Muslims to journalists: "Convert or Die!"

The Trumpet ^ | August - 29 - 2006

[PRePublic]

Muslims to journalists: "Convert or Die!"

Convert or die. That is the message that Muslim terrorists sent by freeing two kidnapped journalists only after they “converted” to Islam on videotape at the point of a gun. The International Herald Tribune reported,

The two journalists from Fox News—Steve Centanni, 60, an American, and Olaf Wiig, 36, a freelance cameraman from New Zealand—were held for 13 days in an abandoned garage in the Gaza Strip as hostages of a previously unknown group calling itself the Holy Jihad Brigades.

“I’m really fine, healthy, in good shape and so happy to be free,” Mr. Centanni told Fox News. He said the two were forced at gunpoint to say that they were converting to Islam and took Muslim names.

“I have the highest respect for Islam,” he said. “But it was something we felt we had to do because they had the guns, and we didn’t know what … was going on.” …

Centanni said that the men were forced to make videotapes decrying American policies and converting to Islam.

The event made for an interesting photo op, as Hamas leader-turned Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Ismail Haniya posed with the journalists after having asked their captors to release them.

But this feel-good moment has a sinister undertone, impossible to ignore: We live in an age when the fastest-growing religion on Earth includes a mushrooming contingent of adherents who are determined to spread their faith through medieval methods.

Convert or die is hardly a new message; it has been employed by religions in spurts throughout the ages. Sadly, those spurts represent the bloodiest chapters of human history.

To this point, the response from those being so blackmailed has been no more confrontational than that of these journalists, who simply did exactly as they were told. However, we can expect that in short order, Western resistance—particularly within continental Europe—will solidify. Evidence of a coming backlash is already building. 

[PRePublic]

Good point.

[sinkspur]

Christ died for us. Are we not obligated to do the same for him?

No. Reading a coerced statement at the point of a gun praising Allah is a political, not religious, stunt done for PR purposes by nutcase Islamists. One is not obligated to die for a political cause.

I can't believe how seriously you, among others, take this "conversion." They renounced it immediately. Yet you think they should have become martyrs to the equivalent of a neighborhood Palestinian gang.

[nutmeg]

Excellent and very appropriate cartoon!

[nutmeg]

FoxFan ping!

Excellent cartoon posted in #16

Please FReepmail me if you want on or off my FoxFan list. *Warning: This can be a high-volume ping list at times.

[Northern Yankee]

I can't believe how seriously you, among others, take this "conversion."

Well...You're not God, so I don't really worry about what you have to say.

Blessings to you!

[sinkspur]

Well...You're not God, so I don't really worry about what you have to say.

I'm not the one sitting in judgement of Centani's and Wieg's actions.

[george76]

Thanks.

.

[Victoria Delsoul]

I'd be curious to know what were their religious convictions were before the forced conversion.

Agreed. I kind of made the same point to you in my freepmail last night. I don't know if they are Christians, or if they truly believe in God.

However, since they were forced to make a public video where they proclaimed their conversion to Islam, it would've been fitting upon their release, to renounce their conversion in front of the cameras. “Don't get me wrong here [Centanni said] I have the highest respect for Islam, and I learned a lot of good things about it, but it was something we felt we had to do because they had the guns, and we didn't know what the hell was going on.”

If he has the highest respect for Islam... is his respect for Christianity lower?

That was the moment when he and Wiig should've renounced Islam and proclaimed Christianity as the true religion. But Alas, instead, they both praised the Palestinians as being beautiful and kind-hearted people. Yeah, right... 63% of such wonderful people have elected a terrorist government - the kind of government that had these 2 converted at gunpoint. Centanni and Wiig were more concerned with the Palestinians' cause than they were concerned about renouncing their conversion to Islam.

I've been looking for the video in which they renounced Islam, but couldn't find it. So, I'm posting the only 2 videos I found.

[Victoria Delsoul]

They renounced it immediately

Care to post the video?

[sinkspur]

Care to post the video?

I don't have the video. But that doesn't mean I didn't hear them say that the "conversion" was phony.

Or are you, with a straight face, contending that these two accepted a "point-of-a-gun conversion"?

[diamond6]

"Convert or die."

Didn't Steve later say that the Palestinian people were a gentle and peace people?


I'm so confused.

[Victoria Delsoul]

No video? I want to see the video. If they praised the Palestinians, why didn't they renounce to Islam for all of us to see?

[sinkspur]

If they praised the Palestinians, why didn't they renounce to Islam for all of us to see?

They renounced their conversions. Sorry you missed it.

[Victoria Delsoul]

If they did, find the video. Thanks.

[sinkspur]

Sorry you missed it.

[stands2reason]

They've been getting attacks for not refusing to "convert" and martyring themselves.

[stands2reason]

Just the threat of it was enough to get them to publicly renounce their principles, thus proving to the Muslim mind that we in the West have nothing that is really important to us and for which we will fight.

These men do not deserve to be criticised for refusing to martyr themselves. They have families that are happy they didn't.

[sinkspur]

They've been getting attacks for not refusing to "convert" and martyring themselves.

I know. The arm-chair Pharisees are out in full force on these threads, chastising a couple of news guys because they didn't shed blood at the hands of an Islamist gang.

[Victoria Delsoul]

But that doesn't mean I didn't hear them say that the "conversion" was phony.

Where does it say that the conversion was phony? I posted a link and videos, check out post # 28

And this is all it says about it:

“Before being released Steve Centanni and Olaf Wiig, the two journalists who were held hostage in Gaza, were forced to convert to Islam and read statements critical of the U.S. government on videotape. After being freed, they renounced their conversion to Islam. Steve Centanni had this to say about the forced conversion:

"We were forced to convert to Islam at gunpoint. Don't get me wrong here. I have the highest respect for Islam, and I learned a lot of good things about it, but it was something we felt we had to do because they had the guns, and we didn't know what the hell was going on."

Nowhere does it say: I renounce to my conversion to Islam, etc, etc.

[sinkspur]

"We were forced to convert to Islam at gunpoint.

A forced conversion is no conversion. Surely you understand what Centani is saying here.