This has been the top agenda for the world during the last few years and shall remain to be so. But the change in tactics at the hands of those held responsible for disrupting peace has made it more important to realize that the world has not been able to do away with the causes of terrorism. It tak

It was lovely being surrounded by all the celebrations, but it reminded me that I was alone. So I sat at home wondering what Christmas really meant for me.

And then it suddenly dawned on me, Its all about JESUS!

Some people have argued that Jesus wasn’t even born in December, whilst othe

Will never leave nor forsake me

I am Yours to guide eternally

Father Yours inspired I am

Breathed in soul for Your true glory

Know not I your deeper TRUTH

For I humbly submit

To your servitude in adoration

Knowing full of Your divine wrath

Yet you choose to love me heal me

Latest news particularly from the subcontinent of India and Pakistan and now from some other nations disturb the peace of peaceful citizens. It is a time to reflect and ask Prince of Peace to bring in a dawn of understanding and harmony in 2005 to save the citizens of the global village

Since last Sunday we have been learning about the life of John the Baptist. Soon after the Baptism of Jesus, John was imprisoned by King Herod Antipas and held in the fortress at Machaerus near the east central shore of the Dead Sea. John is not only locked up physically but also locked within his

If we as Christians do not learn to pray more intensively and faithfully, Islam will infiltrate our society and swallow us. Islam presents this challenge to Christians.

The Arabic word Islam means, “surrender, devotion, and submission.” A Muslim gives himself to Allah and is bound t

As the spiritual and organizational descendants of those knights who founded the Knights Templar in 1118 A.D., and as the guardians of the Order and its holy truths, we hereby declare that the “Templar Church” is not Templar.

As defenders of the faith, for which so many knights gave t

I do understand that it is the birth right of any Muslim to insult and misinterpret the Holy Bible, and while you do it, you even forget the Holy Koran. The “Crucifixion” or “Death” of Lord Jesus Christ that you debate is very clearly mentioned in the Holy Koran. Please read

My “theological doctrine” of democracy is that democracy is “collective disobedience” of God that brings the wrath of God on mankind. In the Holy Bible we find this collective disobedience. >From “Day One” till today, the majority has always been corrupt and disob

The same mother who raised me and sacrificed so much so that I might have an education and a better life, now would rather see Islam triumph than see me rise as a Christian.

It’s a very tough dilemma. But throughout all of this turmoil, one thing never changes. My love for my mother is str

The Disney classic movie - Snow White has the character of memorable wicked witch who barks at the mirror, "Mirror, Mirror, on the wall, who’s the fairest one of all?"
When the mirror gives the wrong answer, the witch flies into a fit of rage and Snow White becomes the target of her resentme

The global church is facing the worst crisis in its two thousand years old history. The preaching and teaching of the Holy Bible is “side lined”. The church is talking on every “none-issue”, like homosexuality, Gay and Lesbians rights, Pro abortion and pro life. The church is

In the following presentation I would like to answer these questions by studying the foundations that Muslim scholars use in constructing their Sharia laws on Jihad. This basis for the martial law of Islam is primarily constituted by 95 legally binding Qur'anic verses and a number of incidents from

A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, temperate, sober-minded, of good behavior, hospitable, able to teach; not given to wine, not violent, not greedy for money, but gentle, not quarrelsome, not covetous; one who rules his own house well, having his children in submission with al

295-C

Use of derogatory remarks, etc; in respect of the Holy Prophet. Whoever by words, either spoken or written or by visible representation, or by any imputation, innuendo, or insinuation, directly or indirectly, defiles the sacred name of the Holy Prophet Mohammed (PBUH) shall be punished wit

4. The retaliatory war: How Allah justifies the war against non-believers in the Qur’an

5. How Allah’s call to arms is supposed to be carried out

6. Rewards for carrying out Allah’s call to arms

7. What Allah says to Muslims who are unwilling or hesitate to fight

Beaver declared himself the archbishop of the new church after an investiture ceremony performed in Holloway Chapel at the University of London on December 18, 2003.

According to the spokesperson for the Church of Wales, however, the part-time Anglican priest from Wales who performed the ordin

I agree with Charles Colson and Anne More, that “America’s increasing decadence is giving aid and comfort to Muslim terrorists. What we see or assume that the United States of America is the only “Super Power” after the collapse of Soviet Union in early nineties. We read and

Father, I don’t understand this but I do know that I love you with all my heart.

Tell me what to do.

I had no desire to cry, even though I was in alien surroundings. I had been to the finest restaurants, stayed in the most expensive suites of hotels and had a very affluent life, yet here

Among all the self “invented and reserved rights”, insulting Christianity is the most commonly used by every “Dick, Tom and Herry” or in Urdu, Ayra, Ghera, Natho Khera. These people think that insulting Christianity is their birth right. The most common word used for Christi

So many times the pain to return
Overshadowing the moments of peace
Heaven sends the tranquil jewels
Yet hell persists in its torment
The power of love victorious

As I sit alone a gentle voice whispers
Do not worry you are mine
Awed by the kindness
Numbed by the touch
Abba I cry, I am Y

One of the things that most impressed me about Pakistan’s Christians was their devotion and steadfastness to their religion. I know that it has not been easy for them, for Christians suffer discrimination and live under the constant threat of violence from Islamic extremists. The governme

Thus far all fingers seem to point to the mysterious Jama’ah Islamiyah network, which is said to span the whole of Southeast Asia and whose members come from Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore. While it is still too early to come to such conclusions, some observations can be made at this point

If we look to the past one hundred years, we see that the last big Islamic empire was the Ottoman Empire, now the Republic of Turkey. The Ottoman Empire was the reigning super power for four hundred years and controlled the whole Middle East. The other super powers of India, Indonesia and Africa wer

In the story of the Good Samaritan Luke 10:25-37 we are immediately introduced to a lawyer, he poses a question to Jesus as a "test" - "Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?" Jesus answers this question with one of His own. "What is written in the law? What do you read there?"
The ans

In the following decades, immigration from Britain continued increasing their population. This resulted in a clear division between French and English. Upper Canada, mostly Ontario today, became English-speaking and Lower Canada, Quebec became French-speaking.

In 1841, both col

Peshawar and Hyderabad Dioceses are well aware of all the disputes (within the Church of Pakistan), constitutional and legal position of Bishop Alexander John Malik as Moderator, Rev. Sadiq Daniel as the Bishop of Karachi Diocese, Rev. Rafique Masih as the Bishop of Hyderabad Diocese and Mr. Mano Ro

The other day, I saw her at a distance while I was buying my lunch. She was sitting at the extreme corner table, sipping from a cup of coffee. A stray kitten happened to emerge from somewhere. She picked her up and began to stroke her back. The unique thrill which she experienced while doing so

One of the important pre-conditions of this arbitration is that it has to be voluntarily agreed to by both sides. The choice and qualifications of the arbitrators are allowed to be set by the disputing parties. The rulings of the arbitrators have to be consistent with the Canadian Charter of Rights

A doctrine of course that would not be approved of by their own prophet Muhammad. Not even Pakistan’s Blasphemy law, under Penal Code section 295, would stand in approval by Muhammad, because it fails to promote religious tolerance, something that Muhammad preached. It is also a known fact tha

This booklet consists of three articles written on the subject of Muslim conversions to Christianity, with an introduction by the Mirwaiz of Kashmir, Maulvi Muhammad Umar Faruq, head of the Muttahida Majlis-i ‘Ulama of Jammu and Kashmir (MMUJK), a recently-established association of Kashmiri &

Soon after this I was nominated as missions coordinator for my local UM congregation and Afghanistan became the focus of their Global Missions Day in November. I hung a poster at the foyer of the church with a picture of the overflowing refugee camps and the caption read “Summer camping is no

A doctrine of course that would not be approved of by their own prophet Muhammad. Not even Pakistan’s Blasphemy law, under Penal Code section 295, would stand in approval by Muhammad, because it fails to promote religious tolerance, something that Muhammad preached. It is also a known fact tha

Wilmington, Delaware! There have been several other “never” experiences since then, so one would think I would have learned and given up on the “never” statement. However, over the last few years as many of my friends and co-workers returned to school for higher degrees I r

Because of the actions of few of our soldiers, now in the Islamic world, it gives validity to al-Qaeda’s hateful propaganda that West is the enemy of Islam. We now face a desperate political problem how to create a good will and win friends to support our efforts to bring democracy and peace

At the breakfast table it began to emerge slowly that S. Arthur was persecuted in Pakistan for converting a Muslim girl, RM. Both names had come to my attention during my research about minorities, particularly about Christians. I had wanted to visit Pakistan to study the situations

The Dead Dog in the well of the Church of Pakistan.

In recent times a dog fell in the well of the Church of Pakistan (which ought to be a well of living waters), died and the entire water started smelling. The caretakers of the well started adding various fragrances to hide the fact from the po

There is no doubt in my mind that Robert Morey is an Insane Monster misleading the Christians of North America. He claims to be a scholar and authority on Islam yet al he does or has done so far is nothing different that an “illiterate Mullah” of a remote village of Pakistan. He is a 

I shall take up the matter of various acts of “men in uniform” any where in the world during an ongoing armed struggle. First I shall take up the media role in situations like that. I am very positive that if such stories are not concocted no one will buy these “dramatic and sensat

On behalf of the Pakistani Christian community living in Canada and United States of America, I want to express our shock, anger and concern on the rape of two and a half year old Christian girl ‘Neha’ at Gujranwala on April 6, 04

According to the details gathered from Neha’s hu

It is certainly commendable when President George Bush apologizes for the condemnable treatment of some of his soldiers. He is concerned about the image of his nation.

Pakistan should also think of its national image. Pakistan owes such an apology to Bangladesh for the atrocities it

“The Church of Pakistan acknowledges that the Church is the Body of Christ and that its members are the members of His Body. Those are members according to the will and purpose of God, who are baptized into the name of the Father, and the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, receive the calling and gr

amidst dull and deep clouds
and shroud is spread
on my despair
your name emanates
in pleasing shapes.

Image of sacrifice
message of hope
you are highly prized.
This life and pleasure
I owe to you.

A blind boy in the alley
I roam for your loving care.

I wish you were alive
mother d

“GOD WILLS IT!” The decree made by Pope Urban II’s speech at Clermont Cathedral less than a millennium ago sparked one of eight crusades in 1095 taken up by the Christian church and its followers

Multiculturalism is an essential aspect of the Canadian scene that is reflected in the words of the writers of this land. There is a great variety in the Canadian immigrant experience as recorded in literature. During the last hundred years, many writers of Indian origin, once or twice removed from

It is most interesting to read how the mind of this young American woman began to change beginning with her travels abroad to islamic-based countries during her college years. The story of her life up to that point appears to be very uneventful and average, similar to any other young person's life

Make no mistake about it. You will leave a legacy. Even obscure people leave a legacy, which by definition is something you hand down to your descendants, whether it's your material possessions or your reputation.

It's not that every detail of your life is going to be laid before your childern,g

The Jewish people use this ritual to commemorate the original exodus meal Commanded by the Lord on the night the angel of death passed over all households in Egypt, taking the first-born son of any family if the front door was not marked with the blood of a lamb. Today's meals also serve as family

What did it happen at dawn on Sunday? If it were somehow possible to get an authentic replay of an event from the past, probably more people would opt for the first Easter than for any other episode in history. Or, if Jesus had lived in the twentieth century instead, his grave would probably have

All these days are counted as forty days. This period of forty days was established from our Lord 's example (Cf. Mt. 4:2). Forty days are given to each Christian adult to become aware, how his/her spiritual and moral life is growing in relation to man and God. What he should do for his God and Savi

During the early months of 2004 the last of the series of meetings were held on various Thursday evenings to provide insight on the regions of 1) China, 2) South Asia and 3) Iraq and the Middle East. The last two events were especially crowded - held at The Terrace at Greenhill Country Club in Wilm

I hope soon to meet Mr. Hassan and his entire family and openly invite them to my home for an evening of sharing around dinner table to develop ongoing friendships.

I will continue with a bit more writings, but perhaps this first paragraph in itself says it all - in that both Mr. Hassan and I l

After throwing out Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's government in October 1999 General Musahraf's military rule gave an intuition of liberator and reformer, who's ideal was Kamal-ata-Turk of Turkey, and who wanted to make Pakistan as moderate Islamic country, free of corruption, politically stable and

One night in Iowa, at a horse auction, my daughters begged me to buy a beautiful palomino mare out of the "kill pen". At a horse auction, the "kill pen" is where the abandoned, abused horses are dropped off for quick cash. But if no one bids on the horses in this "kill pen", they are taken away to

In the economic and political field, many groups, such as that of aviation, telegraph, ocean and trade unions, have been functioning successfully for years without any major problem. In addition, there are many service clubs like the Lions and Kiwanis that are very cosmopolitan in their scope a

The Great Litany, lessons from the Holy Scriptures and hymns point to one theme - that we are sinners. The Word of God is very clear on the affect of sin on our spiritual well being. We learn that sin causes human soul to be in exile from God our Creator. "The wages of sin is death." The season

In many of these poems, the poet warns us about the horrors of war. War is destructive by nature. Moreover, it cannot solve human problems. War will not be able to solve human problems in the days to come. War can do harm but no good. Those people who believe war is for "winning glor

Today the results of that investigation have begun appearing in reputable publications. The brief quotes below, together with some of my thoughts, come from Dawn, Pakistan's largest English daily
(http://www.dawn.com/2004/02/02/top2.htm) and an article in today's Washington Post (http://www.washin

This book takes you on a 40 day journey using the Bible and short daily readings for reflection about important issues of life. The basis of the book is that there is no such thing as 'self-help' to develop your personality or character or to be an effective person in the workplace, as a husband/wi

The entire focus of his strategy last week, including the meeting with Dr AQ Khan, the subsequent TV apology, the mercy petition and the pardon, was to pacify the domestic scene as Pakistanis were genuinely enraged at the treatment meted out to the scientists while the Army tried to pass on the blam

They refuse to believe in God which the Jews, Christians and Muslims believe in. This is an interesting incident; about 25 years ago a Russian visited the city of Karachi in Pakistan. When he saw the undisciplined, crowded road traffic with no accident or confusion, he uttered with amazement that

Peaceful coexistence and respect for human rights are two main areas which shape Canada's foreign as well as domestic policies. Here is a quote that indicates the thinking of the Canada's policy-makers even in 1948 when the chairman of the Canadian delegates spoke in the General Assembly at the time

He suffered, died on the Cross-and on third day He rose from the dead on the third day. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. On the third day he rose again. He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again to judge the livin

I have been reading your columns for quite sometime and have been responding to your articles very often but the Urdu Times refuses to publish them. I have noticed in your writing and attitude that you are a very anti-American person. Let me assure you Mr. Shabbir, you can be as anti-Christian as yo