Podcasts about wahhabi

You try to follow the Qur'an and Sunnah—then you're told you're rigid. You quote the Salaf—then you're labelled a Wahhabi. And why do others accuse you of being extreme—for simply following what the Salaf believed? This lecture tackles these tensions head-on—through the words of early and authentic voices of Ahl al-Hadith. Study the book I'tiqad A'immah al-Hadith by Imam Abu Bakr al-Ismaʿili (d. 371H). With Shaikh Dr. Asim Al-Qaryooti, we explore how the true Imams of the Sunnah understood and lived their creed. The book dismantles many modern doubts and deviations by clearly stating what the Salaf believed regarding: - Allah's Names and Attributes - The authority of authentic Hadith in Aqeedah—even if it's Aahaad - Rejecting blind following when it clashes with the Qur'an and Sunnah - Avoiding philosophy, kalam, and speculative theology, and returning to the clear guidance of revelation - True loyalty to the Imams—by following their principles, not their mistakes This is the creed that stood the test of time. A creed based on the Qur'an, the Sunnah, and the understanding of the first three generations. If you've ever struggled with the tension between following the evidence and adopting Taqleed… if you've been told that affirming Allah's Attributes means you're anthropomorphising… or if you want to know what the scholars of Hadith actually believed—this is the session to watch. Clear. Grounded. Unapologetic. This is the Aqeedah of Ahl al-Hadith. Sign up now to AMAU Academy: https://www.amauacademy.com/ AMAU Academy: https://www.amauacademy.com/ AMAU Junior: https://amaujunior.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amauofficial/ Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/AMAU Telegram: https://t.me/amauofficial YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/AMAUofficial Twitter: https://twitter.com/AMAUofficial iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/al-madrasatu-al-umariyyah/id1524526782 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/08NJC1pIA0maaF6aKqZL4N Get in Touch: https://amau.org/getintouch BarakAllahu feekum. #Aqeedah #Salaf #islamiclectures #seekingknowledge #quranandsunnah

You try to follow the Qur'an and Sunnah—then you're told you're rigid. You quote the Salaf—then you're labelled a Wahhabi. And why do others accuse you of being extreme—for simply following what the Salaf believed? This lecture tackles these tensions head-on—through the words of early and authentic voices of Ahl al-Hadith. Study the book I'tiqad A'immah al-Hadith by Imam Abu Bakr al-Ismaʿili (d. 371H). With Shaikh Dr. Asim Al-Qaryooti, we explore how the true Imams of the Sunnah understood and lived their creed. The book dismantles many modern doubts and deviations by clearly stating what the Salaf believed regarding: - Allah's Names and Attributes - The authority of authentic Hadith in Aqeedah—even if it's Aahaad - Rejecting blind following when it clashes with the Qur'an and Sunnah - Avoiding philosophy, kalam, and speculative theology, and returning to the clear guidance of revelation - True loyalty to the Imams—by following their principles, not their mistakes This is the creed that stood the test of time. A creed based on the Qur'an, the Sunnah, and the understanding of the first three generations. If you've ever struggled with the tension between following the evidence and adopting Taqleed… if you've been told that affirming Allah's Attributes means you're anthropomorphising… or if you want to know what the scholars of Hadith actually believed—this is the session to watch. Clear. Grounded. Unapologetic. This is the Aqeedah of Ahl al-Hadith. Sign up now to AMAU Academy: https://www.amauacademy.com/ AMAU Academy: https://www.amauacademy.com/ AMAU Junior: https://amaujunior.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amauofficial/ Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/AMAU Telegram: https://t.me/amauofficial YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/AMAUofficial Twitter: https://twitter.com/AMAUofficial iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/al-madrasatu-al-umariyyah/id1524526782 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/08NJC1pIA0maaF6aKqZL4N Get in Touch: https://amau.org/getintouch BarakAllahu feekum. #Aqeedah #Salaf #islamiclectures #seekingknowledge #quranandsunnah

Yaum-e-Gham 1446 AHEve of 12th Shawwal 1446 AHThursday April 10th 2025- The destruction of Jannatul Baqi took place on 8 Shawwāl 1343 (2 May 1925) by the Wahhabis, targeting the graves of the Ahlul Bayt, companions, and others in Medina. - Wahhabi ideology sees respect shown at graves as shirk, failing to differentiate between worship and reverence. - If not for fear of global backlash, Wahhabis might have demolished the Prophet's grave and incorporated it into the mosque. - A fatwa from Wahhabi scholars states that prayer in a mosque containing a grave is invalid, and graves must be exhumed and relocated. - The Qur'an shows that expressions of humility, like bowing or prostrating, are not inherently acts of worship. - ‘Ibādat (worship) is defined as humility expressed toward someone believed to be God, true or false. - Prostration (sajdah) was commanded by Allah to the angels for Prophet Ādam and done by Ya‘qūb and his sons for Prophet Yūsuf, proving it's not always worship. - Building shrines or visiting graves of righteous figures is not worship but an expression of respect and love. - No Muslim visits the graves of the Prophet or Imams with the intention of worshipping them—rather, it is a spiritual connection. - Despite the light and glory of shrines in Najaf, Karbala, Kazimayn, Samarrah, and Mashhad, Baqi remains desolate—yet the love for the Ahlul Bayt continues through remembrance and grief, especially for Sayyida Fatima.Donate towards our programs today: https://jaffari.org/donate/Jaffari Community Centre (JCC Live)

Far too ignorant of the histories of the rest of the world, being aware of only the accomplishments of Greece, Rome and Europe, Westerners have been made to believe that their societies represent the most superior examples of civilization. However, the Western value system stems from a misconception that, as in nature, human society too is evolving. The idea derives from the hidden influence of secret societies, who followed the belief in spiritual evolution of the Kabbalah, which taught that history would attain its fulfillment when man would become God, and make his own laws.Therefore, the infamous Illuminati gave its name to the Enlightenment of the eighteenth century,which claimed that human progress must abandon "superstition," meaning Christianity, in favor of "reason." Thus the Illuminati succeeded in bringing about the French and American revolutions, which instituted the separation of Church and State, and from that point forward, the Western values of Humanism, seen to include secularism, human rights, democracy and capitalism, have been celebrated as the culmination of centuries of human intellectual evolution.This is the basis of the propaganda which has been used to foster a Clash of Civilizations, where the Islamic world is presented as stubbornly adhering to the anachronistic idea of "theocracy." Where once the spread of Christianity and civilizing the world were used as pretexts for colonization, today a new White Man's Burden makes use of human rights and democracy to justify imperial aggression.However, because, after centuries of decline, the Islamic world is incapable of mobilizing a defense, the Western powers, as part of their age-old strategy of Divide and Conquer, have fostered the rise of Islamic fundamentalism, to both serve as agent-provocateurs and to malign the image of Islam. These sects, known to scholars as Revivalists, opposed the traditions of classical Islamic scholarship in order to create the opportunity to rewrite the laws of the religion to better serve their sponsors. Thus were created the Wahhabi and Salafi sects of Islam, from which were derived the Muslim Brotherhood, which has been in the service of the West ever since.But, the story of the development of these Islamic sects involves the bizarre doctrines and hidden networks of occult secret societies, being based on a Rosicrucian myth of Egyptian Freemasonry, which see the Muslim radicals as inheritors of an ancient mystery tradition of the Middle East which was passed on to the Knights Templar during the Crusades, thus forming the foundation of the legends of the Holy Grail. These beliefs would not only form the cause for the association of Western intelligence agencies with Islamic fundamentalists, but would fundamentally shape much of twentieth century history.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-opperman-report--1198501/support.

rWotD Episode 2737: Derbent Jamaat Welcome to Random Wiki of the Day, your journey through Wikipedia’s vast and varied content, one random article at a time.The random article for Thursday, 31 October 2024 is Derbent Jamaat.Derbent Jamaat (Russian: Дербентский джамаат), also known as the Forest Brothers (Russian: Лесные братья, Azerbaijani: Meşə qardaşları), and the Southern Group (Russian: Группировка «Южная»), was an Islamist Jihadist group based in the Russian republic of Dagestan, part of the Shariat Jamaat of the Caucasus Emirate. The group had engaged in attacks on law enforcement officers, organized terrorist attacks, distributed Wahhabi literature, and undertook propaganda and agitation activities in Dagestan and the neighboring country of Azerbaijan.The group was created and headed by Rappani Khalilov until his death in September 2007. He was succeeded by emir Abdul Madzhid. Participant of the Chechen Wars, Madzhid was killed in September 2008 and was replaced by Israpil Velijanov. After the death of Velijanov in April 2011, the Derbent Jamaat became disoriented, though it remained active until its remaining members were killed in November 2016.This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 01:03 UTC on Thursday, 31 October 2024.For the full current version of the article, see Derbent Jamaat 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 standard Ivy.

In Episode 379 of Hidden Forces, Demetri Kofinas speaks with Ray Nowosielski and John Duffy, the authors of The Watchdogs Didn't Bark, a book that investigates the troubling story behind the 9/11 attacks and the War on Terror. The first hour includes a discussion about the timeline of events leading up to the 9/11 attacks, the critical meeting in Malaysia monitored by U.S. intelligence agencies in which the bombing of the U.S.S. Cole and 9/11 were organized, the CIA's failure to provide critical information about that meeting, including the names of two hijackers who entered the United States shortly thereafter to the FBI and the White House, and what we know conclusively about the role played by agents of the Saudi government in aiding some of the 9/11 hijackers in their mission to kill thousands of Americans. In the second hour, the discussion focuses on the summer of 2001 and three critical meetings that took place at the White House, where material information about terrorist cells operating inside the United States appears to have been withheld by the CIA, the sharing of which, according to the then counter-terrorism advisor on the National Security Council Richard Clarke, would almost certainly have prevented the attacks of September 11th. Demetri, Ray, and John discuss what the CIA was aware of that summer, its possible role in trying to infiltrate Al-Qaeda and Wahhabi extremist networks in the U.S. by working through Saudi agents, and the evidence that some or all of these activities, along with the roles played by Saudi Intelligence and members of the Royal Family were covered up in the months and years afterward. This is a seminal period in American history whose consequences, including the unchecked power of the national security state, the growth of mass surveillance, and the loss of confidence and trust in American leadership, we continue to live with to this very day. Coming to a deeper understanding of these critical events and their aftermath is crucial if we hope to reform our republic and steer this country in a direction that protects our constitutional rights and is more consistent with our beliefs and democratic values. 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 08/26/2024

Subscribe on Patreon for full access to all episodes: https://www.patreon.com/posts/nikolays-wild-in-106948934 00:00:00 - On the Terrorist attack in Dagestan 00:07:00 - Wahhabi tendencies in the region 00:25:00 - Geography of Dagestan 00:29:35 - Sevastopol beach ATACMS attack 00:39:00 - My experience in Dagestan: Izberbash 00:46:30 - The ancient city of Derbent 00:59:00 - The Mountains experience 01:08:00 - Local cuisine & Culture 01:18:20 - Putin in North Korea

In this broadcast, Savage discusses the origins of terrorism. Learn how this is a RELIGIOUS war that has been ongoing for centuries! Israel is facing a war that threatens its annihilation. He criticizes the influence of mass hysteria. Savage covers the history of the Jewish people's presence in Israel since 2000 B.C. and the communist movement's use of anti-Israel and anti-Semitic sentiments to push their agenda for a new world order. Then, learn about Wahhabi Islam and what it is. Savage calls for a change in the government's approach to terrorism. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Far too ignorant of the histories of the rest of the world, being aware of only the accomplishments of Greece, Rome and Europe, Westerners have been made to believe that their societies represent the most superior examples of civilization. However, the Western value system stems from a misconception that, as in nature, human society too is evolving. The idea derives from the hidden influence of secret societies, who followed the belief in spiritual evolution of the Kabbalah, which taught that history would attain its fulfillment when man would become God, and make his own laws.Therefore, the infamous Illuminati gave its name to the Enlightenment of the eighteenth century,which claimed that human progress must abandon "superstition," meaning Christianity, in favor of "reason." Thus the Illuminati succeeded in bringing about the French and American revolutions, which instituted the separation of Church and State, and from that point forward, the Western values of Humanism, seen to include secularism, human rights, democracy and capitalism, have been celebrated as the culmination of centuries of human intellectual evolution.This is the basis of the propaganda which has been used to foster a Clash of Civilizations, where the Islamic world is presented as stubbornly adhering to the anachronistic idea of "theocracy." Where once the spread of Christianity and civilizing the world were used as pretexts for colonization, today a new White Man's Burden makes use of human rights and democracy to justify imperial aggression.However, because, after centuries of decline, the Islamic world is incapable of mobilizing a defense, the Western powers, as part of their age-old strategy of Divide and Conquer, have fostered the rise of Islamic fundamentalism, to both serve as agent-provocateurs and to malign the image of Islam. These sects, known to scholars as Revivalists, opposed the traditions of classical Islamic scholarship in order to create the opportunity to rewrite the laws of the religion to better serve their sponsors. Thus were created the Wahhabi and Salafi sects of Islam, from which were derived the Muslim Brotherhood, which has been in the service of the West ever since.But, the story of the development of these Islamic sects involves the bizarre doctrines and hidden networks of occult secret societies, being based on a Rosicrucian myth of Egyptian Freemasonry, which see the Muslim radicals as inheritors of an ancient mystery tradition of the Middle East which was passed on to the Knights Templar during the Crusades, thus forming the foundation of the legends of the Holy Grail. These beliefs would not only form the cause for the association of Western intelligence agencies with Islamic fundamentalists, but would fundamentally shape much of twentieth century history. https://amzn.to/3PhwVPnThis show is part of the Spreaker Prime Network, if you are interested in advertising on this podcast, contact us at https://www.spreaker.com/show/1198501/advertisement

While many trace the roots of Saudi Arabia to Muhammad Ibn Saud, its ideological roots can be traced to his contemporary - the radical, militant and hugely controversial, Muhammad ibn Abdul Wahhab. This was a man who provided the doctrinal backbone to the burgeoning state, and created the ideology which bears his name: Wahhabism. While many now see it as a derogatory term, Wahhabism has been hugely influential in salafi jihadist circles. Wahhabi texts are frequently quoted by jihadi scholars and leaders, who see themselves as heirs to the Wahhabi tradition. Continuing our search for the ideological forebears of modern jihadism, this is the first of two episodes about the fascinating life of Ibn Abdul Wahhab. We'll see him emerge from the Najd mountains of Saudi Arabia, develop his doctrine, face great opposition, and finally find a patron to help spread his radical message. Join our FB Discussion group to get exclusive updates:  https://www.facebook.com/groups/450486135832418 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

Join us on The Light of Reflection, a podcast series dedicated to raising awareness and inspiring action for the Rebuild Baqee Campaign. Delve deeper into the destruction of the Baqee Cemetery and the impact it has had on our religious and cultural heritage. Follow us on Youtube and Twitter and listen to our podcast on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. Follow us on YouTube: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9ByfUTjswIssZ6WfxCpKtA⁠ Follow us on Twitter: ⁠https://twitter.com/reflectin_light⁠ Listen to the Podcast: ⁠https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/reflectinglight⁠ Apple Podcast: The Light of Reflection

The radical left and radical Islamists have almost nothing in common, so why are they political allies in the U.S.? Muslim immigrant Asra Nomani joins Charlie to break down the "red-green alliance" that threatens to destroy America, then discusses the left's ongoing war against merit in America's schools. Plus, Todd Bensman has spent months on America's border, conducting hundreds of interviews with both migrants and border agents. He joins Charlie to dig deep into Joe Biden's intentional, calculated annihilation of America's border with Mexico.Support the show: http://www.charliekirk.com/supportSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mubin Shaikh is a former undercover human source for the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) and former police agent with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) who has worked multiple infiltration operations including the VERY public prosecution of the Toronto 18 terrorist cell. Mubin also holds a Masters Degree in Policing, Intelligence and Counter Terrorism (MPICT, Macquarie), is a Professor in the School of Public Safety at Seneca College and is featured in a permanent exhibit at the new International Spy Museum in Washington, D.C. under, “Preventing Terror.”On this episode Mubin goes in depth as we discuss the journey of radicalization, the manipulation of Islam by those who hold extremist views, and the process of deprogramming those who have fallen prey Wahhabism, or what Mubin calls, “the virus that has taken over the Muslim world”. For more information about Canada's strategy on countering radicalization visit Public Safety Canada. Shimona & Associates Mortgage Consulting Mortgage BrokerStrata Wealth & Risk Management Financial PlanningDisclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.Thank you for listening! For more Team Ten Eight content, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn!

PFI which largely comprises of the Ahl-e-Hadis or the Wahhabi sect of Islma led the charge against Nupur Sharma. Now, Barelvis who form 80% of the Sunni Muslims in India have jumped into it led by Tauqeer Raza Khan, 6th generation descendant of its founder, Ahmad Raza Khan. Sanjay Dixit examines.

TIJANIYYA AU BURKINA FASO : De Tijani-wei yn Burkina Faso Wat de Tijaniya-oarder oanbelanget, is it de mearderheidsgroep yn Burkina Faso, mei syn twa seksjes: Hamwiyah (learling fan Sheikh Ahmad Hamah God) Al-Faydah (learling fan Sheikh Ibrahim Anias) De Tanger hawwe tûzenen hoeken yn hiel Burkina Faso Under syn meast ferneamde sjeiks binne: Sheikh Abu Bakr Maiga, mei God genede oer him hawwe en Sheikh Abdullah Doukuri En Sheikh Syed Muhammad Maiga, mei God him genede hawwe Sheikh Ahmed Tijani Douri Sheikh Abdul Rahman Boling Yargo En Sheikh Abdul Rahman Sap Louise En Sheikh Ibrahim Tasleem En Sheikh Yusuf Tensalgha En Sheikh Yaqoub Wahyugia En sjeik Issa Yaghani en Sheikh Yusuf Mugandi En Sheikh Mokaddam Mokhtar Demi Under de tiidgenoaten: de soannen fan de niisneamde sjeiks Lykas Dr. Mohamed Masrawy en Dr. Khaled Sana en Dr. Mohamed Widrogo En Sheikh Omar Ibn Sheikh Yaqoub En Sheikh Yusuf Yaghani Tefolle, lof oan God Wat Sheikh Jaber Kograseghe en syn soannen oanbelanget, En sjeik Atiq Tanbezi en syn bruorren Allegearre wiene Qadir, dus troch de ynspanningen fan dizze grutte sjeiks ferspraat de islam oer Burkina Faso Ja, yn Burkina Faso binne d'r no in pear sekten, lykas de Wahhabi-ekstremisten, de Ansar en de Ahmadiyya

This episode was recorded on October 18th, 2021.Mustafa Akyol joins me to discuss Muslim history and tradition. We touch on subjects like Jesus Christ from a Christian and Muslim perspective, the Virgin Mary's role in the Quran, separation of church and state as an ideology, the dangers of literalism when facing religious texts, and much more.Mustafa Akyol is a senior fellow at the Cato Institute's Center for Global Liberty and Prosperity, where he focuses on the intersection of public policy, Islam, and modernity. He's contributed as an opinion writer for the New York Times since 2013, covering politics and religion in the Muslim world.Published by W. W. Norton, his 2011 book, "Islam Without Extremes: A Muslim Case for Liberty," presents a strong argument for Islamic liberalism. The book was long-listed for the Lionel Gelber Prize for best nonfiction book. It was also praised by The Financial Times as "a forthright and elegant Muslim defense of freedom." His other books include "Reopening Muslim Minds" and "The Islamic Jesus."Find Mustafa's most important book, "Reopening Muslim Minds," herehttps://amazon.com/Reopening-Muslim-Minds-Freedom-ToleranceHis book "The Islamic Jesus," discussed in this episode, is athttps://amazon.com/Islamic-Jesus-Became-Prophet-MuslimsFind a free PDF of his book "Why, As a Muslim, I Defend Liberty" athttps://libertarianism.org/books/why-muslim-i-defend-libertyOr visit his page at the Cato Institute:https://cato.org/people/mustafa-akyol_____[00:00] Introduction[02:47] Regarding the separation of church and state, what do Christians and Muslims have in common?[10:36] What are some similarities between Judaism, Christianity, and Islam?[11:05] "I see the world's history, and I see a Judeo-Christian/Islamic history because it's all Abrahamic monotheism starting at Judaism." Mustafa Akyol[11:46] What the Three Abrahamic religions have in common—monotheism, rooting in the same tradition; and strange insistence on a book as the bedrock of culture[12:45] Unique ideas of religious and societal tolerance through different ages in history[21:10] The connection Jesus and Islam[28:45] What is the totalitarian impulse?[29:30] "I think it is an understatement of the severity of the totalitarian problem to attribute it merely to the religious." - Jordan Peterson[31:27] Critiquing the inevitable flaws of the purely secular state. The benefits of a higher law on the unification of people and not deifying human rulers[34:59] "There is another value in Sharia law—[it] was separate from the rulers, even above the rulers." - Mustafa Akyol[39:35] Briefly touching on the ruling class in Saudi Arabia. A brief history of the Wahhabi's rise to power, and how a group of extreme thinkers gained more power than would have been naturally possible[45:36] Bad Ideas from the West are, in fact, devastating[48:45] A modern Muslim's take on religion, power, and the birth of Islam with the prophet Muhammad[55:15] "The whole thorny moral problem of what to do when you are being oppressed is not something let's say as a species we have figured out." - JBP[01:18:51] "The inherent problem with literalism in interpretation. The perspective of the reader creates so much of the truth in this model that they can then impose on the world around them." - JBP[01:26:20] Regarding reason and Sharia law, one group has said that Sharia indicates what's inherently right and wrong in the world. Another group, that it only creates that difference through the imposition[01:27:01] Mary's role in the Quran and Islamic tradition[01:31:29] The influence of gnostic Christian gospels on Muhammad in Mustafa's opinion. The odd state of the Jewish Christians who were accepted by neither side[01:35:16] Final questions on Jesus Christ from Christian and Muslim perspectives[01:43:35] Wrapping up_____ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This episode was recorded on October 18th, 2021. Mustafa Akyol joins me to discuss Muslim history and tradition. We touch on subjects like Jesus Christ from a Christian and Muslim perspective, the Virgin Mary's role in the Quran, separation of church and state as an ideology, the dangers of literalism when facing religious texts, and much more. Mustafa Akyol is a senior fellow at the Cato Institute's Center for Global Liberty and Prosperity, where he focuses on the intersection of public policy, Islam, and modernity. He's contributed as an opinion writer for the New York Times since 2013, covering politics and religion in the Muslim world. Published by W. W. Norton, his 2011 book, "Islam Without Extremes: A Muslim Case for Liberty," presents a strong argument for Islamic liberalism. The book was long-listed for the Lionel Gelber Prize for best nonfiction book. It was also praised by The Financial Times as "a forthright and elegant Muslim defense of freedom." His other books include "Reopening Muslim Minds" and "The Islamic Jesus." Find Mustafa's most important book, "Reopening Muslim Minds," here https://amazon.com/Reopening-Muslim-Minds-Freedom-Tolerance His book "The Islamic Jesus," discussed in this episode, is at https://amazon.com/Islamic-Jesus-Became-Prophet-Muslims Find a free PDF of his book "Why, As a Muslim, I Defend Liberty" at https://libertarianism.org/books/why-muslim-i-defend-liberty Or visit his page at the Cato Institute: https://cato.org/people/mustafa-akyol _____ [00:00] Introduction [02:47] Regarding the separation of church and state, what do Christians and Muslims have in common? [10:36] What are some similarities between Judaism, Christianity, and Islam? [11:05] "I see the world's history, and I see a Judeo-Christian/Islamic history because it's all Abrahamic monotheism starting at Judaism." Mustafa Akyol [11:46] What the Three Abrahamic religions have in common—monotheism, rooting in the same tradition; and strange insistence on a book as the bedrock of culture [12:45] Unique ideas of religious and societal tolerance through different ages in history [21:10] The connection Jesus and Islam [28:45] What is the totalitarian impulse? [29:30] "I think it is an understatement of the severity of the totalitarian problem to attribute it merely to the religious." - Jordan Peterson [31:27] Critiquing the inevitable flaws of the purely secular state. The benefits of a higher law on the unification of people and not deifying human rulers [34:59] "There is another value in Sharia law—[it] was separate from the rulers, even above the rulers." - Mustafa Akyol [39:35] Briefly touching on the ruling class in Saudi Arabia. A brief history of the Wahhabi's rise to power, and how a group of extreme thinkers gained more power than would have been naturally possible [45:36] Bad Ideas from the West are, in fact, devastating [48:45] A modern Muslim's take on religion, power, and the birth of Islam with the prophet Muhammad [55:15] "The whole thorny moral problem of what to do when you are being oppressed is not something let's say as a species we have figured out." - JBP [01:18:51] "The inherent problem with literalism in interpretation. The perspective of the reader creates so much of the truth in this model that they can then impose on the world around them." - JBP [01:26:20] Regarding reason and Sharia law, one group has said that Sharia indicates what's inherently right and wrong in the world. Another group, that it only creates that difference through the imposition [01:27:01] Mary's role in the Quran and Islamic tradition [01:31:29] The influence of gnostic Christian gospels on Muhammad in Mustafa's opinion. The odd state of the Jewish Christians who were accepted by neither side [01:35:16] Final questions on Jesus Christ from Christian and Muslim perspectives [01:43:35] Wrapping up _____ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Conspiracy Otter Podcast Episode 12 Where were you on 9/11/2001??? You probably know 9/11 as a defining moment in your life. Our life changed, the US was hit with a series of four coordinated terrorist attacks by the Wahhabi (a “ultraconservative”, “far-right”) terrorist group Al-Qaeda on the morning of Tuesday, September 11, 2001. The attacks

Catherine Shakdam joins me this week.  Catherine is a research fellow at the Al Bayan Centre for Planning & Studies and a political analyst specializing in radical movements. She is the author of A Tale of Grand Resistance: Yemen, the Wahhabi and the House of Saud.  We discuss the differences in Middle East policy between the Trump Administration and the incoming Biden Administration and her take on this may surprise you. You can find Catherine Shakdam's recent essays at New Eastern Outlook.

This is a fascinating conversation with Krithika Varagur, author of : The Call Inside the Global Saudi Religious Project. Krithika's book touches upon Saudi Arabia's project to spread it's state religion, Wahhabi Islam, globally. Krithika explains the origins of Wahhabi, how Saudi Arabia uses wealth, statecraft and alliances (for example, with the US) to spread this type of Islam. We also discuss larger questions about how Wahhabi Islam is evolving in our era of neoliberalism, global protests and uncertainty about the future of the nation-state. For more of Krithika's work, please check out her website here: http://www.krithikavaragur.com/about You can purchase her book from Bookshop here: https://bookshop.org/books/the-call-inside-the-global-saudi-religious-project/9781733623766 Music- Blue Sky - is by Kiyoto: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC82piEoKF_rYn-Q8ZVxUpSA

Former US Vice President Joe Biden "scored a decisive victory in the South Carolina primary on Saturday, reviving his listing campaign and establishing himself as the leading contender to slow Senator Bernie Sanders as the turbulent Democratic race turns to a slew of coast-to-coast contests on Tuesday," the New York Times reported Saturday. Biden won 48.4% of the vote to Sanders' 19.9%, according to the Times. Meanwhile, "Voters in 14 states and one US territory will head to the polls Tuesday to choose between the remaining Democratic presidential candidates," The Hill reported Monday. I say remaining because former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg suspended his campaign on Sunday night, and Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) followed suit on Monday after finishing third in New Hampshire's primary and sixth in both Nevada and South Carolina.There is some very interesting and conflicting reporting on this next story. A Saturday New York Times headline reads "Taliban and US Strike Deal to Withdraw American Troops From Afghanistan." The article says, "After more than a year of talks, the agreement lays out the beginning of the end of the United States' longest war. But many obstacles remain." One of those obstacles could be what's been reported in a Monday AFP story entitled "Taliban end partial truce as Afghan violence resumes." The article states, "A deadly blast shattered a period of relative calm in Afghanistan on Monday and the Taliban ordered fighters to resume operations against Afghan forces just two days after signing a deal to usher in peace." What's going on in Afghanistan?On Sunday, officials reported the first cases of the COVID-19 coronavirus in New York, Rhode Island and Florida, which declared a public health emergency. The outbreak continues to grow quickly in countries around the world. What are the latest developments and concerns? "In South Korea, Iran, Italy, France, Germany and now the United States, health officials are trying to stem the growing coronavirus epidemic, tracing all those who had come into contact with infected patients, even as they struggled to get a handle on how far the virus had spread," the New York Times reported Monday. "To date, the American authorities have reported a total of 96 cases nationwide, with six fatalities. But a genetic analysis of the virus in Washington State, where the deaths occurred, suggested that the illness could have been spreading within the community for as long as six weeks before the first case was detected."GUESTS:Dr. Jack Rasmus — Professor of economics at Saint Mary's College of California and author of "Central Bankers at the End of Their Ropes: Monetary Policy and the Coming Depression." He also writes at jackrasmus.com.John Ross — Senior fellow of the Chongyang Institute at Renmin University of China.Elisabeth Myers — Former editor-in-chief of Inside Arabia. Catherine Shakdam — Political commentator and analyst focusing on the Middle East, and the author of "A Tale of Grand Resistance: Yemen, the Wahhabi and the House of Saud."

On Wednesday night, the Democratic presidential hopefuls will debate in Las Vegas, Nevada. Now that former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg has joined the fray, what should we pay attention to? Based upon his campaign, US Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) has moved quite comfortably into the front-runner's position. Based upon his campaign ads Bloomberg has become the man of the hour. What should people look for when they watch the Nevada debate?"Healthcare workers are launching union drives and organizing protests across the US for better pay and working conditions," the Guardian reported Monday, while a Tuesday Common Dreams headline reads: "Walmart Workers Demand Fair Pay and Hours at Protest Outside Alice Walton's Penthouse as Retail Giant Cuts Jobs." All of this comes while we are being told that the US' 2.3% economic growth in 2019 was a solid performance. What's going on here?UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson "should block attempts to extradite Julian Assange to the US, say two Australian MPs who visited the Wikileaks founder in prison, describing him afterwards as 'a man under enormous pressure' and whose health and mental health had deteriorated," the Guardian reported Tuesday. "Andrew Wilkie, an independent federal MP and the co-chair of the Bring Julian Assange Home parliamentary group, who joined [Liberal National MP George] Christensen in London, told a press conference in London on Tuesday morning that the extradition of Assange, who has been charged by the US with conspiring to hack into a secret Pentagon computer network, would set a dangerous precedent. 'This will establish a precedent that if you are a journalist who does anything that offends any government in the world then you face the very real prospect of being extradited to that country,' he said. 'This is a political case, and what is at stake is not just the life of Julian Assange. It is about the future of journalism.'"GUESTS:Richard Lachmann — American sociologist, specialist in comparative historical sociology and professor at the State University of New York at Albany. Lachmann is best known as the author of the book "Capitalists in Spite of Themselves," which has been awarded several prizes, including the American Sociological Association Distinguished Scholarly Book Award. Dr. Jack Rasmus — Professor of economics at Saint Mary's College of California and author of "Central Bankers at the End of Their Ropes: Monetary Policy and the Coming Depression." He also writes at jackrasmus.com. Catherine Shakdam — Political commentator and analyst focusing on the Middle East, and the author of "A Tale of Grand Resistance: Yemen, the Wahhabi and the House of Saud."

- Touching upon the Wahhabi accusation of Shi'as exaggerating the status of ‘Ali and Fāṭima, while, on the other hand, we see them degrading their status. And they project themselves as those who represent the original Islam, Salafis. - Example of the name of Ali, how it was a common practice for the Ahle Sunnah to use radhi ullahu anhu for companions, but karam ullahu wajhu for Ali, reflecting his special status, that he never worshipped idols - Today, Salafis openly discourage this and 'a.s.' for Ali, insisting on equal treatment of all sahabah, despite Allah's statement in 32:18 - Sharing proofs from Sunni historians from the early days to the 10th century, using this title for Ali - Discussing various Qur'anic verses supporting the qualities of a mu'min, which Ali fit - Similar examples of 'a.s.' used in print editions of Sahih Bukhari for the first 4 Imams, Al-Bukhari mentioning 'a.s.' 26 times when referring to Bibi Fatima - Call for all Muslims to visit the original, true Islam, and give the honor and respect that is due to the Ahlul Bayt MP3: https://f001.backblazeb2.com/file/Jaffari/Fridays/FridayKhutba_Rizvi_2020-01-31_13-03-10.mp3 Youtube: https://youtu.be/gHXahr2r1kc Friday Juma Khutba Recited By: Maulana Syed Muhammad Rizvi Date: January 31, 2020 https://youtube.com/islamicentre https://anchor.fm/islamicentre https://facebook.com/IslamiCentre.org https://islamicentre.org https://facebook.com/sayyidmrizvi https://instagram.com/sayyidmrizvi https://twitter.com/sayyidmrizvi

Friday prayer with Imam Asi 12-13-2019 Wahhabi Divisiveness

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was indicted Thursday on charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust. He has previously called the cases against him a politically motivated "witch hunt" by the media and the left, and he has denied doing anything wrong. Netanyahu is currently serving as a caretaker prime minister, as neither he nor his main rival Benny Gantz has been able to form a majority government in the wake of Israel's September elections, the second round of ballots cast this year. There now remain 21 days in which any Knesset member could assemble a coalition and become prime minister, but if no one does, the country will return again to the polls. The Democratic presidential candidates are weighing in on the impeachment inquiry into US President Donald Trump. At Wednesday night's debate in Atlanta, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders said the president must be held accountable for wrongdoing, and that no one is above the law. Former Vice President Joe Biden added, however, that Democratic supporters should not chant "lock him up" during rallies, and argued that it's time to start bringing the American people together. The debate also covered economic policy. Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren defended her call for a 2% wealth tax, saying the US government is working very well for millionaires and billionaires but not for average Americans. However, New Jersey Senator Cory Booker said a wealth tax is not the answer, arguing that the tax system must be reformed to become more equitable. Warren said she is "tired of freeloading billionaires."A former official with the National Security Council says she was surprised and concerned when she found out that US Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland was overseeing Ukraine policy. Testifying in a House of Representatives impeachment hearing on Thursday, Fiona Hill said there had been "no directive" about Sondland and added, "We hadn't been told this." She noted that Sondland told her that Trump had put him in charge of Ukraine. Hill said Sondland was involved in a "domestic political errand." Sondland testified Wednesday that he and other administration officials pressured the Ukrainian government to publicly launch an investigation of the Bidens, and that he acted at the direction of the president, whose wishes were communicated through his lawyer, Rudy Giuliani. Hill also expressed concerns about Giuliani's unofficial diplomatic efforts in Ukraine. GUESTS:Robert Fantina — Pro-Palestine activist, peace and human rights leader, journalist and author of "Essays on Palestine." Catherine Shakdam — Political commentator and analyst focusing on the Middle East, and the author of "A Tale of Grand Resistance: Yemen, the Wahhabi and the House of Saud."Eugene Craig III — Republican strategist, former vice-chair of the Maryland Republican Party and grassroots activist.Lee Stranahan — Co-host of Fault Lines on Sputnik News Radio.

Conférence de Chanfi Ahmed (Humboldt University-Berlin) - Le 8 octobre 2019. 
Professeur invité de l'EHESS, Chaire sécable de l’IISMM, dans le cadre du séminaire "Regards croisés sur la mystique musulmane"
 "La grande contribution des ulama ouest-africains, ceux du mouvement égyptien Ansar al-Sunna et ceux du mouvement indien Ahl al-Hadith dans la diffusion du Salafisme" Dans ma discussion, je montrerai comment les ulama originaires de l’Afrique de l’Ouest, ceux du mouvement Ahl al-Hadith en Asie du Sud et ceux du Ansar al-Sunna al-Muhammadiyya en Égypte se sont réunis au sein du Dar al-Hadith à Médine et dans la branche de celui-ci à la Mecque afin d'enseigner la doctrine salafi et, par là-même, de soutenir donc le régime d'Ibn Saud peu après que ce dernier eut conquis le Hijaz en 1926. Ce faisant, je montrerai le rôle joué par le Dar al-Hadith au début du régime d’Ibn Saud dans la diffusion de l’enseignement salafi-wahhabi dans les mosquées d’al-Haramayn (la Mecque et Médine) et dans les premiers établissements d’enseignement en Arabie saudite. Ainsi, ma contribution va à l’encontre de l'idée communément partagée selon laquelle la doctrine salafi-wahhabi est exclusivement saudienne et n’a été propagée que par des ulama saudiens, en particulier des ulama du Najd (région du centre de l'Arabie Saudite où est issu Muhammad bin Abd al-Wahhab, le fondateur du Wahhabisme), car, comme je viens de le mentionner, la doctrine salafi-wahhabi d’Ibn Saud a été, dès le début, soutenue et propagée, à l'intérieur comme à l'extérieur de l'Arabie, par des ulama de toutes les régions du monde musulman. Cela montre que le projet d'Ibn Saud (du moins sa partie religieuse) a été compris par ces ulama comme étant un projet de l’ensemble de l’Umma musulmane. Et c'était, bien entendu, en ces termes qu'Ibn Saud le présentait à ces ulama. Et ce fut probablement l'une des raisons (parmi d'autres) de son succès. https://www.ehess.fr/fr/personne/chanfi-ahmed

TESTO DELL'ARTICOLO ➜ http://www.bastabugie.it/it/articoli.php?id=5810I SAUDITI HANNO DIFFUSO L'ESTREMISMO MUSULMANO NEL MONDO di Rino CammilleriNell'anno 851 un famoso erudito arabo, Nuaym bin Hammad, compilò il Kitab al-Fitan, una raccolta di hadith (detti di Maometto e del suo genero Alì) nella quale si può leggere questa singolare profezia: «Se vedi le bandiere nere resta dove sei e non muovere le mani o i piedi. Verrà a te una gente che è debole e non ha alcuna capacità, i loro cuori sono come blocchi di ferro. È la gente dello Stato, essi non rispettano le promesse né i trattati. Parlano di verità ma non la possiedono. I loro cognomi sono nomi di città e i loro capelli sono sciolti come quelli delle donne. Combatteranno fra loro, poi Allah porterà la verità».Terence Ward, nel suo Il Codice Wahhabi. Come i sauditi hanno diffuso l'estremismo nel mondo (Lef, pp. 130, € 14), fa notare che l'attuale capo dell'Isis («Stato» islamico) si chiama al-Baghdadi: un nome di città come cognome. Pare che negli ultimi quarant'anni l'Arabia Saudita abbia speso più di dieci miliardi di dollari per diffondere la dottrina wahhabita nel mondo sunnita, tra il 15 e il 20% della somma sarebbe andata ai jihadisti. Fino a poco tempo fa in Arabia erano vietati i minareti e i simboli funerari, chi non partecipava alla preghiera veniva flagellato.Si parte dal 1703, anno di nascita di Mohammed ibn abd al-Wahhab, che ancor giovane prese a percorrere la penisola arabica predicando il ritorno alla purezza delle origini. Visto il suo successo, nel 1744 l'emiro di Diriyah, Muhammad bin Saud, stipulò un patto di ferro con lui e da allora la dinastia dei Saud fu wahhabita.L'UNICITÀ ASSOLUTA DI ALLAHIl wahhabismo proclamava l'unicità assoluta di Allah e condannava la venerazione di qualunque intermediario, fosse pure il Profeta. Poiché era invalsa tra i musulmani l'abitudine ai pellegrinaggi alle tombe dei «santi» islamici, Wahhab le fece distruggere tutte. E ancora oggi è in pericolo la stessa tomba di Maometto a Medina, veneratissima dagli sciiti. I quali venerano anche Hussein, nipote del Profeta e «martire». La cui tomba a Kerbala, in Iraq, fu distrutta dal secondo Saud, Abdul-Aziz bin Muhammad, che nel 1802 attaccò la città con un'armata di diecimila wahhabiti e ne massacrò la popolazione. I wahhabiti continuarono a «purificare» la penisola uccidendo i maschi kafiri (secondo loro, seguaci di pratiche pagane) e riducendo in schiavitù donne e bambini fino a quando, nel 1813, il sultano d'Egitto, Muhammed Ali (come si vede non c'è molta varietà nei nomi propri), mandò l'esercito a ricacciarli nel deserto. Qui rimasero fino al 1902, anno in cui un altro Saud, Abdul Aziz, li riunì sotto la sua guida e diede vita alla «fratellanza (ikhwan) wahhabita», che si impegnò nell'indottrinamento dei beduini del deserto. Nel 1924 un poderoso esercito wahhabita conquistò La Mecca e Medina, cancellando ogni traccia di islam che non fosse rigorosamente «salafita» (la pretesa purezza della prima generazione di musulmani). Ma il capo Saud commise l'errore di dotarsi di telegrafo, telefono e automobile, cosa che al clero integralista parve intollerabile.MISSIONE WAHHABINel 1926 si venne dunque allo scontro aperto, che il Saud risolse con pugno di ferro. Da allora l'alleanza tra la famiglia reale saudita e il wahhabismo è stata fragile, e per restare al potere i Saud dovettero cedere al clero il totale controllo sulla religione. Ci vollero interminabili dibattiti per ammettere nel regno la moneta cartacea, nel 1951. E altri undici anni per l'abolizione ufficiale della schiavitù. Ma l'equilibrio restava precario.Negli anni Settanta l'idea: il ministero degli affari islamici, grazie ai proventi stellari del petrolio, lanciò la «Missione Wahhabi» (Dawah Wahhabiya) per diffondere il verbo wahhabita nel mondo. Così, enti benefici islamici presero a fondare moschee e madrase (scuole wahhabite) dappertutto, mentre torme di volontari supportavano il jihad contro il regime comunista in Afghanistan. Ma i rapporti tra dinastia e movimento wahhabita rimasero in bilico. Nel 1979 militanti wahhabiti arrivarono a occupare la Grande Moschea della Mecca in contestazione dei Saud. I quali aggravarono le cose nel 1991 permettendo l'installazione di 15.000 soldati americani nella penisola arabica.Il saudita Osama bin Laden creò al-Qaeda e nel 2001 attaccò le Torri Gemelle di New York. Il resto è cronaca.

Sunni, Wahhabi, Shia, Sufi, Ismaili, Ahmadiyya, Twelvers. Will the true Muslim please stand up? What makes a Muslim? What are the implications of non-Muslims declaring what is "true" Islam? Also, a review of President Trump's religious freedom declaration at the United Nations.

Catherine Shakdam, my guest this week,is a geopolitical analyst and commentator on the Middle East with a special focus on Yemen and the Gulf countries, and was recently named head of the Yemen Unit at the Next Century Foundation in the UK. She writes for Citizen Truth, New Eastern Outlook, Huffington Post, the website of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and the Katehon think tank, among others.  She is the author of a number of books including “A Tale of Grand Resistance: Yemen, the Wahhabi, and the House of Saud”, “Arabia’s Rising: Under The Banner of the First Imam”, and “From Mecca to the plain of Karbala”.  Her website is http://www.catherine-shakdam.com/ In this broadcast, we discuss her recent article “How Yemen’s War Stands to Redefine the Region’s Future” in New Eastern Outlook. Since the topics we discussed are complex, I am providing a full transcript below. Charles: Catherine, you've just taken a new position at the Next Century Foundation. Maybe you can tell us a little bit about the foundation and what your role is there Catherine: Sure. The Next Century Foundation is essentially a peace building organization. So we are a think tank, and we are particularly interested in curating good and healthy relationship between different actors in the Middle East, but not just the Middle East , some of our interests extend to Africa, and I'm serving as the head of the Yemen unit.  We have launched a peace initiative recently, and what we're trying to do, because people tend to get a little bit confused when I say peace initiative, they just assume that we have those ambitions, thinking that we can actually broker peace in Yemen and bring everybody to the table. That is not what we are trying to do. What we're trying to do is act as a soundboard for all the different local and regional actors.  The team and the think tank in general has enough gravitas and enough connections across the Middle East to force certain conversations, and maybe gently nudge people to look at the conflict a bit differently, and to act as advisors as well, to try to find some kind of common ground and some consensus as to what needs to happen in Yemen in order to not launch the region into complete disarray.  If there is a consensus about one thing, it is that things cannot continue as they are, and if they do, we will face hell. And when I say we, I mean not just the immediate region, but the international community because Yemen is a very sensitive country by its geography. And if we don't want to see a repeat of Afghanistan, Libya or potentially something worse, we need to really get things together now. The humanitarian catastrophe is just one of the areas where we could see things devolve quite rapidly into an ugly, ugly vacuum of we don't know what, and I don't like not knowing what could happen when it comes to politics. We try to avoid black swans, and I think that Yemen is fast becoming one. We don't want to get suddenly blindsided and then say, "Oops, we didn't see that coming". So this is what we are trying to do. We're trying to reassess the situation differently in that we're trying to look at Yemen not from the who's right/who's wrong perspective, but rather how can we make sure that all the parties get something and that the people are offered a good future. We want to be there for the Yemenis, not so much for their political parties or the various factions involved in this war. We want Yemen to get a chance at being reconstructed and people getting out of poverty and away from the humanitarian crisis they're facing right now. This is our view because we don't want to be political. We don't want to defend one party or the other. We just want Yemen to be offered the chance to decide what it wants for its future. Charles: Excellent. I want to get back to that a little bit later, but certainly Yemen is in the news. Of course, the latest thing is this bombing of a Saudi Aramco facility that's in the empty quarter of Saudi Arabia. So we have the rebels in Yemen saying that they are responsible. We have the US saying that Iran is responsible and of course, Iran says is not responsible. What's your take on this particular event and what is going on? Catherine: I need to back up a little bit. If you recall, this is not the first time that the Houthis have claimed an attack on Saudi Arabia, or even on the Emirates for that matter. A few weeks ago, they, there was an attack launched against Saudi Arabia and the Houthis claimed it as well. There were rumors that this attack actually came from Iraq, from one of the PMU bases in Iraq. As you know, the PMU has supported the Houthis, if not directly, at least ideologically Charles: PMU stands for Popular Mobilization Units. Catherine: The ones that were created by Ali Sistani. So ideologically, they are in line with the Houthis in that they do not like foreign boots on the ground. They do not like idea of Saudi Arabia promoting any form of terrorism, whether by way of it's war coalition or using ISIS or al-Qaida elements, etc. It's not difficult to imagine that there would be an alliance of sorts between the PMU and the Houthis because essentially they are quite similar outfits. I mean, they are militia-ish even though now they have become somewhat legitimized by just being on the ground.  So given that there were precedents when it comes to such attacks,a lot of people are now saying that this particular attack actually came from Iraq and not from Iran. Now some other people have argued that it came from Iran, but that it came from Iran without the direct knowledge of the regime and that it could be that there are various factions within Iran and Iraq who are not particularly in alignment with what Tehran is doing and saying right now in terms of its foreign policy and how it wants to weigh in on the Yemen conflict against Saudi Arabia.  There have been different rumors, but I will say this and I think it's of importance, is that only a few weeks ago the Israelis conducted a series of attacks against the PMU bases. Now you know very well that Saudi Arabia is acting as a buffer and almost a client state to Israel. So it's interesting to see that now Israel is actually looking not at Iran so much or even Yemen, but actually looking at Iraq and the PMU in particular as its next most immediate existential threats. So I just found it interesting that there's somehow a little bit of a shift. It's a possibility that other players are coming into the Yemeni war theater and maybe the Saudis did not plan on coming in to this equation. So all I'm saying is that I could well be wrong, but Iran said they didn't and they don't have a problem taking ownership of what they do. So I would take their word for it. That being said, it's very possible that a rogue element within the regime decided to act to force their hand. Iran has it's war hawks as well. America is not the only one. There are various scenarios that we need to consider, but I wouldn't jump to conclusions too quickly. Charles: No. I heard Professor Mohammad Morandi speaking from Tehran on RT the other day making the point that the US has very major defense installations all through Iraq and in the Gulf states that one would assume would have intercepted anything coming from the direction of Iran. There were apparently Patriot missile batteries near the site of the bombing, but from whatever direction this came, it got through, which is ... Catherine: It's interesting isn't it? Because bear in mind that the Saudis have literally spent billions and billions and billions of dollars to be made safe within their borders. And Aramco is a very strategic place that they need to protect. It is a matter of national survival for them. This is their bread and butter. So the idea that drone could actually hit and not miss is actually somewhat troubling to me. And again, we need to ask the question. It's not so much as to who fired as to who would benefit from either an escalation or a disintegration of Saudi Arabia's sovereignty because an attack on Aramco is an attack on Saudi Arabia's sovereignty and Mohammed bin Salmon's direct authority because this is an extension of his power. Without the oil, he has nothing. Charles: Right, and there are probably quite a number of elements who would like to see his power diminished. Catherine: Well, yes. America could be playing Riyadh and and saying, "Oh look, this could happen, you do need to spend more money". Orit could be that someone somewhere wants to weaken Saudi Arabia, or it could be America saying she's done with Saudi Arabia and thinking, well we milked you for all you got. Maybe we want to make new friends in the region. I don't know.  Everything is possible when it comes to Donald Trump. I mean, he's not exactly very loyal to his friendships or even to the treaty that he's predicted to sign anyway. So I think anything goes right now, which is very dangerous because it's very difficult to predict what's going to happen or who did what, or on whose authority. Charles: I think one of the things that our government certainly is saying is that the Yemeni group - and maybe we should stop for a moment right here. As to the nature of the group in Yemen that is doing the fighting here, the western press tends to call them either the Houthis or more likely the Iran-backed Houthi rebels or something of that nature. Catherine: That actually infuriates me because if you want to be precise, and I understand that people want to cast a shade against your Iran and say they funded those militias in those groups across the region and they're fomenting instability. Iran is not funding them. And I mean they are not funding the Houthis for one very simple reason, they don't have the money for it. They are under sanctions, they are suffering greatly within their own borders. It doesn't make any sense whatsoever for them to fund a war in Yemen or any kind of war effort in Yemen when Yemen is not even sharing a border with them.  So if you're talking for example about Iraq, I would say yes, if you're talking about Syria, I would say yes, because it makes sense from a strategic perspective. Yemen doesn't make sense for Iran in the immediate term. And bear in mind that Iran's economy has shrunk so much that they really can't afford any kind of frivolity right now and Yemen's war would be classified under frivolity as far as the Iranian government is concerned.  Right now I think Iran is more concerned about feeding its people and ensuring that they don't end up with some kind of an unrest on their hands because people are going hungry, than actually playing with the Houthis. By the way, anyone who knows anything about Yemen, will tell you that the second you start pumping money into that country, it disappears into black holes. Yemen is really not an easy country to handle even if you have a good relationship with people there, because there's so much corruption. There are so many entanglements between the tribes and the religious factions and the political factions and the military and so on. It's very complicated and very, very expensive. And I don't think that the Iranians have time for it. So if you want to call them something, call them rebels if you want to. They're not, but you can call them that. But they're not Iran funded or Iranian backed at all. Charles: And they are at this point, the de facto government of at least part of Yemen. Catherine: Exactly and so they might want to change the adjective that they're using. The thing is the Houthis are not even technically in charge of everything. It's a coalition government. So what you have is a resistance movement within which you have the Houthis and you have -- I mean, look, if you look at the war, the war has lasted for four years now. It would be ridiculous to think that the Houthi who by the way account for about two to five thousand men tops because they're from one city inside the northern province of Yemen. There are not that many. They're not even a tribe technically, they're just a movement,okay? They have about five thousand fighters. So you're telling me that five thousand people for four years have managed to push against several military super powers, including Saudi Arabia? Come on. They were helped by the military in Yemen, which is by the way, loyal to the former president, Ali Abdullah Saleh. They aren't exactly pro-Houthi they just understand that they have to align themselves with the Houthis right now because they need all the help they can get to prevent foreign boots to bridge into their country. So it's really just an act of self defense and you have various factions who maybe don't like each other very much. but who right now have to make do because someone is batting them on the head. So they have to be friends right now. But people need to stop thinking that this war in Yemen is being led by the Houthis, they are just part of it. But it's easier again for the media to demonize an entire country by saying, “Oh, the bad Shi'a rebel Houthis, who are backed by the bad, bad Iran people”. No, it's not the case and it's, trust me, there's not even one Iranian boot on the ground in Yemen, you would like to think that they would send a few just to keep an eye on their interest. I mean, they've done it in Syria and in Iraq. Why not in Yemen? If they are in fact there but they're not! Otherwise trust me, you would have pictures everywhere of Iranian generals leading the show and the Saudis would say see, see we told you they were there. They're not there. People need to get over it. Charles: Exactly. We don't hear that at all in the western press at this point. Catherine: Because they don't know Yemen. I'm not berating the journalists, but they need to do a bit more research when they cover Yemen. Yemen is complicated. I mean, take the time to research the country for God’s sake before you start slapping adjectives on people. Charles: Right. I think they just take the State Department press releases. Catherine: In this case, if they want it to be balanced, then when they talk about President Hadi, for example, they should say “Former undemocratically elected Sunni-borderline-Wahabi president who resigned twice then ran away from his country to ask a foreign power to declare war on his people.” - if you want it to be accurate. And I don't see anyone saying stuff like that. When they talk about the Saudis, do they say “The Wahhabi regime of Saudi Arabia”? No. So why do they have to say “the rebels”,the “Shi'a fighters”. Let's be balanced. Why don't you call them for what they are as well. If you want to do the sectarian game, play to the end. Charles: Great. Only this morning, I read an article of yours in the New Eastern Outlook. In that article you said that Yemen's war is now precipitating a profound geopolitical shift in the region. So maybe you can expound on that a little bit. Catherine: Well, it's complicated. But I'm going back to what I was saying about the Iraqis having entered the war theater. And you need to understand that when we talk about the Middle East, we have to talk about the Islamic World, and when we talk about the Islamic world, we need to understand that there are various schools of thoughts within Islam, and that those schools of thought have been in competition with one another for centuries. And this is not something that's going to go away anytime soon. And for people who say that, oh, it doesn't really matter, people love each other and respect each other, it's simply not true. People are competing for power. And we know it to be true,that people, including clerics will use religion as a means to gain more power and to justify their actions. For the longest time, the Shi'ite Islamic world has been oppressed and its voice repressed by the Sunni world. This is not an accusation. This is just a historical fact, and that has been the case for centuries and centuries, 1,500 years, more or less, during which Shi'a have been systematically oppressed and they were never really given any political platform of their own. Now the war in Iraq changed that dramatically because suddenly this silent majority, the Shi'a majority in Iraq was suddenly given a platform and they formed a political polity and not they run the country but they are part of the government and they are a very heavy part of the government by the demographic of Iraq. And I think that the little movements that started in Lebanon with Hezbollah, for example, resistance movements that were essentially created on the back of Iran's 1979 revolution ,who were following a very revolutionary ideal. Ayatollah Khomeini was basically telling people that they had to resist any form of oppression, whether foreign or national oppression by their leaders, to embrace political self-determination and decide what is it that they wanted for themselves. He molded his political thoughts on Shi'a Islam and that gave in Iran the governance of the jurists. Now we know that this model of governance cannot be exported anywhere else but Iran, for the very simple reason that you need to have a very large majority Shi'a population for this form of government to even work or even be accepted by the people. So you could not do this, for example, in Lebanon, you cannot do this in Syria. You cannot do this in Yemen, you cannot do this in Iraq. And I think that everyone understands that. So when people were saying Iran is trying to export its revolution - No! It was trying to export an ideal , a political ideal that can then take any shape or form depending on the country's history and demographics.  Now, and this is important, in Iraq, right about the same time as Ayatollah Khomeini was formulating his system of governance, it was Sayyid Muhammad Baqir al-Sadr who came up with something called Wilayat al Umma, which is the governance of the people. So rather than have the governance of the jurists, he wanted the people to have sovereignty. He wanted the source of power to come from the people. And that formula was adopted by the Da'wah party in Iraq. The Da'wah party was very largely funded by Iran at the very beginning in the 1970s. For obvious reasons, Iran was not particularly friendly to Saddam Hussein and Iran was more than happy to try to boost Shi'a revival movements next door because, there was this sense of brotherhood almost. I mean they wanted to help shape Shi'a political thought. They started off as friends, but naturally things evolve, things change. You could be friend on Monday and then on Friday you're going to be not enemies, but you're going to be competing for space.You're gonna be competing for power.  And I think the Da'wah party now is looking to stamp its own political thought, not just in Iraq but across the Middle East because it can export its ideology. Something that Iran cannot do because of the nature of the system of governance that it's promoting. You can promote the governance of the people more easily than that of the jurists because that would imply that the entire state has to be absolutely Shi'a. With Wilayat al Umma, it's a very different political formula. So that could be adapted to a great many different countries in the Middle East, and I think this is why Yemen has become so important because Yemen does not want to have an Iranian model. However, now it's paying attention to the Iraqi model because it's thinking, okay,that we could do. And of course as far as the Da'wah party is concerned, that would be a tremendous, tremendous win. Bear in mind as well, the Da'wah party is quite close to the Ayatollah Sistani camp. And I don't know if you're familiar with the way that Shi'a Islam is organized, but you have Maraji, which are the equivalent of the pope and each Maraji gives his own religious jurisprudence that people may choose to abide by and follow. So it's almost an allegiance that people make to a particular cleric saying, I'm going to follow you and whatever religious edicts that you're going to issue. I'm going to listen to you and only you. Now if you look, we have about 300 million Shi'a Muslims across the world spread out everywhere. About 70% of those follow Ayatollah Sistani. They do not follow Ayatollah Khamenei. Ayatollah Khamenei is the head of state of Iran and within Iran itself, you actually have a majority of Iranians following Ayatollah Sistani for their religious advice as opposed to Ayatollah Khamenei. So Ayatollah Sistani has much more power religiously speaking in numbers than Ayatollah Khamenei, and I think that this is giving a few people a few ideas because they are thinking, there is one top power here. And you have to understand that generally speaking, there is competition between the Sunni world and the Shi'a world. I'm not saying that they're trying to start a war because I don't think that's what they're trying to do. What they're trying to do is to operate, to shift -- for centuries that they were told to shut up and be quiet and not move and be oppressed and like it because nothing's going to change. Now they want to have a say in what happens in the region and create a network that will immobilize the likes of Saudi Arabia because if you look at Pakistan and India for example, there are more Shi'a Muslims in India than there are in Iran, and those Shi'a Muslims follow Ayatollah Sistani and no one else. So it's interesting to see that Najaf could potentially wield something like 100 million people to its name, which is not negligible. Those are big numbers. I think that we need to take this into account when we look at the way that Yemen is going or when we look at how allegiances are being re-formed in Lebanon, in Syria, in Iraq through the PMU .You have suddenly those little bubbles of militias being formed here and there. And those little bubbles are coming together and they're forming bigger bubbles. And I think, and I actually wrote this years ago, that we are seeing before our eyes, the formation of the pan-Arab-Shi'a-Islamic revival movement. Something similar to what we saw in the 1950's with Abdul Nassar, where it was born in Egypt but exported everywhere in the Middle East. And it was a very powerful movement. I think we see these being created from Najaf and not from Tehran, which is interesting again, because everybody is barking at Tehran and Tehran is not doing anything. Tehran is actually trying to stabilize the region and grow its economy. It doesn't need more territory. It doesn't need to have more political influence other than that it needs to protect itself in order to prevent any potential war or attempt to destroy its government. Charles: Well, I know it's complicated, but I think what you're saying here is, let's try to paraphrase this, kind of a loose alliance of Shi'a Muslim groups throughout the region that are beginning to put pressure on the Sunni groups that have been oppressing them, particularly at the Saudis, I would assume. Catherine: Yes. But it's not religious pressure per se. Those Shi'a communities are formulating their own political thoughts. It's coming from a place where they identify as a religious oppressed minority within the Islamic word , and they're slowly organizing themselves as a political force in order to compete against the likes of Saudi Arabia, the Gulf countries and everything. And you also need to bear in mind that, for better or for worse, often for worse, natural resources happen to be sitting under Shi'a communities across the Middle East. Qatif in Saudi Arabia is majority Shi'a and this is where the oil is, this is where Aramco is, this is what was attacked. North Yemen for example, is Shi'a territory and you know, guess what, this is why they wanted to invade it. I mean, Bahrain, all of these different countries.  And it's interesting because I'm thinking that there is a lot that is now coming to the surface because of religious subsets because of the fact that for many centuries they were politically silenced. And so they never really had time to think politically. Now they have this wealth that they are literally sitting on and they're thinking, why should we allow other people to take advantage of it or why should we be exploited? Why can't we take charge for once? So I think that all this is coming together and I do really think that Yemen exploded that because Yemen resisted. And so it gave people an idea thinking, well, if they can do it, why can't we gang up with this resistance movement that is standing up to Saudi Arabia and doing it so well? It's like vultures circling Saudi Arabia. The Saudis have left themselves completely exposed because of Yemen. And I think that the cracks that are starting to appear are being exploited by other actors, and not necessarily, as everyone seems to be thinking, Iran. I don't really think that Iran has anything to do with it because it's not in its immediate interest or not even long-term interest. It's not interested. Iran is not a colonial power. It doesn't need to be. Charles: That's true. Yeah. I think the colonial power that's sticking its nose in here, other than Israel, of course, is the United States. I think perhaps if we would reduce the number of western actors involved in this, we might come to some resolution a little quicker.   Catherine: Well, yeah, that's true. I had an interesting conversation this week with different people and I don't think that the Saudis are stupid. I think they understand that Yemen has become a very real problem for them. But they cannot change course and they will not change course until Washington tells them to, that's the problem. Because Saudi Arabia is owned. I don't think it has any real independent policy. I'm always the first one to blame Saudi Arabia when it comes to the atrocities that they committing. That being said, even though they are pulling the trigger, again decisions are not being made in Riyadh, they are being made in Washington. And so I tend to think that actually the Saudis will be the next victim. I mean, they are in a way victims here as well. This is not to take away from the horror that they're doing. I'm not excusing them in any way, shape or form. I'm just saying that again, I think we are barking at the wrong tree asking the Saudis to stop. They won't stop until the Washington says, yes, you can stop now. So I think they stuck as well. Charles: Well, I wish we had more time to talk but we're already probably a little over the time limit, and again, I always appreciate having you on the show. Catherine: Always a pleasure. Whenever you want. I'm always willing to talk. Charles: That's wonderful. Thank you.  

Neptune, Mosaïque d'Hadrumète (Sousse) mid-3rd c CE Bodhisattva Coyote presents Sufi Aikido Celtic Voodoo Radio,  on Mid-Summers Night Eve… Solo Show Ah Neptune – was ghosted by scheduled guest ally (inadvertently. He thought next day.) And 10,000 blessings waft around him, & his quintessential message.  So, gods wanted improv Solstice Show, & by Jimminy, that's what they got. Once again, we be tricked into the perfect thing. Many reported loving this show.     Our scheduled guest (future cahooting to happen at perfect time): Caroline welcomes the 3rd cahoot with Terence Ward, who grew up in Iran, Egypt, Saudi Arabia. He is author of “The Wahhabi Code: How the Saudis Spread Extremism Globally,” which exposes the birth of the Wahhabi sect in Saudi Arabia, its global mission to convert mainstream Sunni Islam, and the risks this poses for the world (Arcade Publishing, 2018). May informed narrative liberating eloquence be an antidote to tyrannical bamboozlement, that we may re-enter Arcadia on this Summer Solstice Eve. http://www.terence-idanna.com/ward-index.html Terence serves as an international trustee of World Conference of Religions for Peace—the largest interfaith organization in the world. He is a member of ISMEO (Associazione Internazionale di Studi sul Mediterraneo e l'Oriente) the prestigious Middle Eastern institute based in Rome and on the advisory board of The Markaz (formerly the Levantine Center) in Los Angeles which embraces all Middle Eastern cultures. Arcadia (Greek: Ἀρκαδία) was a region in the central Peloponnese. It took its name from the mythological character Arcas and in Greek mythology, it was the home of the god Pan. In European Renaissance arts, Arcadia was celebrated as an unspoiled, harmonious wilderness; as such, it was referenced in popular culture. (wikipedia)   Support The Visionary Activist Show on Patreon for weekly Chart & Themes ($4/month) and more… *Woof*Woof*Wanna*Play?!?* The post The Visionary Activist Show – Sufi Aikido Celtic Voodoo Radio appeared first on KPFA.

photo: World Affairs Council Dark of Moon, Ascension Day! At this ignorant, ridiculous US polarity with Iran, and delusional dangerous alliance with Saudi, Caroline hosts Terence Ward, whose splendid book, The Wahhabi Code, is the anti-dote…that (especially) Americans may have an understanding of the toxic tyranny of Wahhabism, and the liberating Medicine of Sufism. Terence Ward grew up in Saudi Arabia, Iran, and Egypt, then on to Berkeley, cross-cultural consultant, and pollinating agent, that we may feel our kinship with the beauty of Islam… Here is a recent interview about the book with Christiane Amanpour: https://edition.cnn.com/videos/tv/2018/12/21/amanpour-terence-ward-the-wahhabi-code-how-the-saudis-spread-extremism-globally.cnn Another opinion piece in CNN just published: https://edition.cnn.com/2019/05/08/opinions/saudi-arabia-shia-executions-message-ward/index.html   Support The Visionary Activist Show on Patreon for weekly Chart & Themes ($4/month) and more… *Woof*Woof*Wanna*Play?!?* The post The Visionary Activist Show – The Wahhabi Code appeared first on KPFA.

In this talk from a recent London-wide meeting of the Marxist Student Federation, Hamid Alizadeh - writer for In Defence of Marxism - discusses the rise of Islamic fundamentalism, and the links between jihadi organisations and Western imperialism. After every barbaric terrorist attack, right-wing politicians and commentators attempt to whip up the idea of a "clash of civilisations" between Muslims and the Arab world, on one side, and liberal Western democracies, on the other. But the inconvenient truth is that the ruling class in the West is behind the origins of Islamic fundamentalism as a political force. As Hamid explains, political Islamic groups like the Muslim Brotherhood were built up historically as a counter-balance to left-wing Arab nationalism in Egypt and elsewhere. In Afghanistan, meanwhile, the Taliban were originally supported by US imperialism in their fight against the Soviet Union. And the jihadi terrorism seen across the world today is an export of the reactionary Wahhabi clerics in Saudi Arabia, backed by the rotten Saudi monarchy and their imperialist paymasters. The fight against fundamentalism and terrorism today, therefore, must be linked to a revolutionary struggle against imperialism and capitalism.

I am very pleased to welcome Catherine Shakdam to the broadcast.  Catherine is a political analyst and commentator for the Middle East, fellow at Al Bayan Centre for Planning and Studies, author of A Tale of Grand Resistance - Yemen, the Wahhabi, and the House of Saud. Catherine is also the Director of Communication for the Journalist Support Committee, former consultant on Yemen for the United Nations Security Council, and PhD candidate based in London.  Catherine is also a frequent contributor to web-based news media such as New Eastern Outlook and Citizen Truth.   We talk about Saudi Arabia and the role it plays in the Middle East.  

As of Tuesday, December 11th, the Senate is poised to vote on ending US support of the war on Yemen. According to Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders:"Tomorrow, I will move to proceed to S.J. Res. 54, the resolution I have offered with Senators Lee and Murphy to end U.S. involvement in the disastrous Saudi-led war in Yemen. I am optimistic that a bipartisan coalition of senators will vote to make clear that the United States will no longer support Saudi Arabia in its incredibly destructive war. The Saudi intervention in Yemen has created the worst humanitarian disaster in the world, with millions of people facing imminent starvation. The time is long overdue for the United States to stop following the lead of Saudi Arabia, a brutal regime that recently murdered a dissident journalist and has no respect for human rights. Further, and importantly, the Senate must reassert its constitutional authority and end our support of this unauthorized and unconstitutional war." Dr. Aisha Jumaan returns to the Beloved Community to discuss the humanitarian crisis in Yemen and the latest political developments.  Dr. Jumaan is the founder and president of the Yemen Relief and Reconstruction Foundation.  (http://www.yemenfoundation.com) , a nonprofit charity organization that aims to provide relief to the people of Yemen and support peace building efforts. Professionally, Aisha has been working as an independent consultant in health related projects since April 2013.  She manages and coordinates Health funded projects in Yemen, including the Field Epidemiology Training Program (FETP). Prior to this Aisha was a consultant for CDC FETP program supporting FETP programs in the Middle East. In 2011 she helped establish the Yemen program (amid social and political unrest) in collaboration with CDC, WHO and the Ministry of Public Health and Population. Between 2008 and 2010, Aisha was the Director of the HPV vaccine project at PATH working in India, Peru, Vietnam and Uganda.  She has served as a Senior Epidemiologist for over 10 years in several divisions at CDC, including Cancer, Immunizations, Nutrition and Environmental Health.  She has been the primary investigator on several research projects and provided epidemiological and statistical technical expertise. As an Assistant Professor at both Emory University School of Public Health in the Epidemiology Department and at Sana’s University in Yemen under the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Aisha developed and taught intermediate epidemiology to graduate students as well as epidemiology and biostatistics to medical students. While in Yemen, Aisha served as a National Program Officer for the United Nations Population Fund and as a Health Program Officer for the United Nations Development Fund, supervising several major programs in collaboration with local government institutions. She developed and implemented training programs for US Peace Corps Primary Health Care Volunteers in Yemen, and has evaluated training programs for Primary Healthcare Workers for the Dutch Volunteer Organization SNV. Aisha holds a PhD in Epidemiology from the University of North Carolina, an MPH in Epidemiology from Emory University, and a BA in Biology from Mills College.

In this compelling, 5-part series, Michael Rood and Joel Richardson explore new evidence that reinforces the true location of Mt. Sinai in Saudi Arabia. This week, in a SPECIAL EDITION fifth and final episode, Joel Richardson and Michael Rood tackle the 1600-year-old myth of Mt. Sinai with undeniable, overwhelming truth from both modern archaeology and the ancient text of the Bible! Whether you’ve been studying the history of Mt. Sinai for years or you’re looking for truth for the first time, Mirage in Midian is packed full of details that will keep you on the edge of your seat! Check out all the facsinating discoveries on this week’s exciting episode of Shabbat Night Live!

In this compelling, 5-part series, Michael Rood and Joel Richardson explore new evidence that reinforces the true location of Mt. Sinai in Saudi Arabia.  This week Joel and Michael dig deeper into the scriptures and compare them with modern traditions to determine the legitimacy of traditional belief versus Biblical evidence of Mount Sinai.  Having just returned from an expedition to further explore the site, Joel Richardson brings with him fascinating, never-before-seen photographs of the pillars that form a “no trespassing” boundary around Mt. Sinai and the altar of Moses at the foot of the mountain. Whether you’ve been studying the history of Mt. Sinai for years or you’re looking for truth for the first time, Mirage in Midian is packed full of details that will keep you on the edge of your seat! Check out all the facsinating discoveries on this week’s exciting episode of Shabbat Night Live!

John Shuck speaks with Hanan Al-Zubaidy and Catherine Shakdam about his recent trip to Iraq for Arbaeen Having just returned from Iraq for Arbaeen in which over 15 million people from all over the world converged on the Holy City of Karbala, John Shuck discusses his experience and the significance of the world’s largest event with Iraqi refugee and Portland resident, Hanan Al-Zubaidy, and geo-political analyst from the U.K., Catherine Shakdam. Hanan Al-Zubaidy was instrumental in bringing the Ramadan Tent Project to the United States. Catherine Shakdam recently wrote a couple of articles about Arbaeen entitled, “Millions of Muslims, Over 60 Nations Gather to Reject Terror in Iraq” and “The Great March to Arbaeen.” Arbaeen is the largest peaceful gathering on Earth and yet hardly anyone in the United States even knows about it. While in Iraq, John Shuck and photographer, Josh Townsley, were interviewed by Shabir TV, The Iraqi Media Network (starts 1:07),  and the Imam Hussein Shrine. — Bios: Hanan Al-Zubaidy is an Iraqi refugee who moved to the United States with her family in the early 90’s. Settling in Portland Oregon, Hanan is a recent graduate of Portland State University where she earned her masters in Educational Leadership and Policy. Focusing her work on marginalized populations, Hanan is currently volunteering with Larch Correctional Facility and sits on the board Human Rights Council of Washington County. — Catherine Shakdam is a geopolitical analyst and commentator for the Middle East with a special focus on Yemen and the Gulf countries, Catherine Shakdam has been published across several prominent media outlets including: The Huffington Post, Sputnik, Citizen Truth, Press TV, The New Eastern Outlook, RT, MintPress, Ayatollah Khameini’s website, Open Democracy, the Foreign Policy Journal,  The Duran, The American Herald Tribune, Katehon, and many more. Catherine has been instrumental in breaking media silence over Yemen’s war, and the tragedy which has befallen the impoverished nation.  In 2015 she authored: Arabia’s Rising – Under The Banner Of The First Imam. In 2016 she authored A Tale Of Grand Resistance – Yemen, the Wahhabi, and the House of Saud and From Mecca to Karbala – Walking with the Holy household of the Prophet  

In this compelling, 5-part series, Michael Rood and Joel Richardson explore new evidence that reinforces the true location of Mt. Sinai in Saudi Arabia.  This week Joel takes us down the mountain as he shares more amazing discoveries that give hard evidence towards proving that this mountain was visited by Moses and the Israelites. Having just returned from an expedition to further explore the site, Joel Richardson brings with him fascinating, never-before-seen photographs of the pillars that form a “no trespassing” boundary around Mt. Sinai and the altar of Moses at the foot of the mountain. Whether you’ve been studying the history of Mt. Sinai for years or you’re looking for truth for the first time, Mirage in Midian is packed full of details that will keep you on the edge of your seat! Check out all the facsinating discoveries on this week’s exciting episode of Shabbat Night Live!

In this compelling, 5-part series, Michael Rood and Joel Richardson explore new evidence that reinforces the true location of Mt. Sinai in Saudi Arabia.  In this episode, Joel takes us along on the adventure of a lifetime as he shares his experience and discoveries upon first arriving at the mountain.. Having just returned from an expedition to further explore the site, Joel Richardson brings with him fascinating, never-before-seen photographs of the pillars that form a “no trespassing” boundary around Mt. Sinai and the altar of Moses at the foot of the mountain.

In this compelling, 5-part series, Michael Rood and Joel Richardson explore new evidence that reinforces the true location of Mt. Sinai in Saudi Arabia. Having just returned from an expedition to further explore the site, Joel Richardson brings with him fascinating, never-before-seen photographs of the pillars that form a “no trespassing” boundary around Mt. Sinai and the altar of Moses at the foot of the mountain. Whether you’ve been studying the history of Mt. Sinai for years or you’re looking for truth for the first time, Mirage in Midian is packed full of details that will keep you on the edge of your seat! Check out all the facsinating discoveries on this week’s exciting episode of Shabbat Night Live!

This story goes all the way back to 1744, when the ambitious but unremarkable clan of al-Saud, one of many clans that divided up the vast Arabian desert, allied with a puritanical fundamentalist named Muhammed ibn al-Wahhab. The al-Saud clan allied with Wahhab and his followers, known as Wahhabis, who in their fervor could fight as well as preach. The deal was simple: the Wahhabis would help the al-Sauds expand through conquest from a tiny sliver in the Arabian peninsula's central desert to a vast empire, and in return the al-Sauds would adopt Wahhabism as official policy. It worked. The Saudi empire collapsed in 1818, defeated by the much stronger Ottoman Empire, which seized much of the Arabian peninsula for itself. But Wahhabist Islam had taken root, and the Wahhabis and the al-Sauds maintained their strategic alliance from 1744 through today. Because Saudi rulers need the Wahhabis' support to stay in power. They need their loyalty, they need the civil society that the Wahhabi clerical establishment creates, and they also need the ideological justification for the vast, young, and in many ways artificial Saudi empire. When Abdulaziz al-Saud - (the founder of SAUDIA ARABIA) - was born, in 1876, the area we today know as Saudi Arabia was a patchwork of tribal leaders, many of them loyal to the Ottoman Empire or, later, the British Empire. Abdulaziz wanted to restore his family's former empire. He knew that, like his forefathers, he would need the help of the Wahhabis and the zeal they brought to the battlefield. So he formed a band of quasi-renegade fundamentalist militias known as the Ikhwan, or brothers. As before, the deal was simple: the Ikhwan would fight on behalf of al-Saud, and in exchange could impose their ultra-conservative Islam on whomever they conquered. By the late 1920s, al-Saud and the Ikhwan had conquered most of today's Saudi Arabia. Al-Saud, a pious Muslim but also a forward-thinkin

I speak with Graeme Wood, author of 'The Way of the Strangers: Encounters with the Islamic State.' Graeme clarifies terms such as "Wahhabi, Salafi, Jihadi", and what they mean to ISIS. We also talk about the religiosity of ISIS and the western reaction to it. Follow Graeme Wood https://twitter.com/gcaw Contribute on Patreon patreon.com/lalodagach Podcast available on YouTube youtube.com/lalodagachpodcast Also available iTunes, Stitcher, GooglePlay and TuneIn Follow Lalo Dagach twitter.com/LaloDagach facebook.com/lalodagachpage

This is the podcast version of a live broadcast that aired January 12th on KBOO/Portland.  John Shuck spoke with Catherine Shakdam, Scott Bennett, and Aisha Jumaan.  They will be three of the headliners at a conference taking place at Portland State University on February 3rd, entitled, "U.S. - Saudi Coalition: Bringing Peace or War?" The conference is hosted by Roots of Conflict.  Joining John in the studio was Hanan Alzubaidy and Manijeh Mehrnoosh, who are hosting the conference.-- Catherine Shakdam has been instrumental in breaking media silence over Yemen’s war.  She is the author of Arabia’s Rising – Under The Banner Of The First Imam, A Tale Of Grand Resistance – Yemen, the Wahhabi, and the House of Saud, and From Mecca to Karbala – Walking with the Holy household of the Prophet. Scott Bennett is a former US Psychological Operations-Counterterrorism Analyst. He is a whistleblower and the author of Shell Game: A Military Whistleblowing Report to Congress.  Aisha Jumaan is a public-health specialist working as a consultant on heath-related projects in Yemen. Jumaan worked at PATH directing their HPV vaccine project from 2008-2010; at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention from 1995-2008; and as a CDC consultant from 2010-2012.

Women in Saudi Arabia will be allowed to drive as of June 2018. What was regarded with disdain, irony and, almost derision by the world's press, was hailed as a much-awaited reckoning in Saudi, as it should be. The issue is less the need for women to start practicing their ‘fast & fury' routine on the roads and highways of Saudi, but one of individual freedom. The freedom of movement and of choice which, has started more than 50 years ago by a succession of reformist Saudi monarchs. What kept women away from the steering wheel since the inception of Saudi Arabia was not Islam but rather a conservative, Bedouin, Arab culture that had little interactions with the outside world for centuries. Add to that, a group of firebrand scholars who interpreted the verses of the Koran with a narrow, ultra-conservative Wahhabi prism. This reclusive culture was suddenly face to face with the world preying inside its daily life due to the discovery of oil in 1938. However, why Saudi alone from all other Arab and Muslim countries applied such a ban and other similar restrictions on individuals? The answer could be found in part in the political and legal isolation that Saudi has experienced for hundreds of years. Roman legions invaded parts of the Middle East from Tunisia to Alexandria, but never set foot in the Arabian desert. The Moguls and Tatars did not attempt to conquer these sandy dunes, nor did the Crusaders maraud in such vicinity. Even the Ottoman Empire was selfishly interested in Mecca only, in order to legitimize its dubious claims to the Caliphate that was anyway exercised from distant Istanbul. After World War II, Britain and France exited from most of their colonial dominions. Again, Saudi, was never part of any colonial territory, or subject to a foreign mandate by the Society of Nations (the U.N.'s predecessor). Hence, as far as the law of the land was concerned, common law and the civil code never took roots in Saudi in parallel with Sharia law, as opposed to Yemen, Egypt, Iraq, the Levant and Maghreb. But again, Islam does not condone a ban on driving, or a veil for women for that matter, as argued ad nauseam by waves of reformist jurists such as Mohammad Abduh, Grand Mufti of Egypt in 1899. So, Saudi being  politically distant from the rest of its regional environment, remained true to strict interpretation of Sharia law in a society beholden to old tribal customs, which kept women segregated. The discovery of oil brought American oil companies, and soon the world's flood of goods and services -from Coca Cola to Cadillacs- followed. In the early days of the kingdom, Saudi clerics who refused to use the telephone –claiming it was a Satanic instrument- were forced to do so by a reformist and charismatic leader. To make them accept this new tool of communication, King Abdul Aziz asked the caller on the other end of the phone to recite verses from the Koran. Only then, did the clerics admit its usage. Today Saudi has one of the highest per capita viewers of YouTube and mobile phone owners. Women's education was also brought down by royal decree in the days of another reformist monarch: King Faisal who ushered the right for girls to receive education. Under Faisal's rule, schools for girls were first opened in the kingdom in 1960. The policy was very unpopular with the clerical establishment, who believed that women should remain at home and without the benefits of any kind of formal education. Without this move education for Saudi women would not be what it is today, and the setback would have cost Saudi dearly. In 2015, women in Saudi Arabia have cast their first votes in the country's municipal elections. A total of 978 women have registered as candidates, alongside 5,938 men. This historic decision to allow women to vote was also taken via decree by a reformist King, late King Abdullah and is a key part of his legacy to the kingdom. King Salman, counseled no doubt by the reform-oriented crown prince,

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker is joined by Massoud Shadjareh, co-founder of the Islamic Human Rights Commission.Donald Trump is taking sides in the dispute between Qatar and the rest of the Gulf monarchies, slamming Qatar in an early morning series of tweets -- but is siding with Saudi Arabia a sign of hypocrisy given Riyadh's support of Wahhabi extremism? Is Daesh on its last legs in Syria? The Syrian Democratic Forces have started their push on the city of Raqqa as the Syrian Arab Army also enters the province, liberating six villages. Kani Xulam, executive director of the American-Kurdish Information Network, joins the show. The CIA, under Donald Trump’s tenure, has appointed the notorious officer who oversaw the agency’s drone strike program, and was a major player in the CIA detention and torture campaign during the George W. Bush years, as the new head of its Iran operations, signalling an even more belligerent posture towards the country. Ray McGovern, former CIA analyst and activist, joins Brian.

Trump, Saudi king, Egypt's leaders all place their hands on this strange glowing orb that has social media blown up. Trump makes an agreement with Saudi Arabia kingdom for a united military project that is projected to build jobs. The same Saudi Arabia that finances extremist Jihadist groups like Wahhabi. Trump meets with Muslim leaders, Jewish Leader, and Catholic leader. Is this some effort to bring religions together?

Trump, Saudi king, Egypt's leaders all place their hands on this strange glowing orb that has social media blown up. Trump makes an agreement with Saudi Arabia kingdom for a united military project that is projected to build jobs. The same Saudi Arabia that finances extremist Jihadist groups like Wahhabi. Trump meets with Muslim leaders, Jewish Leader, and Catholic leader. Is this some effort to bring religions together?

McAlvany Weekly Commentary About this week's show: Kamran Bokhari explains the balance of power (or lack of balance) in The Middle East Making sense of Sunni, Shia, Wahhabi & Jihad Obama's nuclear agreement with Iran unlikely to be reversed by Trump The McAlvany Weekly Commentary with David McAlvany and Kevin Orrick “In today's program we look at what […] The post As the Saudi's Weaken, Iran Strengthens, and Turkey Wants to Rule the Islamic World appeared first on McAlvany Weekly Commentary.

Part 3 of our series on the Syrian civil war. We spend this episode talking about Saudi Arabia – from it's founding in 1744, when Muhammad bin Saud, founder of the dynasty, joined forces with the religious leader Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab, founder of the Wahhabi movement, a strict puritanical form of Sunni Islam. We explain the fundamentalist […] The post Syrian Civil War 1.3 appeared first on The BS Filter.

The United States has announced it will commence with an operation to take Raqqa before the end of the battle to retake Mosul in Iraq. However, confusion exists over who the ground forces will be that the U.S. will give air support to as the coalition struggles to train Arab militias capable of fighting in the battle. Turkey wants in on the operation, but their Kurdish adversaries are likely to also be involved. Is the U.S. acting with haste in Syria? Iceland’s parliamentary elections take place on Saturday with a relatively new political force called the Pirate Party expected to do well or even win. The party wants to grant Edward Snowden citizenship and advocates a platform of direct democracy. Becker is joined by one of the Party's candidates in the coming election Oktavia Hrund, as well as by José Tirado, a Puerto Rican poet and political writer living in Iceland. As Saudi Arabia’s war in Yemen that was launched in March 2015 continues to drag on, western countries continue to sell the Saudi government arms despite the pleas of human rights organizations. Are the goals of Saudi Arabia in Yemen the same as those of the United States and the UK? What does the conflict in Yemen mean for the wider region and the world? Catherine Shakdam, author and political commentator, joins Becker to talk about these issues which are discussed her new book entitled "A Tale Of Grand Resistance – Yemen, the Wahhabi, and the House of Saud."

2 May 2016 - Even more than in the past there is this nexus between the progressive movement and the labor movement in the US. This week we were joined for the interview by the Chief Economist of the AFL-CIO, the deeply knowledgable Dr. William Spriggs. Dr. Spriggs kindly gave us an unusually long and detailed interview and we highly recommend visiting some of the pages, to which I refer during our talk. They are on the excellent website of the AFL-CIO here, here, here and here. At the top of the show Will fills us in on what is going on with the protestors who have just taken the Iraqi Parliament. Later in the show he gives us the promised update on the Scottish elections which will take place on 5 May. I start out on the newly released anti-austerity budget which has just been announced by the Trudeau government in Canada. I come back a bit later to give a lot of detail about the very aggressive Vision 2030 economic plan aimed at weaning Saudi Arabia off of its dependence on oil. Headed by favorite son Deputy Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman (MbS as he is called in Saudi), the plan is interesting and hopeful but will have to overcome significant resistance from Wahhabi fundamentalists in order to succeed. We'll see.... I also learned that Netroots Radio has moved all of the old shows to which we had links from this site. Of course, all those links are now dead. I'll have to figure out where they went and fix that. On a more cheerful note, the archive section for Hopping Mad has been updated and an index has been added making it easier to find specific subject - Carrots! Arliss

To understand the roots of radical Islam, you most look into the motives of those who directly funded its rise. This is a complete examination of the Wahhabi roots of Islamic radicalism, and how western tax dollars and corporations have been funding it for over 150 years. This is the fifth part in the libertarian atheist podcast's presentation on Islam, and ties everything together.

The UK's ties with Saudi Arabia have come under growing strain in recent months over how to balance human rights concerns with the government's desire to promote a crucial trade and investment relationship. The Arab state sits on more than a quarter of the world's known oil reserves, making it one of the richest countries in the Middle East and a vital strategic partner to many Western nations. It is also home to the birthplace of the Muslim Prophet Muhammad and the cradle of Islam. Its rulers espouse a strict version of Sunni Islam known as Wahhabism. The Wahhabi interpretation of Islamic law includes harsh punishments such as public beheadings and restrictions on women. How did Wahhabism gain so much influence in the country? What, in turn, has been its effect on the stability of the region and the wider world? Producer: Dan Tierney Series producer: Amanda Hancox.

The UK's ties with Saudi Arabia have come under growing strain in recent months over how to balance human rights concerns with the government's desire to promote a crucial trade and investment relationship. The Arab state sits on more than a quarter of the world's known oil reserves, making it one of the richest countries in the Middle East and a vital strategic partner to many Western nations. It is also home to the birthplace of the Muslim Prophet Muhammad and the cradle of Islam. Its rulers espouse a strict version of Sunni Islam known as Wahhabism. The Wahhabi interpretation of Islamic law includes harsh punishments such as public beheadings and restrictions on women. How did Wahhabism gain so much influence in the country? What, in turn, has been its effect on the stability of the region and the wider world? Producer: Dan Tierney Series producer: Amanda Hancox.

Speaker: Madawi Al-Rasheed, LSE Middle East Centre Chair: Toby Dodge, LSE Middle East Centre Analysis of both official and opposition Saudi divine politics is often monolithic, conjuring images of conservatism, radicalism, misogyny and resistance to democracy. In this event, Madawi Al-Rasheed launches her new book in which she challenges this stereotype by examining a long tradition of engaging with modernism that gathered momentum with the Arab uprisings and incurred the wrath of both the Saudi regime and its Wahhabi supporters. She also challenges much of the scholarly received wisdom on Islamism in general, blurring the boundaries between secular and religious politics. Recorded on 14 January 2016.

In this thought provoking, 22 minute program, Chuck Carlson and Tom Compton of We Hold These Truths present a more logical explanation than Fox News' and Donald Trump's endless tirades about a rift between Sunni and Shia Muslims. It is just not so, as we have experienced in long association with friends from both branches of Islam who coexist peacefully. This program includes a discussion about the Wahhabi sect, and how it is used, not as a practicing religion, but largely as population control mechanism by the secular, sometimes hard drinking, dope dealing, mega-billionaire royalty of Saudi Arabia. There it reigns terror on non-royal, Saudi citizens, and, even guests.  For openers, both Wahhabi and ISIS sects behead for punishment, but no other Islamic sect does!  The two articles referenced in the podcast are:: "The Wall Street Skew of the Saudi/Iranian Rift" and "The US Warmakers' Divide and Conquer Strategies in the Middle East."

12-10-15 - Radical Islam and the West Extremism within Islam goes back to the 7th century to the Kharijites. From their essentially political position, they developed extreme doctrines that set them apart from both mainstream Sunni and Shiʿa Muslims. The Kharijites were particularly noted for adopting a radical approach to Takfir, whereby they declared other Muslims to be unbelievers and therefore deemed them worthy of death.[27][28][29] The modern Islamic fundamentalist movements have their origins in the late 19th century.[30] The Wahhabi movement, an Arabian fundamentalist movement that began in the 18th century, gained traction and spread during the 19th and 20th centuries.[31] During the Cold War following World War II, some NATO governments, particularly those of the United States and the United Kingdom, launched covert and overt campaigns to encourage and strengthen fundamentalist groups in the Middle East and southern Asia. These groups were seen as a hedge against potential expansion by the Soviet Union, and as a means to prevent the growth of nationalistic movements that were not necessarily favorable toward the interests of the Western nations.[32] By the 1970s the Islamists had become important allies in supporting governments, such as Egypt, which were friendly to U.S. interests. By the late 1970s, however, some fundamentalist groups had become militaristic leading to threats and changes to existing regimes. The overthrow of the Shah in Iran and rise of the Ayatollah Khomeini was one of the most significant signs of this shift.[33] Subsequently fundamentalist forces in Algeria caused a civil war, caused a near-civil war in Egypt, and caused the downfall of the Soviet occupation in Afghanistan.[34] In many cases the military wings of these groups were supplied with money and arms by the U.S. and U.K.   beyondbostonradio@gmail.com beyondbostonprophecy.com #bbostonprophecy Host - Larry Barnett

This week Eric welcomes to CounterPunch Radio author, political analyst, and regular CounterPunch contributor John Wight to discuss recent developments in Syria, and the regional geopolitics that inform all events in the Middle East. Eric and John go in depth on the downing of the Russian jet by Turkey, and what that means for the ongoing war in Syria. They address a wide range of issues from the interplay between Wahhabi extremism and the Muslim Brotherhood, to the political development, and regional significance, of Egypt. The conversation also touches on the economic motivations of the interested parties, the role of Israel, Obama vs the Neocons, British politics as related to the war on Syria, and much much more. This far-ranging interview is yet another example of the kind of thing you just don't find outside CounterPunch. Intro/Outtro: "Freight Train Rollin'" by David Vest Interlude: "Where Were You" by The Mekons

This week Eric welcomes to CounterPunch Radio author, political analyst, and regular CounterPunch contributor John Wight to discuss recent developments in Syria, and the regional geopolitics that inform all events in the Middle East. Eric and John go in depth on the downing of the Russian jet by Turkey, and what that means for the ongoing war in Syria. They address a wide range of issues from the interplay between Wahhabi extremism and the Muslim Brotherhood, to the political development, and regional significance, of Egypt. The conversation also touches on the economic motivations of the interested parties, the role of Israel, Obama vs the Neocons, British politics as related to the war on Syria, and much much more. This far-ranging interview is yet another example of the kind of thing you just don't find outside CounterPunch. Intro/Outtro: "Freight Train Rollin'" by David Vest Interlude: "Where Were You" by The Mekons More The post John Wight – Episode 26 appeared first on CounterPunch.org.

Speaker: Toby Matthiesen, University of Oxford Chair: Toby Dodge, LSE Middle East Centre Toby Matthiesen launches his new book titled The Other Saudis: Shiism, dissent and sectarianism in which he traces the politics of the Shia in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia from the nineteenth century until the present day. The book outlines the difficult experiences of being Shia in a Wahhabi state, and casts new light on how the Shia have mobilised politically to change their position. The book is based on little-known Arabic sources, extensive fieldwork in Saudi Arabia and interviews with key activists. Of immense geopolitical importance, the oil-rich Eastern Province is a crucial but little known factor in regional politics and Gulf security. Recorded on 28 October 2015.

Since the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington DC, the ultra-conservative Wahhabi branch of Islam has often been cited by critics and commentators as the ideology of Islamic extremists around the world today. But can 21st Century terrorism really be blamed on the teachings of this 18th Century sect? In this edition of Analysis, Edward Stourton asks what is - and what isn't - Wahhabism? He explores the foundation of this fundamentalist form of Islam, the evolution of its interpretation in Saudi Arabia, and asks what power and influence it has across the globe. Founded by the Arabian scholar Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab, this form of Salafi Islam sought to purify the religion by returning to its original principles. Ibn Abd al-Wahab was part of a broader Muslim reform movement which promoted a return to the texts of the Quran and Hadith and, controversially, questioned the teachings of Islamic scholars of the day, who formed part of a chain of knowledge stretching back centuries. What is said to be a very literal translation of Islam is now an inspiration for modern-day Muslim hardliners, who view a binary world of believers and non-believers, strict social rules and adherence to Sharia law - but how close is this to the teachings of Ibn Abd al-Wahhab? CONTRIBUTORS Shaykh Dr Usama Hasan, The Quilliam Foundation Abu Khadeejah, Salafi scholar Prof Natana DeLong-Bas, Boston College, Massachusetts Prof Madawi Al-Rasheed, The London School of Economics and Political Science Shaykh Ruzwan Mohammed, Sunni theologian PRODUCER: Richard Fenton-Smith EDITOR: Innes Bowen

The kingdom that poisons the world.

Kingdom in the closet.

To many, Saudi Arabia the Wahhabi branch of Islam is a bit of a mystery. To get some perspective on a country with which we have an incredibly complicated political and financial relationship, we talk to Prof. David Commins, author of "The Wahhabi Mission and Saudi Arabia."

PODCAST SATELLITE  /  The Voice of Israel WWW.PODCASTSATELLITE.COM with Prince Handley ISRAEL AND USA: ECONOMIC SURVIVAL PROPHECY You can listen to this message NOW. Click on the LibSyn pod circle (top left). Give it 30 seconds to load. Listen NOW or download for later. For INSTANT REPLAY, go to: www.blubrry.com/messiah/ RSS PODCAST Notice: There are several music beds in this podcast. The podcast is NOT over just because you hear music. It is not over until Mrs. bin Laden sings. DESCRIPTION: The USA is on a crash course for collision. The economy of Israel and other nations will be affected. Two things that governments can NOT borrow are TIME and ENERGY. This podcast gives the ANSWER to “How to Survive and be Happy with Miracles in Bad Economic Times.” ISRAEL AND USA: ECONOMIC SURVIVAL PROPHECY MUSIC / INTRO WHAT IS HAPPENING NOW IN THE ECONOMY The USA is on a crash course for collision. The recent bailouts of financial and credit institutions by the United States government are only slowing down the ultimate collision. These bailouts are analogous to foam sprayed on airport runways to enable aircraft to crash land with minimal damage. There is, however, one BIG difference. The landing will NOT be easy; there will be a collision. The bailouts are only serving TWO (2) purposes: Slowing down – delaying – the crash. Anesthetizing the public to the UNavoidable crash. Deflation may happen before rampant inflation again … or even stag-flation (rising prices with reduction in production). Outside of house mortgages, the biggest debts are credit cards and automobile loans. Automobiles are NOT worth going in debt over. Save your money and pay cash for autos (they do not have to be new). Get out of debt, especially on items you do NOT want to lose to foreclosure or repossession. Banks will probably cut interest rates to ZERO (making if FREE to borrow money) in order to curb the economy from sliding into recession. NOTE: This came to pass December 16, 2008, seven weeks after I informed you. See my podcast of January 27, 2009, tiled: "Israel, Investments, and Economy: Surviving the Next 7 Years." The government is NOT telling you the TRUTH. WHY? Because both sides of the political spectrum are at fault. Plus, they know pandemonium will break out if YOU, the public, know WHAT is going on … and WHERE we are headed. In the USA the government does NOT worry about money for bailouts because the government just borrows it from our children and grandchildren. (To strap future generations with debt from paper money that they did NOT incur is outright thievery.) But the TWO THINGS the government can NOT borrow are TIME and ENERGY! MUSIC HOW DOES THIS AFFECT ISRAEL AND OTHER COUNTRIES Because the economies of the major producers in the world are inextricably connected – at least, at this time – with the US Dollar, all economies of major nations will suffer. The U.S. and global economies are deteriorating more rapidly than was true even a few weeks ago. The USA uses 25% of the world's oil but only has 2% of the known reserves. We have for years helped Saudi Arabia with military protection in exchange for oil. When the Wahhabi - Islamic fundamentalist movement overthrows the Saudi hierarchy, then the world scene will change. The last BIG FRONTIERS of oil discoveries were: Alaska Northern Slope Siberia North Sea These happened in 1967, 68, and 69. Today there are about 58 countries that are producing LESS oil today than they have in the past.  Note:  More on OIL in a future podcast by Prince Handley. WE ARE LOOKING AT MULTI-GENERATIONAL RESOURCE WARS There are only TWO alternatives: Militarize the population. Persuade them that in order to maintain our present lifestyle, we need to face the fact that we will be in continuous wars to obtain and guarantee the flow of oil. OR … Develop new alternative energy resources that are cleaner, more efficient, and safer (eco-friendly). All this – either option - is developing a pathway for the coming leader of the New World Order: the FALSE messiah who will deceive Israel with a seven (7) year treaty in exchange for Israel giving up ALL or part of Jerusalem as well as other land concessions. As a concession, he (the false messiah) will allow Israel to build her Temple on or near the present Temple Mount. In the middle of the seven years, he (the false messiah) will go into the Temple and blaspheme God; also, declaring that he (himself) is God. Then will begin the time of greatest persecution the Jewish People have ever known: greater than the Holocaust under Hitler and Nazi Germany. MUSIC WHAT DO THE PEOPLE OF GOD NEED TO DO Messianic believers – in Israel, the USA, and other countries – need to trim their spiritual lamps. Motivation comes from two things: you, and other people. There is extrinsic motivation, which comes from others, and intrinsic motivation, which comes from within you. King David was motivated internally. He said, “What time I am afraid, I will trust in the LORD.” Also, when his men were talking about stoning him (after their loss at Ziklag), David “encouraged himself in the LORD.” As a result, he was rewarded externally by God. Rewards can also be organized as extrinsic or intrinsic. Extrinsic rewards are external to the person; for example, praise or money. Intrinsic rewards are internal to the person; for example, satisfaction or a feeling of accomplishment. Gratification is the positive emotional response of happiness in response to a fulfillment of a desire. For the coming economy, strive for the things that will bring you satisfaction: the things that will make you happy in accomplishing your desires. Here is the ANSWER:  “Trust in the LORD, and do good; so you will dwell in the land, and truly you will be fed. Delight yourself also in the LORD; and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way unto the LORD; trust also in Him; and he will bring it to pass.” (Psalm 37:3-5) I will give you a TRUE MIRACLE economic model from the Word of God in the Tanakh. “Now a certain woman, the wife of one of the sons of the prophets, came crying to Elisha and said, Your servant my husband is dead; and to your knowledge he was a worshipper of the Lord; but now, the creditor has come to take my two children as servants in payment of his debt. Then Elisha said to her, What am I to do for you? Say now, what have you in the house? And she said, Your servant has nothing in the house but a pot of oil. Then he said, Go out to all your neighbors and get vessels, a very great number of them. Then go in, and, shutting the door on yourself and your sons, put oil into all these vessels, putting on one side the full ones. So she went away, and when the door was shut on her and her sons, they took the vessels to her and she put oil into them. And when all the vessels were full, she said to her son, Get me another vessel. And he said, There are no more. And the flow of oil was stopped.So she came to the man of God and gave him word of what she had done. And he said, Go and get money for the oil and make payment of your debt, and let the rest be for the needs of yourself and your sons.” (2 Kings 4:1-7) MUSIC THIS IS THE WORD OF THE LORD FOR YOU – Eliminate expenses that are NOT necessary. Cut entertainment to a minimum. Start spending time as a family together. Find enjoyable ways to conserve by working – and playing – together. Ask God WHAT vessels you are to use (financial instruments, hard cash or items of liquidity, precious metals, credit cards, financial accounts, etc.) but THEY HAVE TO BE something you have access to NOW, or that you have means by which to obtain access. Fill them up (the Spirit of God will reveal to you HOW to do this). Then … Convert all NON liquid assets in the vessels to liquidity or to hard tradable commodities. Hold them (the liquid hard assets) – do NOT release them – for times of “limited” hardship where you will need them. Protect them by whatever means you must, because the enemy of your soul – the devil – knows you have them and will try to steal them if you are negligent in their protection … which includes praying and declaring THE BLOOD of Messiah Yeshua over them. Store non-perishable food. Give to the LORD (which can include giving to the poor and needy) no less than 10 percent of the income and resources that come into you right away. If God tells you to hold on to these fund resources for a while (He will have a reason) them separate them into a holding area by themselves until God reveals to you WHAT He wants you to do with them. Do NOT use them for yourself. Remember, the God of Israel is the same today as He was in the time of Elisha and the widow. I trust this will help you, Your friend, Prince Handley Baruch haba b’Shem Adonai. MUSIC Podcast time: 12 minutes, 21 seconds (with music) Subscribe to The Healing and Miracle Podcast here:  SUBSCRIBE Subscribe to The Voice of Israel Podcast here: SUBSCRIBEHealing and Miracle Podcast: www.healing.libsyn.com Voice of Israel Podcast: www.podcastsatellite.libsyn.com Rabbinical Studies: www.realmiracles.com/rabbinical.htm Israel News and Prophecy: www.podcastsatellite.com If you need healing, deliverance, or prayer, email to: princehandley@gmail.com

PODCAST SATELLITE  /  The Voice of Israel WWW.PODCASTSATELLITE.COM with Prince Handley ISRAEL AND USA: ECONOMIC SURVIVAL PROPHECY You can listen to this message NOW. Click on the LibSyn pod circle (top left). Give it 30 seconds to load. Listen NOW or download for later. For INSTANT REPLAY, go to: www.blubrry.com/messiah/ RSS PODCAST Notice: There are several music beds in this podcast. The podcast is NOT over just because you hear music. It is not over until Mrs. bin Laden sings. DESCRIPTION: The USA is on a crash course for collision. The economy of Israel and other nations will be affected. Two things that governments can NOT borrow are TIME and ENERGY. This podcast gives the ANSWER to “How to Survive and be Happy with Miracles in Bad Economic Times.” ISRAEL AND USA: ECONOMIC SURVIVAL PROPHECY MUSIC / INTRO WHAT IS HAPPENING NOW IN THE ECONOMY The USA is on a crash course for collision. The recent bailouts of financial and credit institutions by the United States government are only slowing down the ultimate collision. These bailouts are analogous to foam sprayed on airport runways to enable aircraft to crash land with minimal damage. There is, however, one BIG difference. The landing will NOT be easy; there will be a collision. The bailouts are only serving TWO (2) purposes: Slowing down – delaying – the crash. Anesthetizing the public to the UNavoidable crash. Deflation may happen before rampant inflation again … or even stag-flation (rising prices with reduction in production). Outside of house mortgages, the biggest debts are credit cards and automobile loans. Automobiles are NOT worth going in debt over. Save your money and pay cash for autos (they do not have to be new). Get out of debt, especially on items you do NOT want to lose to foreclosure or repossession. Banks will probably cut interest rates to ZERO (making if FREE to borrow money) in order to curb the economy from sliding into recession. NOTE: This came to pass December 16, 2008, seven weeks after I informed you. See my podcast of January 27, 2009, tiled: "Israel, Investments, and Economy: Surviving the Next 7 Years." The government is NOT telling you the TRUTH. WHY? Because both sides of the political spectrum are at fault. Plus, they know pandemonium will break out if YOU, the public, know WHAT is going on … and WHERE we are headed. In the USA the government does NOT worry about money for bailouts because the government just borrows it from our children and grandchildren. (To strap future generations with debt from paper money that they did NOT incur is outright thievery.) But the TWO THINGS the government can NOT borrow are TIME and ENERGY! MUSIC HOW DOES THIS AFFECT ISRAEL AND OTHER COUNTRIES Because the economies of the major producers in the world are inextricably connected – at least, at this time – with the US Dollar, all economies of major nations will suffer. The U.S. and global economies are deteriorating more rapidly than was true even a few weeks ago. The USA uses 25% of the world's oil but only has 2% of the known reserves. We have for years helped Saudi Arabia with military protection in exchange for oil. When the Wahhabi - Islamic fundamentalist movement overthrows the Saudi hierarchy, then the world scene will change. The last BIG FRONTIERS of oil discoveries were: Alaska Northern Slope Siberia North Sea These happened in 1967, 68, and 69. Today there are about 58 countries that are producing LESS oil today than they have in the past.  Note:  More on OIL in a future podcast by Prince Handley. WE ARE LOOKING AT MULTI-GENERATIONAL RESOURCE WARS There are only TWO alternatives: Militarize the population. Persuade them that in order to maintain our present lifestyle, we need to face the fact that we will be in continuous wars to obtain and guarantee the flow of oil. OR … Develop new alternative energy resources that are cleaner, more efficient, and safer (eco-friendly). All this – either option - is developing a pathway for the coming leader of the New World Order: the FALSE messiah who will deceive Israel with a seven (7) year treaty in exchange for Israel giving up ALL or part of Jerusalem as well as other land concessions. As a concession, he (the false messiah) will allow Israel to build her Temple on or near the present Temple Mount. In the middle of the seven years, he (the false messiah) will go into the Temple and blaspheme God; also, declaring that he (himself) is God. Then will begin the time of greatest persecution the Jewish People have ever known: greater than the Holocaust under Hitler and Nazi Germany. MUSIC WHAT DO THE PEOPLE OF GOD NEED TO DO Messianic believers – in Israel, the USA, and other countries – need to trim their spiritual lamps. Motivation comes from two things: you, and other people. There is extrinsic motivation, which comes from others, and intrinsic motivation, which comes from within you. King David was motivated internally. He said, “What time I am afraid, I will trust in the LORD.” Also, when his men were talking about stoning him (after their loss at Ziklag), David “encouraged himself in the LORD.” As a result, he was rewarded externally by God. Rewards can also be organized as extrinsic or intrinsic. Extrinsic rewards are external to the person; for example, praise or money. Intrinsic rewards are internal to the person; for example, satisfaction or a feeling of accomplishment. Gratification is the positive emotional response of happiness in response to a fulfillment of a desire. For the coming economy, strive for the things that will bring you satisfaction: the things that will make you happy in accomplishing your desires. Here is the ANSWER:  “Trust in the LORD, and do good; so you will dwell in the land, and truly you will be fed. Delight yourself also in the LORD; and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way unto the LORD; trust also in Him; and he will bring it to pass.” (Psalm 37:3-5) I will give you a TRUE MIRACLE economic model from the Word of God in the Tanakh. “Now a certain woman, the wife of one of the sons of the prophets, came crying to Elisha and said, Your servant my husband is dead; and to your knowledge he was a worshipper of the Lord; but now, the creditor has come to take my two children as servants in payment of his debt. Then Elisha said to her, What am I to do for you? Say now, what have you in the house? And she said, Your servant has nothing in the house but a pot of oil. Then he said, Go out to all your neighbors and get vessels, a very great number of them. Then go in, and, shutting the door on yourself and your sons, put oil into all these vessels, putting on one side the full ones. So she went away, and when the door was shut on her and her sons, they took the vessels to her and she put oil into them. And when all the vessels were full, she said to her son, Get me another vessel. And he said, There are no more. And the flow of oil was stopped.So she came to the man of God and gave him word of what she had done. And he said, Go and get money for the oil and make payment of your debt, and let the rest be for the needs of yourself and your sons.” (2 Kings 4:1-7) MUSIC THIS IS THE WORD OF THE LORD FOR YOU – Eliminate expenses that are NOT necessary. Cut entertainment to a minimum. Start spending time as a family together. Find enjoyable ways to conserve by working – and playing – together. Ask God WHAT vessels you are to use (financial instruments, hard cash or items of liquidity, precious metals, credit cards, financial accounts, etc.) but THEY HAVE TO BE something you have access to NOW, or that you have means by which to obtain access. Fill them up (the Spirit of God will reveal to you HOW to do this). Then … Convert all NON liquid assets in the vessels to liquidity or to hard tradable commodities. Hold them (the liquid hard assets) – do NOT release them – for times of “limited” hardship where you will need them. Protect them by whatever means you must, because the enemy of your soul – the devil – knows you have them and will try to steal them if you are negligent in their protection … which includes praying and declaring THE BLOOD of Messiah Yeshua over them. Store non-perishable food. Give to the LORD (which can include giving to the poor and needy) no less than 10 percent of the income and resources that come into you right away. If God tells you to hold on to these fund resources for a while (He will have a reason) them separate them into a holding area by themselves until God reveals to you WHAT He wants you to do with them. Do NOT use them for yourself. Remember, the God of Israel is the same today as He was in the time of Elisha and the widow. I trust this will help you, Your friend, Prince Handley Baruch haba b’Shem Adonai. MUSIC Podcast time: 12 minutes, 21 seconds (with music) Subscribe to The Healing and Miracle Podcast here:  SUBSCRIBE Subscribe to The Voice of Israel Podcast here: SUBSCRIBEHealing and Miracle Podcast: www.healing.libsyn.com Voice of Israel Podcast: www.podcastsatellite.libsyn.com Rabbinical Studies: www.realmiracles.com/rabbinical.htm Israel News and Prophecy: www.podcastsatellite.com If you need healing, deliverance, or prayer, email to: princehandley@gmail.com

Wahhabi nightmare rumor.

This episode is titled “Meanwhile, Back in the East” because before we dive into the next phase of church history in Europe, we need to catch up on what's happening to the East.The Mongol Empire of the 13th and 14th Cs occupied the largest contiguous land empire in history. Rising originally from the steppes of Central Asia and stretching from Eastern Europe to the Sea of Japan; from Siberia in the north to Southeast Asia, the Indian subcontinent, the Iranian plateau, and the Middle East. At its greatest extent it spanned 6000 miles and covered about 16% of the planet's total land area.Genghis Khan was a shamanist, but recognizing the need to unite the Mongol clans. He adopted a policy of religious toleration that remained official policy during his reign and that of his son Ogedai. Several of the tribes that formed the core of the Mongol horde were Christians in at least a cultural sense. The Keriats, Onguds and Uighurs owed the Christianization of their culture to the Eastern expansion of Christianity we've looked at in earlier episodes.It's important to insert a short parenthetical comment here. Knowing what devastation the Mongols wrought during the 13th and 14th Cs and the literal wagon-loads of blood they spilled, we have to be careful when we call these tribes Christian. They certainly weren't evangelical missionaries. Their faith was a highly-distorted Nestorian version of the Gospel that exercised little restraint on the barbaric rapaciousness that marked their conquests. Still, they called themselves ‘'Christians and their claimed allegiance to the Gospel had a huge impact on what happened in the Middle East.Genghis Khan's son Tolui, married a Christian woman from the Keriat tribe. One of their sons was the Mongol ruler Hulegu. Another was the famous Kublai Khan, founder of the Yaun Dynasty in China. While Hulegu seems to have identified as a Christian, Kublai certainly favored Christians in his court. When Hulegu conquered Baghdad, the Islamic capital of the day, his Christian wife urged him to destroy the city's mosques but protect the churches. Her goal was to dismantle Islam in the region and hand it a permanent setback.The Mongols took control of the Caliph's palace and gave it to Baghdad's Christian patriarch. It ended up being made into a grand church. With such obvious favor being shown Christians, many Mongols converted.Asian Christians who'd suffered under the tyranny and oppression of Islamic rule for generations began to look to the advancing Mongol army as deliverers. One writer lauded the genocidal Hulegu and his wife as great luminaries and zealous combatants for the Christian religion. Beleaguered Western Crusaders were stoked by reports of allies in the East doing noble battle with the Muslims. Some Crusaders even sent emissaries to try to link up with the Mongols and help them in their conquest of the Egyptian Mamelukes in 1260. The Mameluke victory at Ain Jalut over the Mongols was a major disappointment.Hulegu's son married a Byzantine princess and he favored Christianity over both Buddhism and Islam. Over the next few decades the Mongols didn't persecute Muslims but they did impose what the Muslims felt was a heavy burden. They were no longer able to treat Christians living among them as a subject people they could extract heavy tolls and fines from. The Mongol attitude was that as long as everyone paid their taxes, they were free to practice whatever religion they wanted. So a huge source of wealth to Muslims was lost.Christians all across the Middle East took advantage of their newfound freedom and hoped things would stay that way indefinitely under a sympathetic Mongol rule. With Hulegu and his heirs in power, Christians began doing things that had been forbidden under Islam; like carrying the cross in public processions, drinking wine, and building churches where none had been permitted.Then, in 1268 in Baghdad, I aks you to pay close attention to. Maybe this will bring a little light to why there's such tremendous hatred on the part of certain elements within Islam towards Christians today; especially in that region of the world. The Christian Catholicos, the title of the archbishop, ordered a man drowned for converting from Christianity to Islam. Muslims were scandalized and rioted. Following Mongol policy, the rioting was brutally crushed. Christians took this as further evidence they were now the favored faith. But that favor was soon to turn against them.The Mongol leaders became increasingly aware that Islam, with its embrace of jihad in the extension of the Faith by the power of the sword, was much more compatible with their values than either Christianity or Buddhism. They began to drift towards Islam until 1295, when the new Khan, Mahmoud Gazahn, persecuted Christianity and Buddhism. His successors followed his policies. During the early years of the 14th C, Christians found themselves under the control of a Muslim super-state. Their position radically change from what they'd known under the Arab caliphate. Now Christians were subject to intense persecution. In the regional capital of Al-Malek in 1338, all Christians in the city were killed. The few traces of faith among the Keriats and Uighurs didn't last much into the 15th C.Islam's victory among the Mongols proved devastating for the remaining Christians of Central Asia and the Middle East. These communities had managed to weather the storm of the Muslim Arab conquest of the 7th C and it settled down to an uneasy peace with their new neighbors. But the brief respite brought by the Mongol invasion allowed the Christians to emerge in a dominant role for a time that they used to inflict the Muslims with real hurt. When a few years later, Muslims were back in control, this time with the authority of a Mongol Muslim powerhouse à Well, they decided it was payback-time. It was the Christians in Egypt who first bore the brunt of this new intolerance.From the start of the 13th C, Egypt was the main target of Western Crusades. Frustrated Egyptian governments regularly retaliated for the Crusades by attacking the Copts, the native Egyptian church. In the mid-13th C, Egypt was ruled by the Mamelukes and with the loss of Baghdad to the Mongols, the center of gravity of the Muslim world shifted to Mameluke Egypt. They considered the Christians in their region as a 5th column, in cahoots with the Mongols pressing west toward Egypt. After the loss of Baghdad, it wasn't hard to imagine a world in which Egypt would stand alone as the last great Muslim power in a Middle East dominated by Christian-Mongols.The greatest Mameluke leader was General Baibar, the Scourge of both Crusaders and Mongols. Baibar hated Christians in general, but had an extra dose of loathing for those of the European variety. When he captured Antioch in 1268, he wrote the city's Crusader ruler, who'd barely escaped, “Had you stayed, you'd have seen the crosses in your churches smashed, the pages of a false testament scattered, the patriarchs' tombs overturned. You would have seen your Muslim enemy trampling over the places where you celebrated Mass, cutting the throats of monks, priests, and deacons upon your altars--bringing sudden death to the patriarchs and slavery to your royal princes.”This attitude was radically different from the tone of earlier Muslim-Christian affairs. It reflected Baibar's fury at the Christian alliance with the Mongols who themselves were utterly brutal in their conquests. This intolerance was increasingly evident in Egyptian policies toward their still substantial Christian minority. Persecution in Egypt wasn't new, but things deteriorated quickly after the Mameluke-Mongol wars.Between 1293 and 1354, the Egyptian government launched four campaigns to enforce the submission of Christians and Jews and drive them to accept Islam. Each wave of violence became more intense and better organized. A review of this half-century gives us a much better understanding of the ancient hostilities that have inflamed the Middle East ever since.A quick sketch of what happened.In 1293, an initial persecution fizzled when the sultan's officials realized the Christians they were about to execute controlled the country's finances and were the most competent scribes.In 1301, a vizier visiting from Morocco was appalled at the wealth and status of Egyptian Christians and Jews. In Morocco, they had to pay a steep fine if they refused to convert and were subject to all kinds of public indignities.  But in Egypt they held high public office, wore rich clothes and rode the best mounts. The vizier's criticisms moved Egyptian officials to install the same rules as Morocco. A wave of repressive laws followed, and ordinances closed all the churches and synagogues outside of Cairo. Some ancient churches were demolished, relics burned. Non-Muslims were dismissed from public employment and were forced to wear distinctive clothing; blue turbans for Christians, yellow for Jews. They were forced to ride only on donkeys and whenever a Muslim approached, they had to dismount and bow. Visitors to Egypt said that the enforcement of these rules continued all the way into the 19th C.The effects of this crisis linger to the present day, since the rigorous Muslim legalism that emerged at that time shaped modern Islamic fundamentalist movements. From the 1290s, Muslim jurists produced ever harsher interpretations of the laws governing minorities, particularly through the work of militant puritanical scholars like Ibn Taymiyyah. His life was shaped by the disasters of the Mongol wars which forced him into exile in Egypt. He saw his goal as the militant restoration of Islam in the face of its enemies at home and abroad. His work has had a long afterlife. Ibn Taymiyyah is regarded as the spiritual godfather of the Wahhabi movement and of most modern extremist and jihadist groups. Among many others, Osama bin Laden cited him as a special hero.The Muslim hostility toward Christianity in the early 14th C was reflected in outbreaks of extreme anti-Christian violence.  In 1321, Muslim mobs looted and destroyed Cairo's Coptic churches. Usually, a Muslim cleric would give the signal for the attacks by mobilizing crowds in the mosques under the cry of “Down with the churches.”Now, the sultan tried to keep order, but the hatred of Christians was too powerful to contain. They were blamed for setting fires across Cairo. When some of the accused confessed under torture, the authorities were forced to support the popular movement. At one point, the Sultan faced a mob of 20,000 calling for the forceful suppression of Christians. In order to safeguard his rule, the Sultan permitted purge. The government went further and announced that anyone who found a Christian was permitted to beat him and take his goods.By the mid-14th C, Muslim writers had a whole catalog of anti-Christian charges that bear a close resemblance to the libelous anti-Jewish tracks - The Protocols of the Elders of Zion. Christians were accused of being spies, ever on the lookout for opportunities to betray the Muslim cause. Cases in both Egypt and Syria proved, and I'm using air-quotes around that word “proved”-- they were serial arsonists. Some were even reported to have planted a bomb in the Great Mosque of Medina.Given modern-day stereotypes of Islam in the West, it's ironic that Christian minorities were then so feared because they allegedly plotted terror attacks against prestigious symbols of Muslim power.In a society founded on honor and family pride, the humiliations of these new policies were too much to bear for many wealthy urban Christians who then converted to Islam. Other, poorer Christians proved firmer; particularly if they were located in rural areas where government policies were slower to penetrate. But later waves of intimidation wore down there resistance. Violence in the 1320s reduced Christian numbers and prepared the way for the disasters of 1354. From the end of the 14th C, Egypt's Coptic Christians were reduced to a minority they retain up to the present day. The Coptic Church entered a period of hibernation that lasted until the mid-19th C. This is sad when we consider that Egypt had been a major center of Christianity for hundreds of years, and the place of dozens of vital and prolific monasteries. What were once the thousand monks of Bufanda, were reduced to just two.Once their Mongol rulers converted to Islam, conditions became equally difficult for the Christians of Mesopotamia and Syria. Between 1290 and 1330, the story of Christianity in these parts, like that in Egypt, becomes a long list of disasters and ever harsher laws. One edict commanded that churches be demolished and services halted. All clergy and Christian leaders were to be executed. The storied churches of Tabriz, Arbella, Mosul, and Baghdad were torn down. Bishops and priests were tortured and imprisoned. Some laws struck directly at ordinary believers rather than just the institutions and hierarchy. Some of these edicts came from the Khans themselves while others came from the initiation of local governors. But the effects were just as damaging. Even when the Khans tried to limit persecution, they could hardly stem the zeal of local officers. In some cities, local laws ordered forcible conversion to Islam and prohibited the exercise of Christianity upon the pain of death. One Muslim ruler in Armenia passed ruinous taxes and ordered that anyone who refused to convert to Islam should be branded, blinded in one eye, and castrated. Christians and Jews were to be instantly recognizable by wearing distinctive clothing. In the words of one contemporary, “The persecutions and disgrace and markings and ignominy which the Christian suffered at this time, especially in Baghdad, well the words cannot describe.” The persecution reached its height with wholesale massacres at Arbella in 1310 and at Amita in 1317. There at Amita, where 12,000 were sold into slavery, the destruction of churches and monasteries was so thorough the fires burned for a month. These persecutions had a greater effect on the churches of the Middle East than any other event since the conversion of the Roman Empire. The succession of church leadership that had remained unbroken since the time of the Apostles came to an abrupt end. Whole Christian communities were annihilated across Central Asia and surviving communities shrank to tiny fractions of their former size. Christianity disappeared in Persia and across southern and central Iraq the patriarchs of Babylon now literally headed for the hills, taking up residence on the safer soil of northern Mesopotamia.