Gullibility and Terrorism
We live in an era of great deception. Propaganda flies in all directions and we have to be careful what we believe, being especially alert for half-truths or false fronts where there’s enough truth or goodness to make us ignore or excuse the lies and badness. We can also be easily sidetracked if we get too close to a truth, and must be alert to attempts to deflect and misdirect. So whenever I can I try to expose stories that don’t add up or are incomplete, including the bias and lies of the mainstream media and terrorist organizations like CAIR. We must leave our comfort zones in order to examine all pertinent evidence, and sometimes that means “dumpster diving” (rummaging through material we’d rather not have to look at).
That said, I felt the need today to assemble material on one particular individual, Walid Shoebat. He has made a nice living from his claims to be a former Islamic terrorist turned Christian, even to the point of the US government and military inviting him to serve as an expert consultant. I’ve questioned also the wisdom of allowing any brand new believer to be hailed as an expert on prophecy (or anything else) by the churches, who gulp down his novel interpretations without hesitation. Everyone from generals to churchgoers simply assumes his claims are true. This is foolhardy and dangerous.
Now I’m no fan of Islam, or our corrupt government, or the lack of discernment rampant in the Christian community these days. But I have to consider testimony from all sides, and that means at least hearing what various sources say about this man, even if I don’t trust them much more than I trust him. And in examining the testimonies I think it’s safe to say that Mr. Shoebat is a fake and a scam artist.
But motive is an essential consideration in any investigation or cross-examination. As American Christians we want to believe him, because we like converts and we have been told that our country was attacked by Muslims. Our government can always use someone like Shoebat to reinforce patriotism and acceptance of whatever the military might do to “protect” us. And money is a powerful motive for anyone who knows both of those things and who has the skills to play the part. So the government, the churches, and Shoebat himself all have motives that might contribute to a scam being perpetrated on us.
The motive of the investigators is important to note as well. For me personally, I’m after the truth. I am a staunch defender of the Constitution and want to believe that our country is led by capable and patriotic people, but there is too much evidence to the contrary. I wanted to believe their Official Conspiracy Theory about 9/11, so I read a lot about Islam (including the entire Quran) to “know my enemy”, and there are plenty of internet resources proving that Islam teaches world domination by force and trickery and betrayal. But while I am convinced that they had the motive and intent to attack us on 9/11, I do not believe they had the power on their own, especially against the most sophisticated military in the world. (No, I’m not going to allow that debate to rage in the comments here, so don’t start “troofer bashing”; I’m just trying to explain that I am NOT biased in favor of Islam.) Islam is inherently intolerant of other faiths or secular governments; this is indisputable if one looks at its history, especially post-9/11.
But though it was tempting at first to believe Shoebat, and his prophecy claims were intriguing on the surface, red flags began to fly the more I learned about him. In addition to his inconsistent accent (not all Rs “roll”, for example), Shoebat travels and speaks freely without threats or protests from Muslims. There have been no confirmed fatwas or denunciations issued, that I’m aware of. More importantly, the US government has never investigated him or detained him as a terrorist threat; mere assertions of one’s religious conversion are not accepted. (I’ve seen videos showing testimony, some congressional, which convinced me that the US government has been behind the creation and funding of groups such as the Taliban [US-trained in Afghanistan against Russia at the time] and Al Qaeda. Even Oliver North testified that he would obey his commanding officer/the president to the point of violating the Constitution.) In addition, we hear every day of the brutal execution of anyone converting away from Islam in Muslim-controlled areas, so for Shoebat to (a) marry a Christian while still a devout Muslim and (b) live to tell about it is quite... remarkable.
But I also know that “even a broken clock is right twice a day”, so all things must be weighed. There is as much reason to be suspicious of supporters of Shoebat/government/church articles or videos as there is for their opponents. I realize that this quest is like trying to find out from a group of toddlers which one broke the vase, but I think it’s worth a try. And please don’t read a few lines/listen for one minute and go “Oh, this is such hogwash, I can’t stand any more!”; try and patiently go through it all.
Below is the material I gathered, and you’ll note that the sources are not necessarily trustworthy. There will be truth mixed with error, good and bad logic, real and perceived faults. For example, not everything Shoebat has said about Islam is false, and for Muslims to say that the Ft. Hood shooting was anything but Islamic terrorism is denial. “Tolerance” is indeed being used against Americans and Christians to subvert and destroy, by both Islam and the corrupt officials in our government and churches. Yet at the same time, fomenting blind hatred is no improvement. But keep in mind that I’m not trying to cover the entirety of politics or religion here or solve the problems of the Middle East, but only to show why I believe Shoebat is a fraud.
- CNN report video: pt. 1, pt. 2
- another video (Not the best quality, but listen to the lack of thick accent by Shoebat, esp. at the :57 mark, and note that this predates the CNN interviews [he is younger], meaning that rather than losing his accent as time passed, he picked it up.)
- article (Read carefully, but one good point is that the kind of Christianity Shoebat is promoting is actually the Dominionist, “kingdom now” heresy. Another is that his claims don’t add up.)
- comment
- The Secret Government and The Elite Exposed (ref. corruption in the US)