Libyan leader denies Christ’s Crucifixion, denounces Christianity

TRIPOLI, Libya (CISA) – Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi said that it was a mistake to believe that Jesus had been crucified and killed.

"It is not correct to say that. Another man resembling Jesus was crucified in his place," Gaddafi told a March 30 mass prayer meeting in Niger to mark the birth of the Prophet Mohammed. The meeting was aired live on Libyan state television.

The president, according to Reuters, also said Christianity was not a universal faith alongside Islam.

"There are serious mistakes - among them the one saying that Jesus came as a messenger for other people other than the sons of Israel," he said.

"Christianity is not a faith for people in Africa, Asia, Europe and the Americas. Other people who are not sons of Israel have nothing to do with that religion."

Gaddafi, who is seeking to expand his influence in Africa, said his arguments came from the Koran. He led similar prayers last year in Mali. His country is more than 95 percent Sunni Muslim.

"It is a mistake that another religion exists alongside Islam. There is only one religion which is Islam after Mohammed," Gaddafi said in his sermon.

"All those believers who do not follow Islam are losers," he added. "We are here to correct the mistakes in the light of the teachings of the Koran."

Republished by Catholic Online with permission of the Catholic Information Service for Africa (CISA), based in Nairobi, Kenya (www.cisanewsafrica.org).

News>>Christian Communities in Syria Celebrate Easter

Christian Communities in Syria Celebrate Easter

Sunday, April 16, 2006 - 06:40 PM

DAMASCUS, (SANA)
Christian sects in Syria who follow the Western calendar on Sunday celebrated Easter through performing prayers, masses and preaches.

Patriarch of Antioch and all the East of the Roman Catholics Gregorius III Laham chaired a large mass in Roman Catholic Patriarchate in which he spoke about the sublime values of Easter and the divine message conveyed by Christ for salvation of humanity as a whole.

In similar sermons the spiritual leader of the Anglican church in Damascus, Botrous Zaour and archbishop of the Armenian Orthodox in Damascus Armache Balandian spoke in their separate sermons about the humanitarian message of the Christ to free human beings from their sins and suffering.

All sermons spoke about the national meanings of Evacuation Day, which coincides with celebrations of Easter, commending strife and sacrifices of our people to free the home from the foreign occupation.

They called for strengthening the national unity and unifying our ranks to back the ongoing process of development and modernization in Syria under the leadership of president Bashar al-Assad, preserve our country's independence and progress and to face all possible pressures and schemes.

In this respect and on directive from president Bashar al-Assad, the Minister of the Presidential Affairs Dr. Ghassan Laham conveyed the President's heartfelt congratulation to the spiritual leaders of the Christian sects on the occasion of the Easter, wishing them success in their work.

Dr. Laham visited His Eminence Patriarch Gregorius III Laham of the Roman Catholics with the attendance of the Vicar Patriarchal Archbishop Isidor Battikha, Archbishop Elias Tibbi at the Patriarchate of the Assyrian Catholics, leader of the Anglican church in Damascus, Botrous Zaour and archbishop of the Armenian Orthodox in Damascus Armache Balandian and others.

The spiritual leaders of the Christian sects expressed gratitude to President Assad for his kind congratulations, wishing His Excellency success in leading the country .

Awkaf Minister, Ziyad Eddin al-Ayyoubi also visited the spiritual leaders of the Christian sects and offered them his congratulations on the occasion of Easter.

Governors of all Syrian governorates and Secretaries of the Baath Arab Socialist Party visited the spiritual leaders in their governorates and congratulated them.

During the meetings the spiritual leaders hailed the national unity and coexistence which Syria enjoys.
Ghossoun /

The Wiki link you provided repudiuates the "16 million" figure and suggests the number lies between 30 and 100 million instead. The 16 million number is a product of the China Christian Council, an organ of the Communist government and no friend of the independent churches which are seeing exponential growth.

Our church sacrificially supports the Chinese home churches. Our missionaries tell us that the numbers are phenomenal and are increasing daily. Some people there-and here,apparently-are very threatened by the thought of a Christian China. But we are praying earnestly for it.

“As for “Islam is an ethnic Arab movement” — it may have started that way, but they do match us in adherents, in nations throughout the world.”

What I mean by that statement is that Islam keeps Muslims MUCH closer to Arabic culture and language than Christians keep their people to let’s say the languages of Greek, Hebrew, or even Latin in the case of the RCC.

In Christianity, we don’t impose a hierarchy of languages to read our holy book. That is, a Bible in English is just as much the Word of God as it is in, say, Quechua.

But for a Muslim, the Koran is really only the Koran if it is in the original Arabic.

Christianity will be received by at least one person in every single one of the thousands of languages on earth.

It has been written and predicted so.

Let's say GaDAFFY's knowledge of Christian theology is not the best, to put it mildly.

You are very very mistaken. Qadaffi has done nothing original here. He has merely repeated word for word what Islam has to say about Jesus Christ. IOW this is the Islamic theology version of Jesus Christ and what Christians theology says is a irrelevant.

Mohamed is the only man who matters in the Koran. Jesus Christ and the Hebrew Prophets are only his stooges and Islam has a bowdlerized accounting for all of them. They don't respect any of them. They use them. Yes, Muzzies will claim how much they revere Jesus Christ but fact is they use&abuse him to further Muhammad and his awful cult

Yours are harsh words, actually, for what is the basis of a theological discussion.

According to the Koran the young Jesus already announced his raising from the dead (sura 19, 33); however, here the Koran is possibly referring to the resurrection of the believers during the Day of Judgement often mentioned in the Koran (see below; Sure 4, 159). The Koran says that Jesus was taken up to God alive (sura 4, 157 - 159, sura 3, 55).

Moslems and Christians disagree on the question, whether Jesus was crucified, died and overcame death before his ascension to heaven – as Christians say -, or if God has risen him alive into heaven - as Muslims believe. However, both believe, that he was not "dead" at that time when he was risen (the bible for instance states, he spoke to his disciples immediately before he went to heaven.)

In the suras 3:55 and 5:48 it is said, „...I will make him pure" and "...you all will come back to me, and I (God) will decide, what You were in disagreement about". So Christians and Moslems might wait for the solution of some remaining mysteries instead of quarreling.

As Rodney King would say: "Can't we all just get along?"

Let me tell you something. Islam is a thousand times more judgmental about Christianity than the other way around. Islam is a thousand times harsher about Christianity than the other way around

Go to http://www.jihadwatch.org/ sometime for a serious appraisal of Islam. Don’t make the mistake of “mirroring” where just because you are nice and easy going, where just because Christianity is nice and easygoing, that Islam must be approximately the same. It isn’t

Compare the life of Christ to that of Muhammad and you’ll see why we have a huge problem. All Muslims are commanded to emulate Mohammed’s life

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