Christianity was reformed under Martin Luther. Do you believe Islam is presently being reformed?

Jordan is a country that is slowly modernizing.

What do we understand a "reformation" to be?

Will it always be a movement to a better future?

What if the movements in Islam at present are moving the world's second largest religious group(ings) to an uncomfortable future of increased conflict?

Raymond Ibrahim argues that the changes under way in Islam are definitely a form of reformation.

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Turmoil in Turkey

If you miss the events occurring in Turkey for even a day, you've missed a great deal of turmoil and confusion.

Turkey's new doctrine of "pre-emptive authoritarianism" is a must for anyone who seeks to understand the future relationship between Turkey and Israel, and this new "brand" of democracy. Read here

What happens when women start winning elections for mayor in Turkey? Read here




 

Israeli Institute Starts to Prepare Priests for a New Temple

Amazing, but true.

Some orthodox families are preparing for the Third Temple. Apparently, the fact that Muslim centers of worship are in the area where Solomon's Temple and Herod's Temple were built doesn't really matter to those determined to build "Ezekiel's Temple."

During the last two weeks of March, these preparations took a giant leap forward.

Read more here

 

"Are Sunni believers intolerant?" Here's what one Sunni writer asks

"What is it about Sunni believers that causes them to lean towards domination of other sects of Islam?" asks writer Ertugrul Ozkok. "My family is Sunni and all my life, until now, it didn't matter what sect my friends and neighbors might be, but now, I'm asking. Why is that?"

read more

Is Iraq "The Garden of Eden" today?

Some say that Iraq was the original location of the Garden of Eden.

Is the Middle East still the "Garden of Eden"?

This article by Turkish columnist Burak Bekdil asks what the Turkish understanding is regarding extremist Muslims and violence.

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"This War is Just Beginning"

The war between the Sunni and Shia Muslims is spreading - and quickly.

Should we be surprised?

Jonathan Spyer at P J Media, has an excellent analysis of the similarities and differences between the ISIS - or ISIL fronts in Syrian and Iraq.

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Is this the end for Christians in Iraq?

The city of Mosul, ancient Nineveh, fell with breath-taking speed. One evening it was a safe place for Christians of historic Christian Churches.

The next day the city was controlled by ISIS - The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, or sometimes known as ISIL - Islamic State of Iraq and Levent. (Levent is the name often given to Lebanon and Syria.

Mosul and the surrounding Nineveh plain is the traditional heartland of Iraq's Christian communities. Many Christians fled to this region when forced to leave Baghdad and other areas in recent years. Christians are alarmed at the ISIS take-over of Mosul, fearful that this will further accelerate the decline of the Christian presence in Iraq.

Read the entire article from Christianity Today here

Imprisoned Nuns released in Syria

But one thing, although minor, speaks volumes about the nature of their captivity: Although these nuns, in photos prior to the kidnapping, generally wear large pectoral crosses, the crosses are not visible in the recent video. No surprise here, considering the “pious” nature of their captors. According to strict Islamic teaching, Christians and other non-Muslims cannot display any signs or expressions of their “polytheism” (shirk in Arabic). Indeed the Conditions of Omar, which mainstream Muslim teaching attributes to the second caliph of the same name, clearly spells this out.

This story is important for a number of reasons. Read here

Islam's Apostasy Problem

Here is a different take on apostasy in Islam. It is controversial for some.

The writer calls for a democratic solution.

read more

Tony Blair speaks out on his convictions about militant Islam in this important piece. Read more

What's in store for the Palestinians?

There's a sign to Jerusalem. Is there a sign post to peace?

Of course the big news was the collapse of the Peace Process between Israel and the Palestinians.

But what's in store now?

Julian Pecquet examines the response from the US Congress. He casts doubt on the Congress' favor towards the PaleRead here
stinians for their having taken actions to unify the Palestinian cause.

Why this tough line in the USA?

In Gaza, Abu Marzouk says "recognizing Israel would be to cross a red line." Read here

In this case, how much security could Israel imagine in the future? No much, unfortunately. Read here

Jonathan Spyer looks at the possibilities facing the Palestinians in this piece Read More

Alex Joffe, an historian and archaeologist writes, "Effective foreign policy requires a balance between the predictable and the unpredictable. Alliances require careful maintenance and no surprises while adversarial relationships sometimes require unpredictable responses. It is the unique gift of the Obama administration to have reversed this equation." He is critical of the "Peace Process", in this article Why the Negotiations Collapsed.  Read More 

When will the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul become a Mosque Again?

Thousands of people visit Hagia Sophia every day

The question now is "when", not "if".

One of "Christianity's greatest symbols", the Hagia Sophia, is experiencing social pressure to be turned into a mosque, once again.

The Hagia Sophia (first a church, then a mosque and then a museum) is one of Istanbul's most visited tourist sites. It's almost 1,500 years old and for about 1,000 years was the world's largest church building. All that changed in 1453 when the Ottoman conquest of Constantinople resulted in this building being rapidly readied for worship by Muslims.

Inside Hagia Sophia

900 year old mosaics

The rapidly growing anticipation in Turkey is that the popular sentiment of pious Muslims today will win out over Ataturk's diplomatic solution between Christians and Muslims. His decision was to register the building permanently as a museum, so all humanity, not just Muslims, might enjoy the architectural wonders of one of the worlds greatest achievements.

The picture of the area outside the Hagia Sophia JAMMED full of Muslim worshipers and commentary might shock some, but this is what is happening in the build up of tensions between pious Turks and secular-minded Turks. And, remember that Istanbul has some of Turkey's most "liberal, secular" minded citizens in the land.

Read more and study the photo