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Iran Warns ISIS: These Are Our Red Lines

TEHRANIranian Interior Minister Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli has warned the Sunni Islamist terror group ISIS not to approach Iranian territory or the Shia shrines in Iraq.

Speaking at a gathering Friday in Tabas, in eastern Iran, Fazli said that ISIS should not get closer than 40 kilometers (25 miles) to Iran's border nor attack any of the Shia holy shrines in Iraq, Iran's Tasnim news agency reported.

The shrines contain remains of relatives of the Prophet Muhammad, and are places of pilgrimage for Iranian and Iraqi Shi'a Muslims. ISIS has shown its eagerness to destroy all religious and historical monuments it considers idolatrous, in keeping with its fanatical interpretations of Sunni Islam, which generally eschews shrines or devotion to saints or religious personalities.

[rebelmouse-image 27089607 alt="""" original_size="800x600" expand=1]Iran-Iraq border. Photo: Hamidreza Sorouri / Persian Dutch Network

Fazli did not say what Iran would do if ISIS were to cross these "red lines." He did however link the terror group with the United States and Israel, referreing to the militia by its Arabic name, denouncing "Daesh and other Salafist-Zionist groups." The fact that IS was "so powerful as to go to war with governments and armies, shows the reality that it has strong backing," he said.

Fazli said Iran's "advice" and aid in recent years had helped save Iraq from "another fate." Iran is actively helping Syria's President Bashar al-Assad fight an array of rebel armies as well as terrorist groups like ISIS. On November 6, Prague-based Farsi language Radio Farda cited reports from Syria that two more members of Iran's Revolutionary Guards and a member of the Hezballah, the Lebanese militia financed by Iran, had recently died in fighting in Syria.

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Society

Is Disney's "Wish" Spreading A Subtle Anti-Christian Message To Kids?

Disney's new movie "Wish" is being touted as a new children's blockbuster to celebrate the company's 100th anniversary. But some Christians may see the portrayal of the villain as God-like and turning wishes into prayers as the ultimate denial of the true message of Christmas.

photo of a kid running out of a church

For the Christmas holiday season?

Joseph Holmes

Christians have always had a love-hate relationship with Disney since I can remember. Growing up in the Christian culture of the 1990s and early 2000s, all the Christian parents I knew loved watching Disney movies with their kids – but have always had an uncomfortable relationship with some of its messages. It was due to the constant Disney tropes of “follow your heart philosophy” and “junior knows best” disdain for authority figures like parents that angered so many. Even so, most Christians felt the benefits had outweighed the costs.

That all seems to have changed as of late, with Disney being hit more and more by claims from conservatives (including Christian conservatives) that Disney is pushing more and more radical progressive social agendas, This has coincided with a steep drop at the box office for Disney.

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