The Tedland Daily – a blog run by Walid Shoebat’s son Theodore – recently featured, and then removed, a letter written by Walid to a certain Sean Osborne. Osborne is a rival apocalyptic Christian Zionist and anti-Islam pundit, and he had offered up some criticisms of Shoebat’s theories about a coming Muslim anti-Christ (other fundamentalist criticisms can be seen here and here – it’s a depressing farrago of nonsense on all sides). Shoebat’s letter is wonderfully coarse, ad hominem, and abusive, lending credence to Debbie Schlussel’s allegation that he once swore at her. The Shoebats must have had second thoughts about the wisdom of making the letter public, but Osborne’s Eschatology Today blog has reproduced the text with glee. Highlights:
Dear Mr. Sean Osborn,
This is to inform you that I am sending in a request to my friend Bill O’Reily on Fox News for you to appear on his show as Pin-Head of the year.
Here is why I find you most qualified:
1) Only a Pin-Head would state “At no time in history did the Roman Empire ever have dominion over Arabia, the birthplace of Islam.”
Sir, ever heard of Arabia Felix? Or Emperor Trajan’s annexation of part of the kingdom of Nabatea (Arabia) as a Roman province reaching Saudi Arabia?
Ever heard of Philip the Arab who was the Emperor of the Roman Empire?
Your not a Pin-Head for being ignorant on history since neither one of us is a historian, but you are for stating that “My purpose was only to provide historical fact”.
…2)Only a Pin-Head would state “The Church, the Bride of Jesus Christ, has always been western based”. Such racist remarks might grant you entry into the Skin-Heads. You are shaven in order to qualify, are you not? Congratulations, now your head is as smooth as your bottom and now I know where the source of your knowledge gushes from.
…What sparked this letter is that someone referred to me some of your outlandish allegations attaching my name, and after reading and instead of taking you seriously, I decided to jot you this note as to express what a great Pin-Head you really are.
If you feel my comments deserve an apology, please have your quotes signed off by any professor of Roman history, or any reputable Prophecy teacher such as Lahaye, Fruchtenbaum, Lindsey, Jeffrey… And I will be glad to publicly extend an apology. I assure you, they too will think your a Pin-Head as well.
Yours truly,
Walid Shoebat
The whole thing shows up Shoebat as lacking in any historical understanding, and Osborne easily dispatches his arguments. He also responds with mutual loathing, suggesting that Shoebat may be a secret Muslim! He concludes that the letter is
quite worthless pap from someone who thinks of himself as being God’s gift to Christiandom; a man who hides behind an alias because he’s afraid of the big, bad muzzies who are allegedly after his neck.
It’s funny how these characters on both sides can devote years to poring obsessively over Biblical prophecies without engaging with any serious scholarship on the subject, yet seem happy to ignore the most basic instructions from Jesus and Paul about how Christians are supposed to relate to one another.
As well as his Eschatology Today blog, Osborne (a military contractor) runs a site called The NEIN Blog, where he lauds Bill Salus’s preposterous Israelestine book (which I blogged here) and revels vicariously in recent Israeli military actions. The blog is “a supplemental effort to the Northeast Intelligence Network”; this “network” is yet another self-proclaimed anti-terrorist organisation which churns out alarmist anti-Muslim screeds; interestingly, its founder, Doug Hagmann, has – like Walid Shoebat – been accused of plagiarism by Debbie Schlussel [UPDATE: I see that Lee Kaplan, who helps to promote Shoebat, is a “senior intelligence analyst” of the Network].
Osborne’s post also attacks Ray Gano, who is strong supporter of Shoebat (and fan of Jack Chick), and who forwarded Shoebat’s letter to him:
I now know precisely what Pastor John Hagee, Dr. David Reagan and Bill Salus, among many other Christian brothers have experienced. Truth be told, because these men tell the truth, I am honored to have been as demeaned as they have been by Ray Gano and his ilk.
Maybe this explains why Shoebat was dropped from the July 2008 CUFI “Israel Summit”?
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Hmmm, Osborne shows his ignorance on history, Arabia Felix was part of the Roman Empire. I am yet to see the name “Osborne” attacked by CNN or other liberal media. It seems that he has nothing better to do then be a as Shoebat said — a pin-head.
Jane,
And you show your ignorance of English grammar. Go look up the difference between “than” and “then” in a dictionary. That will help you learn the language. Then you can address the two other grammatical errors in your post.