By Fred Jackson and Jody Brown
October 4, 2002
(AgapePress) - A Christian news agency in Israel has told the story of a Palestinian judge who praises suicide bombers.
The report from International Christian Embassy Jerusalem says one of the Palestinian Authority's senior religious judges has given his authorization and blessing for the participation of women and children in suicide attacks. Sheikh Hamed Bitawi was appointed head of the appellate courts in Nablus at the establishment of the PA in 1995. He is considered an authority on religious edicts for Hamas, and encourages Hamas activists to carry out suicide attacks against Israel.
ICEJ reports that Bitawi has told the Islam Online website that religious sages have pointed out that men, women, and children alike should follow the route of Jihad. He says that is what it was like in the days of Muhammad the prophet.
Bitawi goes on to praise Palestinian mothers who encourage their children to become suicide bombers.
Falwell on Sunday
In a related story, Associated Press reports on Friday that evangelist Jerry Falwell thinks Muhammad was "a terrorist." In a segment recorded for CBS's 60 Minutes that is to be broadcast on Sunday, Falwell indicates that based on his reading of Muslim and non-Muslim writers, he has concluded the founder of the Islamic faith was "a violent man, a man of war."
According to a transcript of the broadcast released by CBS, Falwell -- pastor of Thomas Road Baptist Church in Lynchburg, Virginia -- notes that is the opposite of the love exemplified by Jesus and Moses.
AP says Ibrahim Hooper of the Council on American-Islamic Relations calls Falwell's remarks "hate speech" and wonders why they are not denounced by conservative politicians and religious leaders.
Falwell is not alone in his assessment of the Islamic faith. Another well-known evangelical leader, Christian Broadcasting Network founder Pat Robertson, has made similar comments. In a televised interview on the Fox News Channel, Robertson described Muhammad as "a wild-eyed fanatic" and "a killer." He also has described the faith itself as "a monumental scam."
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