“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: may they prosper who love you.” Psalm 122: 6
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Khalid Abdulla-Janahi—The Middle East needs evolution, not revolution:
I remember as a child growing up in Bahrain, the countries of the Middle East were alongside those of South America, Eastern Europe, Africa and Asia. We were all part of the same experience, poised on the verge of evolution into liberal, modern and democratic nations of citizens not subjects, with leaders rather than rulers.
Since the 1980s, I’ve watched as the world transformed from Argentina to Turkey to South Korea, during a thirty-year career in international business and finance. In this time it seems as though everywhere has undergone change, except for the part of the world where I am from, the Middle East.
Deliberate process of evolution
Although we keep talking about it we have yet to allow the slow, deliberate process of evolution to begin in the Middle East. This is worrying because if we don’t allow it to start, the momentum will keep building to the point where it becomes explosive – then evolution will no longer be an option. This is the scenario we have, very vividly, already seen during the so-called “Arab Spring.”
Across the region, we need to urgently begin to implement specific reforms to allow the process of evolution to start. We have already seen what the alternative looks like and I dread to think what the consequences of further delay might be. It may well be painful at times, but reform can no longer wait.
Evolution, not revolution, is an inspiring call to action and a principle upon which the people and rulers of our region seem to agree – but to succeed, we must be ruthless in eliminating all possible barriers including incompetence, corruption and whatever other social ills are holding us back.
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SnyderTalk Comment: “Across the region, we need to urgently begin to implement specific reforms to allow the process of evolution to start. We have already seen what the alternative looks like and I dread to think what the consequences of further delay might be. It may well be painful at times, but reform can no longer wait.”
Abdulla-Janahi is right. If the Middle East doesn’t get its act together soon, the consequences will be horrific.
There is a tipping point. It’s the point at which masses of people around the world simultaneously accept the fact that enough is enough. It’s not coordinated in a political sense. It’s spontaneous and impossible to reverse.
I thought that we might have reached the tipping point when American journalists were beheaded and gruesome videos were published for all to see. I was wrong.
Did the Paris massacre do it? Time will tell, but this much is certain: when we reach a tipping point, “ordinary peaceful Muslims” will be in grave danger because vigilante mobs won’t take the time to distinguish between “good Muslims” and “bad Muslims”.
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Lawrence A. Franklin—Paris: Grand Mosque Open, Grand Synagogue Closed—A seemingly required inclusion in most reports on the recent mass murder in Paris was the rhetorical question posed by reporters has been: “Will these events invite a wave of anti-Muslim incidents”? Since these Islam-inspired murders, however, there have been only a few anti-Muslim actions — all against property. Under-reported, however, was how rapidly the assault against Charlie Hebdo migrated into an anti-Jewish mini-pogrom in the heart of Paris. What did shoppers in a kosher market, four of whom were slaughtered, have to do with the cartoon images of Mohammad? Nothing. But the assault on the HyperCacher Jewish kosher supermarket has a lot to do with the true nature of Islamic militancy. It seems the drawings in Charlie Hebdo offended some true believers of Islam, but the mere existence of Jews also offends them. So, apparently, does the existence of Christians, Yazidis, Hindus, Ahmadiyyas; anyone considered a “disbeliever,” “infidel” or “not Muslim enough;” other Muslims, such as those blown up on the streets of Asia each week or the unfortunate Muslim policeman, Ahmed Merabet, wounded, then slaughtered at point blank range, on the sidewalk for not being “part of the plan.”
SnyderTalk Comment: “In light of all the expressed concern about possible anti-Muslim incidents, claims on television that ‘Muslims are the most persecuted people’ seemed jarring and wrong.”
It doesn’t just seem wrong. It is wrong.
Rampaging Islamist terrorists are ridding the world of infidels, and they’ve been at the job for years. Islamists aren’t the persecuted. They are the persecutors.
Herb Keinon: Analysis: Israel’s diplomatic dilemma with France—“If 100,000 Jews leave, France will no longer be France,” French Prime Minister Manuel Valls said in an interview Sunday with US journalist Jeffrey Goldberg. Interesting comment, that – from an official of Valls stature – that gives an appreciation of the tremendous contribution of the historic French Jewish community to the country. It is also one that places Israel in a sensitive position. For how can Israel call for the Jews of France to leave France, when their prime minister says that if they do, France ceases to be France? This isn’t the first time Israel has faced this dilemma. In 2003, after a wave of anti-Semitic incidents in France, then prime minister Ariel Sharon called on the Jews of France to leave immediately. “If I have to advise our brothers in France, I’ll tell them one thing – move to Israel, as early as possible.
AP: Pope: Fundamentalist terrorism result of ‘deviant religion’— Pope Francis on Monday denounced the religious fundamentalism that inspired the Paris massacres and ongoing Mideast conflicts, saying the attackers were enslaved by “deviant forms of religion” that used God as a mere ideological pretext to perpetuate mass killings. In his annual foreign policy address to Vatican-based ambassadors, Francis called for a unanimous response from the international community to end “fundamentalist terrorism” in the Mideast. And he called for Muslim leaders in particular to condemn “extremist interpretations” of their faith that seek to justify such violence.
Bassam Tawil: Paris Terror Attacks: Hamas, Fatah Fooling Europe— The two Palestinian groups, Hamas and Fatah, are once again proving that when it comes to terrorism, they are masters of double-talk, saying one thing for the international community, which has so recently been good to them, while at home practicing the opposite. Mahmoud Abbas’s denunciation of the Paris terror attacks and his decision to participate in the anti-terrorism rally in the French capital is also a sign of the ongoing hypocrisy and double standards of both Fatah and Hamas. Hamas should be the last to denounce assaults on journalists and free speech. Its security forces in the Gaza Strip continue to arrest and intimidate Palestinian journalists on a regular basis. Both groups have a long history of simultaneously denouncing terrorist attacks abroad while at home doing their utmost to suppress and punish any freedom of expression. Palestinian journalists have been frequently targeted by Palestinian Authority security forces for posting critical remarks on Facebook or for writing stories that reflect negatively on Mahmoud Abbas and other Palestinian officials.
Jerold S. Auerbach: Presidents Confront (or Evade) Islamic Terrorism— A rising wave of Islamist terrorist attacks has erupted since December – with especially murderous atrocities committed in Peshawar (132 children); Iraq (150 women in Al-Anbar); Cameroon (30); and Gombe (20). Last week’s brutal slaughter of twelve journalists and cartoonists at the Charlie Hebdo office in Paris was triggered by Muslim terrorists shouting “Allahu Akbar” and “We are avenging the Prophet Mohammed” as they sprayed bullets into their victims. That horrific assault, followed the next day by the murder of four hostages in a nearby kosher grocery store, provided an international litmus test of presidential leadership – and failure. Even before the ghastly Paris attack Egyptian president Abdel Fatah al-Sisi, speaking at the thousand year-old Al-Azhar University that is revered as the intellectual home of scholarly Islam, delivered a prescient warning. Addressing an audience of imams, he called for a “religious revolution” under their leadership, in which the recent violent direction of Islam would be scrutinized. He boldly declared: “It is inconceivable that the thinking that we hold most sacred should cause the entire umma [Islamic world] to be a source of anxiety, danger, killing and destruction for the rest of the world. Impossible!”
Denis MacEoin: Charlie, Muhammad, and the Saudi 1000 Lashes of Raif Badawi— His first 50 lashes were administered on Friday. After prayers, outside a mosque, Saudi writer and blogger, Raif Badawi, 30, received a sentence that seems worse than death. Accused of “insulting Islam,” he is to receive 1000 lashes: 50 per week for 20 weeks — nearly half a year. “The lashing order says Raif should ‘be lashed very severely,'” a twitter notice read. “If they lash him again next week we do not know if he is going to survive. He has no medical assistance,” another notice said. After that, he is to spend ten years in prison and pay a fine of $266,000. If he ever leaves prison, his life will have been destroyed — by voyeurs as sexually twisted as those of ancient Rome. His wife and three children have been given asylum in Canada. Her family has filed for divorce on the grounds of his supposed apostasy.
Angel M. Rabasa: Why Al-Qaeda in Yemen attacked Paris—The bloodshed in the Paris offices of satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo was much more than a violent act of revenge against a publication that offended many Muslims. The wave of terror that began in the magazine offices on Wednesday and ended as police stormed two locations on Friday where three gunmen had taken hostages was, at the same time, a startling reminder of al-Qaeda’s ambitions, capabilities and ruthlessness. The individuals who perpetrated the attack on Charlie Hebdo appear to be associated with Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), a group that clearly would benefit from an outrageous and shocking act on behalf of its global brand. If the attack was indeed AQAP’s doing, it would add new luster to its reputation as one of the world’s most dangerous and aggressive Al-Qaeda affiliates.
Kathleen Caulderwood: President Obama Expecting World Leaders In Washington For Counter-Terrorism Summit At White House—The White House announced plans on Sunday for President Barack Obama to bring world leaders together in Washington to coordinate a global fight against home-grown extremism. On Feb. 18, Obama will meet with local and foreign lawmakers to “highlight domestic and international efforts to prevent violent extremists and their supporters from radicalizing, recruiting, or inspiring individuals or groups in the United States and abroad to commit acts of violence,” the White House said, with specific references to the violence in Paris, a recent hostage situation in Australia and an attack on Canadian Parliament in a statement. All of the attacks mentioned have been connected in some way with the Islamic State terror group. Dubbed the “Summit on Countering Violent Extremism,” the meeting is meant to educate American leaders and their counterparts abroad on ways of integrating law enforcement, mental health and religious leaders to curb violent activity. The announcement comes just days after more than 2,000 people were killed by islamist militant group Boko Haram in Nigeria, and armed gunmen stormed the offices of satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo in Paris, inciting three days of bloodshed that ended with 17 dead.
The Daily Beast: Why Harper Collins Wiped Israel Off The Map—The publisher said it was just giving its customers what they wanted, but maps have always reflected the biases of those drawing the boundaries. It might seem like an accusation from a satirical right wing news show, but last week reports emerged that Harper Collins had wiped Israel off the map—literally. It turns out that Israel had been simply omitted from English-language atlases produced by the publishing giant for use by schools in the Middle East. The position of the West Bank was noted, but otherwise Jordan and Syria were shown extending all the way to the Mediterranean. This was no oversight; the elimination of Israel was a carefully thought-out move. Collins Bartholomew, the subsidiary that produced the atlases, explained that the amendment to the maps was intended to accommodate “local preferences.” The inclusion of Israel, they told The Tablet, would have been “unacceptable” to their customers.
Stephanie Butnick: The Frightening Reality for the Jews of France—Two days after heavily armed gunmen killed 12 people at the Paris offices of satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo, two gunmen took hostages at a kosher supermarket in a Paris, killing at least four people. Police killed one of the gunmen, who was suspected in yesterday’s murder of a police officer and reportedly affiliated with the gunmen behind the Charlie Hebdo massacre, Cherif Kouachi and Said Kouachi, who were also killed in a shootout with police Friday. The deadly siege on the kosher supermarket, which occurred on a Friday afternoon, when Jewish shoppers would likely be purchasing last-minute items for Shabbat, is not without context. Marc Weitzmann’s sadly prescient five-part series, France’s Toxic Hate, which details the rise of extremism throughout France and its anti-Semitic tendencies, is a helpful primer. But the other important piece of context is that this attack comes after a truly frightening year for French Jews. Nearly 7,000 French Jews moved to Israel this year, more than double the figure from the previous year.
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CCTV footage captures female Paris attack accomplice at Istanbul airport
Egypt arrests ISIS cell planning to assassinate key political figures
Two east Jerusalem men convicted of plotting to bomb Mamilla open mall in Jerusalem
Israeli Arab who crossed into Syria ‘captured, tortured by Assad security forces’
Analysis: France needs an attitude adjustment with regard to extremist elements
SnyderTalk Comment: You can say that again. Sometimes I wonder what it will take to wake people up.
Initiation of Tzriffin relocation to Negev paves path for construction of housing units
Saudi cleric condemns snowmen as anti-Islamic
Chief of staff of a Likud minister, Afula officials questioned in ‘Yisrael Beytenu’ affair
Germany set to bar jihadi suspects from traveling for 3 years
Turkish PM: Turkey cannot be blamed for Paris suspect’s entry to Syria
SnyderTalk Comment: That’s true, but there is so much that Turkey can be blamed for.
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Mayor of Afula Arrested in Yisrael Beytenu Corruption Case
Rock-Throwing Terrorists Injure Two Women
French Comedian Investigated for ‘Inciting Terrorism’
Lapid: Netanyahu – the Impolite, Shoving Israeli
Jews, Get the Hell Out of France
Lies, Damn Lies, Palestinian Promises and Abbas
Did Abbas Come to Honor the Victims or the Terrorists?
Fatah Glorifies Terror One Day After Abbas Attends Paris Rally
SnyderTalk Comment: Abbas is a hypocrite, and his political party is as well. So is Hamas. None of them can be trusted, period.
Hamas: Abbas a ‘Hypocrite’ for Attending Rally
SnyderTalk Comment: Hamas has part of it right.
Bennett: Inviting Abbas Makes Rally a ‘Farce’
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SnyderTalk Comment: People who don’t have faith in Yahweh are making a terrible mistake. People who reject Yahweh’s word are rejecting Him.
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Netanyahu at attacked market calls for European support against terror
PM in Paris supermarket: Europe must ‘wake up’ and fight terror
At Paris aliya fair, French Jews ponder their future
Millions march in France against terror in historic unity rally
BBC links Jew-hatred to Palestinian suffering ‘at Jewish hands’
SnyderTalk Comment: Ignorance knows no bounds.
High level US representative notably absent from Paris rally
Haifa hospital’s pioneering treatment lets Syrian war victim eat, speak again
PMO confirms France opposed Netanyahu’s attendance at Paris rally
The attack that Israel’s French-born Jews saw coming
Arab Israeli held for trying to join Syrian jihadists
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The White House Admits Fault in Not Attending Paris Unity Rally
Paris march: President Hollande asked Israel’s Netanyahu not to attend Paris march
Israel calls on Jews to leave, France urges them to stay
France mobilizes 10000 troops at home after Paris shootings
The American-Born Terrorist Mastermind Who Funded Paris Attackers
PLO faces US civil trial over terror attacks in Israel
Attack on German newspaper raises tension before anti-Islam rally
Paris attacks: ‘We in Britain face a very similar threat’ – Cameron
Paris Terror Attacks: Police Raid Hideout of Suspected Gunman Amedy Coulibaly
US Centcom Twitter account hacked by pro-IS group
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Turkey: Where Some Murders Are More Equal than Others
Germany to Turkey: ‘Turkey must prevent terrorists from crossing its borders to Syria’
German Intel Chief Urges Turkey to Prevent Extremist Travel
Turkey expects same reaction to Islamophobia as to Charlie Hebdo attacks
Turkey’s prime minister rejects blame for escape of Paris shooting accomplice
Russia peace talks in doubt as ruble falls
Is This The End of Putins New Russia Fantasy?
Iran eclipses US as Iraq’s ally in fight against militants
Iran says to explore with US ways to speed up nuclear talks
Can China deliver on Asian economy?
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Genesis 43: 16-25
16 When Joseph saw Benjamin with them, he said to his house steward, “Bring the men into the house, and slay an animal and make ready; for the men are to dine with me at noon.” 17 So the man did as Joseph said, and brought the men to Joseph’s house. 18 Now the men were afraid, because they were brought to Joseph’s house; and they said, “It is because of the money that was returned in our sacks the first time that we are being brought in, that he may seek occasion against us and fall upon us, and take us for slaves with our donkeys.” 19 So they came near to Joseph’s house steward, and spoke to him at the entrance of the house, 20 and said, “Oh, my lord, we indeed came down the first time to buy food, 21 and it came about when we came to the lodging place, that we opened our sacks, and behold, each man’s money was in the mouth of his sack, our money in full. So we have brought it back in our hand. 22 We have also brought down other money in our hand to buy food; we do not know who put our money in our sacks.” 23 He said, “Be at ease, do not be afraid. Your God and the God of your father has given you treasure in your sacks; I had your money.” Then he brought Simeon out to them. 24 Then the man brought the men into Joseph’s house and gave them water, and they washed their feet; and he gave their donkeys fodder. 25 So they prepared the present for Joseph’s coming at noon; for they had heard that they were to eat a meal there.
SnyderTalk Comment: Read His Name is Yahweh.
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His Name is Yahweh explains why the Name of God, Yahweh, is so important. It’s available in eBook format and in paperback. It’s also available for free in PDF format.
- God also said to Moses, “Say to the Israelites, ‘Yahweh, the God of your fathers—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob—has sent me to you.’ This [Yahweh] is my name forever, the name by which I am to be remembered from generation to generation.” (Exodus 3: 15)
- “Therefore behold, I am going to make them know—this time I will make them know My power and My might; and they shall know that My name is Yahweh.” (Jeremiah 16: 21)
- “Behold, the days are coming,” declares Yahweh, “when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch; and He will reign as king and act wisely and do justice and righteousness in the land. In His days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely; and this is His name by which He will be called, ‘Yahweh our righteousness.’” (Jeremiah 23: 5-6)
- Yeshua said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was born, I am.” (John 8: 58)
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Yahweh Said He is Our Only Savior
Click here to download the entire audio presentation for free and with no strings attached. Share it as often as you want.
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Blessings in the Book of Revelation is a book that you need to read, especially now. There are blessings throughout the Scriptures but Revelation is the only book in the Bible actually containing a specific blessing for reading it. It’s repeated twice, once at the beginning and again at the end. This is the reason that I believe Revelation should be the first step toward studying biblical prophecy. Though not easy to do, Revelation can be broken down and understood by anyone, not just the academic elite. So, Revelation’s blessings are for everyone. Click here to order the eBook. Click here to order the paperback.
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Other Books by Neil Snyder
- Stand! is a suspense novel that exposes the lies, corruption, and greed underlying the theory that man-made CO2 emissions are responsible for global warming. Professor Wes Carlyle and Karen Sterling, his research collaborator, carefully scan the audience for their would-be attacker—a member of the enviro-gestapo who has been following them for days. Wes spots his man in the back of the room leaning against the wall. Suddenly, another man in the audience steps forward and moves toward Karen at a menacing pace. With a vicious stroke, he swings a billy club at her head. Click here to order the eBook. Click here to order the paperback.
- What Will You Do with the Rest of Your Life? deals with a question that every Christian has to consider: what should I do with my life? Click here to order the eBook. Click here to order the paperback.
- Falsely Accused is a true story about a young woman who was accused of committing a double homicide. It’s about a travesty of justice, and it reveals Yahweh intervening in the life of a believer to rescue her from danger in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds. Everyone will enjoy the book, but young people in particular need to read it because the mistakes made that led to the problem could have been avoided. They were the kinds of mistakes that young people are prone to make. As they say, forewarned is forearmed. Click here to order the eBook. Click here to order the paperback.
