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Air Date: June 24, 2015
Host : Jim Schneider
Guest: Shahram Hadian
Jim opened this edition of Crosstalk with news that yesterday, in a 60-37 vote, the Senate advanced Fast Track and Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) legislation. This legislation would give President Obama enhanced authority to complete free trade deals. It will have its final vote this week. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has been pushing for this legislation and hopes to have several trade bills on the President’s desk by the 4th of July.
Some say this legislation guts the sovereignty of America and allows many policy related issues that have nothing to do with trade to be part of the trade deal. Contact you senators at the number listed below to express your feelings on this landmark legislation.
Less than 48 hours before broadcast time, President Obama once again (like his predecessor George W. Bush) celebrated Ramadan with an Iftar dinner at the White House. The White House Press Pool reported that there were approximately 150 invited guests.
What is Ramadan and it’s significance to our nation’s struggles today? Joining Jim to discuss this was Shahram Hadian. Shahram was born in Iran and came to America at the age of 7 to escape an oppressive Islamic regime. He is a former Muslim who experienced a transformational life change when he committed his life to Jesus Christ. He immediately faced persecution and disapproval from his family and culture. His conversion meant he is an ‘apostate’ and deserves to be killed. He now leads a ministry to speak the truth in love on issues such as the true goal of Islam and the threat of Islamic law in America. Shahram brings broad real-world experience as he has served as a pastor, a police officer, a teacher, a coach, a small business owner and was a candidate for governor in Washington state in 2012.
Ramadan is a 40 day period that varies depending upon the lunar cycle. It’s also significant for Muslims in that it’s a celebration of the revelation of the Qur’an and is the holiest time frame on the Islamic calendar. This period involves daytime fasting with a breaking of the fast at sunset. The Iftar meal is the final one that breaks the 40 day cycle. To not celebrate Ramadan is an ultimate act of heresy and can bring the death penalty.
Jim presented comments from President Obama’s Iftar dinner where he communicated that Islam is a religion of peace. According to Shahram, these comments merely reflect the early verses of the Qur’an, verses that have been abrogated by later verses that do not espouse peace. Also, ‘peace’ in Islam means that a nation must come under the majority control of Islam and the law of Islam (sharia) must be implemented.
In another comment, the President noted the right for Muslim women to wear the hijab which clearly indicates he’s in favor of the right for Muslims to practice their religion freely. In contrast, he fought Hobby Lobby over the use of contraceptives and since that time, other Christian-based businesses have been discriminated against and therefore aren’t allowed to practice their faith freely.
Shahram also explained the Islamic concept of the two ‘houses’ (the House of War and the House of the Infidel), how lying (taqiyya) plays into this and how it all comes together to create a clever propaganda front. This front fools people into believing that Islam is a religion of peace when as already noted, ultimate peace under Islam demands complete Muslim control.
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