On Aug 27 the New York Times covered Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen’s recent essay to military personnel.

“‘To put it simply, we need to worry a lot less about how to communicate our actions and much more about what our actions communicate,’ Admiral Mullen wrote in the critique, an essay to be published Friday by Joint Force Quarterly, an official military journal.”

The Times article also emphasized Adm. Mullen’s views on the effectiveness of current efforts: “American messages to counter extremist information campaigns ‘lack credibility, because we haven’t invested enough in building trust and relationships, and we haven’t always delivered on promises,’ he wrote.”  Adm. Mullen’s words go a long way, acknowledging and reminding military and policymakers that the old adage, “Actions speak louder than words” is true.

Ramadan, the special month of fasting and prayer for Muslims begins this Friday August 21.  Our friends at ReadtheSpirit.com published an article introducing Ramadan to non-Muslims and will be publishing various information and stories throughout the month at their Sharing Ramadan website.  The conclusion of writer Raad Alawan’s introduction highlights an important point about the value of prayer and fasting:

“This is a powerful theme that members of other faiths can appreciate. Jesus thought fasting was good for the soul. So do Jews, who fast on Yom Kipper; and Catholics who fast on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. My point? We’re more unified than it may seem sometimes. And isn’t that what we all seek in life?”  Click here to read the article in full.

The title of Martin Sieff’s review in today’s Washington Times, “From enmity to friendship” encapsulates the core message Mark shares in ADM.  Focusing on the timeliness of this book in an era that “hinge[s] to an unprecedented degree” on the discord between Muslim and Christian, Sieff highlights the extraordinary support the book has received from both political and religious leaders, and the strong ties that Mark has in both spheres of influence.  Acknowleding Mark’s unorthodox approach to conflict resolution, Sieff goes on to state “Yet Mr. Siljander is no pie-in-the-sky impractical dreamer. As a veteran politician, he understands the nature and danger of the extreme Islamist fundamentalist challenge exceptionally clearly, and his insights on the problem are some of the clearest and most cogent that have yet been published.” Click here for more.

Martin Sieff is defense industry editor for United Press International. He has been nominated three times for the Pultizer Prize for international reporting. His latest book is “The Politically Incorrect Guide to the Middle East.”

Former U.S. President Bill Clinton’s recent visit to North Korea resulted in the release of two American journalists, as has been reported widely.  Some feel that the exchange should not have taken place, characterized by John Bolton saying the effort by Clinton “comes perilously close to negotiating with terrorists” (AP). But others see another track for diplomacy in action. Gov. Bill Richardson, who has worked with North Korea in the past, commented, “It provides an opening on both sides. The problem has been North Korea not wanting to talk to anybody and so what it is, is a cooling of relations, simply talking … both countries talking to each other without necessarily negotiating is the next step” (CBS).

Mark’s friend, Dr. Tawfik Hamid, a former extremist and now Islamic reformer, will be the keynote speaker at the 17th Annual Terrorism Trends & Forecasts Symposium hosted by the International Association for Counterterrorism and Security Professionals in Hackensack, New Jersey this coming September 18, 2009.

Dr. Hamid will discuss the factors that caused proliferation of Islamic Radicalism in the last few decades, the mind set development of the Jihadists and their motives. Dr. Hamid will also address the issue of Islamic Reformation and will share with the audience a strategic plan to defeat Radical Islam. Learn more at http://www.tawfikhamid.com/

Islam is a religion of violence

The Qur’an preaches the destruction of all non–Muslims

The Qur’an and Islam are of the devil, as godless as the great evil of communism

Islam and Christianity are contradictory at their core

Eastern Islamic and Western Judeo–Christian cultures are irretrievably opposed to one another

The only solution is conversion of “them”

“Mark D. Siljander was a congressman, a Christian, and necessarily a Muslim–hater…or so he thought. His book describes his transformation as he discovers the true teachings of Islam and Christianity. Initially, his understanding of Islam included the beliefs stated above…”  click here to read more from an Arabic student in Yemen, Paul W. Reid’s review of A Deadly Misunderstanding

While the thought of Rick Warren speaking at the Islamic Society of North America’s annual conference this July has apparently caused quite a furor for certain Christian bloggers, others highlight that the real emphasis should be first of all, on love for neighbor. Robert Parham at “On Faith” comments:

Jesus did not spell out prerequisites for doing right for one’s neighbor. Jesus did not tell his followers that they had to agree with their neighbors about God and the source of eternal salvation before they could love their neighbor. Love for neighbor wasn’t a doctrinal issue, it was a moral imperative.

Mark’s recent article on Veterans Today highlights the need for intelligent diplomacy as the forefront of our foreign policy.  Also includes a report on recent events: the great support expressed at the legal defense fund reception hosted by Ed Meese and others in Washington, DC and the time Mark spent in Minneapolis, MN presenting his message in several venues.  Show support for Mark and ADM by commenting on the article page!

“Peaceful Efforts in the Middle East”

“If we are ever to have peace with the Middle East it will be because of ideas and beliefs such as those expressed in this book and not at the end of a gun barrel.”

Ron at BlogSearcher

“It [ADM] was recommended to me and I am now recommending it to others. It has been very enlightening and extremely thought provoking.”

Grandma James at Wit and Wisdom of the Aged

“People look at the teachings of Jesus and label them “foolish” saying they won’t work in the “real world”. It’s one thing to take all of this in academically, it’s another to see if it makes a difference in people’s lives. Siljander has travelled the world meeting with Muslim leaders sharing his new view of Jesus and of Islam and what we hold in common with some amazing real world results in getting prisoners freed and in getting cooperation from governments with which it seemed we had no hope of reaching.”

Brian at The Beautiful Heresy

“The whole misunderstanding about the meaning of the “Son of God” is clarified best by my friend, Congressman Mark Siljander, in his book A Deadly Misunderstanding. The misunderstanding revolves around a word “to beget”…”

Tim Timmons at The Embers

and Rod McAlister let us know about the many comments that have cropped up on ADM at the LinkedIn Reading List!

For those of you wanting to begin a study of Aramaic after reading A Deadly Misunderstanding, we’d like to highlight the Aramaic Study resources available from Dr. James DeFrancisco.  His ministry seeks to provide “objective and accurate” resources to study the Aramaic language:

“Aramaic Bible Perspectives is dedicated to providing high quality information to Bible students. The Aramaic language was used by Jesus and the Patriarchs. Knowledge of it will enrich an individual’s understanding of the Holy Scriptures and reveal nuances of meaning that otherwise would be mistranslated and misinterpreted. We do not promote any particular doctrinal position so our research covers a broad spectrum of belief systems. Students and scholars are invited to send information and questions to Aramaic Bible Perspectives. We will provide a wide variety of resources to enrich study and research efforts: books, efiles, software, audio/video resources, etc.”