ISIS Okays Taking Organs of Living Non-Muslims

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The Islamic State’s religious scholars have ruled that taking the organs of non-Muslims is permissible under Islamic law to save the life of a Muslim, because killing apostates to eat their flesh has previously been allowed.

The revelation comes in a January 2015 document that was capured by U.S. special forces in Syria in May and obtained by Reuters.

The news agency posted a U.S. government translation of the document attributed to the Islamic State’s research and fatwa committee.

“Allah almighty knows what’s best and knows what’s right and what is wrong and there is evidence from texts and Islamic principles and laws supporting the notion that transplanting organs from an apostate’s body into a Muslim body in order to save the latter’s life or replace a damaged organ with it is permissible,” the document reads . . .

But the document notes that Islamic jurists have “permitted, when necessary, the killing of the infidel combatant or the apostate should one need to consume their flesh for the purpose of saving his own life.” Islamic scholar Imam al-Nawawi, according to the document, wrote about the “legitmacy of killing the infidel fighters and apostates and eating them.” (Read more from “ISIS Okays Taking Organs of Living Non-Muslims” HERE)

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Former Iran Hostages Are Finally Receiving Compensation

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American hostages who were held in Iran for 444 days between 1979 and 1981 are finally receiving compensation from the government for their time in captivity.

The Washington Post reported Thursday that a provision in the omnibus spending bill signed by President Obama last week provided for up to $4.4 million to be paid to each of the 37 surviving hostages or the estates of 16 others who have died since their release. The Post reported that the law authorizes payments of up to $600,000 for each spouse or child of a hostage.

According to the Post, money for the compensation will come in part from a $9 billion penalty paid by the French bank BNP Paribas for violating sanctions prohibiting conducting business with Iran, Cuba, and Sudan. The fund will remain open for 10 years so that it can be replenished by future fines.

Lawyers for the hostages told the paper they expect all the survivors or estates to ultimately be paid in full . . .

The hostages had been barred from taking legal action against Iran under the terms of the so-called Algiers Accords that led to their release in January 1981. Perhaps the most famous offer of compensation in the months after their release came from then Major League Baseball Commissioner Bowie Kuhn, who gave them lifetime passes to games. (Read more from “Former Iran Hostages Are Receiving a Ridiculous Amount in Compensation” HERE)

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Welby: Christians Face Middle East Elimination

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Christianity is facing “elimination” in the Middle East at the hands of an Islamic State “apocalypse”, the Archbishop of Cantebury has warned.

The Most Reverend Justin Welby used his Christmas Day sermon at Canterbury Cathedral to say IS is “igniting a trail of fear, violence, hatred and determined oppression”.

He branded the Islamist extremists as “a Herod of today” – a reference to the Biblical despotic king of Judea at the time of Jesus’s birth.

“Confident that these are the last days, using force and indescribable cruelty, they (IS) seem to welcome all opposition, certain that the warfare unleashed confirms that these are indeed the end times,” he said.

“They hate difference, whether it is Muslims who think differently, Yazidis or Christians, and because of them the Christians face elimination in the very region in which Christian faith began. (Read more from “Welby: Christians Face Middle East Elimination” HERE)

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Switzerland to Vote on Banning Banks from Creating Money

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Switzerland will hold a referendum to decide whether to ban commercial banks from creating money.

The Swiss federal government confirmed on Thursday that it would hold the plebiscite, after more than 110,000 people signed a petition calling for the central bank to be given sole power to create money in the financial system.

The campaign – led by the Swiss Sovereign Money movement and known as the Vollgeld initiative – is designed to limit financial speculation by requiring private banks to hold 100pc reserves against their deposits.

“Banks won’t be able to create money for themselves any more, they’ll only be able to lend money that they have from savers or other banks,” said the campaign group . . .

If successful, the sovereign money bill would give the Swiss National Bank a monopoly on physical and electronic money creation, “while the decision concerning how new money is introduced into the economy would reside with the government,” says Vollgeld. (Read more from “Switzerland to Vote on Banning Banks from Creating Money” HERE)

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Christmas Comes Early for Iranian Pastor Jailed for ‘Actions Against National Security’

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Iranian Christian pastor Farshid Fathi, imprisoned for his faith five years ago, was released from prison on Monday, two years before the end of a seven-year sentence.

Fathi has been incarcerated in Iran’s notorious Evin prison since December 26, 2010, according to the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ). The regime reportedly argued that his Christian activities were equivalent to “actions against national security.” He was separated from his wife Leila and two children, Rosana and Bardia.

Fathi’s initial six-year prison sentence was extended to seven years according to World Watch Monitor. He was due to be released in Dec. 2017 but learned from prison officials last July that he would be released this year.

Elam, an Iranian church working to secure Farshid’s release, said it was “overjoyed and celebrating” the news.

“We are deeply grateful for your faithful prayers for Farshid while he has been in prison. We would like to request that you continue praying for Farshid today and in the coming weeks. Please pray especially for protection, his family and his adjustment to life outside prison,” Elam executive director David Yeghnazar said in a statement. (Read more from “Christmas Comes Early for Iranian Pastor Jailed for ‘Actions Against National Security'” HERE)

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Town of Bethlehem Bans ‘Merry Christmas’ Signs

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The town named after the birthplace of Jesus Christ has banned signs celebrating the holidays at an intersection in the town that has become a local battleground for the War on Christmas.

Officials from Bethlehem, New York had a “Happy Hanukkah” sign and a “Merry Christmas” sign removed from a busy intersection and have refused to put up any new holiday signs out of fear the signs would be breaking the law, The Albany-Times Union reports. The town’s lawyer reportedly said Christmas trees and other symbols were acceptable, but written signs would not be allowed, a decision that has caused an uproar in the local community.

The town’s decision has drawn criticism from residents and outsiders. A small group of protesters met Wednesday night at the location where the signs were. One resident, Elena Marcelle, bought two Christmas signs for the area but was told they would not be allowed. She corresponded with the town’s lawyer via email.

“Moreover, there is limited space at the Four Corners, and adding signage could potentially be visually distracting to motorists,” the town’s attorney James Potter said in a Dec. 14 email to Marcelle, the woman who offered to buy the sign. “The town cannot endorse one religion over another, so the town must either allow signs for all groups participating in the holiday display, or prohibit signs altogether.”

The Christian legal group, The Alliance Defending Freedom, has weighed in to let the town know they should not be afraid.

(Read more from “Town of Bethlehem Bans ‘Merry Christmas’ Signs” HERE)

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Christians in China Feel Full Force of Authorities’ Repression

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Pastor Su Tianfu slides into the back seat and tells the driver to hit it . . .

It is days before Christmas, but instead of working on his sermon, Su is giving his tail the slip.

The slight and soft-spoken Protestant preacher is no stranger to surveillance. Su has worked for years in China’s unregistered “house churches,” and he said he has been interrogated more times than he can count.

But even Su is surprised by what has happened in Guiyang this month: a crackdown that has led to the shuttering of the thriving Living Stone Church, the detention of a pastor on charges of “possessing state secrets” and the shadowing of dozens of churchgoers by police.

A local government directive leaked to China Aid, a Texas-based Christian group, and reviewed by The Washington Post advises local Communist Party cadres that shutting down the church is necessary to “maintain social stability”— a catchall phrase often used to justify sweeping clampdowns. (Read more from “Christians in China Feel Full Force of Authorities’ Repression” HERE)

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Christmas Eve Danger: Troops Attacked as Tourists Flock to Bethlehem

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Four Palestinians were killed on Thursday, among them three who Israel said were carrying out attacks on soldiers in the West Bank, as tourists and Christian faithful were gathering in Bethlehem for Christmas celebrations.

Bethlehem has been a focal point for clashes between Israeli troops and Palestinian protesters during the three month-long wave of violence that has gripped the region. While the annual festivities in the city’s Manger Square were set to go on, other celebrations in the city were cancelled or toned down because of the violence.

“We’re in Bethlehem celebrating Christmas, celebrating the birthday of our lord Jesus Christ. This is the birthplace of the king of peace so what we want is peace,” said Rula Maayah, the Palestinian Tourism Minister.

Israeli authorities said that three Palestinians were killed after they carried out or attempted to carry out attacks against Israelis across the West Bank. A fourth Palestinian was killed in clashes with Israeli troops, according to a Palestinian hospital official.

In the first incident, police spokeswoman Luba Samri said the attacker approached the entrance to an industrial zone in the Ariel settlement and stabbed two security guards, wounding them moderately, before they shot and killed him. Two other Palestinians were killed in two other incidents, including an attack by a motorist on Israeli troops, with one soldier lightly wounded. (Read more from “Christmas Eve Danger: Troops Attacked as Tourists Flock to Bethlehem” HERE)

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British, U.S. Embassies Warn of Threats Against Westerners in Beijing

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The British and the American embassies in China say they have received information of possible threats against Westerners visiting a popular shopping district in Beijing around Christmas.

Both embassies sent out warnings to their citizens and staff, urging extra vigilance if they are in the Sanlitun district.

The district is home to a popular open-plan mall that boasts high-end brands like Mango, Reiss, and Lacoste, and some of Beijing’s best Western dining.

In August, a woman was stabbed to death in broad daylight by a sword-wielding man there. The attacker also injured a French man. Beijing police said the man stabbed the two passerby “without cause or reason.” (Read more from “British, U.S. Embassies Warn of Threats Against Westerners in Beijing” HERE)

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Re-Print of Hitler’s ‘Mein Kampf’ Unleashes Row in Germany

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For the first time since Hitler’s death, Germany is publishing the Nazi leader’s political treatise “Mein Kampf”, unleashing a highly charged row over whether the text is an inflammatory racist diatribe or a useful educational tool.

The 70-year copyright on the text, written by Hitler between 1924-1926 and banned by the Allies at the end of World War Two, expires at the end of the year, opening the way for a critical edition with explanatory sections and some 3,500 annotations.

In January the 2,000 page, two-volume work will go on sale after about three years of labor by scholars at Munich’s Institute for Contemporary History.

Hitler wrote most of the first, highly autobiographical, volume while incarcerated in Landsberg prison after his failed Munich coup attempt in 1923. After his release, he wrote much of the second volume at his mountain retreat near Berchtesgaden.

In the book, a mix of personal experience and political ideology, he outlined his strategy. A bestseller after he became chancellor in 1933, it had by 1945 sold 12 million copies and been translated into 18 languages. (Read more from “Re-Print of Hitler’s ‘Mein Kampf’ Unleashes Row in Germany” HERE)

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