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March 24, 2008Benedict XVI, Allam & Osama bin Laden - UPDATED
:::SCROLL DOWN FOR UPDATE::: So, a few days before Easter, Osama bin Laden - who may or may not be dead - claimed a conspiracy against Islam being headed up by an 81 year old feller who likes cats and plays Mozart. At the Vigil for Easter, the old feller, who also wields a crozier, writes tirelessly and uses the soft answer to turn away wrath, made his gentle response. He baptized with his own hands, and publicly, one Magdi Allam, who chose the baptismal name “Christian”. Magdi Christian Allam — or Christian Allam, however this very brave man wishes to style it — told reporters, after receiving baptism, confirmation and his first Holy Communion, “this is the happiest day of my life,” and he also had a few words to say about the current state of Islam. Christian Allam knows that he is now a target, that in some extremist quarters his conversion is seen as justification for his death. But Christian Allam is now justified by Christ. I am sure the timing of this baptism was no accident. And I have read more than a few comments suggesting Christian Allam go into hiding, somewhere. But I doubt he will. He seems made of tough stuff. Christian Allam now feeds on the Body and Blood of Christ - through his veins the blood runs both royal and supernatural. If Christian Allam is now killed for his faith he knows his place in eternity; he knows, too, that anyone stupid enough to murder him for his faith will speed Christian Allam’s way to heaven wearing a martyr’s crown - and a true martyr eats not the golden raisin nor plunders the numerous virgins; he becomes a saint in heaven, and an inspiration. He also becomes an intercessor-in-prayer for the rest of us. So, Benedict and Chrstian Allam have made a response to Osama bin Laden and the response is: you love death; we love life. You deal in death, which is a conquered trade, for the One we follow has overcome death. Death, your idol, has no power over us, because we are alive in Christ, who was slain and who rose, and is Alpha and Omega and with us even now. We eat his Flesh and drink his Blood; he remains in us and we in him. That’s one powerful message. I hope bin Laden, or whoever is running the increasingly unpopular deatheater glee clubs can manage to take the message in, and find a healthier hobby. God bless Magdi Christian Allam. God bless the pope who baptized him. :::UPDATE::: Wasting no time, Magdi Christian Allam gets right down to business and asks his fellow Muslim converts to come out of the shadows, even if it means fearing for one’s life:
Whispers in the Loggia: has Allam’s translated article - My Name is Christian Why do I have the feeling that we are seeing something momentous unfolding before our eyes? Do go see Kate-the-Great’s exclusive: Benedict’s response to Osama Tim Blair has more. At Inside Catholic, Zoe Romanowsky and Deal Hudson are writing on it. Zoe wonders, with the Vatican’s expressed concerns for the pope’s safety, why the baptism was so public. Hudson says, essentially, Benedict clanks when he walks! Julie at Happy Catholic has a warning for Christian Allam. Also, please look at her post-Easter Sunday links which are uniformly great! Prof. Bainbridge says Benedict is not lukewarm. Margaret Cabaniss emphasizes that Benedict is a mystery to the worldly…and the press! Opinionated Catholic says Oriana Fallaci must be smiling. Heh. I thought of that, too! Benedict: Still a mystery after three years Miss Kelly: I have a mustard seed and I’m not afraid to use it Rick at Brutally Honest notes some offense taken in the usual quarters. Related: Faith, Reason and Forced Conversions. WELCOME: INSTAPUNDIT readers: While you’re here, please look around. If you feel our national discourse on race relations hasn’[t quite happened yet, you might find this interesting. If you can’t get enough of Hillary’s tall tales, we’re talking about them, too. Also, Freedom never cries. And astonishing Chinese Acro Ballet. http://theanchoressonline.com/2008/03/24/benedict-xvi-osama-bin-laden/trackback/ 20 Responses to “Benedict XVI, Allam & Osama bin Laden - UPDATED” |
March 24th, 2008 at 11:26 am
Indeed Allam’s conversion moved me in deep ways; also a reminder that there are no “coincidences.” I was also stunned (in a good contemplative way), about his statement of Israel being the symbol of pro-life. I can’t remember his exact quote, but he compared the “unwanted” (at least by many), state of Israel to the unborn. I have never ever heard that analogy by anyone before. I’m quite sure, the Mother of Life, Mother Mary, was also much “at work” on this conversion. Let’s hope Allam’s courage inspires many others.
March 24th, 2008 at 12:33 pm
I am so glad you posted on this. This is a very interesting development.
March 24th, 2008 at 1:11 pm
[...] guess that these idiots heard the recent message from Osama Bin Laden blasting the Pope. Six people were arrested at Holy Name parish’s auditorium Sunday after disrupting an Easter [...]
March 24th, 2008 at 5:47 pm
Reading the article at Whispers in the Loggia brings me close to tears. The converts so often “get” the depth and power of Catholicism that we cradle Catholics often don’t appreciate. This was a remarkable event. Waves will be felt around the world from this. What an amazing Easter Vigil!
March 24th, 2008 at 7:16 pm
All I’ve got to say is…Wow!
March 24th, 2008 at 7:22 pm
[...] The Anchoress has a comprehensive roundup of coverage of Magdi Allam’s conversion to Christianity and his baptis…. [...]
March 24th, 2008 at 9:00 pm
Pope baptizes Muslim……
… which pisses off The Real Live Preacher:It’s not the baptism that bothers me. It’s the choice to publicly fan flames of religious anger. And it’s not educated Muslims that, by and large, will be angered. There was no reason…
March 24th, 2008 at 9:39 pm
Courage…
Thy name is Pope Benedict XVI and Magdi Christian Allam:
[Pope Benedict XVI has] been willing to take on Islam. Recall his 2006 speech that quoted 14th-century Byzantine emperor, Manuel II Paleologus, who said the Prophet Mohammeds teachings had…
March 24th, 2008 at 11:21 pm
Osama and the pope…
Fausta’s Blog mentions the Jawa Report’s review of the latest bin Laden video. The Jawa Report concludes that the video is a few years old. Fausta wonders if that means: “… for the time being I’m wondering if Fidel and Osama are playing canasta t…
March 25th, 2008 at 8:56 am
Love, Hate, and Religion…
Easter Sunday saw a remarkable event take place in Rome:Pope Baptizes Prominent Italian Muslim VATICAN CITY (AP) - Italy’s most prominent Muslim, an iconoclastic writer who condemned Islamic extremism and defended Israel, converted to Catholicism Satu…
March 25th, 2008 at 2:08 pm
Crusade? You bet!
Brava, Anchoress!
March 25th, 2008 at 6:01 pm
He is Risen…
The Posse wishes you a Happy Easter. The five inches of snow that fell on Good Friday are melting steadily away. The sun is shining and brunch was quite tasty, thank you. Our readers may be interested to know that…
March 27th, 2008 at 9:07 am
Hallelujah!
The Lord is risen indeed!
It is long past time for the leaders of the world’s great religions to directly confront the explicit statement in the Koran that submission to Allah is permament and irrevocable.
No war was ever fought without battles. And this is a battle for the souls of humans.
The fatwas will soon emanate from many sources; His Holiness Benedict XVI will come under the same sentence as Salman Rushdie.
I admit that there have been Popes in the past with whom I differ.
But not this time!
I recommend Psalm 2. He who sits in the heavens laughs.
March 27th, 2008 at 10:16 am
[...] Benedict XVI, Allam & Osama bin Laden - UPDATED [...]
April 1st, 2008 at 7:29 am
[...] and pretending it’s a martyrdom. We live in an interesting age, where the meaning of things - even of martyrdom - is being muddied up. Nothing to fret about - it’s only what Jesus promised us, after [...]
April 2nd, 2008 at 12:26 pm
[...] Benedict XVI, Allam & Osama bin Laden - UPDATED [...]
April 10th, 2008 at 11:30 am
[...] He’ll be praying at Ground Zero, which is sure to offend some. [...]
April 13th, 2008 at 10:41 pm
[...] Benedict XVI, Allam and Osama bin Laden CaNN :: We started it. pinged back with CaNN :: We started it. by TheAnchoress @ 2:12 pm. [...]
April 15th, 2008 at 3:28 am
[...] own flock, one constant of Benedict’s papacy has been his willingness to engage Islam and to challenge it, too. He will likely do that again this [...]
April 16th, 2008 at 3:10 pm
[...] it”, is praying for peace, and religious and political co-existence, but he knows it may be a long hard slog, though different than the one Bush has [...]