Author’s note: Since I posted this blog on Friday, my blog traffic has dropped to nearly zero. I find this curious, because, since September, I’ve had an average of 19 visits each day to my blog from every state in the U.S. and 71 countries around the world. My conclusion is that censors have gone to work and figured out a way to block access to the site. I’m working on it.

Be sure to view the video below. There’s a reason they don’t want you to see it.

The launch of Dutch MP (Member of Parliment) Geert Wilders’ 16-minute film Fitna dominates the newspaper front pages in the Netherlands today, several of which include photographs of the Binnenhof parliamentary complex closed off by police barriers. So far, no violence has been reported, but security remains high. Wilders himself has been under heavy guard since 2004 due to constant death threats from Muslims.

Fitna is an Islamic term that can be translated as ordeal, great disturbance, upheaval, or persecution.

As you will read below, the movie has been blocked by many web sites by any means available. I will continue to update this blog and provide more current links - as long as they remain available.

The movie was produced to warn the Dutch people of the impending threat to their way of life as a result of their disasterous open immigration policy. The film notes that between the years of 2004 and 2007, the Muslim population in Europe grew from 977,000 to 54,000,000. That’s a 5,720% growth rate. If the Muslim population grows only 1/20 of that rate in the next three years, Muslims will obtain a political majority. In other words, they will attain that majority by the end of this year in many places. Most observers expect Shar’ia law to be imposed - and the Muslims in this video promise it will not be a peaceful transition of power. In the history of Islam, the preferred instrument of power was the scimitar and they wielded it with reckless abandon. We can pray that Muslim domination in the 21st century will be more benevolent.

Muslim births are also outpacing those of the Dutch by a ratio of three-to-one. As I have noted in previous blogs, Muhammad is now the most popular boy’s name in the Amsterdam - as it is in many other European cities.

According to Wilders, Dutch citizens are experiencing escalating civil unrest in a coordinated effort to intimidate them into submission. Wilders indicates this is a prelude to the coming Fitna. “The definition of Islam is submission, after all.”

Historically, Islam has offered three choices for non-believers under their legal system: banishment, heavy taxation -to the point of poverty - or death. Certain unsavory groups have been offered only the latter option.

The movie ends with a poignant series of statements:

The following link was taken down on Friday, but was restored on Saturday:

Visit the official website of Fitna the Movie

The LiveLeak site stopped broadcasing the movie due to threats against their staff.

As of Saturday, this Google link still allowed the playing of Fitna:

Liam Roberts

Previous blog entries you may find interesting:

Wahabbism in America: Threat or Opportunity?”
Daniel’s 70 Weeks: An Amazing Biblical Prophecy”
The New Dark Ages: A Long Eurabian Night
Hand-Wringing Diplomacy: Mideast Peace is an Impossible Goal
Islam: What the West Needs to Know
A Woman’s Place in Islam
Islamic Law Requires Breast Feeding of Male Co-workers
What is the Qur’an? Archaeological Find Invalidates Islam’s Holy Book
Madrassah Schools: Why They Pose a Threat to Western Civilization
Violence in the Bible: 1st Response to a Muslim
Validity of Scripture: 2nd Response Presents The Bible as Superior to the Qur’an
The Historic Alliance of Christianity and Science
DNA and the Flood: The Biblical Account is Written in Our Genetic Code
Jihad.com: Islamofascists Are Recruiting Via the Internet
A Brief History of Islam
Submission: The Movie That Led a Muslim to Assassinate Theo Van Gogh
Honoring America’s Fallen Warriors
Profile of A Reluctant Hero: Why Christians Should Defend Themselves
The Enlightenment of Atheism

In preparation for Easter, this posting will help to illuminate the significance of the ninth chapter of Daniel, one of the most dramatic examples of literal Biblical prophecy. Since this blog is read by Muslims as well as atheists, I thought this posting might be helpful to understand the purpose of prophesy, which is to authenticate the Bible as God’s word. Fulfilled prophesy is a hallmark of the Bible, and is not found in the holy books of other religions, particularly that of Islam. Although Muslims are fond of saying that the Qur’an is a miracle and there is no book like it, it does not contain prophecy that was later fulfilled, and therfore does not have any supernatural element that would commend it in a comparative study of religions. In contrast, it demonstrates the difficulty of a man-authored religion in its rambling prose and chronic contradictions.

The scene in Daniel takes place during the Babylonian captivity. As will be seen below, the Jews had rebelled against the Lord. His punishment was to send them into captivity in Babylon. Daniel prayed to the Lord and received a very detailed revelation from Him regarding the role of the Jews in Biblical prophecy. The revelation is broken into three specific time periods which are referred to as “weeks.” There were to be seventy “weeks” in the remainder of human history in which the nation of Israel would play a significant part.

Before we study this passage, we must address the issue of weeks. Does this literally mean seventy weeks, or do we need to delve into the Hebrew context for a fuller understanding?

Meaning of “Week”

1. The Hebrew word for “week” is shabua and literally means a time period of “seven.”
2. The idea of 70 weeks is therefore “seventy periods of seven”
3. The Jews were familiar with various uses of the term “seven.” Depending on the context, it was used to signify a Sabbath period of either seven days or seven years. Leviticus 25:2-4 illustrates:

When you enter the land I am going to give you, the land itself must observe a sabbath to the Lord. For six years sow your fields, and for six years prune your vineyards and gather their crops. But in the seventh year the land is to have a sabbath of rest, a sabbath to the Lord.

4. Verse eight in the same chapter includes a critical requirement that will help the reader understand the reason for the Babylonian captivity:

Count off seven sabbaths of years - seven times seven years - so that the seven sabbaths of years amount to a period of forty-nine years.

5. The Babylonian captivity was based on a failure to observe the Sabbatic year as specified in the above passage. The Lord told Daniel that since His people had not observed the Sabbatic year that he had commanded, then their land would have an uninterrupted period of Sabbatic years to make up for the lack of them for so many generations. He accomplished this by removing His people from the land and exiling them to Babylon.
8. Therefore, we must conclude that the prophecy should be interpreted as “70 periods of 7 years.”

Here is the significant passage from Daniel 9:24-27:

“Seventy weeks have been decreed for your people and your holy city, to finish the transgression, to make an end of sin, to make atonement for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most holy place. So you are to know and discern that from the issuing of a decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince there will be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; it will be built again, with plaza and moat, even in times of distress. Then after the sixty-two weeks the Messiah will be cut off and have nothing, and the people of the prince [this is a prophecy of the Roman general Titus] who is to come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. And its end will come with a flood; even to the end there will be war; desolations are determined. And he [this is a prophecy of the Antichrist] will make a firm covenant with the many for one week, but in the middle of the week he will put a stop to sacrifice and grain offering; and on the wing of abominations will come one who makes desolate, even until a complete destruction, one that is decreed, is poured out on the one who makes desolate.

Meaning of Year

In Biblical Prophecy, the references to years are always based upon a 360 day prophetic year. Examples: Compare Gen 7:11 with Gen 8:4. Contrast with Gen 7:24 and Gen 8:3. Rev 13:4-7, Rev 12:6 Rev. 13:4-7 are also instructive.

The calculations below will convert the prophetic years into calendar years in order to create a timeline that can be used for historical analysis.

Beginning of 70 Weeks

There are several decrees that could be considered as the correct beginning point of the prophecy. All of these decrees have been accurately dated by historians, and have been confirmed from archaeology:

1. Decree of Cyrus, issued in 539 B.C. Biblical reference: Ezra 1:1-4
2. Decree of Darius, issued in 519-518 B.C. Biblical reference: Ezra 5:3-7
3. Decree of Artaxerxes to Ezra , issued in 457 B.C. Biblical reference: Ezra 7:11-16
4. Decree of Artaxerxes to Nehemiah, issued in 444 B.C. Biblical reference: Neh 2:1-8

a. The forth decree is the only one giving permission to rebuild the city of Jerusalem, and is therefore the one prophesized in Daniel.

b. The date of the decree was Nisan 1, 444 B.C., corresponding to March 5, 444 B.C.

First 7 Weeks (49 prophetic years)

1. It took 49 years to restore Jerusalem.
2. The close of Hebrew prophecy (and the Old Testament) in Malachi was 49 years after Artaxerses’ decree in 444 B.C.
7 years X 7 = 49 X 360 days = 17,640 days, which divides out to 48.3 calendar years (of 365.25 days each).
3. Starting with 444 B.C. and adding 48.3 years, you arrive at 396 b.c., the end of the Old Testament era.

Next 62 Weeks (434 Prophetic Years)

1. The inter-testament period was a time when God was silent. It is helpful to understand the Jewish mindset during this time. The Old Testament included two distinct categories of Messianic prophecies (which is acknowledged by Jewish scholars). Christians who accept the Scriptures as the inerrent word of God believe that both categories of prophecy foretell the person of Jesus, but at two distinct points in human history:

a. The suffering servant who would atone for the sins of the Jews.
b. The warrior Messiah who would vanquish the enemies of Israel and establish the throne of David for eternity.
c. So, how did the first-century Jews reconcile this? Which Messiah were they watching for? The answer is easy when you consider the plight of the Jewish nation.

2. Israel sits in the strategic crossroads of three continents. Every empire in history sent its armies marching across Israel in order to subjugate all territories in the known world.
3. Israel seemed destined to be a vassal state as they were dominated in turn by Egypt, Assyria, Persia, the Greeks and finally the Romans.
4. Therefore, the Jews were not looking for a Suffering Servant Messiah. They anxiously awaited their warrior Messiah, who would establish his throne in Jerusalem and overthrow the oppressors who continued to subjugate the Holy Land.
5. They would certainly have difficulty understanding Daniel’s prophecy that “after the sixty-two weeks the Messiah will be cut off and have nothing.”
6. To calculate the date when the Messiah would be cut off:

62 years X 7 = 434 X 360 days = 156,240 days, which divides out to 427.77 calendar years (of 365.25 days each).

7. Starting with 396 B.C. and adding 427.7 years, we arrive at March 5, A.D. 33.
8. Note: When it was originally decided that the years prior to Christ would be designated b.c., and the years following would be a.d., the calendar went from the year 1 b.c. directly to 1 a.d. with no zero year.
9. It is important to remember that mathematics is different. A number line includes zero: -3, -2, -1, 0, 1, 2, 3. In other words, zero is a value that takes a place in the series. Since this is not true of the calendar, you have to make a mathematical adjustment of one year when calculating time spans that cross this boundary.
10. Biblical historians estimate that Jesus made his triumphal entry into Jerusalem on March 25, 33 a.d.
11. On the following Friday, April 3, 33 a.d., Jesus Christ, the Messiah, was crucified, or “cut off.”
12. Therefore the above calculations are within 25 days of the event that was prophesized hundreds of years previously.
13. This is extremely precise, given that the prophecy was focusing on prophetic years.

What about Daniel’s 70th Week?

Bible scholars believe that Daniel’s 70th week is yet to occur. Many feel that the Church age is not part of the prophetic calendar since the Church is predominantly made up of Gentiles. Further, Daniel’s prophecy is strictly a reference to “your people” and “your holy city,” a clear reference to the nation of Israel.

The events of Daniel 9:27 align perfectly with other Biblical prophecies of the Antichrist and the seven year Tribulation Period, a time when the Jewish nation is to again take center stage at the conclusion of world history. The beginning words of the above prophecy make it clear that the end of all history is intended:

24…to finish the transgression, to make an end of sin, to make atonement for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most holy place.

The end of the 70th week/Tribulation Period will be the return of Christ in glory. At that time, he will finally set his throne in Jerusalem, the very event that was offered to Jews at his first coming. So, if this prophecy was given by God, why would He completely ignore the Church age, which has been – so far – four times longer than the combined 70 weeks of years? In fact, why is the Church age completely absent from all Old Testament prophecies? This passage in Daniel may provide the clue.

The perspective of Biblical history starts and ends with God’s relationship to his people, the Jews. His covenant was originally revealed to Abraham and the focus on his descendants should continue through history. At times, God blessed the children of Abraham when they were obedient, and at others, He chastised them for their rebellion, often by using other peoples as his instrument of discipline.

From an (Jewish) historical point of view, the crux of Daniel’s prophecy is Israel’s response to their Messiah. The 69 weeks would lead up to His triumphal entry into Jerusalem during the Passover in 33 a.d., when Jesus clearly presented Himself as the heir of David’s throne, the King of the Jews. Tragically, instead of acknowledging their King, the mob clamored for His crucifixion. and told Pilate they were willing put the responsibility for His blood on themselves and upon their children.

The church age should be interpreted as a parenthesis in the 70 weeks, a time when God would once again discipline his children, and use the “grafted” or “adopted” gentile Christians as his instruments of evangelism. At the end of the parenthetical period – after the Gospel had been preached to all peoples of the earth – God’s focus on the Jews would resume in the seventieth, final week.

The Messiah will come a second time – ironically in the fashion anticipated by the first-century Jews – as a warrior Messiah. They will finally “…look upon Him who they have pierced” and acknowledge His rightful ascendancy to David’s throne in Jerusalem.

When Christ returns, the Millennial Kingdom will begin and the most holy place will be anointed. This will mark the end of transgression and sin; the beginning of everlasting righteousness. There will be no further need of vision and prophecy since the King will “tabernacle,” or dwell with His people.

It should be acknowledged that “Higher Critics” claim that Daniel must have been written in the first century a.d. Why? Because a naturalistic (atheistic) world view leaves no room for supernatural prophecy. Therefore, the only explanation must be fraud. The unknown Jewish writer must have written with full knowledge of world events, and intended to mythologize the importance of his people.

On the other hand, if the words of Daniel can be confirmed as being ancient – and authentic – It is a powerful testimony of a transcendent, personal God.

Please refer to Daniel in the Critics’ Den, by Josh McDowell for a complete analysis of the historical reliability of this text and the utter confusion evident in the minds of the critics. This book, as well as Evidence that Demands a Verdict, also by Josh McDowell, were the basis of the date calculations and many of the insights above.

Even so, come Lord Jesus!

Liam Roberts

Timeline (Click to enlarge):

The ‘Mapping Sharia in America Project’ will soon release its findings that three out of four mosques and Madrassah schools in the United States are “hotbeds of anti-Western extremism.”

This finding was leaked this evening on the WorldNetDaily website after an undercover survey of only 102 mosques and Islamic schools in America.

It should be noted that the methodology of the project, sponsored by the Washington-based Center for Security Policy, is to train “former counterintelligence and counterterrorism agents from the FBI, CIA and U.S. military, who are skilled in Arabic and Urdu, to conduct undercover reconnaissance at some 2,300 mosques and Islamic centers and schools across the country.”

They are to be commended for revealing their early findings due to the serious consequences for the safety and security of the United States. But is it alarming enough to spur us to action? I have my doubts.

An analogy to this situation would be a pharmaceutical human-trial project, terminated prematurely due to a statistically-significant 75% cure rate. The media would be all over the story. Newspapers would print headlines, news channels would bombard us with special reports. Interest groups would lobby our politicians and the FDA would fast-track the approval process. The medication would be available to the public within months.

But you won’t hear about this study in your newspaper, on TV or in the political debates. No one will dare acknowledge the elephant in the room. To do so is to be branded a fear-monger and religious bigot. Politicians are roundly vilified for “hate-speech” if they utter phrases like Islamo-fascism or Islamic Terrorism. Others risk a lawsuit by the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), a Saudi-funded activist organization with questionable ties (I’d be more specific, but I don’t want to get in their gun-sights, so to speak). To wit: the U.S. Air employees and passengers who alterted authorities about erratic behavior by the so-called Flying Imams in the Cincinnati airport and are now being bankrupted by legal expenses for exercising their civic duty.

The Saudi/Wahabbi extremism that undergirds many American mosques and Madrassah schools is not a surprise. The 9-11 Commission concluded the very same thing. Then in 2005 the Center for Religious Freedom published a shocking report you can read here: Saudi publications on Hate Ideology Fill American Mosques

And now, WorldNetDaily reports that “Many of the Islamic centers are operating under the auspices of the Saudi Arabian government and U.S. front groups for the radical Muslim Brotherhood based in Egypt.” An official familiar with the project said, “So far of 100 mapped, 75 should be on a watchlist.”

Americans seem unaware - disinterested even - of the effectiveness of Wahhabi indoctrination, and of the potential consequences. To illustrate, the New York Times (January 27, 2002) cited a poll conducted by Saudi Intelligence, and shared with the U.S. government, that over 95% of Saudis between the ages of 25 and 41 have sympathy for Osama bin Laden. What will be the impact of their virulent brand of Islam on the next generation of Muslims in the U.S?

The WorldNetDaily report notes: “Frank Gaffney, a former Pentagon official who runs the Center for Security Policy, says the results of the survey have not yet been published. But he confirmed that ‘the vast majority’ are inciting insurrection and jihad through sermons by Saudi-trained imams and anti-Western literature, videos and textbooks.”

So what is to be our response? As suggested above, the government needs to keep a close eye on the Imams who preach anti-Western Jihadism and deport them when they obtain sufficient evidence.

Spiritually speaking, the American church needs to understand the historically pivotal opportunity for evangelism and embrace it. My pastor attended an international conference this past week and spoke with the chief Imam over much of Eastern Europe, who acknowledged that Islam and Christianity have the same goal: to spread their religion to the whole world. He contended that each should have full opportunity to peacefully do so and let God decide the outcome. Would that his Mulsim brethren feel the same.

The stakes have never been higher and our adversary considers the prize within reach for the first time in history. They now have the wealth, momentum, and fervency to attain it.

The Lord said of his church that He would build it and the gates of hell would not prevail against (overcome) it (Matt. 16:18). So - the final outcome has already been decided. The question is whether we will make ourselves available to turn the tide.

It is said that most American Muslims are peace-loving. If this is true, they represent the greatest opportunity for evangelism among the followers of Islam. These Muslims are considered traitors to Allah by the Wahabbi sect. As they find themselves intimidated within, and ostracized by, their own community, their receptivity to the Gospel message will be heightened. I don’t think it is a coincidence that my blog posting about the words of Jesus is the entry most viewed from Muslim countries: Love Your Enemies and Pray For Those Who Persecute You. Muslims seem to be very curious about what Jesus teaches, which is antithetical to Muhammad’s message of hate and violence that is the foundation of the Qur’an.

Please pray that the Lord will reveal opportunities for you to be faithful to your calling. And the courage to say, “Here am I Lord, send me.”

Liam Roberts

Previous blog entries you may find interesting:

The New Dark Ages: A Long Eurabian Night
Hand-Wringing Diplomacy: Mideast Peace is an Impossible Goal
Islam: What the West Needs to Know
A Woman’s Place in Islam
Islamic Law Requires Breast Feeding of Male Co-workers
What is the Qur’an? Archaeological Find Invalidates Islam’s Holy Book
Madrassah Schools: Why They Pose a Threat to Western Civilization
Violence in the Bible: 1st Response to a Muslim
Validity of Scripture: 2nd Response Presents The Bible as Superior to the Qur’an
The Historic Alliance of Christianity and Science
DNA and the Flood: The Biblical Account is Written in Our Genetic Code
Jihad.com: Islamofascists Are Recruiting Via the Internet
A Brief History of Islam
Submission: The Movie That Led a Muslim to Assassinate Theo Van Gogh
Honoring America’s Fallen Warriors
Profile of A Reluctant Hero: Why Christians Should Defend Themselves
The Enlightenment of Atheism

The Y Factor has recently received a high profile endorsement. Dr. John Reinhold, president of the American Evangelistic Association began his message in the current edition of the ministry newsletter with this:

In addition, the newsletter includes a full page write up about the book and quotes from the author.

Click the link to view the PDF of the Newsletter.  The President’s Message is on page 3 and The Y Factor review is on page 4.

This is an exciting development that should stimulate sales of the book, which is available through the website and blog.  Look for the icon of the book’s cover.  Click the link and you’ll be sent to Amazon.com where you can complete your purchase.

In other news, the blog has been receiving quite a bit of traffic.  Since launching the new format in September, it’s logged thousands of visitors from 47 states in the U.S. and 48 countries around the world.  There have been a number of comments posted, many from Muslims who have taken issue with things I’ve written.  In some cases I’ve posted comments in response and made note of the fact in an Editor’s note at the top of the blog entry.  I’ve also modified many of the entries to make them more understandable for future readers.  The most visited entries have been Love Your Enemies and Pray For Those Who Persecute You and Islamic Law Requires Breast Feeding of Male Co-workers.

I have been invited on two mission trips to Islamic countries and am prayerfully considering them.  They are both short notice so the timing may not be right.   If neither of these materialize, I expect I will have an additional opportunity before the end of the year.

I have submitted a book proposal for my sequel, The X Syndrome.  Please pray that it is favorably received and that the writing will progress smoothly.  It is currently at 14,000 words and I anticipate a total of 130,000.

Liam

Other blog entries you may find interesting:

The New Dark Ages: A Long Eurabian Night
Hand-Wringing Diplomacy: Mideast Peace is an Impossible Goal
Islam: What the West Needs to Know
A Woman’s Place in Islam
Islamic Law Requires Breast Feeding of Male Co-workers
What is the Qur’an? Archaeological Find Invalidates Islam’s Holy Book
Love Your Enemies and Pray For Those Who Persecute You
Madrassah Schools: Why They Pose a Threat to Western Civilization
Violence in the Bible: 1st Response to a Muslim
Validity of Scripture: 2nd Response Presents The Bible as Superior to the Qur’an
The Historic Alliance of Christianity and Science
DNA and the Flood: The Biblical Account is Written in Our Genetic Code
Jihad.com: Islamofascists Are Recruiting Via the Internet
A Brief History of Islam
Submission: The Movie That Led a Muslim to Assassinate Theo Van Gogh
Honoring America’s Fallen Warriors
Profile of A Reluctant Hero: Why Christians Should Defend Themselves
The Enlightenment of Atheism

Editor’s note: Nicolas Krebs from Amsterdam posted a comment below. In it, he quoted eleven exerpts from this posting and took exception to them.  I edited his comment in order to assist interested readers in the point-counterpoint debate.  I inserted the numbers 1 through 11 before each of his quotes so you may easily track my responses.  I left Nicolas’ misspellings and gramatical errors intact. Please expand the Comments tag below this article to read both Nicolas’ comments and my rebuttal.

A book that’s high on my recommended reading list is America Alone, by Mark Steyn.  This is an entertaining read, as Mr. Steyn delivers his message with ironic humor. If it were otherwise, the book would be depressing due to the geopolitical ramifications. 

Mr. Steyn’s expertise is demography, the study of populations and the factors that define them.  The premise is best stated in his own words, “The most important quotation in the entire text is… a bald statement by the late historian Arnold Toynbee: ‘Civilizations die from suicide, not murder.’” The meaning of this will become clear later in this commentary.

In his prologue, Steyn lays out the theme of the book in noting that, “In 1970, the developed nations had twice as big a share of the global population as the Muslim world: 30 percent to 15 percent.  By 2000, they were at parity: each had about 20 percent.”  There are dire consequences of this shift.  “… almost every geopolitical crisis takes place on what Samuel Huntington, in The Clash of Civilizations, calls ‘the boundary looping across Eurasia and Africa that separates Muslims from non-Muslims.’” However, Steyn carefully notes, “Just for the record, my book is not about Islam, not really.  Rather, it posits Islam as an opportunist beneficiary of Western self-enfeeblement.”

Steyn methodically demonstrates an alarming trend in population statistics: in every industrialized nation - except for the United States - the fertility rate is below 2.1 children per adult female. The importance of this number is: it is the population replacement rate. A higher rate will spur population increase and anything less will result in a contraction, a trend that no civilization has ever survived.  He enumerates statistical facts and anecdotal evidence that support his premise.  Japan, Russia, Canada and every western European country are all in severe population decline, with fertility rates as low as 1.1.  This trend is due to a number of factors:

• The alarmist notion of a population ‘bomb’.
• Ecochondriac’s claim of vanishing natural resources and the humanity-centric influence on global warming.
• The culture of death that surrounds abortion on demand.
• The financial strain that children represent in an urban, high-tech world.
• Humanistic self-indulgence that dismisses the worth of future generations.

The trend is ubiquitous: Italy has a fertility rate of 1.2, Spain, 1.1. My Big Fat Greek Wedding will quickly be anachronistic with a fertility rate of only 1.3 in Greece. By 2050, fully sixty percent of all Italians will have no brothers, no sisters, no cousins, no aunts and no uncles.  Four grandparents will have to dote all their affection on one grandchild - if they are fortunate enough to have even one.

Europe’s lavish social programs have been in serious trouble - far worse shape than the imminent collapse of the Social Security system here in the U.S.  The median age in European countries is about 40, with Germany being the highest at 43.  This simply means that there haven’t been enough babies in more than a score of years to bolster the aging workforce as it hobbles into the entitlement years.  The dearth of tax-paying yuppies means a greater burden placed on those foolish enough to stick around.  So what are the oldsters to do?

The European solution has been to import their workforce.  The prime supplier of that workforce? Countries with high birthrates: Niger is 7.46; Mali, 7.42; Somalia, 6.76; Afghanistan, 6.69; Yemen, 6.58. As Steyn wryly observes, “Notice what those nations have in common? Starts with an I, ends with a slam, As in: slam dunk.”

The result of this trend should be cause for concern.  The Muslim population of Rotterdam is forty percent.  The most popular baby boy’s name in Belgium is Mohammed.  In Amsterdam: Mohammed. In Malmö, Sweden: Mohammed.  The British cannot breathe any easier.  In the United Kingdom, Mohammed is the fifth most popular baby boy’s name.

The most entertaining aspect of Steyn’s book is the anecdotal commentary. His stinging wit lays bare the social policies that have weakened his home country Canada, as well as Russia and all of Europe.  He extends a warning to America and beseeches us to wake up before it’s too late.  In my estimation, Steyn hit a home run with his book. It is a must-read for anyone who cares about the future that our grandchildren will inherit.  Or someone else’s grandchildren…

I recently watched a video in which the dictator of Libya, Muammar Khadafi, predicted the annexing of Turkey by the European Union would make Islam the greatest religion in, and would herald the final overthrow of, Europe.

Lest I be guilty of buying into an urban legend, I did my own research.  The CIA maintains an incredible website: The World Factbook, which is updated every two weeks.  I compiled the attached CIA World Factbook Summary and developed my own Slam Dunk Index. The components are:

• Fertility rate of greater than 4.0
• Unemployment rate greater than 10%
• Immigration rate less than zero; more people are leaving than coming
• Male literacy rate less than 70% - An indication of pervasive low job skills
• Population density greater than 100 people per sqare kilometer
• Gross Domestic Product less than $5,000 per year per capita
• Median age less than 30.

I assigned a value of one for each of these indicators and ranked them, highest to lowest.  In my estimation, the higher the number, the greater the level of dissatisfaction. 

I believe my index is a recipe for disaster: high birthrates combined with minimal skills for the work force, insufficient job availability, low income potential, no economic engine to spur growth, a steady stream of emmigrants leading the way to a better life, and lots of youthful energy to fuel discontent for those left behind.  Interestingly, in the countries scoring three or greater, there are 955 million Muslims. That’s one out of six people on the planet.  My calculation is based upon the total population of those countries multiplied by the percentage estimated to be Muslim.

It’s also interesting to note that, out of all the countries for which data is available, the top six countries in which males outnumber females are all in the Arabian peninsula, the Wahabbi cauldron that produced fifteen of the nineteen 9-11 terrorists.  Refer to the second tab of my spreadsheet for the statistical analysis that supports this.  Considering that wealthy Arabian men marry as many as four wives, that leaves a lot of pent-up testosterone looking for an outlet. At a miniumum, there are in excess of 6 million men on the Saudi peninsula with no prospect for a mate.  Keep in mind the statistic that 90% of all violent crime is perpetrated by single males.

In closing, I want to offer a spiritual challenge. As daunting as these demographics are, God is still on the throne and none of this has caught Him by surprise.  He only asks that His people be available and He will be responsible for the outcome.  I listened to a sermon by Dr. Sameh M. Tawfik this morning. He’s the pastor of the largest church in the Muslim world, the Kasr el-Dobara Evangelical Church, located in Cairo, Egypt.  He indicated that the Lord has been penetrating the Islamic world to a greater degree in the past 10 years than in the whole 1,400 years of Muslim expansion. He attributes this to the faithful prayers of His people and reports that hundreds of thousands of Muslims are coming to know Jesus Christ as their savior.  I received a similar report from Dr. John Reinhold, president of the American Evangelistic Association.  He told me that their ELAM affiliate is reporting from 5 to 20 thousand converts to Christ in Iran each month.

Please pray fervently for these ministry opportunities and consider whether you should respond as Isaiah, “Here am I, Lord.  Send me.”

Liam Roberts

Other blog entries you may find interesting:

The New Dark Ages: A Long Eurabian Night
Hand-Wringing Diplomacy: Mideast Peace is an Impossible Goal
Islam: What the West Needs to Know
A Woman’s Place in Islam
Islamic Law Requires Breast Feeding of Male Co-workers
What is the Qur’an? Archaeological Find Invalidates Islam’s Holy Book
Love Your Enemies and Pray For Those Who Persecute You
Madrassah Schools: Why They Pose a Threat to Western Civilization
Violence in the Bible: 1st Response to a Muslim
Validity of Scripture: 2nd Response Presents The Bible as Superior to the Qur’an
The Historic Alliance of Christianity and Science
DNA and the Flood: The Biblical Account is Written in Our Genetic Code
Jihad.com: Islamofascists Are Recruiting Via the Internet
A Brief History of Islam
Submission: The Movie That Led a Muslim to Assassinate Theo Van Gogh
Honoring America’s Fallen Warriors
Profile of A Reluctant Hero: Why Christians Should Defend Themselves
The Enlightenment of Atheism

David Aikman is an award-winning print and broadcast journalist and author. He writes for The Trinity Forum and has posted two columns over the past two months regarding the Mideast peace summit that was held in November, 2007.

I followed the story of the summit for a variety of reasons: I am interested in the eternal conflict between the descendents of Ishmael and Isaac. Another reason is my familiarity with the site chosen for the summit: the United States Naval Academy. My two sons graduated from the Academy and I have a great deal of respect for the institution.  My primary interest however is the state of diplomacy regarding the Mideast.

Here are the two articles by Mr. Aikman:

November 5th article: Israeli-Palestinian Negotiations

December 13th article: A Second Look at Annapolis

I posted responses to both of these articles and decided to summarize here:

Mr. Aikman acknowledged that Palestinians have a desire to see Israel driven into the sea.  Although this has been a Muslim rallying cry for nearly sixty years, I suggest the problem has a wider scope than is commonly understood; it is a cornerstone of Islamic policy that our diplomats fail to grasp.  Muslim contempt for the Jews is embedded deeply in the Qur’an, which is why Muslims stubbornly refuse to the recognize the state of Israel. 

Much ado was made over the Saudi delegation’s refusal to walk through the main entrance if the Israeli delegation preceded them. This is in keeping with the Islamic worldview, based in their holy book, which contemptuously describes Jews as ’sons of monkeys and pigs.’  The Israelis graciously used a side entrance so the summit would not end before it began.

So why would the Muslim states even agree to a summit? From their perspective, only ‘apostates’ from Islam would be willing to negotiate with Jews, which is what Anwar Sadat was branded, and is why his assassination was a certainty.

I believe their willingness to go through the motions is strategic.  Islam has been consistent throughout history in its arrogant use of peace treaties: the purpose is to deceitfully distract the enemy while fortifying and strengthening Islam in preparation for the inevitable attack. This tactic is spelled out clearly in the Qur’an and was practiced by Muhammad and his followers throughout the ages. It is still being practiced in the 21st century.

Islam covets the visibility of the Palestinian refugee plight because it distracts Western diplomacy. We squander our political capital on symbolic gestures and fail to engage our advesary on meaningful turf.

An illustration should suffice: the Oil-for-Food debacle in Iraq. The United Nations passed meaningless security resolutions for years and enforced them with an oil embargo.  In their frustration to prove the UN’s relevance, they developed an ingenious program to circumvent the embargo in order to provide food for the starving Iraquis. This was a classic liberal recipe that played well in the media: invent a problem to showcase your compassion, stir in a huge revenue source, season it with equal parts graft and kickbacks, and cook it as long as possible.

The outcome was equally classic: Saddam lined his pockets and strengthened his military (WMDs notwithstanding). Certain UN power brokers retired comfortably while the unwashed masses still starved. The only thing missing from the debacle was Saddam mugging for the cameras, “Let them eat cake.”

We cannot afford to be distracted by insincere gestures for peace in the Mideast.  The only Mideast peace acceptable to Islam is to re-absorb the pieces of a dismantled Jewish state.  For those who cannot understand this, please refer to exhibit 1:

Mr Aikman noted the continued teaching of hatred towards Israel in Palestinian schools as a key problem for lasting peace. Once again, I contend that the problem has greater scope.  It is not just with Palestinian schools. Saudi Arabia has spent billions of oil profits to plant mosques and Madrassah schools worldwide - not just in Palestine. Their charter is to adhere to virulent Wahabbi doctrine in their steadfast loyalty to the Saudi kingdom. Every Friday, faxes and emails with the weekend’s sermons and marching orders are dispatched across the globe from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.  The purchase of Saudi oil thus contributes to more than one kind of global warming.

In my response to Mr. Aikman, I suggested that the Palestinian crisis should no longer be on center stage. We have been engaging Islam on many fronts: militarily, politically, ideologically and theologically. Quietly, but inexorably, another front has developed: Demographics.  Muslims are infiltrating industrialized countries to replace the shrinking indigenous workforce (my next blog post will address this).  The trend is at the crisis stage in western Europe.  Muslim babies now represent 40% of all births in many European cities. Muhammad has become the most popular name for newborns in Amsterdam. Even in Great Britain, one in five babies are named Muhammad.

I’m convinced the peace summit was a symbolic gesture that garnered nothing substantive.  I fear we lack sufficient political capital at home and abroad for a cohesive plan to arrest the advance of militant Islam and its attendant violence.  We resort to a global ‘whack-a-mole’ with no clear objective.

Western diplomacy needs a wake-up call.  Wringing hands leaves you defenseless when the scimitar descends upon your neck. 

Other blog entries you may find interesting:

The New Dark Ages: A Long Eurabian Night
Hand-Wringing Diplomacy: Mideast Peace is an Impossible Goal
Islam: What the West Needs to Know
A Woman’s Place in Islam
Islamic Law Requires Breast Feeding of Male Co-workers
What is the Qur’an? Archaeological Find Invalidates Islam’s Holy Book
Love Your Enemies and Pray For Those Who Persecute You
Madrassah Schools: Why They Pose a Threat to Western Civilization
Violence in the Bible: 1st Response to a Muslim
Validity of Scripture: 2nd Response Presents The Bible as Superior to the Qur’an
The Historic Alliance of Christianity and Science
DNA and the Flood: The Biblical Account is Written in Our Genetic Code
Jihad.com: Islamofascists Are Recruiting Via the Internet
A Brief History of Islam
Submission: The Movie That Led a Muslim to Assassinate Theo Van Gogh
Honoring America’s Fallen Warriors
Profile of A Reluctant Hero: Why Christians Should Defend Themselves
The Enlightenment of Atheism