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UPCOMING EVENTS -

Please pray for our Brother at this time.

Strategic Perspectives Conference - This Weekend!

 On Friday as we kick off the second annual Strategic Perspectives conference!  It will be held at the resort in beautiful Coeur d'Alene, Idaho on November 9th and 10th, 2007 with an optional Brunch Cruise on the 11th (cruise seating is limited and selling quickly so don't wait until the last minute or you'll miss out). This exciting event brings together some of today's brightest Christian thinkers to share their insiders perspectives on today's events and how they relate to the Bible.

Speakers at this year's conference include Tim LaHaye, author of the Left Behind series; Joseph Farah, founder of World Net Daily; Dr. Jerome Corsi, author of the new book The Late Great USA; Walid Shoebat, a former PLO terrorist; and more!

Related offer.

Essential viewing before the new conference release next year.              

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See the Kings Highway Link for their special offer too.

 

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PAKISTAN IN TURMOIL -

The problem of Pakistan has no doubt been the cause of many sleepless nights in Washington. In recent months political unrest in the Islamic nation seems to have spiraled out of control. Newsweek Magazine recently described the nation of Pakistan as "the most dangerous country on earth." Indeed, the strategic importance of Pakistan cannot be exaggerated. The problem of Pakistan goes well beyond political instability - the outcome of Pakistan's internal conflict could have global repercussions.

Siege at the Red Mosque

The violence in Pakistan began to escalate in July, when government troops stormed a mosque in the capital city of Islamabad known as the Red Mosque - it was a safe haven for Islamic radicals and a breeding ground for terrorists. The bloody siege lasted almost ten days and resulted in the deaths of more than 100 people - including the Red Mosque's radical cleric leader. The incident at the Red Mosque triggered a new wave of violence - the fragile 10-month-old peace agreement between the government and extremists was shattered. Since the siege, at least 700 people have been killed, more than half of which were the victims of suicide attacks and other bombings.

There have, in fact, been at least 16 homicide bombings in Pakistan since the siege on the Red Mosque. On July 19, three suicide attacks took place on the same day - resulting in the deaths of 52 people. On October 19 at least 123 people killed by a homicide bomber at a parade to welcome home Benazir Bhutto - Pakistan's former Prime Minister who has spent the past 8 years in exile. The October 19 bombing was one of the deadliest in Pakistan's history.

Last week, on Tuesday, a homicide bomber killed seven people at a military checkpoint less than mile away from President Musharraf's army headquarters where Musharraf was holding a meeting with top government officials. Two days later, on Thursday, a homicide bomber riding a motorcycle slammed into a Pakistan Air Force bus killing at least 8 people. Also on Thursday, Pakistan's security forces killed more than 70 militant fighters in clashes in the volatile northwestern region of the country.

Reports indicate that Muslim extremists are expanding their control of Northern Pakistan - particularly along the Afghanistan border. Much like Iraq, Pakistan is a divided nation. There are many opposing sects and ethnic identities that constantly threaten to pull the country apart. Less than 10 percent of its 160 million people are native speakers of the national language.

Musharraf Declares Martial Law

The current President of Pakistan is General Pervez Musharraf. He seized control of the country in a military coup in 1999 and has held on to power ever since. However Musharraf's authority is now in jeopardy. Experts say Musharraf is under enormous strain: America is demanding that he crack down on Islamist militants; Pakistan's religious extremists are furious at him for abandoning Afghanistan's Taliban rulers and for changing his stance on Kashmir; and Pakistan's moderate political parties are shunning him because of his resistance to democratic reforms. Musharraf is also embroiled in a heated battle with Pakistan's Supreme Court over the constitutionality of his presidency. Exactly one month ago, on October 6th, Musharraf was re-elected as Pakistan's President. However General Musharraf's eligibility to run for president has been challenged because of his dual role as head of the army.

On Saturday, November 3rd, Pakistan was plunged into turmoil when Musharraf declared a state of emergency rule. He suspended the constitution, imposed martial law, and dismissed the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. The ousted judge has called for a revolt against Musharraf's government, meanwhile authorities have detained thousands of opposition leaders and their supporters. The future of Musharraf's rule is uncertain, and the collapse of his government could propel Pakistan into a state of chaos.

Why is Pakistan so Important?

The Islamic Republic of Pakistan is the sixth most populous nation in the world and the second largest Muslim nation. It is sandwiched between the Middle East and Asia, and bordered by Iran, Afghanistan, China, and India. It is also the only Islamic nation with a declared nuclear weapons program.

Pakistan's nuclear program was spurred on to fruition by its bitter rivalry with India. India detonated its first nuclear device, code-named "Smiling Budda," in 1974. For the next two decades it claimed that its nuclear program was only meant for peaceful research purposes. Then, in 1998, India all but declared itself a nuclear power with a series of nuclear tests. It was a move that angered the West and prompted Pakistan to follow suit. Pakistan began its secret nuclear weapons program in 1972, and now has between 65 and 90 nukes - roughly on par with the suspected size of India's arsenal.

After India's independence from Great Britain in 1947 the British Empire in India was divided, and the modern nations of India and Pakistan were born. The two nations have been at odds ever since. Today the conflict between the two nuclear powers centers on the disputed province of Kashmir.

Conscripted into Battle

Following the September 11 terrorist attacks in the United States, Musharraf sided with the United States against the Taliban government in Afghanistan. However prior to the 9/11 attacks Pakistan was a close ally of the Taliban. It was only under tremendous pressure from the United States and the international community that Pakistan agreed to join the war on terror.

During a September 24, 2006 interview with CBS News's 60 Minutes, Musharraf described how then-US Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage had called Musharraf's intelligence director shortly following the September 11 attacks. He allegedly threatened military action if Pakistan did not support the US-led War on Terror. According to Musharraf, Armitage warned: "Be prepared to be bombed. Be prepared to go back to the Stone Age." Furthermore, during an interview with Jon Stewart of The Daily Show on September 26, 2006, Musharraf stated that then-Secretary of State Colin Powell also contacted him with a similar ultimatum: "You are with us or against us." Musharraf had little choice but to comply. If Pakistan had refused to reverse its stance and support the US, the United States would most likely have deemed Pakistan a "terrorist state" and part of the "axis of evil."

Pakistan is considered to be a "frontline ally" in the war against terrorism. In fact, since the September 11 attacks, the US has give Pakistan over 10 billion dollars in aid. Yet despite the government's official cooperation with the United States, the anti-American sentiment in Pakistan runs deep. Pakistan is home to many Islamist extremists, some with links to al-Qaeda and other terrorist groups. Many Taliban and al-Qaeda fighters fleeing from Afghanistan have taken refuge throughout Pakistan - particularly in lawless tribal regions on the Afghan border which are sympathetic to the fundamentalist cause.

Related Links:

• State of Emergency Declared in Pakistan - NYT
• Pakistan's Ousted Top Judge Urges Revolt - Guardian
• Violent Political Protests in Pakistan - FOX News
• Strategic Trends: The Rise of Islam -K House Africa

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NUCLEAR IRAN IN 2009

This week Israeli Brigadier-General Yossi Baidatz, head of Israel's military intelligence research bureau, testified before members of the Knesset that if Iran's nuclear program went unchecked, the Islamic Republic could have nuclear weapons by the end of 2009. Israeli authorities warn that "Iran's nuclear program is proceeding like an express train" and that "we are on the verge of a nuclear era that will totally alter the regional reality."

Secrets and Lies

Iran claims that under Article 4 of the Non-Proliferation Treaty they have the right to develop nuclear technology. Iran insists that it is pursuing nuclear technology for peaceful energy purposes, but that leads to the obvious question: why would a nation with immense oil and gas reserves need nuclear energy? Iran claims it is building costly nuclear fuel cycle facilities to meet future electricity needs, while preserving oil and gas for export, but Iran’s uranium reserves are miniscule, accounting for less than one percent of its vast oil reserves. Iran controls 11 percent of the world’s oil reserves and its natural gas reserves are the second largest in the world. Iran does not have enough indigenous uranium resources to fuel even one power-generating reactor over its lifetime, but it does have enough uranium to make several nuclear bombs.

Iran has said that its goal is not to make nuclear weapons, but to develop nuclear energy. Which leads us to another important question: if Iran does develop a peaceful nuclear energy program, how difficult would it be to use that technology to make nuclear weapons? Nuclear power plants need 3 to 4 percent enriched uranium for fuel, but natural uranium only contains 0.7 percent. Thus uranium must be processed in a uranium enrichment facility before it can be used as fuel for nuclear power. What most people don't realize is the exact same technology and equipment used to enrich uranium for fuel can be used to enrich uranium for nuclear weapons, it simply requires more passes through the enrichment plant. A nuclear bomb requires about 90 percent enriched uranium, which is high compared to the percentage found in fuel, but according to experts it requires more energy to convert natural uranium to fuel than it takes to convert fuel into weapons-grade uranium.

According to a report by the US State Department on Iran's nuclear program: "The costly infrastructure needed to perform all of these activities goes well beyond any conceivable peaceful nuclear program. No comparable oil-rich nation has ever engaged, or would be engaged, in this set of activities - or would pursue them for nearly two decades behind a continuing cloud of secrecy and lies to IAEA inspectors and the international community - unless it was dead set on building nuclear weapons."

Iran's covert nuclear activities are part of the Islamic nation's overall objective. Iran's ultimate goal is to reposition itself as a regional heavyweight. Iran seeks to be a counterbalance to US forces in Iraq and Afghanistan, a vehicle of Islamic justice, and beacon for the rest of the Muslim world to follow.

The Coming Conflict

Iran is governed by Shiite Muslim clerics committed to a stern interpretation of Islamic law. Hatred of the United States has been a key component of Iranian foreign policy since the 1978 Islamic revolution, and Iran's leaders often refer to the United States as the "Great Satan." Iran's distaste for the United States is surpassed only by their utter loathing of Israel. Iran's political and religious leaders have repeatedly called for Israel's complete destruction.

The State Department calls the Islamic Republic of Iran the world's "most active state sponsor of terrorism." Iran continues to provide funding, weapons, training, and sanctuary to numerous terrorist groups based in the Middle East and elsewhere. Iran mostly backs Islamist groups, including the Lebanese Shiite militants of Hezbollah (which Iran helped found in the 1980s) and such Palestinian terrorist groups as Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad. Iran uses such groups to carry out a proxy war on Israel and the West. It is therefore folly to allow Iran, and consequently its terrorist allies, to obtain nuclear technology.

Iran is heading steadily toward a confrontation with Israel. There has long been speculation that Israel is preparing for a possible attack on Iran's nuclear facilities - there has even been evidence to suggest that Israel may be planning a tactical nuclear strike.

Related Links:

• 2008 Decisive for Stopping Iran - Jerusalem Post
• IDF: Nuclear Iran By End of 2009 - YNet
• Strategic Trends: The Magog Invasion - K-House Africa
• King of the East  DVD- K house Africa.

School Sued Over Birth Control Policy - November 06, 2007
A conservative legal group demanded on Monday that a school district in Maine abandon its policy of distributing prescription contraceptives to students as young as 11 years old without parental consent or become the target of a lawsuit to have the policy struck down. CNS News

Abortion Parental Consent Law Struck Down - November 06, 2007
The Alaska Supreme Court on Friday issued a decision overturning a state law allowing parents the right to agree to or deny abortions their minor teenager daughters may be considering. The state's parental consent law has been tied up in court ever since the state legislature approved in in 1997. The court issued a 3-2 decision on the law claiming that it denies a teenager her so-called right to an abortion, even though the US Supreme Court, which handed down the landmark Roe v. Wade ruling, has consistently upheld parental notification and consent laws. LifeNews

Historic Saudi Visit to Vatican - November 06, 2007
King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia has met Pope Benedict XVI at the Vatican - the first audience by the head of the Roman Catholic Church with a Saudi monarch. BBC

Dollar Sinks to New Low Against the Euro - November 06, 2007
The dollar reached yet another record low against the Euro Tuesday, prolonging its slide amid expectations of more interest rate cuts by the Federal Reserve. AP

Voters Asked to Approve Nativity Scene - November 06, 2007
When voters in Berkley, MI, go to the polls on Nov. 7, they'll be asked to approve a charter amendment requiring the city to display a Nativity scene in its holiday display. Last winter, the Berkley City Council in Michigan voted to remove a decades-old Nativity display from city property after the American Civil Liberties Union threatened to sue. But the decision upset many residents of the Detroit suburb, who launched a grassroots petition drive to overrule the city council's vote - they gathered enough signatures to put the question on the ballot. CNS News

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**MEMORY VERSE OF THE WEEK**

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