Who is Walid Shoebat

Scottsdale Bible Church will open its 2500 seat facility for a “Keynote Speech” by Walid Shoebat, arranged by Chosen People Ministries. The church lists the event on its Calendar as a “Day911 Commemorative Memorial Service.”
Walid Shoebat is, in our experience, a trained businessman-propagandist for the Israeli government, much as John Hagee is.  He openly and unapologetically promotes continued forced occupation of the Palestinian people in his speeches at schools and churches.  His words are much like a dedicated, professional Israeli Zionist, including Avigdor Lieberman, who is about to be forced out of the Israeli government for extremism.
Chosen People Ministries describes Shoebat as a “born again Christian,” but nothing on Shoebat’s website even hints of professed Christianity, and, if he is one, he did not learn the part that requires one to love his enemy as you love your brother.  Instead, we find obvious and unapologetic lies about his background and stretches on almost every subject he brings up, then more stretches in an effort to neutralize his critics. Christ Hedges and other writers who are pulling on the loose ends of Shoebat’s yarn ball, including Eileen Fleming and a bright blog called “Bartholomew.”
We find Shoebat’s own words best convict him.  Shoebat comments on his site:  “When I finally realized the lies and myths I was taught, it is my duty as a righteous person to speak out. The Israeli Arab Conflict is not about geography but about Jew hatred;
Does anyone seriously believe “land” is not the issue in Palestine when Israel admits it is taking more of it every day?
Another outrageous claim is comparing Palestinians to the Nazis of 70 years ago. “Europe and the rest of the tyrannical world have again sided with evil and have replaced the Nazis with there support of the phony Palestinian cause.”
Shoebat implies the Philistines occupied Israel, the reverse is the case since 1948. Only a well paid Israeli agent could bring himself to say otherwise.  Others have challenged Shoebat’s ex-terrorist story thinking it made up from scratch.
Chris Hedges, former New York Times Mideast Bureau Chief, a deservedly respected Middle East expert writes of Shoebat in  “War Against Tolerance:” “These self-described former Muslim terrorists (Shoebat and two clones) are regularly trotted out at Christian colleges—a few days ago they were at the Air Force Academy—to spew racist filth about Islam”
Further Hedges states: “Shoebat has written a book called “Why We Want to Kill You”(he) promises in his lectures to explain the numerous similarities between radical Muslims and the Nazis, how “Muslim terrorists” invaded America 30 years ago and how “perseverance, recruitment and hate” have fueled attacks by Muslims.”
Hedges continues, “These men (Shoebat and two named clones) are frauds, but this is not the point. They are part of a dark and frightening war by the Christian right against tolerance that, in the moment of another catastrophic terrorist attack on American soil, would make it acceptable to target and persecute all Muslims, including the some 6 million Muslims who live in the United States.” (1)
Even more interesting evidence that Shoebat lies is found in his strange insistence (on his website) that “Walid Shoebat” is a pseudonym to protect himself and family In fact we know it is he given name, having found someone form his local villages who know him there.
It appears that Shoebat would prefer that people like Fleming and Bartholomew do not go to his home town and talk to friends and relatives which would blow his “X-terrorist” story.
Shoebat claims in his story to be “righteous,” but if he has a faith it is not even mentioned in his violently anti-Arab website.  It will be interesting to see if he makes a profession of Christianity at Scottsdale Bible Church to match his billing.
As Chris Hedges correctly wrote, Walid’s message engenders hatred against Muslims, even the nearly defenseless victims of occupation in Gaza and his native West Bank village of Beit Sahour near Bethlehem.
But our difference is not with Shoebat but with church’s leaders who, for whatever reason, allow Shoebat a forum to influence and confuse the lives of followers of Christ.  It is not for us to rid the world of the racist evil of Zionism; it is instead our task to correct the leaders of Christian churches by exposing them to those who are being innocently and tragically influenced.  “Christian Zionist” is the right word for any Church that allows Shoebat to speak in its halls.
Scottsdale Bible Church is expected to teach from Jesus’ words.  Senior Pastor, Jamie Rasmussen is said to be new at Scottsdale Bible Church, which seems to historically avoid most political issues, with the exception of its undertow teaching that political Israel is the fulfillment of Bible prophesy.  It provides a religious smorgasbord, teaching about justice, peace and love, a measure of quality entertainment, an occasional “dish” of Middle East humanitarianism, and enough Scofield dispensationalism to support flashy, Zionist friendly tours to Israel, and worst of all, Chosen People Ministries’ Israeli racist speaker, Walid Shoebat. We have invited Pastor Rasmussen to meet with us.
Project Strait Gate will hold a quiet vigil and Day911 observance outside the church and all men of faith and conscience are invited to join us.
Revealing links:
(1)”The War Against Tolerance,” Chris Hedges, truthdig.org, 2/11/2008: http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/20080211_the_war_against_tolerance/#Richard
Walid Shoebat in his own words: http://www.shoebat.com
“Walid Shoebat Denounced by Former Co-Author,” Richard Bartholomew, 2/27/2009:  http://barthsnotes.wordpress.com/2009/02/27/walid-shoebat-denounced-by-former-co-author/
“The Palestinian ‘Terrorist’ Turned Zionist,” Jorg Luyken, Jerusalem Post, 3/20/2008: http://www.jpost.com/Features/The-Palestinian-terrorist-turned-Zionist
CNN’s Anderson Cooper Exposes Walid Shoebat: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pJN00dBhZVk