Tag Archives: Iran

News

The Age of Cyber Warfare Beckons..

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In the last few weeks and months we have seen a string of news stories of hackers attacking various high profile government agencies, and companies across the globe. Most of these appear to be conducted by loose networks of hackers spread across different countries, many merely teenagers in their bedrooms.

However, what a few kids have been able to do should concern us all deeply. To date these groups have stolen data from Sony, hacked the IMF, Pentagon, and the Italian e-crimes department.

And now we are could be about to see something much more serious than these breaches. Last year, a computer virus was detected with a level of sophistication never before seen. The Stuxnet virus was professionally developed with the purpose of attacking the Iranian nuclear program. The virus was specifically designed to attack the centrifuges within the nuclear plants where Iran have been enriching Uranium. The cyber attack was effective, and hindered Iran’s nuclear program, for a while. Analysis of the code showed a level of sophistication only possible for a government funded virus; it is now believed to have been developed by Israel and America.

The Stuxnet code has now become available to the wider public, and although in it’s raw form it would be of little use, given the specific purpose it was designed the code could be altered and used to attack key sites in the West. For this reason Stuxnet has been called the first Cyber-weapon. Cyber security experts have been warning it is only a matter of time before a major attack happens capable of bringing down a major international corporation, or devastating key infrastructure, such as power or water supplies; even resulting in loss of life. The Department of Homeland Security said several “nation states, terrorist networks, organized criminal groups, and individuals located here in the United States” were “capable of targeting elements of the US information infrastructure to disrupt, or destroy systems upon which we depend”.

With so many major companies and governmental departments being successfully targeted by hackers, we need to pray for the protection of vulnerable agencies and companies upon which we all depend.

 

Religion

The Coming of the Mahdi?

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Within Islam there is a belief that there is a coming messianic figure, referred to as the 12th Imam or Mahdi. Although this belief is more or less universal across the sects of Islam, the Shiites have a particularly fundamental perspective on the Islamic teachings regarding the 12th Imam. And these teachings ought to be taken very seriously by the West and the Church.

Iran is a predominately Shiite nation, and the Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is evangelical in his beliefs. He sees himself as called by Allah to usher in the reign of the Mahdi, and that the Mahdi will unite the Muslim world, ruling from Iraq and bringing peace. However, to bring forth his appearing, terrible destruction must first be in place, as well as the destruction of Israel. Ahmadinejad has made no secret of his hate for the West and Israel, and has spoken publicly of his desire to see “Israel wiped off the face of the map”.

Ahmadinejad now sees the recent unrest in the Middle East as “prophetic” signs that the Mahdi is near. However, intelligence also suggests that Iran have been manipulating the troubles to bring about their own agenda. Iran have been circulating videos throughout the Middle East calling on the people to rise up and over-throw their rulers, sympathizers of the Iranian regime have infiltrated these countries, like Egypt and Yemen, in a bid to seize power and make alliances with the Iran.

As previously stated, the Mahdi will only appear after the destruction of Israel, and seeing Jerusalem in Muslim hands. What are the West doing? Ahmadinejad sees America as weak at this time, and looks to capitalize on her weakness, by pressing forward with their nuclear ambitions. The Church is called to “pray for the peace of Jerusalem”, however half the church is anticipating the destruction of Israel. This is especially a time for the Church to stand in the gap for Israel; and pray for America, that she will once again be a friend and ally to Jerusalem.