By Lee Webb
CBN News Anchor
Monday, February 22, 2010
As Americans celebrate George Washington's birthday, a debate continues about the man known as the father of our nation, including his religious beliefs.
Was Washington a Deist, who believed that God had no real involvement in the world? Or was he a devout Christian who believed that God revealed Himself in scripture and in the person of Jesus Christ?
"Up until the bicentennial of his birth almost everybody thought he was a Christian," explained Peter Lillback, president of Westminster Theological Seminary. "But then kind of post-1932, it went the other way, that everybody thought he wasn't a religious man.".
Lillback has spent the last 15 years researching Washington's faith.
His 1,100-page book, George Washington's Sacred Fire, includes the founding father's own words and the testimony of his family.
Lillback's conclusion?
"Basically what we see Washington as is a creedal Christian from the Reformational Era," he said. "He held to the 39 articles of the Anglican church, he was a vestryman, he was a warden, he was a parishioner, he held a pew in two different churches and he was on the building committee of churches."
Lillback says it's wrong to compare Washington to a modern day evangelical.
He says Anglicans in Virginia didn't express their faith in the way many Christians do today. But to say our first president paid lip-service to Christianity is to ignore the facts.
"Washington's grandchildren said as they grew in his family that Washington often spent an afternoon with Martha reading a sermon to her," Lillback continued. "I've read those sermons. They could be preached in a biblical pulpit today. They're filled with Christian truth."
But what about historians who say Washington was never confirmed in the church?
"Washington was never confirmed in the Anglican church because you need a bishop to do it and there were no bishops in America," Lillback said.
As for the claim that Washington avoided Communion?
"All the evidence shows that he communed regularly before the war. After the war, he was now at war with the head of the church," he added. "How could you be communing with the king of England when you're trying to fight him?"
Lillback points out that some of Washington's closest friends were clergymen and he entertained many of them at Mt. Vernon-- something a Deist wouldn't have done.
Lillback also counters the modern-day notion that Washington avoided using the name of Jesus Christ.
"For him, Jesus' name was very sacred," he said. "He used that in worship or only when necessary in a special sense."
But he did use it. Washington told the Delaware indians in 1779, "You do well to wish to learn our arts and ways of life, and above all, the religion of Jesus Christ. These will make you a greater and happier people than you are."
And Lillback says Washington's family had no doubt about his firm belief in Christ.
source:http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/us/2008/February/George-Washington-A-True-Christian-/?cpid=EU_SPL_2010_196
Thursday, July 15, 2010
US disease control centers to use Israeli innovation
Micromedic develops test which diagnoses whether they have juvenile diabetes. 'By determining whether or not they have the disease, the simple test significantly reduces unnecessary suffering,' company says
A research development by Micromedic, an Israeli company, was selected for inclusion in an international Diabetes Antibody Standardization Program. The kit includes a simple blood test given to children and teenagers in a laboratory setting, which diagnoses whether they have juvenile diabetes. The test is based on identification of biological indicators, and was developed by Micromedic, designed to identify diabetes type 1, CCL3-AAB. Using these biomarkers, it is possible to determine whether young patients carry the disease, and if so, to offer appropriate treatment.
The test is simple and has been available for over a year worldwide. The decision to include the test in the Diabetes Antibody Standardization Program was made by US Department of Health’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Forty-eight leading laboratories from 19 countries, including the US, Europe, and Israel, are participating in the US Department of Health’s comprehensive research program.
In the current study, five of the world’s leading laboratories (in the US, Germany, England and Italy) will include Micromedic’s diagnostic kit for juvenile diabetes in their tests. The initial results of the program are expected to be published at the end of this year at the International Congress of the Immunology of Diabetes.
Micromedic of Israel said it was "extremely proud" of its development, which is "a genuine step forward in the field of juvenile diabetes, where no dramatic diagnostic developments have been achieved in the last 15 years."
The test itself, according to the company, makes life easier for children and teenagers in high-risk groups. "By determining whether or not they have the disease, the simple test significantly reduces unnecessary suffering," the company said.
Micromedic is currently working on a development based on biomarkers and blood tests for early diagnosis of the risk to develop the disease. Such a development could facilitate preventive action.
The decision to include Micromedic’s diagnostic kit in the international Standardization Program "attests to the kit’s novelty and its effectiveness in to identifying diabetes type 1. Inclusion should promote recognition of the Israeli biomarker biomarker’s potential to identify diabetes," the company said.
Micromedic CEO David Solomon said, “Our participation in the DOH’s program is a source of genuine pride for Israel. It is important evidence of the innovativeness of our kit, which will be tested together with other diagnostic kits that have been in existence for decades. Furthermore, the real significance of participation in the program is the unprecedented scientific recognition, which places the Israeli firm of Micromedic on the map as a significant internal player in the field of diabetes diagnostics.
"We expect hundreds of tests to be performed in each of the laboratories where the test will be used, and the results, sponsored by the DOH, will ultimately be based on many hundreds of tests, creating a broad clinical foundation,” he said.
source:http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3917099,00.html
A research development by Micromedic, an Israeli company, was selected for inclusion in an international Diabetes Antibody Standardization Program. The kit includes a simple blood test given to children and teenagers in a laboratory setting, which diagnoses whether they have juvenile diabetes. The test is based on identification of biological indicators, and was developed by Micromedic, designed to identify diabetes type 1, CCL3-AAB. Using these biomarkers, it is possible to determine whether young patients carry the disease, and if so, to offer appropriate treatment.
The test is simple and has been available for over a year worldwide. The decision to include the test in the Diabetes Antibody Standardization Program was made by US Department of Health’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Forty-eight leading laboratories from 19 countries, including the US, Europe, and Israel, are participating in the US Department of Health’s comprehensive research program.
In the current study, five of the world’s leading laboratories (in the US, Germany, England and Italy) will include Micromedic’s diagnostic kit for juvenile diabetes in their tests. The initial results of the program are expected to be published at the end of this year at the International Congress of the Immunology of Diabetes.
Micromedic of Israel said it was "extremely proud" of its development, which is "a genuine step forward in the field of juvenile diabetes, where no dramatic diagnostic developments have been achieved in the last 15 years."
The test itself, according to the company, makes life easier for children and teenagers in high-risk groups. "By determining whether or not they have the disease, the simple test significantly reduces unnecessary suffering," the company said.
Micromedic is currently working on a development based on biomarkers and blood tests for early diagnosis of the risk to develop the disease. Such a development could facilitate preventive action.
The decision to include Micromedic’s diagnostic kit in the international Standardization Program "attests to the kit’s novelty and its effectiveness in to identifying diabetes type 1. Inclusion should promote recognition of the Israeli biomarker biomarker’s potential to identify diabetes," the company said.
Micromedic CEO David Solomon said, “Our participation in the DOH’s program is a source of genuine pride for Israel. It is important evidence of the innovativeness of our kit, which will be tested together with other diagnostic kits that have been in existence for decades. Furthermore, the real significance of participation in the program is the unprecedented scientific recognition, which places the Israeli firm of Micromedic on the map as a significant internal player in the field of diabetes diagnostics.
"We expect hundreds of tests to be performed in each of the laboratories where the test will be used, and the results, sponsored by the DOH, will ultimately be based on many hundreds of tests, creating a broad clinical foundation,” he said.
source:http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3917099,00.html
Clinton asks Jewish support to free worker in Cuba
US secretary of state tells representatives of American Jewish community that they should add their voices to calls for release of US Agency for International Development contractor, who is helping members of Cuba's small Jewish community use internet to stay in contact with each other, similar groups abroad
US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton on Tuesday urged Jewish groups to join the campaign to persuade Cuba to release a US government contractor detained on the communist island for seven months without charge.
Clinton told representatives of the American Jewish community that they should add their voices to calls for Cuba to release Alan P. Gross, a US Agency for International Development contractor who was helping members of Cuba's small Jewish community use the internet to stay in contact with each other and with similar groups abroad.
"Alan was providing information and technology that would assist this community to be better connected," Clinton said at a State Department reception in honor of Hannah Rosenthal, the Obama administration's special envoy to monitor and combat anti-Semitism. Gross' wife, Judy, attended the event.
"Our government works every single day through every channel for his release and safe return home," Clinton said. "But I am really making an appeal to the active Jewish community here in our country to join this cause ... because this family deserves to be reunited and each and every one of us should do everything we can to make it clear to the Cuban government that Alan Gross needs to come home."
Gross, a 60-year-old native of Potomac, Maryland, was working in Cuba for a firm contracted by USAID when he was arrested as a suspected spy in Havana on December 3. He has been held without charge in the capital's high-security Villa Marista prison since.
Humanitarian purposes?
The US says Gross committed no crime and has repeatedly appealed for his release on humanitarian grounds. In May, the head of Cuba's high court said prosecutors had yet to open a legal case against him. Formal charges can't be filed in Cuba without a judicial accusation and the opening of a case, so it appears unlikely charges against Gross are imminent.
Judy Gross has said her husband had brought communications equipment intended only for humanitarian purposes and not for political use by Cuba's small dissident community. Satellite phones and other telecommunications materials are outlawed in Cuba, where the government maintains strict control over Internet access and the media.
Clinton's appeal to the US Jewish community followed the release on Tuesday of seven jailed Cuban dissidents who were sent to Spain, the first of 52 political prisoners to be freed under an agreement worked out between Cuban authorities and the Catholic Church.
source:http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3919877,00.html
US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton on Tuesday urged Jewish groups to join the campaign to persuade Cuba to release a US government contractor detained on the communist island for seven months without charge.
Clinton told representatives of the American Jewish community that they should add their voices to calls for Cuba to release Alan P. Gross, a US Agency for International Development contractor who was helping members of Cuba's small Jewish community use the internet to stay in contact with each other and with similar groups abroad.
"Alan was providing information and technology that would assist this community to be better connected," Clinton said at a State Department reception in honor of Hannah Rosenthal, the Obama administration's special envoy to monitor and combat anti-Semitism. Gross' wife, Judy, attended the event.
"Our government works every single day through every channel for his release and safe return home," Clinton said. "But I am really making an appeal to the active Jewish community here in our country to join this cause ... because this family deserves to be reunited and each and every one of us should do everything we can to make it clear to the Cuban government that Alan Gross needs to come home."
Gross, a 60-year-old native of Potomac, Maryland, was working in Cuba for a firm contracted by USAID when he was arrested as a suspected spy in Havana on December 3. He has been held without charge in the capital's high-security Villa Marista prison since.
Humanitarian purposes?
The US says Gross committed no crime and has repeatedly appealed for his release on humanitarian grounds. In May, the head of Cuba's high court said prosecutors had yet to open a legal case against him. Formal charges can't be filed in Cuba without a judicial accusation and the opening of a case, so it appears unlikely charges against Gross are imminent.
Judy Gross has said her husband had brought communications equipment intended only for humanitarian purposes and not for political use by Cuba's small dissident community. Satellite phones and other telecommunications materials are outlawed in Cuba, where the government maintains strict control over Internet access and the media.
Clinton's appeal to the US Jewish community followed the release on Tuesday of seven jailed Cuban dissidents who were sent to Spain, the first of 52 political prisoners to be freed under an agreement worked out between Cuban authorities and the Catholic Church.
source:http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3919877,00.html
A Christian Response to the 'Ground Zero Mosque'
by Staff
July 14, 2010
ST PETERSBURG, Fla., (christiansunite.com) -- Bill Keller, leader of the world's largest interactive Christian website for 11 years, Liveprayer.com, will open this September the 9-11 Christian Center at Ground Zero as a Christian response to the mosque the Muslims are building just blocks away.
Keller said that rather than hold a protest that people will forget an hour after it is over, he wanted to take an ongoing stand against this new mosque in a bold, visible, and meaningful way.
Keller stated that he sees this as an incredible opportunity to take a stand for Christ within a block of the hallowed ground where the World Trade Center Towers once stood, and give people a place where they can come to pray and find true peace and hope at a time when so many lives are in turmoil.
Keller is no stranger to conflict with Islam. In 2007, under pressure from the extremist Muslim group CAIR, Keller's highly rated nightly TV program that ran for 4 1/2 years on a CBS owned station in Tampa, Florida, was cancelled by CBS because he refused to stop telling his viewers that "according to the Bible Islam is a 1400-year-old lie from hell, and that history clearly shows Mohammed was a murdering pedophile who propagated his false religion through hatred, violence, and death."
Keller also has numerous fatwas (sentences of death) issued against him for a video he sent in 2006 to Osama Bin Laden that was played worldwide in which Keller encouraged Bin Laden to "renounce the lies of Islam" and come to faith in Jesus Christ.
In asking Keller about what he hopes to accomplish with the new 9-11 Christian Center, he said, "If the Muslims can without conscience build a mosque to propagate their religion of violence and hated a block away from where their Muslim brothers perpetrated the greatest act of terror on US soil, killing 3,000 innocent souls in the process, we can open a place where people can come to hear the truth of the Bible and learn about the peace, love, and saving grace of Jesus Christ"
Keller's 9-11 Christian Center will begin holding services Sunday, September 5th at the Embassy Suites New York through the end of the year. They will move into their permanent facility on January 1st.
source:http://news.christiansunite.com/Religion_News/religion09496.shtml
July 14, 2010
ST PETERSBURG, Fla., (christiansunite.com) -- Bill Keller, leader of the world's largest interactive Christian website for 11 years, Liveprayer.com, will open this September the 9-11 Christian Center at Ground Zero as a Christian response to the mosque the Muslims are building just blocks away.
Keller said that rather than hold a protest that people will forget an hour after it is over, he wanted to take an ongoing stand against this new mosque in a bold, visible, and meaningful way.
Keller stated that he sees this as an incredible opportunity to take a stand for Christ within a block of the hallowed ground where the World Trade Center Towers once stood, and give people a place where they can come to pray and find true peace and hope at a time when so many lives are in turmoil.
Keller is no stranger to conflict with Islam. In 2007, under pressure from the extremist Muslim group CAIR, Keller's highly rated nightly TV program that ran for 4 1/2 years on a CBS owned station in Tampa, Florida, was cancelled by CBS because he refused to stop telling his viewers that "according to the Bible Islam is a 1400-year-old lie from hell, and that history clearly shows Mohammed was a murdering pedophile who propagated his false religion through hatred, violence, and death."
Keller also has numerous fatwas (sentences of death) issued against him for a video he sent in 2006 to Osama Bin Laden that was played worldwide in which Keller encouraged Bin Laden to "renounce the lies of Islam" and come to faith in Jesus Christ.
In asking Keller about what he hopes to accomplish with the new 9-11 Christian Center, he said, "If the Muslims can without conscience build a mosque to propagate their religion of violence and hated a block away from where their Muslim brothers perpetrated the greatest act of terror on US soil, killing 3,000 innocent souls in the process, we can open a place where people can come to hear the truth of the Bible and learn about the peace, love, and saving grace of Jesus Christ"
Keller's 9-11 Christian Center will begin holding services Sunday, September 5th at the Embassy Suites New York through the end of the year. They will move into their permanent facility on January 1st.
source:http://news.christiansunite.com/Religion_News/religion09496.shtml
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Iranians to Israel: Bomb us, please!
The portrait painted by the world media is that Israel and Iran are the worst of enemies, and that the Islamic Republic is united in leading the charge against perceived Jewish injustices against the Palestinian Arabs.
As demonstrated in a telephone exchange between average Iranians and Israeli lawmaker Tzachi Hanegbi, chairman of the Knesset's Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, that simply is not true. Israel and Iran had warm relations prior to the Islamic Revolution in 1979, and many average Iranians remain friendly toward the Jewish state.
The exchange took place late last week on Voice of Israel's Farsi radio program. Sources in Iran said that millions of Iranians listen to the Israeli program in their mother tongue, despite the risk of being jailed and tortured for "contact with enemy agents."
The show's host took calls from a large number of Iranians and translated their questions for Hanegbi. Nearly all of the callers expressed support for international pressure on their own regime over its defiant nuclear program, but warned that the current sanctions are not enough. They urged Israel to press for stronger international measures, including the use of military force - be it Israeli or American.
A caller who identified himself as a university student from Tehran reminded Israelis that their forefathers had been freed from slavery and exile by the Persian king Cyrus, and that Israelis owe the Iranians of today their support in overthrowing an oppressive Islamic regime that threatens the entire region.
Hanegbi, whose comments were translated by the host into Farsi, responded by noting that all Israel feels the pain of the Iranian people, and watch with broken hearts as the Iranian regime violently suppresses movements for democratic freedom in the country.
Hanegbi concluded by saying that Israelis "remember the special relations between Israel and Iran before the rise of the ayatollahs. I am certain these relations will return."
source:http://www.israeltoday.co.il/default.aspx?tabid=178&nid=21502
As demonstrated in a telephone exchange between average Iranians and Israeli lawmaker Tzachi Hanegbi, chairman of the Knesset's Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, that simply is not true. Israel and Iran had warm relations prior to the Islamic Revolution in 1979, and many average Iranians remain friendly toward the Jewish state.
The exchange took place late last week on Voice of Israel's Farsi radio program. Sources in Iran said that millions of Iranians listen to the Israeli program in their mother tongue, despite the risk of being jailed and tortured for "contact with enemy agents."
The show's host took calls from a large number of Iranians and translated their questions for Hanegbi. Nearly all of the callers expressed support for international pressure on their own regime over its defiant nuclear program, but warned that the current sanctions are not enough. They urged Israel to press for stronger international measures, including the use of military force - be it Israeli or American.
A caller who identified himself as a university student from Tehran reminded Israelis that their forefathers had been freed from slavery and exile by the Persian king Cyrus, and that Israelis owe the Iranians of today their support in overthrowing an oppressive Islamic regime that threatens the entire region.
Hanegbi, whose comments were translated by the host into Farsi, responded by noting that all Israel feels the pain of the Iranian people, and watch with broken hearts as the Iranian regime violently suppresses movements for democratic freedom in the country.
Hanegbi concluded by saying that Israelis "remember the special relations between Israel and Iran before the rise of the ayatollahs. I am certain these relations will return."
source:http://www.israeltoday.co.il/default.aspx?tabid=178&nid=21502
Two pastors attacked; vehicles burned in India
by Staff
July 12, 2010
(christiansunite.com) - Two pastors from the Assemblies of God Church denomination were attacked on June 23 in Bangalore, Karnataka, India. The pastors -- Shiju Kuriakose (35) and Jayan (30) -- had left a prayer meeting at a fellow believer's house when a group of unknown people began beating them with iron rods. Both pastors were badly injured and were admitted to the hospital.
On June 22, seven vehicles belonging to Jesus With Us Ministries were burned by suspected Hindu militants in Tamil Nadu. The vehicles were being used to transport believers to and from Hosur, where a Gospel meeting was taking place. Hindus had earlier protested against the meeting and, due to the opposition, the organizers were eventually forced to change venues. (Source: Global Council of Indian Christians)
source:http://news.christiansunite.com/Religion_News/religion09487.shtml
July 12, 2010
(christiansunite.com) - Two pastors from the Assemblies of God Church denomination were attacked on June 23 in Bangalore, Karnataka, India. The pastors -- Shiju Kuriakose (35) and Jayan (30) -- had left a prayer meeting at a fellow believer's house when a group of unknown people began beating them with iron rods. Both pastors were badly injured and were admitted to the hospital.
On June 22, seven vehicles belonging to Jesus With Us Ministries were burned by suspected Hindu militants in Tamil Nadu. The vehicles were being used to transport believers to and from Hosur, where a Gospel meeting was taking place. Hindus had earlier protested against the meeting and, due to the opposition, the organizers were eventually forced to change venues. (Source: Global Council of Indian Christians)
source:http://news.christiansunite.com/Religion_News/religion09487.shtml
Monday, July 12, 2010
Libyan ship expected to test Gaza blockade
A Libyan cargo ship that departed from Greece on Sunday is now expected to test Israel's maritime blockade of the Gaza Strip.
The ship was originally touted as an aid ship to Gaza. But Greek officials refused to let it leave port if it was going to try and run the Israeli blockade. Athens said it reached an agreement with the ship's owners whereby the vessel would sail to the Egyptian port of El-Arish and there unload its cargo for Gaza.
But the group behind the ship later announced that it would make for Gaza despite its agreement with the Greeks, and that the crew of the ship would not surrender to Israeli demands that it halt and change direction for the Israeli port of Ashdod.
Israeli officials are urging the UN to stop what they termed a reckless provocation before another incident like the May 31 interception of a violent Turkish-led flotilla is forced on the Israeli military.
The Libyan ship is expected to reach its destination, be it Gaza or Egypt, early Wednesday morning.
source:http://www.israeltoday.co.il/default.aspx?tabid=178&nid=21493
The ship was originally touted as an aid ship to Gaza. But Greek officials refused to let it leave port if it was going to try and run the Israeli blockade. Athens said it reached an agreement with the ship's owners whereby the vessel would sail to the Egyptian port of El-Arish and there unload its cargo for Gaza.
But the group behind the ship later announced that it would make for Gaza despite its agreement with the Greeks, and that the crew of the ship would not surrender to Israeli demands that it halt and change direction for the Israeli port of Ashdod.
Israeli officials are urging the UN to stop what they termed a reckless provocation before another incident like the May 31 interception of a violent Turkish-led flotilla is forced on the Israeli military.
The Libyan ship is expected to reach its destination, be it Gaza or Egypt, early Wednesday morning.
source:http://www.israeltoday.co.il/default.aspx?tabid=178&nid=21493
Israel wants peace talks, Palestinians say 'not yet'
In interviews with the American media on the weekend following his visit to the White House, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated his message that he is ready to immediately sit down with Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas and negotiate a final status peace agreement.
"You cannot resolve a conflict, you cannot successfully complete a peace negotiation if you don't start it. And I say let's start it right now, today, tomorrow, in Jerusalem, in Ramallah or anywhere else," Netanyahu told CNN interviewer Larry King.
But Netanyahu insisted this time around the Israelis and Palestinians must stop bickering over small points and look forward to a comprehensive and general peace so that the region can move on from conflict.
"Going at it piecemeal, piece by piece, is just to have a thousand cuts without seeing where this thing leads," he told the Council on Foreign Relations.
Netanyahu said he impressed these points upon US President Barack Obama when they met in the Oval Office last week, and the White House confirmed that Obama had followed up by phoning Abbas and insisting that direct Israeli-Palestinian talks begin by September.
But on Saturday Abbas said he was happy to continue indirect US-hosted peace talks, at least until the American pressure results in more Israeli concessions.
"We said that if there is progress we will go to direct talks. If no progress happens, what is the benefit of negotiations that will be futile and useless?" Abbas asked reporters in Ramallah.
Abbas then appeared to throw a wrench in plans to resume peace negotiations when he set the precondition that under any final status peace deal, all Jewish communities deemed to be built on "Palestinian land" must be fully dismantled, including the large Jewish neighborhoods on the eastern side of Jerusalem.
source:http://www.israeltoday.co.il/default.aspx?tabid=178&nid=21494
"You cannot resolve a conflict, you cannot successfully complete a peace negotiation if you don't start it. And I say let's start it right now, today, tomorrow, in Jerusalem, in Ramallah or anywhere else," Netanyahu told CNN interviewer Larry King.
But Netanyahu insisted this time around the Israelis and Palestinians must stop bickering over small points and look forward to a comprehensive and general peace so that the region can move on from conflict.
"Going at it piecemeal, piece by piece, is just to have a thousand cuts without seeing where this thing leads," he told the Council on Foreign Relations.
Netanyahu said he impressed these points upon US President Barack Obama when they met in the Oval Office last week, and the White House confirmed that Obama had followed up by phoning Abbas and insisting that direct Israeli-Palestinian talks begin by September.
But on Saturday Abbas said he was happy to continue indirect US-hosted peace talks, at least until the American pressure results in more Israeli concessions.
"We said that if there is progress we will go to direct talks. If no progress happens, what is the benefit of negotiations that will be futile and useless?" Abbas asked reporters in Ramallah.
Abbas then appeared to throw a wrench in plans to resume peace negotiations when he set the precondition that under any final status peace deal, all Jewish communities deemed to be built on "Palestinian land" must be fully dismantled, including the large Jewish neighborhoods on the eastern side of Jerusalem.
source:http://www.israeltoday.co.il/default.aspx?tabid=178&nid=21494
The Heart of the Matter
From blog of Mosab Hassan Yousef.
=====================================
I am posting the article that Gonen and I wrote for The Washington Post before the deportation hearing because, in it, we were able to express some very important things that have gotten lost in the media mist.
First, the Department of Homeland Security’s campaign to send me back to the Palestinian territories and to certain death was a test of America’s moral strength and the precious freedoms that are too often taken for granted.
Second, the deep, enduring friendship that developed between Gonen and me shouts to the world that peace in that region is definitely possible.
WHY DEPORT A FRIEND TO MIDDLE EAST PEACE?
By Mosab Hassan Yousef and Gonen ben Itzhak, Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Ours is an unlikely friendship. Gonen ben Itzhak is an Israeli, the son of a retired Israel Defense Forces (IDF) general who was in charge of defeating the first intifada some 20 years ago. Mosab Hassan Yousef is a Palestinian, the son of a founder of Hamas whose father was one of the leaders of that intifada. The Palestinians’ goal for the intifada was to elevate their cause. Israel sought to keep violence down and protect its citizens. Today we are sacrificing everything—possibly even our lives—to build a bridge of peace between our peoples.
As detailed in the book Son of Hamas, published this year, we became partners in the fight against terrorism; Mosab became an undercover agent for the Shin Bet, Israel’s security service; Gonen became his Shin Bet handler. In the nine years we worked together, the two of us, once sworn enemies, embraced mutual recognition and rejected the mindset of revenge.
All the efforts of Hamas and the Palestine Liberation Organization failed to achieve the goals of the intifada. All the efforts of the IDF failed to stop the hate that fueled the intifada.
Mosab observed firsthand the craziness of the cycle of violence. Mosab began to question who his real enemies were: the Hamas leaders who tortured their fellow Palestinian prisoners, or the Shin Bet, who arrested and imprisoned him. Over the 16 months that Mosab was in prison, the answer became clear, and this persuaded Mosab to go undercover for the Shin Bet. Gonen, whose code name was “Captain Loai,” became Mosab’s handler. Mosab’s reports led to the arrests of several high-ranking Palestinian figures. As we worked together to prevent the deaths of hundreds of Israelis and Palestinians, the two of us became friends.
We believe that friendships like ours are key to eliminating hate and promoting the liberty that both our peoples so desperately desire.
Mosab converted to Christianity in 2005 and moved to California in 2007. America has a vision of a world where liberty reigns. When Mosab brought terrorists to justice while working undercover for the Shin Bet, he was American at heart, fighting for liberty and justice.
Mosab has lived in this country for more than two years. We were shocked when, in 2009, the Department of Homeland Security opposed his request for political asylum, all the more so when it threatened to deport Mosab in the name of protecting American security. If this decision is upheld, it will signal to the world that America does not stand by those who sacrifice to oppose terrorism. If America wants liberty to prevail in all places, it must not abandon those who share the ideals of freedom.
Gathering human intelligence in the war against terrorism will become impossible if the United States does not protect those who risk their lives on behalf of American values.
Mosab was born a son of Hamas, but he rejected his violent destiny and found the strength to choose a different path. But having left revenge behind, he faces possible deportation as payback for embracing the ideal of loving his enemy.
When an immigration judge in California decides about Mosab’s future on Wednesday, the ramifications will be much greater than whether he is sent back to certain death anywhere in the Middle East. It is a decision about the future of liberty and about the best path to peace.
Whatever happens in San Diego, we hope that our story can be a bridge to peace. Peace is a state of mind and heart before it is a political reality. Our friendship is proof that hating hearts can change — and that changed hearts are the only hope for liberty.
source:http://sonofhamas.wordpress.com/2010/07/10/the-heart-of-the-matter/
=====================================
I am posting the article that Gonen and I wrote for The Washington Post before the deportation hearing because, in it, we were able to express some very important things that have gotten lost in the media mist.
First, the Department of Homeland Security’s campaign to send me back to the Palestinian territories and to certain death was a test of America’s moral strength and the precious freedoms that are too often taken for granted.
Second, the deep, enduring friendship that developed between Gonen and me shouts to the world that peace in that region is definitely possible.
WHY DEPORT A FRIEND TO MIDDLE EAST PEACE?
By Mosab Hassan Yousef and Gonen ben Itzhak, Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Ours is an unlikely friendship. Gonen ben Itzhak is an Israeli, the son of a retired Israel Defense Forces (IDF) general who was in charge of defeating the first intifada some 20 years ago. Mosab Hassan Yousef is a Palestinian, the son of a founder of Hamas whose father was one of the leaders of that intifada. The Palestinians’ goal for the intifada was to elevate their cause. Israel sought to keep violence down and protect its citizens. Today we are sacrificing everything—possibly even our lives—to build a bridge of peace between our peoples.
As detailed in the book Son of Hamas, published this year, we became partners in the fight against terrorism; Mosab became an undercover agent for the Shin Bet, Israel’s security service; Gonen became his Shin Bet handler. In the nine years we worked together, the two of us, once sworn enemies, embraced mutual recognition and rejected the mindset of revenge.
All the efforts of Hamas and the Palestine Liberation Organization failed to achieve the goals of the intifada. All the efforts of the IDF failed to stop the hate that fueled the intifada.
Mosab observed firsthand the craziness of the cycle of violence. Mosab began to question who his real enemies were: the Hamas leaders who tortured their fellow Palestinian prisoners, or the Shin Bet, who arrested and imprisoned him. Over the 16 months that Mosab was in prison, the answer became clear, and this persuaded Mosab to go undercover for the Shin Bet. Gonen, whose code name was “Captain Loai,” became Mosab’s handler. Mosab’s reports led to the arrests of several high-ranking Palestinian figures. As we worked together to prevent the deaths of hundreds of Israelis and Palestinians, the two of us became friends.
We believe that friendships like ours are key to eliminating hate and promoting the liberty that both our peoples so desperately desire.
Mosab converted to Christianity in 2005 and moved to California in 2007. America has a vision of a world where liberty reigns. When Mosab brought terrorists to justice while working undercover for the Shin Bet, he was American at heart, fighting for liberty and justice.
Mosab has lived in this country for more than two years. We were shocked when, in 2009, the Department of Homeland Security opposed his request for political asylum, all the more so when it threatened to deport Mosab in the name of protecting American security. If this decision is upheld, it will signal to the world that America does not stand by those who sacrifice to oppose terrorism. If America wants liberty to prevail in all places, it must not abandon those who share the ideals of freedom.
Gathering human intelligence in the war against terrorism will become impossible if the United States does not protect those who risk their lives on behalf of American values.
Mosab was born a son of Hamas, but he rejected his violent destiny and found the strength to choose a different path. But having left revenge behind, he faces possible deportation as payback for embracing the ideal of loving his enemy.
When an immigration judge in California decides about Mosab’s future on Wednesday, the ramifications will be much greater than whether he is sent back to certain death anywhere in the Middle East. It is a decision about the future of liberty and about the best path to peace.
Whatever happens in San Diego, we hope that our story can be a bridge to peace. Peace is a state of mind and heart before it is a political reality. Our friendship is proof that hating hearts can change — and that changed hearts are the only hope for liberty.
source:http://sonofhamas.wordpress.com/2010/07/10/the-heart-of-the-matter/
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