The Memorials of 9-11 were varied, stirring, and in one case disturbing as New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg slammed the door on Christian clergy who should have been present, prayers being offered and even in the face of first responders who rushed in to save lives after the Muslim attacks. These heroes were excluded from the ceremonies. Why Mr. Mayor?
Then there is this puzzle: With all the observances of the 10th anniversary of 9-11, WHY was a specific element regarding the horrific savagery of that day conspicuously absent? Guest Radio Host Commentator Jerry Newcombe takes it on accurately as he steps up to the keyboard:
What Was Left Out of the 9/11 Memorials?
By Jerry Newcombe
Now that the dust has settled from the memorials commemorating the 10th anniversary of 9/11, we can see what was included and what was excluded.
I was pleased that the president read Scripture (from Psalm 46).
I was displeased that the mayor of New York City chose not to invite any Christian clergyman to participate, as this would supposedly violate the separation of church and state.
Never mind that the founders of this country—-by their words and by their actions—-showed over and over again that they intended religion (by which they meant Christianity in its various stripes) to flourish, even in the public arena, on a voluntary basis.
Technically, if the mayor’s interpretation of the first amendment is right, what in the world is the president doing reading from the Holy Bible—-at an official function, no less?
It is good that the dead of 9/11 were honored. It is good that also honored were the many heroes of that time—-such as the firemen, who rushed into the World Trade Center to save as many lives as they could.
But there was something else generally missing from the 9/11 commemorations. Conspicuous by its absence.
If you had no idea about the history of 9/11, and you observed Sunday’s commemorations, you might well think that all these poor people were killed by a natural disaster, not a deliberate attack.
The threat of radical Islam was not mentioned (or if it was, I missed it). This is a threat that is alive today, just as it was alive on that Tuesday ten years ago.
Thereligionofpeace.com maintains a counter, keeping track of how many separate attacks there have been, worldwide, by Jihadists since 9/11. The Madrid train bombing counts as just one. The 7/7/05 double-decker bus bombings, etc. in London count as another one. How many have there been? 17,729.
Although Christians and Jews (and atheists and others) are often the targets of these attacks, usually, radical Islamists kill Muslims, who don’t share their radical views—-more than any other group.
Why are they doing this? The radical Muslims are obeying their understanding of the Koran that they are to slay the infidel wherever you find them (Surah 9:29). (Heretics can be viewed as infidels.)
It’s estimated that of the 1.5 billion or so Muslims around the world, less than 15% are committed to a radical version of Islam. The problem is that 15% of 1.5 billion people are still tens of millions of people.
Political Correctness keeps us from naming the enemy—-radical Islam. Why do they hate us? Because we won’t convert.
Again, not every Muslim believes the way of the terrorist. On my radio show last night, I interviewed a living Muslim hero, Dr. Zuhdi Jasser, the president of the American Islamic Forum for Democracy, who is the host of the documentary, The Third Jihad.
I asked Dr. Jasser about the Fort Hood shooting. Eyewitnesses said the alleged shooter cried out, “Allahu Akbar” (“Allah is the greatest,” which is what radical Muslims cry out before they kill someone), as he shot and killed thirteen and wounded others; his card had “SOA” printed on it (standing for Soldier of Allah).
Yet the Pentagon came out in 2010 with an 86-page report on the Fort Hood shooting, and it didn’t mention: Islam, Muslim, Koran, “Allahu Akbar,” etc. It didn’t even mention the shooter’s name (Nidal Hasan), presumably because it is a Muslim name.
How can we win in this war that we didn’t ask for, if we can’t even name the enemy that wants to kill us?
Dr. Jasser noted, “I think [the Pentagon report] is demonstrating that we are completely wasting our time, and that we’re not addressing the root causes which are the separatism of political Islam from American-type societies.” He added that as a medical doctor, he has to diagnose illnesses all the time, or he’ll never be able to properly treat the patient. Because of political correctness, we’re not treating the threat of radical Islam properly.
Thankfully, God, in His sovereignty, can convert even radical Muslims. It is estimated that more Muslims have come to faith in Jesus in the last 14 years than in the last 1400 years.
As Faisal Malick, a former Muslim from Pakistan, who is now a believer in Jesus, once told me, “The more Muslims that come to Christ, there’s less Muslims left for the terrorists to recruit in the midst of dissolution in our world and create more problems around the world.”
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Jerry Newcombe is the senior producer and host of Truth that Transforms with D. James Kennedy (formerly The Coral Ridge Hour). He has also written or co-written 21 books, including The Book That Made America: How the Bible Formed Our Nation. Jerry co-wrote (with Dr. Peter Lillback) the bestselling, George Washington’s Sacred Fire. He hosts the website http://www.jerrynewcombe.com.
