As you may know, the United Nations General Assembly is in session in New York City.  Established to garner worldwide cooperation in maintaining international peace, developing friendly relations between nations, and solving international problems, the UN General Assembly offers world leaders “podium time” to air their thoughts, pleas, and accusations.

I was curious to hear what King Abdullah of Jordan had to say, as I find him to be considerably different than many other Arab leaders in the Middle East.  Though I don’t agree with everything he believes or says, he seems to be a rational voice in the midst of utter chaos in the Middle East.  For example, here are some key points from his UN speech:

• He acknowledged the need for security of every nation and made a case for the need of reconciliation and peace.
• He highlighted Jordan’s leadership in countering extremism, and their stance on mutual respect among all religions and people.
• He condemned sectarian conflict and said, “Arab Christians are an integral part of my region’s past, present, and future.” He then called on Muslims and other leaders to “work together against falsehoods and divisive actions.”
• He called ISIS and those targeting Iraq and Syria “terrorists and criminals…a global threat,” and stated they must be defeated.
• He indicated that Jordan has taken in 1.4 million Syrian and Iraqi refugees. (That is approximately 20% of Jordan’s current population.)
• “The people of Palestine seek what all humanity seeks…justice, dignity, opportunity, and hope. This is our global responsibility.”

Again, I may not agree with everything he says.  However, the tone and substance of King Abdullah’s speech matches what I have seen and heard from him previously, and his voice of reason (this 60 Minutes piece, for example) is refreshing.

In his book, Inside the Revolution, Joel Rosenberg identifies three types of Muslim activist groups in the Middle East, with three different ideologies:

• Radicals: “Islam is the answer, jihad is the way.”
• Reformers: “Islam is the answer, but jihad is not the way.”
• Revivalists: “Islam is not the answer, and jihad is not the way. Jesus is the way.”

Radicals are easy to identify.  They are the ones who spew evil and back it up by their actions.  They kill and maim and torture in the name of religion.  They believe that death for the cause of Allah is noble, and that jihad (holy war) against those who do not believe as they do, will get them to heaven.  Examples are: Osama bin Laden, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, and the Iranian regime.

Reformers, on the other hand, stick by the teachings of Islam, but do not adhere to the teachings of violence.  They are moderate in their thinking and, though they contend for the values espoused in Islam, they also desire freedom and democracy.  Typically, they are opposed to the violent extremism that displays itself in terrorism.  King Abdullah is a freedom-fighting, democracy-craving example of a reformer.  (President al-Sisi in Egypt appears to be a reformer as well.)

Finally, there are those in the Middle who have come to know that Islam is not the answer and jihad is not the way.  They are revivalists who, by the grace of Almighty God, have found peace in Jesus Christ.  Almost all continue to love their people, while generally holding a different religious perspective, and they want peace and safety for them.  They realize that true freedom is found only in Jesus Christ.  However, because faith in Jesus Christ puts their life in jeopardy in most Middle East countries, we don’t hear much about the revivalists.  But friends, there are literally millions of Jesus-followers in the Middle East!

Over the next few days, I’ll share more about the phenomena of Radicals, Reformers, and Revivalists because awareness helps us to accurately recognize the players in the Middle East.  Knowing the foundation of their game plan helps us know how to pray.

Stay with me, friends!  Tomorrow we’ll take a look at the views of two radicals.