The Politics and Theology of Islamic Terrorism
By Garrick Augustus
December 4, 2015
Disclaimer: I am not a Branch Davidian, a Muslim sympathizer or Muslim hater, neither am I an anti-Government right-wing or left-wing extremist, or an apocalyptic doomsdayer, just an observant citizen in this world, watching on the sidelines of history the players in a titanic struggle for legitimacy and control. I am here to show the villains, the victors and the victims, and how the story ends. If I do not live to see its closing scenes, it will be sufficient to know that the world has been warned and duly informed.
San Bernardino California, December 2, 2015: Sirens blaring, and another mass shooting by persons dressed in dark military fatigue carrying hundreds of rounds on their persons and in their vehicle, explosive devices an AK 47, a bayonet-type knife, explosive belts/vests plus a hand gun, etc. In America we are being “conditioned” to believe that this was the outburst of a “disgruntled” employee who had a spat at work over some opinionated matter. He was educated had a stable family, an excellent job, and appeared very normal. He was not “fired”, just brought to face his own reality, and in a fit of rage he bursts out of the “Christmas party” and goes home. He returns with pipe bombs and a host of offensive devices to create mass murder! Lately he started “growing his beard” and acting “very religious,” he was quiet and kept mostly to himself, but was an excellent person nevertheless.
Flashback, to February 28, 1993: In Axtell Texas, a country village near Waco, another mass shooting occurred. That time it was at the Branch Davidian Headquarters, headed by David Koresh, in a bloody standoff with Federal Agents who forced their way into the premises without warning. The body count was also high, four Federal agents killed, and sixteen wounded—the words day in their history! In that historic shootout six Branch Davidians were also killed, and an untold number, including Koresh himself, suffered gunshot wounds.
The cause of the Texas shootout with Federal agents was not due to religious people attacking the innocents, but due to religious people stockpiling arms, and were falsely accused to the government by the leaders of the Seventh-day Adventist church, who despised them, and suggested that they had planned a mass murder-suicide, the likes of Jim Jones Jonestown Guyana massacre in 1978. With a campus of about 130 residents, filled with some 50 children, and over three dozen women, no thought was ever given to the innocents and vulnerable. On that clear Sunday morning Federal gunfire waked up the sleepy town with bombs and bullets, from the air and the ground, while the Branch Davidians responded to this invasion with bullets of their own! From that day till this the very name Waco has been associated with that gruesome, yet avoidable tragedy.
While many individuals, the world over have placed all the blame for the massacre on these deceived Branch Davidians, I was rather sobered up to see that they were acting in full compliance with the Laws of that State! Let’s examine a part of that legal code, regarding the right of citizens to resist an arrest with equal force:
Sec. 9.31. (c) The use of force to resist an arrest or search is justified:
(1) if, before the actor offers any resistance, the peace officer (or person acting at his direction) uses or attempts to use greater force than necessary to make the arrest or search; and
(2) when and to the degree the actor reasonably believes the force is immediately necessary to protect himself against the peace officer’s (or other person’s) use or attempted use of greater force than necessary.[1]
While I am no legal expert, the law seems quite clear, at least in Texas, that citizens do have the right to match force with force, if such force is one of a life-threatening nature, as that which was used on blood Sunday. I am not alone in this conviction, as even the Justice Department’s experts also agree in this principle; let’s take a read:
Certainly an armed assault by 100 agents had to be seen as an attack independent of who fired the first shot. If an armed individual entered your home by force and you have reason to believe that person represents a mortal threat, you are allowed to fire a weapon in self-defense in most states. The law does not usually allow the potential attacker to fire first before a response can be called self-defense.[2]
Mr. Canarco is not alone in his convictions as to the group’s right to self-defense. Here is a Defense lawyer discussing the case with the media, and his conclusions are identical: “if a warrant is being unlawfully executed by the use of excessive force, you or I or anybody else has a right to resist that unlawful force. If someone’s trying to kill you, even under the excuse that they have a warrant, you have a right to defend yourself with deadly force, and to kill that person.”[3]
Christians must mature in their faith and grapple with the realities of our times, and not simply “turn the other cheek” without understanding under which circumstances Y’shuah instructed us to doing so. “Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Matt. 5: 10. When we are being harassed and persecuted for the sake of promulgating the everlasting gospel, we must expect and accept the trials that come with it—even death! On the other hand, we must not be foolish to simply lay ourselves as a sort of “sitting duck” for every opportunist to systematically destroy us, for the Bible does not permit this.
“But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel.” 1Tim. 5:8. So contrary to what some Christians think, the Bible considers being “worse than an infidel” those who either by action or inaction fail to “provide for their household.” That provision is broad, and does not relegate itself merely to food and finances, but included security and safety as well. So lest we be charged before a holy God of “denying the faith,” Christians are urged to “provide for” their household, in every sense of the word “provide.”
On the other hand, our Saviour has also given explicit commandment on Christian conduct: “38 Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth: 39 But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. 40 And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloke also. 41 And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain. 42 Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away.” Matt. 5: 38-42.
The summary of this command is that Christians ought not be vengeful, but bear with patience the trials we shall endure for being followers of the Crucified One. It does not, however, teach that Christians cannot act in self-defense to events which are of a life-threatening nature, for one can only “turn the other cheek” when there is life in the body to do so. We must do everything within our powers, as far as is humanly possible to have a peaceful coexistence with our fellow humans. “If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.” Rom.12:18. The obvious corollary is clear that for some men it is next to impossible to live peaceably with them. For example, the nature of Ishmael is such that “And he will be a wild man; his hand will be against every man, and every man’s hand against him; and he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren.” Gen. 16:12. For this character, it is next to impossible to have a harmonious coexistence.
Many individuals are not aware of the events which surrounded the bloody Sunday in Axtell, Texas, so by way of historical accuracy; I wish to share just a snippet of that seemingly untold story:
“The morning before Easter last year, Shirley Burton, spokeswoman for the Seventh-day Adventist Church, said she got a terrifying phone call. On the line was a church official in Australia, relaying a warning that the next day, an explosion of violence would occur in a Waco, Texas cult that included dozens of former Adventists. The man got the warning from parents of a cult member. The parents had just had word that there would be a ‘suicide-massacre,’ Burton said, adding that her mind filled with images of the 1978 murder-suicide of Jim Jones and 900 of his followers in Guyana. Church authorities tipped off Waco police and Easter passed without incident. But peace came to a bloody end this past Sunday, when sect members began a shoot-out with federal agents.”[4]
It will be noticed that the Branch Davidians were placed in a false light to law enforcement by the leaders from the SDA Church! While it is our duty as Christians to be our “brother’s keeper,” it is not Christian to be our brother’s hater, and such was the spirit which motivated the SDA “Church authorities” to tip-off the Waco police. And while that 1992 supposed massacre did not take place, it was etched in the minds of Law Enforcement to keep an eye on that cult group. After about a year of tactical and strategic preparations, the Government, after being duly updated of conditions on the ground by their embedded agents, decided to serve their search warrant on the group, under a hail of bullets. Things did not turn out as they had planned; most of the nation’s leaders have left that occasion with a cloud of doubt over their heads. All, except those who “tipped” them off, of course, and set them on the apocalyptic religious group.
After the FBI had done its investigations, and while the 51-day siege in process, they discovered that by and large the dead and injured BATF agents were the result of “friendly fire” and not the Branch Davidians’ counter assault. Here’s Newsweek’s account of that terrible shootout:
“As the standoff between the law and the Branch Davidians continued last week, Newsweek learned that some federal law-enforcement officials now believe that at least some ATF agents were brought down by friendly fire.
“Although there will be no conclusive findings until the siege ends, a federal source involved in the Waco situation says that ‘there is evidence that supports the theory of friendly fire.’ During the assault, ‘there was a huge amount of cross-fire,’ he says. The official, who insisted on anonymity, believes that an investigation will show that agents were downed by colleagues: ‘I’m afraid it’s inevitable.’”[5]
So, while I do not stand as an apologist for the Branch Davidians, in the name of Truth and equity, I simply share the facts from the eyes of the Law Enforcers, that for the most part, the shooting at the
Branch Davidian Camp was conducted by Federal Agents, and that in the intensity of the moment they committed fratricide, which by the standards of early reports from the “fog of war”, erroneously placed all these murders on the hands of the deluded Koreshites.
The Crisis in Ferguson, Missouri: Time will prove foolish the US policy to demilitarize the nation’s police force. The problem with Ferguson was that the Police brought out military gear against the wrong set of people, but the days are coming, and behold they’re here, when every Police Department in the world will become a military outpost! Those who are slow to seeing this change of circumstances, will be rithing in unspeakable sorrows when they see their Law Enforcement protectors out gunned and out-armored for the fight, and both resucers and rescuees fall as victims to the assaults of the perpretrators of terror. Too late they will wish they hadn’t given up their protective armor and military gear for the fight.
SanBernardiono, California: On December 2nd 2015 some County employees for the Environmental Health Services Department were attending a “Christmas party,” which the liberal media does not want to declare as such, so they say it was “a holiday party,” when there are no holidays in December save for Christmas! They don’t want to say “Christmas,” because they consider it a Christian, or religious festival, and although there are no “holidays” near to Decembe 2nd, as Thanksgiving had already passed, they still insist on calling it a “holiday” party! At this “party,” media reports are that there was an argument between Faoook and a Jewish coworker about his Muslim faith, whereupon Farook left the “party” in rage and came back with his wife, both heavily armed and armored, and jointly they carried out this terrible carnage! My research has shown that there was no argument at that party, and that this is a mere invention of the media, in an effort to deflect the real cause of the shooting—Islamic terrorism.
Because of their religious affiliation, many were and still are too timid to call it for what it is, Islamic Terrorism on American soil. They couch it in many and vaired friendly and benign terms, although the reading public is aware that only one group acts in this fashion—Islamic terrorists. Even the president of the Unites States was rathery cagy in his caricature of this assault and was rather unwilling to face the facts of this terrorism on American soil, by suggesting that it could be a combination of workplace violence mixed in with some degree of terrorism. Many were too happy to point out, in balance, that the Abortion Clinic that was shot up a week earlier by a pro-life activist, was so inspired by his “Christian” beliefs. At the same time they tried to cover the very obvious fact that Farook was a religious zealot of the Islamic faith. Strangely, there are many survivors of this terror attack, yet none of them have been publicly interviewed as to the the events surrounding the shooting. My guess is that they heard the words “Allah Akbar” with the squeezing of the memi-automatic gun trigger, shattering glass and shredding limbs. But this “cover” would soon be broken when one of the murderer’s father went to the airways and dispelled the darkness:
Southern California gunman Syed Rizwan Farook was “fixated” on Israel — and supported ISIS’ ideology of establishing an Islamic caliphate, his father says… Before the shooting, Farook had expressed some troubling beliefs, his father told La Stampa newspaper.
“He said he shared the ideology of al-Baghdadi to create an Islamic State, and he was fixated on Israel,” the elder Farook said, referring to ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.”[6]
With the passage of time, the facts are now clearer, that the terrorist couple had pre-planned their method of attack, and had before this rampage pledged allegiance to The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). American’s appear to be too ashamed to confess that ISIL agents are actively engaged in covert operations in this country, and were rather dismissive of this shooting, seeking to blame it on a disgruntled employee, rather than calling it for what it is—Islamic terrorism.
This sort of terror is here to stay, soon it will move from workplaces to churches, to synagogues, to shopping malls to sports arenas, to subway and bus stations, etc., wherever there are large gatherings of people. Trying to fight Islamic terror with guns, bombs and jobs, is like trying to fight fire with gasoline! You cannot kill an ideology with bullets, it requires a new heart! Only a “conversion” experience can transform the persecutor into a disciple, but to late, the churches are themselves steeped in abject apostasy, and have nothing of worth to offer a would-be jihadist, so the problem will only worsen.
The Rise of The Papacy and Islam
We should look back on the pages of history to see what was happening in the early church, to have given rise to Islam. “Muhammad, in full Abū al-Qāsim Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd Allāh ibn ʿAbd al-Muṭṭalib ibn Hāshim (born 570, Mecca, Arabia [now in Saudi Arabia]—died June 8, 632, Medina), founder of the religion of Islam, accepted by Muslims throughout the world as the last of the prophets of God.”[7]
Note carefully the span of Muhammad’s life, and realize that at this time the Roman Catholic Church was gaining its ascendancy over Christianity. When we look we’ll see that Christianity was in gross apostasy during those times, and the Roman Catholic Church had hijacked the faith once delivered to the Saints; we see also that they corrupted its teachings in a multitude of ways. They outlawed all the sacred times (holy festivals) in exchange for heathen rites and commemoratives, including the celebration of Christmas and Easter. They divided the Torah into “Moral” and “Ceremonial” codes, declaring that the “ceremonial” laws were “nailed to the cross”, and Christians no longer have an obligation to honor these observances. Moreover, they persecuted those believers who would continue in the traditions of the Apostles, who for love of the truth had to flee to the Piedmont mountains and the Alps of Europe—the Waldenses—to preserve the historic faith for later generations. They were hunted like brute beasts and killed in large numbers by the Church of Rome. It was under these hostile and apostate conditions that Mohammed rose to power, and started calling the attention of the Arabs to following precepts of the Torah as he best understood them. Through the eyes of the historians we read: “During the thousand years of the Middle Ages, from the fall of Rome [476 A.D.] to the Renaissance, the papacy matured and established itself as the preeminent authority over the church.”[8]
The same encyclopedia describes the Papacy along these lines: “the office and jurisdiction of the bishop of Rome, the pope (Latin papa, from Greek pappas, “father”), who presides over the central government of the Roman Catholic Church, the largest of the three major branches of Christianity.”[9]
Today, Muslims are more orthodox to the Torah than are most professed Christians, and as such modern Christianity to them is only a remainder of the Crusaders who sought to change their lives and their culture at the tip of the sword—making them into “infidels” hundreds of years ago. Hence, as long as Christianity appears as being under the banner of Rome, to the Muslim, they will forever label us as “infidels.” To win the heart of the Muslim, you must provide a way equal to, or better than what they have. But when Christians seek to help the poor Muslims by giving them a pork-based diet, departure from circumcision, high doses of paganism to include Christmas and Easter all in the name of the “New Testament” religion, we can see why the devout Muslim disdains our doctrines as corrupt! They see us as a farce to what was given to Moses and taught by Y’shuah (Jesus or Issa), and in this they are very correct! The Christianity that has been popularized by Rome and the West is a brand of Romanism that has its foundations in Mithraism and religious practices of the ancient religions of Babylon.
The Protestant Reformation and the Fall of Papal Crusades
While Rome was actively persecuting the true Christians, the only authentic followers of the Messiah in the Middle Ages, they were simultaneously carrying out a Crusade against the followers of Mohammed! This triple crusade has fomented into a global jihad with Rome and Israel in its crosshairs. It is helpful for us to understand the rise and fall of the crusades, in parallel with the rise and fall of the Papacy:
“Crusades, military expeditions, beginning in the late 11th century, that were organized by western European Christians in response to centuries of Muslim wars of expansion. Their objectives were to check the spread of Islam, to retake control of the Holy Land in the eastern Mediterranean, to conquer pagan areas, and to recapture formerly Christian territories; they were seen by many of their participants as a means of redemption and expiation for sins. Between 1095, when the First Crusade was launched, and 1291, when the Latin Christians were finally expelled from their kingdom in Syria, there were numerous expeditions to the Holy Land, to Spain, and even to the Baltic; the Crusades continued for several centuries after 1291, usually as military campaigns intended to halt or slow the advance of Muslim power or to conquer pagan areas. Crusading declined rapidly during the 16th century with the advent of the Protestant Reformation and the decline of papal authority.”[10]
In the citation above the reader will notice the mention of “western European Christians.” This term is a reference to the Western Roman Catholic Church and in no way represents Christianity. It has been a tool of the enemy to misrepresent the true Messianic faith, and even apparently honest reporters have not been able to see through the fog, even when the evidence stands out clearly from their own writings, as is here shown in the Britannica. So, to be clear, the Crusades were military campaigns against the Muslims (Islam), solely sponsored by the Vatican—the Roman Catholic Church. This fact is made more evident from the inclusion of the term “Latin Christians,” in the above citation. It was the “Latin Church” of Rome who held sway over the so-called “Latin Christians.” I stress this point because it is the source of much misinformation in our world today. For example when the liberals want to denounce Christianity or tarnish it as a religion of hate, they cite the brutalities of Roman Catholicism and credit them to Christianity, and then justify in their minds that the religion of the crucified and risen savior is a religion that sponsors terror as much as the one from Medina.
Muslims need to understand that their persecutors were not followers of Jesus Christ (Issa), but apostates who hijacked his earthly government on earth—the Church, at a time when the church leaders fell into apostasy. It is reassuring to declare, however, that the moment Christians started to revert to the teachings of historic Christianity, by virtue of the Reformation, that the Crusades simultaneously ceased: “Crusading declined rapidly during the 16th century with the advent of the Protestant Reformation and the decline of papal authority.” The Christian’s records are clear, the decline of Papal authority brought an end to the Islamic wars! We have never been at war with any other religion, we were only called to lovingly teach everyone to voluntarily follow Christ (Y’shuah) in spirit and in truth.
Christianity has never used force to impel or coerce anyone to follow its founder. Only heathen religions use the principle of force! Imagine that in the garden of Eden, God (YHWH) could have prevented Eve from eating the fruit in any number of ways, such as knocking it from her hand, sending an angel to interpose between her and the serpent, speaking loudly to alarm her in the moment, send a strong wind to blow the fruit away, etc., but the power of choice is one with which he has endowed us and allows us to freely chose to obey or not. So while each action has its own set of consequences, the principles of the Torah are to restore the character of YHWH into sinful beings, thereby making saints out of sinners.
Islam, the Fastest Growing Religion
Today Islam is credited to be the world’s most rapidly growing religion, and if left unchecked, by the year 2050, the earth’s population will be a 40% Muslims.
As of 2010, Christianity was by far the world’s largest religion, with an estimated 2.2 billion adherents, nearly a third (31%) of all 6.9 billion people on Earth. Islam was second, with 1.6 billion adherents, or 23% of the global population.
If current demographic trends continue, however, Islam will nearly catch up by the middle of the 21st century. Between 2010 and 2050, the world’s total population is expected to rise to 9.3 billion, a 35% increase. Over that same period, Muslims – a comparatively youthful population with high fertility rates – are projected to increase by 73%. The number of Christians also is projected to rise, but more slowly, at about the same rate (35%) as the global population overall.
As a result, according to the Pew Research projections, by 2050 there will be near parity between Muslims (2.8 billion, or 30% of the population) and Christians (2.9 billion, or 31%), possibly for the first time in history.[11]
The Ignorance of Political Correctness
Our world today is rife with “sensitive” individuals and religions. It is fast becoming a world which on paper proclaims “freedom of expression” but in practice when one expresses one’s opinion about a politically befriended religion or practice, it is considered “hate speech.” Now let’s reason together: If you saw that 95% or more of cyber hackings were carried out by Chinese citizens, would you say that they are the most honest people you’ve come across? I venture to say no. Well let’s say above 95% of all dog attacks around the world have been committed by Pitbull Terriers, would you begin to believe that Pitbulls are vicious dogs? Again, I would venture yes. Now, if more than 95% of all terror attack around our globe are carried out and sponsored by devout adherents of one religion, would you say that Islam is a religion that sponsors terrorism in its doctrinal tenets? This time, I will not venture an answer, but you be the judge and answer for yourself. In the meanwhile, let me update you on some facts: Since September 11, 2001, through November 2015, there have been not less than 26,008 separate Islamic terror attacks somewhere around the world. Here is the evidence: http://www.thereligionofpeace.com/attacks-2015.htm This statistic indicates that over the past 170 months, there has been an average of 153 acts of Islamic terrorism per month! If Islam were a religion of “war”, what might the statistic look like? You be the judge.
Even honest “moderate” Muslims are today recognizing that they can no longer hide from the cold hard facts that their religion is the global engine of terror. “”Terror is a Muslim issue, an Islamic issue within the house of Islam,” said M. Zuhdi Jasser, founder of the American Islamic Forum for Democracy, “and we must own it” to fight it.”[12]
The tone from the Westernized media, however, is quite different, and they are in constant denial, declaring that terror is not a Muslim issue, and it is either racial or religious profiling to suggest the obvious.
I find it most interesting that so many Muslims can become so easily “radicalized.” I am not talking about uneducated youth who have no job prospects or a financial future, but instead people who are well educated, and have good jobs and seemingly stable families, can be easily “radicalized” all on account of becoming more devout to their religion! This causes me to think of many individuals who classify themselves as “Christians” by virtue of their birth to Christian parents, but they have never understood the message of the Cross, and have never really read and or studied the Bible to find out “the whole duty of man.” One day a charismatic evangelist comes across their path and expounds on the Bible in such clear ways, that these “nominal Christians” now develop a “conversion experience” and become devout to the faith. This is a sort of religious awakening, or a revival and reformation.
Similarly, there are many nominal Muslims today, who are Muslims only by name, they simply know the five tenets of Islam, but have never really studied the Koran to know their duty of “submission” to Allah. One day a charismatic Imam, or cleric passes their way and explains to them the whole counsel of Allah and bids them to follow the path of the obedient ones…This now becomes the opening door to the “dark path of radicalization.” It has happened millions to times over, and will still continue, because embedded in the theology of the Koran are the seeds of global terrorism!
But rather than engaging “moderate” Muslims in the fight against terror, to reclaim the “purity” of their religion, they are asking Western nations to come and fight terror on their soils, and in such a move it will foment the memories and propaganda of the Middle Ages, during the era of the Crusades! This strategy is one in which the West will never win, for it will be perceived as a war against Islam, in the minds of most Muslims, and only serve to fuel their passion for the holy fight—the Jihad. And this is a fight the West will never win. You cannot fight an ideology or a theology with bullets, bayonets or bombs, it can only be countered by a new heart—the loving message of Calvary: “28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” Matthew 11: 28-30.
Remember the story about the Branch Davidians? Do you see them as sponsors of terrorism, and evil people with an agenda to kill state law enforcers? The media will forever see them as mercenaries, even though they were unjustly set upon by the Government for the free exercise of their religion, yet the same media outlets will never confess that those who are devout to the Koran are equally sinister in their motivations. And such is the politics of Islamic Terrorism.
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- PENAL CODE TITLE 2. GENERAL PRINCIPLES OF CRIMINAL RESPONSIBILITY, CHAPTER 9; http://www.statutes.legis.state.tx.us/SOTWDocs/PE/htm/PE.9.htm ↑
- Robert Canarco’s Report to The Justice Department, 1993, p. 3; Also cited in The Davidian Massacre, Carrol Moore, 1995, p. 169, Italics hers. ↑
- Ibid., p. 168. ↑
- Washington Post, March 3, 1993, italics added. ↑
- Newsweek, Was It Friendly Fire? April 4, 1994, italics added. www.newsweek.com/was-it-friendly-fire-191762 ↑
- CNN News, December 7, 2015; http://www.cnn.com/2015/12/07/us/san-bernardino-shooting/index.html ↑
- Encyclopedia Britannica, Muhammad: http://www.britannica.com/biography/Muhammad ↑
- Encyclopedia Britannica, Roman Catholicism, [added]; http://www.britannica.com/topic/Roman-Catholicism ↑
- Ibid., Papacy ↑
- Encyclopedia Britannica, Crusades; Italics added. ↑
- Pew Research Center: The Future of World Religions; http://www.pewforum.org/2015/04/02/religious-projections-2010-2050 ↑
- The Salt Lake Tribune, December 4, 2015; http://www.sltrib.com/home/3267795-155/own-it-terrorism-is-an ↑
