Muslims Rally in Tennessee to Protest Against … Anti-Terror Legislation

By Chas Sisk – “Several hundred Muslims thronged the state Capitol on Tuesday in protest of legislation that they say takes aim at their religious beliefs, calling on the bill to be defeated.

Muslims from across the state – many wearing traditional skullcaps and headscarves – packed a committee room and corridors to hear testimony on a bill that supporters say would help Tennessee stop terrorist plots but opponents believe singles out Muslims who adhere to Islamic law.

They urged lawmakers to withdraw the bill, or at least to delay it until it can be rewritten so that groups labeled as terrorist organizations can protest the designation before they are forced to shut down.” Read more.

Nigeria: 40,000 Displaced and Many Killed After Muslim Opposition Candidate Rejects Election Results

“The Muslim opposition candidate in Nigeria’s presidential polls rejected the results today but urged calm after deadly post-election riots, amid a rush to help nearly 40,000 displaced.

Authorities say many were killed in the violence, which saw corpses burnt beyond recognition and bodies reportedly thrown into wells, but have refused to give a toll, saying it could spark reprisals and would be inaccurate.

There were reports of fresh clashes in the northern state of Kaduna overnight, with a community leader telling local radio ‘the killing was unbelievable and the destruction is colossal.'”  Read more.

Accused of Converting Muslims to Christianity, Pakistani Pastor and Family Now Face Death Threats From Muslim Radicals

By Jawad Mazhar – “LAHORE, PAKISTAN (ANS) — Another Pakistani Christian leader, along with his family, is among the growing number of Christians who are being subjected to death threats from Islamic extremists.

This was revealed to ASSIST News Service by the Centre for Legal Aid, Assistance and Settlement (CLAAS), an interdenominational organisations working for Christians who are being persecuted because of their faith in Pakistan.

They are Pastor Javaid Austin, aged 60, a resident of Lahore and the father of three sons, Azeem, aged 26, Waseem Javaid, aged 24, and 23-year-old Naeem Javaid, and married to Rubina Javaid, are all under potential death threats by suspected Islamists.

Azeem, Waseem and Naeem, have completed their seminary studies with the Assemblies of God in Lahore, so they cane become pastors, and are actively involved in church activities along with their father.

Pastor Austin is chairman and a founding member of the Light of the City Church in Lahore, and has been an active member of the Pakistan Christian Welfare Council (PCWC) for the past 20 years.

He has his own catering business called the Sunny Tent Service in the locality through which he is nourishing his family. PCWC works with disabled children and is helping poor and needy Christian children with their studies.

On Thursday, April 7, 2011, the pastor went to the CLAAS office and told Mr. Joseph Francis, chairman of CLAAS Pakistan, that he had received death threats by unknown Muslim extremists. He the told his story saying that he used to conduct healing prayers and crusades in his church for disabled and sick people, and that not only Christians, but also Muslims, attended the prayer meetings ‘to be healed from their diseases.’

He informed CLAAS that, back in 2003, a disabled Muslim man who lived in another area of Lahore, met with the pastor and requested for him to pray for him. He then attended a prayer meeting and appeared to be very joyful with being prayed for.

Pastor Austin said, ‘He was very happy and satisfied and praised God, our Lord, and started attending regularly the prayer meetings.’

When the man saw that God was working in his life, he donated some land for the poor and needy people which included land where a church could be built and, at the same location, a Christian school could also be constructed.” Read more.

Earn Paradise by Killing Non-Muslims: Revelations of a Failed 14-Year-Old Suicide Bomber

The God of Abraham says in Proverbs 8:36b that “All those who hate me love death.”  But Islamists have no regard for the God of Abraham, no regard even for the God of Ishmael whom the Lord took care of (Genesis 21; cf Daniel 11:36-37).  Instead, they love death and even seek to find death (cf Rev 9:6).  They proclaim their love of death and the promise of Paradise that they believe it brings if they themselves are killed in the process of killing non-Muslims.  But it is not Paradise that follows them upon death.  Revelation 6:8, “… and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him …”

Radio Australia – “A teenage would-be suicide bomber who survived his failed attack has spoken about his experience.

The 14-year-old gave unprecedented insight into the motivations of suicide bombers, who tend to be young males.

The boy was seriously injured after his suicide vest failed to properly explode outside a shrine in Pakistan’s Punjab province.

He says he was recruited by the Taliban, which promised him paradise after he died.

‘Taliban used to stop us as we went to school and told us there was no point studying,’ he said.

‘They said nothing’s better than paradise and you can earn that by killing non-believers.'”  Read more.

—

—

Texas Wildfires Scorch 1.6 Million Acres in Drought-Stricken Texas

By April Castro and Lindsay Wilcox – “Wildfires have spread across about 1.6 million acres in drought-stricken Texas, including a massive fire in North Texas that is still burning out of control.

Four wildfires around and south of Possum Kingdom Reservoir have burned about 150,000 acres as of Tuesday and destroyed as many as 50 homes and three churches.

The Possum Kingdom fire is the fifth of at least 100,000 acres around Texas reported in the past two weeks. Most of the state is in extreme drought, and wildfires in the past week alone have burned more than 1,000 square miles of parched Texas ranchland — an area that combined would be the size of Rhode Island.”  Read more.

‘Texas is burning from border to border’ – “Wildfires raging for more than a week in Texas have so far burned through a million acres of land and show no signs of dying down.

Firefighters continue to battle some 22 separate blazes throughout the state, with some dangerously close to the Oklahoma border. Homes have been gutted, animals killed and hundreds of residents have been forced to leave their homes because of the advancing flames.

One of the wildfires in PK West, Stephens County, increased in size by a staggering 87,238 acres in just one day – a 144 per cent increase.”  Read more.

—

—

Video of Tornado as it Brushes by Walgreens in Wilson NC

“Video from Steven Hoag, who took it from the Fred’s Food Club parking lot next to Walgreens in Wilson, NC, AS THE EF2 TORNADO is hitting Walgreens and nearby businesses on Forest Hills Road & Wooten Blvd. Video taken Saturday, April 16, 2011 in the late afternoon.

ABC11-TV asked Steven how was he so calm: ‘I was a Marine, and I love Jesus!'”

Storms Rip Into Central, Southern Illinois

“Severe storms raked portions of southern and central Illinois late Tuesday, damaging homes, blowing rail cars off of tracks and leaving thousands of people without power.

Several tornadoes were reported, but there were no reports of injuries. The storm also pelted the region with golf ball-sized hail and driving rain.

More than 48,000 electric customers in central and southern Illinois are without power.

In northern Illinois, torrential rainfall and hail forced the cancellation of about 450 flights at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport. Midway International Airport was reporting delays of up to 30 minutes.”  Read more.

Egypt: Islamists Protest Christian Governor, Threaten to Kill Him

By DINA ALSHIBEEB – “Islamists in southern Egypt are continuing their protests against the appointment of a Coptic Christian as governor, and have vowed not to stop until he was removed from office, The Associated Press reported on Tuesday.

The ultraconservative Salafis began their protest on Friday in Qena against the new governor, Emad Shehata Michael, who, they fear will not properly implement Islamic law. Protestors also accuse Mr. Michael, who worked as assistant to Giza security during the revolution, of being a member of the old regime that killed protesters, claiming many came from Qena, according to a report in Al Ahram Online…

‘This won’t work. A Copt won’t implement Islamic law,’ a speaker told a crowd at Qena’s government office, as seen on a YouTube video.” Read more.

… Protests Flare – By Dina Zayed and Mohamed Abdellah – “… The protest took a more aggressive turn as some radical Salafi Islamists in the crowd demanded a Muslim official, saying “we want it Islamic.” Some even threatened to kill Mikhail if he came to his office…

Many of the protesters showed no sign of budging until their demand for a different governor was met.

‘We have been in front of the governor’s office for three days and we will stay here for another three months or three years,” one protester said by telephone.’ Read more.

Spate of Greenland Whale Deaths a Worrying Puzzle

“A large number of dead whales have been found around Greenland and authorities are scratching their heads as to why. Now it has come to light that such a spate of sudden deaths may not be unprecedented.

KNR reported at the end of March that hunters from Attu had found eight dead great whales. Now the Department for Hunting and Fishing says it has happened several times in the past.

Hunters and fishermen have also reported finding a dead humpback by Eqalungaarsuit in southern Greenland and a dead sperm whale at the Itilleq, south of Sisimiut.

Biologists and hunters have been unable to explain the causes of death. The Department for Hunting and Fishing and the Greenland Natural History Institute are trying to gather more information about the whales and have set up several scenarios for what might have happened.”  Read more.