Home » Zola TV » Video Archives » ZLM Video

Caption transcript for Revelation: “Koran vs. Bible” with Ibrahim Abdullah (1/6)

• 00:39 SHALOM, HELLO AGAIN.
• 00:42 WELL, THE SCRIPTURE SAYS, AS WE JUST CITED,
• 00:44 EVIL MEN AND SEDUCERS SHALL WAX WORSE AND WORSE
• 00:47 AND WE ALL KNOW WHERE THEY ARE AND WHAT THEY'RE WAXING, WHAT THEY'RE SAYING.
• 00:52 BUT, WE HAVE SOME GOOD FRIENDS, TOO, THAT CAN HELP US WITH THIS
• 00:57 AND ONE OF THEM IS IBRAHIM ABDULLAH.
• 01:00 HE'S SO INTERESTING BECAUSE YOU'RE A PALESTINIAN.
• 01:04 YOU'RE AN AMERICAN BORN AND RAISED IN DEARBORN MICHIGAN.
• 01:08 YES I WAS.
• 01:10 YOU WERE A MUSLIM AND NOW YOU'RE A CHRISTIAN.
• 01:13 THAT'S RIGHT, THAT'S EXACTLY RIGHT.
• 01:15 WHAT A LIFE STORY.
• 01:16 AND YOU'RE NOT AN OLD GUY, YOU'VE BEEN AROUND HAVEN'T YOU.
• 01:20 SURE, WELL, I'VE GOT A FEW YEARS.
• 01:23 TELL ME SOME OF THIS STUFF.
• 01:25 WELL, I WAS BORN AND RAISED PALESTINIAN MUSLIM
• 01:28 IN THE BIGGEST MUSLIM COMMUNITY IN THE COUNTRY
• 01:30 IN DEARBORN, MICHIGAN.
• 01:32 AND MOST OF THE IMMIGRANTS FROM THE MIDDLE EAST WOULD COME TO WORK AT THE PLANTS
• 01:37 AND THAT'S HOW A LOT OF THEM CAME INCLUDING OUR FAMILY DOWN THE AGES.
• 01:43 I WAS BORN AND RAISED IN THAT HOUSEHOLD, DIDN'T EVEN SPEAK ENGLISH UNTIL I WENT TO SCHOOL
• 01:47 REALLY!
• 01:49 AND IF YOU GO TO DEARBORN TODAY ZOLA, YOU'LL SEE THE STORES WITH ARABIC WRITING ON THEM
• 01:52 AND PEOPLE COMMUNICATING IN THE ARABIC LANGUAGE
• 01:55 BECAUSE THE WHOLE COMMUNITY IS 95, 96, 97% ARAB.
• 02:00 YEAH, I DON'T HAVE ANY REQUESTS TO SPEAK THERE.
• 02:03 RIGHT.
• 02:04 I WOULDN'T IMAGINE TOO MUCH.
• 02:05 AND I WAS BORN IN THAT BACKGROUND.
• 02:08 WHEN I WAS 17, MY PARENTS, YOU KNOW WE HAVE PROPERTY AND A FAMILY IN ISRAEL
• 02:14 AND THEY WANTED ME TO GO THERE AND GET AWAY FROM AMERICA
• 02:17 AND UNDERSTAND MY CULTURE A LITTLE BIT BETTER EVEN THOUGH I WAS SURROUNDED BY MUSLIMS.
• 02:21 SO I DID.
• 02:23 AND IT'S INTERESTING BECAUSE I WAS YOUNG, PALESTINIAN
• 02:27 AND THE MOST INTERESTING PART, ZOLA, IF YOU WANT TO CALL IT INTEREST,
• 02:30 I HAD A DEEP-SEEDED HATRED FOR THE JEWS BECAUSE I WAS BORN AND RAISED TO FEEL THIS WAY.
• 02:35 AS A PALESTINIAN, OF COURSE, YOUR ENEMY IS THE ISRAELI.
• 02:38 SECOND DAY I WAS THERE, I WAS RECRUITED IMMEDIATELY TO JOIN IN VIOLENT DEMONSTRATIONS
• 02:43 AND TEACHING AND ORGANIZED GROUPS AGAINST ISRAELI CIVILIANS
• 02:48 AND/OR MILITARY PERSONNEL AND I WAS THERE FOR A YEAR AND A HALF.
• 02:54 AFTER A YEAR AND A HALF, I MEAN I WAS INVOLVED WITH WHAT MANY YOUTH WERE,
• 03:00 VERY ZEALOUS TO HURT THE ISRAELIS BECAUSE I SAW THEM AS AN ENEMY.
• 03:04 I WAS BASICALLY BEING TRAINED TO HATE THEM BECAUSE OF PROPERTY,
• 03:08 OF LAND EVEN THOUGH I KNOW THAT THAT'S NOT THE CASE TODAY,
• 03:11 NEVERTHELESS IT WAS TAUGHT TO ME THAT THEY TOOK OUR PROPERTY,
• 03:16 BOUNCED US OUT OF OUR LAND AND OUT OF OUR HOMES AND YOU NEED TO HATE THEM.
• 03:21 AND MY RELIGION BASICALLY TAUGHT ME THAT, MY CULTURE TAUGHT ME THAT,
• 03:24 THAT YOUR PRIMARY ENEMY IS THE JEW, YOU MUST ALWAYS REMEMBER THAT.
• 03:28 SO, I HAD IT IN ME, IN MY HEART AND IN MY MIND AND SO OF COURSE,
• 03:33 BEING 17 AND PALESTINIAN, I SAW THE VIOLENCE ON THE GROUND IN 1981
• 03:37 WAS NO DIFFERENT THAN IT IS TODAY, EXCEPT FOR THE LEVEL OF WEAPONRY,
• 03:40 THE SOPHISTICATION OF THE WEAPONRY, THAT'S THE ONLY DIFFERENCE.
• 03:43 SO, I WAS RECRUITED RIGHT AWAY AND I JOINED IN IMMEDIATELY, GOT INVOLVED,
• 03:48 GASOLINE BOMBS, COCKTAILS, ORGANIZED DEMONSTRATIONS, POLITICAL, MILITARY,
• 03:56 TRADE ROUTES, TRAINING OF SIMPLE GADGETS, ANYTHING WE COULD DO TO HURT THEM, DISRUPT THEM,
• 04:04 DISRUPT THE LIFESTYLE, DISRUPT THE MILITARY.
• 04:06 WELL, ONE DAY, AS GOD WOULD HAVE IT, A YEAR AND A HALF LATER,
• 04:12 I WAS ARRESTED BY THE IDF AND TAKEN TO A MILITARY PRISON RIGHT OUTSIDE OF RAMALLAH.
• 04:16 THE IDF IS THE ISRAELI DEFENSE FORCES AND THEY'RE PRETTY ROUGH AND TOUGH.
• 04:20 SURE, WELL, I WAS ARRESTED AND PUT INTO A MILITARY PRISON AND IN THAT MILITARY PRISON,
• 04:24 WHERE AS YOU CAN IMAGINE ZOLA, THESE ARE PEOPLE THAT ARE PART OF PLO, PART OF THE FATAH,
• 04:29 THEY WERE CAUGHT INFILTRATING THE BORDER FROM LEBANON, FROM SYRIA, FROM JORDAN,
• 04:32 FROM ANYWHERE AND WHILE I WAS IN THIS PRISON, I WAS THERE FOR ONLY 2 WEEKS
• 04:37 BECAUSE MY FAMILY, BEHIND THE SCENES WAS WORKING WITH THE U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT
• 04:41 TO GET ME RELEASED BECAUSE I WAS A U.S. CITIZEN.
• 04:43 YOU'RE AN AMERICAN. >>SURE.
• 04:44 IT'S NICE TO KNOW, ISN'T IT, IF YOU'RE AN AMERICAN
• 04:48 AND YOU GET IN TROUBLE SOMEWHERE FOR WHATEVER, THEY'LL GO TO BAT FOR YOU.
• 04:52 WELL, YOU KNOW, I DIDN'T KNOW THAT WHEN I WAS IN THERE.
• 04:54 I WAS LEARNING, THEY WERE TEACHING ME, BASICALLY INDOCTRINATING ME
• 04:58 IN THE WAYS OF FATAH TO BE A PART OF FATAH AND THE PFLP AND I WAS VERY ZEALOUS, WANTED TO,
• 05:04 VERY, VERY ZEALOUS AND I WAS VERY EXCITED TO LEARN THE WAYS OF WAR
• 05:08 SO THAT I COULD DESTROY MY ENEMY.
• 05:09 I REALLY WANTED TO, MY CULTURE TAUGHT ME THAT,
• 05:12 MY RELIGION TAUGHT ME THAT AND I WAS PREPARED.
• 05:14 AND YOU WERE 17. >>I WAS 17, EXACTLY.
• 05:16 AND SO, THEY DID, ONE DAY THE DOORS WERE OPENED AND I WAS TOLD I HAD 48 HOURS TO LEAVE
• 05:23 AND THEY SENT THE POLICE AND MILITARY JEEP ESCORT
• 05:26 TO WATCH ME LEAVE AND THEY HAD AROUND THE CLOCK
• 05:29 MAKE SURE YOU LEFT >>TO MAKE SURE I LEFT.
• 05:32 THEY TOOK ME TO THE AIRPORT AND PUT ME ON A PLANE AND TOLD ME NEVER TO COME BACK.
• 05:36 WELL, I'VE BEEN BACK 4 TIMES SINCE.
• 05:38 SO, I--
• 05:39 DON'T THEY GET CURIOUS WHEN YOU COME IN AND PRESENT YOUR PASSPORT.
• 05:43 YOU KNOW, I WAS NERVOUS THE SECOND TIME ABOUT 7 YEARS AGO
• 05:46 I WENT AND I THOUGHT THERE WOULD BE A PROBLEM,
• 05:48 MAYBE THEY WOULD BRING UP WHAT HAPPENED BEFORE, BUT THE DIDN'T.
• 05:51 YOU KNOW, YOU SAID ANOTHER THING INTERESTING WHEN WE WERE TALKING BEFORE THE PROGRAM
• 05:55 THAT YOU'VE GONE THROUGH AMERICAN SECURITY 100 TIMES IN OUR AIRPORTS,
• 06:00 YOU'RE OBVIOUSLY AN ARAB BY APPEARANCE, YOU'RE A BIG STRONG GUY,
• 06:04 NOBODY EVER QUESTIONS YOU ABOUT ANYTHING.
• 06:07 NO, OF COURSE NOT, NOT A SINGLE TIME.
• 06:09 THAT'S JUST CRAZY.
• 06:11 THEY'RE STOPPING, THEY STOPPED ME.
• 06:13 I MEAN WHAT DO THEY WANT?
• 06:15 YOU COULD BE DANGEROUS.
• 06:17 YOUR NAME IS-- >>I HAVE THE NAME.
• 06:20 IBRAHIM ABDULLAH FOR HEAVEN'S SAKE
• 06:23 AND YOU LOOK LIKE SYLVESTER STALLONE
• 06:25 AND IF I WERE A SECURITY GUY, I'D ASK YOU AT LEAST, YOU KNOW.
• 06:29 AMAZINGLY I SLIP RIGHT THROUGH, ZOLA.
• 06:31 THEY DON'T STOP ME, THEY DON'T QUESTION IT.
• 06:33 I'M NOT AMAZED, I'M AFRAID.
• 06:35 I'M AFRAID ABOUT THIS, WE CAN'T KEEP ON PRETENDING THIS SECURITY STUFF AND NOT DOING IT.
• 06:42 THAT'S RIGHT.
• 06:44 WELL, WE HAVE A WAKE UP CALL, WE HAVE A WAKE UP CALL UNLIKE EVER BEFORE.
• 06:48 OK, YOUR 17 AND YOU HAD ALL THESE ADVENTURES.
• 06:51 WERE YOU MISTREATED IN THE ISRAELI MILITARY PRISON?
• 06:54 NO, HONESTLY I WOULD NEVER LIE ABOUT SUCH A THING.
• 06:59 I WAS IN JAIL AND IT WAS A MILITARY PRISON.
• 07:01 IF YOU'RE GOING TO BE MISTREATED, YOU'LL BE MISTREATED THERE.
• 07:03 I MEAN, THOSE ARE HOUSES OF INTERROGATION.
• 07:06 AND THEY'RE ANGRY, TOO.
• 07:08 I DON'T THINK ANY GOVERNMENT IN THE COUNTRY OR IN THE WORLD
• 07:11 WOULD NOT INTERROGATE PEOPLE THAT ARE ACTIVELY INVOLVED IN TERRORISM
• 07:15 AND/OR MILITARY ACTIVITY
• 07:17 EVEN ORGANIZATIONAL PEOPLE,
• 07:19 IT'S ALL PART OF IT.
• 07:21 WELL, I WAS NOT, I WAS TREATED VERY WELL.
• 07:23 NO ONE SAID ANYTHING.
• 07:24 I WAS INDOCTRINATED INSIDE THE PRISON TO JOIN IN HOW TO INFILTRATE LEBANON.
• 07:29 AS A MATTER OF FACT, MY BEST FRIEND ENDED UP BEING A LOOKOUT FOR THE PFLP IN SYRIA.
• 07:33 OH, THE LOCAL THUGS THAT WERE IN PRISON, THE PFLP,, OF COURSE,
• 07:37 THE POPULAR FRONT FOR THE LIBERATION OF PALESTINE,
• 07:39 THAT'S RIGHT.
• 07:41 THEY WERE VERY BIG AT THE TIME, NOT SO MUCH NOW, BUT TODAY, OF COURSE IT'S FATAH AND HAMAS.
• 07:45 SO, 1989, ZOLA, I DECIDED TO BE A BETTER MUSLIM.
• 07:52 I WANTED TO FOLLOW MY FAITH AND I KNEW MY FAITH, I FOLLOWED IT.
• 07:56 I LOVED ALLAH, I LOVED THE KORAN, I LOVED MY CULTURE, I LOVED MY PEOPLE.
• 08:00 BUT, I WANTED TO FOLLOW IT SERIOUSLY.
• 08:03 I WANTED TO TAKE IT SERIOUSLY.
• 08:04 I WANTED TO APPLY IT TO MY LIFE, SO I DECIDED TO READ AND I DECIDED TO STUDY.
• 08:09 I HAD SOME TIME ON MY HANDS AND SO I OPENED THE BOOK OF KORAN AND HADITH.
• 08:12 YOU SEE, TO BE A TRUE MUSLIM, ZOLA, YOU MUST ACCEPT BOTH THE KORAN AND THE RESPECTED HADITH.
• 08:17 THEY'RE ACCEPTED BY, FOR INSTANCE, AL-AZHAR UNIVERSITY.
• 08:21 THE HADITH IS THE SAYINGS OF MOHAMMED,
• 08:23 THE TRADITIONS, THE TRADITIONS OF ISLAM, OF COURSE.
• 08:26 SO, I STARTED TO STUDY AND I RAN INTO SOME INCONSISTENCIES THAT I HAD QUESTIONS ABOUT, OF COURSE.
• 08:32 SO, THAT LED ME TO LOOK INTO IT FURTHER, SO I SPENT THE NEXT 8 TO 12 MONTHS
• 08:38 STUDYING OTHER RELIGIONS AND BASICALLY RULED, IN MY MIND THEOLOGICALLY SPEAKING,
• 08:43 THAT THEY WERE INCORRECT IN MY MIND
• 08:45 BECAUSE THERE WAS EVIDENCE THAT I COULD SHOW THAT THEY WERE NOT CORRECT,
• 08:49 BUT IT CAME DOWN TO THE BIBLE AND THE KORAN.
• 08:51 DANGEROUS.
• 08:52 IT'S THE 3 MONOTHEISTIC RELIGIONS
• 08:53 YOU WERE PLAYING WITH A SWORD AND IT CUT YOU.
• 08:55 RIGHT.
• 08:56 JUDAISM, ISLAM AND CHRISTIANITY.
• 08:58 WELL, JEWS I ALREADY HATED.
• 09:00 CHRISTIANS I WAS TAUGHT AND BORN AND BRED TO BELIEVE THAT THEY WERE DECEIVED
• 09:02 AND BASICALLY PUPPETS OF THE JEWS AND MUSLIMS WERE MY PEOPLE.
• 09:06 SO, BUT 2 BOOKS, SO I DECIDED TO COLLECT ALL THE INFORMATION I COULD AROUND THE WORLD
• 09:10 FROM MUSLIM SCHOLARS, MUSLIM TEACHERS, EDUCATORS AL AZHAR UNIVERSITY,
• 09:14 INFORMATION ON THE INTERNET FROM THE TOP PEOPLE IN THE WORLD SO THAT I COULD GET TO THE TRUTH.
• 09:18 AS I WAS STUDYING IT, I WAS GETTING MORE AND MORE DISCOURAGED
• 09:21 BECAUSE I WAS RUNNING INTO PROBLEMS,
• 09:24 FOR INSTANCE I WAS BEING TOLD ACCORDING TO ISLAMIC THOUGHT, ISLAMIC TEACHING
• 09:30 THAT THE BIBLE CAME AFTER THE KORAN MEANING ISLAM WAS THE FIRST RELIGION,
• 09:36 ABRAHAM, JESUS, MOSES, EVERYONE WAS A MUSLIM, WHICH MEANS SUBMISSION TO ALLAH.
• 09:42 BUT, I WAS TAUGHT THAT, I ALWAYS THOUGHT THAT THE BIBLE WAS FIRST,
• 09:46 BUT I WAS TAUGHT THAT IT WAS THE REVERSE, SO IT OPENED UP A WHOLE SLEW OF QUESTIONS.
• 09:51 BUT, NOT JUST THAT, MANY OTHER INCONSISTENCIES, SO I STARTED TO LOOK INTO IT,
• 09:54 FURTHER PEAK MY INTEREST AND I WAS NOT GOING TO STOP UNTIL I FOUND THE TRUTH.
• 09:58 WELL, THE BIBLE WITH ITS HISTORIES OF THE ROMANS, THE GREEKS AND SO ON,
• 10:02 IT'S OBVIOUSLY MUCH EARLIER THAN THE KORAN.
• 10:04 SURE, BUT THE EDUCATORS AND THE TEACHERS OF ISLAMIC LAW DO NOT TEACH PEOPLE THAT, OF COURSE.
• 10:10 THEY TEACH THAT ISLAM WAS THE ORIGINAL RELIGION.
• 10:12 THEY WERE WRONG BY 2600 YEARS FROM ABRAHAM TO MOHAMMED
• 10:18 IS LONGER THAN FOR US BACK TO ANCIENT ROME.
• 10:21 WELL, JUST AS YOU SAID, GOING BACK TO ABRAHAM,
• 10:23 ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I WAS STUDYING THAT REALLY JUMPED OUT OF THE PAGES FOR ME WAS,
• 10:29 AS I WAS READING THE KORAN, IT SAID THAT ABRAHAM, HIS SON, THE PROMISED SON
• 10:35 THE ONE THAT ABRAHAM WAS GOING TO SACRIFICE WAS ISHMAEL,
• 10:38 BUT I KNEW AS I WAS STARTING TO STUDY THE BIBLE, LOOKING AT BOTH,
• 10:42 THE BIBLE SAID THAT IT WAS NOT ISHMAEL, IT SAID IT WAS ISAAC.
• 10:46 SO, AS I STUDIED, I SAW THE PARALLELS, NOW I HAVE A PROBLEM.
• 10:49 I COULD SEE A CLEAR CONTRADICTION BETWEEN THE TWO.
• 10:52 SO, I THOUGHT TO MYSELF, BOTH CANNOT BE RIGHT.
• 10:55 ONE MUST BE RIGHT, ONE MUST BE WRONG OR THEY'RE BOTH WRONG.
• 10:58 SO, I DECIDED TO LOOK INTO THAT FURTHER AND THAT OPENED UP MANY OTHER DOORS, OF COURSE.
• 11:02 IT'S A BEAUTIFUL TESTIMONY AND IT'S THE WAY I CAME TO THE LORD.
• 11:06 YOU KNOW, I WENT AND PICKED THE BIBLE SKEPTICALLY
• 11:09 BECAUSE PEOPLE FROM CAMPUS CRUSADE FOR CHRIST WERE TRYING TO WITNESS TO ME AND I THOUGHT,
• 11:13 THOSE SILLY, I MEAN, THEY WERE 10 YEARS YOUNGER THAN ME
• 11:16 AND THEY CHALLENGED ME TO READ THE BOOK OF JOHN
• 11:18 AND I TELL YOU WHAT, THAT SCRIPTURE GETS UNDER YOUR SKIN PRETTY QUICK.
• 11:22 IT MAKES YOU REFLECT ON WHO YOU ARE.
• 11:25 BUT, I HAD TO ASK ALL THOSE QUESTIONS, ZOLA,
• 11:27 WHERE DID THE BIBLE COME FROM, WHO WROTE IT, HOW DO I KNOW IT'S TRUE?
• 11:29 WE'RE BEING TAUGHT AND BORN AND BRED THAT THE BIBLE IS A CORRUPT BOOK.
• 11:33 THEY DO ACCEPT, OF COURSE, SOME THINGS IN THE BIBLE WHERE IT AGREES WITH THE KORAN.
• 11:39 SO, THEREFORE, THE BIBLE IS A CORRUPT BOOK, CANNOT BE TRUSTED,
• 11:42 SO GOD SENT A FINAL MESSENGER, MOHAMMED, AND A FINAL BOOK, THE KORAN, BEING GOD'S WORD.
• 11:48 SO, THAT WAS PRESENTED AND KNOWN, THAT'S WHAT THE MUSLIMS TEACH TO THE KNOWN WORLD
• 11:54 AND TO ALL PEOPLE IN THE WORLD, THE KORAN, IS GOD'S FINAL WORD
• 11:57 AND HIS FINAL PROPHET IS MOHAMMED AND HE IS TO BE FOLLOWED, OF COURSE,
• 12:00 AND THE WORD OF GOD IS THE KORAN, YOU'RE TO FOLLOW IT LITERALLY.
• 12:03 SO, I HAD TO LOOK INTO THAT AND I DID AND I SPENT THE NEXT 3 YEARS, ALMOST 7 DAYS A WEEK,
• 12:10 MORNING TO NIGHT LOOKING INTO THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE TWO.
• 12:13 I COULD NOT SUBMIT UNTIL I KNEW THE TRUTH.
• 12:17 BOY, I HATE TO BREAK IT OFF AT THAT POINT,
• 12:20 IT'S A REAL CLIFFHANGER, BUT WE'LL GO TO A BREAK.
• 12:22 HE'S IBRAHIM ABDULLAH.
• 12:26 HE'S FULL BLOODED PALESTINIAN, WHO ACTUALLY WAS BORN AND RAISED IN DEARBORN, MICHIGAN
• 12:31 WHERE THE SIGNS ARE IN ARABIC AND HE DIDN'T SPEAK ENGLISH UNTIL HE WENT TO SCHOOL.
• 12:36 HE'S COME TO THE LORD.
• 12:37 HE'S ONE OF THE GOOD GUYS AND WE'LL BE BACK WITH HIM AFTER THIS.
• 13:09 IF YOU HAD BUT ONE WORD TO DESCRIBE ISRAEL, WHAT WOULD THAT ONE WORD BE?
• 13:12 INCREDIBLE.
• 13:14 FULFILLMENT.
• 13:15 UNBELIEVABLE.
• 13:17 WOW.
• 13:18 SHALOM.
• 13:20 FABULOUS.
• 13:21 SHABABA, WHICH MEANS AWESOME.
• 13:25 LOVE, THE LOVE OF GOD.
• 13:28 PHENOMENAL, PHENOMENAL, PHENOMENAL.
• 13:39 WELL, THAT'S ISRAEL THE WAY WE SEE IT AND WE, YOU KNOW,
• 13:43 GOD HAS MADE AN ARRANGEMENT WHERE THE SIGNIFICANT, AUTHENTIC, BIBLICAL SITES
• 13:47 HAPPEN TO BE IN ISRAELI AREAS AND NOT IN THE PALESTINIAN AREAS.
• 13:51 WE USED TO, I GUESS WE TOOK THE BUS YEARS AGO THROUGH THE WEST BANK.
• 13:55 WE VISITED JACOB'S WELL, MAYBE JOSEPH'S TOMB AND SO ON.
• 14:00 BUT, I COULD NOT SAY THESE ARE AUTHENTIC.
• 14:02 I DIDN'T REALLY KNOW AND NOBODY DOES.
• 14:05 BUT, THE SEA OF GALILEE IS AVAILABLE, THE UPPER ROOM AND SO ON,
• 14:09 SITES WHERE WE KNOW THE LORD PREACHED AT CORAZIM AND BETHSAIDA AND CAPERNAUM.
• 14:16 WE DO VISIT THOSE PLACES.
• 14:18 ANYWAY, WE ARE NOT AVOIDING ANYTHING EITHER.
• 14:21 I'VE TAKEN TOUR BUSES THROUGH ARAB CITIES AND NOBOBY HAS,
• 14:24 WE DROVE RIGHT UP TO THE GATE WITH GAZA A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO AND THERE WAS SOME ACTION,
• 14:33 NOT SHOOTING, BUT SOMEBODY HAD BLOWN UP A VEHICLE AND THERE WAS A LOT OF,
• 14:37 LIKE I TOLD YOU WHEN WE INTERVIEWED HANAN ASHRAWI, WE DROVE INTO RAMALLAH,
• 14:42 BUT WE WERE RECEIVED PROFESSIONALLY AND TREATED COURTEOUSLY.
• 14:46 WITH ALL THAT SAID, I JUST WANT PEOPLE TO KNOW, YOU DON'T REALLY TOUR BATTLE ZONES ON OUR TOURS.
• 14:54 BUT, ANYHOW YOU SAW SOME.
• 14:55 YOU WERE TELLING ABOUT HOW YOU PICKED UP A SWORD AND IT MADE YOU A SOLDIER.
• 15:01 WELL, IT WAS ALMOST BAPTISM BY FIRE IF YOU WANT TO SAY THAT.
• 15:05 I STARTED TO STUDY IT AND I RAN INTO SO MANY DISTURBING THINGS, ZOLA, MANY DISTURBING THINGS,
• 15:13 FOR INSTANCE, I WAS ALWAYS BORN AND RAISED AND TAUGHT,
• 15:17 MY FAMILY, MY RELATIVES, ISLAMIC TEACHERS,
• 15:20 I WENT TO SUNDAY, WHAT YOU CALL SUNDAY, FRIDAY SCHOOL,
• 15:22 ISLAMIC SCHOOL AND I WAS TAUGHT THAT IN JERUSALEM WHERE THE TEMPLE IS,
• 15:27 THAT TEMPLE WHERE THE DOME OF THE ROCK AND THE AL AQSA MOSQUE IS,
• 15:30 THAT THE SOLOMON'S TEMPLE, THE JEWISH TEMPLE NEVER EXISTED.
• 15:34 AS A MATTER OF FACT, IF YOU GO UNDERNEATH IT,
• 15:35 THEY SAY EVEN TODAY THAT IT'S OTHER MOSQUES, OLDER MOSQUES.
• 15:40 SO, IT'S SITTING ATOP OTHER MOSQUES.
• 15:42 THOSE MOSQUES WOULD BE BEFORE MOHAMMED.
• 15:44 RIGHT.
• 15:46 SO, I DECIDED AS PART OF MY STUDY, TO INVESTIGATE, OF COURSE AND I DID.
• 15:51 YOU CAN ONLY IMAGINE. >>GOOD FOR YOU.
• 15:54 RIGHT, YOU CAN ONLY IMAGINE WHAT I FOUND.
• 15:56 I FOUND THE FOUNDATIONS OF SOLOMON'S TEMPLE INTACT.
• 15:59 THEY WERE NOT PART OF THE MOSQUE.
• 16:01 THE INSCRIPTIONS ARE STILL THERE, YOU CAN SEE IT AS CLEAR AS DAY AND ANYONE COULD.
• 16:06 NOT UNLESS THE MUSLIMS WROTE IN ANCIENT HEBREW.
• 16:07 RIGHT, EXACTLY.
• 16:09 THEY DIDN'T, OBVIOUSLY.
• 16:11 I BROUGHT A FEW WITNESSES.
• 16:13 YOU'RE NOT ALLOWED TO BRING A VIDEO CAMERA, WE TOOK SOME PICTURES.
• 16:17 I NEEDED IT FOR MY EVIDENCE AND THAT WAS PART OF MY WALK.
• 16:22 I HAD TO INVESTIGATE EVERY PART OF IT, ZOLA.
• 16:25 WHY, BECAUSE THE COST OF CONVERSION IS GREAT.
• 16:30 OH SURE. >>VERY GREAT.
• 16:31 IT IS IN JUDAISM, TOO. >>SURE.
• 16:33 I COULD NOT JUST SAY, OK, I WANT TO CONVERT TO CHRISTIANITY.
• 16:38 IT WASN'T GOING TO HAPPEN.
• 16:40 I WANTED TO GIVE THE BENEFIT OF THE DOUBT TO MY OWN FAITH, TO MY OWN CULTURE.
• 16:44 I LOVE MY, IS STILL LOVE MY PEOPLE.
• 16:46 I WOULD NOT, I'M NOT GOING TO LIE ABOUT THAT.
• 16:48 I LOVE MY PEOPLE, OF COURSE I DO.
• 16:50 BUT, THE CULTURE AND THE FAITH, I NEEDED TO KNOW FAITH.
• 16:54 I WANTED TO GET TO THE ROOT OF IT SO I COULD BE A TRUE FOLLOWER OF ALLAH.
• 16:57 SO, I DID AND AS I STUDIED, THE MORE I STUDIED, THE MORE CONFUSED I BECAME.
• 17:02 IT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE THE OTHER WAY AROUND.
• 17:05 I WAS SUPPOSED TO BE MORE CONFIDENT IN MY FAITH.
• 17:08 I WAS BECOMING MORE AND MORE CONFUSED.
• 17:10 SO, OTHER EXAMPLES, WHO WROTE THE KORAN?
• 17:16 WHERE DID IT COME FROM? HOW DO WE KNOW IT'S REAL?
• 17:19 WHERE DID THE BIBLE COME FROM?
• 17:21 THERE'S A BOOK AND THE TITLE OF THE BOOK SAYS, "WHAT DID JESUS REALLY SAY?"
• 17:26 WRITTEN FROM A PROFESSOR AT AL AZHAR UNIVERSITY IN EGYPT.
• 17:31 OF COURSE, YOU KNOW YOU'RE FAMILIAR WITH ZOLA,
• 17:33 ONE OF THE GREATEST TEACHING INSTITUTIONS IN THE WORLD,
• 17:36 IF YOU'RE ANYONE IN ISLAM, TEACHER, SCHOLAR, PROFESSOR,
• 17:39 YOU'LL COME OUT OF THIS UNIVERSITY.
• 17:41 IT'S A 750 PAGE, 765 PAGE BOOK AND IN THIS BOOK
• 17:45 IT HAS THOUSANDS AND THOUSANDS OF SUPPOSED ERRORS IN THE BIBLE.
• 17:51 I WAS VERY EXCITED TO FIND THIS.
• 17:53 I ORDERED IT ALL THE WAY FROM EGYPT AND I BROUGHT IT HERE,
• 17:57 TOOK A COUPLE OF WEEKS, BUT I GOT IT AND AS SOON AS I GOT IT,
• 18:00 I KNEW I WAS GOING TO BE ABLE TO FINALLY DESTROY THE BIBLE,
• 18:03 PROVE THAT THE BIBLE WAS A FALSE BOOK, FALSE DOCTRINE.
• 18:07 NOW THAT YOU HAD THE TOP LEVEL OF PROFESSORS, IT'S LIKE GOING TO HARVARD
• 18:11 AND THEN COMING HOME A LITTLE DISAPPOINTED.
• 18:14 SURE, OF COURSE.
• 18:15 IN ADDITION TO THAT, WATCHING DEBATE TEAMS,
• 18:18 TOP MUSLIM DEBATERS IN THE WORLD WITH SOME JEWISH AND CHRISTIAN HAVE DIALOGUE AND DEBATES
• 18:23 IN OPEN FORMATS IN FRONT THOUSANDS AND THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE.
• 18:26 FOR INSTANCE, IN DURBIN, SOUTH AFRICA,
• 18:28 I'M SURE YOU HEARD OF JOSH MCDOWELL,
• 18:31 IN FRONT OF 11,000 PEOPLE AND ALL THE GREAT POINTS WILL COME OUT IN THOSE FORMATS
• 18:35 AND SO YOU LEARN A LOT WHEN YOU DO THAT.
• 18:39 AND I DECIDED TO DO THAT.
• 18:41 WELL, HERE'S THE PROBLEM, THOSE CONTRADICTIONS THAT WERE SUPPOSED TO BE ABOUT THE BIBLE,
• 18:48 THAT THE BIBLE IS CORRUPT AND CHANGED, NOT A SINGLE ONE.
• 18:51 FOR INSTANCE, IT SAYS, CONCERNING THE HOLY SPIRIT,
• 18:56 AND IN JOHN 14 IT TALKS ABOUT JOHN 14, 15 AND 16, IT'S REFERENCING THE HOLY SPIRIT.
• 19:02 IN THE UPPER ROOM. >>SURE.
• 19:03 IN THIS BOOK, IT'S SAYING THAT THE HOLY SPIRIT WAS AN ANGEL,
• 19:08 BUT, THE BIBLE IS VERY CLEAR.
• 19:10 2 VERSES BELOW, IT TELLS YOU WHAT THE ANSWER IS.
• 19:14 IN MOST CASES, 90% OF THE CASES OF THE CONTRADICTIONS IN THIS BOOK,
• 19:19 IF YOU READ 2 OR 3 VERSES ABOVE OR 2 OR 3 BELOW, YOU'LL FIND THE ANSWER.
• 19:22 SO, WHAT THEY DID WAS, THEY'LL TAKE 1 VERSE OUT OF THE BIBLE AND SAY,
• 19:26 LOOK, THIS IS WHAT THE CHRISTIANS BELIEVE.
• 19:28 BUT, IF YOU JUST READ 2 MORE VERSES, YOU'LL FIND YOUR ANSWER.
• 19:31 SO, THIS IS WHAT'S HAPPENING, THEY'RE MANIPULATING THE MIND.
• 19:33 NOW, HOW DO THEY GET AWAY WITH THAT?
• 19:35 HOW DID I GET DECEIVED THAT WAY?
• 19:37 WELL, I'M BEING TOLD THAT THE BIBLE IS A CORRUPT BOOK,
• 19:40 YOU'RE NOT ALLOWED TO TOUCH IT, LET ALONE READ IT.
• 19:43 SO, IN ESSENCE, IT BECOMES A SIN TO EXAMINE IT.
• 19:48 SO, THEREFORE, I'M NOT TOLD TO STUDY IT.
• 19:51 PEOPLE QUOTE OUT OF CONTEXT FROM THE KORAN, TOO,
• 19:54 BUT, THE IMPORTANT THING IS, THE BIBLE DOESN'T SAY,
• 19:58 GO FIND THIS PARTICULAR GROUP OF PEOPLE AND KILL THEM.
• 20:00 RIGHT.
• 20:01 WELL, UNFORTUNATELY, YOU'RE RIGHT.
• 20:03 YOU'RE ABSOLUTELY RIGHT.
• 20:04 WELL, THAT WAS PART OF THE PROBLEM.
• 20:06 AFTER EXAMINING THESE THING AGAIN, ZOLA, I WAS GETTING CONFUSED,
• 20:10 BUT, I'M STARTING TO SEE INCONSISTENCIES NOW IN MY UPBRINGING, IN MY TEACHING,
• 20:15 IN MY PHILOSOPHY, IN MY INDOCTRINATION, I STARTED TO SEE HOLES.
• 20:18 SO, THAT JUST LED ME FURTHER TO INVESTIGATE.
• 20:22 WELL, FOR THE NEXT THREE YEARS THAT'S WHAT I DID FROM MORNING TO NIGHT, I INVESTIGATED.
• 20:25 I GOT TO THE ROOT OF IT AND I CAME TO THE CONCLUSION, THEOLOGICALLY SPEAKING,
• 20:30 ESPECIALLY CONCERNING THE CORRUPTION OF THE BIBLE,
• 20:33 THERE WASN'T A SINGLE SHRED OF EVIDENCE FROM ANY SCHOLAR,
• 20:36 NOT JUST MUSLIM OR ANYONE ELSE IN THE WORLD
• 20:39 THAT COULD PROVE THAT THE BIBLE WAS CORRUPT IN ANY WHICH WAY, HISTORICALLY, THEOLOGICALLY,
• 20:43 ARCHAEOLOGICALLY, IN ANY WHICH WAY, NOT A SHRED OF EVIDENCE ANYWHERE.
• 20:48 I WAS STUNNED TO FIND THAT BECAUSE THAT'S ONE OF THE MAIN DOCTRINES THAT ARE BEING TAUGHT,
• 20:54 THAT MUSLIMS ARE BEING TAUGHT THAT THE BIBLE IS A CORRUPT BOOK.
• 20:58 THERE IS NO EVIDENCE FOR THAT.
• 21:00 BUT, IN YOUR CASE, THAT'S A COSTLY THING TO FIND OUT.
• 21:05 THE BIBLE ITSELF SAYS COUNT THE COST.
• 21:06 YES.
• 21:08 BECAUSE YOU WERE FACED WITH A TERRIBLE DECISION.
• 21:11 I WAS STUNNED.
• 21:12 NOT ONLY THAT, I HAD TO ALSO STUDY THE REVERSE,
• 21:16 I HAD TO STUDY THE KORAN AND I WAS RUNNING INTO PROBLEMS, RUNNING INTO HOLES.
• 21:20 I WOULD SPEED DIAL THE MOSQUES ON THE PHONE AND ASK FOR ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS
• 21:25 THAT I COULD NOT BELIEVE I WAS HEARING AND I WOULD POUND MY HEAD ON THE DESK.
• 21:31 I COULDN'T BELIEVE WHAT I WAS HEARING.
• 21:33 MOST OF THE RESPONSES WERE BASICALLY JUST SAYING, LOOK, ACCEPT BY FAITH, DO NOT ASK.
• 21:41 WHY, BECAUSE TECHNICALLY THERE AREN'T ANY ANSWERS.
• 21:44 I'M AFRAID THE SAME THING GOES ON WITH THE RABBIS.
• 21:46 I DID THE SAME PROCESS.
• 21:48 I TALKED TO THE SYNAGOGUES, FORGET ABOUT IT,
• 21:50 NOTHING RELEVANT TO SAY ABOUT YOUR QUESTIONS, JUST DON'T ASK.
• 21:55 ALRIGHT, SO THE LORD CAME TO YOU IN THIS WAY.
• 22:01 ONE DAY AFTER ABOUT 3 YEARS, AFTER I KNEW THEOLOGICALLY IT WAS TRUE,
• 22:07 I GOT ON MY KNEES AND I SAID,
• 22:09 GOD, I KNOW THE GOD OF THIS BIBLE IS REAL, I KNOW YOU'RE REAL.
• 22:14 I'M ASKING YOU NOW TO REVEAL AND I PRAYED THAT PRAYER EVERYDAY FOR MONTHS AFTER THAT,
• 22:19 EVEN THOUGH I KNEW THEOLOGICALLY, I HAD ANOTHER PROBLEM, ZOLA.
• 22:22 THE BIGGEST PROBLEM OF ALL, WHAT DO I DO WITH MY HARD HEART?
• 22:27 99% OF THAT HARD HEART WAS DIRECTED TOWARDS MY HATED ENEMY, THE JEW,
• 22:33 BECAUSE WHAT I WAS READING IN THE BIBLE
• 22:35 IS THAT ALL OF US ARE THE SAME.
• 22:37 IN OTHER WORDS, THE JEW IS NOT LESS THAN ME.
• 22:39 IN ALL MY INDOCTRINATION THAT THEY ARE MY ENEMY AND I HATE THEM FOR MANY REASONS,
• 22:45 I HAD TO LET GO, I KNEW I HAD TO, THE BIBLE IS TELLING WE ARE THE SAME IN GOD'S EYES.
• 22:50 HE'S NO RESPECTER OF PERSONS. HOW AM I GOING TO LET THIS GO?
• 22:53 IN OTHER WORDS I WANTED TO BELIEVE THE BIBLE, BUT I WANTED TO KEEP MY HATRED.
• 22:58 THAT WON'T WORK.
• 23:00 SO, FOR MONTHS IT WENT ON.
• 23:03 FINALLY GOD PURGED ME OF IT.
• 23:04 THERE'S STILL PEOPLE AROUND I DISLIKE, BUT I CAN'T REALLY GET UP THE OLD--
• 23:10 RIGHT.
• 23:11 IBRAHIM, WE HAVE JUST A COUPLE OF MINUTES LEFT.
• 23:14 I WAS GOING TO GIVE THEM TO YOU TO TALK TO OUR AUDIENCE,
• 23:16 KNOW THAT THERE ARE MUSLIM AND ARAB PEOPLE ALL OVER AMERICA
• 23:21 AND SOME WATCH OUR PROGRAM AND WE GET LETTERS FROM THEM.
• 23:23 SOME ARE ANGRY, SOME ARE QUITE REASONABLE.
• 23:25 I HEARD FROM AN ADMINISTRATOR AT COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY, AN ARAB WHO'S COPTIC, I BELIEVE HE SAID,
• 23:33 HE WAS AN EGYPTIAN CHRISTIAN COMPLAINING ABOUT OUR LEVITT LETTER.
• 23:37 BUT, I TRY TO PRINT THESE THINGS AND MEET THEIR QUESTIONS,
• 23:43 BUT I THINK IT'S MORE POWERFUL IF YOU TALK TO THEM IN THEIR OWN LANGUAGE.
• 23:45 TALK TO THE CAMERA AND TELL THEM IN ARABIC.
• 23:48 I WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK TO THEM FIRST FROM MY PERSPECTIVE IN ENGLISH ONLY BECAUSE,
• 23:53 IF THAT'S OK, BECAUSE I KNOW THEY WOULD UNDERSTAND
• 23:56 AND I KNOW THEY UNDERSTAND WHAT I'M ABOUT TO SAY TO THEM.
• 23:59 FIRST OF ALL THEY ARE OUR PEOPLE, WE DO CARE ABOUT THEM,
• 24:06 WE LOVE, I LOVE THE MUSLIM PEOPLE.
• 24:08 I LOVE THE ARABS.
• 24:09 THAT'S WHY I'M HERE PRIMARILY.
• 24:13 I WANT THEM TO KNOW THE GOSPEL, THAT JESUS CHRIST IS LORD, THAT IS WHAT MY PURPOSE IS.
• 24:18 HE IS, THERE IS ONLY ONE NAME TO BE SAVED UNDER HEAVEN AND THAT IS CHRIST.
• 24:23 SO, WHY ARE WE HERE?
• 24:26 WHY AM I WITH ZOLA TALKING ABOUT IT?
• 24:28 SO THAT YOU MAY KNOW THE TRUTH AND THE TRUTH WILL SET YOU FREE.
• 24:32 WHAT HAPPENED TO ME CAN HAPPEN TO ANYONE, ANY MUSLIM WHO WANTS TO SEEK CHRIST,
• 24:38 WANTS TO FIND THE TRUTH HAS AN OPPORTUNITY THROUGH THE SCRIPTURE.
• 24:42 ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS WANT TO KNOW, ASK GOD IN YOUR OWN PRIVATE WAY IN YOUR OWN ROOM,
• 24:49 ASK HIM SILENTLY TO SHOW YOU THE TRUTH, TO REVEAL HIMSELF TO YOU AND HE WILL.
• 24:54 THAT'S WHAT I WANT TO SAY.
• 24:56 THAT'S BEAUTIFUL.
• 24:58 I'M GLAD YOU SAID THAT IN ENGLISH BECAUSE I DON'T FOLLOW SO GOOD IN ARABIC.
• 25:01 THE NEXT PROGRAM.
• 25:03 THAT'S LOVELY.
• 25:04 YEAH, I WANT YOU TO COME BACK.
• 25:06 WELL, WE'LL HAVE YOU FOR SEVERAL PROGRAMS.
• 25:08 WE HAVE SOME INTERESTING STUFF COMING UP.
• 25:10 WE'VE GOT FOOTAGE, I HAVE NEVER SEEN IT ON ANY OTHER TV PROGRAM.
• 25:14 WE WENT INTO ONE OF THOSE ISRAELI MILITARY PRISONS
• 25:16 AND WE TALKED WITH 3 ENGLISH SPEAKING MUSLIM TERRORISTS AND THEY WERE FORTHRIGHT
• 25:24 AND TOLD US WHAT THEY THINK AND WHY THEY DO WHAT THEY DO OR DID WHAT THEY DID
• 25:27 AND I WANT TO USE YOU TO EVALUATE THIS.
• 25:32 YOU WERE IN A PRISON LIKE THAT AND THERE ARE 3 DIFFERENT MEN, BUT THEY ARE CHILDREN OF GOD.
• 25:38 SURE.
• 25:40 AND I DON'T KNOW, TO ME THERE'S AN ELEMENT OF BRAINWASH, THERE'S AN ELEMENT OF ANGER,
• 25:46 THERE'S AN ELEMENT OF TERRIBLY LONELY, REACHING OUT FROM THESE CELLS.
• 25:51 THAT'S RIGHT.
• 25:53 THAT'S ABSOLUTELY RIGHT.
• 25:54 WELL THE SCRIPTURES SAYS, ALL MEN ARE EQUAL.
• 25:58 I MEAN, THAT'S ABRAHAM LINCOLN, THE AMERICAN FOUNDERS AND ALL HAVE MADE THAT POINT, TOO.
• 26:04 BUT,IT COMES FROM SCRIPTURE, IT STARTS WITH THE FACT THAT ALL MEN FROM EVERYWHERE
• 26:10 ARE GOD'S CHILDREN AND ALL OF THEM ARE OFFERED THE SAME REDEMPTION,
• 26:13 CERTAINLY INCLUDING THE ARABS, THE MUSLIMS
• 26:15 AND I THINK THE REAL SOLUTION TO THIS SO-CALLED "WAR ON TERRORISM"
• 26:19 IS NOT EXACTLY TO FIGHT WITH THE TERRORISTS AS TO GET THE TRUTH TO THEM
• 26:25 AND SO WHEN PEOPLE WHO WERE TERRORISTS ARE WILLING TO COME OUT
• 26:31 LIKE WALID SHOEBAT, WHO WAS HERE,
• 26:33 LIKE ZACH ANANI, WHO WAS HERE, LIKE IBRAHIM ABDULLAH,
• 26:36 YOU CAN SEE THE MAN IS THE SAME AS ME OR YOU.
• 26:40 WHEN YOU COME TO CHRIST, WE'RE ALL THE SAME, ALL ARE NEW CREATURES IN CHRIST.
• 26:45 OLD THINGS ARE PASSED AWAY.
• 26:47 SO, THANKS SO MUCH FOR COMING AND
• 26:51 SHA'ALU SHALOM YERUSHALAYIM PRAY FOR THE PEACE OF JERUSALEM.