(AP) Last month, construction workers in the Saudi Arabian city of Mecca demolishing a medieval mosque to make room for a new Ritz-Carlton aimed at high-end Muslim pilgrims uncovered fragments of an old Qur’an, the holy book of the world’s 1.6 billion Muslims.  Before it could be disposed of properly by Saudi clerics, several of the workers—apparently on orders from their employer, Bin Ladin Construction—smuggled the pages out of the Kingdom and delivered them (after, reportedly, huge bribes) to the newly-created  “Institute for the Study of the Noble and Peaceful Qur’an” at al-Azhar University in Cairo, Egypt.

 The fact that the Qur'an fragements survived this blast is nothing short of a miracle! 

Islamic scholars and Qur’an experts studied the surviving pages round-the-clock for several weeks and were shocked to discover that this text—which had somehow survived the burning of “heretical” versions of the Qur’an under the reign of the third Caliph of Islam, Uthman, in 652 CE—apparently includes a heretofore-unknown 115^th sura, or “chapter,” of the Qur’an.  Entitled Sura al-Mazzah, it’s one of the shortest chapters but based on intense textual study these experts have determined that it is almost certainly the last, chronologically, revealed to the Prophet Muhammad—thus making it binding under the exegetical doctrine of naskh in which the later revelations from Allah to Islam’s founder are the more authoritative ones. 

 Dr. al-Hallaj [sic], in happier times. 

However, it is what Sura al-Mazzah says which, if verified and accepted, could prove explosive for not just Muslims but the entire world. The key verse translates as “O Believers! Believe not that ye should kill the infidels but rather know that the Iblis [Satan] was whispering to God’s apostle for too long, telling him [Muhammad] falsely.  Know that indeed Islam is a religion of peace and all the verses before this one are wrong desires injected by Iblis.  Therefore heed not the lying admonitions to swords, but rather heed the Christians, whose Lord `Isa truly is….”  At this point the text breaks off.  

The lead researcher on this project, Qur’an  expert Dr. Mahmud al-Hallaj, mysteriously and abruptly committed suicide last week.  Several other key members of the project have also disappeared.  The remaining experts, as well as the Qur’anic fragments themselves, are said to be under the protection of President al-Sisi’s personal bodyguard.   How the government of Egypt intends to proceed is unknown, but ISIS, al-Qaida, the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Muslim Brotherhood have all vowed to attack Egypt if this claim is not immediately retracted and the manuscript fragments burned in a fire “hotter than the blazes of hell and damnation itself.”  

President Obama, when asked in a press conference about the findings, remarked that, if true, they showed  that “I was right all along” and that “Republicans were wrong” about Islam.  And that if Iblis had a modern incarnation, it would be as Donald Trump. 

Of course, by "apocalypse" here I intend the original meaning of the Greek word: "unveiling" (although my liberal friends probably think of it in the other, destructive sense, since Fox is involved).  Fox News Channel is running a special edition of "War Stories" (yes, the Oliver North-hosted show) focusing on the Islamic State [of Iraq and Syria] and how to defeat it.  Times are: Good Friday, 10 pm; Saturday, March 26, 1 am, 5 am, 5 pm, midnight; and Easter Sunday, March 27, 3 pm and 11 pm.  Tune in, and let me know what you think! 

A still from my appearance on the show.  But Fox cropped out my swords and the cross on the shelf. 

Yesterday (3.1.16) I was interviewed by the informed, intelligent and articulate Derek Gilbert of SkywatchTV on the topic of Iran--specifically the Islamic Republic's latest elections, how that might impinge on Mideast politics, and the relative roles of eschatology and nationalism in the minds of Iran's leadership.  This is a good 20 minute primer on those topics, methinks.

The area studies journal Middle East Quarterly recently quantified their most-read articles over the publication's 22-year history, going back to 1994.  My 2005 piece "Beheading in the Name of Islam" came in at a quite respectable number 3! 

 "That's it, Ja`far--step INTO the swing of the blade.  The spine severs so much easier that way.  Allahu Akbar!" 

If you're interested in learning more about Muslim decapitation, both theological theory and praxis, consult my new books Ten Years Captivation with the Mahdi's Camps (which deals with, for example, ISIS's apocalyptic beheadings) and Sects, Lies, and the Caliphate (wherein the more mundane, albeit Muslim, aspects of the phenomenon are examined). 

 

 

 

Yesterday I was interviewed for an hour by Dr. Michael Lake on his Christian radio show "Kingdom Intelligence Briefing." The topics were Islam in general, its eschatology, and the clash of civilizations between Islamdom and the rest of the world--primarily Christendom.  Dr. Lake was a knowledgeable, polite and articulate interviewer, and let me say some things that probably did not endear me to his audience. One of my major points was that we Christians--Catholic, Protestant, Evangelical, Orthodox, non-denominational, whatever--must work together, at least politically (and, indeed, militarily), over against Islam if we hope to survive (as per pp. 118-126 of my newest book Sects, Lies, and the Caliphate). 

 

Speaking of "Kings and Queens"--if if you've never done so, check out Aerosmith's song of that title, which in my opinion is their best.