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The Islamic Apocalypse

(New York Times) Mustafa Akyol - The cover of the most recent issue of Dabiq, the slick magazine that the Islamic State distributes online, shows an image of a jihadist fighter on the roof of a church, knocking over a cross. Below him, a headline reads "Break the Cross," which refers to a Muslim hadith regarding a prophecy to be realized in the final era before the apocalypse. According to certain hadiths, in the first stage the Muslims will be oppressed. Then two saviors will arise: the Mahdi, a divinely guided caliph who will unite and empower Muslims, followed by Jesus, who will come back to earth to support the Mahdi and defeat evil. But Islamic literature seems to suggest that Jesus will return to abolish Christianity and confirm the truth of Islam. A much-quoted hadith says, "The Son of Mary will soon descend among you as a just ruler; he will break the cross and kill the swine." The usual interpretation of the prophecy is that when Jesus comes back, he will put an end to his own worship, symbolized by the cross, and re-establish the dietary laws that Christianity abandoned but Jews and Muslims still observe. According to a 2012 poll by the Pew Research Center, half of Muslims or more in nine Muslim-majority countries believe that the coming of the Mahdi is "imminent," and could happen in their lifetime. The Islamic State just goes further by claiming that it is bringing the prophecies to life.
2016-10-06 00:00:00
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