Posted on 11/22/2006 7:13:43 PM PST by Tim Long
Official state news report quotes 'Purpose-Driven' author criticizing U.S.
Syria's Grand Mufti Sheik Badr al-Din Hassoun and Rick Warren
California mega-church pastor Rick Warren, author of the best-selling "Purpose-Driven Life," reportedly told a Syrian-controlled news agency the U.S. should have been holding dialogues with Damascus; Syrian Muslims and Christians co-exist peacefully; and the Syrian leadership is responsible for the nation's tolerance and stability.
That's according to the news agency SANA, which has issued a number of reports this week as Warren visits Syria and meets various leaders and officials, much to the dismay of many in the U.S.
"We at VCY America Radio network are appalled and angered that Rick Warren is praising a nation that has long supported international terrorism and that desires the utter destruction of Israel," said a statement from the broadcasting organization.
(Story continues below)
"The U.S. State Department reports that Syria – along with Iran – gives the Lebanese militia Hezbollah 'substantial amounts of financial, training, weapons, explosives, political, diplomatic, and organization aid.' The State Department also has documented that Iranian arms destined for Hezbollah pass through Syria on an ongoing basis," the group continued.
"Syria has also let Hezbollah operate in Lebanon and attack Israel, the results of which were seen in the July, 2006 violence between Hezbollah and Israel in which many lost their lives," the statement said.
The SANA reports included statements that:
"Pastor Warren hailed the religious coexistence, tolerance and stability that the Syrian society is enjoying due to the wise leadership of President al-Assad, asserting that he will convey the true image about Syria to the American people."
"Syria wants peace, and Muslims and Christians live in this country jointly and peacefully since more than a thousand years, and this is not new for Syria."
Warren told Syria's Islamic grand mufti there could be no peace in the region without Syria and 80 percent of Americans reject the U.S. administration's policies and actions in Iraq. The comments attributed to Warren contradict documentation by the International Counter Terrorism organization and U.S. State Department of Syria's extensive use of terrorism for its political goals.
The ICT said "frequent use of the 'terror weapon' has been made by Syria against Lebanon, Jordan and the Palestinians" in an attempt "to impose Syrian hegemony over them and bring them into line with Syrian policy."
"The main Lebanese leaders killed by Syrian proxies were: Bashir Gemayel (who was accused by Syrian propaganda of being a 'Zionist proxy'); and Kamal Jumblatt (accused of being a 'traitor' and an 'American agent.')," the ICT said.
Syria also has used terror tactics against Egypt and Iraq, although less successfully, the ICT said, but it has been used against Christians in 1978 and in the city of Zahle in 1980, and even against Muslim residents of Beirut.
The broadcast group says Warren "has no business involving himself in any role that appears to be representative of the United States and his promise to Syria to present a brighter view of that nation to America and Saddleback members demonstrates his willingness to serve as a mindless shill for a nation that embraces terror as a legitimate way of solving problems."
Messages left with Saddleback requesting a comment were not returned immediately.
But Mark D. Tooley, writing in FrontPageMagazine.com also noted "Warren has reportedly promised to carry that state sponsor of terrorism's propaganda message back to the U.S."
He accused Warren of being adrift in a religiously left direction.
"The supposed quote from Warren reads like a news release from Assad's propaganda ministry. Perhaps, the translation into Arabic and back into English does not do Warren justice. We can hope," he wrote.
"Needless to note, there was no mention by the Warren delegation, at least not as mentioned by SANA, about Syria's one-party police state, its political prisoners, its chambers of torture, its support for Hezbollah terrorism in Lebanon, and its continued devotion to the destruction of Israel," he wrote.
Freedom House notes Syrian people have no way to change their government and no influence into its policies.
This is a nation, Tooley wrote, "where only the ruling Baathist Party and its allies are permitted to win elections, where all news media are owned or controlled by the government, where independent labor unions are prohibited, where universities must proclaim Baathist Party policies, where clerics are appointed by the government, where the president by law must be Muslim, and where women's limited rights are governed by Islamic Sharia law, even though the government is ostensibly secular."
No new Christian school has been allowed to be built in 40 years, and all schools by law must have Muslim principals, Freedom House said.
"It is a sad story, repeated often. Big-name U.S. preachers, often otherwise sensible and orthodox in their faith, visit despotic regimes and naively curry favor with police state thugs," Tooley wrote, resulting in "a propaganda bonanza for the tyrants."
Saddleback, with 30,000 members, was begun by Rick and Kay Warren in 1979 and now has more than 200 ministries in the Orange County area.
His popular book, which has sold about 12 million copies, focuses on worship, fellowship, discipleship, ministry and evangelism. It tells readers the life is "not about you," and shows how God can enable each one to live for His purposes.
Warren already is scheduled to preach in North Korea next year.
If this is true, why are they exporting intolerance and instability to other countries in the region?
Who the hell is this guy, never heard of him. I know of Billy Graham to be the top dog...
"Thank your sir, may I have another?"
Yes, and deservedly so.
my former church was once this wonderful good evangelical Bible church out of Dallas, Texas. It became a mega church and within a year of being in the new large building the pastor announced things were going to change, and they sure have! Now my former church has become a Liberal/Emergent/progressive church just like Rick Warren's church. And the pastor just loves Rick Warren!
There is only one mega church here that has a solid reputation and hasn't changed, but I live to far away to attend. We are looking for another church now. It is sickening because there are so many who are being decieved at my former church and it won't take much for them to continue to follow the lead of the church rather than Christ.
Freepers 'get' it. Have a great Thanksgiving!
you need to tell your friend that he and the other people in the flock of Saddleback are being decieved!
My friend's no dummy. I'll wait to hear from him.
"Freepers 'get' it. Have a great Thanksgiving!"
Same to you, friend. And that is not a whimsical couple of words, but a heart felt salutation.
I usually don't take the Syrian news media as a credible source of quoting anyone on anything
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Exactly. Freepers never believe a word the MSM says until it comes to something like this. Don't be so quick to trash this man.
no WONDER he has been seen on the MSM so often! They were softening us up for the killing strike!
I think you misspelled a word.
Ditto here, there are certain freepers that we 'connect' with. Have a great day tomorrow!
ping me for the breaking news on that, will ya?
something is going to happen, soon..............
I hate it when preachers go political. No more credibility for this clown.
?
"Ditto here, there are certain freepers that we 'connect' with. Have a great day tomorrow!"
You too...seeing family that are not next door, lots of good food, football, and not being part of the kitchen cleaning crew, wishes in your direction.
Begins with a "B".
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