Information Related to "World News Review August 2000"
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In Brief... World News Reviewby Darris McNeely and Cecil E. MaranvilleFuture of Jerusalem "Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: 'May they prosper who love you. Peace be within your walls, prosperity within your palaces'" (Psalm 122:6-7). The city of Jerusalem continues to be a focal point during the current peace talks between Palestinians and Israelis. Both sides lay claim to sovereignty over the city which is holy to the three world monotheistic religions, Christianity, Islam and Judaism. Israelis of all political persuasions insist that a united Jerusalem will be the eternal capital of the Jewish state-come what may. In contrast, Palestinians insist that partial control must be ceded to an Arab authority as part of a comprehensive peace settlement. Part of the city is already controlled by Palestinians and some speculate that a building under construction in east Jerusalem will serve as the capital building for the future Arab government. Last month's failed talks at Camp David broke down largely over the issue of the future status of Jerusalem. Both Ehud Barak and Yassir Arafat knew they could not bargain away their positions on the city and hope to effect a peace settlement with their peoples. On July 23 Pope John Paul II spoke out on the religious importance of Jerusalem. From his summer home in Castel Gandolfo he urged the parties, "not to overlook the importance of the spiritual dimension of the city of Jerusalem...." The pontiff added, "The Holy See continues to maintain that only a special, internationally guaranteed statute can effectively preserve the most sacred parts of the Holy City and ensure freedom of belief and worship for all believers who, in the region and throughout the world, see Jerusalem as the crossroads of peace and coexistence" (L'Osservatore Romano, July 26, 2000). The Vatican, as a sovereign entity and in the interest of peace, could offer its unique services to resolve this generational conflict between the descendants of Abraham. Daniel 9:26-27 clearly shows that at the time of the end conflict over religious issues will play a critical role in the stability of this city. Proposed French Law Anti-Religion? A bill working its way through the French legislature has provoked concerns in religious groups around the world. Ostensibly responding to the horrific mass suicides of Solar Temple sect members in Canada, Switzerland and France, the French Socialist Party has introduced what they call "anti-sect legislation." On the surface, it sounds responsible. Beneath the surface, it looks like legislated atheism. On the drafted list of sects are smaller and controversial religious groups such as the Jehovah's Witnesses, Scientologists and Unificationists. However, also included is a large Baptist denomination. All together the list names 173 groups considered "dangerous" in France. Germany, Austria and Belgium also created commissions to draft similar lists. The YWCA was included on the Belgian list! Is this responsible legislation-or overreaching by a minority prejudiced against all faiths? The core of the proposed legislation is an attempt to outlaw "mental manipulation" of the public through "religious proselytizing." The law doesn't clarify who would determine what either mental manipulation or proselytizing is, but one thing is certain-the French are serious. The penalty for these "criminal acts" is imprisonment for up to two years! As written, the law would empower the government to shut down a religious group when two representatives are found guilty of one legal infraction. American religious freedom advocates are protesting the French law, and officials of the U.S. State Department have spoken with French lawmakers over concerns. The Catholic pontiff called on the French news media to "be vigilant and to treat fairly and objectively the different religious denominations," although he did not specifically address the proposed French law or the legislators. So far, the EU has not followed the French lead in creating a blacklist against small religions. Since the United Church of God, an International Association, would be categorized as "a small religion" and considered out of the mainstream of religion, we are concerned about the actions of the French-and potentially the Germans, Austrians and Belgians. Is this a precursor of prophesied legislative controls over religion? See Revelation 13:11-18. (The Washington Times.) Same-Sex Minority Has "Majority Voice" A small minority of the U.S. population that is homosexual continues to wield undue influence on American law and the U.S. economy. Minutes after the state's so-called "civil union legislation" took effect, two women in the small southern Vermont town of Brattleboro stood before a justice of the peace. Justice T. Hunter Wilson pronounced, "By the powers vested in me by the state of Vermont, I join you in civil union." Reuter's headlined it as "U.S. Gays Tie Historic Knot in Midnight Marriage." So much for the careful crafting that Vermont legislators put into the law to avoid lending its approval to same-sex marriages. Encouraged by the Green Mountain lawmakers, a gay New York state senator is drafting a bill similar to the Vermont civil union law. Openly gay Rhode Island legislator Michael Pisaturo is intent on leading his state to expand marriage law to include homosexual couples. Reuter's coverage of the Brattleboro union reads like a society page piece report on a wedding, giving detailed descriptions of what each of the women wore. In a related story, Subaru launched an ad campaign that targets the homosexual market. The slogan-"It's not a choice. It's the way we're built"-would not necessarily catch the ear of the uninitiated. But it was carefully worded to market the Subaru product to homosexuals. One of the ad campaign's developers explained that it's apparent to gay people, while straight people would not know what's going on. "Subaru has become so successful at attracting gay customers that some drivers consider themselves members of a 'club,' in which fellow Subaru owners share an implied message in their cars' brand," reports Kimberly Palmer of The Washington Post. The CEO of a gay marketing firm said, "We call [Subarus] Lesbarus" (ibid.). To appeal to the gay community, Subaru contracted with tennis great Martina Navratilova, a lesbian activist, to pitch their product. In another related story, in the name of "fairness," the city of Phoenix, Arizona, recently decided to extend the benefits it provides to its married employees to those employees in same-sex unions-a small minority of its workforce. The central Arizona county of Maricopa quickly followed with an announcement that it is considering doing the same for its employees. (AP, Reuter's, The Washington Post, The Arizona Republic.) Terrorism Potential in Three Widely Different Areas Three widely different areas that are vulnerable to terrorism have been in the news of late. The Internet could be rendered unusable if only 4 percent of its nodes were shut down, reported AP science writer Matthew Fordahl on July 27. The Internet is an interconnected web of computers spanning the globe. Like a blocked human blood vessel can be bypassed to keep needed blood moving, information will circumnavigate blocked nodes for the most part. However, the Internet relies on a few key nodes that are so highly connected that they cannot be bypassed. Should those key points be attacked by terrorists, the entire World Wide Web could be shut down. Nothing like that has happened yet, although a number of relatively minor acts of criminal sabotage have occurred. CNN.com, Yahoo! and Amazon.com have all come under attack. These essential nodes are scattered around the world and are generally in highly secure areas-but nothing can be totally secure. All it takes is enough money to finance a major assault on the Internet to bring it down. Fordahl's article was a summary of a University of Notre Dame study on the susceptibility of the Internet to terrorist attack reported on in the journal Nature. In an area more commonly thought of when one hears the word terrorist, the Middle East must concern itself with what the Stratfor Global Intelligence Service calls "a new terrorist dynamic." For years, the Hezbollah guerrillas, sponsored by Iran, have attacked the Israelis in Lebanon. Since the Israelis have now pulled out of Lebanon, there are indications that Hezbollah is linking up with the Hamas-the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement. Arms traffic and strategic coordination between the two terrorist groups signifies the likelihood of coordinated violent operations against the Israelis in the West Bank. Hamas' ultimate objective, also sponsored by Iran, is the creation of an Islamic state. Their targets are largely civilian. The threat of violence is a concern in itself. Additionally, Syria wants to forge peace with Israel, and the ability of recently confirmed President Bashar Assad to control the Hezbollah will be an important test of his foreign policy capability. The third area declared susceptible to terrorism is the U.S. capital. The National Park Service commissioned a counterterrorism study that concluded that Washington, D.C.'s monuments are vulnerable to attack by terrorists. Equally sobering is the study's assessment that the police force responsible for protecting the monuments is ill-equipped to prevent such action. Millions visit the U.S. capital every year. Entrances to monuments are often left unlocked and unguarded. The U.S. Park Police force is undermanned and underfunded. And the United States enjoys an open and free society. All of these factors, combined with the obvious shock value of targeting Washington, D.C., make it an area of increasing concern to counterterrorist strategists. ( AP, Stratfor.com, The Washington Post. ) |
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Other Articles by Darris McNeely
Other Articles by Cecil Maranville
Origin of article "World News Review August 2000"
Keywords: Jerusalem France and religion homosexuality terrorism same sex marriage
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