'Lord of the Rings' star shares surprising story about Islam and slavery

John Rhys-Davies, star of the 'Lord of the Rings' trilogy and 'Indiana Jones' films, joined Glenn on radio to discuss his new movie that Glenn really enjoyed - 'Beyond the Mask'. The conversation took an interesting turn when Davies spoke of his fear of the end of western European Christian civilization and need for people to unite against true evil in the world. To illustrate his point, Rhys-Davies shared a story from his childhood when he saw a real-life slave ship bringing children to Saudi Arabia.

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Below is a rush transcript of this segment:

GLENN: So last night, Tania and Cheyenne and I went and we saw a new movie that we hadn't heard about. Somebody on Facebook said, hey, Glenn, you need to look into this movie called Beyond the Mask. I posted, does anybody know about it? It posted in select theaters. We saw it last night and absolutely loved it. Just loved it. It is made by two guys. Two families that were home-schooling families, and they used to get together. And they liked to make historic videos and films. Well, that doesn't sound like a good movie. That sounds like, okay, that's great. And I'll let somebody else watch that. This is a really good movie. This is something that reminds me very much like the Swamp Fox or Johnny Tremain that Walt Disney did with, you know, modern production tied to it. Really well done. Well acted. And one of the main guys in it, in fact, he plays the evil uncle is John Rhys-Davies. You may not know his name, but you've seen him a million times. He played Gimli in Lord of the Rings. He was the guy who wore the fez -- I don't remember the character's name -- but the guy who wore the fez in Indiana Jones. Indie's -- I can always just hear him say, Indie! He was the friend over in Egypt of Indiana Jones.

John, are you there?

JOHN: I am indeed -- [inaudible] welcome for our film. I think it's rather generous of you. Thank you very much.

GLENN: Thank you. First of all, you're over in England. And we appreciate you talking to us today. But one thing that I don't think people know is you were a guy that you were very radically left in the 1960s, and Margaret Thatcher kind of changed your mind. Actually kind of -- you were trying to shout her down or something. And she had a great comeback. Right? Do I have the story right?

JOHN: I was a young left-wing idiot in those days. And she was our constituency MP in Finchley, and a bunch of us decided to go along and, you know, make her look tough, rough. And each one of them got up and asked a question, and she shot them down in flames. I chickened out. I decided that I would just forget my question. And just -- just listen for once. And she was -- she hadn't actually gotten into her full stride yet. Her voice was still a bit shrill. But she had an absolute mastery of fact. And she could -- it was pretty easy for her to shoot us down.

GLENN: Now, here you are, you're playing a bad guy, and you play it really well. A bad guy in Beyond the Mask. It's opening in select theaters this weekend. You're in Whales. Are you not?

JOHN: I'm in London, actually. But I'm working on something else in London.

GLENN: So how did you get involved with this American family Christian movie that, you know, was made by homeschoolers. I can't imagine that that was the thing, hey, I have to do a film done by a couple of homeschoolers.

JOHN: Well, you make it sound a little more radical than it was. The truth of the matter is, I like independent films. And I like independent filmmakers. And you can get great production values out of Hollywood. But you seldom really get something where people are trying to talk from the heart. And, you know, I -- I'm -- I'm in this paradoxical situation of being I suppose a radical -- a skeptic and a rationalist really. But I have an enormous -- I have an enormous number of Christian friends who put up with me rather well. And I have an enormous sympathy for them. And, you know, right at the moment, I'm one of those who actually believes that we're in danger of losing western European Christian civilization. And now is not the time to bicker. Now is the time to find what we have in common.

GLENN: Holy cow.

JOHN: And, you know -- you know, and build bridges, rather than sneer and scoff and scorn.

GLENN: John, you are -- you're speaking to an audience of 10 million people here in America that feel exactly the same way. That we are -- we're in real trouble. And nobody is willing to say it. Nobody is willing to do it. And the religious people -- and really, some of the atheists too. We're just tearing each other apart. And we have a lot we agree on. We have a lot we agree on. I'm good friends with Penn Jillette who is a big atheist in America. And we get along famously because there's so much to agree on, the basic principles of life. And western civilization and we really are on the verge of losing it.

JOHN: Well, I mean, I think -- I think America is still the last best hope of mankind. But I think we really are going to lose it in Europe. You know, we --

GLENN: When was the last time you were here? We're not doing so well?

[laughter]

JOHN: I lived in the states incidentally. I used to live -- I listened and watched your show whenever I got back to the states.

GLENN: Oh, you're kidding.

JOHN: So, but the -- here in Europe, you know, the demographics have just been ignored by the politicians. And, you know, I'm not a statistician or anything like that. But, you know, when you have contraception in a country for 40 or 50 years and your birthrate goes below that magical 2.1 per woman figure on average, you get a declining population. And what we are doing, we're not merely replacing our indigenous European population with refugees from Africa and the third world, we're actually replacing our culture as well. And that is catastrophic. You know, we are -- I grew up in Africa. I was taught to respect Islam in all those customs that Muslims must endure. I was aware of. You know, and would try and observe. I have some -- some -- let's put it this way. I have many friends of mine who are Muslim, but I would not wish to live in an Islamic world or an Islamic country.

There is -- there is -- it isn't a question of finding similarities. You know, there is in Islam a direct confrontational attitude towards, you know, the unbelievers. And it's -- and it's really set in stone because the prophet was the last -- the last person that God talked to as a prophet. Therefore, everything he says is set in stone. You cannot contradict the prophet. And some of the things that the prophet said, though you will always people saying, well, he didn't actually mean this. What it really means is, you know. But it is really there. And I've got -- I'm one of those people who have a particular bee in my bonnet about slavery.

The reason is simple. I grew up in Africa. My father was a policeman. He came home one day. We went at lunchtime. He said, get in the car. And he drove me down to the dockside. And there was an Arab dhow in the harbor. And he said, you see that dhow? Twice a year it comes down from Saudi Arabia. It stops in Aden. It comes down the Somali coast. It stops here. It's bringing trading goods down. Then it goes on to Beira in Mozambique. But on the way back up, it always have two or three little black boys ,and they're being taken back to Saudi Arabia as slaves.

GLENN: Oh, my gosh.

JOHN: And his anger was palpable and communicated itself to me. And I've always been -- you know -- you know, when people have a little bee in their bonnet about things and you say, oh, that's odd. But a little out of place. That was one of my bees in my bonnet. And I was outraged. Outraged to see justifications for slavery again.

GLENN: Yes. And the world is -- you know what is amazing. Here in America, we're spending so much time celebrating Bruce Jenner becoming Caitlyn Jenner. And we're not talking about the slave trade that's going on. The slaughter of even the homosexuals. The slaughter of -- the crucifixion of children because they're Christians in the Middle East. We're not paying attention to that. We're just dead asleep in America. It's shameful. It's shameful, John.

JOHN: Well, it's shameful. We have exactly the same thing here. I mean, you know, obviously I'm in show business. You and I both have friends who are gay. You know, but gay marriage here was just about the last thing that the -- that the gay community was expecting. It was so -- down the list of things that needed real serious attention because harm was being done. I mean, you would have got to about 15,000 other things that were priorities, you would have thought. And I always sort of -- I always say, look, if I could have one week to change the world, I would probably execute everyone who used the word "rights" if they didn't back it up with the obligation of responsibilities.

GLENN: Responsibilities. Oh, my gosh. Wow, John. Man, we are up against the clock here. I hope that we can have you back. Because you are fascinating. And one of the few that are really willing to say the truth and say it in a kind way, in a loving way, and just speak common sense. And, A, I wish you all the best of luck. And best of luck on this latest film. Which, again, I recommend highly. If you are anywhere, look for it this weekend. It's open in select theaters. It's called Beyond the Mask. But it is really good. Really, really good. And John Rhys-Davies plays the bad guy in it. And --

JOHN: The bad guys. How dare you, sir. I am the queen's most loyal object.

GLENN: John, thank you so much. And God bless you. Thank you.

JOHN: And you, sir. Thank you very much for having me.

URGENT: FIVE steps to CONTROL AI before it's too late!

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By now, many of us are familiar with AI and its potential benefits and threats. However, unless you're a tech tycoon, it can feel like you have little influence over the future of artificial intelligence.

For years, Glenn has warned about the dangers of rapidly developing AI technologies that have taken the world by storm.

He acknowledges their significant benefits but emphasizes the need to establish proper boundaries and ethics now, while we still have control. But since most people aren’t Silicon Valley tech leaders making the decisions, how can they help keep AI in check?

Recently, Glenn interviewed Tristan Harris, a tech ethicist deeply concerned about the potential harm of unchecked AI, to discuss its societal implications. Harris highlighted a concerning new piece of legislation proposed by Texas Senator Ted Cruz. This legislation proposes a state-level moratorium on AI regulation, meaning only the federal government could regulate AI. Harris noted that there’s currently no Federal plan for regulating AI. Until the federal government establishes a plan, tech companies would have nearly free rein with their AI. And we all know how slowly the federal government moves.

This is where you come in. Tristan Harris shared with Glenn the top five actions you should urge your representatives to take regarding AI, including opposing the moratorium until a concrete plan is in place. Now is your chance to influence the future of AI. Contact your senator and congressman today and share these five crucial steps they must take to keep AI in check:

Ban engagement-optimized AI companions for kids

Create legislation that will prevent AI from being designed to maximize addiction, sexualization, flattery, and attachment disorders, and to protect young people’s mental health and ability to form real-life friendships.

Establish basic liability laws

Companies need to be held accountable when their products cause real-world harm.

Pass increased whistleblower protections

Protect concerned technologists working inside the AI labs from facing untenable pressures and threats that prevent them from warning the public when the AI rollout is unsafe or crosses dangerous red lines.

Prevent AI from having legal rights

Enact laws so AIs don’t have protected speech or have their own bank accounts, making sure our legal system works for human interests over AI interests.

Oppose the state moratorium on AI 

Call your congressman or Senator Cruz’s office, and demand they oppose the state moratorium on AI without a plan for how we will set guardrails for this technology.

Glenn: Only Trump dared to deliver on decades of empty promises

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The Islamic regime has been killing Americans since 1979. Now Trump’s response proves we’re no longer playing defense — we’re finally hitting back.

The United States has taken direct military action against Iran’s nuclear program. Whatever you think of the strike, it’s over. It’s happened. And now, we have to predict what happens next. I want to help you understand the gravity of this situation: what happened, what it means, and what might come next. To that end, we need to begin with a little history.

Since 1979, Iran has been at war with us — even if we refused to call it that.

We are either on the verge of a remarkable strategic victory or a devastating global escalation. Time will tell.

It began with the hostage crisis, when 66 Americans were seized and 52 were held for over a year by the radical Islamic regime. Four years later, 17 more Americans were murdered in the U.S. Embassy bombing in Beirut, followed by 241 Marines in the Beirut barracks bombing.

Then came the Khobar Towers bombing in 1996, which killed 19 more U.S. airmen. Iran had its fingerprints all over it.

In Iraq and Afghanistan, Iranian-backed proxies killed hundreds of American soldiers. From 2001 to 2020 in Afghanistan and 2003 to 2011 in Iraq, Iran supplied IEDs and tactical support.

The Iranians have plotted assassinations and kidnappings on U.S. soil — in 2011, 2021, and again in 2024 — and yet we’ve never really responded.

The precedent for U.S. retaliation has always been present, but no president has chosen to pull the trigger until this past weekend. President Donald Trump struck decisively. And what our military pulled off this weekend was nothing short of extraordinary.

Operation Midnight Hammer

The strike was reportedly called Operation Midnight Hammer. It involved as many as 175 U.S. aircraft, including 12 B-2 stealth bombers — out of just 19 in our entire arsenal. Those bombers are among the most complex machines in the world, and they were kept mission-ready by some of the finest mechanics on the planet.

USAF / Handout | Getty Images

To throw off Iranian radar and intelligence, some bombers flew west toward Guam — classic misdirection. The rest flew east, toward the real targets.

As the B-2s approached Iranian airspace, U.S. submarines launched dozens of Tomahawk missiles at Iran’s fortified nuclear facilities. Minutes later, the bombers dropped 14 MOPs — massive ordnance penetrators — each designed to drill deep into the earth and destroy underground bunkers. These bombs are the size of an F-16 and cost millions of dollars apiece. They are so accurate, I’ve been told they can hit the top of a soda can from 15,000 feet.

They were built for this mission — and we’ve been rehearsing this run for 15 years.

If the satellite imagery is accurate — and if what my sources tell me is true — the targeted nuclear sites were utterly destroyed. We’ll likely rely on the Israelis to confirm that on the ground.

This was a master class in strategy, execution, and deterrence. And it proved that only the United States could carry out a strike like this. I am very proud of our military, what we are capable of doing, and what we can accomplish.

What comes next

We don’t yet know how Iran will respond, but many of the possibilities are troubling. The Iranians could target U.S. forces across the Middle East. On Monday, Tehran launched 20 missiles at U.S. bases in Qatar, Syria, and Kuwait, to no effect. God forbid, they could also unleash Hezbollah or other terrorist proxies to strike here at home — and they just might.

Iran has also threatened to shut down the Strait of Hormuz — the artery through which nearly a fifth of the world’s oil flows. On Sunday, Iran’s parliament voted to begin the process. If the Supreme Council and the ayatollah give the go-ahead, we could see oil prices spike to $150 or even $200 a barrel.

That would be catastrophic.

The 2008 financial collapse was pushed over the edge when oil hit $130. Western economies — including ours — simply cannot sustain oil above $120 for long. If this conflict escalates and the Strait is closed, the global economy could unravel.

The strike also raises questions about regime stability. Will it spark an uprising, or will the Islamic regime respond with a brutal crackdown on dissidents?

Early signs aren’t hopeful. Reports suggest hundreds of arrests over the weekend and at least one dissident executed on charges of spying for Israel. The regime’s infamous morality police, the Gasht-e Ershad, are back on the streets. Every phone, every vehicle — monitored. The U.S. embassy in Qatar issued a shelter-in-place warning for Americans.

Russia and China both condemned the strike. On Monday, a senior Iranian official flew to Moscow to meet with Vladimir Putin. That meeting should alarm anyone paying attention. Their alliance continues to deepen — and that’s a serious concern.

Now we pray

We are either on the verge of a remarkable strategic victory or a devastating global escalation. Time will tell. But either way, President Trump didn’t start this. He inherited it — and he took decisive action.

The difference is, he did what they all said they would do. He didn’t send pallets of cash in the dead of night. He didn’t sign another failed treaty.

He acted. Now, we pray. For peace, for wisdom, and for the strength to meet whatever comes next.


This article originally appeared on TheBlaze.com.

Globalize the Intifada? Why Mamdani’s plan spells DOOM for America

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If New Yorkers hand City Hall to Zohran Mamdani, they’re not voting for change. They’re opening the door to an alliance of socialism, Islamism, and chaos.

It only took 25 years for New York City to go from the resilient, flag-waving pride following the 9/11 attacks to a political fever dream. To quote Michael Malice, “I'm old enough to remember when New Yorkers endured 9/11 instead of voting for it.”

Malice is talking about Zohran Mamdani, a Democratic Socialist assemblyman from Queens now eyeing the mayor’s office. Mamdani, a 33-year-old state representative emerging from relative political obscurity, is now receiving substantial funding for his mayoral campaign from the Council on American-Islamic Relations.

CAIR has a long and concerning history, including being born out of the Muslim Brotherhood and named an unindicted co-conspirator in the Holy Land Foundation terror funding case. Why would the group have dropped $100,000 into a PAC backing Mamdani’s campaign?

Mamdani blends political Islam with Marxist economics — two ideologies that have left tens of millions dead in the 20th century alone.

Perhaps CAIR has a vested interest in Mamdani’s call to “globalize the intifada.” That’s not a call for peaceful protest. Intifada refers to historic uprisings of Muslims against what they call the “Israeli occupation of Palestine.” Suicide bombings and street violence are part of the playbook. So when Mamdani says he wants to “globalize” that, who exactly is the enemy in this global scenario? Because it sure sounds like he's saying America is the new Israel, and anyone who supports Western democracy is the new Zionist.

Mamdani tried to clean up his language by citing the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, which once used “intifada” in an Arabic-language article to describe the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. So now he’s comparing Palestinians to Jewish victims of the Nazis? If that doesn’t twist your stomach into knots, you’re not paying attention.

If you’re “globalizing” an intifada, and positioning Israel — and now America — as the Nazis, that’s not a cry for human rights. That’s a call for chaos and violence.

Rising Islamism

But hey, this is New York. Faculty members at Columbia University — where Mamdani’s own father once worked — signed a letter defending students who supported Hamas after October 7. They also contributed to Mamdani’s mayoral campaign. And his father? He blamed Ronald Reagan and the religious right for inspiring Islamic terrorism, as if the roots of 9/11 grew in Washington, not the caves of Tora Bora.

Bloomberg / Contributor | Getty Images

This isn’t about Islam as a faith. We should distinguish between Islam and Islamism. Islam is a religion followed peacefully by millions. Islamism is something entirely different — an ideology that seeks to merge mosque and state, impose Sharia law, and destroy secular liberal democracies from within. Islamism isn’t about prayer and fasting. It’s about power.

Criticizing Islamism is not Islamophobia. It is not an attack on peaceful Muslims. In fact, Muslims are often its first victims.

Islamism is misogynistic, theocratic, violent, and supremacist. It’s hostile to free speech, religious pluralism, gay rights, secularism — even to moderate Muslims. Yet somehow, the progressive left — the same left that claims to fight for feminism, LGBTQ rights, and free expression — finds itself defending candidates like Mamdani. You can’t make this stuff up.

Blending the worst ideologies

And if that weren’t enough, Mamdani also identifies as a Democratic Socialist. He blends political Islam with Marxist economics — two ideologies that have left tens of millions dead in the 20th century alone. But don’t worry, New York. I’m sure this time socialism will totally work. Just like it always didn’t.

If you’re a business owner, a parent, a person who’s saved anything, or just someone who values sanity: Get out. I’m serious. If Mamdani becomes mayor, as seems likely, then New York City will become a case study in what happens when you marry ideological extremism with political power. And it won’t be pretty.

This is about more than one mayoral race. It’s about the future of Western liberalism. It’s about drawing a bright line between faith and fanaticism, between healthy pluralism and authoritarian dogma.

Call out radicalism

We must call out political Islam the same way we call out white nationalism or any other supremacist ideology. When someone chants “globalize the intifada,” that should send a chill down your spine — whether you’re Jewish, Christian, Muslim, atheist, or anything in between.

The left may try to shame you into silence with words like “Islamophobia,” but the record is worn out. The grooves are shallow. The American people see what’s happening. And we’re not buying it.

This article originally appeared on TheBlaze.com.

Could China OWN our National Parks?

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The left’s idea of stewardship involves bulldozing bison and barring access. Lee’s vision puts conservation back in the hands of the people.

The media wants you to believe that Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) is trying to bulldoze Yellowstone and turn national parks into strip malls — that he’s calling for a reckless fire sale of America’s natural beauty to line developers’ pockets. That narrative is dishonest. It’s fearmongering, and, by the way, it’s wrong.

Here’s what’s really happening.

Private stewardship works. It’s local. It’s accountable. It’s incentivized.

The federal government currently owns 640 million acres of land — nearly 28% of all land in the United States. To put that into perspective, that’s more territory than France, Germany, Poland, and the United Kingdom combined.

Most of this land is west of the Mississippi River. That’s not a coincidence. In the American West, federal ownership isn’t just a bureaucratic technicality — it’s a stranglehold. States are suffocated. Locals are treated as tenants. Opportunities are choked off.

Meanwhile, people living east of the Mississippi — in places like Kentucky, Georgia, or Pennsylvania — might not even realize how little land their own states truly control. But the same policies that are plaguing the West could come for them next.

Lee isn’t proposing to auction off Yellowstone or pave over Yosemite. He’s talking about 3 million acres — that’s less than half of 1% of the federal estate. And this land isn’t your family’s favorite hiking trail. It’s remote, hard to access, and often mismanaged.

Failed management

Why was it mismanaged in the first place? Because the federal government is a terrible landlord.

Consider Yellowstone again. It’s home to the last remaining herd of genetically pure American bison — animals that haven’t been crossbred with cattle. Ranchers, myself included, would love the chance to help restore these majestic creatures on private land. But the federal government won’t allow it.

So what do they do when the herd gets too big?

They kill them. Bulldoze them into mass graves. That’s not conservation. That’s bureaucratic malpractice.

And don’t even get me started on bald eagles — majestic symbols of American freedom and a federally protected endangered species, now regularly slaughtered by wind turbines. I have pictures of piles of dead bald eagles. Where’s the outrage?

Biden’s federal land-grab

Some argue that states can’t afford to manage this land themselves. But if the states can’t afford it, how can Washington? We’re $35 trillion in debt. Entitlements are strained, infrastructure is crumbling, and the Bureau of Land Management, Forest Service, and National Park Service are billions of dollars behind in basic maintenance. Roads, firebreaks, and trails are falling apart.

The Biden administration quietly embraced something called the “30 by 30” initiative, a plan to lock up 30% of all U.S. land and water under federal “conservation” by 2030. The real goal is 50% by 2050.

That entails half of the country being taken away from you, controlled not by the people who live there but by technocrats in D.C.

You think that won’t affect your ability to hunt, fish, graze cattle, or cut timber? Think again. It won’t be conservatives who stop you from building a cabin, raising cattle, or teaching your grandkids how to shoot a rifle. It’ll be the same radical environmentalists who treat land as sacred — unless it’s your truck, your deer stand, or your back yard.

Land as collateral

Moreover, the U.S. Treasury is considering putting federally owned land on the national balance sheet, listing your parks, forests, and hunting grounds as collateral.

What happens if America defaults on its debt?

David McNew / Stringer | Getty Images

Do you think our creditors won’t come calling? Imagine explaining to your kids that the lake you used to fish in is now under foreign ownership, that the forest you hunted in belongs to China.

This is not hypothetical. This is the logical conclusion of treating land like a piggy bank.

The American way

There’s a better way — and it’s the American way.

Let the people who live near the land steward it. Let ranchers, farmers, sportsmen, and local conservationists do what they’ve done for generations.

Did you know that 75% of America’s wetlands are on private land? Or that the most successful wildlife recoveries — whitetail deer, ducks, wild turkeys — didn’t come from Washington but from partnerships between private landowners and groups like Ducks Unlimited?

Private stewardship works. It’s local. It’s accountable. It’s incentivized. When you break it, you fix it. When you profit from the land, you protect it.

This is not about selling out. It’s about buying in — to freedom, to responsibility, to the principle of constitutional self-governance.

So when you hear the pundits cry foul over 3 million acres of federal land, remember: We don’t need Washington to protect our land. We need Washington to get out of the way.

Because this isn’t just about land. It’s about liberty. And once liberty is lost, it doesn’t come back easily.

This article originally appeared on TheBlaze.com.