Islamic Developments

جامعة الدول العربية
Jāmaʻat ad-Duwwal al-ʻArabiyya Arab League Flag

There have been several interesting Islamic developments in the news. The first to mention is that Egypt and Saudi Arabia had their first ever joint military exercise:

First joint Saudi-Egyptian maneuver ever was geared to Iranian threat

DEBKA – Oct 22, 2010

Egypt and Saudi Arabia secretly carried out their first ever joint exercise this week with the participation of their special operations, marine, armored, missile, air and naval forces, debkafile‘s military sources reveal.

Exercise Tabuk-2 was programmed to repulse a potential Iranian attack on Saudi Arabia by taking the battle over to Islamic Republican territory. Our sources note that a new chapter was written in Middle East military history this week: The two largest Arab nations deployed their military strength in position for combating the Iranian army and its Revolutionary Guards Corps and showed they were willing to counter Iranian belligerence by invading the aggressor. http://www.debka.com/article/9100/

So, while Iran is trying to whip up support in Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq, and Lebanon, others in the Islamic world have decided to put on their own demonstration of unity in opposition to Iran. I suspect that if Iran does provoke conflict that this will help lead to the rise of the prophesied King of the South (Daniel 11:27-43) who will fill, to a degree, the role of the Imam Mahdi that many within Islam are looking for. And while the idea of the Imam Mahdi is promoted heavily by Iran, the idea is believed in much of the Islamic world and it would not be a surprise if a successor to the current president of Egypt might fill or at least assist in that role. Of course, that is not quite how they view that matter in Iran, at least not yet.

Speaking of Iran, the Los Angeles Times reported the following:

Iran begins fueling nuclear reactor

By Borzou Daragahi, Los Angeles TimesOctober 26, 2010
The start of the weeks-long process brings the controversial Bushehr plant another step closer to operation. Iran says the facility will generate 1,000 megawatts of electricity, but Western nations fear it is to be used to produce atomic weapons. http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/middleeast/la-fg-iran-nuclear-20101027,0,1194581.story

Iran is hoping to be the big player in the Islamic world, and having nuclear capacity is a step towards that goal. But Bible prophecy indicates that Iran will not be the dominant player in the age.

Another item related to Islam that just made the news is the following report:

Report: Blair’s sister-in-law converts to Islam

By JONNY PAUL
10/25/2010 05:12…

LONDON – The sister-in-law of Quartet envoy and former British prime minister Tony Blair has reportedly converted to Islam after “a holy experience” while on a visit to Iran.

Anti-Israel activist and journalist Lauren Booth said she made the decision after visiting the Fatima al-Masumeh Shrine in Qom, the second most holy city in Iran after Mashhad, leading her to convert immediately on returning to the UK. http://www.jpost.com/International/Article.aspx?id=192572

This is interesting for many reasons. Including the fact that Tony Blair himself converted to Catholicism some years ago. Having a prominent UK woman publicly converting to Islam will likely cause a lot of debate and discussion in the UK. And it may give Tony Blair some credibility if he needs to assist in future negotiations with Islamic leaders (cf. Daniel 11:27).

Events lining up with biblical prophecy keep being reported. And at this page, many will be highlighted.

Three articles of possibly related interest may include:

The Arab World In the Bible, History, and Prophecy The Bible discusses the origins of the Arab world and discusses the Middle East in prophecy. What is ahead for the Middle East and those who follow Islam?
Is There A Future King of the South? Some no longer believe there needs to be. Might Egypt, Islam, Iran, Arabs, or Ethiopia be involved? What does the Bible say?
Is Tony Blair Apocalyptic? The former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom converted to Catholicism shortly after leaving his office and has been active in European affairs. What role might he play?