Detroit: The warning issued by Pala Bishop Mar Joseph Kallarangatt against narcotic jihad and love jihad is gaining international attention. Robert Spencer, a prominent American blogger and founder of the Jihad Watch website, has come out in support of the Bishop of Pala. Robert Spencer told the Detroit-based digital media outlet ‘Church Militant’ that drugs have been used for decades as a way to wage and finance war. He was responding to the news containing the bishop's statement.
He added that Bishop Kallarangatt stated something that many refuse to address. Spencer, author of "The History of Jihad," pointed out that before the Taliban's first regime in Afghanistan was ousted, the Taliban talked about using opium to raise money and encouraged the sale of opium to non-Muslims.
Spencer explained that many Christian, Hindu and Sikh women and girls have been victims of the love jihad.
He said that girls are being ensnared, brainwashed, converted and sent to terrorist camps, and many Christian girls are falling for this scam these days. Spencer, who said that we need to identify those with a terrorist mentality, warns that such groups have been targeting young girls in schools, colleges, hostels, commercial establishments and public institutions.
Robert Spencer is a blogger who has gained much attention for his strong interventions and articles against religious extremism. The blog he started in 2003 is garnering attention today. There were earlier reports that two of Spencer's books were listed in FBI training materials and that he had given seminars to various law enforcement units in the United States.
At the same time, the report of 'Church Militant' has addressed many issues including that which Mar Kallarangatt gave a cautionary message at the historic Martha Mariam pilgrimage centre in Kuravilangad, and also the concerns shared by the Syro-Malabar Church Media Commission and KCBC on Love Jihad issues. This is a clear indication that the issue has become a topic of discussion at the international level as well.
- PS