A Facebook site called “The Foreigners In The Syrian Revolution” lists dozens of photos and descriptions of Islamist foreign fighters who are in Syria to overthrow the Assad government.

The site reports on the operations of Jabhat Al-Nusra, a Jihad organization with admitted ties to Al-Qaeda.

The site publishes photos of the Jihadists, details about them, and documents their activities or death.

These Jihadists are mostly Arabs, but many of them are also coming from Western countries where they were educated and became Muslim converts. Some have come from Chechnya, the Balkans, Albania and even Australia.

According to this Facebook administrator of this site:

To every young man who wishes to join the jihad in Syria, Palestine, Iraq, Afghanistan, Somalia, etc., and is hindered by those who claim that this requires the consent of one’s parents, I say [that] there is a consensus among the imams of the four [Muslim] schools, and [also among] other [imams], that jihad today is a personal obligation [fard 'ayn] of every Muslim, just like [the obligation of] prayer. When a country is occupied and an enemy is attacking the Muslims, jihad [in that country] is considered defensive [daf'] jihad rather than voluntary [talab] jihad. Performing a personal duty does not require [anybody's] consent…

Read more on this at RightSideNews.com.

Kidnapped Syrian Bishops

“Acting President of the Syrian National Council George Sabra said Wednesday that the two Greek Orthodox bishops kidnapped in Syria are being held in a small village north west of Aleppo by a rebel group.

In a telephone conversation with Kataeb Party leader Amin Gemayel, Sabra said that Aleppo’s Greek Orthodox Archbishop Boulos Yazigi and Syriac Orthodox Archbishop Yohanna Ibrahim were both in good health and still in the custody of a small group of rebels in the Syrian town of Bshaqtin.

The bishops are in good health and are being held by a small group in a town called Bshaqtin, 20 kilometers north west of Aleppo,” Sabra told Gemayel who was in a meeting with Syriac Orthodox bishops at the Kataeb Party’s headquarters in Saifi, according to Gemayel’s office.”

It is Ford’s first visit back to Syria since he left in February, 2012, when the U.S. embassy suspended operations in Damascus as the opposition effort to oust Syrian President Bashar al Assad developed into a full-blown civil war.

Since then, Ford has become the Obama administration’s point man on Syria and point of contact with the Syrian opposition. A U.S. official confirmed Ford’s secret visit, which occurred along the Turkey-Syria border. He briefly crossed into Syria to meet with opposition leaders before returning to Turkey. Ford did not go deep into Syria, according to the official.”

Monday the Saudi government condemned the airstrike by Israel in Syria over the weekend as a “Dangerous violation? of a sovereign Arab state. This is a bit odd in the fact that the Saudi government has supported the “rebels” fighting the Syrian government with more than two billion dollars so far. The governments of Qatar and Saudi Arabia are paying for the weapons that British Intelligence and the CIA are supplying to the jihadists rebels to circumvent arms embargoes.

AFP Reports:

Israel missile launch

Saudi Arabia on Monday called for U.N. action to end Israeli strikes on Syria, describing the raids as a “dangerous violation” of the sovereignty of an Arab state, the official SPA news agency reported.

At the same time the Saudi and Israeli governments are working toward an agreement to share information from radar installations. Under the agreement, according to Israeli news source Arutz Sheva 7, the Saudi’s would have access to the best information and technology Israel has in order to form a “curtain” of protection against Iranian ICBM’s

From Arutz Sheva 7

Israel is considering partnering with several Sunni-Muslim Arab states in a U.S.-brokered defense alliance that would be aimed at containing a nuclear Iran, the Sunday Times reported, citing an unnamed Israeli official.

The alliance would see Israel teaming up with Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Turkey and the United Arab Emirates to forge a Middle East “moderate crescent” to “contain” Iran, rather than confront it, according to Russian website RT, which quoted the Times.

According to the report, such an alliance would give Israel access to radar stations in Saudi Arabia and the UAE in exchange for its own early warning radar information and anti-ballistic missile defense systems, the source told the Sunday Times. The report suggested that Jordan would be protected by Israel’s Arrow long-range anti-missile batteries.

“The plan is to start with information-sharing about Iran’s ballistic missiles,” said an Israeli official.

Virtually every mosque in the United States is funded by Saudi Arabia and the literature that is supplied is viral in its anti-Antisemitism. Up to 9-11 most of the world’s Islamic terrorists were funded from Saudi Arabia. With this in mind Israel is considering giving them access to their “anti-ballistic missile systems?” Meanwhile the United States continues to transfer high tech fighters and tanks to Saudi Arabia, Egypt and other nations hostile to Israel. Rather than a formula for peace, this appears to be more of an explosive mix that will blow up in the faces of all concerned.

From WSJ Online

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia—After spending two years in Saudi prison for fighting in Iraq, Khalid al-Suwid graduated in 2012, a free man, from the kingdom’s well-regarded rehabilitation program for religious extremists, Saudi officials said. Mr. Suwid was a government-certified ex-jihadist.

Fighting jihad is Syria

Mr. Suwid turned up again in a photo released in mid-March, smiling, holding an assault rifle and wearing what appeared to be a bomb vest. It was a so-called martyrdom notice, announcing his death in Syria.

Mr. Suwid “killed a large number of Christians before his acceptance by God,” said the notice, which appeared on a Facebook FB -1.77% page—”Foreigners in theSyrian Revolution”—that anonymously records and lauds foreigners killed fighting Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad.

The battle by Syria’s Sunni majority against the Shiite-linked Assad regime has drawn more men from Saudi Arabia to Syria than any country except Libya and Tunisia, said analyst Aaron Zelin of the Washington Institute, a think tank.

But for Saudi Arabia’s monarchy, Syria’s pull to jihad is creating tensions and risks linked to its recent past.

Help save the two kidnapped bishops in Syria – Fax your congressman now for free

During the 1980s Soviet occupation of Afghanistan, and later in Bosnia, Chechnya and other conflicts, Saudi Arabia encouraged jihad to promote the kingdom’s legitimacy as a champion of Muslims world-wide. Some analysts said it also was aimed deflecting internal tensions at home.

That began to change by 2003, after Saudi members of al Qaeda returned home from foreign wars to launch a bloody campaign against the Saudi monarchy, which the jihadists saw as beholden to the West.

Read more at WSJ Online

On April 22, two Orthodox bishops of Aleppo, Syria, were kidnapped by U.S.-supported Islamist fighters. Syriac Orthodox Archbishop Yohanna Ibrahim and Greek Orthodox Metropolitan Boulos Yaziji were kidnapped as they were returning from an attempt to obtain the release of two priests previously kidnapped. The priests, Father Michel Kayyal, an Armenian Catholic, and Father Maher Mahfouz, a Greek Orthodox, were kidnapped in February and still remain in the hands of the Islamist fighters the Western media refer to as “rebels.”

In a Huffington Post article, Orthodox priest Peter-Michael Preble said of the two kidnapped bishops: “They were on a mission of peace, to bring aid and comfort, and they were taken hostage as part of the systematic extermination of the Christian population in Syria.”

Remains of St. Mary’s Syrian Orthodox Church in Deir Azzour destroyed by U.S supported jihadists

As an eyewitness to Capitol Hill, I can say without hesitation that the Republican Party leadership is allowing the ethnic cleansing of Christians in Syria in order to obtain some minor political gain over President Obama. A momentary “we got you” win against Obama is more important to the Republican leadership than the lives of millions of Christians and the destruction of the ancient churches founded by Peter, Paul, John and the other early Saints. Rather than Speaker John Boehner using the power of his office to stop Obama’s support of the jihadist fighters in Syria, he is pushing for our overburdened and over-deployed Armed Forces to get directly involved.

On the Senate side, it is John McCain, who is the principal Republican promoter of the destruction of the Syrian church. McCain seems totally blind to the human suffering of war and has no regard for Christians suffering at the hands of the jihadists in Syria. As McCain sees it, Iran is currently our main enemy and eliminating one of its power bases – its alliance with Syria – is worth the human suffering and ethnic cleansing of the Christian population. McCain is actually pushing Obama to do even more damage in Syria. McCain has demanded that our Air Force face one of the most sophisticated air defense systems in the world, the Russian SA-22 Pantsir S1, so that we can assist jihadist fighters.

It is very true that Iran is a threat to the peace of the Middle East and to Israel, but arming jihadists associated with al-Qaida and allowing them to murder Christians and destroy churches in Syria does not seem to me as the optimal way to limit the power of Iran. Indeed, the harsh persecution of Christians by jihadist fighters supported in Syria by Barack Obama is no different than the persecution of Christians in Iran. At least in Iran the Christians get a phony show trial before they are jailed and tortured. In Syria, Christians are tortured and murdered with no trial at all and using American tax dollars given to jihadists by Barack Obama.

In Father Preble’s article he articulated the situation with great accuracy: “What has been called the ‘Arab Spring’ in Syria has become the Christian Nightmare, and it is high time that the United States government realize the part it has played and continues to play in this ethnic cleansing, genocide, holocaust, whatever word you choose to describe what is being perpetrated on the religious minorities in Syria as well as Egypt.”

Most Western news outlets have refused so far to carry news of the kidnappings of Christian clergy in Syria because it doesn’t’ fit the “Assad is the bad guy” story line. The press is silent even though the two bishops were kidnapped by Chechen jihadists, and this came just days after the Boston Marathon bombing by Chechen jihadists.

There is a petition at the White House with nearly 100,000 signers asking President Obama to assist in obtaining the release of the kidnapped bishops, but it is unlikely he will act since this would expose the true nature of those he supports in Syria, the jihadists. We must break this silence somehow; perhaps awareness through the White House petition will at least force some in the press to report on the abuse of Christians and the kidnapping of clergy in Syria by the American-supported jihadists. Besides the White House petition there is an online petition asking members of Congress to speak out about the kidnapping of Christian clergy in Syria that will be sent by fax free of charge.

Jihad, Terror and Saudi Arabia

The Awakening: The Awakening is a large, annual gathering of mostly evangelical social conservatives, for a two day conference on various issues. On April 19^th and 20^th of 2013, The Awakening was held near Orlando, Florida on the campus of the First Baptist Church of Oviedo and the Religious Freedom Coalition was there to educate those present about the root of terror in the world today – Saudi Arabia.

Panel discussion on radical Islam: As chairman of the Religious Freedom Coalition, I served on the Radical Islam and National Security panel with Frank Gaffney, Pamela Geller, and Prof. Jonathan Matusitz. Frank Gaffney is the president of the Center for Security Policy in Washington, DC and served as Under-Secretary of Defense under President Reagan. Pamela Geller is a well known fighter against the politically correct approach to Islamic terror, and Professor Matusitz is an expert on Islamic affairs.

I was the first panel speaker and began by presenting the facts of 9-11 —  that 15 of the 19 hijackers were well educated Saudi citizens. I explained my frustration at the time with the Washington elites’ twisted mindset that directed American outrage against a third world nation, rather than against the heart of the problem, which is the Saudi Arabian Wahhabi cult.

The presentations of the other panelists were very pertinent as well. I made every effort to focus on the core problem of Saudi funding of radical mosques throughout the world, and the refusal of the United States to face this reality because of Saudi oil. I find the oil excuse somewhat strange, because the United States now imports virtually no Saudi oil, and by 2015 will actually produce more oil than Saudi Arabia. The United States and Canada together hold the majority of the energy reserves of the entire planet.

RFC literature booth at The Awakening

RFC at the convention: As part of the presence of the Religious Freedom Coalition at The Awakening, a booth was manned during the entire event. Two large vertical banners were on each side of our table presenting the facts about Saudi Arabia and its persecution of Christian guest workers. Our StopSaudEvil.org Internet site was promoted.

Literature was presented about our campaign to fax congressmen and ask them to speak up about how the Saudi royal family advances radicalism. We also had available brochures about the Religious Freedom Coalition, and some of my books.

Many of those who visited out table at The Awakening signed up for our weekly e-mail alerts from Capitol Hill. This year the Religious Freedom Coalition will participate in several of these types of events.

The Saudi Campaign

Religious Freedom Coalition newspaper ad ran in Orlando:As part of our advertising campaign, a newspaper ad exposing Saudi Arabia’s brutal treatment of Ethiopian Christian guest workers ran in a weekly newspaper that covers the Orlando area. This helped to reinforce our presence and resulted in dozens of the petitions being faxed to two Florida Congressmen.

Both the offices of Congressmen Daniel Webster and Bill Posey have received many petitions asking congressmen to speak out about the continued persecution of Christian guest workers in Saudi Arabia.

Our next ads will appear in California near Camp Pendleton, the largest Marine base outside of Virginia. Camp Pendleton is inside California’s 49^th district which is held by Congressman Darrell Issa. Many retired Marines live in the area, as well as those on active duty. There is a high awareness among Marine families about the true nature of the threat to Western civilization, despite the near constant politically correct training our military is subjected to, with  materials approved by the Muslim Brotherhood.

The purpose of our Saudi ad campaign is simple – to convince congressmen that their constituents do care about the continued brutality of the Saudi Arabian government against Christians. Unless congressmen hear from their constituents, they in turn will not speak out against this evil.

Send a free fax to your congressman now asking him to
speak out against Saudi persecution of Christians workers.

Sometime in the next 24 months the United States will reach the point of producing more oil than Saudi Arabia. The United States and Canada are together producing so much oil that there is talk in Congress of lifting the ban on exporting oil pumped in the USA. North America has the largest known energy reserves in the world and that does not even include the vast oil fields off the coasts of California and Florida.

We don’t need Saudi oil, and there is no need for us to be forced to accept their vile hatred of Christians, Jews and our Western way of life. Let the Saudis peddle their oil elsewhere.

Congress

            Congressman supports our campaign -Congressman Steve Stockman (R-TX) has written a stern letter to the Saudi Arabian ambassador to the United States requesting information on the Ethiopian Christians who were arrested in February for praying in a private home.

            I have spoken to Congressman Stockman several times about the situation with Christian guest workers in Saudi Arabia. Because the RFC has been unable to obtain information on the current status of the last group of Ethiopian Christians arrested, Congressman Stockman has agreed to get the information to us.

            The Congressman’s office has not yet received a response to his letter to Ambassador Adel A. al-Jubeir. As soon as a reply is received, the response will be reported here. To give an idea of the mindset that grips the Muslim controlled areas of the world: at the Saudi Embassy Internet site it is stated that the Ambassador was “appointed by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz as Ambassador to the United States.” Everything in the Muslim world refers to Mohammed or the mosque – religion and government are one.

Congressman Stockman bravely stands with just causes such as this.

Congressman Bill Posey standing righteous and humble –The image of the Congress outside the Washington Beltway is incredibly bad. The current approval rating of Congress is hovering around 15%, thanks in most part to the constant bashing by the media giants. In reality there are many fine men and women in Congress, including the more than 100 members of the Prayer Caucus headed by Congressman Randy Forbes; they meet weekly when Congress is in session to pray for our nation. Congressman Stockman, who is mentioned above, is a member.

Recently a large foundation which runs summer camps for Christian youth leaders asked if I could arrange a tour of the Capitol for the leadership trainers. The organization was bringing 130 young adults for training. They in turn would be the trainers for the leaders in the camps.

Congressman Posey

The group was simply too large for me to handle on a tour. Through the office of a  member of the leadership team in the House, I obtained the Cannon Caucus Room for a dinner on Saturday, April 13th. This is the most prestigious room in the House Office complex, and virtually impossible to reserve. I then arranged for David Barton, the founder of Wallbuilders, to fly in from his Texas headquarters to conduct his rather famous “Spiritual Heritage Tour” of the Capitol Building, after hours when the complex would be closed to all other visitors.

I put out the word that I needed “table mentors” for the dinner. The mentors would be at the tables to talk to the young adults about the realities of Washington, DC, and about working in overtly secular fields as committed Christians.

Congressman Bill Posey and his wife Katie volunteered to be table mentors. When Congressman Posey arrived at the Caucus Room with his wife at the appointed time, the room was almost empty because of security issues we were having getting the youth through the after hours security. Congressman Posey went with me to the security check point to expedite the screening.

During the dinner Congressman Posey sat at one table and his wife at another. They did not ask to be introduced and spoke candidly with the young adults at the two tables about their lives as Christians on Capitol Hill.

When the time came for the tour of the Capitol Building itself, the Posey’s went with the group, helping by answering questions as David Barton conducted the tour, and pointing out the significant symbols throughout the Capitol, of the Christian heritage of our nation.

Of the 130 young adults, not more than five were from Congressman Posey’s home state of Florida. He and his wife were not there for votes, or for the cold barbequed chicken dinner. They were there to share their love of their nation and of their Lord. The humble and faithful nature that Bill and Katie Posey displayed to these young people who are leaders in their communities, will have a long lasting and profound impact.

Congressman Posey is a constant target of the far left. The Congressman made the reasonable suggestion that those running for office, such as for the presidency, should be required to provide a birth certificate. In response, the so-called comedian Steven Colbert stated that Congressman Posey was born from the result of his grandmother having sex with an alligator during a flood in 1928. This is the kind of personal attacks that all godly men and women in Congress face virtually every day.

International

Bishops Kidnapped: American media doesn’t care – On April 22nd, two Orthodox bishops of Aleppo, Syria were kidnapped by U.S. supported Islamist fighters. Syriac Orthodox Archbishop Yohanna Ibrahim and Greek Orthodox Metropolitan Boulos Yaziji, were kidnapped as they were returning from an attempt to obtain the release of two priests previously kidnapped. Father Michel Kayyal, an Armenian Catholic and Father Maher Mahfouz, a Greek Orthodox,  were kidnapped in February and still remain in the hands of the Islamist fighters that the Western media refer to as “rebels.” In a Huffington Post article, Orthodox priest Peter-Michael Preble said, “They were on a mission of peace, to bring aid and comfort, and they were taken hostage as part of the systematic extermination of the Christian population in Syria.”

Kidnapped Syrian Bishops

As an eyewitness to Capitol Hill I can say without hesitation that the Republican Party leadership is allowing the ethnic cleansing of Christians in Syria in order to obtain some minor political gain over President Barack Obama. A momentary “we got you” over Obama is more important to the Republican leadership than the lives of millions of Christians and the destruction of the ancient churches founded by Peter, Paul, and the other early Saints. Rather than trying to stop Obama’s support of the jihadist fighters in Syria, the Republican leadership is pushing for our overburdened and over deployed Armed Services to get directly involved in helping them!

Senator John McCain is the principle Republican promoter of the destruction of Syria. McCain seems totally blind to the human suffering of war and has no regard for Christians suffering at the hands of jihadists in Syria. As McCain sees it, Iran is currently our main enemy and eliminating one of its power bases – its alliance with Syria – is worth the human suffering and ethnic cleansing of the Christian population. McCain is actually pushing Barack Obama to do even more damage in Syria. McCain wants our Air Force involved today!

It is very true that Iran is a threat to the peace of the Middle East and to Israel, but arming jihadists associated with al-Qaeda and allowing them to murder Christians and destroy churches in Syria does not seem to me as the optimal way to limit the power of Iran. Indeed, the harsh persecution of Christians by jihadist fighters supported in Syria by Barack Obama is no different than the persecution of Christians in Iran. At least in Iran the Christians get a phoney show trial before they are jailed and tortured.  In Syria, Christians, with no trial at all, are tortured and murdered using American tax dollars given to jihadists by Barack Obama.

In Father Preble’s article he articulated the situation with great accuracy: “What has been called the “Arab Spring” in Syria has become the Christian Nightmare and it is high time that the United States government realize the part it has played and continues to play in this ethnic cleansing, genocide, holocaust whatever word you choose to describe what is being perpetrated on the religious minorities in Syria as well as Egypt.”

            Most Western news outlets have refused so far to carry news of the kidnappings of Christian clergy in Syria because it doesn’t’ fit the “Assad is the bad guy” story line. The press is silent even though the two bishops were kidnapped by Chechen jihadists, and this came just days after the Boston Marathon bombing by Chechen jihadists. We must break this silence somehow. Help the Religious Freedom Coalition tell the truth about Syria.

William J. Murray, Chairman

Religious Freedom Coalition, 601 Pennsylvania Ave, NW  #900 , Washington, DC 20004 * (202) 742-8990

By Fr. Peter-Michael Preble

From Huffpost

Fr. Peter-Michael Preble

Around the world, Orthodox Christians are preparing to celebrate the holiest of weeks on the Church calendar. On Sunday, we begin the week that leads up to the celebration of the resurrection of Our Lord God and Savior Jesus Christ. The services of this week are some of the most profound of the Orthodox Church as we follow in the steps of Jesus on His way to the cross.

Most of us will celebrate the resurrection of Christ with family and friends. Some might head out to their favorite restaurant, and some will stay home and opt for a more relaxed meal around the family table. It is certainly a Norman Rockwell moment.

But things will be very different for Christians in Egypt and Syria. The very places that gave birth to Christianity and sheltered Jesus when His family was on the run from those who would kill Him, has become a killing field for Christians.

On July 15, 2012, the International Committee of the Red Cross declared the Syrian Civil War a “non-international armed conflict” — the legal definition of a civil war. I find it interesting that it has been declared non-international, because the government of the United States has been supporting the rebels with almost $3 million in direct aid and equipment. The United States is involved in this civil war and has turned a blind eye to the murder of Christians and other religious minorities.

Since the war began in March of 2011, more than 70,000 people have died. A February estimate places the internally displaced at 3.6 million, and an additional 1.3 million have been forced to flee Syria for neighboring countries as refugees, all the while the government of the United States continues to support the very people responsible for the killing.

On Monday, two Orthodox bishops of the diocese of the city, Syriac Orthodox Archbishop Yohanna Ibrahim of the diocese of Aleppo and Greek Orthodox Metropolitan Boulos Yaziji, were kidnapped. The irony of their kidnapping is that they were returning from a meeting to attempt the release of two priests Fr. Michel Kayyal (Armenian Catholic) and Fr. Maher Mahfouz (Greek Orthodox), kidnapped in February and still remaining in the hands of the kidnappers. They were on a mission of peace, to bring aid and comfort, and they were taken hostage as part of the systematic extermination of the Christian population in Syria.

Read the rest at Huffpost

From Russia Today

The Organization of Islamic Cooperation joined in on Saturday calling for the “unconditional” release of two Christian bishops held captive in Syria. This follows similar statements from the Greek and Russian Orthodox Churches.

Metropolitan Paul Yazigi and Metropolitan John Ibrahim

Ekmeledin Ihsanoglu, the OIC secretary general, condemned the kidnapping of Aleppo’s Greek Orthodox Bishop, Boulos Yaziji, and the Syrian Orthodox Bishop Yohanna Ibrahim. The two were abducted last Monday by armed men while they were travelling to Aleppo from a town on the Turkish border where they were carrying out “humanitarian work.”

The OIC statement urged for their “immediate and unconditional release because such acts contradict the principles of true Islam and the [high] status held for Christian clergymen in Islam.” It added that Christian clergy always “lived in dignity and honor in the countries of Islam.”

Last Tuesday reports emerged the two bishops were released and were on their way to the patriarchy in Aleppo, but the Antiochian Archdiocese of North America later refuted that.

“His eminence Metropolitan Philip spoke by phone this morning to His Beaitude John X, Patriarch of Antioch and all the East, who said that these reports are false and that the release of these two hierarchs has not taken place,” the Archdiocese said on its website.

The Greek Orthodox Church has called for their release and the Russian Orthodox Church has published several statements condemning the act and has calling for them to be freed.

The patriarch of Moscow and all Russia Kirill the first wrote to Russian President Vladimir Putin asking him to try and ensure the bishops’ early release.

The Metropolitan Hilarion, chair of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate, also called on Tuesday for the international community to become more involved in trying to secure their release.

“We are now taking steps to find out where they are, to help them and get them early return from captivity,” said a statement posted on Tuesday on the department’s official website.

There is also an on line petition to the White House on behalf of Syrian’s living in the US calling for their release . So-far it has amassed a modest 2,335 signatures, well short of the 100,000 needed to be considered by the US administration.