The self-immolation of a young Tunisian merchant in early January became a symbol of popular revolts that toppled Tunisia’s government.This act has already inspired copy cats across the region.
Egypt’s Al Azhar, the most prestigious centre of religious learning in the Sunni Muslim world, said on Tuesday that Islam bans suicide for any reason.
“Sharia law states that Islam categorically forbids suicide for any reason and does not accept the separation of souls from bodies as an expression of stress, anger or protest,” said Al Azhar’s spokesman Mohammed Rifa Al Tahtawi in a statement on state news agency MENA. “Al Azhar cannot comment on the cases of people who had burned themselves, as these may be suffering from a mental or psychological condition that forced them to do so.”
He added that “Islam forbids suicide as a general rule”.
Source; Jordan Times
My comments;
Whether or not Islamic religious authorities ban suicide, there is an open secret in the Arab/Moslem world that it is quite common, as are drug use and many other things that Islam forbids.
The self-immolation that has become an increasingly common form of protest throughout the Arab/Moslem world has given dramatic proof of the fact that despair is the prevailing feeling in this world. People see that their lives are no better than the lives their parents lived and the future they envision for their children is even worse.
The reasons for this are many, but the undeniable fact is that the Moslem religion simply doesn’t offer them any comfort or hope.
How can it when the only source of hope for any human being, Jesus of Nazareth, is described by the Koran as just another prophet like all the others, a man who was not, as the Bible affirms, the Son of God and God in the Flesh, but just an ordinary man with extraordinary wisdom.
John 17:20-21
“My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.
There are a growing number of people in the Arab/Moslem world who have cast off this worthless religion and embraced the Gospel of Jesus of Nazareth, the one and only hope for all of mankind.
Very often it has been through a dream or spontaneous vision of Jesus that these breakthroughs occur.
We must continue to pray for more such revelations and pray for the fledgling churches in the Arab/Moslem world who suffer tremendous persecution for their faith.
Written by Aaron
ivarfjeld.com 
AMEN!!!
Dear Gloria J.
Shalom, and welcome to this site.
It is good that you sign with Gloria J. Because I have to make the readers aware, that you are not Gloria the co-editor of this blog. I do not mind you confirming this.
no i’m not the co-editor that is why i used”J” that is for Jean my middle name given to me at my first birth. May by G-D’s Grace give the Gift of the Second Birth to Arabs and jews during these last of these last days! My Prayer also is for those that call themselves christain to get OUT of Ecumenical Emergent Churches and become Disciples and know the Gospel of G-D. Amen
Dear Gloria J.
Shalom.
I am always puzzled by people who write G-D. What kind of word is this? Is the – O – missing on your keyboard?
I thought you were going to be humble Ivar, as you stated. I see a little bigheaded-ness coimng into the frame. Co-editor!, its a blog Ivar, get off the pulpit and humbe yourself. You serve the Lord your God NOT your exalted blog!!!!!!!!!!!
Dear Benadam
Shalom.
You wrote:
I thought you were going to be humble Ivar, as you stated. I see a little bigheaded-ness coimng into the frame.
My reply:
This article was written by co-editor Aaron. I guess you should comment on the topic. I am ready to debate with anyone who is interested in the articles I have written.
Bendam,
Your Comment: I thought you were going to be humble Ivar, as you stated. I see a little bigheaded-ness coimng into the frame. Co-editor!, its a blog Ivar, get off the pulpit and humbe yourself. You serve the Lord your God NOT your exalted blog!!!!!!!!!!!
My Comment: Where and please point this out-Where is it that Ivar put himself above anyone? Where is it in his response that you reasonsed he wasn’t humble? I think you are imagining words, where there are none.
Gloria J,
Can I ask what you mean by: “May by G-D’s Grace give the Gift of the Second Birth to Arabs and jews during these last of these last days!”
i’m no longer in the first Adam that disobeyed the Creator The LORD G-D of Israel but have been made clean by the Blood of the Perfect Lamb Yeshua, the Perfect Adam that NEVER sinned, HE took the Wrath of G-D, HIS Father for my sin, HE died and Rose again on the third day. My Hope is in The Resurrected Christ Yeshua Jesus. The Goodness, Mercy and Grace of G-D my Father lead me to Repentance. “Amazing Grace” He has put a new spirit in me…HIS Holy Spirit. Do i still sin yes, but HE convicts me when i’m wrong and by HIS Grace i repent, i have a Advocate, Christ The LORD my G-D. For you not to know what i ment makes me wonder about your eschatology and what you understand about sactification is.
Dear Gloria J.
Shalom.
I need to ask you one more time: What kind of a word is G-D? I can not find it in any written and known language.
Please answer me.
Gloria J.
You said: May by G-D’s Grace give the Gift of the Second Birth to Arabs and jews
My Comment: I have never heard anything of Jesus Christ worded “as the second birth.”
Your Comment: For you not to know what i ment makes me wonder about your eschatology and what you understand about sactification is.
My Comment: You don’t have to wonder anything. I’m saved by the Blood of Jesus Christ, and he loves me.
The words of Jesus Christ to Nicodemus John 3:3 Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of GOD. The vital doctrine of regeneration, or the new birth, has been applicable in all ages, for man by nature is a lost sinner, and must be reborn spiritually through faith in GOD and HIS promises if he is to be saved. OT Scriptures as Isaiah 1:18; Psalm 51:10; Ezekiel 18:31. NT Scruptures 2 Corinthians 5:17; Galations 6:15; Colossians 3:10; Titus 3:5; 1 Peter 1:23; and other NT verses on the new birth
Gloria J,
Your comment: The vital doctrine of regeneration, or the new birth, has been applicable in all ages, for man by nature is a lost sinner, and must be reborn spiritually through faith in GOD and HIS promises if he is to be saved.
My Comment: You quote John 3:3 without quoting the surrounding verses. Why do this? With all due respect, are you a Christian?
So other readers can understand, if we are to quote the bible and what God means, we can do so by quoting the verses after, in most cases this helps to understand what God means.
John 3
3 Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.”
4 “How can someone be born when they are old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born!”
5 Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. 6 Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. 7 You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’ 8 The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”[d]
Initially you said: “May by G-D’s Grace give the Gift of the Second Birth to Arabs and jews.”
Christ died for ALL sinners, and the gift of salvation is Available to ALL. Gentile, Arab, Jews, and to all alike.
Acts 2 verses 38-39 38 Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.”
And as to the “O” missing when you type God. Christ knows our hearts, and he knows who is true to him, whether your not typing the O or are.
Just so that you wil not be puzzled any longer the reason i do not use the “O” in GOD is that The Father of my LORD Yeshua is Holy. In reverence to The ONE who saved me that is why i don’t use the “O” unless i use all capital letters to distinguish. i hope that gives you understanding
Dear Gloria J.
Shalom.
Now I know that you have an “O” on your keyboard, and I agree that Father God is holy.
But why do you not write that “Yes-ua” also is holy?
Why is it not a sin, to write HIS name in full?
I feel compelled to intervene here.
I haven’t seen anything in all that Gloria J has said which makes me doubt her sincerity or her identity as a Believer.
Not typing the “O” in God is a Jewish practice which I don’t find any support for in the New Testament but I don’t find anything condemning it either.
As for describing the Born Again experience (which Yeshua specifically says is necessary for salvation) as the “Second Birth” I think this is an issue of semantics and not so much doctrine.
I could be wrong, but if anyone’s interested I think we ought to cut Gloria J a little bit of slack here.
Dear Aaron.
Shalom to my co-editor.
I just wanted to know if G-D and God are the same. We sometimes have a debate her, if Yeshua and Jesus is the same fellow. If I break the Law by typing the “O”, I feel we need to let the readers know about such lawbreaking. It its just a tradition, lets look on this like any other traditions.
Not placing the “o” in the middle of God is a Jewish Rabbinic tradition which is part of a much wider web of control and manipulation that the Rabbis use to keep the Jewish people in spiritual bondage to their system.
It’s a way that the Rabbis keep Jewish people from understanding that they can have a personal relationship with God without going through the Rabbis (and paying the Rabbis for the privilege, let’s not forget that part.)
I’ve often said that the Rabbis and the Catholic Church have much more in common with each other than either side would like to admit. This is just one example of it.
All of that having been said, if a Believer doesn’t feel comfortable placing the “o” in the middle of “God” than it is not a crime. It might be an indication of their spiritual immaturity and/or lack of wisdom, but it’s not a crime, and in itself it will not keep a person from salvation.
I meet people like this all the time in Jerusalem and all you can do is pray for them and love them and set an example for them that you hope they follow into a better understanding of God’s plan and purpose for their life.
Dear Aaron.
Shalom.
I would like to know why? What is the base for this tradition. Is there anyone who knows the origin for the writing of G-D as an English name on our Father in Heaven?
Is it the same in Hebrew?
Aaron, So true. The Rabbi’s and Catholic Priests are both mediators between God and Man. The Catholic Church even has a ‘tabernacle’ where the eucharist is kept. Sadly, the RCC is keeping the people from a personal relationship because everything is mediated through them. Sue
Dear Sue.
This is not an exclusive Jewish-Catholic problem. We must be careful, so we do not end up as “mini-Popes”. There are a lot of them in the Protestant camp also.
I don’t know where the tradition came from, but it’s like Gloria J said, the justification for it is that “God is holy” so we’re not even supposed to say his name or spell it out because we’re not holy enough.
This is, as I said, a way that they keep control of people, by making them believe that they are not “holy” enough to approach God. Like many other things the Rabbis say, it is a direct attack on the Gospel, which teaches that we are made holy through our acceptance of Yeshua’s sacrifice on our behalf.
Aaron,
Your comment: I don’t know where the tradition came from, but it’s like Gloria J said, the justification for it is that “God is holy” so we’re not even supposed to say his name or spell it out because we’re not holy enough.
My Comment: I’d have to say that is bizarre and completely wrong. I have called out to Christ and prayed to Jesus, and he has answered me.
This is my own personal conviction, it has nothing to do with any tradition. When we have so much backsliden and apostate Churches that think that GOD is nothing more then a genie in a bottle. The churches (gentile and jew) are not much better then the world in fact much of the churches are worse then the world. The True Church was built by the Blood of the Martyrs…Prepare for Persecution.
Gloria J,
I said earlier that only Christ knows our true hearts, hence that is why he will bring judgement when he comes to Arab, Gentile, Jew and all alike.
You speak of the True Church built by Martyrs. But what about those who were not killed in the name of Jesus? What about those who believed like my grandfather, who accepted Christ as his Savior? He was not martyred, but yet he is with Christ because he believed in him.
1 Corinthians 12:12-26
1 Corinthians 12 tell us: 12 The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. 13 For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.
Colossians 1:17-20 He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. 19 For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.
God is the head of the Church, and we are the body. And those that believe in him, are the body.
Dear Gloria J, and my co-editor Gloria.
Shabbat Shalom.
I liked this message from Gloria J. She wrote “GOD”. She showed me that she is not in spiritual bondage, but has been set free by Yeshua. I love Him. That is why I write about his teachings every day on News That Matters. I acknowledge that Yeshua would not mind my sister Gloria, calling on Him as Jesus. Like I also do.
Dear Gloria J and Gloria.
Shabbat Shalom.
Gloria J wrote:
The True Church was built by the Blood of the Martyrs…Prepare for Persecution.
My reply:
Absolutely right. Gloria J did not write “ARE built”. She wrote was built. If no one was willing to die in the spiritual battlefield at critical junctions in time, there would not have been true Christianity today.
Gloria: That does not mean that your grandfather had to be butchered for his faith, to be able to make it into the Kingdom of Heaven. But we must all be ready for the ultimate sacrifice, if and when that is required.
Ivar,
So I have to ask by martyr I assumed you meant people who were killed by faith. But some people suggest martyrs are traced back to the early church when Cain who slew his brother Abel, because God accepted his brothers sacrifice and rejected his.
I’m still learning 🙂 Is this view correct?
God Bless
Gloria
Dear Gloria.
Shalom.
Stephen was the first martyr of the Church, that was formed after Jesus had resurrected.
The FIRST blood that cries out is the blood of Abel not Stephen. G-D had Stephen Martyred (killed) because all the believers stayed in Jerusalem instead of going out into all the world, when Stephen was killed then the believers DID. ISRAEL is the Church the Church IS NOT ISRAEL. The covenant(s) were made with Israel NOT with the Church. Gloria was RIGHT! Cain murdered a rightious man Abel, Abel knew that the LORD G-D wanted a blood sacrifice, Cain wanted to give G-D the works of his hand. From Abel the blood cries out!
Dear Gloria J.
Shalom.
You wrote:
G-D had Stephen Martyred (killed) because all the believers stayed in Jerusalem instead of going out into all the world, when Stephen was killed then the believers DID. ISRAEL is the Church the Church IS NOT ISRAEL.
My reply:
There is nothing correct in this statement. The truth is:
1. Stephen was killed because He told non-believing Jews the truth, that they are lost.
2. Non believing Jews are not the Church of Jesus the Messiah.
3. Israel is not the Church. The Church is an assembly of believers in Jesus the Messiah.
Got it.
Thanks Ivar.
God Bless.
Amen Aaron. Ivar, I agree with you too.
I have a Jewish friend you converted to Catholicism. She says that the Catholic Church is very Jewish.
What’s up with this! Aaron and Ivar, sueliz says yoy converted someone to Catholicism???!!!
I’m sure Sue meant I have a jewish friend “who” converted to Catholicism.
Ivar so now you believe in Replacement Theology just like the Catholic Church and the backsliden and the apostate Church. Futher more no where did i say that the unbeliving jew were christain they need to be saved like everyone else. The first jews were Christain and the LAST jews will be christain. They will know there is no other HOPE but their JEWISH Messiah, after the True Christain Church is Raptured out of here (between the 6th&7th seal judgements) Rev. 6:12 BEFORE The Wrath of G-D They will see The ONE they have pierced Zec. 12:10. The Elect are the jew and gentile Believers, G-D’s Chosen people are the jewish people they need to hear the Gospel of G-D and Faithful christains do that!
Dear Gloria J.
Shalom.
You wrote:
Ivar so now you believe in Replacement Theology just like the Catholic Church and the backsliden and the apostate Church.
My reply:
To say Israel = Church or Church= Israel is equally wrong. So both you and the Catholic Church is wrong, but from the totally opposite perspective. The Church is the assembly of true believers in Jesus the Messiah. In His true body, there are surely Jews who cry out to Him in the name of “Yeshua” and Gentiles who use the name “Jesus”. But very few who use the incomplete word “G-D” have been set free to accept and obey the truth.
There are MANY, MANY suicides in the Christian world too… Explain that please. Also, Muslims do believe in Jesus. You are clearly an imbecile. Thank you!
Dear Mick.
Shalom.
You wrote:
There are MANY, MANY suicides in the Christian world too… Explain that please. Also, Muslims do believe in Jesus. You are clearly an imbecile. Thank you!
My reply:
Jesus spoke about a Kingdom that is not of this world. People who believe in Him, have been re-birthed. They all put their trust in Him, and have a new citizenship in Heaven. That many people commit suicide in the Western World, is a very sad fact. They have probably not been born again by the spirit of God, not understood the love of Jesus. He is God. He is eternal. By His own blood He will saved all who believe in Him.