Behold the wonders of the Facebook Revolution.
When pondering the prophecy concerning the Mark of the Beast, and the fact that believers will not be able to buy or sell without accepting this religio-economic mark of identification, could it have something to do with what is now beginning to take shape in the Middle East? A friend from Egypt, who lives in Cairo says that she is regularly greeted in Muslim places of business with “lā ilāha illà l-Lāh, Muḥammadun rasūlu l-Lāh” (There is no God other than Allah, and Muhammad is his messenger). If she does not respond in kind, she is asked to leave. Of course, we do not know exactly what the Mark of the Beast will be, though this certainly does cause one to wonder what the future holds for believers in Egypt and other nations that fall to radical Islamists. As darkness creeps over Egypt and slowly engulfs much of the region, what kinds of laws will inevitably follow, and how will it affect non-Muslims?
According to the popular Egyptian website, El Bashayer, Muhammad Morsi, the Muslim Brotherhood presidential candidate, just declared that he will “achieve the Islamic conquest (fath) of Egypt for the second time, and make all Christians convert to Islam, or else pay the jizya,” the additional Islamic tax, or financial tribute, required of non-Muslims.
Wait! According to the Associated Press, Mursi will guarantee the rights of Christians.
The presidential candidate for Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood wooed Christians, women and supporters of the ruling military Tuesday in a bid to expand his base of support and he also played up the stigma attached to his challenger, a senior figure in the old regime whose headquarters was burned down by angry protesters overnight. The Islamist candidate Mohammed Morsi made the new campaign promises in a news conference, vowing to ensure the full rights of the Christian minority and women if he is elected. He also tried to reassure the pro-democracy youth groups who drove the last year’s popular uprising by promising to protect the right to stage peaceful protests and sit-ins.
The Gatestone Institue article Continues:
In a brief report written by Samuel al-Ashay and published by El Bashayer on May 27, Morsi allegedly made these comments while speaking with a journalist at the headquarters of the Muslim Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice Party… After his interviewer pointed out that the first Muslim conquest of Egypt was “carried out at the hands of Amr bin al-As [in 641],” he asked Morsi, “Who will the second Islamic conqueror be?” Morsi, replied, “The second Muslim conqueror will be Muhammad Morsi,” referring to himself, “and history will record it.”
When asked what he thought about many Christian Copts coming out to vote for his secular opponent, Ahmed Shafiq, Morsi reportedly said, “They need to know that conquest is coming, and Egypt will be Islamic, and that they must pay jizya or emigrate.”
If this interview is accurate, certainly Morsi would not be the first political Islamist in Egypt to say he wants to see the nation’s Christians subjugated and made to pay jizya.
However, considering that the English language media are currently reporting that Morsi is trying to woo Egypt’s Christians and women to win more votes, it is difficult to imagine that he actually made those comments: one does not doubt that he favors the idea of a “second Islamic conquest” and the subjugation of Christians; one doubts that he would be so foolish as to reveal his mind now, publicly, and thereby jeopardize his chances of winning the presidency.
Then again, his remarks are reported in the context of a private meeting at the headquarters of the Brotherhood’s political party. Perhaps Morsi thought he was speaking to a fellow Islamist who would not expose him? Perhaps he was frustrated at having to win Copts over and was “venting”? Stay tuned.
