Fake News

As we head into the holidays, it is getting hard to keep track of how many of the election-related "hate crimes" have been proven false. Not only are they false, but they are almost always perpetrated by leftists.

Here are the latest examples of false hate crimes that made big headlines.

Police in Ann Arbor, Michigan, yesterday said that a female university student lied about her claim that a white Trump supporter had threatened to set her on fire unless she removed her hijab. This story got major press coverage -- here, here and here -- and was repeatedly cited as evidence of a massive spike in bigotry against Muslims after the election. It never happened.

Remember the horrific reports -- here and here -- about the black church that was torched and the words "Vote Trump" were spray painted on the building? I recoiled in disgust when I heard the shocking news.

Well, I'm pleased to say the police have made an arrest in the case. Sadly, the arsonist was a member of the church's congregation.

Now think about this for a moment. These people are part of a movement that is pushing the narrative that America is a horribly racist and bigoted country. When there is no evidence of it, they make it up.

They must know that they are creating the very "atmosphere of fear" that they claim to be against. And they are the ones who are pushing the country closer and closer to a disaster.

Sadly, we have seen this sort of false propaganda in the past. Left-wing totalitarian regimes like the Nazis and the Soviets often exploit "false flag" events.

There is enormous irony here. The left thinks that crimes motivated by hate are particularly egregious and deserve greater punishment. Yet making up a false hate crime is its own form of hate -- hate against white people or conservatives, smearing innocent people to advance a political agenda. How twisted is that?

Don't get me wrong, folks. I am not suggesting there is no problem in America with racism. We should always be working toward racial reconciliation.

I believe that one of the best ways to achieve that goal is through the understanding that we are all made in God's image, and because of that, skin color is beside the point. Unfortunately, the left fights against God and any vestige of faith in the public square too.

Speaking Of Hate. . .

As we approach Christmas, it is heart breaking to see what is happening to our brothers and sisters in Muslims nations around the world. The barbarism of ISIS is almost impossible to imagine. Sadly, too many of our political and cultural elites are in denial.

Today there are disturbing reports that ISIS has published a list of churches in America. It is urging its followers to "turn the Christian New Year into a bloody horror movie." Yet our elites insist that such terror has nothing to do with religion.

They are lying to us.

When the jihadists yell, "Allahu akbar!" it has EVERYTHING to do with religion.

When ISIS instructs its followers to attack churches and Christmas markets, it has EVERYTHING to with religion.

Journalist Graeme Wood recently spoke with NPR about his new book on the Islamic State. Here are some excerpts of his remarks:
 

"I think that there is a strong urge to say that [Islamic terrorism] has nothing to do with religion, that ISIS is a bunch of psychopaths. . . Unfortunately that's just not true. ISIS has looked into Islamic history with historical accuracy, with intellectual rigor. . .

"You'll find some who will say the violence is temporary. 'We are Muslims who are reviving the faith and we have to do this in a fallen world. . .' That's what you find with the nicer ones.

"The less nice ones just say, 'This is a wonderful thing. The violence is not something that needs to be explained except to say that our scripture says it must be so. And so when it happens, we should celebrate it.'"

There is no doubt that major parts of Islam are at war with Christendom, as has been the case for centuries. There is tremendous hate in the hearts of Islamic supremacists. How does a mother kiss and hug her young daughter before blowing her up as a suicide bomb?

But it goes beyond that. Even if you eliminate the extremists of ISIS, Al Qaeda, Hamas, Hezbollah, Islamic Jihad, Boko Haram and Al-Shabaab (Ever stop to wonder why there are so many radical Islamic groups?), Christian minorities are under siege in Muslim-majority nations.

There is a reason that 12 of the 17 worst violators of religious freedom are Islamic nations.

There is a quickening within the Islamic world. In Indonesia, a fatwa has been issued against Christmas. The Christian governor of Jakarta is on trial for blasphemy against Islam.

While our Justice Department is suing every local community for discrimination any time a permit for a mosque is denied, very few churches are being built in the Muslim world.

Please remember to pray for Christian believers as well as our Jewish brothers and sisters around the world. We are going to have major projects in the coming year to draw attention to the issue of religious persecution and to spur action by the Trump Administration. The genocide against Christians must end.

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Happy Chanukah

Carol and I extend our warmest wishes to all our Jewish friends and supporters. As an evangelical Christian, I have tremendous respect and admiration for the Jewish faith and the state of Israel. As the celebration of the miracle of lights begins this weekend, I promise to continue to fight against the darkness of anti-Semitism and to work for the safety and security of America's friend and ally Israel.