World News and Trends: Iraqi sectarian violence leading to civil war?
The top U.S. military commander in the Middle East told Congress . . . that 'Iraq could move toward civil war' if the raging sectarian violence in Baghdad is not stopped.
The top U.S. military commander in the Middle East told Congress . . . that 'Iraq could move toward civil war' if the raging sectarian violence in Baghdad is not stopped. 'I believe that the sectarian violence is probably as bad as I have seen it,' Gen. John Abizaid, the commander of U.S. Central Command, told the Senate Armed Services Committee" (Associated Press, Aug. 3).
Americans may not appreciate the differences in the various Islamic sects in the Middle East and how their differences not only separate them, but make them mutual enemies. "Shiite and Sunni are going to have to love their children more than they hate each other," said General Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who also told the panel, "We do have the possibility of that devolving into civil war" (ibid.).
Many Westerners mistakenly perceive all Muslims to be alike, but they are not. Just as in traditional Christianity, Islam has a variety of beliefs and practices. The two largest sects are the Sunnis and Shiites, yet there are more and all these may be further divided.
As different as the Islamic sects are, they are not denominational, and when the call to prayer goes out, mosques accept all Muslims since their services are very similar. Still, the increased sectarian violence brewing in Iraq now could lead to civil war or be a stepping stone to a future Islamic caliphate, possibly under the prophesied "king of the South" (Daniel 11:40), that could unite Muslims from Indonesia to Morocco. (Source: Associated Press.)
An Article from:
Good News Magazine: September - October 2006
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Jerold Aust
Jerold Aust has served in the ministry for 52 years, as a public speaker for 58 years, a published writer for 38 years, and is employed by UCG’s Media and Communications Services. He is a Senior Writer, interviewer, and editor for Beyond Today Magazine and has taught Speech Communication for UCG’s ministerial online program and the Book of Revelation for ABC.
Jerold holds a BA in theology from Ambassador College, Pasadena (1968), an MA in Communication from California State University, Fullerton (1995), a distance-learning Ph.D (2006), and a Famous Writers School diploma in non-fiction writing (1973). Additionally, he studied post-grad communication at University of Southern California (1995), radio, TV, voice-overs, and Public Relations at Fullerton College (1995-1996), and graduate communication at Wichita State University (1978). Jerold has taught communication at the University of South Alabama (7 years) and ABC (17 years). His published works include, Ronald Reagan’s Rhetoric: Metaphor as Persuasion and EZSpeakers: Public Speaking Made Easy in 7 Steps. Jerold's overarching goal is to share with humankind its incredible destiny!
John Ross Schroeder
John died on March 8, 2014, in Oxford, England, four days after suffering cardiac arrest while returning home from a press event in London. John was 77 and still going strong.
Some of John's work for The Good News appeared under his byline, but much didn't. He wrote more than a thousand articles over the years, but also wrote the Questions and Answers section of the magazine, compiled our Letters From Our Readers, and wrote many of the items in the Current Events and Trends section. He also contributed greatly to a number of our study guides and Bible Study Course lessons. His writing has touched the lives of literally millions of people over the years.
John traveled widely over the years as an accredited journalist, especially in Europe. His knowledge of European and Middle East history added a great deal to his articles on history and Bible prophecy.
In his later years he also pastored congregations in Northern Ireland and East Sussex, and that experience added another dimension to his writing. He and his wife Jan were an effective team in our British Isles office near their home.
John was a humble servant who dedicated his life to sharing the gospel—the good news—of Jesus Christ and the Kingdom of God to all the world, and his work was known to readers in nearly every country of the world.
