ISIS Threatens Christians in Jerusalem

How did ISIS get into the most fortified city on the planet?
I'm guessing they didn't.

a reply to: MrSpad

Hey, I'm just going by what the article says.

But I hope you're right about there just being a few lone sympathizers distributing flyers rather than a "branch."

Of course, considering the source, "branch" could very well be subtle propaganda aimed at fear baiting. Who knows.

a reply to: ChesterJohn

Islam started in Mecca not Jerusalem. Islam like most cities stole the location from the Jews and claimed it as a holy city only during the Crusades.

Guess what the Jews stole it too. Jerusalem was already an ancient city before Judaism even started. Mohammed preached there just as Jesus did. Why do you think the Dome of the Rock is there? Muslims believe that is where the prophet Muhammad ascended to Heaven accompanied by the angel Gabriel.

originally posted by: Kali74
How did ISIS get into the most fortified city on the planet?
I'm guessing they didn't.

Maybe they had passes for all the checkpoints.

originally posted by: buster2010

originally posted by: Kali74
How did ISIS get into the most fortified city on the planet?
I'm guessing they didn't.

Maybe they had passes for all the checkpoints.

Maybe they ARE the checkpoints.

*cue music*

originally posted by: seagull
a reply to: ChesterJohn

It doesn't change the fact that Jerusalem houses holy sites of Christendom.

Like this one?

That would be the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.

Or this one?

The Wailing Wall.

....and last but not least.

The Dome of the Rock.

Three major holy sites. All in Jerusalem. All beyond just merely important to three major religions.

The funny thing is Jesus said at John 4:21 "A time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem." Christians have NO holy sites, since at verse 23 it says "Yet a time is coming and has now come when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is a spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth."

a reply to: seagull

I doubt if even an attack on Jerusalem would move the Arabs or the world to do anything against ISIS


It seems this is all fixed:


let ISIS romp and they will somehow take out Syria

Kind of an ironic threat seeing as ISIS was created by Israel and the US. And not for nothing.. but Christians in Israel are brutalized all the time by their friendly neighbors.

a reply to: buster2010

Why do you think the Dome of the Rock is there?

I think that Dome of the Rock is in Jerusalem because the hordes of Arabs from Arabian Peninsula captured it.
And Mohamed didn't "preached" there, he was magically transported in his dream to the "farthest mosque". Sure, there wasn't any physical mosque at that time in Jerusalem, there was Byzantine structure which Muslims later converted to mosque.

At the same time, as an architectural monument, the building attests to the complexity of crosscultural, historical interactions that have shaped it. The Dome of the Rock is a perfect example of Islamic interaction with Byzantine artistic and architectural traditions. The overall form of the architectural dome follows the Byzantine model of churches and martyriums (structures designed to house relics); and the mosaics decorating its interior draw extensively on Byzantine mosaic techniques and aesthetics in their execution of vegetal motifs (while combining them with Sasanian iconographic elements). Thus, although the Quranic inscriptions adorning the Dome of the Rock promote the virtues of the Islamic faith over Christianity, the architectural and decorative programs are heavily indebted to the Byzantine Christian artistic tradition, which they recombine and reinterpret to create a triumphal message.
www.metmuseum.org...

a reply to: kitzik

that byzantine structure was the temple of Jupiter erected by the Romans after they leveled Jerusalem in 70AD. the Muslims used the original octagonal foundation from that Roman temple.

a reply to: ChesterJohn

the Muslims used the original octagonal foundation from that Roman temple.

Have you seen many octagonal Roman structures ? It is a well established fact that Jerusalem was Christian Byzantine city before Muslim conquest. It is hard to establish for sure if there was Jupiter Temple exactly at this site, though it is also probable. But let's not forget that Jerusalem was firmly within borders of Byzantine Empire for many centuries, they have built what is today known as The Holy Sepulcher and I doubt that the building on the Temple Mountain was functioning as pagan Temple till the mid 7-th century. The Crusaders referred to it as Solomon Temple, when they captured Jerusalem in 1096, so I'm not even sure that it functioned as a mosque from 7-th century to 11-th.

St. Jerome (translator of the Bible) writes in his letter

From the time of Hadrian to the reign of Constantine— a period of about one hundred and eighty years — the spot which had witnessed the resurrection was occupied by a figure of Jupiter; while on the rock where the cross had stood, a marble statue of Venus was set up by the heathen and became an object of worship. The original persecutors, indeed, supposed that by polluting our holy places they would deprive us of our faith in the passion and in the resurrection
www.newadvent.org...

This quote is likely about the place of The Holy Sepulcher, but what is important is that since Emperor Constantine the city became totally Cristian and I don't think that any pagan Temples were permitted.

originally posted by: seagull
Do you really see the Druze aligning with Bedouins, and local militia, who are in many cases, avidly hostile to them?

It'd be a good thing, I think... But memories are very long, and forgiveness for sins, real and imagined, hard to come by.

Yeah it has been happening along the Syrian Israeli border. They have plenty of arms and seem to be getting training from some where... Israel of course who has cut some sort of deals with them. They are playing as if they are not however, with both the Druze and Israel asking US air strikes to assist them instead of Israel just doing it to keep their involvement to nothing more that suspicion. Of course in Syria this war has made some very odd pairings. People forget it was not long ago the Kurds spent most of their time fighting each other.

originally posted by: Liquesence
a reply to: MrSpad

Hey, I'm just going by what the article says.

But I hope you're right about there just being a few lone sympathizers distributing flyers rather than a "branch."

Of course, considering the source, "branch" could very well be subtle propaganda aimed at fear baiting. Who knows.

It is just with ISIS being an enemy of Israel and Hamas and Hezbollah normal ways of getting a cell supplied or even started in Israel would not be available. When the other terrorists will cut throat instead of helping you out it just seems any real sized group would be hard to hide and supply. Then again you never know.

So wait a minute...it only matters when ISIS kills or threatens Christians but other Muslims...who cares..?

"ISIS Threatens Christians in Jerusalem"

right... christians.... no jew's...ofcourse not.. you don't kill youre masters...!

originally posted by: krosnos
So wait a minute...it only matters when ISIS kills or threatens Christians but other Muslims...who cares..?

Killing of any kind, regardless of faith is something detestable to God.

originally posted by: ChesterJohn
a reply to: JohnnyCanuck

Christians don't claim any earthly city as their holy city.

Not so fast. I imagine some sects of Christianity only look forward to the New Jerusalem, but there are millions for whom Rome is "The Holy City" and there are millions more for whom Jerusalem, Nazareth, and Bethlehem are "The Holy Cities".
________
Some other points:

Mohammed first taught that Muslims should face Jerusalem for their prayers. There are still plenty of Muslims in Pakistan who face Jerusalem instead of Makkah (Mecca).

But as for ISIS ... their eliminating the Christian Arab and Christian Armenian population in Jerusalem would be a dream come true for the State of Israel and the Zionists.