All posts by Hanspeter

Massacre in the Congo

Bishop Melchizedec Sikuli Paluku: “In the past year alone, around 1,000 people were killed. This has been going on for ten years. It has increased especially since 2014. Massacre follows massacre”.

Paluku laments the apathy of the Congolese government and the media.

The media in our country hardly speak about it. The people here have the impression that the state does not exist here. We feel abandoned by the state authorities.”

Instead of stopping the killings and neutralizing the attackers, the military operations spread attackers.

For years, the resource-rich border area between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and neighboring Uganda has been plagued by rebels from the ADF militia, who originally came from Uganda.

Iran want to destroy Israel

It is unusual for a parliament decide the total destruction of a sovereign nation – and set itself a certain deadline. The Iranian government must destroy Israel by 2041/42.

The Iranian Corps of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) presented one of its “strategic missile bases” on Friday, which are located on the “shores of the Persian Gulf”, according to the website of the Revolutionary Guards Sepahnews.

What drives Muslims into terror?

Violence is a result of black and white thinking. Wherever peaceful tolerance fails, the situation escalates. When Jesus ask to love our enemies, he required extreme tolerance.

In France, the causes of terror have been debated for many years. The 65-year-old Gilles Kepel says: The terror is a consequence of the radicalization of Islam. The 71-year-old Olivier Roy says: Terror is an expression of the Islamization of violent radicalism. Continue reading What drives Muslims into terror?

Muslim dreams of a cross

By Zeenat, Morocco

In 2011, I wanted to learn Russian so I went to a website to register for online learning. On that website, I found an advertisement that was a link to click on to know God’s plan for your life. I clicked the button, filled out the form and received a downloadable version of Matthew’s Gospel. At that time, I became distracted with other things and forgot about it.

A month later, my internet service stopped working. In that moment, I remembered what I had downloaded and began reading Matthew. When I came to the section about the sermon on the mountain, I began to have lots of questions.

My beliefs about Christianity were entirely based on what I had been taught as a Muslim. I thought that Christians believed everything (drinking, sex, etc) was permissible at all times. I did not realize that Christians believe that Jesus was God in human form, truly the Messiah. Continue reading Muslim dreams of a cross

The Jesus movement spreads through persecution

It is not through planning and strategy, but through persecution that the Jesus movement spreads through the book of Acts.

Many think that persecution destroys the Church, but in both the past and the present God has used persecution and disasters to spread hope and salvation through the Church. Many people of different background come to the Christian faith because they experience love, forgiveness, and mercy.

The first church found new courage in view of God’s greatness. Through Psalm 2 they realized: headwinds are normal. Therefore, they do not ask for the headwind to stop, but rather that they do not allow themselves to be frightened and continue to tell without hesitation about the fact that Jesus overcame death. God’s answer to their request is to give them a new fullness of the Holy Spirit.

God of Abraham

Abraham is often seen as the father of the monotheistic religions. His way of believing is a model for all people.

Only when we understand how Abraham experienced God, can we evaluate whether we believe in Abraham’s God or we are following our own image of God.

Abraham is described as the first Muslim in sura 2:132. In John 8:39 the Jews say: “Our father is Abraham.” Jews, Christians and Muslims all see Abraham as a model of faith. But Abraham did not start three religions.

When we say we believe in the God of Abraham, we must first see what kind of God Abraham believed in and what are the characteristics of his belief.

Jesus says in John 8:39: “If you were Abraham’s children, then you would do what Abraham did.”

Desire for the temple

A member of the Knesset suggests that not only Jews should be able to freely visit the Temple Mount in Jerusalem and express their faith, but that the Third Temple should be built.

Nissim Vaturi visited the Temple Mount in December. Vaturi openly recited the traditional Jewish prayer. Vaturi is the second member of the Likud Knesset who not only enters the Temple Mount, but also calls for the construction of the third temple. In early December Likud MP Amit HaLevi was also on the Temple Mount.

More and more Muslim Arabs are demanding that Israel should remove control from the Palestinian Waqf.

Jerusalem’s Sheikh, Muhammad Ahmad Hussein, has banned UAE and Bahraini nationals entering via Israel to the Temple Mount.

The Saudi journalist Abdel Rahman Al-Lahim tweeted: “It is very important for the Emiratis and Bahrainis to discuss with Israel ways of liberating the Al-Aqsa Mosque from Palestinian thugs in order to protect visitors from Palestinian thuggery.

Rotenberg: “The time has come to replace the Supreme Muslim Council with an international council with representatives from Muslim nations that formally recognize Israel, as well as representatives from Israel, both Jewish and Muslim and the Palestinian Authority (if it is willing).”

Jerusalem Deputy Mayor Fleur Hassan-Nahum visited the UAE. He estimated that 100,000-250,000 Muslim tourists from the region will come to Jerusalem in the future. “Just as we developed Christian tourism, we plan to work to develop Muslim tourism.” more information

New marriages from the age of 18 in Saudi Arabia

As the Saudi Gazette reported, the Saudi Justice Ministry has set 18 years as the minimum age for marriage. The Minister of Justice and Chairman of the Supreme Judicial Council, Sheikh Walid Al-Samaani, enacted the new policy in a circular on December 22, 20 that was sent to all courts in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

So far, child marriages have been usual in Saudi Arabia: every seventh girl marries before the age of 18.

According to the regulations of orthodox Islamic law, girls are allowed to marry from the age of nine. These Islamic law is based on the marriage of the Prophet Muhammad with his third wife Aisha, who, according to Islamic tradition (Hadith), was six years old at the time of the marriage contract and nine years old at the wedding.

According to UNICEF, Continue reading New marriages from the age of 18 in Saudi Arabia

Normalization with Israel

Saudi companies want to invest in Israel with the help of intermediaries from Bahrain. The potential investors are primarily interested in the high-tech offer in Israel.

After rumors about a possible normalization of relations between Indonesia and Oman with Israel, the Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu said that soon we will see many more Muslim states normalizing their relations with Israel.

In addition to Oman and Indonesia, the “Jerusalem Post” also names states such as Mauritania, Niger and Saudi Arabia, but also Pakistan as possible states that could establish relations with Israel.

The Israeli Jerusalem Post quoted Israeli officials as saying that Saudi Arabia would announce normalization with Israel within 12 months.

Jesus as a bridge between Islam and Christianity

The Islamic theologian Mouhanad Khorchide told domradio:

Jesus serves as a bridge between Islam and Christianity.

In the Koran, Jesus is valued much more strongly, is much more central, than Mohammed himself. Very few people know that.

Jesus is referred to in the Koran as the Word of God, Spirit of God. The miracles of Jesus are also described in the Koran.

So I think: Muslims should also honor this day. When I say that one congratulates one another or even celebrates Christmas, it doesn’t mean that Muslims become Christians, but they remind us of this appreciation.

In contrast to Khorchide, it should also be noted: In the Koran, Jesus is referred as “the son of Mary”, as the Arabic name ʿĪsā ibn Maryam shows. To difference oneself from the term “Son of God”.Isa is a prophet in the Koran and Jesus the Son of God in the New Testament.

Mt 16:16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”

Mt 27.43 He trusts in God. Let God rescue him now if he wants him, for he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’

Lk 22.70 They all asked, “Are you then the Son of God?” He replied, “You say that I am.”

Jn 10:36 what about the one whom the Father set apart as his very own and sent into the world? Why then do you accuse me of blasphemy because I said, ‘I am God’s Son’?