JIHAD TO CHRIST

Jihad to Christ A Muslim comes to Christ

PART ONE first battle was the Six Day War when the I was born in Bethlehem, Israel, on one of the holiest days to Islam -- the birthday of the Muslim prophet Mohammad (AlJews captured old Jerusalem and the rest of Palestine. This was a great disappointment to Arabs and Muslims worldwide. Mauled Al-Nabawi). This was an honor to The American Council in Jerusalem my father, for that he named me “Walid” which relates to the Arabic word “Mauled” in English “The Birth”, to always remember the birthday of the Muslim prophet. My father was a Palestinian Muslim who taught English and Islamic studies in the Holy Land, and my mother was an American who married my father during his studies came just before the war to evacuate all the Americans in the area since my mother was an American, but my father refused and turned them down because he loved his country. I still remember many things during the war; the noise of the bombing and shelling that went on day and night for in the United States in 1956. six days, the looting of stores and houses by the Arabs in Jericho and people running

While my mother was pregnant with to cross the Jordan River from fear of the me, my parents left to live in Israel in 1960 Israelis. which was called Jordan at that time, and when they arrived in Bethlehem I was born. The war was called the six-day war As my father changed jobs we moved to because it was won in six days and on Saudi Arabia then back to the Holy Land the seventh day a Rabbi by the name of this time to the lowest place on earth, Jeri- Goren blew the ram’s horn on the Wailing cho. I did not forget the first song I learned Wall in Jerusalem declaring the victory. in school just before the six-day war titled Many Jews claim that this was a parallel to “Arabs our beloved and Jews our dogs.” I Joshua when he went around the walls of used to wonder at that time who the Jews Jericho six times, then on the seventh day were, but repeated with the rest of the kids seven times, and on that day the priests the words without any knowledge of the blew the trumpets and everyone shouted meaning. with one voice and took the city. To my fa-

As I grew up I lived through several bat- ther in Jericho it seemed that the walls had tles between the Arabs and the Jews, the crumbled on him (Joshua ch 6). 8

Later on we moved back to Bethlehem During school riots against what we and my father enrolled us in an Anglican- called the Israeli occupation I would Lutheran school as they had a better prepare speeches, slogans, and write English course. My brother, sister and I anti-Israel graffiti in an effort to provoke were the only Muslims in the school and students to throw rocks at the armed being half Americans teachers would Israeli soldiers. We shouted, “No peace beat us and students would laugh at us. or negotiations with the enemy”, “Our When the Bible class started I would leave blood and our souls we sacrifice to Arafat”, the class and remain outside. One day I “Our blood and our souls we sacrifice to walked in the Bible class and the class Palestine”, “Death to the Zionists” etc. ‘bully’ stood up to fight. He shouted, “We don’t want this half American Muslim to I vowed to fight my Jewish enemy be here”. I refused to get out and the lady believing that I was doing God’s will who was teaching the class asked me on earth, and was true to my word as to sit down. For the first time the school I participated in many riots against the allowed a Muslim to study the Bible, and Israeli army, always trying to inflict harm to for the next three years I studied it despite them and by all means and methods I could all the mocking. come up with. I would start and participate in any riot I could make, in schools, streets,

Later my father transferred me to the and even on the holiest place (the Temple Government school where I grew in the mount site) in Jerusalem called by Arabs faith of Islam, in which I was fed the idea (Al-Masjid Al-Aqsa), and all through high that one day a fulfillment of an ancient school I would always be one of the first prophecy by the Muslim prophet Moham- to provoke a riot. Many others got involved med will come to pass. This prophecy in terror tactics against the Jews using foretold a battle in which the Holy Land bombs and armed assaults on Jews to would be recaptured and the elimination of force them to leave Israel, but they never the Jews would take place in a massive could pluck them out. slaughter. It is documented in Mohammed’s Book of Traditions which states the Nothing could change my heart, I could following: “The day of judgment shall not either die or a miracle needed to happen. come to pass until a tribe of Muslims de- I was one of those seen on CNN throwfeat a tribe of Jews”. When Mohammed ing rocks and Molotov cocktails in the was asked of the place this will take place days of the Intifada or ‘The Uprising’. The he said: “In Jerusalem and the surround- interesting thing was that I was not only ing nations”. terrorizing but I was terrorized by my beDuring my youth, like my father, I was always tuned to Islam and what our Muslim teachers taught. Believing in Mohammed’s prophecy I offered my life to ‘Jihad’ or ‘Holy War’ as the only means to obtain either victory or martyrdom. In Islam martyrdom is the only way you can ensure salvation and entry to heaven especially since Allah and his prophet Mohammed liefs. I had to gain enough merit and good deeds to go to heaven but never was sure if my good deeds would outweigh my bad deeds when I came to be judged by God. Of course, to die fighting the Jews would ease Allah’s anger towards my sin and I would be secured a good spot in heaven with beautiful wide-eyed women to fulfill my most intimate desires. promised it, as the Koran states it: “Do not I remember one time in Bethlehem all think of whom are killed for the cause of viewers clapped their hands with joy in a Allah (in a Holy War), to be dead but living jam-packed theater watching the movie with their lord receiving his blessing”. “21 Days in Munich”. The moment we saw 9

the Palestinians throwing grenades in the helicopter, killing the Israeli athletes, hundreds of viewers yelled “Allahu akbar” (Allah is the greatest). This is the slogan of joy used by Muslims for victorious events.

I remember students used to ask the teacher during our Islamic studies in Bethlehem High School, if it was permitted for Muslims to rape the Jewish women after we defeated them. His response was, “The women captured in battle have no choice in this matter; they are concubines and they need to obey their masters. Having sex with slave captives is not a matter of choice for slaves. This in fact is written in the Koran, for it says: “Forbidden to you also are married women, except those who are in your hand as slaves. This is the law of Allah for you.” -- Sura: The Women (al-Nisa, verse 20).

In an attempt to change the hearts of Palestinians the Israeli Tv station would show Holocaust documentary on Tv. I would sit and watch cheering the Germans while I chewed on food. They took our school once to a Jewish camp on the coast of Eshdod for a week to mingle us with other Jewish schools. That didn’t work. On the contrary, every teacher who spoke to a Jew was mocked. she would take me on trips to several museums in Israel. I fell in love with archeology and was fascinated with it. In many arguments with her I would bluntly tell her that the Jews and Christians corrupted the Bible. She responded by taking me to the scroll museum in Jerusalem and showed me the scroll of Isaiah, still intact but there was no one taking pictures of any Bible errors to prove any corruption and I had no suitable reply for her.

I would persecute my mother, calling her an “infidel” and an American Imperialist who claimed that Jesus is the Son of God. I’d show her the pictures in the newspaper of all the teenagers supposedly martyred as a result of violence demanding answers from her. I hated her and often asked my father to divorce her and re-marry a good Muslim woman.

I would even pose with a grim and sad face for the school picture as if I knew that my turn to be in the paper as a martyr would be next, as many times I risked being killed during youth protests and clashes with the Israeli Army. I lived in Israel during the Six Day War, the P.L.O. resistance, the Jordanian black September civil war, the bloody wars in Lebanon, and the war of Yom Kippur -- all these losses and we still hoped for that one victory to destroy Israel.

My mother, on the other hand, tried to My parents worried a lot about me as teach me a different idea at home she I got thrown in prison by the Israeli Army. called God’s plan. She spoke to me about My mother went to the American Council Bible prophecy; she said that the return in Jerusalem to try to get me out. She was of the Jews was pre-planned by God and was fulfilled. This to her was God’s miracle in our generation, for the world to see that “His will shall be done.” She also told me so stressed her hair started to fall. In jail I learned more about the art of terrorism and when I got out I was more fanatic than before. about many future events to be fulfilled in When I graduated from high school our generation which are surfacing every they sent me to the United States to seek day now. She told me of false Messiahs a higher education, and of course I got and counterfeits; but all that had little involved with many anti-Israeli social and effect, for my heart was set on fighting political events. I still remember my favorite against the Jews. sick joke I used to like to tell my friends, that I hated Hitler very much because he

My mother was influenced by an never got the job done -- he never finished American Missionary couple. Many times the Jewish problem “once and for all”. 10

With Hitler being my idol, and deeds, and I was sure that at the end, my Mohammed my prophet, I went on with my sins would outweigh my good deeds. I life with little regard for Jews, Christians, or always wondered about my destiny, lost in anyone who was not a Muslim. I believed my fears and doubts. I really hated the idea that one day the whole world would submit of killing for my salvation, and in reality I to Islam. I also believed that Jews were never had the heart to kill a rat! How then prophet-killers and that they corrupted the could I kill a Jew!!! Scriptures to serve their evil desires. This is what Muslims teach; they also teach that Mohammed is our only redeemer and God’s favored prophet. Sometime in 1992 I was fascinated when I read a book entitled “Armageddon, Appointment with Destiny”, by Grant Jeffrey. Some of the things explained in

As I lived in America I could not forget this book had many detailed prophecies the hundreds of thousands of Muslims who about Jesus: His birth, life, death and died in the previous 20 years in Iran, Iraq, resurrection; and the re-creation of the Kuwait, Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, Afghani- state of Israel. Many of these prophecies stan, and in every single Muslim nation. I came to pass just as God put them down had to get revenge for them, and someone in the Bible! What also amazed me was had to pay the price, and of course there to find out that the chances for a man to is no question in my mind that the Jews predict hundreds of historic events written had to pay the penalty. Somehow we al- hundreds and thousands of years before ways managed to twist things and make their occurrence are one in zillions! What it their fault. One day I fought with a man was more fascinating was that the margin and struck his eye blind; I was so happy to of error had to be zero, especially when learn that the man was a Jew. the fulfillment of many of these prophecies

I was fascinated with Islamic history as is happening in my generation. This kind of I learned that the Islamic prophet Moham- evidence had to come from a divine origin med extradited a Jewish tribe from Saudi and that origin had to be God Almighty. Arabia and ordered the be-heading of all the men from another tribe; the women were taken as concubines. I used to believe as Islam taught, only a Caliph (Islamic ruler) can rule the world. The struggle began. I was puzzled: How could the Bible be a fake and corrupted by the Jews if the land I grew in spoke and cried out, as thousands of pieces of archeological evidence surfaced from the

Islam is not a religion for one’s personal land of Israel? This only confirmed the and moral life, but a system of law and Bible. The book of Isaiah was discovered government to the whole world, and if not in the Qumran caves by a Muslim by the achieved through peaceful means would name of Muhammad Deib from the next have to wage war against all who do not town to Bethlehem when he was looking submit to Islam. With one billion Muslims for a lost sheep. From that discovery living today I believed that it could happen. they found the rest of the Old Testament All my life I was terrified every time I read the Koran, because after every other verse there are threats of hell fire for this sin and that. All I wanted was to reach out to my Maker to say I am sorry, forgive me, and give me another chance. But I failed which confirmed its authenticity in the Bible we have in our hands today. I had to read the Bible to know who Jesus really was to find out for myself, and God finally led me to begin understanding the truth. to keep count of all my sins and my good – To be continued next issue 11

BEHIND THE SMOKE SCREEN

THE USE OF MARIJUANA is not only harmful to the pot smoker himself.

He/she can also become a risk to society.

Research clearly shows that marijuana has the potential to cause problems in daily life. A study of 129 college students found that, among those who smoked the drug at least 27 of the 30 days before being surveyed, critical skills related to attention, memory, and learning were seriously diminished. A study of postal workers found that employees who tested positive for marijuana had 55% more accidents, 85% more injuries and a 75% increase in being absent from work.

In Australia, a study found that cannabis intoxication was responsible for 4.3% of driver fatalities.

It is almost impossible to grow up in America, or any country, and not be exposed to drugs. Peer pressure to do drugs is high and honest information about the dangers of drugs is not always available.

Many people will tell you marijuana is not dangerous. Consider who is telling you that. Are these the same people who are trying to sell you some pot? Marijuana can harm a person’s memory—and this impact can last for days or weeks after the immediate effects of the drug wear off. In one study, a group of heavy marijuana users was asked to recall words from a list. Their ability to correctly remember the words did not return to normal until as long as four weeks after they stopped smoking. 12

Students who use marijuana have lower grades and are less likely to get into college than non-smokers. They simply do not have the same abilities to remember and organize information compared to those who do not use these substances.

“The teacher in the school I went to would smoke three or four joints a day. He got lots of students to start smoking, me included. His dealer then pushed me to start using heroin, which I did without resisting. By that time, it was as if my conscience was already dead.” — Veronique

WHAT DEALERS WILL TELL YOU

When teens were surveyed to find out why they started using drugs in the first place, 55% replied that it was due to pressure from their friends. They wanted to be cool and popular. Dealers know this.

They will approach you as a friend and offer to “help you out” with “something to bring you up.” The drug will “help you fit in” or “make you cool.”

Drug dealers, motivated by the profits they make, will say anything to get you to buy their drugs. They will tell you that “weed won’t lead you to harder drugs.”

They don’t care if the drugs ruin your life as long as they are getting paid. All they care about is money. Former dealers have admitted they saw their buyers as “pawns in a chess game.”

Get the facts about drugs. Make wise decisions based on those facts. If you have a drug problem or have a loved one with a problem, contact --