www.byzcath.org Forums General Discussions Town Hall War in Lebanon is moving into next phase

Originally posted by Pavel:

Actually, in a serious vein, what you say is a valid concern.

Islam seems to cycle through long periods of stable, powerful, centralized, and expansionist theocratic rule. The time between these periods has generally been short and always chaotic, but has inevitably ended with the rise of a new Muslim �strongman� who ushers in a new Islamic hegemonic state.

It seems to me that the later could well be what we are presently experiencing. After all, the decline of the last Islamic super-power was less than a century ago. The time since has certainly been a time of chaos in the Muslim world and I can�t help but wonder if conditions are swiftly approaching a critical point, which might well give rise to a new Muslim super-state, leading in turn to another period of Islamic ascendancy.

If so, may God help the world my grandchildren inherit.


~Isaac

Maps of war zone from the BBC.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_depth/629/629/5177932.stm

It should be pointed out that theroughout history, there have been those who have stood against the radical Islamist hegemony and fought it off.

Spain struggled for almost 800 years to drive out the Moors, succeeding in 1492 under the determination of Queen Isabella - who has been thoroughly trashed in almost every historical account in the English speaking world (thanks, Henry VIII - her one-time son in law).

There was the victory at the Battle of Lepanto in 1571, that led to the Feast Day of Our Lady of Victory in the Latin Church. A nearby Maronite Parish goes under the name Our Lady of Victory.

Polish King Jan III Sobieski led his Hussars and allied troops to defeat the invading Muslim Turks at the Battle of Vienna in 1683.

I wonder if because Hezbollah are Shia that is part of the reason the Islamic world is not up in arms. I wonder if the Sunni will be able to over throw the Allawites (10% of the pop)control of Syria. It would certainly change the dynamics in the area. The Shia were fored to admit the Allawites to their ranks in Syria as previously they were not conidered as Moslems.

Shlomo Zenovia,

You are wrong about the Israelis not bombing Christian areas. They have bombed Christian areas of Lebanon, far from any Hizbullah sites, and Shiite areas. The Achrafieh neighborhood in Beirut, Junieh, and other Christian areas.

Israel is driving the Christians to support Hizbullah. If they keep this up, they will be able to achieve something that all Lebanese hoped for, a united Lebanese society.

Poosh BaShlomo,
Yuhnnon

Dear Yuhnon,

I believe Israel attacked the TV station and certain strategic places in the Christian area of Beirut. The Christian population and buildings though were not touched except for two people that were passing by.

Today I listened to some Arabs in Israel complaining how they do not have shelters, nor sirens warning them. I wondered about Sourthern Lebanon. Here the missles are hidden among the civilian Shia population, and yet the people do not have sirens nor shelters. What an indifference towards the lives of one's own people. In that sense the Israeli that called them animals is right.

Israel for all it's tit for tat, appears to be far more civilized, at least according to what we in the West consider civilized since it does care for the lives of it's citizens. Do the Muslims? Or are they deliberately placed in harms way for propaganda purposes?

I know that each life is precious, but if we take into account the around the clock bombing of Lebanon, having less that 500 people killed is quite amazing. As I said, Belgrade alone sufferred 20 to 30 thousand dead during Hitlers blitzkreig, and the invasion of Normandy by Britain and America caused the death of 20 thousand French civilians.

What is more tragic, is the total destruction of all those buildings and the livlihood of those people. But as I said, had Hezbollah not wanted that, it certainly would not have had it's missles hidden among their Shia population.

Zenovia

Shlomo Zenovia,

You are correct they attacked a TV station, but that was not in the Christian districts. Israel has bombed Christian neighborhoods, that do not have Hezbullah instillations.

Poosh BaShlomo,
Yuhannon

I posted something in this thread.

"Do you know some more about this site

In Risen Christ, Marian"

Now this post is not more. Did I do something wrong? What is about?

In the Risen Lord Jesus Christ, Marian

Dear Marian,

I removed the link after it was posted for a day. I found it most disturbing.

Regarding that website and that link:

I could also post disturbing images of young American men and women who have returned home after serving in Iraq with no arms, legs and eyes, simply because they are trying to keep peace in a country trying to stand on its feet.

I could also post disturbing images of maimed and decapitated bloodied bodies of Israeli men, women and children after sinful suicide bombings at cafes and bus stops.

I could also post disturbing images of men and women who had to jump to their death from one hundred story buildings in NYC because an airplane was used as a missile of death.

I didn't want to have to write this and that is why, instead, I deleted the link.

The world is at war--not with Israel, not with the U.S., but with radical Islamic terrorists. There are casualties of war everywhere. It serves no one any good to parade images before others. To do so could be considered a form of propoganda, and propoganda plays on the sinful passions. It also does not, in my opinion, afford dignity to the deceased. I am glad that my culture does not generally do this.

Please understand that I am not upset at you, dear brother, but at that website. You did nothing wrong.

I am upset at this terrible war against radical, militant Islam, 'jihad' and terrorism which the world finds herself in. War is hell, it is as simple as that.

Innocent people are being killed everywhere: in Lebanon, in Israel, in the U.S., in Spain, in England, etc. Let us pray for the bloodshed to stop. Let us pray for peace for the whole world and that those whose insanity wish to submit us to their idealogical religion, to cease having these intentions.

KYRIE ELEISON!

In Christ,
Alice, Moderator

Beloved sister in Christ,

Indeed, you are right. I ask your forgiveness. Please, forgive me, my dear sister.

May God have mercy upon all the souls of this world. Amin.

Me agapi en Xristo, pantote, o adelfos sou, Marian

Dearest Marian,

There is no need to ask my forgiveness. Ofcourse, I forgive you.

May our Lord God have mercy on us all!

In Christ,
Alice

I think in large part what is happening is unfortunately a result of some Christian leaders already cozying up to Hezbollah and Syria. Remember the document Auon signed with Hezbollah back in February? Remember that the President, Lahoud, has stayed loyal to Assad and Syria?

What I don't think is going to come out of this is a united Lebanon. I think the sectarian divisions in the country are going to deepen.

What seems clear to me is Hezbollah does not really care about civilian lives, Lebanese or Israeli. It is also clear to me they are not going to play ball in a negotiated settlement. They want Israel off the map.

Andrew

I thought this would be an interesting link to add to this discussion about Arabs in the Holy Land.

BBC Story [news.bbc.co.uk]

In IC XC,
Father Anthony+