Hi kids,
A new week with new stuff. This is a long one, I know. I just have so much to share!
This week in the news
A news story this week reminded me that it's been 24 years since a major peace proposal was rejected by the Palestinian Authority (Yasser Arafat). Also this week there were some revelations in England about the tens of thousands of girls that have been raped by Muslim immigrants over recent years, and how the government there actively turned a blind eye to what has been happening and refused justice for those girls. Perhaps I'll share more details on that sad, sad, story in a future newsletter.
But this week, let's go back to the year 2000, during the Camp David Summit, U.S. President Bill Clinton mediated peace talks between Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak and Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat. The proposal offered to Arafat was considered a significant peace offering by Israel. It included:
A Palestinian state: The creation of a Palestinian state on parts of the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
East Jerusalem: Arafat would receive control over East Jerusalem, with arrangements for it to serve as the capital of the Palestinian state, though Israel would retain control over some areas of the city, including the Western Wall.
Land swaps: Some areas of Israeli land would be swapped with Palestinian territory to accommodate security concerns.
Refugees: While Arafat was offered limited return rights for Palestinian refugees, it fell short of the "right of return" to Israel itself, which he had strongly advocated for.
Despite the significant concessions made by Israel, Arafat rejected the proposal, citing concerns that it would not provide a viable, sovereign Palestinian state and that it fell short on key issues, including the status of Jerusalem and the right of return for refugees. The failure of these negotiations led to a breakdown in peace efforts and contributed to the eruption of the Second Intifada (Palestinian uprising) shortly thereafter.
There is a lot that can be said as to what Yasser Arafat was doing, and why he rejected it. There is the perspective that it was not a viable option, like I mentioned above. There is also the perspective, held by some very close to him, that he would never agree to any peace agreement, because his power and wealth came from the continued conflict with Israel.
That's a very brief, very high level summary of what happened. But if you'd like to get a deeper perspective of the cultures and conflict, here are a couple interviews with people who were there, who have intimate knowledge of Gaza, Israel, and Islam.
(video 15min) My Father Founded Hamas
Born in the West Bank to a Hamas founder, Mosab Hassan Yousef was groomed for a legacy of terror. But he made a dangerous choice to reject violence and escape the oppression and bloodshed inflicted by Hamas. Now in the U.S., he warns that the ambitions of the Muslim Brotherhood threaten Western Civilization. If we let them succeed, it could mean the fall of America and the West.
(video 10min) My Father Founded the Original Hamas Militia
Nonie Darwish is the daughter of a founding member of Hamas, the militant group based in Gaza. After her father was killed, Nonie and her family left Gaza and eventually relocated to America. She has watched in dismay as America and other Western nations permit pro-Hamas protests and allow misinformation about Israel and the Jewish community to spread. She speaks out in hope that people like her have the strength to push back.
(video 10min) WIll Radical Islam Destroy the West?
Born in London to Pakistani Muslim parents, Dr. Qanta Ahmed followed her calling as a physician in New York and Saudi Arabia. But after 9/11, her worldview shifted when she witnessed the shocking reactions of her Saudi colleagues celebrating the attacks. Dr. Ahmed shares how those moments opened her eyes and set her on a journey to confront the dangers of radical Islam.
I've also read a number of books on this topic that I can highly recommend! None of the descriptions really do the books justice, but I guess they do their job of letting the reader know a little about what’s inside. Let me know if you'd like to read and discuss one with me:
This gripping New York Times bestseller tells the true story of a Hamas insider who rejected his violent destiny and pursued peace . . . at the risk of everything.
Since he was a small boy, Mosab Hassan Yousef has had an inside view of the deadly terrorist group Hamas and the Israeli/Palestinian conflict. The oldest son of Sheikh Hassan Yousef, a founding member of Hamas and its most popular leader, young Mosab assisted his father for years in his political activities while being groomed to assume his legacy, politics, status . . . and power. But everything changed when Mosab turned away from terror and violence and embarked on a spiritual journey, embracing instead the teachings of another famous Middle East leader. Son of Hamas contains:
new information about the world’s most dangerous terrorist organization and unveils the truth about Mosab’s own role
details of his agonizing separation from family and homeland
the dangerous decision to make his newfound faith public
his belief that the Christian mandate to “love your enemies” is the only way to peace in the Middle East
Now available with a chapter about events since the book’s release such as the revelation of Mosab’s Israeli intelligence handler’s true identity, and Homeland Security’s effort to deport the author.
NATIONAL BESTSELLER • PULITZER PRIZE WINNER • A “heart-stopping account of the events leading up to 9/11” (The New York Times Book Review), this definitive history explains in gripping detail the growth of Islamic fundamentalism, the rise of al-Qaeda, and the intelligence failures that culminated in the attacks on the World Trade Center.
One of the New York Times’s 100 Best Books of the 21st Century
In gripping narrative that spans five decades, Lawrence Wright re-creates firsthand the transformation of Osama bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri from incompetent and idealistic soldiers in Afghanistan to leaders of the most successful terrorist group in history. He follows FBI counterterrorism chief John O’Neill as he uncovers the emerging danger from al-Qaeda in the 1990s and struggles to track this new threat.
Packed with new information and a deep historical perspective, The Looming Tower is a sweeping, unprecedented history of the long road to September 11.
One of today’s most admired and controversial political figures, Ayaan Hirsi Ali burst into international headlines following the murder of Theo van Gogh by an Islamist who threatened that she would be next. She made headlines again when she was stripped of her citizenship and resigned from the Dutch Parliament.
Infidel shows the coming of age of this distinguished political superstar and champion of free speech as well as the development of her beliefs, iron will, and extraordinary determination to fight injustice. Raised in a strict Muslim family, Hirsi Ali survived civil war, female mutilation, brutal beatings, adolescence as a devout believer during the rise of the Muslim Brotherhood, and life in four troubled, unstable countries ruled largely by despots. She escaped from a forced marriage and sought asylum in the Netherlands, where she earned a college degree in political science, tried to help her tragically depressed sister adjust to the West, and fought for the rights of Muslim women and the reform of Islam as a member of Parliament. Under constant threat, demonized by reactionary Islamists and politicians, disowned by her father, and expelled from family and clan, she refuses to be silenced.
Ultimately a celebration of triumph over adversity, Hirsi Ali’s story tells how a bright little girl evolves out of dutiful obedience to become an outspoken, pioneering freedom fighter. As Western governments struggle to balance democratic ideals with religious pressures, no other book could be more timely or more significant.
The extraordinary story of the women who took on the Islamic State and won
“The Daughters of Kobani is an unforgettable and nearly mythic tale of women's power and courage. The young women profiled in this book fought a fearsome war against brutal men in impossible circumstances—and proved in the process what girls and women can accomplish when given the chance to lead. Brilliantly researched and respectfully reported, this book is a lesson in heroism, sacrifice, and the real meaning of sisterhood. I am so grateful that this story has been told.” —Elizabeth Gilbert, author of Big Magic and Eat, Pray, Love
“Absolutely fascinating and brilliantly written, The Daughters of Kobani is a must-read for anyone who wants to understand both the nobility and the brutality of war. This is one of the most compelling stories in modern warfare.” —Admiral William H. McRaven, author of Make Your Bed
In 2014, northeastern Syria might have been the last place you would expect to find a revolution centered on women's rights. But that year, an all-female militia faced off against ISIS in a little town few had ever heard of: Kobani. By then, the Islamic State had swept across vast swaths of the country, taking town after town and spreading terror as the civil war burned all around it. From that unlikely showdown in Kobani emerged a fighting force that would wage war against ISIS across northern Syria alongside the United States. In the process, these women would spread their own political vision, determined to make women's equality a reality by fighting—house by house, street by street, city by city—the men who bought and sold women.
Based on years of on-the-ground reporting, The Daughters of Kobani is the unforgettable story of the women of the Kurdish militia that improbably became part of the world's best hope for stopping ISIS in Syria. Drawing from hundreds of hours of interviews, bestselling author Gayle Tzemach Lemmon introduces us to the women fighting on the front lines, determined to not only extinguish the terror of ISIS but also prove that women could lead in war and must enjoy equal rights come the peace. In helping to cement the territorial defeat of ISIS, whose savagery toward women astounded the world, these women played a central role in neutralizing the threat the group posed worldwide. In the process they earned the respect—and significant military support—of U.S. Special Operations Forces.
Rigorously reported and powerfully told, The Daughters of Kobani shines a light on a group of women intent on not only defeating the Islamic State on the battlefield but also changing women's lives in their corner of the Middle East and beyond.
The CIA is looking for walking contradictions. Recruiters seek people who can keep a secret, yet pull classified information out of others; who love their country, but are willing to leave it behind to head into dangerous places; who live double lives, but can be trusted with some of the nation's most highly sensitive tasks.
Michele Rigby Assad was one of those people.
As a CIA agent, Michele soon found that working undercover was an all-encompassing job. The threats were real. The mission was a perilous one. Trained as a counterterrorism expert, Michele spent over a decade in the agency - a woman leading some of the most highly skilled operatives on the planet, secretly serving in some the most treacherous areas of the Middle East. But deep inside, Michele wondered: Could she really do this job? Was she in the right place at the right time, or had she misunderstood what she thought was God's calling on her life? Did she have what it would take to survive?
The answer came when Michele faced a life-or-death choice - one that had secretly been the plan for her all along. In Breaking Cover, Michele has at last been cleared to drop cover and tell her story: one of incredible struggle; of thwarted plans and expectations; and most of all, of discovering a faith greater than all her fears.
Did you know that I visited a mosque a few years ago? It was very interesting. They were very tolerant of my questions. For example, I asked what the difference is between Sunni and Shi'ite Muslims, and which were they. They were Sunnis, but they didn't want to go into details as to what or why they are different from Shi'ites. I think Shi'ites are more intent on installing and enforcing Sharia law, a very strict form of Islam. Think ISIS, maybe. It was a great experience though, for sure.
What I know for sure
“Fires will be kindled to testify that two and two make four. Swords will be drawn to prove that leaves are green in summer. We shall be left defending, not only the incredible virtues and sanities of human life, but something more incredible still, this huge impossible universe which stares us in the face.”
~ G.K. Chesterton, Heretics
Mr. Chesterton wrote those words over 100 years ago. What do you think he's describing? His book, Heretics, is a collection of essays that are a little like time travelling. They give you a glimpse into the debates of his era, and yet, these debates are still raging, nothing has been settled. In over 100 years!
Which brings me to a larger topic - deconstruction. This isn't a new thing either, but it is perhaps gaining some popularity, thanks to social media. You probably know the story line, "I used to be a Christian/I grew up in the church, but then I started looking into it, and now I don't believe it anymore/they hurt me/I can't abide by the things they say and do or stand for, etc., etc."
I get it, I went through similar things, testing what I had been told. Was it true? Is it true, even though the culture doesn't like it? Maybe I’m one of the lucky ones. Most of what I was taught is true. And what wasn't true, was only an incomplete understanding of how good Jesus is.
Social media loves a Christian deconstruction story, though. But did you know that even more often people are deconstructing from their old ways of thinking and living…into believers of Jesus Christ? And this is happening all over the world. You have to dig a little to find these stories…for some reason they aren't served up by the algos that often. But they are happening everywhere, in every country, in every culture. In fact, the number of Christians in the world will soon surpass 2.7 billion. Some of the authors of the above referenced books are included in that number.
But let's get back to Chesterton. Can you see how this is happening today? "Fires will be kindled to testify that two and two make four…", battles will be fought over obvious true and false ideas. Like what though? Who's arguing that two and two are not equal to four? But people are debating math, though. And biology. And physics. And history.
Who is the author of confusion though? And who gives plain and simple truths, and peace that passes all understanding? And hope, and joy?
Turn it up to 11
I came across this song a couple of weeks ago, and I just like it so much, I've been listening to it real loud in the car. It's called "The Truth" by Megan Woods.
Love,
Dad