Posted on 05/31/2004 9:00:49 AM PDT by Ernest_at_the_Beach
KHOBAR, Saudi Arabia, May 31 (Reuters) - A Christian Arab who was held captive by al Qaeda militants in Saudi Arabia said on Monday he lied to them about his faith and praised their battle against the West, to save his life.
Nizar Hajazeen, a Jordanian software businessmen who was at the Tower hotel in the Oasis compound during the 25-hour drama in Khobar, said the militants lectured him about Islam and their aim to liberate Saudi Arabia from "infidels and crusaders".
The complex where the militants held about 50 foreigners -- including some Westerners -- was their last target in the violence in the eastern Saudi oil city in which they killed at least 22 people.
Hajazeen, 32, had tried to call a cab to go to work on Saturday but the phone lines were jumbled.
"I went down and the Filipino receptionist told me there were terrorists in the compound and gunshots were heard," he told Reuters.
He tried to help security guards close the hotel entrance gate but the lock did not work and a manager recommended he hide, Hajazeen said.
"I went to the room of a Jordanian colleague. Someone banged violently on the door. We opened and there were two men, one with a machinegun, another with a revolver. They were wearing black track suits," he said, adding that one had a wounded arm.
Both were in their twenties.
"They asked us if we were Arab or Westerners. We told them: 'We're Arab'.
"One then asked if I was a Christian or a Muslim. I told him we were Muslims and showed him my colleague's Koran as proof. I told him we supported them and that we were against America and Europe. I had to say that."
"HAPPY BIRTHDAY"
Residents of the compound said the attackers asked everyone they encountered if they were Muslim or Christian, before taking them hostage or killing them.
An Oasis manager said the gunmen shot and killed several Westerners as soon as they entered the complex.
The gunmen made two Indian hotel staff with master keys show them where the Westerners were, Hajazeen said.
His brother called him on his mobile phone to wish him a happy birthday -- a day late -- just as the militants were saying their motive was to drive Americans and Christians from their country.
"They asked me to turn off my mobile but did not take it away as they did with others," Hajazeen said, adding that they told him and his colleague to stay in the room and left.
"We stayed locked in our room. One of us was hiding in the shower, another one was hiding in the bathtub," Hajazeen said, adding that from time to time they sneaked back into the bedroom to watch the news on television.
He said that before commandos freed them on Sunday, compound security guards called his mobile to ask him to check if the militants had rigged his floor with explosives. He found nothing.
"Before the commandos came, there was heavy gunfire and one explosion shook the hotel. We could hear glass being smashed, screams... It sounded like someone was giving out orders."
Saudi security forces later called them out, saying: "Do not be scared."
Making his way to freedom he saw the bodies of four Indians and an Italian cook.
"They had been shot dead. Some were on the staircases."
My mother made an interesting comment about this. The human body/mind has the will/desire to survive at all costs. This is the flesh. She spoke of how we must learn to crucify the fleshly wills and desires of our bodies and minds that we would be obedient to His will to the point of death.
I'd rather WAIT to find out if I'm going to heaven.
You'd do the same thing too though, you're just too in love with yourself (not your faith) to admit it though.
When it counted? He lied to devils of hell to thwart their objective to spread murder and mayhem.
No one in their right mind will fault him to lie to these perverts. This guy now can live a life confessing Christ to his family, friends, and neighbors, or he can choose not to. That is what he will be judged on, for goodness sakes. To not see this is mind-boggling, imho.
Well said.
It doesn't seem out of context to me. Christ is talking about what it means to be his follower. Read the next few verses for the context.
In those kinds of situations I tell a person that it is none of their business rather than lie about it....whatever "it" happens to be. It has cost me at times, too.
This pretty well concisely sums up this 600+ post thread.
How did he thwart their objective to spread murder and mayhem? People still died. What is he going to be a witness of? How to deny Christianity and save your rear? Where in the bible is it permissable to lie? If it is then Christianity has the same tenants as Islam.
WEll I have been in a similar situation several times. But that is beside the point. I was only trying to make the point of what the scripture says compared to this situation. Christ expects me to live up to a higher standard. I do not speak condeming this man, but clearly what Christ is calling me to do is live up to His standard.
Thanks for that link. I've been looking for something better than what I have been using.
So, should ALL Christians being persecuted, some to the point of death, in various places all over the world lie about their faith?
I hope I never put myself in the situation where I have choose. My gut instinct is to say that I would not deny Jesus. I have no idea what would happen in real life.
So far, I've not been called in as a missionary...but those who do IMHO..are in great danger. I know this poor guy wasn't a missionary..but the story (if all reports are accurate) itself is a confession of sorts.
The Koran says that it is permissable to lie to your enemies. Do you agree with the Koran?
Fearful? Heck yeah! Anyone who says they would not be is a liar. This guy seems quite smart to me.
It's a pretty difficult thing to imagine. We haven't had to face this kind of thing up till now --- when "defending your faith" only meant possibly standing up to a little ridicule at the most it was not really very hard to defend it. When you're comfortable and safe inside a church, it's pretty easy to renounce Satan.
Luke 12:4-9
"I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that have no more that they can do. "But I will warn you whom to fear: fear the One who, after He has killed, has authority to cast into hell; yes, I tell you, fear Him! "Are not five sparrows sold for two cents? Yet not one of them is forgotten before God. "Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear; you are more valuable than many sparrows. "And I say to you, everyone who confesses Me before men, the Son of Man will confess him also before the angels of God; but he who denies Me before men will be denied before the angels of God."
So, I am to gather from your post that when the enemy comes and threatens us with death unless we deny our faith that we should all lie? That is the smart thing to do, right? Their obejective is to kill Christians and Jews. If we all deny our faith then we can all live in peace?
thanks for posting that Terp... Matt, Mark, Luke and John each basically tell their own versions of the life of Jesus...so to see that Luke spoke of the same words...isn't surprising.
My point is that he's talking about the disciples..and the terrible encounters they would have to face prior to the crucifixtion... (I think..am waiting for anyone to correct the context, if I'm incorrect)
Oh, good grief. He thwarted their objective to spread mayhem for him, his family, and friends. He stayed alive and communicated via cellphone to the police and perhaps aided in saving quite a few lives. It must be quite a weight on your shoulders, to know the good that everyone else should be doing and be unable to force them to do it.
Where in the bible is it permissable to lie?
That is not the question for people whose hope is in the resurrection of Christ. We live according to the law of love. If love is better served by lying or murder or anything else, then so be it. Of course, no one should ever break a moral law willy-nilly. Scrutiny should be applied and care should be taken - love demands at least that. But who among us would not have murdered Hitler if given the chance, knowing what we now know.
If it is then Christianity has the same tenants as Islam.
I would assert that if all Christianity has to offer is the letter of the law, it has nothing much to offer Muslims.
Straw man! Situations change and living a life of love may require the ultimate sacrifice in a certain scenario. Pray for wisdom to recognize how love is better served and the courage to do it.
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