Marines pass out Gospel verse to Iraqi Muslims

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

By Jamal Naji and Leila Fadel, McClatchy Newspapers Wed May 28, 8:00 PM ET

FALLUJAH, Iraq — At the western entrance to the Iraqi city of Fallujah Tuesday, Muamar Anad handed his residence badge to the U.S. Marines guarding the city. They checked to be sure that he was a city resident, and when they were done, Anad said, a Marine slipped a coin out of his pocket and put it in his hand.

Out of fear, he accepted it, Anad said. When he was inside the city, the college student said, he looked at one side of the coin. "Where will you spend eternity?" it asked.

He flipped it over, and on the other side it read, "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. John 3:16."

"They are trying to convert us to Christianity," said Anad, a Sunni Muslim like most residents of this city in Anbar province. At home, he told his story, and his relatives echoed their disapproval: They'd been given the coins, too, he said.

Fallujah , the scene of a bloody U.S. offensive against Sunni insurgents in 2004, has calmed and grown less hostile to American troops since residents turned against al Qaida in Iraq , which had tried to force its brand of Islamist extremism on the population.

Now residents of the city are abuzz that some Americans whom they consider occupiers are also acting as Christian missionaries. Residents said some Marines at the western entrance to their city have been passing out the coins for two days in what they call a "humiliating" attempt to convert them to Christianity.

In the markets, people crowded around men with the coins, passing them to each other and asking in surprise, "Have you seen this?"

The head of the Sunni endowment in Fallujah , the organization that oversees Sunni places of worship and other religious establishments, demanded that the Marines stop.

"We say to the occupiers to stop this," said Sheikh Mohammed Amin Abdel Hadi . "This can cause strife between the Iraqis and especially between Muslim and Christians . . . . Please stop these things and leave our homes because we are Muslims and we live in our homes in peace with other religions."

"Iraq is investigating a report that U.S. military personnel in Fallujah handed-out material that is religious and evangelical in nature," said Rear Adm. Patrick Driscoll , a U.S. military spokesman, in a statement e-mailed to McClatchy . "Local commanders are investigating since the military prohibits proselytizing any religion, faith or practices."

In interviews, residents of Fallujah repeated two words— "humiliation" and "weakness".

"Because we are weak this is happening," said a shop owner who gave his name as Abu Abdullah . "Passing Christianity this way is disrespectful."

"The occupier is repeatedly trespassing on God and his religion," said Omar Delli , 23. "Now the occupier is planting seeds of strife between the Muslims and Christians. We demand the government in Fallujah have a new demonstration to let the occupier know that these things are humiliating Islam and the Quran."

The controversy over the coins that Iraqis said some Marines are passing out comes on the heels of a tempest triggered by a U.S. sniper who used the Quran, Islam's holy book, for target practice. The sniper was pulled out of Iraq after tribal leaders on May 9 found a Quran with 14 bullet holes and graffiti on the pages.

In Islam, the holy book is never to touch the floor, let alone be defaced. Iraqi leaders condemned the actions, U.S. generals apologized and President Bush offered a personal apology to Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki .

In Fallujah , Mohammed Jaber saw one of the coins and said he thought of the bullets lodged in the Quran, the torture of Iraqi men at the Abu Ghraib prison in 2004 and the rape of a 14-year-old girl and her murder and that of her family in Mahmoudiya.

"Now we have this missionary way by these coins," he said. "We feel the Muslims are weak and we hope that we will reach a point when we are strong to let them know what is wrong and what is right."

Naji is a McClatchy special correspondent in Fallujah .

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/s/mcclatchy/20...latchy/2951727

[Gator]

Make that ONE Marine....he has been pulled.

U.S. reassigns Marine for passing out Bible verses to Muslims

Jamal Naji / MCT

U.S. Marines are handing out this coin, imprinted with a Gospel verse, to Fallujah residents. | View larger image
By Leila Fadel and Jamal Naji | McClatchy Newspapers
BAGHDAD, Iraq — The U.S. military confirmed Thursday that a Marine in Fallujah passed out coins with a Gospel verse on them to Sunni Muslims, a military spokesman in the Iraqi city said. The man was immediately removed from the checkpoint and reassigned.

The coins angered residents who said they felt that the American troops, whom they consider occupiers, were also acting as Christian missionaries in a predominantly Muslim nation.

"It did happen," said Mike Isho, a spokesman for Multi National Forces West. "It's one guy and we're investigating."

http://www.mcclatchydc.com/iraq/story/38870.html

Thanks.

[Malaikah]

:sl:

He couldn't have found a worse verse to use, could he? I mean, come on, how many Muslims are going to be impressed by bringing up the God had a son who died thing?

[Ninth_Scribe]

Make that ONE Marine....he has been pulled.

Oh, it's much bigger than you might imagine, Gator:

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/...in598218.shtml

Source: http://www.truthout.org/article/mili...-first-thought

http://www.worldaffairsjournal.org/W...-military.html

The Ninth Scribe

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[Gator]

None of those links had anything to do with this.

If your point is that there are christians in the US military...well, I'm shocked to hear that.

[Ninth_Scribe]

If your point is that there are christians in the US military...well, I'm shocked to hear that.

Not Christians... Evangelicals ~ and don't tell me you don't know the difference or what they have in mind!

“I realize that our message is inherently offensive and divisive, especially in this new age of tolerance."

The Ninth Scribe

[Izyan]

Not Christians... Evangelicals ~ and don't tell me you don't know the difference or what they have in mind!

The Ninth Scribe

Isn't it the duty of all christians to preach the gospel like it is for muslims to spread the work of Allah?

[Ninth_Scribe]

Isn't it the duty of all christians to preach the gospel like it is for muslims to spread the work of Allah?

These don't just preach and share gospel. They're zealots and you really should READ those links I provided. Contrary to Gator's assumption that the soldier was not Evangelical, a single soldier does not mint coins for distribution to Iraqis all by his lonesome. But it's simpler to hide behind factions under an umbrella term like Christian.

The Ninth Scribe

[Ninth_Scribe]

So evangelicals are taking over the military and going to foment a revolution of a US Theocracy based on fundamentalist interpretation of the bible and snake handling.

Got it. Thanks.

An estimated 70 million Americans call themselves evangelicals, and their beliefs have already reshaped American politics. In the last election, 40 percent of the votes for George W. Bush came from their ranks.

READ!!!

The Ninth Scribe

[Izyan]

These don't just preach and share gospel. They're zealots and you really should READ those links I provided. Contrary to Gator's assumption that the soldier was not Evangelical, a single soldier does not mint coins for distribution to Iraqis all by his lonesome. But it's simpler to hide behind factions under an umbrella term like Christian.

The Ninth Scribe

You can get thaose coins and 50 million other things at you local christian book store. People send stuff like this in care packages all the time.

[Gator]

The coins are their cause their used in the States for evangelical dawah. So he brought some over. If they find the directive from Bush to systematically use the Marine Corps to spread evangelical christianity (which would be against the UCMJ), then i'd be worried.

Do you get the differnce. Its not institutional. Like when a people are beheaded in the name of Allah, I don't blame Islamic society as a whole, just those evil nutcases. Right.

[Izyan]

READ!!!

The Ninth Scribe

But not everybody have the same definition of evangelical. There are some that are like Jehovah Witnesses and Mormons with their relentless others won't bring up God unless you do. Everyone else is in between.

[Ninth_Scribe]

People send stuff like this in care packages all the time.

You don't send a soldier 5,000 coins for his own personal use, do you?

The Ninth Scribe

[Ninth_Scribe]

The coins are their cause their used in the States for evangelical dawah. So he brought some over. If they find the directive from Bush to systematically use the Marine Corps to spread evangelical christianity (which would be against the UCMJ), then i'd be worried.

Do you get the differnce. Its not institutional. Like when a people are beheaded in the name of Allah, I don't blame Islamic society as a whole, just those evil nutcases. Right.

An estimated 70 million Americans call themselves evangelicals, and their beliefs have already reshaped American politics. In the last election, 40 percent of the votes for George W. Bush came from their ranks.

Do you get the difference?

The Ninth Scribe

[Ninth_Scribe]

The coins are their cause their used in the States for evangelical dawah. So he brought some over.

He... brought... some.... over? Really? Written in... ARABIC?

"Multi-National Force-Iraq is investigating a report that U.S. military personnel in Fallujah handed-out material that is religious and evangelical in nature," the spokesman, Rear Adm. Patrick Driscoll, said in a statement e-mailed to McClatchy. "Local commanders are investigating since the military prohibits proselytizing any religion, faith or practices."

The Ninth Scribe

[Izyan]

You don't send a soldier 5,000 coins for his own personal use, do you?

The Ninth Scribe

Nope you don't but so what?

[Ninth_Scribe]

Nope you don't but so what?

The Law... remember that?

"Local commanders are investigating since the military prohibits proselytizing any religion, faith or practices."

The Ninth Scribe

[MTAFFI]

bottom line

whether it was one troop or a thousand, they have no business promoting any kind of religion.. This is nothing but a step backwards.. It is the same with any entity or business, you can do 10,000 good deeds but the 1 bad deed will carry more weight because that news will travel faster. This was just plain stupid..

Also Izyan, you will never find a Muslim doing this, as a Muslim is not told to "spread the word of Allah (SAW)", a Muslim has the obligation to pass on the word of Allah (SAW) if he/she is inquired upon, but there are no "evangelist" muslims

[wth1257]

Isn't it the duty of all christians to preach the gospel like it is for muslims to spread the work of Allah?

"Preach the Gosples always, use words only when necessary"
-St. Franics of Assisi

[Nσσя'υℓ Jαииαн]

Our Dawah is through our character or invitation. We dont just go up to people and start talking religion or slip a little something in their hands. We don't go to someones door promoting our faith. Unless someone discusses religion with me or asks me something, I dont say anything. There's a huge difference.

[wth1257]

Our Dawah is through our character or invitation. We dont just go up to people and start talking religion or slip a little something in their hands. We don't go to someones door promoting our faith. Unless someone discusses religion with me or asks me something, I dont say anything. There's a huge difference.

Exactly St. Francis's point, a Christian should evangelize the world by unconditional love and Christ live liveing, not handing out silly couns with a M-16 around your chest

[Izyan]

bottom line

whether it was one troop or a thousand, they have no business promoting any kind of religion.. This is nothing but a step backwards.. It is the same with any entity or business, you can do 10,000 good deeds but the 1 bad deed will carry more weight because that news will travel faster. This was just plain stupid..

Also Izyan, you will never find a Muslim doing this, as a Muslim is not told to "spread the word of Allah (SAW)", a Muslim has the obligation to pass on the word of Allah (SAW) if he/she is inquired upon, but there are no "evangelist" muslims

So it's not a muslims job to perfoem Dawah in foreign lands?

[Ninth_Scribe]

So it's not a muslims job to perfoem Dawah in foreign lands?

The Sahih Muslim hadith indicates that a dawah is the first of three "courses of action" to be undertaken in attempting to avoid war with polytheistic enemies...

It's a little different... emphasis on "avoiding" war and with "polytheistic" enemies. But apart from that, I don't feel threatened when Jahovah's witnesses come to my door to "invite" me to God. But, I live in a free society. However, if I were living under occupation and the "invitation" was given by the armed occupiers - that's a whole world different.

The Ninth Scribe

[MTAFFI]

So it's not a muslims job to perfoem Dawah in foreign lands?

maybe amongst fellow muslims, but as Jazzy said Dawah is to be performed through your character or invitation from an individual or group. Dont get me wrong, if you google islamic missionaries there are people out there who do it, but it is not gone about by knocking on doors or handing out pamphlets

there must be something attractive about it right? I mean you yourself are signed up on an "islamicboard"

[Whatsthepoint]

maybe amongst fellow muslims, but as Jazzy said Dawah is to be performed through your character or invitation from an individual or group. Dont get me wrong, if you google islamic missionaries there are people out there who do it, but it is not gone about by knocking on doors or handing out pamphlets

There have been many threads about muslim groups raising money to provide every household with a Quran or a dawah DVD.

[Ninth_Scribe]

There have been many threads about muslim groups raising money to provide every household with a Quran or a dawah DVD.

Yes, and there are groups who provide free Torahs and Bibles - you only have to call their 800 number. But they don't occupy your country and show up on your doorstep armed now, do they?

The Ninth Scribe

[Nσσя'υℓ Jαииαн]

There have been many threads about muslim groups raising money to provide every household with a Quran or a dawah DVD.

Big deal? That's an invitation. It's not a big deal if you dont want it.

[Whatsthepoint]

Big deal? That's an invitation. It's not a big deal if you want it.

I didn't say it's a big deal! My post was a reply to MTAFFI who said dawah is not done by knocking on doors or handing out pamflets and stuff.

[Nσσя'υℓ Jαииαн]

Its not Lol. It all has to do with invitation. Take it or leave it.

[MTAFFI]

There have been many threads about muslim groups raising money to provide every household with a Quran or a dawah DVD.

as Jazzy said that is by invitation, no one is forcing you to take or overwhelming you into giving it a chance, in fact, if you look I am sure it is a donation basis... Not only that but does it specify the type of household? It may be every Muslim household, or every household that wishes to have a copy to learn from, the Muslim is a sacred book, I think the article even stated that it is never to even touch the ground, so they wont be laying around on doorsteps or given to people who will throw it in the trash as many do with the Jehovahs witness books. You are either a believer or you are not... how many Qurans' have been delivered to your house? How many dawah DVD's?

[Izyan]

maybe amongst fellow muslims, but as Jazzy said Dawah is to be performed through your character or invitation from an individual or group. Dont get me wrong, if you google islamic missionaries there are people out there who do it, but it is not gone about by knocking on doors or handing out pamphlets

there must be something attractive about it right? I mean you yourself are signed up on an "islamicboard"

I've explained why I am here as an apostate. It was always explained to me at Muna Madrassah that it was our duty to teach our arab brothers the ways of Allah whether they were muslim or not. To invite them to Islam. That sounds like proselytizing to me.

[Pygoscelis]

I fully support the right of these missionaries to speak, even yell their message.

I fully reserve my right to laugh in their faces when they do.

[Gator]

They probably come in every language. Theirs a fundamentalist that broadcasts in over 100 languages. I'll give them one thing, they do hit all the languages. So to say this is a concerted effort is still a huge stretch.

And once again, its only been ONE (thats 1) marine. Maybe they'll find a few others, but I doubt it would go beyond 10. Even so, I've notice in your responses that it seems to be the entire outfit forcing christianity on people, which is not the case.

I understand its a common failing that people are real quick to spread blame to an entire group throught the actions of a few (All jews to blame for killing jesus, muslims for terrorists, etc) , but you got to get beyond that.

[Ninth_Scribe]

Even so, I've notice in your responses that it seems to be the entire outfit forcing christianity on people, which is not the case.

Oh, they're trouble makers Gator, and they're causing problems in the military:

The growing influence of evangelical Protestants is roiling the military chaplain corps, where their desire to preach their faith more openly is colliding with long-held military traditions of pluralism and diversity.

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...902036_pf.html

The Ninth Scribe

[The_Prince]

lol the Iraqis should have been abit witty here, and play with this evangelical and tell him excuse me mr.Soldier, but why did your God send his son and not himself?! this is like your president, and leaders, who send you to do their dirty work, and cant come themselves, oh mr.Soldier is this the God you want me to come to?!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! no thanks.

now the soldier will try to be smart, and say, see theres a difference, Bush and his fellow leaders dont send their children,they send other people, God sent his only son. then the Iraqi should say what?! are you saying God then has a literal child?!!!!!!!!!!!!!

he will say no no not literal, then the Iraqi should say then why do you make comparison with LITERAL children of Bush and other leaders if your talking methaphorically! ya mr soldier you are so confused, go from me!

:) the soldier will scratch his head.

[Ninth_Scribe]

:) the soldier will scratch his head.

I'm not sure it would be good advice to antagonize an armed soldier - especially an evangelical one. The reason I'm concerned about them is because they're after the "Rapture" and there's only one way they can have it. That being, the destruction of this world. It's a death cult and they are taking the ancient prophecies as a "model" for the End Times.

I know there is an End Times, but this isn't it. The reason I say this is because the "prophesies" I see today are being "generated" by them. It's a fraud, like the state they have called Israel is a fraud. The real one would base its foundation on the Holy Laws, not blatantly break them for the sake of a surface appearance.

Of course my other pet peeve is that they think I'm the anti-christ simply because I pack a punch in my arguments against them. But that's just me. I wouldn't have a problem with them if they were a suicide cult - but when they try to drag the rest of the world into their abyss, and abuse holy law to do it, they make it my business. They cannot be reasoned with, they have little to no respect for the law, be it of men or God, and I consider them to be a very dangerous group.

The Ninth Scribe

[Whatsthepoint]

as Jazzy said that is by invitation, no one is forcing you to take or overwhelming you into giving it a chance, in fact, if you look I am sure it is a donation basis... Not only that but does it specify the type of household? It may be every Muslim household, or every household that wishes to have a copy to learn from, the Muslim is a sacred book, I think the article even stated that it is never to even touch the ground, so they wont be laying around on doorsteps or given to people who will throw it in the trash as many do with the Jehovahs witness books. You are either a believer or you are not... how many Qurans' have been delivered to your house? How many dawah DVD's?

http://www.islamicboard.com/exchange...-majority.html
http://masjidi.com/index.php/Muslim-...Dawah.html#237

Assalamualaikum

This is going to seem like a very hard project to some, but infact it is not. After the masjidi project is completed we will be doing this project.

Summary

To do dawah to the UK's non muslim population. And help them understand Islam.

We will do this by doing a mass dawah project, once we have the masjidi projected completed, for development of 1000 masjid sites, we will have a very large mailing list, we will be collecting funds for this project.

We will be doing a mail shot to 27 million households in the UK with a booklet on Islam, removing misconceptions, helping non muslims learn about Islam and will also put a DVD filled with audio, video and interactive learning.

The royal mail will charge approximately 1.5 million pounds for the distribution of this material.

The material will cost quite a large amount. However this is do able. And we will do this after the masjidi project. Islam is a religion for mankind and it is attractive to those who understand what Islam is. And we will educate the non muslims on what Islam is. Making this the largest dawah project

We will need to get the masjidi project up first, after this we expect that the dawah project will take approximately 5 years to raise the capital for such a huge campaign. We will however be making these all sustainable inshaallah.

We hope that we can first get the support to help the masjidi project build 1000 sites for mosques. We need to raise atleast 10,000 initially. To get this completed.

Here's another one:
http://www.kansas.com/194/story/413623.html

Group's goal is a Quran in every home

CHICAGO - • A foundation distributing the holy book of Islam to non-Muslims hopes to clear up misconceptions about the faith.

As Marcia Macy chatted with her dog walker in the driveway of her Wheaton, Ill., home Thursday, a young Muslim man passed her and hooked a plastic bag containing a Quran on her doorknob.

Unlike most religious solicitors, the man didn't try to speak with her or engage her in debate. He simply left her a 378-page paperback English translation of the holy book of Islam.

"I'd read it just to see what it says, but I believe in Jesus, not Allah," said Macy, a longtime Christian. "They have a right to do it... but I feel pretty strong in my faith."

If Macy reads the text, she will have fulfilled the goal of the Book of Signs Foundation. The Muslim organization says that since July it has distributed more than 70,000 free English Qurans to homes in the Chicago area and an additional 30,000 around Houston.

The Christian stronghold of Wheaton, Ill., is the group's latest stop. The foundation spent the previous three weeks in Chicago's Hyde Park and Jackson Park neighborhoods.

Organizers said their aim is to help people develop their own opinions about Islam instead of being misled by common misconceptions about the faith that have been especially egregious since the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

"We're just trying to be honest brokers of information," said Wajahat Sayeed, founder and director of Book of Signs, which also is known as al-Furqaan Foundation. "You make your own judgment."

Distributing free scripture is not new, of course. Many Christian groups pass out Bibles; Gideons International distributed almost 450,000 in September in a weeklong "New York Bible Blitz."

And other Muslim groups have given away free Qurans. The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community in Lake County, Ill., reports distributing more than 1,000 since 2005, with a boom in requests for Spanish-translated Qurans in the past year.

But the Book of Signs' long-term goal is particularly ambitious: that each household in the U.S. possess a Quran, even if the residents are not Muslims.

On Thursday, two teams -- each with two walkers and one person driving a minivan full of books -- crisscrossed the manicured neighborhoods of Wheaton.

Their chosen approach is noninvasive. Walkers don't hand the books directly to residents or engage in debate. Some people who were out walking their dogs or planting annuals said they assumed the men were passing out newspapers or delivering advertisements.

The book includes a phone number where people can leave a message if they have questions or comments, and Sayeed checks those messages daily. He said about 30 percent are appreciative. An additional 30 percent are indifferent and request that someone return to pick up the book. The rest are often expletive-laden.

"It is not pleasant to hear that after all the effort you made," said Sayeed, who works full time for the foundation after leaving a job as a strategy consultant for PricewaterhouseCoopers.

Some callers ask serious questions, such as "What does Islam say about the Virgin Mary?" or "What does Islam say about Jesus?" One woman called to ask general questions about Islam since she was planning a trip to the Middle East.

The books being distributed include a foreword that urges readers to treat the text with respect, asking residents who don't want it to call for pickup or give it to a local mosque. Paid workers who distribute the Qurans don't make the rounds in the rain and never leave books on the ground.

In Wheaton on Thursday, one woman said she didn't know what a Quran was and didn't know what she was going to do with it. Most others said they would read through it.

"I've read literature about the Quran, but never read the Quran," said Kevin Ritchie, 46.

He said he would read the book but remain skeptical about the religion. "I think they've got a right to pass them out, but I'm pretty much set with my religion," Ritchie said.

Muslims believe the Quran to be the word of God revealed to the Prophet Muhammad. Experts said reading the Quran can be difficult for the average non-Muslim because it's not written in chronological order and requires some context about the period in which it was written.

Sabeel Ahmed, director of outreach programs for the Islamic Circle of North America, said the Quran project is a good first step. However, he notes that follow-up meetings or additional reading material would be helpful.

"Rather than just opening page one and reading, a better approach would be to give some supplemental information," he said.

Sayeed said the foundation chose a translation written in a simple, modern language that Americans can easily understand.

"The general sense will be clear," Sayeed said. "Islam teaches peace."

[Ninth_Scribe]

http://www.islamicboard.com/exchange...-majority.html
http://masjidi.com/index.php/Muslim-...Dawah.html#237

Here's another one:
http://www.kansas.com/194/story/413623.html

Well, there is a difference between free distribution in a free society and armed soldiers doing it to an occupied people, don't you think?

The Ninth Scribe

[Whatsthepoint]

Well, there is a difference between free distribution in a free society and armed soldiers doing it to an occupied people, don't you think?

The Ninth Scribe

Yes, I never argued that.

[AvarAllahNoor]

How can a coin (or anything else) make you change your religion if you're a strict follower??

[Nσσя'υℓ Jαииαн]

^^Those who have doubt, or weak faith. It can happen to anyone who lingers in their faith...not everyone is strong.

[islamirama]

US marines in hot water over Christian coins in Iraq
Date : May 30, 2008
http://www.gulfinthemedia.com/index.php?m=afp&id=143244&lang=en&


The US military said on Friday it was probing complaints that marines handed out coins inscribed with a verse from the Bible to a group of Sunni Muslims in Iraq, sparking outrage among local residents.

It said a service member involved in the incident in the former flashpoint city of Fallujah west of Baghdad was removed from his duties on Thursday.

"US forces initiated an investigation into reports that a coin with a Bible verse written in Arabic was distributed to Iraqi citizens as they passed through a Fallujah entry control point," the military said in a statement.

"A coalition force service member was removed from his duties Thursday amid concerns from Fallujah's citizens regarding reports of inappropriate conduct."

Residents of Fallujah, scene of one of the bloodiest post-invasion battles between insurgents and US forces in Iraq in 2004, said that marines had been doling out the token-like coins to residents to promote Christianity.

The incident occurred less than than two weeks after a US soldier was removed from Iraq for using a Koran for target practice at a firing range near Baghdad and writing graffiti in the Muslim holy book.

The incident sparked outrage from the Iraqi government of President Nuri al-Maliki and prompted an apology from US President George W. Bush. But it triggered protests that left several people dead in Afghanistan.

[islamirama]

"Convert Or Die" Game Sent To Troops In Iraq w/Pentagon Blessing
By Troutfishing



Courtesy of the US Pentagon, troops in Iraq can now unwind after a hard day's urban warfare and play a video game in which they command a Christian fundamentalist army waging urban warfare in America ! On the streets of New York City ! How cool is that?

The "Left Behind: Eternal Forces" video game, is set in a "post apocalyptic" New York that looks almost exactly like New York City after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks and lets players simulate commanding a paramilitary Christian army that seeks to convert Jews, mainline Christians, Muslims, Atheists, Buddhists, and everyone else in New York City to fundamentalist Christianity. All who resist will be killed.
Now, with the blessing and endorsement of the Pentagon, a Christian ministry with apocalyptic fundamentalist beliefs that is planning a series of tours it calls a 'military crusade' to entertain US troops in Afghanistan and Iraq will also be distributing the "Left Behind: Eternal Forces" 'Convert or Die' religious warfare video game....To US troops.
What? Let me repeat:
The United States Pentagon has endorsed sending a Christian supremacist religious warfare video game to United States troops in Iraq, a predominantly Muslim nation.

Osama Bin Laden himself could hardly have hatched a better plot to incite widespread war between Christianity and Islam, and the Pentagon's endorsement of "Operation Straight Up" and that ministry's plan to bring the bigoted, hateful religious ideology inherent to Tim Lahaye and Jerry Jenkins' "Left Behind" book series to American troops in the front lines casts into question the basic competence, not to mention the sanity, of every Pentagon official involved in the decision to endorse such mind boggling idiocy.

Once again:

"Left Behind: Eternal Forces", a game depicting fundamentalist Christians religious warfare will be distributed to US troops.

Courtesy of the PENTAGON.

Now, American troops in Iraq and Afghanistan will be able to unwind by playing out a sanitized version of what in reality may the most savage type of war humans wage.

If war is hell, religious war is hell with vengeance. On the smoking battlefields of the religious wars that erupted in Europe in the wake of the Catholic/Protestant rift, victorious armies would entertain themselves by making small incision in the sides of wounded enemy soldiers and pulling their intestines out to wind those around sticks and so extract the entire intestinal tracts, very, very slowly. In Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins' "Left Behind" series, God does that to unbelievers; God pulls their guts out.

That's religious war.

In writing about the game, Jonathan Hutson, Chip Berlet, Frederick Clarkson, and other Talk To Action contributors were writing on how the game was being marketed to teenagers, and the prospect that the game would, little more than a year later, be on the way to US troops in Iraq would have seemed to us to be almost beyond imagination.

Now. visualize the hands of a clocks whirring round and round... they stop. It is now August 8, 2007, and the United States Pentagon has endorsed an Evangelical Christian organization that calls its planned, upcoming Iraq entertainment tour a "crusade", advocates apocalyptic theology, and distributes the "Left Behind: Eternal Forces" video game to the troops so that, exhausted after long hours guarding tense checkpoints or fighting block to block to root out Iraqi insurgents, American soldiers in Baghdad and elsewhere can relax by playing a video game, set on meticulously rendered New York City streets, in which fundamentalist Christians engage in simulated urban religious warfare.

Now Imagine if such a game was invented by Muslims...let alone it also being given to Muslim soldiers.

[islamirama]

Navy Chaplain Ready to Convert Iraq to Christianity
05-May-04
Iraq Occupation
"A Navy chaplain who served in Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom [sic] believes the civilian population of that country is ready for the gospel of Jesus Christ. Lieutenant Carey Cash was assigned to the First Battalion of the Fifth Marine Regiment during the opening months of the war.... Cash says the Iraqis seem burdened under Islam. He believes this creates an openness to Christianity, he says, 'in part because Islam, as a cultural motif, does oppress. And I think that says that one day, perhaps, a new day may dawn in that nation where the gospel can be proclaimed without fear of reprisal, and where it can liberate men, women, and children unlike they've ever known.' Despite the influence of Islam in Iraq, Cash says he finds there is great openness to Christianity there now, and he feels that believers currently serving in that country will have an even better opportunity to share their faith in the future." Will Americans ever stop deluding themselves about Islam?


American Plans to Convert Iraq into Christianity

• American Missionaries and Generals in the American Military are working together in order to convert Helpless Muslims in Iraq to Christianity. Many of these Missionaries which are Supported by the Bush Administration are from Evangelical Christian Groups Such as Southern Baptist Convention, World Help and other Evangelical Christian Organizations. They go into Iraq as aid workers in Disguise or as American Private Contractors working in Iraq. Many of these people have been given support and Protection from American Generals in Iraq by providing them Housings in Americans Bases in Iraq to work from. When ever the American Military goes into a Village or a Town in search and destroy Mission these missionaries follow them and hand out Pamphlets promoting Christianity and also Also Anti-islamic material to the helpless Muslims in Iraq. Many of them follow the American Military as well in their rutine Night raids where the American Soldiers Kills or detains Muslim males from the families, Iraq is a traditional Society and most of the Support a family recieves is from the Male, and once there is no Male gaurdian for the Family the family does not have a chance for survival. Many Muslim Women and families are being taken advantagae of by these American christians, since they provide them with food and Shelter or Money in Exchange for the Bible and Christianity the most Vulnerable of these families are Muslim women with children whos husbands and Sons have been killed or been detained by the Americans. These Muslim families have no other place to provide for themselves its either the missionaries and there is always a Danger for Prostitution for survival. Unfortantetly Islamic aid Organizations are not allowed to work from Iraq since they would be labled as Terrorists and Killed, or detained by the American Military. Many of these Islamic Aid Organization have completely abonded their work in Iraq. Those few Islamic Aid Organizations who do risk the work to provide aid for their Brothers and Sisters in Iraq are being highly Monitored by the American Military and the Puppet Iraqi Government.

Video - American Plans to Convert Iraq into Christianity

[Keltoi]

Way to build Mt. St. Helens out of a mole hill...

[islamirama]

U.S. Soldiers Launch Campaign to Convert Iraqis to Christianity

'The occupier is planting seeds of strife between the Muslims and Christians.' Iraqis claim Marines are pushing Christianity in Fallujah 28 May 2008 "They are trying to convert us to Christianity," said Muamar Anad, a Sunni Muslim like most residents of this city in Anbar province. Residents of Fallujah are abuzz that some Americans whom they consider occupiers are also acting as Christian missionaries. Residents said some Marines at the western entrance to their city have been passing out coins (with a Bible verse) for two days in what they call a "humiliating" attempt to convert them to Christianity.
The McLatchy Report

SOURCE: The Public Record
The Public Record
May 30, 2008

Some U.S. soldiers stationed in Iraq appear to have launched a major initiative to covert thousands of Iraqi citizens to Christianity by distributing Bibles and other fundamentalist Christian literature translated into Arabic to Iraqi Muslims.

A recent article published on the website of Mission Network News reported that Bible Pathway Ministries, a fundamentalist Christian organization, has provided thousands of a special military edition of its Daily Devotional Bible study book to members of the 101st Airborne Division of Fort Campbell, Kentucky, currently stationed in Iraq, the project "came into being when a chaplain in Iraq (who has since finished his tour) requested some books from Bible Pathway Ministries (BPM)."

"The resulting product is a 6"x9" 496-page illustrated book with embossed cover containing 366 daily devotional commentaries, maps, charts, and additional helpful information," the Mission Network News report says.

Chief Warrant Officer Rene Llanos of the 101st Airborne told Mission Network News, "the soldiers who are patrolling and walking the streets are taking along this copy, and they're using it to minister to the local residents."

"Our division is also getting ready to head toward Afghanistan, so there will be copies heading out with the soldiers," Llanos said. "We need to pray for protection for our soldiers as they patrol and pray that God would continue to open doors. The soldiers are being placed in strategic places with a purpose. They're continuing to spread the Word."

Karen Hawkins, a BPM official, said military chaplains "were trying to encourage soldiers to be in the Word everyday because they're in a very dangerous situation, and they need that protection."

That would appear to violate the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment prohibiting government officials, including military personnel, from using the machinery of the state to promote any form of religion. The book's cover includes the logos of the five branches of the armed forces giving the impression that it's a publication sanctioned by the Pentagon.
The distribution of the Bibles and Christian literature comes on the heels of a report published Wednesday by McClatchy Newspapers stating that U.S. Marines guarding the entrance to the city of Fallujah have been handing out "witnessing coins" to Sunni Muslims entering the city that read in Arabic on one side: "Where will you spend eternity?" and "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. John 3:16" on the other.

A Pentagon spokesman said he was unaware of the issue involving the distribution of coins and Bibles and declined to comment.

The issue comes at a particularly sensitive time for Sunnis who recently clashed with U.S. military in an area west of Baghdad week after an American soldier was found to have used a Koran, the Islamic holy book, for target practice. Following a daylong protest by Iraqis that threatened to turn violent, Maj. Gen. Jeffery Hammond issued a public apology to Sunnis in the area.

"I come before you here seeking your forgiveness," Hammond said. "In the most humble manner I look in your eyes today and I say please forgive me and my soldiers."

The soldier who shot up the Koran was disciplined and removed from duty in Iraq.

Mikey Weinstein, founder and president of the government watchdog agency The Military Religious Freedom Foundation (MRFF), said the religious intolerance among U.S. military personnel calls for a federal investigation.

"The shocking actions revealed just last week of American soldiers in the combat zones of Iraq and Afghanistan callously using the Koran for automatic weapons "target practice" is absolutely connected to the same issues of national security breach wrought by our United States armed forces proselytizing the local populations via the distribution to them of fundamentalist Christian coins, bibles, tracts, comics and related religious materials written in Arabic," Weistein said.

"The Military Religious Freedom Foundation has been acutely aware of such astonishing unconstitutional and illicit proselytizing in Iraq and Afghanistan for over three years now and knows how massively pervasive it really is. These proselytizing transgressions are all blatant violations of the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ) and MRFF is now demanding that any and all responsible military personnel be immediately prosecuted under Article 92 of the UCMJ: Failure to Obey an Order or Regulation," Weinstein added.

Members of the U.S. military first started actively proselytizing Iraqi Muslims soon after the U.S. invaded Iraq in March 2003.

In a newsletter published in 2004 by the fundamentalist group International Ministerial Fellowship (IMF), Capt. Steve Mickel, an Army chaplain, claimed that Iraqis were eager to be converted to Christianity and that he personally tried to convert dozens of Iraqis, which is also an apparent constitutional violation.

"I am able to give them tracts on how to be saved, printed in Arabic," Mickel said, according to a copy of the IMF newsletter. "I wish I had enough Arabic Bibles to give them as well. The issue of mailing Arabic Bibles into Iraq from the U.S. is difficult (given the current postal regulations prohibiting all religious materials contrary to Islam except for personal use of the soldiers). But the hunger for the Word of God in Iraq is very great, as I have witnessed first-hand."

Mickel evangelized Iraqis while delivering leftover food to local residents from his unit's mess hall. He handed out Bibles translated into Arabic in the village of Ad Dawr, a predominantly Sunni territory where Saddam Hussein was captured.

"Such fundamentalist Christian proselytizing DIRECTLY violates General Order 1A, Part 2, Section J issued by General Tommy Franks on behalf of the United States Central Command (USCENTCOM) back in December of 2000 which strictly prohibits "proselytizing of any religion, faith or practice," said Weinstein, a former Reagan administration White House counsel, former general counsel to presidential candidate H. Ross Perot, and former Air Force Judge Advocate General (JAG).

In addition to coins and Bibles, there have been reports of the distribution to Iraqi children of Christian comic books published by companies such as Chick Publications. These inflammatory comic books, published in English and Arabic, not only depict Mohammed, but show both Mohammed and Muslims burning in hell because they did not accept Jesus as their savior before they died.

Chick Publications states on its website that its literature "is desperately needed by Muslims, but getting it to them without endangering our soldiers or enflaming the Muslim leadership will not be easy."

Postal regulations prohibit sending bulk religious materials contrary to Islam into Iraq, but allow religious materials to be sent to an individual soldier for their personal use.

Sending more of these materials than would be necessary for an individual's personal use, but not a large enough quantity to risk being flagged by the postal service, is one way that these materials are making their way into Iraq. Chick Publications advises those wanting to send their literature to military personnel to first find out "just what tracts would be most useful and how many they can effectively use," and "to find out whether the tracts can be drop shipped from Chick Publications or if they should be sent as personal mail from the soldiers' families."

A spokesman for Chick refused to comment for this story about the comics handed out to Iraqis.

Meanwhile, members of the 101st Airborne stationed in Iraq will continue their work evangelizing Iraqis unless it is told otherwise.

Llanos, the division's chief warrant officer, said about 2,000 copies of the military edition of the Bible provided to the 101st Airborne will soon be distributed to Iraqis.
However, reports on the Bible Pathway Ministries website up to 30,000 of the Christian books have been distributed to military personnel, some of which will presumably end up in the hands of Iraqis.

http://www.democracyfornewhampshire.com/node/view/5802

[MKE Brother]

Cash says the Iraqis seem burdened under Islam. He believes this creates an openness to Christianity, he says, 'in part because Islam, as a cultural motif, does oppress. And I think that says that one day, perhaps, a new day may dawn in that nation where the gospel can be proclaimed without fear of reprisal, and where it can liberate men, women, and children unlike they've ever known.'

Yes, so lets burden them with something we call "original sin" so we can replace that oppressed feeling with the feelings of guilt and that you are never good enough.

That 'outta fix Iraq right up.

Liberating...the only liberating feeling I ever got out of Catholic church was when mass was finally over because the priest though he was auditioning for "Vatican Idol" or something and would sing EVERY part of the mass.

Sorry about that, rant off, I had a flashback or something.

[Ninth_Scribe]

How can a coin (or anything else) make you change your religion if you're a strict follower??

Fear of persecution, if it's distributed by the armed ocupational forces.

The Ninth Scribe

[Ninth_Scribe]

Yes, so lets burden them with something we call "original sin" so we can replace that oppressed feeling with the feelings of guilt and that you are never good enough.

That 'outta fix Iraq right up.

Liberating...the only liberating feeling I ever got out of Catholic church was when mass was finally over because the priest though he was auditioning for "Vatican Idol" or something and would sing EVERY part of the mass.

Sorry about that, rant off, I had a flashback or something.

Loved the 'rant off' and it's sooo true! They really are very fussy about the performance, pomp and paegantry

Some of them make you feel like an outcast if you don't go into an epilectic fit and talk like you were possessed by a demon. :statisfie

The Ninth Scribe

[MTAFFI]

http://www.islamicboard.com/exchange...-majority.html
http://masjidi.com/index.php/Muslim-...Dawah.html#237


Here's another one:
http://www.kansas.com/194/story/413623.html

It seems I am proven wrong.. :-[ All I can really say is from my understanding you aren't really supposed to go about it like that, I suppose people will do what they can because of the state of the world and the largely mis conveyed representation of Islam. But I do concede and apologize for my ignorant statement as I was obviously wrong and there are "missionary" types out there also representing Islam. It doesn't seem though that they are going to peoples houses and overwhelming anyone or going to different countries telling people lies and false statements... just distributing information about their faith and leaving it to the individual to decide whether or not they wish to pursue it or not.

[Eric H]

Greetings and peace be with you islamirama; thanks for bringing the Left Behind game to our attention

I did a Google search for Left Behind: Eternal Forces" Pentagon; just take your pick and read one; it appears this has been happening since last August.

Every thing about the game smacks of the dangerous thinking behind the inquisitions, if you don’t convert, you will die. It goes totally against everything that I believe a Christian should believe and do.

But what can be done

In the spirit of praying for greater interfaith friendship and trust

Eric

[aadil77]

Greetings and peace be with you islamirama; thanks for bringing the Left Behind game to our attention

I did a Google search for Left Behind: Eternal Forces" Pentagon; just take your pick and read one; it appears this has been happening since last August.

Every thing about the game smacks of the dangerous thinking behind the inquisitions, if you don’t convert, you will die. It goes totally against everything that I believe a Christian should believe and do.

But what can be done

In the spirit of praying for greater interfaith friendship and trust

Eric

Yep, nothin much

But how did this come about from the pentagon?

[Keltoi]

I seriously doubt the Pentagon had anything to do with it.