I told someone a few weeks ago that we could probably expect an increase in extremist attacks outside of the Middle East, and that, unfortunately, there would likely be attacks tied to refugees from Syria. Already, as I said it, there was the growing rumble of fear here in the U.S. regarding refugees, and my own concern was that if/when an attack happened that was connected with refugees, that it would feed such fear and even turn it into anger and hatred. Now we find that such an event has occurred in France. Continue reading
Category Archives: Middle East
Daniel Seidemann on Today’s Meeting Between Obama and Netanyahu
“We’re sipping cappuccino on the edge of a volcano,” Seidemann notes. “The Palestinians are knee deep in despair, and Israelis are knee deep in denial.”
Building Bridges Between Christians and Muslims: An interview with Dr. Bob Roberts
Here is my interview with Dr. Bob Roberts, founding pastor of Northwood Church in Keller, Texas, and an effective facilitator in connecting Christian leaders with Muslim leaders (you can also listen on i-Tunes).
The White House’s Secret Deal with Iran
NOTE: This post was written as a form of satire, as test to 1) see how people (particularly conservatives) would respond when they became aware at the end of the article that the following events were part of the 1980’s Iran-Contra affair under President Reagan rather than concerning President Obama and the current U.S.-Iran discussions and 2) see if people in the social media world of Facebook or Twitter would actually read the article before making comments on those platforms. It was clear that many did not read the article or follow its source links, but only read the headline, and responded accordingly. Several reposted and shared the link thinking it was about the current administration.
Since so many did miss the Iran-Contra connection, I have decided to be clear about the nature of this post. I would not want it to become the source of mis-information or vitriol.
The following information provides some perspective for responding to the recent Iran deal. It also has bearing on our reactions and responses the potential Benghazi cover-up:
An Illegal Conspiracy to Mislead the American People
Through a series of incidents involving low level operatives, it is known that key and high-ranking members of the National Security Council, the CIA, and the White House approved illegal sales of weapons to Iran via a third-party country and attempted to keep it a secret from the American people. This was done:
“…[it’s] one of the most unhelpful questions to ask… “: Carl Meadaris on Violence and Islam
Carl Meadaris, a follower of Jesus who has spent 30+ years working in the Middle East and with Muslims, is interviewed on the question “Is Islam inherently violent?” by the hosts of the Nomad* podcast. In the interview he reframes the question and provides helpful answers. You can listen to it here on the nomad website.
1913: Seeds of Conflict — Pre-WW1 Palestine and the Roots of the Arab-Israeli Conflict
Last night PBS presented a well done and very basic introduction to some of the late 19th-early 20th century history of the issues at the heart of the Arab-Israeli conflict. The title is 1913: Seeds of Conflict. It contains great photos and (newly discovered) film from the early 20th century, and is full of dramatized snippets of Arab, Jewish, and Christian sources. Here’s the synopsis from PBS:
Explore an overlooked moment in pre-WWI Palestine when people’s identities overlap and Jewish, Muslim and Christian communities intermingle freely, yet few can contemplate the conflict that would engulf their region for the next century.