Clash of Civilizations? American Muslims. Jerusalem. Islam. Quake kills 80,000. Immigration. Jail and Fallen Oak.

Islam vs. the West: Why the Clash of Civilizations?

"To comprehend why Islamic and Western civilization conflict so sharply requires studying the basic differences between their underlying philosophies. Make no mistake: The bare facts reveal that the West now finds itself in very serious jeopardy."

Source: iStockphoto

"Author Samuel Huntington stated in his book "The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order" that "religion is a central defining characteristic of civilizations" (1998, p. 47). He's correct, of course. Most world religions are associated with one or more of our present civilizations.

Today we live in a multipolar age of multiple civilizations. We'll narrow our focus here to just two—Western Christian civilization and its Islamic counterpart. What sets them apart, and why are they at odds?

Crucial differences between Christianity and Islam

The Christian religion draws its teaching and values from a large number of books, written over a 1,500-year period, that collectively form the Bible. The Old Testament prophets and the New Testament apostles wrote down, while divinely inspired, the content of the Judeo-Christian Scriptures.

In contrast, while Islam teaches that the Bible is revealed Scripture, it also claims that the Bible has been corrupted and superceded by the Koran (or Quran, meaning "Recitation"). This book, which is about the size of the New Testament, is supposedly based on divine communication to Islam's founder, Muhammad (A.D. 570-632). The Koran is supplemented by the Hadith (or "Report"), a traditional record of other sayings and acts of Muhammad."

Read the rest of the article by John Ross Schroeder at: http://www.ucg.org/news-and-prophecy/islam-vs-west-why-clash-civilizations/

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World News and Trends: Radical Muslim minorities in America

The vast majority of American Muslims are loyal citizens.

"But a recent Pew poll reports troubling findings: "8% of U.S. Muslims—a larger percentage than in Pakistan—say that suicide bombings or other violence against civilians is at least sometimes justified to defend Islam. Perhaps most troubling, 21% of U.S. Muslims see a great deal or fair amount of support for extremism among their own" (David Rusin, "Pew Poll Quantifies the Radical Minority of U.S. Muslims," Sept. 6, 2011).

Pew researchers discovered that some 60 percent of American Muslims express concern in varying degrees about the increase of U.S. Islamic extremism, clearly a far more encouraging percentage than the percentage of the American general public expressing such concerns. American Muslims are generally satisfied with the country’s overall direction, still believing that hard work eventually ends up in success.

However, David Rusin concludes that "the moderate and largely silent [Muslim] masses do not offset a hundred thousand radicals, if not more, who approve of al-Qaeda and serve as potential recruits." (Source: Islamist Watch.)"   From: http://www.ucg.org/news-and-prophecy/world-news-and-trends-radical-muslim-minorities-america/

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World News & Trends: Who owns Jerusalem?

"Many citizens of Western European nations, Britain and to some extent even the United States feel that the claims of Israel and the counterclaims of Palestinians to ownership of Jerusalem are virtually equal in nature.

A few even argue that Israel has no legitimate claim to this ancient city at all.

Author and columnist Melanie Phillips replies: "Such people would doubtless be amazed to learn that, some 10 centuries before the birth of Christ and 17 centuries before the birth of Mohammed, the city of Jerusalem was created by King David as the capital of a United kingdom of Israel and Judea. The Jews were in fact the only people for whom the land of Israel was ever actually their national home" ("Promise and Redemption," Standpoint, March 10, 2011).

In 1899 Yusuf Khalidi, the Muslim mayor of Jerusalem, declared to the chief rabbi of France: "Who can contest the rights of the Jews to Palestine? God knows historically it is indeed your country" (ibid.).

Phillips went on to say, "Today, there are repeated Arab attempts to erase the copious, growing archaeological evidence of David's city and the ancient kingdom of Israel and Judea, which establishes the Jews' indisputable claim to Israel and to Jerusalem." (Source: Standpoint magazine.)    From: http://www.ucg.org/news-and-prophecy/world-news-trends-who-owns-jerusalem/

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Related Content

"The messages that became the Koran, or Quran, make up a volume about four-fifths the size of the New Testament."  Read: The Koran vs. The Bible - (Article)

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"Why do we hear of so much terrorism originating in the Muslim world? Will an examination of Islam's history and its holy book, the Koran, help us to understand?" Read: The Koran and Conquest: A Look at Islamic Theology - (Article)

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"The views of liberal Western writers, academics and politicians, plus moderate Muslims, dominate the mainstream media's views of Islam's history and theology." Read: Resources to Learn More About Islam's History and Theology 

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On This Day:

Earthquake devastates southern Italy, Feb 5, 1783:

"The estimated 7.5 to 8.0-magnitude quake struck at about 1 p.m. in the Calabria province. Within a minute, over 100 villages were leveled throughout the region. In several cases, communities were literally wiped away with no survivors or standing structures remaining. The quake also produced an uncommon number of fractures in the Earth's surface. In one case, a mile-long ravine--nearly 100 feet wide--was instantly created. According to one report, more than 100 goats fell into another crack in the earth. A witness also claimed that "two mountains on the opposite sides of a valley walked from their original position until they met in the middle of the plain, and there joining together, they intercepted the course of a river." New lakes appeared across the region.

Several hundred people from the town of Scilla survived the initial quake and fled to a nearby beach for shelter. Many then drowned when a second tremor at midnight prompted a tsunami. The tsunami also killed thousands of people in Reggio di Calabria and Messina, towns that sit opposite each other across the strait between Calabria and Sicily. The misery continued across southern Italy and Sicily for the remainder of the winter. With food supplies disrupted, the survivors were at risk of starvation. In addition, another quake on March 28 killed another 2,000 people. Including aftershocks and the indirect effects of the earthquakes, a total of 80,000 people died in the earthquake of 1783."

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Immigration act passed over Wilson's veto, Feb 5, 1917:

"With more than a two-thirds majority, Congress overrides President Woodrow Wilson's veto of the previous week and passes the Immigration Act. The law required a literacy test for immigrants and barred Asiatic laborers, except for those from countries with special treaties or agreements with the United States, such as the Philippines.

During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the United States received a majority of the world's immigrants, with 1.3 million immigrants passing through New York's Ellis Island in 1907 alone. Various restrictions had been applied against immigrants since the 1890s, but most of those seeking entrance into the United States were accepted.

However, in 1894, the Immigration Restriction League was founded in Boston and subsequently petitioned the U.S. government to legislate that immigrants be required to demonstrate literacy in some language before being accepted. The organization hoped to quell the recent surge of lower-class immigrants from Southern and Eastern Europe. Congress passed a literacy bill in 1897, but President Grover Cleveland vetoed it. In early 1917, with America's entrance into World War I three months away, xenophobia was at a new high, and a bill restricting immigration was passed over President Wilson's veto."

Subsequent immigration to the United States sharply declined, and, in 1924 a law was passed requiring immigrant inspection in countries of origin, leading to the closure of Ellis Island and other major immigrant processing centers. Between 1892 and 1924, some 16 million people successfully immigrated to the United States to seek a better life."

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Yesterday,

Seemed like two different types of days crammed into one.  When I got up before 6.00am there was no water.  Just air hissing from the faucets.  If air was being forced into my electric water heater that could burn up the element, so I turned it off at the breaker.

I was going to Humble with Claudia's son Jay, to a church meeting, (http://www.sabbathtruth.com/ ), and "I just didn't have a thing to wear."  I dragged out so many clothes that my bed was a mountain. Finally I settled on a comfy blue suit.  But the purse choice was really hard.  One gaped open when my Bible was in there unless I kept it zipped shut, that wasn't going to work.  Then another was so deep, that I'd never be able to find anything.  Even after I had walked Misty when I picked up Jay, I changed purses again when I come home to drop Misty off.  Shoes are always a problem as I got my right foot crushed in the bombing during the war, but I can't go out in my old, comfy, canvas slip-ons.  I dug out some soft Italian leather flats that are comfortable for sitting, but I can't walk far in them.  The water came back on just as I was leaving at noon.

The meeting was pleasant and informative, then the usual great camaraderie while we were eating sandwiches and finger foods afterwards.  Jay enjoyed himself there again, and I think he is trying to try to curb his evening drinking. 

The drive there and back was great with no tie-ups on the freeway and just a little rain shower on the way home.  I was looking forward to a nice, quiet, restful evening at home.  

Then the day changed.  I had hardly got in the door when there was a collect call from the local jail.  My son, Kevin hadn't paid the last $1,400 child support for his 19 year old daughter, Michelle, so they threw him in jail.  (He had to pay an extra year, as she was in school until she was 19.) I know from experience that those collect calls from the jails are expensive.  I thought I had a 'jail-block' on my phone, but he called me five times while I was arranging for him to get out, and I burned my dinner.

Kevin had given me several numbers to call, and I was busy calling back and forth with those friends of his, when my neighbor comes to my door and tells me that an oak tree on my property had fallen in his yard.  Whatever next!

Misty and I went into the back yard and saw the oak tree perched precariously on the neighbor's fence. It looked like it could be his tree on his property, well actually in his easement.  But he will never do anything about it, so I might have to cut it up and move it.  It was right on the fence line on the road behind us, so maybe the subdivision's crew, or the county will take care of it.  Time will tell.

I don't drive in the dark, so a friend of Kevin's was supposed to go get him, and that's all I know today.