KING JESUS IS COMING FOR US ANY TIME NOW. THE RAPTURE. BE PREPARED TO GO.
OBAMAS SUCH A HYPOCRITE-By Jack Van Impe
The American (called President Barry Soetoro AKA) Barack Husein Obama,has approved $450 MILLION in emergency aid, 200 battle tanks, and 20 fighter jets - not to nations freindly to us,and not to our strongest and most important ally, Israel.But to a nation committed to Israels destruction,a nation situated right-next door to Israel,an unstable nation headed by a shariah-loyal Islamic dictatorship:Yes EGYPT,which hates Jews,Christians,and Christianity!
In fact we are already sending $1.5 BILLION to egypts military every year (not to mention the extra $500 MILLION sent to the Palestinians to whom our President has promised Jerusalem) This is totally against Gods Word.930 Times GODS WORD SAYS this Holy City belongs to the JEWS.If you think this is to bizzare to be true,think again:President Obama has already released $250 MILLION of our taxpayer funds to the Egyptians for their emergency needs-as well as for much of their terrorist deeds.
This means some of Americas most sophisticated weaponry can now easily be turned on israel - and on Christians living inside Egypt -as well as U.S assets given to Jew-despising, Christian hating Muslims.At a time when the U.S government has cut its own budget,when we are borrowing mountains of money from communist China,the Obama administration plans to funnel hundreds of millions of dollars to those who would annihilate the Jewish people and topple Christianity.THIS LUNACY (in the words of one Congressman) puts the mideast in a greater state of turmoil than ever in our lifetime.Many say that the Egyptian leadership,emboldened by U.S support,willplunge us into even more radical anti-Christian persecution Globally.
GENESIS 12:1-3
1 Now the LORD had said unto Abram,(CHANGED TO ABRAHAM LATER) Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee:(PALESTINE,ISRAEL)
2 And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:
3 And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.
A furious debate erupted Tuesday in the Knesset’s Internal Affairs
Committee over a plan to transfer land from the Jewish town of Moshav
Beit Hananya in the Haifa area to the nearby Arab town of Jisr a-Zarka.
MK Yariv Levin (Likud) was among a group of MKs that called for Tuesday’s discussion of the issue. He argued that what Jisr a-Zarka needs is not more land, but better management.“This plan sets a dangerous precedent of using agricultural land to expand the jurisdiction of Arab municipalities while they aren’t willing to encourage other solutions. This will encourage other municipalities to take the same approach, and will deal a serious blow to agriculture,” he argued.He noted that officials in Jisr a-Zarka had rejected the idea of addressing the town’s housing crisis by building tall apartment buildings rather than low-level homes.
His comment angered MK Hanin Zoabi of the Arab nationalist Balad party, who replied, “Do they build tall buildings in Beit Hananya? Show me where they build tall buildings, and then you can say that in Jirs a-Zarka they should build tall buildings!”MK Basel Ghattas (Balad) said, “There is no Arab town on Highway 6 that didn’t have lands expropriated. From what is left of their land, more was taken. It’s good that you feel what we’ve felt this whole time.”The head of Jisr a-Zarka expressed frustration as well. “You created a conflict with your own hands!” he told the head of the Hof Carmel regional council. “The state needs to solve Jisr a-Zarka’s problem!”“Jisr a-Zarka has dropped to the bottom of the socio-economic ladder. It’s a powder keg. If no solutions are provided to the housing crisis and the crowding, the powder keg will explode,” he warned.MK Moshe Feiglin (Likud) voiced strong opposition. “When a guest is in my home, I give him respect. As long as they understand who is the host, and who is the guest, everything is fine.”“This debate is about national rights, not individual rights,” he continued. “We have to speak the truth: this is our land, not yours. You are guests. The minute that you are guests, you deserve every individual right. But when it becomes a national struggle – you do not deserve anything.”Feiglin clarified his stance further, “If this were about transferring Jewish land to a Jewish village, I would agree, but if it were an Arab village, I would not. It’s a nationalist thing.”His statements caused outrage among Arab MKs. “You’re a racist. You’re simply a racist,” accused MK Jamal Zahalka (Balad).Zoabi said, “We don’t feel like guests, or refugees… The reason we are angry is that we are treated like guests.”“You oppose any proposal to expand Jisr,” she continued. “You proposed just one solution – to build taller buildings within the town. Meaning, more crowding.”MK David Azoulay (Shas) called on those arguing to take their debate elsewhere. “That debate does not belong here. The subject here is a technical matter,” he said.He called on the Haifa regional planning committee to hear the case, and to listen closely to representatives from both towns.
By Gil Ronen-First Publish: 6/25/2013, 1:39 PM-Israelnationalnews
About 58% of the Arab citizens of Israel
say that the Palestinian Authority Arabs would be justified in starting
a violent rebellion (“intifada”) if the diplomatic process does not
advance. A similar percentage advocate an “intifada” by Israeli Arab
citizens if their situation does not improve considerably, according to a
poll, which was carried out by Prof. Sami Samoha of Haifa University,
with the Israeli Democracy Institute.The views are in line with the call Monday by an Arab Knesset Member, for an Arab intifada inside Israel.The poll shows that 63% of Israel's Arab citizens think Iran should
continue its nuclear development, despite the evidence that Iran seeks
Israel's destruction through nuclear weapons.About 54 percent of the Arabs prefer Israel over any other country as
a place to love. And yet, 70% do not accept Israel's right to maintain a
Jewish majority.While 70% of the Arabs say that the government is treating them like
second-class citizens, a full 72% would like the Arab parties in the
Knesset to join the coalition – although the Arab MKs themselves oppose
this move.Prof. Samoha said that while the opinions in the Arab sector have
become more extreme, “the red lines have not yet been crossed.” However,
he warned, “a continued deterioration of relations could cause disquiet
and instability.”
STORMS HURRICANES-TORNADOES
LUKE 21:25-26
25 And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity;(MASS CONFUSION) the sea and the waves roaring;(FIERCE WINDS)
26 Men’s hearts failing them for fear,(TORNADOES,HURRICANES,STORMS) and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth:(DESTRUCTION) for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.(FROM QUAKES,NUKES ETC)
THE FIRST JUDGEMENT OF THE EARTH STARTED WITH WATER-IT ONLY MAKES SENSE THE LAST GENERATION WILL BE HAVING FLOODING
GENESIS 7:6-12
6 And Noah was six hundred years old when the flood of waters was upon the earth.
7 And Noah went in, and his sons, and his wife, and his sons’ wives with him, into the ark, because of the waters of the flood.
8 Of clean beasts, and of beasts that are not clean, and of fowls, and of every thing that creepeth upon the earth,
9 There went in two and two unto Noah into the ark, the male and the female, as God had commanded Noah.
10 And it came to pass after seven days, that the waters of the flood were upon the earth.
11 In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened.
12 And the rain was upon the earth forty days and forty nights.
GOD PROMISED BY A RAINBOW-THE EARTH WOULD NEVER BE DESTROYED TOTALLY WITH A FLOOD AGAIN.BUT FLOODIING IS A SIGN OF JUDGEMENT.
By Scott Haggett and Nia Williams | Reuters – JUNE 25,13
HEADING HOME
Officials said about 65,000 Calgary residents had now returned to the houses they left on Friday after the Bow and Elbow rivers spilled their banks.Homeowners piled damaged furniture and other garbage on front lawns and at curbs and used snow shovels to push layers of silt into already grimy streets."We are selling lots of mops, lots of pails, lots of garbage bags," said Keith Attrill, assistant manager at a Home Depot store. "It's the initial clean-up. We are much busier than normal."Toronto contractor Mike Feldstein said he flew to Calgary two days ago, and has six trucks loaded with supplies on their way."We had an apartment today where it was mud and sewage everywhere. The first floor was destroyed. The laundry machine was on its side, fridges were tipped over because they had been floating down the hallway," he said. "People are devastated."
TWISTED TRACKS
Sorting out its transit problems is among the many issues that Calgary will have to tackle in short order to prepare for the Stampede. News photos showed buckled, twisted tracks on the transit line that services Stampede Park.John Jackson, executive director of the Calgary Hotel Association, said nine downtown hotels were still without power, but there was no major water damage.Although oil company headquarters in Calgary were closed, traders monitored the crude market remotely."We are all working remotely using iPhones and BlackBerrys," said one Calgary-based crude trader, who expected volumes to be very thin. "Other than not being able to stand up and holler across the desk, it's fairly normal."However, oil pipelines that move almost 1 million barrels per day of Alberta oil sands crude remained shut after a spill on a smaller line that may have been caused by the flooding in the southern part of the province.Suncor Energy Inc, Canada's largest oil company, said late on Monday it has temporarily reduced output from its Fort McMurray operations because of the precautionary shutdown of the Enbridge pipeline system within the Fort McMurray region.The company said it is using its existing storage capacity, as well as moving volume on its oil sands pipeline, while it works with Enbridge to bring its pipelines back into operation.Canadian Pacific Railway said its main line west of Calgary had reopened after crews restored portions of the track that had been hit by the floods.But the TransCanada Highway, Canada's main east-west road link, was still partially closed at Canmore, Alberta, a resort town that is a gateway to the Canadian Rockies.(Writing by Cameron French, additional reporting by Louise Egan and Peter N Henderson; Editing by Janet Guttsman, Mary Milliken and Peter Galloway)
FIRES AND EXPLOSIONS
REVELATION 8:7
7 The first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth: and the third part of trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up.
By | Associated Press – 7 hours ago JUNE 25,13
MUSLIM NATIONS
ISAIAH 17:1,11-14
1 The burden of Damascus. Behold, Damascus is taken away from being a city, and it shall be a ruinous heap.
11 In the day shalt thou make thy plant to grow, and in the morning shalt thou make thy seed to flourish: but the harvest shall be a heap in the day of grief and of desperate sorrow.
12 Woe to the multitude of many people, which make a noise like the noise of the seas; and to the rushing of nations,(USELESS U.N) that make a rushing like the rushing of mighty waters!
13 The nations shall rush like the rushing of many waters: but God shall rebuke them, and they shall flee far off, and shall be chased as the chaff of the mountains before the wind, and like a rolling thing before the whirlwind.
14 And behold at evening tide trouble; and before the morning he is not.(ASSAD) This is the portion of them that spoil us,(ISRAEL) and the lot of them that rob us.
JEREMEIAH 49:23-27
23 Concerning Damascus.(SYRIA) Hamath is confounded, and Arpad: for they have heard evil tidings: they are fainthearted; there is sorrow on the sea;(WAR SHIPS WITH NUKES COMING ON SYRIA) it cannot be quiet.
24 Damascus is waxed feeble, and turneth herself to flee, and fear hath seized on her: anguish and sorrows have taken her, as a woman in travail.
25 How is the city of praise not left, the city of my joy!
26 Therefore her young men shall fall in her streets, and all the men of war shall be cut off in that day, saith the LORD of hosts.
27 And I will kindle a fire (NUKES OR BOMBS) in the wall of Damascus, and it shall consume the palaces of Benhadad.(ASSADS PALACES POSSIBLY IN DAMASCUS)
PSALMS 83:3-7
3 They (ARABS,MUSLIMS) have taken crafty counsel against thy people,(ISRAEL) and consulted against thy hidden ones.
4 They have said, Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation; that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance.
5 For they (MUSLIMS) have consulted together with one consent: they are confederate against thee:(TREATIES)
6 The tabernacles of Edom,(JORDAN) and the Ishmaelites;(ARABS) of Moab, PALESTINIANS,JORDAN) and the Hagarenes;(EGYPT)
7 Gebal,(HEZZBALLOH,LEBANON) and Ammon,(JORDAN) and Amalek;(SYRIA,ARABS,SINAI) the Philistines (PALESTINIANS) with the inhabitants of Tyre;(LEBANON)
Reuters – 31 mins ago JUNE 25,13
Nearly 1.7 million refugees have fled into neighboring countries, including Lebanon, where clashes between armed groups supporting opposing sides in Syria have fuelled fears of a lapse back into sectarian civil war.
Saudi Arabia has become more actively involved in the Syrian crisis in recent months, expanding the flow of weapons to the rebels to include anti-aircraft missiles.(Reporting By Mahmoud Habboush and Lesley Wroughton, Editing by Angus McDowall and William Maclean)
By | Associated Press – JUNE 25,13
The videos appeared genuine and conformed with Associated Press reporting on the attack.Among those killed was a prominent Shiite cleric, Hassan Shehata. Afterward, the attackers congratulated each other, one witness, local activist Hazem Barakat, said in written and video account of the events he posted online. He said that in the weeks preceding the attack, ultraconservative Salafi clerics in the area had been speaking out against Shiites.A two-paragraph statement by Morsi's office condemned the killings. It said the culprits must be found quickly and brought to justice, vowing that authorities will not be "lenient" with anyone who interferes with the nation's security and stability.Police identified 13 suspects but have not yet made any arrests, security officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the press.A spokesman for the Muslim Brotherhood, from which Morsi hails, also denounced the killings.
But in a seeming show of conservative Sunnis' distaste for the sect, he would not refer to the victims as Shiites. In a posting on his Facebook page, Ahmed Aref identified them as "the four dead who have beliefs of their own that are alien to our society."The violence was startling, even in a country where violence has increased dramatically in the two years after the ouster of autocrat Hosni Mubarak.Mobs in rural areas have in recent months lynched suspected criminals amid a rise in gangs robbing motorists and banks. Police still often don't act to stop crimes, and the public has grown increasingly frustrated over increasing economic hardships and shortages. Violence has also become a feature of Egypt's polarized politics, with opponents and supporters of Morsi repeatedly clashing in the streets.Attacks against Christians, their businesses or churches have risen in frequency. They are often sparked by specific feuds — even if fed by hard-line clerics' anti-Christian statements.Sunday's attack, in contrast, seemed a straight-forward unleashing of hatreds, prompted only by the Shiites' religious practice. Egypt's population of 90 million is overwhelmingly Sunni Muslim, with about 10 percent Christians. The small Shiite minority is largely hidden and its size never firmly established, though some estimates put it as high as 1 or 2 million."Killing and dragging Egyptians because of their faith is a hideous result of the disgusting 'religious' discourse which was left to mushroom," top reform campaigner Mohamed ElBaradei wrote in his Twitter account."We are waiting for decisive steps from the regime and Al-Azhar (mosque) before we lose what is left of our humanity."His Dustour Party blamed the president. It said the attack was "a direct result of the disgusting hate speech ... escalating and expanding under the sight ... of the regime and in presence of its president and with his blessings."Al-Azhar, the world's primary seat of Sunni Islamic learning, which has also warned against the spread of Shiism in Egypt, said in a statement Monday that it was "terrified" by the killings. "Islam, Egypt and the Egyptians are unfamiliar with killing because of religion, doctrine or ideology," it said.The past few months have seen a dramatic rise in anti-Shiite hate speech by Salafis, many of whom are Morsi supporters. Salafis, an ultraconservative movement of Sunni Islam, view Shiites as heretics and regularly denounce them on TV talk shows, websites and in mosque sermons, warning they seek to bring their faith to Egypt. The divide between the two main sects of Islam dates back to a dispute over succession following the death of the Prophet Muhammad in the 7th Century.Bahaa Anwar Mohammed, a spokesman for Egypt's Shiites, accused Morsi and the Brotherhood of "sacrificing Egypt's Shiites to please the Salafis."A presidential spokesman on Monday rejected any link between Morsi and anti-Shiite comments."The presidency is responsible for the official statements and will not comment on unofficial statements," spokesman Ihab Fahmy told reporters. "The president's position is against any kind of incitement of violence or hatred among Egyptian society."
But analysts believe Morsi is trying to strengthen Salafi backing ahead of mass protests due June 30 by secular and liberal opposition and youth movements calling for his ouster. The tactic came after one Salafi group, al-Nour Party, dropped its support for the president.At a June 15 rally attended by Morsi, aimed at showing support for Syrian rebels, Salafi clerics railed against Shiites. One cleric, Mohammed Hassan, called on Morsi "not to open the doors of Egypt" to Shiites, saying that "they never entered a place without corrupting it." Another called Shiites "filthy." Morsi remained silent during the speeches.In a similar vein, a cleric who addressed the rally denounced those participating in the June 30 protests as non-believers, reciting a prayer traditionally used against "enemies" of God and Islam.The increase in anti-Shiite rhetoric came in part as a backlash against an attempt by Morsi to reach out to mainly Shiite Iran after nearly 30 years of frosty Cairo-Tehran relations. The conflict in Syria, pitting Sunni rebels against the regime dominated by Alawites — an offshoot of Shiism — has further fueled the rhetoric.The al-Nour Party has put up posters around the county saying Shiites have distorted the Quran, Islam's holy book, and kill Sunnis.Khaled Said, a spokesman for the Salafi Front, a major group in the movement, condemned the killings in Zawiyet Abu Musalam.But, he added, "this is a normal reaction to blasphemy and corruption of the faith by Shiites."
"We said before that we will not permit Iranian intervention and expansion in Egypt."
By Thomas Grove and Steve Gutterman | Reuters – 53 mins ago JUNE 25,13
A receptionist at the Capsule Hotel "Air Express", a complex of 47 basic rooms decorated predominantly with grey carpets and grey walls, said Snowden had turned up on Sunday, looked at the price list but then left.U.S. officials admonished Beijing and Moscow on Monday for allowing Snowden to escape their clutches but the United States' partners on the U.N. Security Council, already at odds with Washington over the conflict in Syria, hit back indignantly."The United States' criticism of China's central government is baseless. China absolutely cannot accept it," Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said in Beijing, also dismissing U.S. criticism of Hong Kong, a Chinese territory, for letting Snowden leave.Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov denied suggestions Moscow had helped Snowden in any way, including by allowing him to fly into Sheremetyevo."He chose his itinerary on his own. We learnt about it ... from the media. He has not crossed the Russian border," he said. "We consider the attempts to accuse the Russian side of violating U.S. laws, and practically of involvement in a plot, to be absolutely groundless and unacceptable."Lavrov's insistence Snowden had not entered Russia implies he has not left the airport transit area, used by passengers flying from one non-Russian airport to another without going through passport control or requiring an entry visa.The transit area is Russian sovereign territory, but it could be argued that in staying there Snowden had not formally entered the country - a move that could implicate President Vladimir Putin in helping a fugitive.
Interfax news agency quoted a source "in the Russian capital" as saying Snowden could be detained to check the validity of his passport if he crossed the Russian border.Snowden is travelling on a refugee document of passage provided by Ecuador, the anti-secrecy group WikiLeaks said.Putin is not shy of celebrating people who challenge Washington, but has an interest in keeping relations with the United States on track as both sides try to improve security cooperation and arrange a peace conference on Syria.
U.S. DISCUSSES SNOWDEN WITH RUSSIA
Jay Carney, a spokesman for the White House, said it was Washington's assumption that Snowden was still in Russia.Snowden, whose exposure of the surveillance raised questions about civil liberties in the United States, flew to Moscow after being allowed to leave Hong Kong even though Washington had asked the Chinese territory to detain him.Snowden, until recently a contractor with the U.S. National Security Agency, had been expected to fly to Havana from Moscow on Monday and eventually go on to Ecuador, according to sources at the Russian airline Aeroflot.There is no direct flight from Moscow to Quito, which has said it was considering Snowden's asylum request.Ecuador, like Cuba and Venezuela, is a member of the ALBA bloc, an alliance of leftist governments in Latin America that pride themselves on their "anti-imperialist" credentials. The Quito government has been sheltering WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange at its London embassy for the past year.The airport source confirmed Snowden was travelling with Sarah Harrison, a legal researcher working for WikiLeaks."She (Harrison) came together with Edward Snowden from Hong-Kong on June 23 around 5 p.m.," the source said. "He had a ticket to go to Havana on the 24th, but he did not use it. She also had one, but she didn't use it either."
DEFIANCE
With Snowden's whereabouts a mystery, U.S. President Barack Obama, may face prolonged embarrassment from a young man leading the world's lone superpower on a global game of hide and seek.
Obama told reporters his government was "following all the appropriate legal channels working with various other countries to make sure the rule of law is observed".But U.S. officials said intelligence agencies were concerned that they did not know how much sensitive material Snowden had in his possession and that he may have taken more documents than initially estimated.He could publish more documents or they could get into the hands of foreign intelligence. The Kremlin denies knowledge of any contacts between Russian officials and Snowden, despite media speculation the security forces could be questioning him.Carney said his escape would damage U.S.-China relations and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said Snowden's activities could threaten the security of China and the United States."People may die as a consequence to what this man did," he told CNN. But to his supporters, Snowden is a whistle blowing hero who exposed the extent of U.S. surveillance activities.(Additional reporting Gabriela Baczynska and Lidia Kelly in Moscow, Alexandra Valencia in Quito, Mark Felsenthal, Paul Eckert and Mark Hosenball in Washington and Katya Golubkova in Havana, Writing by Elizabeth Piper and Timothy Heritage, editing by)
OBAMAS SUCH A HYPOCRITE-By Jack Van Impe
The American (called President Barry Soetoro AKA) Barack Husein Obama,has approved $450 MILLION in emergency aid, 200 battle tanks, and 20 fighter jets - not to nations freindly to us,and not to our strongest and most important ally, Israel.But to a nation committed to Israels destruction,a nation situated right-next door to Israel,an unstable nation headed by a shariah-loyal Islamic dictatorship:Yes EGYPT,which hates Jews,Christians,and Christianity!
In fact we are already sending $1.5 BILLION to egypts military every year (not to mention the extra $500 MILLION sent to the Palestinians to whom our President has promised Jerusalem) This is totally against Gods Word.930 Times GODS WORD SAYS this Holy City belongs to the JEWS.If you think this is to bizzare to be true,think again:President Obama has already released $250 MILLION of our taxpayer funds to the Egyptians for their emergency needs-as well as for much of their terrorist deeds.
This means some of Americas most sophisticated weaponry can now easily be turned on israel - and on Christians living inside Egypt -as well as U.S assets given to Jew-despising, Christian hating Muslims.At a time when the U.S government has cut its own budget,when we are borrowing mountains of money from communist China,the Obama administration plans to funnel hundreds of millions of dollars to those who would annihilate the Jewish people and topple Christianity.THIS LUNACY (in the words of one Congressman) puts the mideast in a greater state of turmoil than ever in our lifetime.Many say that the Egyptian leadership,emboldened by U.S support,willplunge us into even more radical anti-Christian persecution Globally.
GENESIS 12:1-3
1 Now the LORD had said unto Abram,(CHANGED TO ABRAHAM LATER) Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee:(PALESTINE,ISRAEL)
2 And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:
3 And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.
06/24/2013 VATICAN INSIDER
Francis: “Christians cannot be anti-Semitic”
Francis says Christians cannot be anti-Semitic
The Pope said this during his audience with the International Jewish Committee on Interreligious Consultations
vatican insider staff rome Due to “our common roots” with the Jewish people, “a Christian cannot be anti-Semitic!” the Pope said in today’s audience with the International Jewish Committee on Interreligious Consultations. He then noted the importance of the “Nostra Aetate”, the Second Vatican Council's Declaration on the Church's relations with non-Christian religious and stressed that the Church firmly condemned hatred, persecution and all forms of anti-Semitism.” He also reminded those present of the impulse his predecessors gave to dialogue through “gestures” and “documents”.Pope Francis recalled that since his election, he has had a chance to meet “important personalities of the Jewish world,” but today was the first time he was able converse with such a representative group.The Pope recalled that the fourth chapter of the “Nostra Aetate” declaration is a “key point of reference for relations with the Jewish people.” “The Church recognizes that “the beginnings of its faith and election are to be found in the patriarchs, Moses and prophets”. And, with regard to the Jews, the Council recalls the teaching of Saint Paul, who wrote “the gifts and the call of God are irrevocable” and who also firmly condemned hatred, persecution and all forms of anti-Semitism, Francis said.The path of greater awareness and mutual under standing between Jews and Catholics “is a journey for which we must surely give thanks to God,” Francis said. “This is only the most visible element of a whole movement to be found here and there throughout the world, as I know from personal experience.” He then spoke of his “sincere friendship with leaders of the Jewish world” when he was Archbishop of Buenos Aires.In a world marked by secularism, “I met with them on various occasions to discuss the challenges which Jews and Christians both face. But above all, as friends, we enjoyed each other’s company, we were all enriched through encounter and dialogue, and we welcomed each other, and this helped all of us grow as people and as believers,” Francis said. “This has happened in many other places in the world, and these friendly relations are in a way the basis for the development of a more official dialogue,” Francis said.Finally, the Pope encouraged those present to get the new generations involved in dialogue, adding that in order for humanity and peace to exist, Jews and Christians need to bear joint witness to this. Francis ended by asking them to pray for him, assuring his own prayers.
06/24/2013
Central Africa : Bishops warn against danger of “Islamisation”
Armed soldiers in Bangui, Central Africa
The Central African Episcopal Conference has sent out a dramatic appeal for the 500 thousand people who risk hunger by the end of the year
Davide Demichelis Rome Five hundred thousand people in the Central African Republic risk falling victim to famine by the end of the year, according to a report published by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs on 21 June.The main causes of the famine are the war and the lootings which Seleka rebels – the alliance that controls national government - have been blamed for. “We are trying to prevent this by distributing peanut, corn and sesame seeds to 85 groups spread across seven dioceses.”Fr. Elysée Guedjandé is the head of Caritas Central African Republic, which has been attacked by crazed groups of government soldiers, like the theft of 22 cars. But Caritas is continuing its work in the country, despite the precarious security conditions. For example, on 19 June, a group of Seleka rebels turned up at the government social security offices in the capital Bangui and took away four vehicles.These were government soldiers who boasted good relations with President Michel Djotodia. Djotodia took up office after the coup d’ état last 24 March. The armed men who seize the vehicles, often replace the number plates with slogans such as “We don’t give a damn about death” or “We’ll get there whether they like it or not” and then go around without a care in the world, often looting barks or attacking people. “The victims of this violence are almost always Christians and animists, not Muslims,” Fr. Elysée said. 225 houses were set on fire in the village of Dékoa. All of them belonged to Christians.Caritas has just finished rebuilding them and all legitimate owners have returned to their village. Another 500 Christian and animist homes were burnt to cinders in the diocese of Bangassou. The Archbishop of Bangui, Mgr. Dieudonné Nzapalainga, has promoted a series of meetings with protestant Churches and the capital’s Imam to encourage interreligious dialogue.Central African bishops met between 12 and 13 June in Bangui and sent a message to all their fellow countrymen, which was announced today on the occasion of the final meeting of bishops at the Notre Dame Cathedral in Bangui: “Never before has our country seen such a serious, long and violent conflict. Is all this part of a hidden agenda?”Muslims make up less than ten per cent of the population. When the current President, Djotodia, led the rebels and had not yet come to power, he wrote a letter to all Muslims, asking for their help in exchange for a forced Islamization of the entire population.The bishops also condemn “the boldness and determination with which Seleka rebels have profaned Christian places of worship and property, undermining social cohesion in Central Africa. The unity of the Central African people was challenged by the actions of some of our Muslim brothers and we deplore this.”They conclude by saying: “The crisis has led to us risking a serious religious conflict and an implosion of our country’s social fabric, but we call on Christians to commit to reconciliation and social reconstruction.”
06/23/2013
Francis: “There are more martyrs in the world today than in the early centuries”
Pope Francis at today's Angelus
At today’s Angelus the Pope encouraged faithful to “go against the tide of current values that do not conform to the path of Jesus” and said that even non-Christians serve Christ is they respect the truth and show integrity
vatican insider staff Rome “Today’s world is sprinkled with martyrs: men and women who are put behind bars and killed just because they are Christian. And there’s more of them today than there were in the early days of Christianity,” the Pope said.During today’s recitation of the traditional Sunday Angelus, from the window of the Papal apartments above St Peter’s Square, Pope Francis commented on Jesus’ all-important words: "Whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it." The Pope said losing one life does not necessarily mean dying, although “the martyrs offer the best example of losing one's life for Christ.” Pope Francis spoke about the daily martyrdom of those who “do their duty with love, according to the logic of Jesus, the logic of giving, or sacrifice. How many fathers and mothers who every day put into practice their faith by devoting their lives for the good of the family. How many priests, monks and nuns give generously their service to the kingdom of God. How many young people who give up their interests to devote their time to children, the disabled, and the elderly.”“There are so many Christians and non-Christians who “lose their life" for the truth, adding “those who serve the truth serve Christ.” the Pope added. One of these people is John the Baptist. He was chosen by God to prepare the way before Jesus and was the Messiah’s messenger to the people.“I can see there are many young people among you,” the Pope said during today’s Angelus. “My message to you is, don’t be afraid to go against the current. When they want to take your hope away from you, when they try to instil in you values that do not conform to the path of Jesus, when food is gone off it makes us ill. But you must go against the current and be proud of this; you must move forward, be courageous.”When the Pope finished telling the story of John the Baptist, who was sentenced to death for publicly accused King Herod and Herodiade of adultery. “How many people pay a high price for defending the truth. How many good men prefer to go against the current rather than ignore their conscience, the voice of truth.”Furious Debate as Arab Town gets Jewish Land
Furious debate erupts in Knesset over land transfer from Jewish town to Arab town. MK Feiglin to Arabs: You’re guests here.By Maayana Miskin-First Publish: 6/25/2013, 4:22 PM-Israelnationalnews
MK Feiglin-Israel news photo: Flash 90
MK Yariv Levin (Likud) was among a group of MKs that called for Tuesday’s discussion of the issue. He argued that what Jisr a-Zarka needs is not more land, but better management.“This plan sets a dangerous precedent of using agricultural land to expand the jurisdiction of Arab municipalities while they aren’t willing to encourage other solutions. This will encourage other municipalities to take the same approach, and will deal a serious blow to agriculture,” he argued.He noted that officials in Jisr a-Zarka had rejected the idea of addressing the town’s housing crisis by building tall apartment buildings rather than low-level homes.
His comment angered MK Hanin Zoabi of the Arab nationalist Balad party, who replied, “Do they build tall buildings in Beit Hananya? Show me where they build tall buildings, and then you can say that in Jirs a-Zarka they should build tall buildings!”MK Basel Ghattas (Balad) said, “There is no Arab town on Highway 6 that didn’t have lands expropriated. From what is left of their land, more was taken. It’s good that you feel what we’ve felt this whole time.”The head of Jisr a-Zarka expressed frustration as well. “You created a conflict with your own hands!” he told the head of the Hof Carmel regional council. “The state needs to solve Jisr a-Zarka’s problem!”“Jisr a-Zarka has dropped to the bottom of the socio-economic ladder. It’s a powder keg. If no solutions are provided to the housing crisis and the crowding, the powder keg will explode,” he warned.MK Moshe Feiglin (Likud) voiced strong opposition. “When a guest is in my home, I give him respect. As long as they understand who is the host, and who is the guest, everything is fine.”“This debate is about national rights, not individual rights,” he continued. “We have to speak the truth: this is our land, not yours. You are guests. The minute that you are guests, you deserve every individual right. But when it becomes a national struggle – you do not deserve anything.”Feiglin clarified his stance further, “If this were about transferring Jewish land to a Jewish village, I would agree, but if it were an Arab village, I would not. It’s a nationalist thing.”His statements caused outrage among Arab MKs. “You’re a racist. You’re simply a racist,” accused MK Jamal Zahalka (Balad).Zoabi said, “We don’t feel like guests, or refugees… The reason we are angry is that we are treated like guests.”“You oppose any proposal to expand Jisr,” she continued. “You proposed just one solution – to build taller buildings within the town. Meaning, more crowding.”MK David Azoulay (Shas) called on those arguing to take their debate elsewhere. “That debate does not belong here. The subject here is a technical matter,” he said.He called on the Haifa regional planning committee to hear the case, and to listen closely to representatives from both towns.
Poll: Most Israeli Arabs Support Violent Uprising
Most Israeli Arabs oppose a Jewish majority, support a Palestinian uprising and want Iran to have nukes.
Arabs protest Israel in Jerusalem (archive)-Israel news photo: Flash 90
STORMS HURRICANES-TORNADOES
LUKE 21:25-26
25 And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity;(MASS CONFUSION) the sea and the waves roaring;(FIERCE WINDS)
26 Men’s hearts failing them for fear,(TORNADOES,HURRICANES,STORMS) and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth:(DESTRUCTION) for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.(FROM QUAKES,NUKES ETC)
THE FIRST JUDGEMENT OF THE EARTH STARTED WITH WATER-IT ONLY MAKES SENSE THE LAST GENERATION WILL BE HAVING FLOODING
GENESIS 7:6-12
6 And Noah was six hundred years old when the flood of waters was upon the earth.
7 And Noah went in, and his sons, and his wife, and his sons’ wives with him, into the ark, because of the waters of the flood.
8 Of clean beasts, and of beasts that are not clean, and of fowls, and of every thing that creepeth upon the earth,
9 There went in two and two unto Noah into the ark, the male and the female, as God had commanded Noah.
10 And it came to pass after seven days, that the waters of the flood were upon the earth.
11 In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened.
12 And the rain was upon the earth forty days and forty nights.
GOD PROMISED BY A RAINBOW-THE EARTH WOULD NEVER BE DESTROYED TOTALLY WITH A FLOOD AGAIN.BUT FLOODIING IS A SIGN OF JUDGEMENT.
Calgary races to save Stampede as flood costs mount
By Scott Haggett and Nia Williams | Reuters – JUNE 25,13
By Scott Haggett and Nia Williams
CALGARY, Alberta (Reuters) - Calgary will push ahead with its annual
Stampede festival on July 5, a marquee event that draws a million
people, despite massive flooding that swamped the venue and left the
downtown of Canada's oil capital without power, officials said on
Monday.The worst flooding in decades late last week turned streets in
Calgary and other towns in southern Alberta into fast-running rivers,
wreaking damage that will likely cost billions of dollars for repairs
and clean-up operations.The Stampede, a 10-day bonanza of rodeo, street parties and
corporate entertainment, pumps C$340 million ($320 million) a year into
the economy of Calgary, Alberta's largest city."We're going to do whatever it takes to be ready by July 5," Calgary
Stampede Chief Executive Vern Kimball told reporters, promising that
volunteers would accelerate their schedule to get facilities ready in
time for the event.City officials said on Monday they expected to reopen downtown
Calgary over the next two to three days, but the city's mayor has urged
companies to encourage employees to work remotely for several days.Missing out on income from the Stampede would only increase the
economic impact of the flood, which is already sure to be far greater
than the C$400 million in damages caused by the "flood of the century"
of 2005.BMO Capital Markets said the latest deluge could cut Canadian gross
domestic product by 0.1 percentage points in June, at a conservative
estimate, while total losses could be C$3 billion-C$5 billion.Alberta Premier Allison Redford promised C$1 billion in initial
funding to help pay for damage, some of which will be covered by the
federal government. Some repair work could stretch out over a decade,
she said.The flood swamped part of Calgary's downtown core, home to the
headquarters of most of Canada's oil and gas industry, where power is
likely to be out for days or even weeks in some pockets. It also forced
about 10 percent of the city's 1.1 million residents out of their homes.In communities south of Calgary, floods killed three people and also forced evacuations and plant closures.The floods temporarily halted the movement of potash, an important
fertilizer, from mines in the next-door province of Saskatchewan to West
Coast ports and shut a big beef processing plant and a fertilizer
plant. But companies said they did not expect the disruption to last
long.HEADING HOME
Officials said about 65,000 Calgary residents had now returned to the houses they left on Friday after the Bow and Elbow rivers spilled their banks.Homeowners piled damaged furniture and other garbage on front lawns and at curbs and used snow shovels to push layers of silt into already grimy streets."We are selling lots of mops, lots of pails, lots of garbage bags," said Keith Attrill, assistant manager at a Home Depot store. "It's the initial clean-up. We are much busier than normal."Toronto contractor Mike Feldstein said he flew to Calgary two days ago, and has six trucks loaded with supplies on their way."We had an apartment today where it was mud and sewage everywhere. The first floor was destroyed. The laundry machine was on its side, fridges were tipped over because they had been floating down the hallway," he said. "People are devastated."
TWISTED TRACKS
Sorting out its transit problems is among the many issues that Calgary will have to tackle in short order to prepare for the Stampede. News photos showed buckled, twisted tracks on the transit line that services Stampede Park.John Jackson, executive director of the Calgary Hotel Association, said nine downtown hotels were still without power, but there was no major water damage.Although oil company headquarters in Calgary were closed, traders monitored the crude market remotely."We are all working remotely using iPhones and BlackBerrys," said one Calgary-based crude trader, who expected volumes to be very thin. "Other than not being able to stand up and holler across the desk, it's fairly normal."However, oil pipelines that move almost 1 million barrels per day of Alberta oil sands crude remained shut after a spill on a smaller line that may have been caused by the flooding in the southern part of the province.Suncor Energy Inc, Canada's largest oil company, said late on Monday it has temporarily reduced output from its Fort McMurray operations because of the precautionary shutdown of the Enbridge pipeline system within the Fort McMurray region.The company said it is using its existing storage capacity, as well as moving volume on its oil sands pipeline, while it works with Enbridge to bring its pipelines back into operation.Canadian Pacific Railway said its main line west of Calgary had reopened after crews restored portions of the track that had been hit by the floods.But the TransCanada Highway, Canada's main east-west road link, was still partially closed at Canmore, Alberta, a resort town that is a gateway to the Canadian Rockies.(Writing by Cameron French, additional reporting by Louise Egan and Peter N Henderson; Editing by Janet Guttsman, Mary Milliken and Peter Galloway)
FIRES AND EXPLOSIONS
REVELATION 8:7
7 The first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth: and the third part of trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up.
Change in weather needed at Colorado fire
By | Associated Press – 7 hours ago JUNE 25,13
DEL NORTE, Colo. (AP) — Crews defending small homes, a
ski area and a handful of roads against an erratic wildfire in
Colorado's southwest mountains hoped Monday for a break — any break — in
the weather that will allow them to launch a more strategic assault on
the backcountry blaze.The West Fork Fire likely will burn for months, said incident
commander Pete Blume. And crews are not expecting to make any real gains
against the 117-square-mile burn until the summer monsoon season brings
cooler temperatures and rains, hopefully in early July."This is a significant fire with significant problems, and we are not
going to see any significant containment until we have significant
changes in the weather," said Blume, who is with the Rocky Mountain Type
I Incident Command.The fire is feeding on beetle-killed trees and is fanned by hot,
windy weather. Those conditions were expected to continue across much of
Colorado, Utah, Arizona and New Mexico, where a 119-square-mile
wildfire in the mountains of Gila National Forest is expected to grow
this week.Some 900 firefighters with a variety of aircraft were in southwestern
Colorado, and more were arriving. But so far they have been in an
almost completely defensive mode, waiting for the 30-to 40-mile-an-hour
afternoon winds that have grounded aircraft and driven flames to
subside.The fire's price tag has topped $2.2 million, and the effort has just begun.More than 1,000 residents and visitors left homes, cabins and RV
parks in South Fork and surrounding areas Friday. As of Monday, no
structures were known to have been lost.The blaze started June 5 with a lighting strike in a rugged, remote
area of the San Juan Mountains, west of the Continental Divide. A second
lightning strike sparked a fire east of the divide. The two then
joined, making a fast run Thursday and Friday at popular tourist areas,
including South Fork and the Wolf Creek Ski Area.A third lightning strike, meantime, sparked another fire to the West,
creating what is now called the West Fork complex, the largest and most
intense to ever hit this area, Blume said. That fire was moving north
but was several miles from the historic mining town of Creede. Near the
headwaters of the Rio Grande River, the town now has a thriving tourist
industry that relies on its colorful past.In Creede on Monday, residents and tourists shopping went about
business as usual. West of town, on Highway 149, hills smoldered above
homes where firefighters worked to contain the blaze.Such larger and longer-burning fires are far from unusual in the
drought- and beetle-stricken West. The Rio Grande Forest, for example,
had another dry winter. More than half of its hundreds of thousands of
acres of mature spruce trees have been killed by beetles, turning the
usually fire resistant trees into tinder, Blume said.Crews in Colorado also are being challenged by the high altitude,
which adds to the danger and complexity of launching air assaults in
smoke and high winds, said Larry Trapp, a branch director of air
operations with Rocky Mountain Type I Incident Command working the east
side of Continental Divide. Wolf Creek's summit is 11,904 feet; South
Fork's elevation is 8,208 feet. Some peaks in the Rio Grande Forest
surpass 13,000 feet.Among the air resources on the way, he said, is a helicopter with
infrared technology that can fly through the smoke to map power lines
above the tree line. That will allow more tankers to take to the sky to
drop retardant, Trapp said.
About a dozen fires burned elsewhere in Colorado, including a nearly 21-square-mile wildfire near the southern Colorado town of Walsenburg that was 50 percent contained.___Associated Press writer Greg Bull contributed to this report.
About a dozen fires burned elsewhere in Colorado, including a nearly 21-square-mile wildfire near the southern Colorado town of Walsenburg that was 50 percent contained.___Associated Press writer Greg Bull contributed to this report.
MUSLIM NATIONS
ISAIAH 17:1,11-14
1 The burden of Damascus. Behold, Damascus is taken away from being a city, and it shall be a ruinous heap.
11 In the day shalt thou make thy plant to grow, and in the morning shalt thou make thy seed to flourish: but the harvest shall be a heap in the day of grief and of desperate sorrow.
12 Woe to the multitude of many people, which make a noise like the noise of the seas; and to the rushing of nations,(USELESS U.N) that make a rushing like the rushing of mighty waters!
13 The nations shall rush like the rushing of many waters: but God shall rebuke them, and they shall flee far off, and shall be chased as the chaff of the mountains before the wind, and like a rolling thing before the whirlwind.
14 And behold at evening tide trouble; and before the morning he is not.(ASSAD) This is the portion of them that spoil us,(ISRAEL) and the lot of them that rob us.
JEREMEIAH 49:23-27
23 Concerning Damascus.(SYRIA) Hamath is confounded, and Arpad: for they have heard evil tidings: they are fainthearted; there is sorrow on the sea;(WAR SHIPS WITH NUKES COMING ON SYRIA) it cannot be quiet.
24 Damascus is waxed feeble, and turneth herself to flee, and fear hath seized on her: anguish and sorrows have taken her, as a woman in travail.
25 How is the city of praise not left, the city of my joy!
26 Therefore her young men shall fall in her streets, and all the men of war shall be cut off in that day, saith the LORD of hosts.
27 And I will kindle a fire (NUKES OR BOMBS) in the wall of Damascus, and it shall consume the palaces of Benhadad.(ASSADS PALACES POSSIBLY IN DAMASCUS)
PSALMS 83:3-7
3 They (ARABS,MUSLIMS) have taken crafty counsel against thy people,(ISRAEL) and consulted against thy hidden ones.
4 They have said, Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation; that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance.
5 For they (MUSLIMS) have consulted together with one consent: they are confederate against thee:(TREATIES)
6 The tabernacles of Edom,(JORDAN) and the Ishmaelites;(ARABS) of Moab, PALESTINIANS,JORDAN) and the Hagarenes;(EGYPT)
7 Gebal,(HEZZBALLOH,LEBANON) and Ammon,(JORDAN) and Amalek;(SYRIA,ARABS,SINAI) the Philistines (PALESTINIANS) with the inhabitants of Tyre;(LEBANON)
Saudi says 'cannot be silent' at Iran, Hezbollah role in Syria
Reuters – 31 mins ago JUNE 25,13
JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia regards the involvement of Iran and Hezbollah in Syria's
civil war as dangerous and believes the rebels must be offered military
aid to defend themselves, the kingdom's foreign minister said on
Tuesday.Speaking at a news conference with U.S. Secretary John Kerry in Jeddah, Prince Saud al-Faisal
added that Saudi Arabia "cannot be silent" about Iranian intervention
and called for a resolution to ban arms flows to the Syrian government."The kingdom calls for issuing
an unequivocal international resolution to halt the provision of arms to
the Syrian regime and states the illegitimacy of the regime," Prince Saud said.Kerry has returned to the Middle East after a two-day visit to
India, and will continue efforts to strengthen the Syrian opposition and
revive peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians.In Jeddah, Kerry is holding discussions with Prince Saud and Saudi
Arabian intelligence chief Prince Bandar bin Sultan, who coordinates the
kingdom's efforts to topple Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.The discussions include Washington's plans for providing direct
military support to General Salim Idriss of the Supreme Military
Council, the military wing of Syria's main civilian opposition group.Prince Saud said the world's top
oil exporter "cannot be silent" at the intervention of Iran and
Hezbollah in the Syrian conflict and renewed calls to arm the opposition
and bar weapons sales to President Bashar al-Assad.
"The most dangerous development is the foreign participation,
represented by Hezbollah and other militias supported by the forces of
the Iranian Revolutionary Guard," said."There is no logic that allows Russia to publicly arm the Syrian regime and the foreign forces that support it," he added.U.S. President Barack Obama
has said he will arm the rebels but has not disclosed what type of
assistance he will provide. Kerry is trying to ensure that the aid to
the rebels is properly coordinated among the allies, in part out of
concern that weapons could end up in the hands of extremist groups.A meeting between Kerry and European and Arab counterparts in Doha
last week agreed to increase support for Syria's rebels although there
was no consensus among the foreign ministers over providing arms, with
Germany and Italy strongly opposed to the move.More than 93,000 people have been killed in the Syrian conflict,
which began as a popular protest movement against President Bashar
al-Assad but has descended into a civil war with sectarian overtones.Nearly 1.7 million refugees have fled into neighboring countries, including Lebanon, where clashes between armed groups supporting opposing sides in Syria have fuelled fears of a lapse back into sectarian civil war.
Saudi Arabia has become more actively involved in the Syrian crisis in recent months, expanding the flow of weapons to the rebels to include anti-aircraft missiles.(Reporting By Mahmoud Habboush and Lesley Wroughton, Editing by Angus McDowall and William Maclean)
Egypt's Shiite killings raise alarm on hate speech
By | Associated Press – JUNE 25,13
CAIRO (AP) — Egypt's Islamist president on Monday condemned the brutal killing of four Shiites by a cheering Sunni Muslim mob while the police looked on, saying the culprits must be swiftly brought to justice.
But opponents of President Mohammed Morsi
said he was in part to blame for implicitly supporting his hard-line
allies as they stir up incitement against Shiites in response to Syria's
civil war. A week earlier, Morsi
appeared on stage with hard-line clerics denouncing Shiites as
"filthy." Critics warn that militant Islamists are acting with dangerous
impunity.Sunday's attack in the village of Zawiyet Abu Musalam,
near the Pyramids of Giza, came as about 30 Shiites were having a meal
to mark a religious occasion. Hundreds of young men descended on them in
the house.In online videos of the killings, young men armed with metal and
wooden clubs, swords and machetes, beat the Shiites on the head and
back, trapping them in the narrow entrance of the house.The Shiites beg for mercy as blood streams down their heads and soaks
their robes. A crowd pressing around them triumphantly chants "Allahu
akbar" or "God is great." Others screamed "You sons of dogs!" One video
shows a young man dragging the motionless and bloodied body of one
victim by a rope.The videos appeared genuine and conformed with Associated Press reporting on the attack.Among those killed was a prominent Shiite cleric, Hassan Shehata. Afterward, the attackers congratulated each other, one witness, local activist Hazem Barakat, said in written and video account of the events he posted online. He said that in the weeks preceding the attack, ultraconservative Salafi clerics in the area had been speaking out against Shiites.A two-paragraph statement by Morsi's office condemned the killings. It said the culprits must be found quickly and brought to justice, vowing that authorities will not be "lenient" with anyone who interferes with the nation's security and stability.Police identified 13 suspects but have not yet made any arrests, security officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the press.A spokesman for the Muslim Brotherhood, from which Morsi hails, also denounced the killings.
But in a seeming show of conservative Sunnis' distaste for the sect, he would not refer to the victims as Shiites. In a posting on his Facebook page, Ahmed Aref identified them as "the four dead who have beliefs of their own that are alien to our society."The violence was startling, even in a country where violence has increased dramatically in the two years after the ouster of autocrat Hosni Mubarak.Mobs in rural areas have in recent months lynched suspected criminals amid a rise in gangs robbing motorists and banks. Police still often don't act to stop crimes, and the public has grown increasingly frustrated over increasing economic hardships and shortages. Violence has also become a feature of Egypt's polarized politics, with opponents and supporters of Morsi repeatedly clashing in the streets.Attacks against Christians, their businesses or churches have risen in frequency. They are often sparked by specific feuds — even if fed by hard-line clerics' anti-Christian statements.Sunday's attack, in contrast, seemed a straight-forward unleashing of hatreds, prompted only by the Shiites' religious practice. Egypt's population of 90 million is overwhelmingly Sunni Muslim, with about 10 percent Christians. The small Shiite minority is largely hidden and its size never firmly established, though some estimates put it as high as 1 or 2 million."Killing and dragging Egyptians because of their faith is a hideous result of the disgusting 'religious' discourse which was left to mushroom," top reform campaigner Mohamed ElBaradei wrote in his Twitter account."We are waiting for decisive steps from the regime and Al-Azhar (mosque) before we lose what is left of our humanity."His Dustour Party blamed the president. It said the attack was "a direct result of the disgusting hate speech ... escalating and expanding under the sight ... of the regime and in presence of its president and with his blessings."Al-Azhar, the world's primary seat of Sunni Islamic learning, which has also warned against the spread of Shiism in Egypt, said in a statement Monday that it was "terrified" by the killings. "Islam, Egypt and the Egyptians are unfamiliar with killing because of religion, doctrine or ideology," it said.The past few months have seen a dramatic rise in anti-Shiite hate speech by Salafis, many of whom are Morsi supporters. Salafis, an ultraconservative movement of Sunni Islam, view Shiites as heretics and regularly denounce them on TV talk shows, websites and in mosque sermons, warning they seek to bring their faith to Egypt. The divide between the two main sects of Islam dates back to a dispute over succession following the death of the Prophet Muhammad in the 7th Century.Bahaa Anwar Mohammed, a spokesman for Egypt's Shiites, accused Morsi and the Brotherhood of "sacrificing Egypt's Shiites to please the Salafis."A presidential spokesman on Monday rejected any link between Morsi and anti-Shiite comments."The presidency is responsible for the official statements and will not comment on unofficial statements," spokesman Ihab Fahmy told reporters. "The president's position is against any kind of incitement of violence or hatred among Egyptian society."
But analysts believe Morsi is trying to strengthen Salafi backing ahead of mass protests due June 30 by secular and liberal opposition and youth movements calling for his ouster. The tactic came after one Salafi group, al-Nour Party, dropped its support for the president.At a June 15 rally attended by Morsi, aimed at showing support for Syrian rebels, Salafi clerics railed against Shiites. One cleric, Mohammed Hassan, called on Morsi "not to open the doors of Egypt" to Shiites, saying that "they never entered a place without corrupting it." Another called Shiites "filthy." Morsi remained silent during the speeches.In a similar vein, a cleric who addressed the rally denounced those participating in the June 30 protests as non-believers, reciting a prayer traditionally used against "enemies" of God and Islam.The increase in anti-Shiite rhetoric came in part as a backlash against an attempt by Morsi to reach out to mainly Shiite Iran after nearly 30 years of frosty Cairo-Tehran relations. The conflict in Syria, pitting Sunni rebels against the regime dominated by Alawites — an offshoot of Shiism — has further fueled the rhetoric.The al-Nour Party has put up posters around the county saying Shiites have distorted the Quran, Islam's holy book, and kill Sunnis.Khaled Said, a spokesman for the Salafi Front, a major group in the movement, condemned the killings in Zawiyet Abu Musalam.But, he added, "this is a normal reaction to blasphemy and corruption of the faith by Shiites."
"We said before that we will not permit Iranian intervention and expansion in Egypt."
Russia, China reject U.S. pressure over Snowden
By Thomas Grove and Steve Gutterman | Reuters – 53 mins ago JUNE 25,13
By Thomas Grove and Steve Gutterman
MOSCOW (Reuters) - China and Russia rejected U.S. accusations they helped a former U.S. spy agency contractor escape prosecution in the United States, deepening a rift between powers whose cooperation may be essential in settling global conflicts including the Syrian war.Edward Snowden, charged with disclosing secret U.S. surveillance programs, left Hong Kong for Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport on Sunday. The U.S. State Department
said diplomats and Justice Department officials were holding
discussions with Russia, suggesting they were looking for a deal to
secure his return to face espionage charges.
An airport source said the 30-year-old American, who has asked for asylum in Ecuador, had flown in on Sunday and had been booked on a flight to Cuba on Monday but had not got on board.Journalists camped out at the airport have not spotted him inside,
or leaving, the transit area, and say a heavy security presence has been
relaxed for the past 24 hours. He has not registered at a hotel in the
transit zone, hotel sources say.A receptionist at the Capsule Hotel "Air Express", a complex of 47 basic rooms decorated predominantly with grey carpets and grey walls, said Snowden had turned up on Sunday, looked at the price list but then left.U.S. officials admonished Beijing and Moscow on Monday for allowing Snowden to escape their clutches but the United States' partners on the U.N. Security Council, already at odds with Washington over the conflict in Syria, hit back indignantly."The United States' criticism of China's central government is baseless. China absolutely cannot accept it," Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said in Beijing, also dismissing U.S. criticism of Hong Kong, a Chinese territory, for letting Snowden leave.Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov denied suggestions Moscow had helped Snowden in any way, including by allowing him to fly into Sheremetyevo."He chose his itinerary on his own. We learnt about it ... from the media. He has not crossed the Russian border," he said. "We consider the attempts to accuse the Russian side of violating U.S. laws, and practically of involvement in a plot, to be absolutely groundless and unacceptable."Lavrov's insistence Snowden had not entered Russia implies he has not left the airport transit area, used by passengers flying from one non-Russian airport to another without going through passport control or requiring an entry visa.The transit area is Russian sovereign territory, but it could be argued that in staying there Snowden had not formally entered the country - a move that could implicate President Vladimir Putin in helping a fugitive.
Interfax news agency quoted a source "in the Russian capital" as saying Snowden could be detained to check the validity of his passport if he crossed the Russian border.Snowden is travelling on a refugee document of passage provided by Ecuador, the anti-secrecy group WikiLeaks said.Putin is not shy of celebrating people who challenge Washington, but has an interest in keeping relations with the United States on track as both sides try to improve security cooperation and arrange a peace conference on Syria.
U.S. DISCUSSES SNOWDEN WITH RUSSIA
Jay Carney, a spokesman for the White House, said it was Washington's assumption that Snowden was still in Russia.Snowden, whose exposure of the surveillance raised questions about civil liberties in the United States, flew to Moscow after being allowed to leave Hong Kong even though Washington had asked the Chinese territory to detain him.Snowden, until recently a contractor with the U.S. National Security Agency, had been expected to fly to Havana from Moscow on Monday and eventually go on to Ecuador, according to sources at the Russian airline Aeroflot.There is no direct flight from Moscow to Quito, which has said it was considering Snowden's asylum request.Ecuador, like Cuba and Venezuela, is a member of the ALBA bloc, an alliance of leftist governments in Latin America that pride themselves on their "anti-imperialist" credentials. The Quito government has been sheltering WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange at its London embassy for the past year.The airport source confirmed Snowden was travelling with Sarah Harrison, a legal researcher working for WikiLeaks."She (Harrison) came together with Edward Snowden from Hong-Kong on June 23 around 5 p.m.," the source said. "He had a ticket to go to Havana on the 24th, but he did not use it. She also had one, but she didn't use it either."
DEFIANCE
With Snowden's whereabouts a mystery, U.S. President Barack Obama, may face prolonged embarrassment from a young man leading the world's lone superpower on a global game of hide and seek.
Obama told reporters his government was "following all the appropriate legal channels working with various other countries to make sure the rule of law is observed".But U.S. officials said intelligence agencies were concerned that they did not know how much sensitive material Snowden had in his possession and that he may have taken more documents than initially estimated.He could publish more documents or they could get into the hands of foreign intelligence. The Kremlin denies knowledge of any contacts between Russian officials and Snowden, despite media speculation the security forces could be questioning him.Carney said his escape would damage U.S.-China relations and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said Snowden's activities could threaten the security of China and the United States."People may die as a consequence to what this man did," he told CNN. But to his supporters, Snowden is a whistle blowing hero who exposed the extent of U.S. surveillance activities.(Additional reporting Gabriela Baczynska and Lidia Kelly in Moscow, Alexandra Valencia in Quito, Mark Felsenthal, Paul Eckert and Mark Hosenball in Washington and Katya Golubkova in Havana, Writing by Elizabeth Piper and Timothy Heritage, editing by)
