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Hefner, according to The Oklahoman’s Jana Hayes, “in Tuesday’s mayoral debate, made remarks about Islam that sparked an outcry from the local Muslim community.” In fact, “Hefner, 60, has a history of making racist and Islamophobic social media posts.” In those posts, we’re told, Hefner “called Islam an ‘evil culture’ and compared President Barack Obama to Hitler.” Over the top? Sure. But this is racist only if any criticism of Obama is racist (and of course many Leftists have suggested just that). And as for “Islamophobic,” Hefner’s words come from her personal experience: “Hefner described her Lebanese family’s oppression from...

Every day around sunset, dozens of residents of this small Lebanese Christian village on the border carry their automatic rifles and deploy on surrounding hills, taking up positions and laying ambushes in case Muslim extremists from neighboring Syria attack. "We all know that if they come, they will slit our throats for no reason," said one villager as he drove through the streets of Qaa, an assault rifle resting next to him. For months, Lebanese Christians have watched with dread as other Christians flee Islamic extremists in Syria and Iraq, fearing their turn will come next. Fears multiplied after militants...

Pro-Western Bloc Defeats Hezbollah in Lebanon Vote By MICHAEL SLACKMAN BEIRUT, Lebanon — An American-backed alliance appeared to retain control of the Lebanese Parliament on Sunday in a hotly contested election that had been billed as a showdown between Tehran and Washington for influence in the Middle East. Preliminary results reported on Lebanese television, showed the alliance, known as the March 14 coalition, had managed to preserve its majority in Parliament. If those results are confirmed, they would represent a significant and unexpected defeat for Hezbollah and its allies, Iran and Syria. Most polls had showed a tight race, but...

A powerful bomb killed a pro-government Parliament member and six others Wednesday in a Christian suburb east of the Lebanese capital, security officials said. The blast targeted Antoine Ghanem, 64, a member of the right-wing Christian Phalange Party, said the officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the press. The Voice of Lebanon radio station, which is owned by the Phalange party, also confirmed Ghanem's death. The identities of the others killed were not immediately known. The attack occurred six days before Parliament was scheduled to meet to elect a new president in...

A powerful bomb killed a pro-government lawmaker and six others Wednesday in a Christian neighborhood of Beirut, threatening to derail Parliament's already deeply divided effort to elect Lebanon's next president in voting due to start in days. Firefighters try to extinguish burning cars in Beirut, Lebanon, Wednesday. A powerful bomb killed a pro-government Parliament member and six others Wednesday in a Christian suburb east of the Lebanese capital. Photo: AP Antoine Ghanem, a 64-year-old member of the right-wing Christian Phalange party, was the eighth anti-Syrian figure and fourth lawmaker from the majority assassinated since 2005, reducing the ruling coalition's margin...

Hizbullah is buying up large tracts of land owned by Christians and other non-Shiites in southern Lebanon as it rebuilds its defences in preparation for a new confrontation with Israel, The Sunday Telegraph reported. The land deals are part of Hizbullah's efforts to rearm and fortify the strategically important ravines north of the Litani River, just north of the front line in last year's 34-day conflict with Israel. Just south of the Litani, the UN is conducting hundreds of patrols each day in a bid to keep Hizbullah weapons out of the area. According to the British newspaper, Hizbullah "appears...

Ahmed sits on a plastic chair on the side of a quiet street. A large empty bypass stretches overhead in the direction of the wealthy Hamra district. In the darkness above, a tank can be seen sitting stationary on the road. One soldier is manning the gun turret, another stands guard beside the vehicle. Their weapons are pointed in Ahmed's direction, or more accurately, over his head. Ahmed is also on guard, but he is only equipped with a walkie-talkie. At 19, he is an idealistic member of Hizbullah and at midnight he can be found sitting at the entrance...

BEIRUT, Lebanon - Lebanese troops inched toward Islamic militant strongholds in a north Lebanon Palestinian refugee camp Tuesday as mediators hinted at a possible cease-fire deal that includes the disarmament of the al-Qaida-inspired militants. Two Lebanese soldiers became the latest victims of the battle around the Nahr el-Bared refugee camp near the northern city of Tripoli that began on May 20, security officials said. As the battle with the Fatah Islam group continued, mediators gave indications that a cease-fire deal with the militants was a possibility. According to a Palestinian Muslim cleric who has been acting as mediator, the deal...

Sharbel Mansour, a Christian in a Christian district of Beirut, sees a convoy of cars pass by, yellow Hizbollah flags waving in celebration of the Shi'ite Muslim guerrilla group's declaration of victory over Israel. He says he feels enraged and worried. Enraged because in Lebanon, a country still scarred by the sectarian civil war of 1975 to 1990, crossing another community's neighborhood for a political statement is a provocation. And worried alongside many Christians, Sunni Muslims and Druze Lebanese who think Hizbollah gained strength in withstanding 34 days of Israeli attacks. "They will not give up their weapons. They...

WISSAM ANDRUOUS'S family home lies in ruins after the war between Israel and Lebanon's Shiite Muslim militia, Hezbollah. Plastic sheeting flaps over a hole where a bomb ripped the side of the house in the Christian village of Ain Ibl in southern Lebanon. Only the mattress springs remain of a charred room where three of his younger brothers used to sleep. "We are Christians. We did not not belong to any party," said Mr Andruous, 31, a video technician and father of two, whose younger brother, Rany, 21, is studying in Sydney. "What if we rebuild this house and they...

As Israel pounded Hizbullah targets in southern Lebanon with bombs, artillery fire and advancing ground troops, some Lebanese at home and abroad were quietly applauding Israel's offensive. Most Lebanese oppose Israel's widespread bombardment of the country, and even those in the past who called for Hizbullah's disarmament have, in the face of Israel's military assault, lined up behind the Shi'ite militia. Yet a distinct minority of Lebanese are rooting for Israel to crush Hizbullah - silently if not explicitly. "I'm praying for flattening southern Lebanon," one Beirut native, Micheline Touma, told JTA recently after fleeing Lebanon for the United States...

South Lebanon Christians bitter over Israeli attack QLAIAH, Lebanon: Ever since a truce between Israel and Hizbollah took hold this week, Boulos Abu Hamad and his family have been cleaning up the damage they say was left by Israeli troops who occupied their home for a night. Their properties have only been moderately affected compared to the devastation of nearby Shi’ite Muslim towns, but residents of some Christian areas in southern Lebanon are just as angry with the Israelis. “We are Maronite Christians. We are neither with Israel nor with Hizbollah nor with any other party so why did they...

Via email from: http://msliwa.com * For Interviews with key pro-democracy activists inside and outside of Lebanon, contact: Rev. Dr. Keith Roderick, 202-498-8644, keith.roderick@csi-usa.org IMMEDIATE RELEASE Christian Solidarity International (CSI) Contact: Rev. Dr. Keith Roderick, 202-498-8644, keith.roderick@csi-usa.org Hezbollah is Using Christian Villages to Shield its Military Operations in Violation of International Law WASHINGTON, August 1, 2006: Hezbollah is using Christian villages to shield its military operations against Israel. Southern Lebanese Christian villages, such as Ain Ebel, Rmeish, Alma Alshaab, and others are being used by Hezbollah terrorists for launching missile attacks. "Hezbollah is repeating the same pattern that it practiced against...

Video on what every Westerner needs to know about Middle East Terror and Israel -- A Lebanese Christian woman's journey through Hell and beyond. If you have a hard time accessing the video, you can go to the website at www.americancongressfortruth.org and choose your connection speed and the interview at the bottom left of the page.

Washington DC, Aug. 03, 2006 (CNA) - Recent reports indicate that Hezbollah is using Christian villages to shield its attacks against Israel. According to Christian Solidarity International, Hezbollah is hiding among civilian populations, mostly in southern Lebanese towns, such as Ain Ebel, Rmeish, Alma Alshaab. Launching attacks behind human shields is in violation of the Geneva Convention's provision for the Protection of Victims of International Armed Conflicts, which prohibits the use of civilians as military shields. This is not a new strategy for Hezbollah. Col. Charbel Barka, a former South Lebanese Army commander, says Hezbollah is repeating what it did...

Christian villages across southern Lebanon have been left largely untouched as Israel battles to destroy the Hezbollah infrastructure embedded in Shiite communities between the Israel-Lebanon border and the Litani River some 18 miles to the north. That is due primarily to the Christian population's disdain for Hezbollah, and refusal to allow the terror group to operate from within its communities. Not only do Lebanon's Christians and Druse by and large oppose Hezbollah, many who previously fought alongside the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) as part of the South Lebanon Army continue to foster strong pro-Israel sentiments. Speaking to the AP, Hamoudi...

Christian villagers have nowhere to run Caught between warring sides, many stay to protect their historic home AIN EBEL, LEBANON -- Therese Asrouni felt no love for either side as she watched an intense firefight between Israeli soldiers and Hezbollah guerrillas out her window yesterday. She loathed them both for once more turning her tiny tobacco-farming community into a war zone. Residents of Ain Ebel say Hezbollah has been drawing fire toward the Christian village by launching Katyusha rockets from the nearby tobacco fields, just a few hundred metres from Ms. Asrouni's home. The militants leave when Israel returns fire,...

Another Point of View: Evangelical Blindness on Lebanon The academic dean of the Arab Baptist Theological Seminary is angry at evangelical Christians, Israel, Hezbollah, the U.S., and the international community. by Martin Accad ------------------------------------ Note: When covering international crises, such as the current fighting between Israel and Hezbollah, Christianity Today takes care to listen to evangelical Christian leaders in the places most affected. We may find their views corrective, provocative, or even abhorrent at times, but in each case we learn about areas where we stand together and areas where we disagree. In the case of this submission from Martin...

While the world's attention is focused on westerners fleeing to Cyprus and the many Hezbollah civilians fleeing to Syria, another group of Lebanese people worldwide are counting the days until they will be going back to their homes in Lebanon and reunite with their families. These are the thousands of Lebanese Christian refugees who fled Lebanon before, during and after the civil war. The most recent wave of refugees fearing slaughter by Hezbollah came in 2000 with the Israeli withdrawal from south Lebanon. With Israel's help, many moved on throughout the world while over one thousand remained in Israel. Most...

But for some of the Christians who had made it out in this convoy, it was not just privations they wanted to talk about, but their ordeal at the hands of Hezbollah — a contrast to the Shiites, who make up a vast majority of the population in southern Lebanon and broadly support the militia. “Hezbollah came to Ain Ebel to shoot its rockets,” said Fayad Hanna Amar, a young Christian man, referring to his village. “They are shooting from between our houses.” “Please,’’ he added, “write that in your newspaper.” In past wars, Christian militias were close to Israelis,...