 25-27 for Men's Muster at our NEW location—Ferncliff Camp & Conference Center in Little Rock (45 min from Conway). Take a weekend to rest, recharge, connect, and have fun. Chris Moore will lead a powerful discussion on realigning your life with the gospel. Register by April 10 at fellowshipconway.org/register. Fellowship Women's Ministry Spring Conference & Luncheon Join us on April 12th, 10 am-4 pm, for our Fellowship Women's Ministry Spring Conference & Luncheon. Dive deep into scripture with Cathy as she covers many aspects of spiritual gifts. Registration fee of $25 includes lunch and is due Sunday, April 6. Register at fellowshipconway.org/women. Childcare is available by texting Shanna at 501-336-0332. Silent Auction | April 6thThe Fellowship Youth and College Mission Teams invite you to a Silent Auction Fundraiser on Sunday, April 6th, 4-6 pm!! This is a great opportunity to hear more about our trips to Arlington, TX, and the Czech Republic, participate in supporting us financially, and walk away with some awesome winnings that include baked goods, yard work/babysitting certificates, merchandise baskets, overnight stays, and much more! Light refreshments will be provided throughout the event, and childcare is available for kids six and under by texting Shanna at 501-336-0332. Bring a friend, your home church, or just yourself, and join us!” Save the Date for Fellowship on the RiverFellowship is having a church-wide gathering at Toad Suck Park across the river May 4th, at 4:00 PM. Mark your calendars. You will not want to miss it!

On this week's Hopecast, David and Marilynn Chadwick join Jenn Houston as David breaks down current events in Syria and Turkey (including the overthrow of the Assad regime and the new Sunni Muslim regime declaring sharia law) and explains what that could mean for Israel. 

Over the past few days close to 1,000 civilians, overwhelmingly from the Awalite minority, have been killed in Syria.Beginning when clashes erupted between remnants of Assad loyalists and the new HTS-led government, mainly Sunni Muslim militias and civilians descended on Northwestern Syria and committed unspeakable crimes against their Alawite neighbours.Orwa Ajjoub is a Syrian analyst and friend of the show. He is born and raised in Damascus but currently lives in Malmö, Sweden.If you enjoy Kalam Podcast and want to support the show, there is an excellent way to do so - by signing up to our Patreon. For just $3/month you'll gain access to full length interviews with all our guests and lots of bonus material - including our series Kalam Shorts: 10-15 explainers of concepts like Zionism and Orientalism. Join at patreon.com/kalampodcastFor continuous updates on the podcast and content about Palestine and the Middle East, follow us on Instagram @kalampodcastPlease subscribe to Kalam Podcast in whatever podcast application you're listening to right now - and give us a rating. It helps other people find out about us.

Back Home, One week later.By FinalStand. Listen to the Podcast at Explicit Novels.There is something worse than waking up and not knowing where you are: you could wake up and not know who you are.Note: World Events Stuff ~ aka Why things are happening in Cáel's lifeThe phone was from Iskender. His boss, Oyuun Tömörbaatar (OT), the former UN ambassador from Kazakhstan and now the informal and unrecognized UN representative and chief diplomat of the Khanate to the same august body, wanted to talk with me, immediately. OT wasn't being diplomatic at the moment, that would come later.{Now this is going to get convoluted}Any inquiries to the Khanate that didn't also include immediate official recognition of the Khanate currently were being steered my (and Hana's) way. For all the behind closed doors crap, he had me, his loyal ass-monkey mutton-head. I held faint hope that this latest meeting would work out to my benefit. For the meeting, I traveled light, only Naomi (the Amazon) and Chaz (British SRR) watched over me.Now fathers who know me, hide their daughters. I'd earned my 'scoundrel' reputation. T. Sarangerel, OT's daughter, was in the room when Iskender ushered me in. She gave me an uncertain look, I shrugged and she smiled. It took me 3 nano seconds to figure that out, OT was scoping me out as a potential son-in-law. I was in Temujin's Inner Circle and a man who he trusted (a rarity). Any union with me would strengthen OT's clan's standing in the new regime.The genetic footprint Temujin, and his immediate family collectively, had put down in the 13th and 14th centuries CE today was vast. He needed that to make his plans for the internal reorganization of the Khanate work. The old republics would go away, to be replaced by a system akin to the Byzantine 'themes, the re-organization of regions based on the recruitment of the Tumens.The Khanate was aiming for an 'Autocratic Republic' ~ a term invented in the 19th century. My use of this terminology was based on my gut instinct, Alal's host of memories involving every form of governance, and my experience with human nature. That clued me in to what Temujin was up to, his Greater Plan. He wasn't going to form a false-front government. He was going to retain the decision-making powers and do so openly, thus 'Autocratic'.He also planned to have a bicameral legislative branch. The Upper House would be based in Tumens and bureaucratic leadership, intellectual standing, religious sects, and tribal entities. This body would be based on merit, not primogeniture. The Lower, main chamber, would be a democratically-elected assembly (aka a democratic republic) that advised him on policy matters, thus 'Republic'.All the power would remain in the Great Khan's hands and would be exercised by his genetic descendants (which some geneticists estimated as being as high as 25% of the Central Asian population.) Marrying into that extended family would be easy, the 'family' itself would have a vested interesting in supporting a state that benefited them.Men and women could exercise power in the government through marriage alliances, identical to the manner Hana was working through me. Being surrounded by very populous countries in various states of belligerence, empowering women wouldn't be an issue since every willing mind and pair of hands mattered. Outsiders who shone through could be offered a spouse and brought into the ruling elite since polygamy was permissible.In the Khanate there would be universal compulsive suffrage (everyone 18+ was legally required to vote) to decide on the representatives in the new legislative body. Everyone was expected to fight, so everyone voted. It would be modeled on the Duma of early 20th century Imperial Russia. Unlike the ill-fated Tsar Nicholas II, Temujin would be much more attentive to the voice of the people, in the Information Age, he had to.Or so I hoped. I spewed forth my ideas to OT who didn't agree, or disagree with my vision. Perhaps Temujin and I did share a bond that went beyond obligation. OT then pulled a 'Pamela'."He told me he knew immediately you were his brother when you and I shared that vision," he commented out of nowhere."His words: You (Earth and Sky) are the old. He (meaning me) is the new. He (me again) will show us the way." My, that was nice, obtuse and not at all helpful. What did OT want? My good buddy, the Great Khan, wanted to cash in on Hana's and my sudden popularity. His most pressing need remained 'time'. He needed to have a cease-fire in the wings when his offensive resumed the next day.The Earth and Sky had moved, well, the Heaven and Earth to get the Tumens and their accompanying national armies up and running after only a two day respite. Thanks to me, Manchuria was a mess. The Russians had carried out my 'Operation: Funhouse' with mixed, mostly positive results.Dozens of smaller Chinese military police units along the border went, 'inactive' was the term most often used in the media. They didn't disarm, yet they didn't fight the Russians either. They sat back and let events unfold. The issue wasn't the Chinese's willingness to fight and die for their country. It was the schizophrenic government in Beijing.The PRC didn't want to wage a war with the Russian Federation at that moment. The Khanate was the priority. There were two fundamentally incompatible courses of action favored for dealing with the Russians:One large group advocated a passive Option A: let the Russians step in and shield the three remaining provinces making up Manchuria that were still in Chinese possession. Later, China would use military, economic and political means to edge the Russians out, once the Khanate was dealt with.A sizable faction favored a more aggressive Option B: play a game of chicken with Vladimir Putin. Tell the Bear not to come across the border while threatening him with a bloody and pointless (for him) guerilla war if he did intervene. Events on the ground were not providing a lot of support for that school of thought,However, this split at the highest levels of leadership left the local and regional commanders to try and muddle through as best they could. To the local commanders defending the Amur River side of the Chinese-Russian border, common sense dictated that they not oppose the Russian crossings, because the Russian 35th Army would kill them.All their military units had gone west to the Nen River line. With no heavy weapons and little air support, the People's Armed Police (PAP) (paramilitary) and the Public Security Bureau (regular police) units would be wiped out for little gain.Russia's GRU (Military Intelligence) sweetened the pot by allowing the police units to remain armed and in formation. It could be argued that they weren't even committing treason. At any time, they could throw themselves into the battle, or form the core of a resistance movement. 'Conserving your strength' had been a hallmark of the Communist Chinese struggle against the Imperial Japanese and Nationalists forces from the 1920's until 1945 and it had served them well.For the party officials, civil authorities and the People's Liberation Army (PLA), Army Air Force (PLAAF), and Army Navy (PLAN) who had gone with Option B, things weren't working out. In the north of Heilongjiang province at Morin Dawa/the Nen River line, the regional commander of the ad hoc forces facing the Khanate decided to duke it out with the Russian 36th Army as well. He was boned from the get-go.The PLAAF's overall command and control had been badly disrupted in the first few hours of The Unification War and had never fully recovered. Of the 22 air regiments that the PLAAF had started the war with in the Shenyang Military District (NE China), only 5 remained as effective formations flying, on average, a meager 20% of their original complement of advanced Shenyang J-16's, J-11's, Chengdu J-10's and Xian JH-7's aircraft.Replacing their aircraft losses meant sending up aged Shenyang J-8's (rolled out in 1980) and Nanchang Q-5's (in 1970) to fly and die in droves fighting their technologically superior Khanate foes. To add insult to injury, China's fleet of 97 Su-30MKK/MK2's (built in Russia) had suffered numerous suspicious mechanical and electronic failures, rendering them either flying coffins, or space holders in bomb-proof shelters.Furthermore, of the forces arrayed in the far north, only two of the five air regiments were responding. Two of the other three had begun displacing south into the Beijing Military District and preparing to defend the capital city. The fifth formation had another problem, North Korea (, more on that later.)In opposition to those two Chinese air regiments (roughly 60 aircraft of mixed types) stood seven complete and fresh Russian air regiments (over 400 front-line aircraft) and that didn't include the regiment and elements of the Far East Naval Aviation which was ALSO watching North Korea (, again more on that later.) The latter was of small comfort to the forces trying to hold the already compromised Nen River line.Behind those valiant troops, along the much more defensible Amur River line, the commander of the key city of Heihe sided with the Option A group and let the Russian 35th Army cross the river unopposed. By the time the PLA commanding general of the 'Nen Force' (the 69th Motorized Division and the subordinate 7th Reserve Division) figured that out, he was already in a shooting war with the Russians. So his supply lines weren't in danger, they were lost.The final indignity took place at Zalantun. The commander of the 3rd Reserve Div. had died during the attempt to recapture Zalantun. His replacement died when his helicopter was shot down as he was coming to assume command. In the absence of these officers, the divisional chief of staff told his men, including two hastily hustled forward mechanized brigades, to put down their arms. That meant 'Nen Force' was completely cut-off and surrounded.One battalion of the 36th Russian Motorized Brigade (yes, too many 36's running around) disarmed the Chinese troops while the rest, plus the 74th Independent Motorized Brigade raced for the prize, the city of Qiqihar. The last major mechanized formation of the 36th Rus. Army, the 39th MB was following them. However, instead of manning Qiqihar's defenses, the Chinese garrison in that city was waging war on its own populace.It wasn't only in Qiqihar; chaos reigned throughout Heilongjiang province. The Provincial Head of the Communist Party, Wang Xiankui, supported Option A. The Provincial Governor, Lu Hao, went with Option B. Both figures were rising stars in the PRC. Wang had ordered the still forming Reserve Divisions and the PAP units to disperse, thus avoiding any untimely confrontations with the Russians.Lu, without consulting Wang, ordered the same forces to launch a violent crackdown on all dissident forces, specifically all racial minorities. (It turned out that Lu was also a member of the Seven Pillars and his witch-hunt was aimed at getting the Earth and Sky organization operating in Heilongjiang).For the men and women on the other end of those phone conversations, there was no 'right' answer. Lest we forget, their organizations were already degraded by the Anthrax outbreak. Both men were powerful and represented China's future leadership, so if the person in charge at the ground level obeyed the wrong one, they could be assured of being roasted by the other.Some did try to do both, repress and disband at the same time. That meant that in the process of making mass arrests among an already war-fearful and plague-fearful populace, the law enforcement infrastructure began disintegrating.The problem with Lu's/7P's plan was that there was no 'revolutionary' organization to round up. That wasn't how the Earth and Sky operated in North-East China. They remained in tiny sabotage and reconnaissance cells. While they were scurrying for cover from the police crackdown, an opportunity presented itself.The afflicted minorities were getting furious with their treatment. These minorities saw themselves as loyal Chinese, yet they were being dragged out into the streets, put in detentions centers and (in a few cases) summarily executed. Being less than 10% of the overall population, resistance had never crossed their minds. It seemed all that those defenseless people could do was pray for Russian intervention forces to arrive.Within that mix of fear, betrayal and rage, the E and S discovered a way to start the dominos falling. The small, well-armed and well-trained E and S cells began ambushing police detachments. Weapons from those dead men and women were turned over to the pissed off locals before the cell went off to stalk the next police unit.Wash, rinse and repeat. It became a perverse and bloody case of wish fulfillment. Lu and the 7P's had been looking for an insurrection and they started one. Even though a miniscule portion of the population was involved, from the outside looking in, it reinforced the Putin Public Affairs initiative that portrayed Putin (and his army) as coming in to restore order to a collapsing civil system, which he was helping disrupt.From Moscow, the PRC's indecisiveness looked like Manna from Heaven. For the massive numbers of Russian soldiers riding through the Manchurian countryside, it felt like they were rolling into Arkham Asylum. Unlike the NATO countries' professional armies, Russia remained a largely conscript force whose normal term of service was only one year. These unseasoned troops could never tell if the local military, military police and police would attack until they rolled up on the Chinese units.At the start of that Day One of Operation: Funhouse, the Russian ROE (Rules of Engagement) was 'Ask and Verify'. It was tactically advantageous for the belligerent Chinese forces to lie about their intentions, then begin shooting at the Russians when they got close enough to hurt them. By Day Two, the standard front-line Russian soldier had adjusted that ROE to 'if they look at us wrong, light their asses up'. By Day Three, the officers had stopped trying to enforce Moscow's ROE orders.That was fine for the combat and rear echelon support troops because both the Chinese and Russian governments had another series of problems and they all centered around Pyongyang and Kim Jong-un's declaration that North Korea would intervene as well, without letting anyone know who he was 'intervening' against. To keep everyone guessing, the North Korean' People's Army was massing on all three borders, facing off with the PRC, Russia and South Korea. To prove his diplomatic intentions, Kim pledged to only mobilize half of his reserves, merely 4,250,000 extra men and women to go with his 950,000 strong standing army.It didn't take a military, or economic genius to realize the North Korean's chronically 'near death' economy was stampeding off a cliff. The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) was in the middle of an oil crisis and Kim was increasing their fuel consumption by 400% while decreasing his workforce by 10%. To put it in perspective, the US unemployment was around 6%. Now imagine that in one week's time it would become 26%. One week, no severance packages. Would the population become unsettled?But wait, it gets better. The Secret War was colliding with the Real World in more places than Manchuria. Setting aside the assassination attempt (Grrr) of Hana Sulkanen, my fiancée, six Nipponese elders (two women and four men) appeared in the personal quarters of the Japanese Prime Minister on the first full night of 'Funhouse' and relayed their urgent requests.Those six were the Head of the Six (formerly Seven) Ninja Families and they were there at, my urging. Cause I'm an idiot and requiring the deaths of Romanians in my personal crusade obviously wasn't enough. Now I was asking the Japanese Defense Forces (JDF) to pony up as well. So take a deep breath and put on the hip-waders.You might be wondering why I would want the JDF, see, there was part of Operation: Funhouse that was hitting a predictable snag, namely the Korea People's Navy Force (KPNF) and the uncertain determination of the PLAN:The KPNF's vessels were rather old, small and crappy. They also had a love affair with anything that could launch a torpedo and they listed over 700 of these floating deathtraps (only 13 of which could be classified as surface warships) and the fanatical crews to take them into battle.The PLAN's numbers were far more realistic and the fleet generally more modern. Only their North (18 surface warships) and East Fleets (22 plus 5 'elsewhere') could play any role in an upcoming FUBAR, and both fleets were heading out to sea, mainly to avoid the sporadic, but increasingly effective Khanate air strikes.The FU to be BAR'ed was the Russian Far East Fleet (RFEF) (6 warships strong, ) that had seized on this crazy idea (per my suggestion) to sail south, around the Korean peninsula so they could land elements of the 55th Guards Red Banner Marine Brigade (the 165th Marine Regiment and the 180th Marine Tank Battalion).Theoretically they were going to be the 'Southern Shielding Force' that would interpose itself between the Khanate and Beijing. It should surprise no one that the RFEF's flotilla was unequal to the task of taking their destination, the port of Qinhuangdao, by amphibious assault. Fortunately for the Gods of War (which did not include me), there were five other navies involved.Meanwhile, South Korea was having kittens because their always crazy northern kin were slathering on the insanity. (In how many Buddhist countries do people flock to the temples and pray that their neighbor attacks someone, anyone else, but them? That wasn't a religious conundrum I wanted to deal with.) N.Korea mobilizing meant S.Korea had to mobilize, which sucked down on their GNP as well.Besides, N.Korean dams and coal-powered plants kept the lights on in Seoul. Erring on the side of caution, the S. Korea (aka Republic of Korea, ROK) Army suggested calling up only one million of their three million person reserve force in order to assure Cousin Kim that this was a purely defensive gesture. It didn't work. Kim Jong-un castigated the ROK for antagonizing him, despite his declaration that he 'might' feel like invading the South in the immediate future.Into the emerging crisis, the ROK Navy could sortie nineteen small surface ships. Japan's Navy wasn't up to its old imperial standards, but could still deploy 45 surface warships. The 800 lb. gorilla in the room was the core of the 7th Fleet stationed at Yokosuka, Japan, the USS carrier George Washington and her 14 escort vessels.If the George Washington was the gorilla, RIMPAC 2014 was King Kong. 22 nations, 50 ships, including the USS carrier Ronald Reagan were engaged in war games in the Central Pacific. With them were 5 vessels of the PLAN, had Kim Jong-un just kept his mouth shut, this wouldn't have been an issue. Hell, if the Khanate had not come into existence and launched its Unification War, but he had and they did,To show the US was taking this escalation seriously (without tipping their hand that they knew about Funhouse, Carrier Strike Group One (CSG 1) (the Carl Vinson +10) was rushing across the Pacific from San Diego. CSG 3 (the John C. Stennis +2) was being assembled hastily so that they could rendezvous with CSG 1 ASAP. So many brave souls running toward the danger, sometimes I hate myself.So now does it make sense that I found myself in a room with a US Senator tasked with riding herd on me?Anyway, there were the other three navies still unaccounted for, Taiwan / the Republic of China (ROC) (22 surface ships), Vietnam (7) and the Philippines (3). Taiwanese involvement was easy to explain, the PRC refused to acknowledge them as an independent country and probably never would.The Vietnam People's Navy was tiny in both numbers and tonnage. Five of the vessels were 1960's Soviet frigates. What Vietnam did have was a huge grudge against the PRC. The PLA invaded Vietnam in 1979 and devastated the northernmost provinces, killing as many as 100,000 civilians.The PLAN had walloped the VPN in 1974 (technically South Vietnam) and again in 1988. Out in the South China Sea were two island archipelagos; the Paracel (occupied by a small PLA garrison and claimed by the PRC, Vietnam and the ROC) and Spratlys Islands (disputed by Brunei, Malaysia, Philippines, the PRC, the ROC, and Vietnam).The Philippines had a grand total of three frigates (all between 50 and 70 years old). 99% of the time, they faced a hopeless struggle enforcing Philippines' South China Sea claims, except they were now experiencing that 1% where the PRC found itself in a life and death struggle. Even then, the PLAN's South Sea Fleet was hands-down the biggest player with 26 surface warships centered on the Carrier Liaoning.Except (and there always seems to be an 'except') virtually all the PLAN's naval aviation had gone off to fight the Khanate and it wasn't coming back, ever. In the air, the Philippines was next to useless. What did they have of offer in the struggle for the South China Sea? Bases. The ROC and Vietnam had much more to bring to the table.The Vietnamese People's Liberation Air Force (VPLAR) had about 50 front-line aircraft and 175 nearly obsolete models ~ the same models the PLAAF was now piloting. The ROC Air Force could put up 325 almost-new fighters that were now superior to their opponents on the mainland. Why would I give a shit?Things cascade. The Khanate Air Force took a two-day long deep breath as Putin's 'Policeman that only looks like an invading army' started their intervention. Forty-eight hours later, the Khanate started the fourth stage (the first lunge, defeat the PLA's counter-attack then the second lunge) of the campaign.Their initial air power was still skating on thin ice where maintenance was concerned. They need more time to thoroughly rest their pilots and bring all their top-flight equipment to 100% working condition. Against them, in two days the PLAAF's assets increased by over 250 fighters.In turn, the Khanate had added their constituent state air forces plus nearly 80 new cutting edge air planes and 25 drones. Phase Four saw rolling airstrikes all along the forces massing in front of the northern and central Tumens. For a few hours, the PLA thought they knew what was going on.They were wrong and this was where my meeting with OT came in. Jab with the right, cut them down with the left. The left in my case was Tibet. Yeah, Tibet. Economic value = not nearly enough. From the very start of the war, a small number of seemingly inconsequential air strikes had seriously eroded the PLA and PLAAFs combat power in the Tibetan Plateau while leaving the roads, bridges and towns intact.Common military logic dictated that the Khanate had to punch their way further east into Qinghai (to the south) and Gansu (to the north) provinces. That was where the population and industry where. Farther east were even greater numbers of people and factories and the Khanate forces in the North hadn't been strong enough to threaten to cut off the Qinghai-Gansu front. Then the Russians showed up and the Khanate forces threatening that flank doubled overnight.The PLA hastily reinforced their northern flank, using troops from their strategic reserves. The move resulted in incredible attrition by airpower to the freshly equipped formations. The PLA was about to get flanked, but not from the north. Southwest of Qinghai was Tibet. A third of the Khanate's mobile forces now swept around in a huge left haymaker to the south.My job? I needed the 'Free Tibet' forces in the US and UK to provide public and moral support to the Khanate move. As Khanate Special Forces seized crucial bottlenecks in Tibet, they needed the locals to keep their 'liberators' informed of PLA presences and undermine any attempt to create a guerilla movement.The five Tumens dedicated to being the Schwerpunkt (point of maximum effort) of this flanking maneuver were going to be on a tight timetable if they were going to surround the PLA forces in Central China.My plan was to convince the Tibetans that the PRC's 55 years of occupation was coming to an end and the Great Khan wanted to sign a 'Treaty of Mutual Respect' (my invention). This would require both the Khanate and Tibet to recognize each other's right to exist the moment a cease-fire was reached. That was it. No 'armed presence', or 'mutual defense' agreements.The treaty would be formally signed in Lhasa, the Tibetan capital, when the city was safe ~ as determined by the Central Tibetan Administration (the Tibetan Government in Exile, CTA). Riki came up with an additional sweetener and proved she was quickly adjusting to our group's extra-governmental capabilities.

The Surpassing WorthPhilippians 3:1-11Message Slides For the bulletin in PDF form, click here. Knowing Christ means I have a new identity (vv.1-6) Knowing Christ means I have new values (vv.7-11) Justification - Righteousness (v.9) Sanctification - Power (v.10) Glorification - Hope (v.11) Home Church Questions1. Our passage is about knowing Christ. How would you explain to someone what it means to know Christ? What are some ways knowing Jesus is similar/different from other relationships we have? 2. In Phil 3:1-6, we learn that knowing Christ means we have a new identity. How should a person's identity change when he/she comes to know Christ? What are some ways a person's identity might stay the same? What has this looked like for you? 3. In vv.5-6, Paul gives a list of reasons why he would have more reason for confidence in the flesh than others. If you were to have confidence in the flesh, what are some items that would be on your list? Do you wrestle with putting too much confidence in the flesh? Explain. 4. In Phil 3:7-11, we learn that knowing Christ means we have new values. In vv.7-8, he says the things he used to consider as gain he now considers as loss. What are some of the “gains” in your life that you consider to be valuable? Are there any “gains” in your life you should re-evaluate so that you value them in a healthier way? 5. Paul says he considers everything as loss compared with the surpassing value of knowing Christ (v.8). What does he mean and how can he say this? Can you say this? 6. Jesus has surpassing worth because we can be justified and made right with God through Him (v.9). Was there a time in your life when you were moved by this truth that God provides the righteousness He demands? 7. Jesus has surpassing worth because we can experience the power of his resurrection even in our sufferings (v.10). How can we identify with Jesus when we suffer so we experience this power? Have you experienced this? 8. Jesus has surpassing worth because we experience the hope of future resurrection through Him (v.11). Why does having this hope of future glorification motivate us to value Jesus now? Pray for the Unreached: The Ansari are a Sunni Muslim group in India, historically weavers and textile sellers, now involved in various businesses. Many live in poverty and face illiteracy, though some have contributed to education and politics. Known for their hospitality, they offer opportunities for believers to share the gospel. Recent efforts have seen some Ansari families come to Christ, but they remain largely unreached. Pray for Indian believers to reach out with love and share the gospel with Ansari families and leaders, revealing to them the love and hope only offered through Christ.FinancesWeekly Budget 35,297Giving For 02/09 36,524Giving For 02/16 19,506YTD Budget 1,164,806Giving 1,152,806 OVER/(UNDER) (12,000)Men's Muster 2025 A car out of alignment is harder to steer, wears down faster, and wastes fuel. Ever feel the same? Worn down. Burning energy. Pulled off course. It's time to realign. Join us April 25-27 for Men's Muster at our NEW location—Ferncliff Camp & Conference Center in Little Rock (45 min from Conway). Take a weekend to rest, recharge, connect, and have fun. Chris Moore will lead a powerful discussion on realigning your life with the gospel. Don't wait—register today at fellowshipconway.org/register. New to Fellowship?We are so glad that you chose to worship with our Fellowship Family this morning. If you are joining us for the first time or have been checking us out for a few weeks, we are excited you are here and would love to meet you. Please fill out the “Connect Card” and bring it to the Connection Center in the Atrium, we would love to say “hi” and give you a gift. Silent Auction | April 6thYouth and College Mission Teams will host a Silent Auction on Sunday, April 6th, at 4 PM. We are asking for you to participate in one of three ways. First, do you have a service, item, or experience you can donate to be auctioned off? We would love to have it. Second, we would love for you to show up and support the students and adults on the trip. Finally, if you cannot make it, please consider donating to the event. To donate an item or for any questions, please get in touch with our College Pastor, Andrew Stauffer at astauffer@fellowshipconway.org. PJ's and Poptarts - Sunday, March 9​It is that time of year again! We are springing forward AND losing an hour of sleep. Don't worry about getting your kids dressed or feeding them breakfast. You bring them in their pajamas, and we will provide the pop-tarts. We will be waiting for all of your sleepy heads!Prayer During ServiceWe love to pray for one another. Our prayer team will have people at the front of the Auditorium under the signs Hope and Love to pray for you after the message. Please feel free to walk up to them for prayer or encouragement during the first worship song after the messageDaylight Saving TimeFellowship, we are going to “Spring Forward” on Sunday, March 9. Remember to set your clocks Saturday night and join us for services at 9:00 and 10:45 a.m. We will have the coffee ready for you!

In Partnership with God(Philippians 2:12-18) For the bulletin in PDF form, click here. Message SlidesSalvation as a Process - George GuthrieWork Out Your Salvation - F.F. BruceINTRODUCTION: Major Themes in PhilippiansSpiritual Formation(The Elements of Spiritual Growth)Personal Responsibility: Constant Growth without Supervision (2:12a)Intentional Effort: Constant Effort with Awe and Reverence (2:12b)Supernatural Aid: Constant Grace to Empower and Guide (2:13)Spiritual Hindrances(The Obstacles to Spiritual Growth)Bad Attitudes: Negativity Under Your Breath and Out Loud (2:14-15a)Societal Decay: Not Standing out in a Corrupt World (2:15b-16a)Spiritual Reward(The Joy of Spiritual Growth)Personal Satisfaction: The Reward of a Purposeful Life (2:16b)Community Celebration: Serving for the Sake of Others (2:17-18)Spiritual growth demands constant grace and effortwith a relentless attention to attitudes and lifestyle.“Work Out Your Salvation”(Philippians 2:12-18) To put it very simply,“Make salvation operational in your life.” Allen RossIn short, those who are part of the new covenant inaugurated through Jesus Christ by placing their faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross, validated by his resurrection have been saved from the penalty of sin, are being saved from the power of sin, and will be saved from the presence of sin.Home Church QuestionsRead Philippians 2:12-18.What immediate application did you gain from the passage or the message?Paul acknowledged their past obedience in verse 12 but pressed them on toward continued obedience in his absence (cf. his prayer in 1:9-11). Why is it easier to relax in your obedience when you are alone? Or when you are facing a stranger who frustrates you?Paul continues in verse 12 with how they are to continue in their obedience, with “fear and trembling.” What is the “fear” that would cause you to “tremble” about disobedience in those situations?Verse 13 conveys an active participation between you and God that results in spiritual growth. At what times and situations do you find your will to obey the weakest? What does this passage teach you to do in these situations?In verses 14 and 15, Paul relates that living as a Christian blamelessly and without fault (NIV) means doing everything without complaining or arguing. When and with whom is it easy to disobey this command? Why does doing everything without complaining or arguing make you “shine as lights” in the dark places of this world?Shining as lights in a warped and crooked generation requires that you “hold firmly to the word of life” (verse 16). In what ways does radical obedience to God's word bring light into our messed up world?Pray for the Unreached: Arabic-speaking Algerians are descendants of Berbers who converted to Islam after the Arab invasions. They form the majority population, speaking Algerian Arabic and following Sunni Muslim traditions. Many face unemployment, prompting migration to France and elsewhere for work. Less than 0.1% identify as Christians, with no movement toward Christ. Pray for the Holy Spirit to soften hearts toward the gospel and for believers to share Christ's love in Algeria. Ask for boldness among Kabyle Christians to inspire Jesus movements among these peoples.FinancesWeekly Budget 35,297Giving For 01/26 25,826Giving For 02/02 67,719YTD Budget 1,094,212Giving 1,096,775 OVER/(UNDER) ( 2,563)Souper Bowl SundayFellowship families, if you were able to bring hearty soups, canned chili, spaghetti sauce, tuna helper, canned meats, and Knorr brand pastas to restock the Bethlehem House shelves, thank you! If you forgot, there is still time to run by the store, grab some items, and have them back to Fellowship by 1:00 p.m. and we'll take them to Bethlehem House. If you aren't able to bring them today by 1:00 p.m., please feel free to drop them off at The Bethlehem House, 930 Faulkner St.New to Fellowship?We are so glad that you chose to worship with our Fellowship Family this morning. If you are joining us for the first time or have been checking us out for a few weeks, we are excited you are here and would love to meet you. Please fill out the “Connect Card” and bring it to the Connection Center in the Atrium, we would love to say “hi” and give you a gift. Getting Equipped at FellowshipFellowship, below are some great classes to get equipped in the New Year. For more information and to register go to fellowshipconway.org/equipping. • Apologetics for Everyone - February 9 - March 2 Men's Fellowship BreakfastMen, join us for a great breakfast and fellowship on Wednesday, February 12, at 6:00 a.m. here in the Fellowship atrium. No sign-up is needed. Come with your Bible ready to eat, fellowship with other men, and start your day off right through prayer and Biblical insight. Contact Michael at mharrison@fellowshipconway.org.Men's Muster 2025 - Men don't retreat. They muster. Will you muster with us? Mark your calendars for April 25-27! Men's Muster is heading to a NEW location—Ferncliff Camp & Conference Center in Little Rock. It's the perfect weekend to connect, have fun, and be challenged to relentlessly pursue Christ together. Chris Moore will lead the teaching, and you won't want to miss it. Registration is $150, with scholarships available. Register at fellowshipconway.org/register. Middle School Retreat | February 28-March 2Parents, our new student pastors are taking the Middle School group (5th-7th) to Ferncliff (in Little Rock) the last weekend in March. This is a great opportunity for your students to get to know our new pastors and connect deeper with the students their age. The weekend features Biblical teaching, meaningful small group time, and a ton of fun! To register your student for the retreat, go to fellowshipconway.org/fsm. Silent Auction | April 6thYouth and College Mission Teams will host a Silent Auction on Sunday, April 6th, at 4 PM. We are asking for you to participate in one of three ways. First, do you have a service, item, or experience you can donate to be auctioned off? We would love to have it. Second, we would love for you to show up and support the students and adults on the trip. Finally, if you cannot make it, please consider donating to the event. To donate an item or for any questions, please get in touch with our College Pastor, Andrew Stauffer at astauffer@fellowshipconway.org.

Today's HeadlinesEU suspending sanctions on Syria; dozens executed in Homs over weekend“Dignity bags” offer hope for teen girls in KenyaMission Cry sees fruit of Bible distribution in Pakistan

Standing and Striving Together Philippians 1:27-30 Message SlidesFor the bulletin in PDF form, click here. Standing Striving Not ScaredHome Church Questions1. One key for living worthy is “standing firm in one spirit” (Phil 1:27). Where are we supposed to stand firm? What does standing firm look like and what does this involve?2. Throughout his letters, Paul encourages churches to stand firm six times. Why do we need to be encouraged to stand firm? What is an example of a time when you needed to be encouraged to stand firm? 3. One way we stand firm together is when we gather for weekly worship. Even when we sing songs we know and hear teaching we know, we need this weekly experience to help us stand firm. How would you explain the importance of weekly worship to someone who thinks corporate worship is optional? 4. Another key for living worthy is “striving side by side for the faith of the gospel” (v.27). The language of striving together comes from war or athletic imagery. Is there a time in your life when you have strived together with a group? (For example, consider athletics, work, military, a project, etc.)5. What are some examples of ways we can strive side by side with others for the gospel? Is there a way your Home Church has done this or can do this? 6. When we strive side by side for the gospel, we develop meaningful relationships with each other. Why is this a healthy way to develop relationships? Have you developed a good friendship with someone because of serving with them? Explain. 7. Philippians 1:28 encourages us to not be “frightened in anything by your opponents.” Who/what are some examples of the kind of opposition we might experience if we are living worthy of the Gospel? Do you ever experience any opposition? Explain. 8. Have someone read Philippians 1:29. Do you usually think of “suffering for his sake” as something that has been granted? How should we think about suffering for his sake? 9. Do you need to focus on standing firm, striving together, or not being scared? What is the next step you need to take after going through Philippians 1:27-30? Pray for the Unreached: The Sylheti people of Bangladesh, numbering over 12 million, are primarily Sunni Muslims, blending Hanafi and Sufi traditions. Their religious practices range from conservative Islam to mystical Sufism, and some incorporate Hindu customs. Sylhet, known as a spiritual and cultural hub, is also the agricultural capital of Bangladesh. The region thrives economically due to natural resources like natural gas, tea plantations, and fisheries. Pray for Jesus to reveal Himself, guiding them toward believers and Scripture. Ask for Sylheti believers at home and abroad to share stories of God's kingdom and love. Pray for the disciple-making movement to arise, spreading the Gospel among Sylheti families and beyond. 2025 Night of Worship - On January 26th at 6:00 PM, we'll gather for our annual Night of Worship. In this unique, circle-shaped setting, the worship team will be right alongside the congregation, creating a deeply personal and meaningful opportunity to worship together. We'll sing praises, read Scripture, and lift our hearts in prayer, beginning the year united in faith. Childcare is available upon request for children ages 6 and younger by contacting Shanna Franklin at (501) 336-0332. We hope you and your family will make plans to attend.New to Fellowship?We are so glad that you chose to worship with our Fellowship Family this morning. If you are joining us for the first time or have been checking us out for a few weeks, we are excited you are here and would love to meet you. Please fill out the “Connect Card” and bring it to the Connection Center in the Atrium, we would love to say “hi” and give you a gift. Stoby's Pancake Fundraiser - Czech Mission Trip 2025Fellowship, join us for breakfast or brunch while helping the 2025 Czech Mission Team. The team will be serving February 2, from 8-1:00 p.m. at Stoby's. Tickets are $8 for all you can eat pancakes. Buy your tickets this Sunday in the Atrium, from a Czech team member, or the ministry office. Getting Equipped at FellowshipFellowship, below are some great classes to get equipped in the New Year. For more information and to register go to fellowshipconway.org/equipping. • Discover YOU - January 12- February 23 • How to Study the Bible - February 2 - February 16 • Eschatology - February 8 • Apologetics for Everyone - February 9 - March 2 Fellowship Women Galentines NightLadies, join us here at Fellowship, February 11, at 6:00 at p.m. for a night of cookie decorating and fun fellowship. Cost is $10 per person. Register fellowshipconway.org/register. Child care is provided by texting Shanna at 501-336-0332. Two Great Opportunities - One Night | February 7, 6-8:30 PMFor more information or to register for one or both events, please go to fellowshipconway.org/register. • Parent's Night Out Czech Kid's Fundraiser - We are offering you a night out while supporting the Fellowship Kids' mission trip to the Czech Republic. • Renewed: A Night Devoted to Marriages - Join us for a night of teaching, discussion, and some Q&A from an experienced panel as we lean into our marriage journeys.Fellowship Father/Daughter DanceDads, here is an opportunity to create memories with your daughter that will last a lifetime! Join us Saturday, February 1st, from 7:00 to 9:00 PM, 5th-12 grades, at Renewal Ranch. Start the evening with a special dinner out, then join us at Renewal Ranch for a delightful night of ballroom dancing, fun, and laughter. Register at fellowshipconway.org/register.FinancesWeekly Budget 35,297Giving For 01/05 57,885Giving For 01/12 22,925YTD Budget 988,320Giving 977,701 OVER/(UNDER) (10,619)

While Western media portrays the Sunni Muslims who control Damascus as “moderate,” reports from regional media that armed Sunni groups are attacking Shias and Christians across central and western Syria.5) Western media overlooks Sunni violence in Syria; 4) Walls closing in on Ukraine's Zelensky; 3) Court strikes down Biden admin's radical gender rewrite of rules governing women's sports in schools; 2) Prescribing weight-loss jabs to everyone in UK who qualifies would bankrupt National Health Service; 1) Pope Francis given Presidential Medal of Freedom, apparently for being the climate-change pope.FOLLOW US!X: @WatchSkyWatchTV | @Five_In_TenYouTube: @SkyWatchTelevision | @SimplyHIS | @FiveInTenRumble: @SkyWatchTVFacebook: @SkyWatchTV | @SimplyHIS | @EdensEssentialsInstagram: @SkyWatchTV | @SimplyHisShow | @EdensEssentialsUSATikTok: @SkyWatchTV | @SimplyHisShow | @EdensEssentialsSkyWatchTV.com | SkyWatchTVStore.com | EdensEssentials.com | WhisperingPoniesRanch.com

Responding to the Light John 1:6-13Message Slides For the bulletin in PDF form, click here.The Coming LightThe Inevitable ConflictThe Two Responses: Reject or Receive?This Week's Growth Guide - God's Word is both central and critical to your spiritual growth. We invite you to utilize the Growth Guide during the week to further your application of the Truth from the message.•. Monday - Luke 1•. Tuesday - Luke 2•. Wednesday - Matthew 1•. Thursday - Matthew 2•. Friday - John 1Discussion Questions 1. What are some examples of light we experience in our lives? For example, what are some examples of light we need or enjoy? What are some examples of references to light in music or movies? 2. Read John 1:6-13. Jesus is described as the true light (1:9). What does it mean that Jesus is the light? 3. John references John the Baptist at the beginning and throughout the chapter (see 1:6-8 and 1:19-42). Why do you think he gives so much attention to him?4. One reason John the Baptist is introduced is because his life is an example of the type of conflict that surrounds Jesus. What are some other examples of conflict we see throughout Jesus' life? Why is there so much conflict surrounding Jesus? 5. Why would it be foolish to conclude that Jesus is merely a “nice person?” What are some reasons that we can't respond to Jesus merely in a neutral way?6. John 1:10-11 addresses the irony and tragedy of a world that doesn't know its Creator. What are some examples that reveal the world does not know its Creator? What are some examples of how you tend to ignore your Creator and His good ways in your life?7. According to John 1:12, how should we respond to Jesus? What does it mean to receive Him and believe? What benefits do we experience when we receive Him and believe?8. Believing in Jesus involves humility. Why? What are some ways/reasons it can be difficult for you to accept God's gracious gift? How can you address these challenges so you experience all the benefits of His gift to us in Christ?Mission Highlight - Pray for the Unreached: The Arain in PakistanThe Arain people, historically farmers, have risen to prominence in Pakistan as influential leaders in politics, law, and other fields. They are predominantly Sunni Muslims, though small numbers practice Sikhism or Hinduism, depending on their location. Less than 0.1% of the 11.5 million Arain identify as Christians, and no known Jesus movement exists among them. An estimated 230 workers are needed to share the Gospel with this group. Pray for the Holy Spirit to touch their hearts through dreams, visions, and Scripture in their many languages and for them to see past Western Christianity to the true message of Jesus. Pray that Arain leaders in government and business boldly share the truth of Jesus, and that families find salvation and spread His blessings throughout their communities.Fellowship 101 We invite you to join us on Sunday, January 12, at 9:00 a.m. to learn more about Fellowship. This is a great opportunity to hear about our mission, values, and our ministries. If you're new to Fellowship, join us in the conference room (first floor) to hear what God is doing and where He is taking us. During this time, you will meet some of our ministry leaders and get to ask questions. Register at fellowshipconway.org/register. New to Fellowship?We are so glad that you chose to worship with our Fellowship Family this morning. If you are joining us for the first time or have been checking us out for a few weeks, we are excited you are here and would love to meet you. Please fill out the “Connect Card” and bring it to the Connection Center in the Atrium, we would love to say “hi” and give you a gift. Christmas OfferingThis December, Fellowship's Christmas Offering is for The Operation Christmas Child Special Pack (held in October 2025). The gifts received will determine the number of boxes we can send. Please consider giving above and beyond your regular giving to the worthy cause of getting the gospel to sensitive areas that are difficult to reach. You can use an envelope or give online by selecting “Christmas Offering” from the options. Christmas at FellowshipJoin us for a Candlelight Christmas Eve Service on Tuesday, December 24, at 4 pm and 6 pm. The service is a Fellowship favorite of tradition, family, and a few surprises this year. Perspectives Classes begin on January 14Perspectives is a fifteen-lesson discipleship course exploring different aspects of God's global purpose in a multi-faceted learning experience. Tuesday evenings beginning January 14 from 6:00-9:00 PM at the Summit Church. The first week is free to check it out. For more information, go to perspectives.org/courses/conway-ar-s25/. Fellowship Women's bible Study “Gideon” by Priscilla Shirer, led by Susan Woole, will be January 27-March 17, 9:30-11:00 a.m. here at Fellowship. Please purchase your workbook ahead of the class. For more information, contact Susan Woole at 501-269-2666. Child care is available by texting Shanna at 501-336-0332. Year End GivingFor contributions to be counted on your 2024 taxes, checks must be received in the Fellowship ministry office no later than Tuesday, December 31, by 12:00 PM or be postmarked by December 31. Fellowship Ministry office Fellowship Ministry office will be closed Tuesday, December 24, 25, and 26 to allow the fellowship staff time to spend with their families.

The Druze of southern Syria, a religious offshoot of Shia Islam, want Israel to annex its territories because they've seen their relatives inside Israel treated better than they would be under a fundamentalist Sunni Muslim government.5) Syrian Druze want to live under Israeli rule; 4) Israel and Saudi Arabia deny report of breakthrough in normalization talks; 3) School shooter in Madison, Wisconsin reportedly obsessed with death; 2) China's share of global auto production now 39% while US share falls to 3%; 1) New York men die of rare lung infection after smoking marijuana fertilized with bat poop.FOLLOW US!X: @WatchSkyWatchTV | @Five_In_TenYouTube: @SkyWatchTelevision | @SimplyHIS | @FiveInTenRumble: @SkyWatchTVFacebook: @SkyWatchTV | @SimplyHIS | @EdensEssentialsInstagram: @SkyWatchTV | @SimplyHisShow | @EdensEssentialsUSATikTok: @SkyWatchTV | @SimplyHisShow | @EdensEssentialsSkyWatchTV.com | SkyWatchTVStore.com | EdensEssentials.com | WhisperingPoniesRanch.com

In Episode 394 of Hidden Forces, Demetri Kofinas speaks with geopolitical analyst and forecaster Kamran Bokhari about the fall of Damascus and the implications of Bashar al-Assad's ouster in Syria for the balance of power in the Middle East. Kamran last came on the podcast a year ago to discuss the violence ignited by Hamas' October 7th attacks, the nature and scope of Iranian involvement, and how various regional actors, including Turkey, Saudi Arabia, the Houthis, and Hezbollah were exploiting the growing disorder for their own advantage as the Biden administration struggled to stabilize a region that was on the verge of another major war. That war has seemingly come and gone, leaving Iran's influence network along the Shia crescent from Damascus to Beirut, along with its proxies and affiliates in utter devastation or full-on retreat. Assad's departure and the fall of his regime in Syria are the equivalent of a geopolitical earthquake and are already dramatically changing the balance of power in the Middle East. Kamran and Demetri spend the first hour of this episode recapping these recent events, enumerating the key players who expect a seat at the table for any negotiation over Syria's future, why the center of gravity in the Sunni Muslim world is shifting from Riyadh to Ankara, and what all of this means for Iran and the strategic vision that has guided the Islamic revolution since 1979. In the second hour, Kofinas and Bokhari go one by one through every major country that will be materially affected by the outcome in Syria. They discuss the consequences and opportunities for Turkey, the new threats and challenges posed to Israel, what this new reality means for the Saudis, the interests of the United States and Russia, and why el-Sisi's regime in Egypt may be the next major Arab government to come under pressure in the years to come. You can subscribe to our premium content and access our premium feed, episode transcripts, and Intelligence Reports at HiddenForces.io/subscribe. If you want to join in on the conversation and become a member of the Hidden Forces Genius community, which includes Q&A calls with guests, access to special research and analysis, in-person events, and dinners, you can also do that on our subscriber page at HiddenForces.io/subscribe. If you enjoyed listening to today's episode of Hidden Forces, you can help support the show by doing the following: Subscribe on Apple Podcasts | YouTube | Spotify | Stitcher | SoundCloud | CastBox | RSS Feed Write us a review on Apple Podcasts & Spotify Subscribe to our mailing list at https://hiddenforces.io/newsletter/ Producer & Host: Demetri Kofinas Editor & Engineer: Stylianos Nicolaou Subscribe and Support the Podcast at https://hiddenforces.io Join the conversation on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter at @hiddenforcespod Follow Demetri on Twitter at @Kofinas Episode Recorded on 12/09/2024

pWotD Episode 2778: Syria Welcome to Popular Wiki of the Day, spotlighting Wikipedia's most visited pages, giving you a peek into what the world is curious about today.With 546,113 views on Monday, 9 December 2024 our article of the day is Syria.Syria is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It is bounded by the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east and southeast, Jordan to the south, and Israel and Lebanon to the southwest. It is under a transitional government and comprises 14 governorates. Damascus is the capital and largest city. With a population of 25 million across an area of 185,180 square kilometres (71,500 sq mi), it is the 57th most populous and 87th largest country.The name "Syria" historically referred to a wider region, broadly synonymous with the Levant and known in Arabic as al-Sham. The modern state encompasses the sites of several ancient kingdoms and empires, including the Eblan civilization of the 3rd millennium BC. Damascus and Aleppo are cities of great cultural significance. Damascus was the seat of the Umayyad Caliphate and a provincial capital for the Mamluk Sultanate in Egypt. The modern Syrian state was established in the mid-20th century after centuries of Ottoman rule, as a French Mandate. The state represented the largest Arab state to emerge from the formerly Ottoman-ruled Syrian provinces. It gained de jure independence as a parliamentary republic in 1945 when the First Syrian Republic became a founding member of the United Nations, an act which legally ended the French Mandate. French troops withdrew in April 1946, granting the nation de facto independence.The post-independence period was tumultuous, with multiple military coup attempts shaking the country between 1949 and 1971. In 1958, Syria entered a brief union with Egypt, which was terminated in the 1961 coup d'état and was renamed as the Syrian Arab Republic in constitutional referendum. The 1963 coup d'état carried out by the military committee of the Ba'ath Party established a one-party state and ran Syria under emergency law from 1963 to 2011, effectively suspending constitutional protections for citizens. Internal power-struggles within Ba'athist factions caused further coups in 1966 and 1970, which eventually resulted in the seizure of power by Hafiz al-Assad. He effectively established an Alawite minority rule to consolidate power within his family. After Assad's death, his son Bashar al-Assad inherited the presidency in 2000.Since the Arab Spring in 2011, Syria has been embroiled in a multi-sided civil war with involvement of different countries, leading to a refugee crisis where more than 6 million refugees were displaced from the country. The Islamic State (IS) militant group captured many Syrian cities in 2014–15, in response to which the United States launched an international coalition that territorially defeated IS in Syria. Thereafter, three political entities – the Syrian Interim Government, Syrian Salvation Government, and Rojava – emerged in Syrian territory to challenge Assad's rule. In late 2024, a series of offensives from a coalition of opposition forces led to the capture of several major cities, including Damascus, and the fall of Assad's regime.A country of fertile plains, high mountains, and deserts, Syria is home to diverse ethnic and religious groups. Arabs are the largest ethnic group, and Sunni Muslims are the largest religious group. Up until the capture of Damascus by rebel forces, it was the only country governed by neo-Ba'athists. The neo-Ba'athist government was a totalitarian dictatorship with a comprehensive cult of personality around the Assad family and attracted widespread criticism for its severe domestic repression and war crimes. Being ranked 4th worst in the 2024 Fragile States Index, Syria is one of the most dangerous places for journalists. Freedom of the press is extremely limited, and the country is ranked 2nd worst in the 2024 World Press Freedom Index. It is the most corrupt country in the MENA region and was ranked the 2nd lowest globally on the 2023 Corruption Perceptions Index. Syria has also become the epicentre of an Assad-sponsored Captagon industry, exporting billions of dollars worth of the illicit drug annually, making it one of the largest drug cartels in the world.This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 01:44 UTC on Tuesday, 10 December 2024.For the full current version of the article, see Syria on Wikipedia.This podcast uses content from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.Visit our archives at wikioftheday.com and subscribe to stay updated on new episodes.Follow us on Mastodon at @wikioftheday@masto.ai.Also check out Curmudgeon's Corner, a current events podcast.Until next time, I'm generative Ruth.

Our Missionary God For the bulletin in PDF form, click here. Genesis 1:27-28Genesis 12:2-3Isaiah 2:2 Matthew 1:1John 4:42Acts 1:8Matthew 28:19Revelation 7:9This Week's Growth GuideGod's Word is both central and critical to your spiritual growth. We invite you to utilize the Growth Guide during the week to further your application of the Truth from the message.•. Monday - Acts 1-5•. Tuesday - Acts 6-10•. Wednesday - Acts 11-15•. Thursday - Acts 16-20•. Friday - Acts 21-25 •. Saturday - Acts 26-28Home Church Questions 1. This Sunday was our OCC dedication. In what ways are you involved with OCC? What aspect of Operation Christmas Child do you appreciate? Why? 2. We looked at the storyline of the Bible and discovered our God is a missionary God from the beginning to the end. Missions isn't just one aspect; it is at the very heart of Who He is and what He does. Is this a new idea to you? Explain. 3. We looked at several passages to help tell the story of the Bible (see the sermon outline). Did one or two of these passages stand out to you? How does that passage relate to the bigger story of our missionary God? 4. What are some ways we should be impacted when we consider that God's heart for missions is good news for us? In other words, when we realize we are among the “nations” and Jesus was sent as our Savior, how should we respond? 5. When we realize missions is at the heart of Who God is and what He does, we should be impacted so that missions becomes central to who we are and what we do. Would you say missions is merely one aspect of your life, or is missions at the heart of who you are? Explain. 6. How could missions become more central to your life? What next steps can you and your Home Church take so missions becomes more central to who we are and what we do? (For example, we have been including a “Mission Highlight” at the bottom of the discussion questions. Your Home Church can spend some time reading this and praying.)Mission Highlight - Pray for the Unreached: The Hui in China The Hui people of China, numbering around 13.7 million, are primarily Sunni Muslims with roots tracing back to Arab, Persian, Mongol, and Chinese ancestors. They speak Mandarin with some Arabic and Persian influences and are spread across nearly all of China's counties, known for their skills in business and various trades. Despite widespread persecution of Uyghur Muslims by the Chinese Communist Party, the Hui have not faced the same level of oppression. There are no known gospel movements among the Hui, with less than 0.1% identifying as Christians. An estimated 275 workers are needed, at a ratio of 1 worker per 50,000 people. Prayers focus on opportunities for outreach, spiritual conviction, and a desire for Jesus among Hui families, with the hope that they would embrace Christ and share the gospel across their communities. FinancesWeekly Budget 35,297Giving For 11/10 32,141Giving For 11/17 47,080YTD Budget 705,943 Giving 625,552 OVER/(UNDER) (80,391) Operation Christmas Child - Today is THE last day to drop off Operation Christmas Child shoe boxes. Please bring your boxes to the church this afternoon so they can be processed and packed before being shipped to the collection center. Also, if you have yard signs, please turn those in TODAY! On December 15, we will reveal the total number of shoe boxes packed and processed, so you won't want to miss it! During the loading process, it would be incredibly helpful to have additional dollies/hand trucks available. If you have one of these we could use, please bring it to the church today. You can pick it up tomorrow after the loading process is complete.New to Fellowship? We are so glad that you chose to worship with our Fellowship Family this morning. If you are joining us for the first time or have been checking us out for a few weeks, we are excited you are here and would love to meet you. Please fill out the “Connect Card” and bring it to the Connection Center in the Atrium, we would love to say “hi” and give you a gift. FELLOWSHIP KIDS PARENTS' NIGHT OUT Plan a night out on December 6, 6-8:30 p.m. We will take care of your kiddos, birth—4th grade, for our annual Parents Night Out! Feed them dinner before they arrive, put them in their favorite pajamas, and bring them to us. We will play games, make Christmas crafts, have a little snack and watch a movie while you enjoy a free evening! Register at fellowshipconway.org/register. Registration ends November 29.​Fellowship Women's Potluck & P.J.'s Ladies, put your comfy P.J.'s on, bring a dish to share and join us Thursday, December 5, 6-8:00 p.m. at 11 Skyland Dr. (home of Amy McKissack). Bring a friend or meet a new friend, and be ready for a night of hanging out together. Read Through the Bible On Sunday, December 1, we complete the “Through the Bible Series” with Revelation. On Monday, December 2, the worship center will be open for Fellowship to read through the entire Bible, Genesis to Revelation, as an application of what we have learned. Slots are broken into 30 minutes, and we ask you to sign up for them. To sign up for your 30-minute reading time, go to fellowshipconway.org/register. Prayer During Service We love to pray for one another. Our prayer team will have people at the front of the Auditorium under the signs Hope and Love to pray for you after the message. Please feel free to walk up to them for prayer or encouragement during the first worship song after the message. Perspectives Classes begin on January 14 Perspectives is a fifteen-lesson discipleship course exploring different aspects of God's global purpose in a multi-faceted learning experience. Join us on Tuesday evenings beginning January 14 from 6:00-9:00 PM at the Summit Church. The first week is free to check it out. Fellowship highly recommends taking this class. For more information, go to perspectives.org/courses/conway-ar-s25/.

Iran's Religious and Ethnic Diversity, Part I: Introduction This episode delves into the rich tapestry of Iran's religious, linguistic, and ethnic diversity, tracing its ‎roots from the ancient Persian empires to the transformative events of the Islamic Revolution of 1979. ‎Iran's historical role as a crossroads of civilizations has shaped a multi-ethnic society, with Persian as the ‎national language alongside numerous minority languages and dialects. Religiously, while Shiism ‎dominates, smaller communities of Sunni Muslims, Christians, Jews, Zoroastrians, and Bahā'īs ‎contribute to the nation's pluralistic identity.‎ We explore how efforts at centralization during the Pahlavi era—through language policies, land ‎reforms, and modernization—sought to homogenize this diversity, often with limited success. The ‎Islamic Revolution then ushered in a Shiite theocracy, profoundly impacting Iran's sociopolitical fabric. ‎Recognized religious minorities, such as Zoroastrians, Christians, and Jews, face varying degrees of ‎inclusion and restrictions, influenced by constitutional provisions and state strategies.‎ From Reza Shah's modernization policies to Khomeini's establishment of a dual governance system, ‎the episode examines the tension between Iran's vibrant diversity and the state's attempts to impose ‎ideological unity.‎ Keywords ‎#IranDiversity #ReligiousPluralism #IslamicRevolution #PersianHeritage #EthnicMinorities #Jews ‎‎#Iranianjews #Rezashah #Khomeini #Iran‎

There are 18 recognised religious "sects" in Lebanon, including various Christian denominations, Shia and Sunni Muslims, the Druze and Jews. Sects in this context does not refer to a kind of cult but rather different religious groupings. How did the Lebanese republic organise itself and how did the sectarian system contribute to the bloody civil wars fought in the mid to late 20th century?Find out in part two of a two-part series for Kalam Shorts about sectarianism in Lebanon, available exclusively for our Patreon subscribers. Sign up at patreon.com/kalampodcast for just $3/month. For continuous updates on the podcast and content about Palestine and the Middle East, follow us on Instagram @kalampodcast Please subscribe to Kalam Podcast in whatever podcast application you're listening to right now - and give us a rating. It helps other people find out about us.

In this episode of Connecting the Dots, I dive into how U.S. foreign policy impacts major conflicts in Ukraine, China, and the Middle East. Rather than simply telling you what to think, my goal is to provide context and analysis so you can form your own conclusions about these complex issues. We'll look at the roots of the Ukraine conflict, the Nord Stream pipeline sabotage, and how these events ripple across Europe. I also examine U.S. military aid to Israel and its implications for the Gaza conflict, touching on questions of international law and diplomacy. Additionally, I explore the effects of significant events, like the deaths of Hassan Nasrallah and Qasem Soleimani, and what they mean for long-term stability in the region. Join me as I connect the dots and invite you to critically assess how U.S. policy shapes the global landscape today.   Find me and the show on social media. Click the following links or search @DrWilmerLeon on X/Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Patreon and YouTube!   Hey everyone, Dr. Wilmer here! If you've been enjoying my deep dives into the real stories behind the headlines and appreciate the balanced perspective I bring, I'd love your support on my Patreon channel. Your contribution helps me keep "Connecting the Dots" alive, revealing the truth behind the news. Join our community, and together, let's keep uncovering the hidden truths and making sense of the world. Thank you for being a part of this journey!   Wilmer Leon (00:01): Hey folks. Look, when you understand what's happening in Ukraine, when you understand what's happening in China as it relates to the United States trying to start a war with China over Taiwan, when you look at the latest developments the Middle East, you have to ask yourself this. And has President Biden become a victim of his own rhetoric? Has he fallen into his own trap? Let's talk about this, Announcer (00:41): Connecting the dots with Dr. Wilmer Leon, where the analysis of politics, culture, and history converge. Wilmer Leon (00:49): Welcome to the Connecting the Dots podcast with Dr. Wilmer Leon and I am Wilmer Leon. Here's the point. We have a tendency to view current events as though they happen in a vacuum, failing to understand the broader historic context in which they take place. So today, looking at Ukraine, looking at China, looking what's happening in the Middle East, I decided that I would just take a few minutes and just give you some extemporaneous just off the top of the head kind of stuff. No guests on this segment. Y'all are just stuck with me. So let's start here. In his last address to the United Nations as President Joe Biden said, I recognize the challenges from Ukraine and Gaza to Sudan and beyond. War, hunger, terrorism brutality, record displacement of people, a climate crisis, democracy at risk, strains within our societies, the promise of artificial intelligence and its significant risks. The list goes on. (02:00): Well, when you start to unpack that knapsack, when you really pay attention to the list of things, the litany of conflicts and tensions that Joe Biden just articulated, you have to ask yourself this. He mentions Ukraine, who started the conflict in Ukraine? Why did it start? Well, it started in 2014, during the Obama administration went with what was known as the Maidan Coup. The United States went in. In 2014, Victoria Newland led the effort overthrew the democratically elected government of Victor Jankovich, and installed a Nazi based Ukrainian nationalist government led by the current President, Volodymyr Zelensky. It escalated during the Biden administration and it has become a full-blown military conflict that President Biden refuses to settle. In fact, one of the most recent speeches given by Vice President Harris talking about the Ukraine, she said, the Russian proposal is not a peace deal. It is not a settlement. (03:30): She said, it is a surrender. Well, if you look at the data, it is a surrender because the Ukraine has lost, they hardly have any artillery shells left. Just about all of their tanks have been blown to smithereens. The F-16's that they've just received, some of them were blown up before they even made it off the runway. And you have US generals saying that the F sixteens that the United States and NATO sent are no match for the Russian Air Force. Their army is totally depleted. They've had to go to their prisons, empty their prisons, and send prisoners to the front. They have what are called press gangs that are scouring the Ukrainian countryside kidnapping men of age, sending them to the front. (04:35): It's over, it's over. The fat lady just ain't sung yet. That's really what you're looking at in Ukraine. It's over, but they just haven't blown the whistle. So yeah, it's going to be a surrender. You might as well, you might as well fire up the USS Missouri resurrect Emperor Hirohito from World War II and have Ukraine surrender the same way Japan had to because that's the way this has gone. September 26th, 2022, a series of underwater explosions and consequent gas leaks occurred on three or four pipelines of the Nord Stream pipeline in the Baltic Sea. This occurred during and based upon the Sy Hersh reporting tells us that this was conducted during the Biden administration. The Biden administration blew up three of the four pipelines of the Nord Stream pipeline, which provided natural gas from Russia to Germany and Germany was the distribution point for low cost natural gas throughout Europe. (05:59): And since 2022, what has happened to the economy of Germany and what has happened to other economies of European countries? They've been decimated because they now are forced to buy natural gas from the United States because the United States blew up their pipeline cutting off their access to Russian natural gas. Why? Because if you remember, when the Ukraine conflict started, president Biden told us what we're going to turn the rubble into rubble. Y'all remember that We're going to turn the ruble into rubble. Has that happened? Not at all. In fact, the rubble, the rubble, the ruble, which is the currency in Russia, is now one of the most stable currencies in the world. The Russian economy is in the top five economies in the world. Why? Because the United States was not able to bring about regime change in Russia through the Ukraine conflict. The United States was not able through its sanctions regime to bring about crippling sanctions on the Russian economy. (07:18): They have been able to find workarounds, and they have been able to continue to engage in international business all around the world. Look at the BRIC's meeting that's about to take place in Russia. You've got China. Well, the BRIC's, the acronym for what? For Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa. And now you have a number of other countries that are joining this economic cooperative, and they are finding workarounds around the sanctions that the United States is imposing on all of these countries. In terms of Gaza, who's funding the genocide in Gaza, the Biden administration, of course, president Biden in May of 2024 said, he said what he would halt some of the shipments of American weapons to Israel, which he acknowledged had been used to kill civilians in Gaza. If Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered a major invasion in the city of Rafa, well, Netanyahu did it. Biden did not honor his word. He still sent those weapons to Israel. And what do we find now? (08:47): $8.7 billion on their way of weapons and military aid are now on their way to Israel. Citizens have been killed in Gaza as a consequence of the bombs and other ways in which they go after population centers. Biden said this on CNN to Aaron Burnett back in May of 2024, civilians have been killed in Gaza as a consequence of those bombs and other ways in which they Israel go after population centers. He said that to CNN, and he still sends weapons to Gaza. He said, I made it clear that if they go into Rafa, and they haven't gone into Rafa yet, if they go into Rafa, this was May of 2024. I'm not supplying the weapons. They've been used historically to deal with Rafa to deal with the cities that deal with that problem. Where are we now? Four months later, Israel said in September, it had secured an $8.7 billion aid package from the United States to support its ongoing military efforts and to maintain a qualitative military edge in the region. (10:20): Folks for the United States to send military weapons into Israel violates international law. It violates American law. It violates the Arms Export Control Act. It violates American law for the United States government to send weapons to countries that are in the midst of oppressing their own people. Look up the arms. Export Control Act. $8.7 billion of your hard earned tax dollars are being sent to Israel to support genocide. This package includes three and a half billion dollars for essential wartime procurement, what they call essential wartime procurement, which has already been received and earmarked for critical military purchases. What does that mean? Well, in common parlance, we'd call that a money laundering scheme. So the United States sends $8.7 billion or earmarks or tags or identifies $8.7 billion for Israel for military weaponry. And what then happens? Well, that money goes to Lockheed Martin, that money goes to Boeing, that money goes to Raytheon. (11:52): That money goes to what Dwight Eisenhower told us in his 1959 farewell address to the American people, the military industrial complex. So the United States Funds genocide is backing the extermination, the elimination, the removal of innocent Palestinian people while American arms manufacturers make billions and billions of dollars. Oh, and by the bye, president Biden also said he's sending another $8 billion to Ukraine. So that's 8 billion to Ukraine. That's 8.7 to Israel. That's $16.7 billion, and they're sending almost 600 million to Taiwan. That's $17 billion in just one month that the United States is sending for militarism and the United States isn't being attacked. We're not under threat. (13:17): 8 billion to Ukraine. Ukraine is the proxy of the United States. The Ukraine is the proxy of NATO. Volodymyr Zelinsky, the president of Ukraine, he tried to negotiate a settlement with Vladimir Putin in April of 2022, right after two months after the damn thing started. And right as they were reaching an agreement, the United States had the former British Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, go to Ukraine and tell Zelensky, under no circumstances is the West going to accept a peace deal with Russia. Go figure. And now Kamala Harris says, oh, we won't tolerate this proposed peace plan because the peace plan is surrender. You had the opportunity in 2022 to bring a peaceful resolution to the conflict that you started, but you ignored it. You ignored it. Your hubris got in the way. Your ego got in the way. You were blinded by your ego to the realities that were right before you on the ground, and you ignored the opportunity. And now what has Russia done? They just keep saying, y'all want to drag this out? We'll keep fighting. When we keep fighting, we keep taking territory, and when we take territory, we don't give it back. (15:08): So yeah, it's going to be surrender. It's going to be surrender. The question simply becomes, how much of an ass whooping do you want to take? So now back to the Middle East. According to Middle East Eye on September 27th, Israeli fighters, they carried out a series of massive airstrikes on Beirut southern suburbs in what appeared to be the most intense bombardment of the Lebanese capitol. Since the 2006 war, at least 10 explosions rocked the capitol's southern suburbs, a densely populated area, colloquially known as Dahiyeh, with large clouds of blacksmith rising over the city. The result of that attack, Hezbollah leader, Hassan Nala, was assassinated. (16:08): Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah, was assassinated by the way, in violation of international law. Aaron Mate wrote one week after Israel began its US back campaign in a rampage in Gaza last October, Biden was asked by CBS news if fueling a Middle East conflict on top of the proxy war in Ukraine was more than the United States could take on at the same time. Basically, Hey, you're fighting wars on multiple fronts, and anybody that understands military history will tell you the more fronts you open up. This is my commentary, not mate, the more fronts you open up, the bigger problems you're going to have. What was Biden's answer to that question about is the United States taking on more than it can manage at the same time? No, Biden said, and he was incredibly indignant when he said it, we're the United States of America, for God's sake, the most powerful nation in the history, not in the world, in the history of the world. Not only does the US have the capacity to do this, Biden said, we have an obligation. We are the essential nation. And if we don't, who does? (17:38): Joe, you're reading your own press clippings, Joe, you're caught up in your own rhetoric, Joe. You've fallen victim of your own trap. It had overlooked comment. Biden gave his blessing not only to an Israel scorched earth campaign in Gaza, but Lebanon as well for Israel. Biden said, going in and taking out the extremists in Hezbollah up north along with Hamas down south is a necessary requirement. But what you got to understand, when you look at Hamas in the South, when you look at Hezbollah in the North, when you look at Ansar, Allah in Yemen, when you look at Iran, these are the forces of resistance. (18:43): They are resisting the occupation of historic Palestine. This isn't anti-Semitic rhetoric, it's fact. There's a reason why that area is referred to as the occupied territories. They don't use that language a lot in today's parlance because the West has now clearly come to understand that that narrative, that language contradicts the narrative that they're trying to present. But there's a reason why in the international criminal court, in the international Court of justice, in all kind of parliaments, in all kind of countries all over the world, they're referred to as the occupied territories. Who is the occupier? The Zionist government of Israel? Who is the occupied the Palestinians international law tells us? So when Vice President Harris steps to the podium at the DNC convention and says, Israel has the right to defend itself, nay, that's not true. When Joe Biden steps to the podium and says, at the un, Israel has the right to defend itself. That's not true. When Netanyahu steps to the podium and says, Israel has the right to defend itself, that's not true because international law is very clear. The UN is very clear. (20:53): The occupier, in this case, the Zionist government of Israel, does not have the right to defend itself against the interaction or the response by the occupied. In this instance, the Palestinians international law is, here's a very simple analogy. I can't walk into your house armed or unarmed, but I can't walk into your house armed, threaten you and your family, have you resist my aggression? And then I claim self-defense. I can't do it. It won't pass the laugh test. It won't pass the giggle test. It won't pass the smell test. I can't do that. I cannot walk into your home, take over your home, have you resist my aggression, shoot you in the process, and then claim I was defending myself. It's the same thing that's going on right now in the occupied territories. (22:25): So this isn't me being pouring haterade on Vice President Harris or Joe Biden. No, this is just the facts. So getting back to the recent assassination of Hassan Nasrallah, the IDF, the Israeli Defense Forces, they reportedly used 2000 pound bunker busting bombs supplied by the United States in the attack that in the assassination of Hassan Raah, they leveled several apartment buildings. They killed dozens of people. I mean scores with others still being believed, trapped in a rubble, which means you're going to have, they leveled a whole damn neighborhood. They leveled a neighborhood to kill one guy. (23:27): And here is an incredibly interesting revelation to all of this. The Lebanese foreign minister now says that Hassanah Raah agreed to a ceasefire, a 21 day ceasefire right before the IDF assassinated him. Abdullah Habib, the Lebanese foreign minister says, Naah agreed to the US and French proposal for a 21 day ceasefire. He said that to on CNN to Christian Yama aur. They told us that Mr. Netanyahu agreed to this. And so we also got the agreement of Hezbollah on that. And you know what happened after that? They assassinated the man. So let's trace this back. If the reporting is true, and I believe that it is Hezbollah leader, Hassan Nasrallah was ready to accept the proposed ceasefire, which by the way, the US via Vice President Kamala Harris and a number of others, president Biden claim that they're desperately working on a ceasefire. You've heard him say this, we are desperately working on a ceasefire. We are desperately working on a ceasefire. We're doing everything in our power to come up with a ceasefire. So the US and France propose to Hezbollah a 21 day ceasefire. (25:38): Nasra says, okay, not only will there be a ceasefire in Lebanon, as in between Lebanon and the Zionist colony of it, settler colony of Israel, that ceasefire also has to apply to Gaza as well. There will be a cessation of violence across the landscape because after all, why is Hezbollah fighting the IDF in defense of Hamas, in defense of the Palestinians? Why is Ansara Allah in Yemen sending missiles into Tel Aviv and other parts of Israel? Why is Ansara Allah, why have they shut down the Red Sea and not allowing Israeli flagged or ships that are delivering goods or receiving goods from Israel from the Zionist colony to transit the Red Sea in support of the Palestinians? So you can't have a ceasefire with Lebanon and not with Palestine. That wouldn't make any sense. (27:07): So the story is Hassan Nasrallah was told Netanyahu has agreed the United States and France, everybody's in sync. We can now work towards the ceasefire 21 day ceasefire. And what happens? They assassinate it. And this is what Netanyahu said at the un, his words last week, knowing he said this, knowing that they were going to assassinate the man to speak for my country to speak for the truth. And here's the truth. Israel seeks peace. Israel yearns for peace. Israel has made peace and will make peace again. Yet we face savage enemies who seek our annihilation, and we must defend ourselves against them. (28:17): That's what he said last week at the un. Israel seeks peace. Israel yearns for peace. If that is true, then why did you assassinate the guy you were negotiating with for peace after you had received the message that he agreed to your proposal? Yet we face savage enemies. So you are negotiating for a peace deal. You're on the verge of accomplishing a ceasefire, which can then get you to a peace deal, and you assassinate the guy you're negotiating with, who's the savage Bebe, you or them, and you claim that these savages seek your annihilation. Oh, show me evidence where they have been the aggressor. And please don't give me this noxious BS about October 7th because this conflict did not start on the 7th of October of 2023. That's just revisionist history. This conflict started damn near 80 years ago. October 7th was just the latest iteration of the Palestinians saying enough. October 7th was just the latest iteration of the Palestinians defending themselves. (30:22): And I go back to international law. The oppressed have the right to resist oppression and the oppressor through any means at their disposal. So please, Kamala Harris, don't tell me that this started October 7th. Please, governor Waltz, don't say at the vice presidential debate that this started on October 7th. Spare me of that bs. Spare me of that revisionist history because you're lying. And I say you're lying because you're wrong. You know you're wrong, and you are intentionally perpetrating a lie. So I ask Netanyahu again, who, by the way, his real name, his family name, his grandfather's name before his grandfather immigrated from Poland to Palestine was Milikowsky His family name is not Netanyahu. The family name is Milikowski. (31:40): They're Polish. They're European. They're not Arab. Remember, Jesus was a Palestinian Jew with skin of burnt bronze and hair of lambs wool, kind of like this. They weren't Polish, they weren't French, they weren't Russian. They're Palestinian. That's why it's called the occupied territory. Again, I digress. Nasrallah was ready to accept the proposed ceasefire and the US and Israel assassinated him. Go back to this past July. Hamas' top political leader, Ishmael Heah, was assassinated in Tehran. He was attending the installation of the Iranian president who was Ishmael Haniyeh. He was not a terrorist. He was not a military leader. He was the head of the political wing of Hamas. Understand Hamas has basically two factions. They have a military faction and they have a political faction. They started as a political group, but only when they were compelled to develop a military response to the genocide and oppression that the Zionist government of Israel was imposing upon them in the West Bank. And in that concentration camp called Gaza, did they develop a military response. But Ishmael was not part of the, he was a negotiator. (33:43): He was in the process of negotiating a ceasefire slash peace deal with Israel and the United States. And what did they do? Assassinated him. They assassinated the man. But Netanyahu stands before the world at the United Nations and says, he's speaking for truth. Israel seeks peace. Israel yearns for peace. That's what he said. Who's the savage? Joe Biden, who's the savage? BB Netanyahu. BB Milowski. Nasrallah was ready to accept a ceasefire. You assassinated him. Haniyeh was negotiating a ceasefire. You assassinated him. Let's switch gears. January 3rd, 2020. Remember General Soleimani, Qassem Soleimani, the Iranian major general who was assassinated by an American drone strike near Baghdad international airport in Iraq. Donald Trump pushed the button on Soleimani. (35:14): Why was Qassem Soleimani in Iraq? He had been lured there under the false pretense of a peace negotiation. The Saudis trying to make peace with the Iranians. You've got Sunni Muslims in Saudi Arabia. You've got Shia Muslims in Iran trying to find peace between the two. He General Soleimani was brought to Iraq under the pretext of bringing letters of negotiation between the two governments. False pretense. It was a lie. He was there on a peace mission and was assassinated. I'm connecting some dots here, folks. Are you starting to see the picture? I'm connecting some dots here, folks. Are you starting to see the picture? (36:39): Why is this going on? Oh, by the way, so Soleimani goes to Iraq. They assassinate him under the pretense of a peace deal. China steps in. And what does China do? China brokers a peace deal between who? The Saudis and Iran. So months later, the deal does get done. Even though Soleimani was assassinated, Donald Trump pushed the button on him at the behest of the Zionist government of Israel. But Netanyahu Millikowski wants to stand before you stand before the world and say, Israel yearns for peace, but these savages seek our annihilation. I ask again, Bebe, who's the savage? Joe Biden, who's the savage? Y'all tell me. (37:55): So what do we have? Well, at least in terms of the Middle East, we have Iran responds to the assassination of Haniyeh and a number of other incursions aggressions that they have been incredibly measured and incredibly calculating. And so they send some missiles into Israel, but they were very, very careful. They selected military targets, and most of the military targets that they selected were the targets that were either a, well, primarily, I won't even go to a, and let me just say they were responsible for the assassination of keeping these names in my head is a bit challenging of Hassan Nasrallah. So they decimated some F-35's at an Air Force base in near Tel Aviv. (39:23): They didn't strike any civilian centers, even though Israel has strategically placed a lot of its military, its intelligence operations and whatnot in densely populated civilian spaces. See, they're not like Israel. Israel blows up a whole damn neighborhood with 2000 pound bunker busting bombs. Israel didn't do that. They could have done that. They didn't. And they were very clear in explaining why, because they said, we aren't going to attack civilians. Also, the Holy Quran guides them in their tactics for war. They are guided as Muslims. They are guided by the Quran in terms of what is allowable in war and what is not. That is why, for example, they haven't developed a nuclear program because in their mind, by their belief, too many innocent people will be affected by the action. And when they get into a it kind of eye for an eye kind of deal, when they get into a conflict, they deal with those involved in the conflict. They don't have this idea of collateral damage. They don't sit back and calculate, well, our enemy is here, our target is here, and there are so many civilians in on the periphery, and we have an acceptable number of those that we can exterminate and still call it fair. They don't operate like that. (41:22): Their guide, the Holy Quran dictates how conflict will be managed. So that's why, for example, they sent a message to Iran and said, we are about to strike. They let 'em know they didn't have to do that. They let 'em know. See, people are making a huge mistake by confusing restraint with fear, whether it's Russia, whether it's China, whether it is Iran, because they have been so measured in their responses. They haven't just gone all out blast because that's not their tactic, that's not their way. They have a different understanding of time and what Dr. King called the moral arc of history, because their cultures are thousands of years old, unlike the United States. That's the new kid on the block. (42:30): So they have a totally different concept of time. So the adage, you have the watches, but we have the time. So they're not going to be baited into a knee jerk reaction to an attack. They're going to sit back, step back, evaluate the landscape, and then they retaliate on their terms, on their timeline through their methods. And that's why, for example, when I think it was when Hania was assassinated, the United States went to Iran and said, don't retaliate, don't respond. And Iran told Joe Biden, no, no, no, no, no, no, Joe, we got to respond to this. But understand, here's what we will do. And this is what they said. Here's what we will do. We will strike military targets. We won't strike civilian targets. And the military targets that we select will be those targets that we're responsible for engaging and planning the action that we are responding to. And here's the key that you all need to understand. They also said, Joe, once we respond, we will consider the matter settled. (44:04): Once we respond, once we retaliate, we will consider the matter settled unless you or them engage in further action. If you do that, then we are going to have to handle that business. We're going to have to do what we got to do. So they are, and I'm I'm speaking about the resistance in general. They are incredibly measured because not only do they have tactics, they have strategy. See what you see playing out from the Israeli side. There's no strategy here. There's no strategy, there's no plan. There's no long-term methodological. I think that's proper pronunciation plan. (45:08): They're just out there shooting first and asking questions later. They have tactics, but no strategy. So that takes you to the adage, if you don't know where you're going, any road will get you there. I mean, they know Annihilation, they know genocide is what they're after. But in terms of a planned, calculated strategy doesn't exist. That's why it's so hard for people to make sense out of what's happening. People keep going, what the hell are they doing? Why are they doing this? You don't know. They don't know. You don't know. They don't know. So look, that's kind of where we are now. (46:11): Israel is talking about, oh, the response is going to be horrific. Oh, the response is we are going to have a ground invasion into Lebanon. Well, they tried that and they're getting their butts kicked. They got their butts kicked. Israel got their butts kicked the last time they tried it in 2006. Israel tried to go into Lebanon in 2006, got their asses handed to 'em, and Hezbollah has only gotten stronger and smarter and even more determined if that is possible. I remember when George W. was getting ready to go into Iraq and Minister Farrakhan, and I guess I'll end with this. And Minister Farrakhan was trying to convince America that this was going to be a fool's errand. In fact, he called it the precipitant of greater tragedies to come. And one thing that he said to George W. in an open speech and letter, he said, you can't win this with your technology. (47:45): He said, the first week you got this, he says, your technology and your missiles. He said, the first week you got it, he said, but eventually you're going to have to bring your soldiers in here. And when you do that, they got something for you. He said, because you've never fought a soldier with the heart of a Muslim. He said, you're fighting God in a man. And so when you look at what the resistance is all about, when you look at what Hamas is all about, when you look at what Hezbollah is all about, when you look at what Ansar Allah is all about, do you know what anah means? (48:45): Servants of God. Would did Minister Farrakhan say you're fighting God in a man? That's not rhetoric. That's not rhetoric. My very rough limited understanding Ansar Allah means, and these are the folks in Yemen. You all know him as the Houthis servants of God. And where did that come from? When the prophet Muhammad may peace be upon him was in that region in what is now Yemen. There were a group of people that assisted him and protected him during his travels in, what were they called? Ansar Allah. So they have a history, long history of being anah servants of God. So when you have a people that have taken on that identity, this is who we are, this is what we do, you put them up against a group of 18, 19, 20-year-old Israelis that have been conscripted into military service because they are obligated by law to serve three or four years in the military. And so really all they're trying to do is get the hell out of town alive so that they can check that mark off of the list and say, okay, I did what I was supposed to do. I served my country. You put them kids up against these folks. (50:42): Sad day in Mudville, boys and girls. So I can tell you, when Casey came to bat, it was a sad day in Mudville. So hey folks, look, I thank you all for listening to my rant. Take some time, research what I've said, because what you'll find, I'm telling you all the truth. Thank you all for listening to the Connecting the Dots podcast with me, Dr. Wilmer Leon. Stay tuned for new episodes every week. Please follow and subscribe, leave a review, share the show, follow me on social media. You can find all the links below in the show description. And remember, this is where the analysis of politics, culture, and history converge because talk without analysis is just chatter, and we don't chatter here on connecting the dots. I'll tell you this. I ain't joking. I ain't playing. I'm just saying, Hey, see you allall again next time. Until then, I'm Dr. Woman Leon. Have a great one. Peace. I'm out Announcer (51:53): Connecting the dots with Dr. Wilmer Leon, where the analysis of politics, culture, and history converge.  

There are 18 recognised religious "sects" in Lebanon, including various Christian denominations, Shia and Sunni Muslims, the Druze and Jews. Sects in this context does not refer to a kind of cult but rather different religious groupings. How is it that such a diverse religious and ethnic mix of people came to live in so close proximity to each other in and around Mount Lebanon? And why did the French colonial authorities decide to organise their mandate in Lebanon by dividing the country across "sectarian" lines?Find out in part one of a two-part series for Kalam Shorts about sectarianism in Lebanon, available exclusively for our Patreon subscribers. Sign up at patreon.com/kalampodcast for just $3/month. For continuous updates on the podcast and content about Palestine and the Middle East, follow us on Instagram @kalampodcast Please subscribe to Kalam Podcast in whatever podcast application you're listening to right now - and give us a rating. It helps other people find out about us.

Pagers, walkie-talkies, rockets - and next, a ground invasion? Israel turns its focus to Hezbollah.  Find out more about The Front podcast here. You can read about this story and more on The Australian's website or on The Australian's app. This episode of The Front is presented by Claire Harvey, produced by Kristen Amiet, and edited by Lia Tsamoglou. Original music is composed by Jasper Leak.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

To help you improve your English, we will look at a news clip from Al Jazeera explaining how President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan may somehow intervene in the conflict that is going on with Israel and Palestine. There will be no "boots on the ground," but maybe Türkiye will supply technology and armed drones.

The arrest of a father and son north of Toronto accused of being in the late stages of planning an attack for the benefit of the Islamic State. A canceled stop in Vienna on Taylor Swift's Eras tour after the threat of an attack with the main suspect allegedly inspired by ISIS. A deadly attack in March on a Moscow theatre leaving over 100 dead, allegedly committed by members of an ISIS affiliate. While the Sunni Muslim militant organization hasn't been in the headlines regularly since 2018, and was actually declared defeated by former U.S President Donald Trump in 2019, it appears to be having a resurgence. Clara Broekaert, research fellow at The Soufan Center, takes us through what ISIS has been up to in recent years and why they are a growing threat again.

Ethno-Religious and Linguistic Minorities in Iran, Part I: IntroductionIran's religious landscape is deeply intertwined with its political identity, heavily influenced by Shi'ite Islam. The Iranian constitution recognizes Islam as the official religion, with Christianity, Judaism, and Zoroastrianism being the only other faiths granted legal minority status. However, this narrow definition fails to capture the true diversity of the country, leaving significant groups like Sunni Muslims, Mandaeans, Yarsan, and Dervishes in ambiguous and often marginalized positions.
Sunni Muslims, although the largest religious group after the Shia majority, are relegated to a marginal status due to the Shi'ite-centric nature of the state. Similarly, Mandaeans and Yarsan, with their esoteric beliefs, struggle for recognition and face social and legal discrimination. The Dervish sects, considered heterodox, are sometimes tolerated but have also faced persecution.
The exclusion of these groups from official recognition and discourse creates a sense of antagonism and precariousness, reducing their identities to non-existence or vulnerability. The state's rigid interpretation of religious identity fails to encompass the full spectrum of beliefs within Iran, leading to ongoing controversies and human suffering.
In essence, Iran's dominant religious discourse is an ideological straitjacket that overlooks the country's rich religious variety, resulting in a fractured society where many communities live on the fringes, unrecognized and often oppressed.#@Iran #@Religious Minorities #@Religions in Iran#@Judaism #@Bahais #@Armenians #@Yarsan #@Ahle Hagh #@Zoroastrianism

The ousting of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in Bangladesh could create religious instability in a country where there's a delicate balance between the Sunni Muslim majority and the Hindu minority. Since the prime minister fled Bangladesh, there have been small scale attacks on temples. Just a few days ago, the government banned an Islamist party that was growing in popularity. 

A Toronto father and son arrested while allegedly in the "advanced stages" of planning a violent attack in the city and have been charged with multiple terrorism-related offences, the RCMP say. Ahmed Fouad Mostafa Eldidi, 62, and Mostafa Eldidi, 26, face a total of nine charges. Among them is one count each of conspiracy to commit murder for the benefit or at the direction of a terrorist group — namely ISIS, a Sunni Muslim militant organization. Guest : Mercedes Stephenson is a Canadian journalist and military analyst, host of Global Television Network's Sunday morning talk show The West Block. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today's Podcast: A Toronto father and son arrested while allegedly in the "advanced stages" of planning a violent attack in the city and have been charged with multiple terrorism-related offences, the RCMP say. Ahmed Fouad Mostafa Eldidi, 62, and Mostafa Eldidi, 26, face a total of nine charges. Among them is one count each of conspiracy to commit murder for the benefit or at the direction of a terrorist group — namely ISIS, a Sunni Muslim militant organization. Guest : Mercedes Stephenson is a Canadian journalist and military analyst, host of Global Television Network's Sunday morning talk show The West Block. GUEST : Scott Newark With the recent killing of the Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh and Hezbollah second-in-command Faud Shukr in Lebanon, is the Middle East on the brink of all-out war between Israel and Hezbollah? Hezbollah and Iran have vowed revenge against Israel which has not confirmed if it was behind the killing of Haniyeh. As well, anti-Semitic violence continues in Canada and particularly in Toronto. What can the city do to help improve the situation. GUEST : Vivian Bercovici, a Canadian-Israeli lawyer and academic. Former Canadian Ambassador to Israel. Unethical behavior in the world's major sporting events is still met with head-shaking and outright consternation and disbelief. See the Team Canada women's soccer team drone-spying scandal in Paris. But has cheating/unethical behavior become essentially commonplace in sport competition worldwide? Huge money are in play, as are massive career boosts and earnings. GUEST : Professor Declan Hill Considerable number of headlines concerning the state of Canada's economy have been published over the past weeks. How many have made the public radar? Each one has an impact on either many, most or all Canadians. GUEST : Professor Eric Kam Macro-economist. Toronto Metropolitan University. --------------------------------------------- Host/Content Producer – Roy Green Technical/Podcast Producer – Tom Craig If you enjoyed the podcast, tell a friend! For more of the Roy Green Show, subscribe to the podcast! https://globalnews.ca/roygreen/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When Islamic State (IS) militants took control of Syria and Iraq in June 2014, the entire Yazidi population in Sinjar were immediately in grave danger. The Sunni Muslims of IS believed Yazidis were infidels and should either convert to Islam or be killed. On 3 August 2014, 5,000 Yazidis were killed on the first day of the genocide. For those who survived that night, the only escape route was to climb Mount Sinjar in the blistering heat, with no shelter or food, and pray to be rescued. Mirza Dinnayi convinced Iraq's president to supply three helicopters and began evacuating 50,000 Yazidis, who were stranded on top of the mountain in a race against time. Mirza shares his experience with Sarah Ehrlich. A 2 Degrees West production for BBC World Service.(Photo: Yazidi people escape the Sinjar mountains in August 2014. Credit: Emrah Yorulmaz/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)

The 1860 ‘Damascus Events' saw Syrian Christians murdered by their Sunni Muslim neighbours in a brutal genocidal moment that reshaped the late Ottoman Empire. It's an example of how previously harmonious communities can descend into brutal violence in a very short time span. But in the Ottoman Empire's response to the violence, it's also an example of how hostile communities can be brought back from the brink. To learn more about this fascinating historical episode and its resonances today, Conflicted welcomes Eugene Rogan to our community! Eugene is a Professor of Modern Middle Eastern History and a Fellow of St. Anthony's College at the University of Oxford. His recent book, ‘The Damascus Events: The 1860 Massacre and the Destruction of the Old Ottoman World' is available now at all good bookshops and is very much recommended for the Conflicted Community as a must read to learn more about the late Ottoman Empire. To keep listening, you'll need to subscribe to the Conflicted Community. And don't forget, subscribers can also join our Conflicted Community chatroom, where you can interact with fellow dearest listeners, discuss episodes past and future, get exclusive messages from Thomas and Aimen, ask future Q&A questions and so much more. All the information you need to sign up is on this link: https://conflicted.supportingcast.fm/  Find us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/MHconflicted And Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MHconflicted Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today I talked to Peter Hill about his new book Prophet of Reason: Science, Religion and the Origins of the Modern Middle East (Oneworld Academic, 2024). In 1813, high in the Lebanese mountains, a thirteen-year-old boy watches a solar eclipse. Will it foretell a war, a plague, the death of a prince? Mikha'il Mishaqa's lifelong search for truth starts here. Soon he's reading Newtonian science and the radical ideas of Voltaire and Volney: he loses his religion, turning away from the Catholic Church. Thirty years later, as civil war rages in Syria, he finds a new faith – Evangelical Protestantism. His obstinate polemics scandalise his community. Then, in 1860, Mishaqa barely escapes death in the most notorious event in Damascus: a massacre of several thousand Christians. We are presented with a paradox: rational secularism and violent religious sectarianism grew up together. By tracing Mishaqa's life through this tumultuous era, when empires jostled for control, Peter Hill answers the question: What did people in the Middle East actually believe? It's a world where one man could be a Jew, an Orthodox Christian and a Sunni Muslim in turn, and a German missionary might walk naked in the streets of Valletta. Peter Hill is a historian of the modern Middle East, specialising in the Arab world in the long nineteenth century. His research focusses on political thought and practice, the politics of religion, and translation and intercultural exchanges. He also has a strong interest in comparative and global history. Before joining Northumbria University in 2019, Peter was Junior Research Fellow at Christ Church, University of Oxford. He has taught and designed modules in the history of the Middle East and global history, and the history of capitalism. In 2023 he was the winner of a Philip Leverhulme Prize in History. Peter's first book, Utopia and Civilisation in the Arab Nahda, was published by Cambridge University Press in 2020. He has published several articles on translation, political thought and popular politics in the Middle East, in journals such as Past & Present, the Journal of Arabic Literature, and Journal of Global History. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

Today I talked to Peter Hill about his new book Prophet of Reason: Science, Religion and the Origins of the Modern Middle East (Oneworld Academic, 2024). In 1813, high in the Lebanese mountains, a thirteen-year-old boy watches a solar eclipse. Will it foretell a war, a plague, the death of a prince? Mikha'il Mishaqa's lifelong search for truth starts here. Soon he's reading Newtonian science and the radical ideas of Voltaire and Volney: he loses his religion, turning away from the Catholic Church. Thirty years later, as civil war rages in Syria, he finds a new faith – Evangelical Protestantism. His obstinate polemics scandalise his community. Then, in 1860, Mishaqa barely escapes death in the most notorious event in Damascus: a massacre of several thousand Christians. We are presented with a paradox: rational secularism and violent religious sectarianism grew up together. By tracing Mishaqa's life through this tumultuous era, when empires jostled for control, Peter Hill answers the question: What did people in the Middle East actually believe? It's a world where one man could be a Jew, an Orthodox Christian and a Sunni Muslim in turn, and a German missionary might walk naked in the streets of Valletta. Peter Hill is a historian of the modern Middle East, specialising in the Arab world in the long nineteenth century. His research focusses on political thought and practice, the politics of religion, and translation and intercultural exchanges. He also has a strong interest in comparative and global history. Before joining Northumbria University in 2019, Peter was Junior Research Fellow at Christ Church, University of Oxford. He has taught and designed modules in the history of the Middle East and global history, and the history of capitalism. In 2023 he was the winner of a Philip Leverhulme Prize in History. Peter's first book, Utopia and Civilisation in the Arab Nahda, was published by Cambridge University Press in 2020. He has published several articles on translation, political thought and popular politics in the Middle East, in journals such as Past & Present, the Journal of Arabic Literature, and Journal of Global History. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/history

Today I talked to Peter Hill about his new book Prophet of Reason: Science, Religion and the Origins of the Modern Middle East (Oneworld Academic, 2024). In 1813, high in the Lebanese mountains, a thirteen-year-old boy watches a solar eclipse. Will it foretell a war, a plague, the death of a prince? Mikha'il Mishaqa's lifelong search for truth starts here. Soon he's reading Newtonian science and the radical ideas of Voltaire and Volney: he loses his religion, turning away from the Catholic Church. Thirty years later, as civil war rages in Syria, he finds a new faith – Evangelical Protestantism. His obstinate polemics scandalise his community. Then, in 1860, Mishaqa barely escapes death in the most notorious event in Damascus: a massacre of several thousand Christians. We are presented with a paradox: rational secularism and violent religious sectarianism grew up together. By tracing Mishaqa's life through this tumultuous era, when empires jostled for control, Peter Hill answers the question: What did people in the Middle East actually believe? It's a world where one man could be a Jew, an Orthodox Christian and a Sunni Muslim in turn, and a German missionary might walk naked in the streets of Valletta. Peter Hill is a historian of the modern Middle East, specialising in the Arab world in the long nineteenth century. His research focusses on political thought and practice, the politics of religion, and translation and intercultural exchanges. He also has a strong interest in comparative and global history. Before joining Northumbria University in 2019, Peter was Junior Research Fellow at Christ Church, University of Oxford. He has taught and designed modules in the history of the Middle East and global history, and the history of capitalism. In 2023 he was the winner of a Philip Leverhulme Prize in History. Peter's first book, Utopia and Civilisation in the Arab Nahda, was published by Cambridge University Press in 2020. He has published several articles on translation, political thought and popular politics in the Middle East, in journals such as Past & Present, the Journal of Arabic Literature, and Journal of Global History. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/middle-eastern-studies

Today I talked to Peter Hill about his new book Prophet of Reason: Science, Religion and the Origins of the Modern Middle East (Oneworld Academic, 2024). In 1813, high in the Lebanese mountains, a thirteen-year-old boy watches a solar eclipse. Will it foretell a war, a plague, the death of a prince? Mikha'il Mishaqa's lifelong search for truth starts here. Soon he's reading Newtonian science and the radical ideas of Voltaire and Volney: he loses his religion, turning away from the Catholic Church. Thirty years later, as civil war rages in Syria, he finds a new faith – Evangelical Protestantism. His obstinate polemics scandalise his community. Then, in 1860, Mishaqa barely escapes death in the most notorious event in Damascus: a massacre of several thousand Christians. We are presented with a paradox: rational secularism and violent religious sectarianism grew up together. By tracing Mishaqa's life through this tumultuous era, when empires jostled for control, Peter Hill answers the question: What did people in the Middle East actually believe? It's a world where one man could be a Jew, an Orthodox Christian and a Sunni Muslim in turn, and a German missionary might walk naked in the streets of Valletta. Peter Hill is a historian of the modern Middle East, specialising in the Arab world in the long nineteenth century. His research focusses on political thought and practice, the politics of religion, and translation and intercultural exchanges. He also has a strong interest in comparative and global history. Before joining Northumbria University in 2019, Peter was Junior Research Fellow at Christ Church, University of Oxford. He has taught and designed modules in the history of the Middle East and global history, and the history of capitalism. In 2023 he was the winner of a Philip Leverhulme Prize in History. Peter's first book, Utopia and Civilisation in the Arab Nahda, was published by Cambridge University Press in 2020. He has published several articles on translation, political thought and popular politics in the Middle East, in journals such as Past & Present, the Journal of Arabic Literature, and Journal of Global History. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/biography

Today I talked to Peter Hill about his new book Prophet of Reason: Science, Religion and the Origins of the Modern Middle East (Oneworld Academic, 2024). In 1813, high in the Lebanese mountains, a thirteen-year-old boy watches a solar eclipse. Will it foretell a war, a plague, the death of a prince? Mikha'il Mishaqa's lifelong search for truth starts here. Soon he's reading Newtonian science and the radical ideas of Voltaire and Volney: he loses his religion, turning away from the Catholic Church. Thirty years later, as civil war rages in Syria, he finds a new faith – Evangelical Protestantism. His obstinate polemics scandalise his community. Then, in 1860, Mishaqa barely escapes death in the most notorious event in Damascus: a massacre of several thousand Christians. We are presented with a paradox: rational secularism and violent religious sectarianism grew up together. By tracing Mishaqa's life through this tumultuous era, when empires jostled for control, Peter Hill answers the question: What did people in the Middle East actually believe? It's a world where one man could be a Jew, an Orthodox Christian and a Sunni Muslim in turn, and a German missionary might walk naked in the streets of Valletta. Peter Hill is a historian of the modern Middle East, specialising in the Arab world in the long nineteenth century. His research focusses on political thought and practice, the politics of religion, and translation and intercultural exchanges. He also has a strong interest in comparative and global history. Before joining Northumbria University in 2019, Peter was Junior Research Fellow at Christ Church, University of Oxford. He has taught and designed modules in the history of the Middle East and global history, and the history of capitalism. In 2023 he was the winner of a Philip Leverhulme Prize in History. Peter's first book, Utopia and Civilisation in the Arab Nahda, was published by Cambridge University Press in 2020. He has published several articles on translation, political thought and popular politics in the Middle East, in journals such as Past & Present, the Journal of Arabic Literature, and Journal of Global History. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/intellectual-history

Today I talked to Peter Hill about his new book Prophet of Reason: Science, Religion and the Origins of the Modern Middle East (Oneworld Academic, 2024). In 1813, high in the Lebanese mountains, a thirteen-year-old boy watches a solar eclipse. Will it foretell a war, a plague, the death of a prince? Mikha'il Mishaqa's lifelong search for truth starts here. Soon he's reading Newtonian science and the radical ideas of Voltaire and Volney: he loses his religion, turning away from the Catholic Church. Thirty years later, as civil war rages in Syria, he finds a new faith – Evangelical Protestantism. His obstinate polemics scandalise his community. Then, in 1860, Mishaqa barely escapes death in the most notorious event in Damascus: a massacre of several thousand Christians. We are presented with a paradox: rational secularism and violent religious sectarianism grew up together. By tracing Mishaqa's life through this tumultuous era, when empires jostled for control, Peter Hill answers the question: What did people in the Middle East actually believe? It's a world where one man could be a Jew, an Orthodox Christian and a Sunni Muslim in turn, and a German missionary might walk naked in the streets of Valletta. Peter Hill is a historian of the modern Middle East, specialising in the Arab world in the long nineteenth century. His research focusses on political thought and practice, the politics of religion, and translation and intercultural exchanges. He also has a strong interest in comparative and global history. Before joining Northumbria University in 2019, Peter was Junior Research Fellow at Christ Church, University of Oxford. He has taught and designed modules in the history of the Middle East and global history, and the history of capitalism. In 2023 he was the winner of a Philip Leverhulme Prize in History. Peter's first book, Utopia and Civilisation in the Arab Nahda, was published by Cambridge University Press in 2020. He has published several articles on translation, political thought and popular politics in the Middle East, in journals such as Past & Present, the Journal of Arabic Literature, and Journal of Global History. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/religion

Today I talked to Peter Hill about his new book Prophet of Reason: Science, Religion and the Origins of the Modern Middle East (Oneworld Academic, 2024). In 1813, high in the Lebanese mountains, a thirteen-year-old boy watches a solar eclipse. Will it foretell a war, a plague, the death of a prince? Mikha'il Mishaqa's lifelong search for truth starts here. Soon he's reading Newtonian science and the radical ideas of Voltaire and Volney: he loses his religion, turning away from the Catholic Church. Thirty years later, as civil war rages in Syria, he finds a new faith – Evangelical Protestantism. His obstinate polemics scandalise his community. Then, in 1860, Mishaqa barely escapes death in the most notorious event in Damascus: a massacre of several thousand Christians. We are presented with a paradox: rational secularism and violent religious sectarianism grew up together. By tracing Mishaqa's life through this tumultuous era, when empires jostled for control, Peter Hill answers the question: What did people in the Middle East actually believe? It's a world where one man could be a Jew, an Orthodox Christian and a Sunni Muslim in turn, and a German missionary might walk naked in the streets of Valletta. Peter Hill is a historian of the modern Middle East, specialising in the Arab world in the long nineteenth century. His research focusses on political thought and practice, the politics of religion, and translation and intercultural exchanges. He also has a strong interest in comparative and global history. Before joining Northumbria University in 2019, Peter was Junior Research Fellow at Christ Church, University of Oxford. He has taught and designed modules in the history of the Middle East and global history, and the history of capitalism. In 2023 he was the winner of a Philip Leverhulme Prize in History. Peter's first book, Utopia and Civilisation in the Arab Nahda, was published by Cambridge University Press in 2020. He has published several articles on translation, political thought and popular politics in the Middle East, in journals such as Past & Present, the Journal of Arabic Literature, and Journal of Global History. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/science-technology-and-society

Today I talked to Peter Hill about his new book Prophet of Reason: Science, Religion and the Origins of the Modern Middle East (Oneworld Academic, 2024). In 1813, high in the Lebanese mountains, a thirteen-year-old boy watches a solar eclipse. Will it foretell a war, a plague, the death of a prince? Mikha'il Mishaqa's lifelong search for truth starts here. Soon he's reading Newtonian science and the radical ideas of Voltaire and Volney: he loses his religion, turning away from the Catholic Church. Thirty years later, as civil war rages in Syria, he finds a new faith – Evangelical Protestantism. His obstinate polemics scandalise his community. Then, in 1860, Mishaqa barely escapes death in the most notorious event in Damascus: a massacre of several thousand Christians. We are presented with a paradox: rational secularism and violent religious sectarianism grew up together. By tracing Mishaqa's life through this tumultuous era, when empires jostled for control, Peter Hill answers the question: What did people in the Middle East actually believe? It's a world where one man could be a Jew, an Orthodox Christian and a Sunni Muslim in turn, and a German missionary might walk naked in the streets of Valletta. Peter Hill is a historian of the modern Middle East, specialising in the Arab world in the long nineteenth century. His research focusses on political thought and practice, the politics of religion, and translation and intercultural exchanges. He also has a strong interest in comparative and global history. Before joining Northumbria University in 2019, Peter was Junior Research Fellow at Christ Church, University of Oxford. He has taught and designed modules in the history of the Middle East and global history, and the history of capitalism. In 2023 he was the winner of a Philip Leverhulme Prize in History. Peter's first book, Utopia and Civilisation in the Arab Nahda, was published by Cambridge University Press in 2020. He has published several articles on translation, political thought and popular politics in the Middle East, in journals such as Past & Present, the Journal of Arabic Literature, and Journal of Global History. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/christian-studies

This paper proposes to delve into the profound legacy of the Akbarian tradition, an intellectual tradition rooted in the works of Ibn ʿArabī, which extensively contemplates the central doctrine of tawḥīd (the oneness of God) and has exerted a lasting influence on subsequent Islamic theological discourse. However, the reception of this tradition within Muslim scholarship has engendered multifarious responses, sparking contentious debates primarily revolving around the perceived incompatibility of distinguishing between the Creator and the created. These ongoing debates have seen scholars either championing Ibn ʿArabī as the "The Greatest Saint" (Shaykh al-Akbar) or denouncing him as a heretic. Within this context, Qāsim Nānotwī, a pivotal figure in the formation of the Deobandi school of thought, emerges as a noteworthy scholar who engages with the Akbarian tradition. His scholarly pursuits are steeped in the kalām tradition, where he seeks to reconcile apparent theological inconsistencies in revealed texts, the Quran and hadith literature, employing the methodology of burhān (demonstrative logical knowledge) while also incorporating a mystical perspective. Nānotwī's writings unveil not only his profound reverence for Ibn ʿArabī but also his intimate familiarity with the conceptual paradigms of the Akbarian tradition. It is this reverence for Ibn ʿArabī that motivates Nānotwī to offer a rejoinder to prevalent misconceptions surrounding the doctrine of waḥdat al-wujūd (oneness of being) and to clarify its differentiation from waḥdat al-mawjūd (oneness of existents). This presentation aims to explore Nānotwī's writings, not only in terms of his comprehension of waḥdat al-wujūd but also in his innovative use of this concept to establish the existence of God, elucidating how all facets of creation are inherently ontologically dependent on their Creator and derive their reality from the Divine existence. As a scholar hailing from the Indian subcontinent during the late Mughal and early British Raj era, this paper endeavours to illuminate the interpretation and integration of the Akbarian tradition within the corpus of Sunni Muslim literature, particularly through the lens of one of the founding figures of the Deoband school of thought.

In this episode of The PDB Afternoon Bulletin:     Israeli and U.S. military forces are boosting defenses and warning troops to brace for possible retaliation from Iran over Monday's airstrikes on the regime's consulate in Syria that killed several Iranian generals. As Iran hurls threats against Israel and the U.S., the Islamic regime is facing their own internal threats from Sunni Muslim militants, who recently launched a deadly attack on Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps. To listen to the show ad-free, become a premium member of The President's Daily Brief by visiting PDBPremium.com. Please remember to subscribe if you enjoyed this episode of The PDB Afternoon Bulletin.  Email: PDB@TheFirstTV.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Voters in Indonesia, the world's largest Muslim democracy, have cast their ballots to elect a new president. In this country of 270 million people, where Sunni Muslims are the majority, some 12 percent of the population belong to religious minorities: Christians, Shiites, Buddhists and Hindus, among others. This mosaic of religious communities has historically lived together in peace. But over the past two decades, radical Sunni groups have targeted minorities, with more than 600 incidences of violence documented since 2014. Largely ignored during the election campaign, minority groups now wonder who and what awaits them. Our team on the ground reports.

In this first episode, Dr Faisal Malick, talks about how God confronted him, while a devout Sunni Muslim, about Jesus. He gets intensely personal in opening up about the challenges he faced in navigating the shift from his deeply rooted Muslim beliefs to his newfound understanding of Jesus. Tune in to hear how courage, faith, and even geography are pivotal to walking out divine purposes.Watch the video in 4K on YouTubeFollow Faisal at: Website: www.faisalmalick.comFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/FaisalMalickOfficial/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/faisalmalick/?hl=enTwitter/X: https://twitter.com/faisalmalick?lang=enTik Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@drfaisalmalick

Blood of Others: Stalin's Crimean Atrocity and the Poetics of Solidarity (U Toronto Press, 2022) offers a cultural history of Crimea and the Black Sea region, one of Europe's most volatile flashpoints, by chronicling the aftermath of Stalin's 1944 deportation of the Crimean Tatars in four different literary traditions. In the spring of 1944, Stalin deported the Crimean Tatars, a small Sunni Muslim nation, from their ancestral homeland on the Black Sea peninsula. The gravity of this event, which ultimately claimed the lives of tens of thousands of victims, was shrouded in secrecy after the Second World War. What broke the silence in Soviet Russia, Soviet Ukraine, and the Republic of Turkey were works of literature. These texts of poetry and prose – some passed hand-to-hand underground, others published to controversy – shocked the conscience of readers and sought to move them to action. Blood of Others presents these works as vivid evidence of literature's power to lift our moral horizons. In bringing these remarkable texts to light and contextualizing them among Russian, Turkish, and Ukrainian representations of Crimea from 1783, Rory Finnin provides an innovative cultural history of the Black Sea region. He reveals how a "poetics of solidarity" promoted empathy and support for an oppressed people through complex provocations of guilt rather than shame. Forging new roads between Slavic studies and Middle Eastern studies, Blood of Others is a compelling and timely exploration of the ideas and identities coursing between Russia, Turkey, and Ukraine – three countries determining the fate of a volatile and geopolitically pivotal part of our world. Matthew D. Pauly is an associate professor at Michigan State University. His focus is Russia and Eastern Europe. @MatthewDPauly. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

Blood of Others: Stalin's Crimean Atrocity and the Poetics of Solidarity (U Toronto Press, 2022) offers a cultural history of Crimea and the Black Sea region, one of Europe's most volatile flashpoints, by chronicling the aftermath of Stalin's 1944 deportation of the Crimean Tatars in four different literary traditions. In the spring of 1944, Stalin deported the Crimean Tatars, a small Sunni Muslim nation, from their ancestral homeland on the Black Sea peninsula. The gravity of this event, which ultimately claimed the lives of tens of thousands of victims, was shrouded in secrecy after the Second World War. What broke the silence in Soviet Russia, Soviet Ukraine, and the Republic of Turkey were works of literature. These texts of poetry and prose – some passed hand-to-hand underground, others published to controversy – shocked the conscience of readers and sought to move them to action. Blood of Others presents these works as vivid evidence of literature's power to lift our moral horizons. In bringing these remarkable texts to light and contextualizing them among Russian, Turkish, and Ukrainian representations of Crimea from 1783, Rory Finnin provides an innovative cultural history of the Black Sea region. He reveals how a "poetics of solidarity" promoted empathy and support for an oppressed people through complex provocations of guilt rather than shame. Forging new roads between Slavic studies and Middle Eastern studies, Blood of Others is a compelling and timely exploration of the ideas and identities coursing between Russia, Turkey, and Ukraine – three countries determining the fate of a volatile and geopolitically pivotal part of our world. Matthew D. Pauly is an associate professor at Michigan State University. His focus is Russia and Eastern Europe. @MatthewDPauly. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/history

Blood of Others: Stalin's Crimean Atrocity and the Poetics of Solidarity (U Toronto Press, 2022) offers a cultural history of Crimea and the Black Sea region, one of Europe's most volatile flashpoints, by chronicling the aftermath of Stalin's 1944 deportation of the Crimean Tatars in four different literary traditions. In the spring of 1944, Stalin deported the Crimean Tatars, a small Sunni Muslim nation, from their ancestral homeland on the Black Sea peninsula. The gravity of this event, which ultimately claimed the lives of tens of thousands of victims, was shrouded in secrecy after the Second World War. What broke the silence in Soviet Russia, Soviet Ukraine, and the Republic of Turkey were works of literature. These texts of poetry and prose – some passed hand-to-hand underground, others published to controversy – shocked the conscience of readers and sought to move them to action. Blood of Others presents these works as vivid evidence of literature's power to lift our moral horizons. In bringing these remarkable texts to light and contextualizing them among Russian, Turkish, and Ukrainian representations of Crimea from 1783, Rory Finnin provides an innovative cultural history of the Black Sea region. He reveals how a "poetics of solidarity" promoted empathy and support for an oppressed people through complex provocations of guilt rather than shame. Forging new roads between Slavic studies and Middle Eastern studies, Blood of Others is a compelling and timely exploration of the ideas and identities coursing between Russia, Turkey, and Ukraine – three countries determining the fate of a volatile and geopolitically pivotal part of our world. Matthew D. Pauly is an associate professor at Michigan State University. His focus is Russia and Eastern Europe. @MatthewDPauly. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/military-history

Blood of Others: Stalin's Crimean Atrocity and the Poetics of Solidarity (U Toronto Press, 2022) offers a cultural history of Crimea and the Black Sea region, one of Europe's most volatile flashpoints, by chronicling the aftermath of Stalin's 1944 deportation of the Crimean Tatars in four different literary traditions. In the spring of 1944, Stalin deported the Crimean Tatars, a small Sunni Muslim nation, from their ancestral homeland on the Black Sea peninsula. The gravity of this event, which ultimately claimed the lives of tens of thousands of victims, was shrouded in secrecy after the Second World War. What broke the silence in Soviet Russia, Soviet Ukraine, and the Republic of Turkey were works of literature. These texts of poetry and prose – some passed hand-to-hand underground, others published to controversy – shocked the conscience of readers and sought to move them to action. Blood of Others presents these works as vivid evidence of literature's power to lift our moral horizons. In bringing these remarkable texts to light and contextualizing them among Russian, Turkish, and Ukrainian representations of Crimea from 1783, Rory Finnin provides an innovative cultural history of the Black Sea region. He reveals how a "poetics of solidarity" promoted empathy and support for an oppressed people through complex provocations of guilt rather than shame. Forging new roads between Slavic studies and Middle Eastern studies, Blood of Others is a compelling and timely exploration of the ideas and identities coursing between Russia, Turkey, and Ukraine – three countries determining the fate of a volatile and geopolitically pivotal part of our world. Matthew D. Pauly is an associate professor at Michigan State University. His focus is Russia and Eastern Europe. @MatthewDPauly. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/literary-studies

On this program Shane talks with Fikret Bocek who currently serves as the pastor of a Christian church in Izmir, Turkey. Fikret was raised as a Sunni Muslim, and during this episode he tells the story of the time in which he began to question his faith. In this process he began to explore both the Koran and the Bible, and ultimately this led to his conversion to Christianity.SHOW NOTES• For more information about Fikret Bocek, click here. For information about Global Church Ministries, which he referenced at the end of this episode, click here.• To listen to Shane's interview with Sarabeth Kapusta referenced at the beginning of this episode, click here. You can also read her new essay, “Reconstructing My Faith.”• Related episodes: “Religion on Trial”, “Dealing with Doubt”, “Greg Koukl on Blind Faith”, “Is Faith Irrational?”, “Is Faith Blind?”, and “Is Faith a Feeling?”• Related articles by Shane Rosenthal: “What is Faith?”, “Why Should We Believe The Bible?”, “How to Detect Deception”, “On Faith & Doubt” and “On Faith & History.”• For information about The Humble Skeptic vision and how you can help, click here. To put something in the TIP JAR, click here, or consider upgrading to one of the paid subscription options via Substack by using the green button below. If you'd like your gift to be “tax-deductible,” click here for more information about this option.The Humble Skeptic is a listener-supported podcast. To support this work, consider becoming a paid subscriber. Get full access to The Humble Skeptic at shanerose.substack.com/subscribe

Many blame the Lucasville uprising on the prayer leader of the Sunni Muslim prisoners. A revealing conversation with Siddique Abdullah Hasan sheds light on what he says happened during those 11 days, why he thinks he was convicted and sent to Death Row and whether or not he believes Keith was the leader of the “Death Squad.” For photos and documents related to this and every episode:  https://www.instagram.com/the_real_killer_podcast/?igshid=MGU3ZTQzNzY%3DSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.