March 18, 2011 - Washington, DC

Obama wants freedom for Muslims / As the world burns Obama talks gender and plays golf / Congressmen call for resolution on religious liberty / National Motto is "In God We Trust" regardless of what Obama says / Bill opposing use of foreign laws in US courts / 10% of captures at Mexico border are not Mexicans / Feisal Rauf claims Constitution is sharia compliant / 75% of religious persecution is against Christians / UN blasphemy of religion resolution
 
NEW MARCH 16th CHAIRMAN'S REPORT ONLINE -In this issue: Radical imam says Sharia will replace Constitution / Terror attack on our troops in Germany / Congressman King stands firm / Atheists and leftists rally in support of Ground Zero Mosque / Christians in Egypt under attack / Romantic relationship leads to widespread violence / Can democracy survive in the Middle East?
 

PRESIDENCY 

OBAMA WANTS FREEDOM FOR MUSLIMS - Not a word comes from the mouth of President Barack Obama about the horrible persecution of Buddhists, Christians, Hindus and other religious minorities in Muslim nations. However, he is a champion of the rights of Muslims not only in the United States but around the world. The State Department under Obama set up special Internet sites in Arabic that gave instructions on how to use social networking to topple oppressive governments. The results are now seen in Egypt where Christians face almost daily attacks. Although championing "democracy," Barack Obama has not been a champion of secular democracy.  
AS THE WORLD BURNS, OBAMA TALKS GENDER - A few days into the humanitarian disaster in Japan, a major nuclear reactor problem, and the continuing crisis in north Africa and the Middle East, President Obama played golf for most of last Saturday. On his weekly radio address he spoke about how women don't have equal opportunities as men do in American society. He failed to mention that a greater percentage of women receive college degrees than men, but lamented that there were not enough female engineers and mathematicians. Meanwhile Christian women are kidnapped, raped and forced into Muslim marriages all over the world, but that is not his concern.
 

THE CONGRESS 

CONGRESSMEN CALL FOR RESOLUTION ON RELIGIOUS LIBERTY - Congressman Trent Franks (R-AZ) and Congressman Heath Shuler (D-NC), co-chairs of the Congressional International Religious Freedom Caucus, introduced a resolution calling for the U.S. to take action to protect religious freedom. The resolution condemns the intolerance that sanctioned recent high profile assassinations in Pakistan including that of Minister of Minority Affairs Shahbaz Bhatti. Tina Ramirez, Director of Government Relations at the Becket Fund, who collaborated with Congressman Franks' office on House Resolution 141 said, "Congress is finally recognizing the dangerous nexus between Pakistan's blasphemy laws and international advocacy for 'defamation' resolutions that defend the harmful effects of those laws on innocent lives. It is inexcusable that the international community has allowed these deaths to occur instead of standing behind the men who were willing to die for the freedom their country and the UN system was intended to protect." IN GOD WE TRUST RESOLUTION - On March 17th the House Judiciary Committee has voted in favor of the "In God We Trust Resolution," H. Con. Res. 13. originated by Congressman Randy Forbes (R-VA) The Forbes resolution, supported by 64 bipartisan congressmen, reaffirms "In God We Trust" as the national motto and encourages its public display. On the passage Congressman Forbes said, "Today, the House Judiciary Committee asked two simple questions: does the United States still have the right to trust in God, and if so, should it? If the answer is 'yes' to both questions, then the truths we declare to be 'self evident' and the rights we hold as 'endowed by our Creator' are indeed transcendent and cannot be taken away by any government. I applaud the Judiciary Committee for answering 'yes' and reaffirming not only our nation's trust in God, but also our fundamental rights as Americans." As chairman of the Religious Freedom Coalition I wrote a letter to Judiciary Committee chairman Lamar Smith thanking him for assisting the passage out of committee of the resolution.
BILL OPPOSING USE OF FOREIGN LAW IN USA - Congressman Sandy Adams (R-FL) introduced H.R.973, to prevent the misuse of foreign law in United States federal courts. The bill states: "In any court created by or under Article III of the Constitution of the United States, no justice, judge, or other judicial official shall decide any issue in a case before that court in whole or in part on the authority of foreign law, except to the extent the Constitution or an Act of Congress requires the consideration of that foreign law."
 

RELIGION AND CULTURE 

10% OF CAPTURES AT MEXICO BORDER ARE NOT MEXICAN -Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), told a conference on March 17th that 663 individuals arrested in 2010 as they attempted to enter the US illegally were from countries with ties to terrorism such as Yemen and Pakistan. "Indeed in the last year alone, where 445,000 individuals were detained at the southwest border, 59,000 came from countries other than Mexico. Of the more dangerous one's he said, "These included 663 individuals from special-interest countries like Afghanistan, Libya, Pakistan, Somalia, and Yemen and four countries that have been designated by the U.S. Department of State as state-sponsors of terror - Cuba, Iran, Syria, and Sudan." Read more 
 

NO 911 MOSQUE!

RAUF: CONSTITUTION IS SHARIA COMPLIANT - The Ground Zero mosque man, Imam Feisal Rauf, is on a tour of American universities telling youth that Sharia is not only compatible with the Constitution, but that the Constitution is "sharia compliant." What is his purpose? His pitch is that since the Constitution is compatible with sharia then there is no need to fear sharia law, which prescribes death for homosexuality and under which women have virtually no rights. A recent post at BigPeace.com sort of sums it up with Sharia for Dummies. NO 911 MOSQUE - Visit the RFC site dedicated to the Ground Zero mosque controversy at www.no911mosque.org
 

INTERNATIONAL 

CHRISTIANS SUFFER MOST FROM PERSECUTION - Aid to the Church in Need this week released a report showing that 75 percent of religious persecution is currently being carried out against Christians. "For millions of Christians around the world," the report states, "persecution, violence discrimination and suffering are a way of life as they live out their faith." Catholic Cardinal O'Brien, said: "Many Christians live in fear because of their pursuit of truth, their faith in Jesus Christ and their heartfelt plea for respect for religious freedom." Aid to the Church in Need is a Catholic organization which keeps track of persecutions. Read more  
U.N. BLASPHEMY OF RELIGION RESOLUTION - Every year since 1998 the United Nations "Human Rights Council," which is for the most part made up of the worst human rights offenders in the world, has passed a resolution against "blasphemy of religion."It is, of course, introduced by the Organization of the Islamic Conference, has been annually adopted in the General Assembly and is a means of establishing Islam as being above reproach. After two high profile assassinations of officials in Pakistan who opposed blasphemy laws, it appears that the resolution will not be introduced this year. Pakistan usually promotes the blasphemy resolution. Nina Shea reported that a high-level State Department official has told her that the March 2 assassination of Pakistani Minister for Minorities Shahbaz Bhatti, doomed the anti-blasphemy push in the Human Rights Council. Read more from Nina Shea
 

CHRISTIAN INTERNET STORE 

VISIT OUR INTERNET STORE - Our Internet store has more than books and CD's. There is everything from candy to jewelry and all of it has a Christian theme. Unlike Amazon and other major Internet stores we do not sell porn and satanic materials right beside Christian books. Ours is a real Christian store with tens of thousands of items. Please take a look. The store is located at www.rfcstore.com

October 9, 2009 - Washington, DC

Thirty "czars" and counting / Obama to Israel: Shrink and die / Hillary Clinton and the anti-Semitic revolutionaries / Thought Crimes in Defense Bill / The Mojave Cross goes to the Supreme Court / UN and US approve blasphemy resolution / More Pakistani persecution of Christians / RFC report on Pakistani Blasphemy laws

 

Make your Sunday school aware of issues they don't read about in local newspapers. Print out this update and distribute it to your class. Please consider forwarding this update to them and recommend that they subscribe.

THE PRESIDENCY

THIRTY CZARS AND COUNTING - The "czar" situation at the White House is getting out of hand. There are now thirty czars, with President Obama looking for more. They have been given decision making power that is normally reserved for departments that are funded and controlled by acts of Congress. Some of the czars, such as Science Czar John Holdren, are just flat scary. In the past, Holdren has said forced abortions may be needed to save the planet from mankind. He sees people as a threat to the Earth. The "Terrorism Czar," John Brennan, has a long history of hostility toward the CIA. And let's not forget the unfathomable choice of Kevin Jennings as the "Safe Schools Czar." Jennings once said, "One of the people that's always inspired me is Harry Hay." Hay is the founder of NAMBLA (North American Man/Boy Love Association) which promotes homosexual sex between older men and young boys. Most of these czars are unvetted. They did not have to answer any questions from Congress, nor did they have to pass security clearances. Some have actually belonged to communist affiliated organizations, and one has praised Hugo Chavez as a model for the rest of Latin America.  

OBAMA TO ISRAEL: "SHRINK AND DIE" - Obama wants Israel to shrink itself to a size smaller that the total area of Houston, Texas. He believes that the Muslims, who already control 99% of the Middle East plus parts of Asia and Europe, must be given the land that Jews fought and died for to make "peace." Israel has been shrinking itself at the insistence of both Democrat and Republican presidents since Jimmy Carter. The result has been more terrorist attacks, not only on Israel but on the United States. Osama bin Laden, in his many statements, has made it clear that the 9-11 Jihad attack on the USA was punishment for supporting the very existence of Israel, regardless of its size.
 
HILLARY CLINTON AND ANTI-SEMITIC LEADERS - Venezuelan strongman Hugo Chavez has been influenced by his good ally Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and it appears the leftist movement in Latin America is moving toward the persecution of Jews. David Romero Ellner, a leftist supporter of ousted leftist president Manuel Zelaya in Honduras said, "Sometimes I ask myself if Hitler wasn't right when he wanted to finish with that race, through the famous holocaust, because if there are people that are harmful to this country, they are the Jews, the Israelites." Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and President Obama are supporting the return to power of Zelaya and his hateful anti-Semitic administration. He was removed legally by the Honduran Supreme Court after he tried to give himself a lifetime term as President, as did Chavez in Venezuela. Many Jews in Central America are now headed toward the United States and Israel because of the fear of persecution. Read more

THE CONGRESS

THOUGHT CRIMES IN DEFENSE BILL- "No one doubts that the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2010 is an important piece of legislation. Its essential elements will provide for our troops the critical resources they need to accomplish their mission. However, the Majority in this Congress has cynically included hate crimes provisions in this legislation that threaten the very freedoms of speech and religion that draw our soldiers into the uniform of this nation." Those were the words of Congressman Mike Pence as he announced he could not vote for the Defense authorization bill because radical Nancy Pelosi added language that criminalized speech. His speech is on Youtube

CULTURE AND RELIGION

SALAZAR VS. BUONO - That is the title of the case that was heard before the Supreme Court this week concerning a war memorial in a Mojave Desert federal park. Secularists and atheists want the memorial to fallen American servicemen torn down because it is in the shape of a cross. So far the atheists and the secularists have prevailed in lower courts. The case is very significant in that virtually every federal cemetery in the nation, including Arlington National Cemetery, has crosses. Virtually every grave in Arlington either has a cross or Star of David. The Supreme Court itself has several reliefs on the building and in the Court itself depicting religious faith. Should the Court side with the secularists and atheists, every religious symbol in our nation on public land would be in danger of removal. On Tuesday, October 6th I was one of the presenters at a press conference next to the Supreme Court. The purpose of the press conference was to remind the Court, the press and the nation of the Judeo-Christian foundations of our nation. See video of press conference here
 
OCTOBER 8, 2009 CHAIRMAN'S REPORT - The all new October 8, 2009 Chairman's Report is now available to read in PDF format. This issue contains more information about our work on Capitol Hill with the 111th Congress, and also about our work on international issues. Help your Sunday School class understand these issues better. Print out and distribute the Chairman's Report to your class or fellowship this Sunday! Click here to review.
 
MAKE COMMENTS - You can make comments on this and other articles in these updates at www.MurrayOnTheHill.com

INTERNATIONAL

US/UN APPROVE BLASPHEMY LAWS - Back in August I reported in this update about how Muslims rampaged in the Christian area of Gojra, Pakistan killing at least seven Christians and injuring many more. More than 100 Christian homes were looted and burned because of an unsubstantiated rumor of "blasphemy." Muslims accused the Christians of misuse of the Quran. There have been no arrests. Blasphemy laws in Pakistan are used against Christians and others when Muslims want to steal land or settle other disputes of revenge. Blasphemy laws are a tool against free speech in Islamic nations. Oddly the Obama Administration has now sided with Muslim nations in the UN who want to silence a free press worldwide.

The United States voted for a UN resolution which would be considered unconstitutional under our First Amendment . The UN Human Rights Council adopted the anti-blasphemy resolution that was sponsored by Egypt and the US. Read more  

MORE PAKISTANI PERSECUTION - This year a billion and a half of our taxpayer dollars will be given to Pakistan despite the fact that audits show that 80% of aid is lost to corruption. Meanwhile Christians continue to face persecution. Murders of Christians and the destruction of Christian homes is becoming ever more frequent. Yet, the Obama Administration refuses to put restrictions on the use of the aid money that would bring some relief to the persecuted. Read more
 
RFC REPORT ON PAKISTANI BLASPHEMY LAWS - A meeting was held on the current situation of Pakistani laws at the Hudson Institute in Washington, DC on October 7th. Click here to read the RFC report on this meeting and the Pakistani Blasphemy laws.
 
IRAQI CHRISTIAN REFUGEES - The persecution of our brothers and sisters in Christ who fled Iraq has gotten worse since our troops left the cities. Rather than Christians returning to Iraq, more are making their way to Jordan and Syria. Our ministry is barred from operating in Syria, but our feeding and medical program continues in Jordan. A third shipment of medical supplies has been delivered, and this week we funded our feeding program in Amman for another three months. Your help is still needed.

CHRISTIAN INTERNET SUPER STORE

GIFTS FROM A CHRISTIAN STORE How about birthday or anniversary gifts with a Christian theme? Our Internet Christian Super Store has tens of thousands of books, CD's DVD's, jewelry, food and more. AND ... Our store does not sell the atheist and satanist books that you will find on Amazon.com. When you buy from our store, you help our work. Please take a look at our store today at www.rfcstore.com

Contributions to the work of the Religious Freedom Coalition can be made at www.rfcnet.org.

OCTOBER 8, 2009 CHAIRMAN'S REPORT AVAILABLE

The all new October 8, 2009 Chairman's Report is now available to read in PDF format. This issue contains more information about our work on Capitol Hill with the 111th Congress, and also about our work on international issues. Help your Sunday School class understand these issues better. Print out and distribute the Chairman's Report to your class or fellowship this Sunday! Click here to review.