"A Revival of National Socialism?"

     I love going to the movies, especially on the opening night of a film when it first hits the theaters.  One such night was Friday, August 3, 2018, when the controversial political thriller, “Death of a nation,” premiered across the country. Conservative filmmaker and author, Dinesh D’Souza, had produced an “in- your-face” documentary responding to the bogus criticisms of President Trump being a racist, fascist, and white supremacist. The first few opening minutes chronicled the Liberal media’s meltdown on Election night, where they whined, complained, and twisted themselves into pretzels trying to explain the Trump Avalanche that had buried Hillary Clinton. What followed was the left throwing a temper tantrum with violent protests and dubious attempts to discredit Trump and thwart the will of the people.

     D’Souza then proceeded to answer the accusations against Trump being a racist by demonstrating from history that the real party of racism were the Democrats. When it came to Fascism, D’Souza revealed how Roosevelt admired Mussolini embracing his economic principles of an industrial act to help America recover from the Great Depression. However, the main thrust of the film was to show how Hitler implemented his core strategies by studying the Democratic Party.  One such principle was creating a racist state in Germany. Hitler implemented the Nuremberg Laws of 1935 against the Jews, taking his cue from the Democrats of the American South and their segregation laws against blacks. The law against racial intermarriage between Jews and Germans was taken directly from the Democratic playbook. Hitler also borrowed from the anti-human philosophy of Planned Parenthood founder Margaret Sanger’s sterilization laws, which he used in euthanizing social undesirables such as gypsies and the mentally retarded. Margaret Sanger is of course an icon of Liberals, admired and praised by Hillary Clinton.

     As the movie drew to a dramatic conclusion, D’Souza asked the all-important question, “How do we fight the tyranny of the Left?” The answer to his own question left me mesmerized! D’Souza introduced the brave and heroic efforts of Sophie Scholl and the White Rose. Sophie was a 21-year-old university student who joined forces with her brother to peacefully protest against the racist dictatorship policies of Hitler through the publication of anti-Nazi leaflets distributed all over Germany. In the end, they were both arrested and executed.

     This part of the film left me breathless. I always know when I’m supposed to write about a particular topic, because it begins to burn in my soul and ignite my passions, and it’s all I can think about for days. However, what I was watching frightened me and caused me to wonder was D’Souza trying to tell conservatives how dangerous this fight against progressive democrats and their socialist agenda is going to become?

     Sophie and her brother Hans, including the other members of the White Rose, were engaged in a very dangerous struggle against the demonic ideology of Hitler’s National Socialism. Hitler wanted to create a pure Aryan Race and restore the greatness of Germany that had been stolen by their loss in World War I and the limitations imposed by the Treaty of Versailles.  He blamed all of the economic and socials woes on the Jews and Communists and was determined to rid Germany of their influences. The White Rose spoke out against racism and discrimination, and the evils of Hitler that silenced freedom of speech and unfortunately in the end, the anti-God philosophy of National Socialism put to death the courageous voices of Hans and Sophie.

    Is this the price we conservatives will have to pay today in our culture where it seems like the philosophy of National Socialism is once again rearing its ugly head up from the ashes?

   Extremist progressives inside of the Democratic Party are pushing a socialist agenda aimed at swaying our country away from its roots of capitalism. Bernie Sanders, who has announced his candidacy for president in the 2020 election, along with Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Representative for New York’s 14^th district, have been busy promoting redistribution of wealth, attacking corporations, and devising plans to economically and environmentally transform our country. However, history has demonstrated the utter failure of socialism. All one has to do is look at the Soviet Union and Venezuela to see the devastating results of adopting this corrupt philosophy. Socialism is one step away from Communism and there are no “free lunches” but instead a system where the State becomes your god and an elite few rules from the top down. This is exactly what happened in Germany in 1933, when Hitler plunged the National Socialist German Worker’s Party (The Nazis) into the political spotlight and ascended the throne to become its Chancellor and Fuhrer. It all began with promises of economic transformation and ended up with total control over the mass media, over free speech, and demonization of any other political viewpoint.

    Progressives frighten me! They are adopting principles, viewpoints, and ideas once held sacred by the Nazi party. Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar and Michigan Rep. Rashida Tlaib, have both displayed contempt for the Jewish people with their anti-Semitic remarks since being elected to Congress as Muslim Americans. When their anti-Semitic attitudes were challenged by other conservatives, The Democratic Party refused to hold them personally accountable. It is a well known fact that the Democratic party has never been a true supporter of Israel, but instead always rushes to defend the Palestinian cause. Liberals have always embraced Islam in their so-called politics of diversity. The Nazis understood the connection between Islam and Anti-Semitism very well! Mohammed Amin al-Husseini, the grand mufti of Jerusalem, broadcasted anti-Semitic messages from Berlin with Hitler’s approval from 1941 until the end of World War II. Al-Husseini was also a close ally of Hassan al-Banna, the Muslim Brotherhood’s founder. The parallels could not be clearer! The extremists of the Democratic Party are a close ally to the Nazi’s in their anti-Semitic behavior toward the Jew.

    Promoting the destruction of human life beyond abortion, Oregon Gov. Kate Brown, endorsed for re-election by Planned Parenthood, signed legislation allowing mentally ill patients to be denied food and water unless that patient issued an advanced directive before becoming debilitated. Previously only caregivers with the power of attorney could make such a decision.

    In January, Oregon Democrats introduced another bill expanding the state’s law governing medically assisted suicide to include any patient with an incurable disease or intolerable pain. These laws parallel the same logic of The Nazi’s euthanasia program to eliminate those they determined were unworthy of life, like the mentally ill, the elderly, and the disabled. The Aktion T4 program, initiated by Hitler in 1939, was responsible for the death of more than 70,000 human beings from starvation, lethal injection, and gassing.

    Another powerful parallel to Nazism played out by the progressives is their obsession with identity politics and the treatment of oppressed groups. Democratic Socialists view women, African Americans, Latinos, Muslims, and gays as needing special protection from Whites, Christians, and capitalists. Ironically the Nazi’s viewed “the Aryans,” the superior race, as also needing special protection from, Jews, socialists, and capitalists.

    The chief propagandist of Hitler was Joseph Goebbels. He was in charge of fashioning the media to broadcast a specific narrative to the German people that promoted the Fuhrer’s agenda and portrayed him as a master military leader even when the war was being lost in Stalingrad. In the same way, liberal elites control the thinking of much of the media today and the moment a conservative rocks the boat with a different opinion, he or she is demonized and silenced with smear tactics, reminding them of the rules for political correctness!

     I believe our culture is ripe for a terrifying revival of National Socialism much like the political climate in pre-war Nazi Germany. The example of Sophie and Hans Scholl, used by D’Souza, in “Death of a nation,” is a wake up call for me. If Hans and Sophie were both still alive today, I know they would be tirelessly and courageously fighting against the intolerance, racism, and the identity politics of the left.

     They didn’t worry about their own personal safety, but instead they put the dignity, values, and freedom of the German people above themselves and fought day and night to awaken them to the horrible realities happening before their very eyes. A social and political transformation is happening before our very eyes, too! Like Hans and Sophie, we cannot be silent. We need to awaken to the reality that our blood-bought freedoms are at risk! They are being resisted and challenged by extremists who don’t love our country but instead love the power and prestige they receive from deceiving millennials with empty promises that will poison their souls.

     The very last words of Hans and Sophie before their execution was, "Long Live Freedom!"

                  

Mary Mohammadi: "I refuse to keep silent in Iran."

 

 
       "I am ready to return to prison if necessary, in order to fight for the rights of Christians."
                (Mary Mohammadi-Interview Article 18, December 2019)

    I can vividly remember the last message that I received from my Iranian friend Mary on her Telegram account just two days before her arrest. I had just finished dressing and was late to work, but stopped for just a moment to read her message. It was a petition she wanted me to post on my Facebook protesting against the film on Netflix that portrayed Jesus as a homosexual. I smiled and nodded my head, “That is my friend, Mary,” I mumbled to myself, “She is so outspoken and dedicated!”

   Right below the petition was a question, “Randy, how do you feel and react about the death of Soleimani as a Christian?”

    I was pleasantly surprised by Mary’s thoughtful question. It had been just a few days since President Trump had given the order for a drone missile strike on the jeep carrying Iran’s top military General which had instantly killed him. I carefully pondered Mary’s question and then began texting her back:

      “I am happy for you and for all Iranians, that this terrorist can no longer kill people. However, I’m also saddened because even God does not take pleasure in the death of the wicked. He desires that unbelievers repent, because if not, He knows they will spend eternity in Hell apart from Christ.”

                                     That was the last message I had sent Mary……

   One week later, On January 16, while browsing the internet, I came across a story from Article 18 that sent shock waves through my whole body. The article explained that Mary Mohammadi had been arrested in Azadi Square in Tehran on January 12, during the time when thousands of Iranians were protesting the downing of the Ukrainian jet airliner. It was unknown at the time where she had been taken.

    I dropped my cellphone in my lap and bowed my head in prayer. A few minutes later, after composing myself, I quickly began sharing Mary’s story on my Facebook pages requesting urgent prayer.

                                                    ************

    

    I had become good friends with Mary over a year ago through my Iranian friend Mehnoush. She shared her incredible story and I knew right away that it would be featured in our new book, “Dear God, please bring freedom to Iran.”

    In 2017, at the age of 17, Mary converted from Islam to Christianity. In Iran, that is a very dangerous thing to do! Converts face arrest, imprisonment, and sometimes even the death penalty. That is exactly what happened to Mary. She was arrested, interrogated, and put in Evin Prison for six months. During that time, her interrogators, psychologically abused her and tried to force her to recant her faith and return to Islam. Mary stood firm in her convictions and refused!

   After her release in May of 2018, Mary refused to keep quiet about her faith. She began a ministry on her Instagram account entitled, “Campaign KHMA.” The campaign was dedicated to religious freedom in Iran and featured videos and articles from Christians and human rights activists all over the world. For the next several months, Mary would send me articles for the campaign that had been translated from Persian into English and asked me to proof check the spelling. I happily agreed, knowing that her campaign was sending a powerful message to the world supporting Christians in Iran. I remember that during Easter I recorded a worship song at my church for her campaign. Mary wanted to feature Christian worship videos to her audience showing the joy of true worship in churches that were free from arrest and imprisonment. Mary’s campaign on Instagram truly challenged my Christian faith and my commitment to Christ. Her courage deeply touched my heart and reminded me to not take for granted my freedom to worship as a Christian.

    In December 2019, for the second time in a year, Mary was expelled from University in Tehran.  A few days later she gave an interview to Article 18. Article 18 is a non-profit organization in London, dedicated to the protection and promotion of religious freedom in Iran and advocating on the behalf of persecuted Christians. Mary was asked whether she believed her Tweets supporting Christians may have led to her expulsion from university.

    “Of course, Mary declared, all the activities, statements, and any action taken by members of minority groups, and activists, especially those living in Iran, is constantly monitored by the Islamic Republic. Any such activism could lead to being denied a right, and my recent tweets may have made the authorities even more determined.”

     On the day of her arrest, Mary had been very busy on Twitter, tweeting support for Christians in prison in Iran, and criticizing the government for misleading the people about their involvement in shooting down the Ukrainian Jet airliner. Shortly after tweeting, Mary disappeared! The security forces converged on the crowd of protesters In Azadi Square and promptly arrested my dear friend.

      According the HRANA ( Human rights activist news agency) in a story published on February 12, 2020, at the time of her arrest, Mary was severely beaten by male and female agents and then transferred to Vozara Detention center, where she continued to be abused and physically assaulted. The beatings were so severe that the bruises on her body were visible for more than three weeks. Before her interrogation at Vozara, Mary was forced to sit outside in the bitter cold in front of the toilets. Officers demanded that she answer thirty questions but Mary refused until a lawyer was present.

       At the time of this writing, HRANA, (Human rights activists’ new agency) published a report on the internet that Mary Mohammadi has been detained in Qarchak Prison, in the south of Tehran. Qarchak Prison has a reputation of being, “hell on earth.” It is one of the most dangerous and filthy women’s prisons in Iran, housing more than 2,000 women with very limited access to showers, toilets, and decent food.  It is a dangerous environment for rape, murder, and torture. Her bail has been set at 30 million Tomans (equivalent to 2,250 in U.S. money) and her family has managed to raise the money. 

      I was devastated when I read where my dear friend Mary is being imprisoned at! Mary’s whole life has inspired and challenged my Christian faith. Her heart’s desire is for herself and all Christians in Iran to have the freedom to worship without fear of arrest and imprisonment. Reflecting on her courage and refusal to keep silent in one of the most dangerous places on earth to be a Christian, causes me to ask all of us a very important question!

    Where is your church? Is it safely inside four walls and padded pews? Or is your church “outside of the box” among the broken and helpless, where it is dangerous, risky, and inconvenient? The church in the west is far too insulated from the real world. We are safe, protected, and, in some cases spoon fed pep-talk sermons that are guaranteed to get us out on time for the start of a major sporting event on Sunday.

     In contrast, Mary’s church is located on the cold, dark broken concrete floors of a disease infested prison filled with drug dealers and prostitutes. A prison that has a reputation of beating and torturing, and even raping its prisoners. For the last several weeks I have been fervently praying that God would protect and strengthen my dear friend and give her boldness to be a light in the darkness of Qarchak Prison. Later this week, I was overwhelmed with joy when I watched in a video, President Donald Trump mention Mary’s captivity during the 68^th Annual National Prayer Breakfast in Washington DC.  President Trump said,

      “Weeks ago, a 21-year-old woman, who goes by the name of Mary, was seized and imprisoned in Iran because she converted to Christianity and shared the gospel with others.”

       Mary’s incredible story has reached the White House, and President Trump, who is a strong voice and supporter of the Iranian people. If it was possible to talk face to face with my dear Iranian friend, this is exactly what I would say to her:

      “Mary, I am so inspired and proud of your incredible courage! This government is very afraid of you! They arrested you because they are afraid of you, Mary. They are afraid of who you are and what you represent. You represent Christ and this government fears Christianity. Islam is dying inside of Iran, while Christianity is growing by leaps and bounds!

      They’re afraid of you Mary because you are a woman and a woman is leading the masses of Iranians to find their hope in Jesus instead of Mohammed. Don’t give up the fight, Mary! They will never stop or destroy you! Jesus will never leave or forsake you. He has promised that the gates of hell cannot prevail against the church and your mission is guaranteed to succeed. Your prayer for Iranians to have the freedom to worship will most certainly one day come true!”

     Soon after being elected President of Iran in 2005, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad publicly pledged to Iranians, “I will stop Christianity in this country!”

     Since that public speech, millions of Iranians have converted to Christianity and are secretly meeting in house churches, unafraid and unashamed to be called by the name of Christ. The fastest growing church in the world is the underground church in Iran. In her last interview before her arrest, Mary said, “I hope one day all Christians in Iran will be able to have a place to praise God without security guards.”

     Mary, I promise to support you, speak for you, and pray for you, to see your vision of a free Iran come true!

*Editor’s update…..

     On February 27, 2020, I was overjoyed to read the news that Mary had been released on temporary bail from Qarchak Prison. With the recent outbreak of the coronavirus sweeping across Iran claiming the lives of hundreds of people, the government stepped in and began releasing prisoners whose sentences were less than five years and those that tested negative for the virus. Mary was one of them! I will never forget a few days later that we connected on Telegram. I texted Mary anxious to know how she was doing and asked her how she was feeling. Mary quickly texted back with a very positive reply.

“I am fine, dear. Jesus and Christians are behind me!   

   I was not surprised by her answer. Mary has always maintained a very positive and hopeful attitude through all of her struggles. She explained to me that Qarchak Prison was a horrible experience, very dangerous, and that the food was awful!

    However, there was one more hurdle to overcome. Mary had to return to court a few days later and face the judge. She told me that she believed she would be sentenced and that it “was her duty to go to prison and stand up for Christians in Iran.”

   Mary’s attitude toward a possible future sentence really surprised me at first, but after a few moments, I understood why she felt that way. Being a voice of hope for Christians in Iran is her passion. She feels that its her duty to represent them even if it means that she will have endure more suffering. I told Mary I would pray for her and we ended our conversation.

   Monday, March 2 at 2 am my time, I received a text from Mary on Telegram. She explained to me that her court date had been postponed because the Judge was suffering from the coronavirus! I literally screamed for joy, hopefully not waking up my wife Becky, asleep in the other room! I texted Mary back with tears of joy in my eyes, telling her how happy I was that God had answered all of our prayers. 

   Mary must return to court on Tuesday, April 14, probably after the coronavirus has subsided. At the time of this writing, thousands of Iranians have been infected with the virus, and many have died due to the incompetence of the government. Mary is resting comfortable at home uncertain of her future but determined to continue being a voice for Christians in Iran. Mary challenges and inspires my Christian faith. She is in the hands of a sovereign, loving God who promises his people a “hope and a future.”

 “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future.”

                                                                                      (Jeremiah 29:11)

  No matter the outcome, I am trusting in the Lord that he will use Mary for his glory, whether in captivity or in freedom. Mary is not afraid. She is also trusting in God for the future of her life. She has submitted herself into his sovereign care and awaits her return to court. One thing is for certain. Mary refuses to keep silent in Iran. She will never stop, “shouting freedom!”

*Update.....

On April 21, 2020, The judge gave Mary a suspended prison sentence of 3 months and one day, plus 10 lashes. Mary will begin serving her sentence on April 21, 2021 due to the deadly outbreak of the coronavirus which has infected all of the major prisons in Iran.