Islamic Persecution of Christians

This is a series of reports on attacks on Christians around the Islamic world during the past several months.

There are serious issues revealed in all this.

The first issue is the implied complicity of those in direct authority.  A school master stands by while his student is murdered.  It can not be more inexcusable.  The man in authority in fact surrendered his authority.

Even had he hated the individual targeted, it is never right or wise to surrender authority.

The second issue is that this is all accepted under the aegis of Sharia law.  This is not natural law at all but a centric law that allots justice to the strong alone.  Obviously the progress of this doctrine is an ethnic bloodbath that is unending.  The Jews have largely been removed from the Islamic World and the same ethnic hatreds are now been unleashed on the Christian communities.  This logic never ends of course.

The third issue is that anarchy prevails in many places which encourages the violence.  Strong man rule has been the norm in this world since Mohammad and usually this halts the violence.  It now remains to be seen if democratic systems are able to resolve and mange this tendency much better.  That it has in fact worked well elsewhere is encouraging but not too convincing.

The lack of confrontation from the developed world remains disquieting but still reasonable.  After all, a real confrontation will entail a forcible reform of Islam itself allowing full freedom of religion and open access to Christianity and a secular education system enforced throughout.  It remains far too easy to allow the Islamic world to simply stew in its own juices.

Think about that for a moment.  Every other culture is adopting the Western secular paradigm and entering a rapid period of modernization.  The Islamic culture is barely competing except on the fringes of their economies.  In the meantime the worst news has yet to arrive.  That is the end of the Age of Oil.  The power sources already exist and automotive electrics are now good enough.  I will make a bold statement and suggest that Global oil consumption will fall from 80,000,000 bpd to 30,000,000 bpd with a price structure of about $25.00 per barrel.   The question is when?  The scary thing is that it can happen by 2020.  The USA is already dropping its import consumption fast enough to become import neutral outside North America by 2020.

A collapse of the oil market immediately impoverishes the leading Islamic states and their economies all then begin to look like Jordon’s.

Muslim Persecution of Christians: October

Raymond Ibrahim Bio ↓ on Nov 21st, 2011

http://frontpagemag.com/2011/11/21/muslim-persecution-of-christians-october

“The attacks on Christians continue and the world remains totally silent. It’s as if we’ve been swallowed up by the night” — Iraqi Christian

Egypt’s Maspero massacre—where the military killed dozens of Christians protesting the destruction of their churches—dominates October’s persecution headlines.  Facts and details concerning the military’s “crimes against humanity” are documented in this report, and include videos of armored-vehicles running over civilians, a catalog of lies and deceitful tactics employed by Egypt’s rulers and state media, and other matters overlooked in the West.

More damning evidence continues to emerge: not only did Egypt’s military plan to massacre Christians to teach them a “lesson” never to protest again, but “death squads” were deployed up buildings the night before to snipe at protesters.  Instead of trying the soldiers who intentionally ran-over demonstrators, the military has been randomly arresting Copts, simply “for being Christian.” Finally, the fact-finding commission of Egypt’s National Council for Human Rights just submitted its report which, as expected, “whitewashes” the military’s role, including by “asserting that no live ammunition was fired on the protesters by the military, as the army only fired blanks in the air to disperse the protesters,” a claim many eyewitnesses reject out of hand.

Meanwhile, not only are Western governments apathetic, but it was revealed that “Obama’s top Muslim advisor blocks Middle Eastern Christians’ access to White House.”  Newt Gingrich asserted that Obama’s “strategy in the Middle East is such a total grotesque failure” and likened the “Arab spring” to an “anti-Christian spring.”  Ann Widdecombe accused the British government of “double standards in its threats to cut aid to countries which persecute gay people while turning a blind eye to persecution against Christians.”  Even Christian pastors in the West, apparently more concerned about appearing tolerant and in “dialogue” with Muslims, are reluctant to mention persecution to their flock.

Categorized by theme, the rest of October’s batch of Muslim persecution of Christians around the world includes (but is hardly limited to) the following accounts, listed according to theme and in alphabetical order by country, not necessarily severity.

Churches

Afghanistan: Ten years after the U.S. invaded and overthrew the Taliban—at a cost of more than 1,700 U.S. military lives and $440 billion in taxpayer dollars—the State Department revealed that Afghanistan’s last Christian church was destroyed. The report further makes clear that the Afghan government—installed by the U.S.—is partially responsible for such anti-Christian sentiments, for instance, by upholding apostasy laws, which make it a criminal offence for Muslims to convert to other religions.

Indonesia: Muslims and authorities expelled Christians from their church andshut it down “for allegedly engaging in ‘proselytizing’ in a predominantly Muslim area.”  As in previous cases when churches were seized, “the fundamentalists were aided and abetted by the local administration.” Also, the Muslim behind a September church attack that left three dead confessed that he was operating under his jihad leader’s orders, “based on the Koran and Sunna.”

Kazakhstan: The Muslim majority nation enacted new laws further restricting freedom of religion: “All registered churches must now re-register with the government, and only churches meeting new criteria will be registered.” Accordingly, “police and secret police agents reportedly raided a worship meeting of officially registered Protestant church New Life, saying that under the new Religion Law the congregation ‘cannot meet outside its legal address.’ During the raid, a 17-year old woman was hit by a policeman, leaving her unconscious.”

Sudan: Soon after President Bashir “confirmed plans to adopt an entirely Islamic constitution and strengthen sharia law,” “emboldened” Muslims attacked Christians trying to construct a church, “claiming that Christianity was no longer an accepted religion in the country.” Likewise, authorities threatened to demolish three church buildings “as part of a long-standing bid to rid Sudan of Christianity.”

Christian Symbols

Egypt: A Christian student was strangled and beaten to death by his Muslim teacher and fellow students for refusing to cover his cross. When the headmaster was informed of the attack in progress, he ignored it and “continued to sip his tea.”  In the words of one prominent Egyptian commentator: “a teacher forced a student to take off the crucifix he wore, and when the Christian student stood firm for his rights, the teacher quarreled with him, joined by some of the students; he was beastly assaulted until his last breath left him.”

Saudi Arabia: A Colombian soccer-player “was arrested by the Saudi moral police after customers in a Riyadh shopping mall expressed outrage over the sports player’s religious tattoos, which included the face of Jesus of Nazareth on his arm….  A similar event occurred in Saudi Arabia last year when a Romanian player kissed the tattoo of a cross he had on his arm after scoring a goal, which also caused public outrage.”

Maldives: Police arrested a 30-year-old teacher from India for having a Bible and rosary, finally deporting him after a two-week interrogation. According to the principal, he “was a very good teacher, we’ve not had any complaints of him in the past.” Such cases are not aberrant: “Last year, Maldivian authorities rescued another Christian teacher from India when Muslim parents of her students threatened to throw her into the sea for ‘preaching Christianity’ after she drew a compass in class, which they alleged was a cross.”

Apostasy, Blasphemy, Proselytism

India: A mufti summoned a Christian priest to appear before his court: according to the mufti, the priest “is involved in converting young Muslim boys and girls to Christianity. This warrants action as per Islamic law….  I will take all necessary measures in exercise of the powers vested in me by Islamic Sharia.”

Iran: Militants with suspected ties to Iranian security threatened to kill nearly a dozen evangelical Christians who fled Iran; unless they “repent and ask forgiveness” and return to Islam, they must die.  Likewise, a “group of four officers engaged in a commando-style raid on the house” of a Muslim convert to Christianity, arresting him, confiscating his Bible, and “transferring him to an unknown location….  His family was also threatened to remain silent and not to talk about this incident to anyone.” Also, a Christian named “Muhammad” was arrested, interrogated “for the charge of Christianity.” And Iran’s Supreme Court has ordered the retrial of the pastor sentenced to death for refusing to renounce his Christian beliefs, partially because “Iran is feeling the pressure” from the international community, since the mainstream media actually reported the pastor’s case.

Pakistan: A female prison-officer assigned to provide security for Asia Bibi, a Christian mother of five sentenced to death on “blasphemy” charges, beat her, “allegedly because of the Muslim officer’s anti-Christian bias, while other staff members deployed for her security looked on in silence.” A new report reveals how the nation’s legalization of blasphemy laws has given great rise to Christian persecution.

“Dhimmitude” (General Abuse, Debasement, and Suppression)

Egypt: The military threatened a Coptic monastery with a “new massacre” in an attempt to demolish the monastery’s fence “which guards it from unauthorized visits and criminals.” The military has “stormed several monasteries since the January 25 Revolution, demolished fences, and fired on monks and visitors.” Also, a Christian man sentenced to three years’ imprisonment for “insulting the military” has been ordered to a mental health hospital, which, according to some analysts, patients often emerge from as “devastated human beings.”

Iraq: A new report titled “the double lives of Iraq’s Christian children” tells of their suffering—“If the children say they believe in Jesus, they face beatings and scorn from their teachers”—as well as the struggle of their parents: “The first years of my faith,” says a father, “I brought so many people to church, because I was motivated, so excited.  Now I don’t encourage anyone to be a Christian, because in my experience it is very hard.”

France: Stone-throwing Muslims attacked Christians during a Catholic celebration, though the media largely ignored it: “it would seem that the media silence on these facts, which are occurring more and more frequently, serves to exonerate, even protect, the Muslims in their racist and anti-religious acts.”

Pakistan: Along with one dead man, “two dozen Christians including children, men and women were seriously injured” when “Muslim gangs” hired by an influential Muslim attacked them “to grab a piece of land” which the church had purchased to build an orphanage. Likewise, Muslim landowners raided a Christian home, beat a sick father and abducted two brothers, whom they claim are in debt; the kidnappers have added an extra 70,000 rupees in ransom. “The men’s mother tried to file a report with police, which [was] refused because one of the suspects is a fellow police officer,” not to mention a Muslim.

Turkey: The Education Ministry in Ankara published a 10^th grade textbook that distorts the role of Christian Assyrians, “denouncing them as traitors who rebelled against Turkey.” Still denying the historic slaughter of Christians, “today’s Turkish Government is not hesitant to distort historical events by inverting victim and perpetrator… About half of the Assyrian population, were killed or died from starvation or disease in a series of killings orchestrated by the Ottoman Turkish government during World War I.”

USA: A Muslim convert to Christianity was violently attacked by Muslims because of a poem “which expresses pain over the loss of six million Jews at the hands of the Nazis.”  The attackers carved the Star of David on his back with a knife “while laughing as they recited his poem.” A Muslim physiotherapist “tore into” a Christian patient, saying her faith was “wrong” and had “killed more people than any other religion.” She later wrote: “I found Mr. Ali to be extremely racist against my Christian faith. I have had doctors, nurses and staff of all different religions look after me but this is the first time I’ve been treated by such a bigoted man as Mr. Ali.”

Pakistani Rape

As usual, Pakistan—which along with Egypt oddly missed being categorized as a “country of particular concern” in the State Department’s recent religious freedom report—dominates the headlines regarding the sexual abuse of Christian women:

• Kidnapped last Christmas Eve, “a 12 year-old Christian [was] gang raped for eight months, forcibly converted and then ‘married’ to her Muslim attacker.” Now that she has escaped, instead of seeing justice done, “the Christian family is in hiding from the rapists and the police.”

• “A Christian mother of four was slaughtered by a Muslim colleague in Pakistan after she resisted his attempt to rape her at the factory where they worked.”

• A new report asserts: “The forced conversion to Islam of women from religious minority groups through rape and abduction has reached an alarming stage…  It appears today that no one, from the judiciary to the police and even the government has the courage to stand up to the threats from Muslim fundamentalist groups. The situation is worse with the police who always side with the Islamic groups and treat minority groups as lowly life forms.”

Killings

Iraq: “Two Christians were murdered in northern Iraq this week; their deaths come as three kidnapped Christians were released following the payment of a hefty ransom.” A source in Iraq laments: “The attacks on Christians continue and the world remains totally silent. It’s as if we’ve been swallowed up by the night.”

Nigeria: Months after Muslims from Boko Haram murdered a pastor, anotherpastor was targeted and murdered.  The jihadists have “claimed responsibility for several church bombings and other attacks”; many Christians have fled the region, and some churches have shut down as many of their flock have been killed.  Likewise, three Muslim soldiers, in the context of subduing civil unrest, “shot and killed a Christian mother of five” and a Christian boy, without “any justifiable reason.”

Somalia: Weeks after a convert to Christianity was beheaded, al-Shabaab, “who have vowed to rid Somalia of Christianity,” decapitated another 17-year-old Christian in his home: “It is usual for the al-Shabaab to decapitate those they suspect to have embraced the Christian faith, or sympathizers of western ideals.”

About this Series

Because the persecution of Christians in the Islamic world is on its way to reaching epidemic proportions, “Muslim Persecution of Christians” was developed in order to collate some—by no means all—of the instances of Muslim persecution of Christians that surface each month. It serves two purposes:

1. Intrinsically, to document that which the mainstream media does not: habitual, if not chronic, Muslim persecution of Christians.

2. Instrumentally, to show that such persecution is not “random,” but systematic and interrelated—that it is ultimately rooted in a worldview inspired by Sharia.

Accordingly, whatever the anecdote of persecution, it typically fits under a specific theme, including hatred for churches and other Christian symbols; sexual abuse of Christian women; forced conversions to Islam; apostasy and blasphemy laws; theft and plunder in lieu of jizya; overall expectations for Christians to behave like cowed dhimmis (second-class citizens); and simple violence and murder. Oftentimes it is a combination thereof.

Because these accounts of persecution span different ethnicities, languages, and locales—from Morocco in the west, to India in the east, and even throughout the West, wherever there are Muslims—it should be clear that one thing alone binds them: Islam—whether the strict application of Sharia, or the supremacist culture born of it.

Muslim Persecution of Christians: September, 2011

by Raymond Ibrahim

An especially busy month in the persecution of Christians in the Muslim world, September also witnessed Secretary of State Hillary Clinton release the Annual Report on International Religious Freedom.  Ironically, aside from Iran and Sudan, none of the countries that habitually appear in this series were designated as "countries of particular concern," defined by the State Department as countries that are "engaged in or tolerated particularly severe violations of religious freedom."

 Egypt, for instance—which this year alone has seen nearly 80 Christians killed, their many churches burned or bombed, and their daughters kidnapped and forcibly converted—was not listed as a "country of particular concern," this despite the fact that the U.S. Commission for International Religious Freedom, an independent, bipartisan federal government commission, had recommended that the State Department designate it so.

Neither was Pakistan cited as a "country of particular concern."  According to CNSnews, "Clinton did not designate Pakistan even though the State Department's own report stated that Pakistani law calls for the death penalty for people who commit 'blasphemy' against Islam or who convert from Islam to another religion—and even though the report listed multiple instances of the Pakistani government using the law to persecute Christians."

In fact, September alone saw the following in Pakistan:

Blasphemy

A Christian student was expelled from school because she misspelled an Urdu word that, instead of praising, insulted Muhammad, leading to accusations of "blasphemy," which carries the death penalty.  After the teacher beat her, the principal was notified and Muslims staged demonstrations "demanding registration of a criminal case against the eighth-grader and her eviction from the area."  As riots and violence were about to erupt, the military intervened:  "They bundled the family in an ambulance and took them away..."

"A Christian high school teacher has suffered false accusations of blasphemy by a student and some Muslim professors, because of dislike, revenge and hatred towards Christians. He was forced to leave his job and hide, he appealed to Court, but the laconic sentence of the judge of first instance invited him to 'leave the country'…. Married and a father of three, he has been uprooted and is in hiding."

A 30-year-old Christian man accused of blasphemy and imprisoned, died in his cell from a treatable disease, "after officials denied him proper medical care." While in prison, he and others "accused of blasphemy, were kept in solitary confinement without access to a toilet, water or electricity."

Abuse of Christian Women

A Christian mother of five was raped by two Muslim men, who "tend to assume they will not be prosecuted if their victims are Christians"; she and her family are being threatened with violence unless they drop the charges.

A Christian nurse was raped by a Muslim colleague who filmed the act in an attempt to blackmail her into renouncing Christianity and marrying him:  "[he] raped me while his friend filmed the entire incident. They ruined my life completely."

Accordingly, a new report estimates that some 700 Christian girls annually are abducted, forced to convert to Islam and marry their Muslim abductors. 

Categorized by theme, the rest of September's batch of Muslim persecution of Christians around the world includes (but is hardly limited to) the following accounts, listed according to theme and in alphabetical order by country, not necessarily severity.

Attacks on Churches

Egypt: Muslims threatened Christians near Aswan for fixing a dilapidated church, even though it was authorized, demanding that the church not have a cross, dome, bells, or even be called a "church"; weeks later, after Friday prayers, thousands of Muslims attacked the church, burning it to the ground, and demolishing its domes, even as Egyptian security watched.  (Copts protesting this church attack led to the recent military massacre.)

Indonesia: A Muslim suicide bomber attacked a packed church killing himself and wounding at least 27 worshippers, some critically; security received advance warning but, as often happens in Muslim majority countries, left their post at the time of the attack.

Tunisia: Around 20 Muslims attempted to transform a Christian church into a mosque "in an ominous sign of the growing threat to the country's small Church in the wake of the revolution."  The police dispersed them, but "they have been invited to make an official request to the faith ministry" to transform the church into a mosque.

Apostasy

Indonesia: Under accusations of encouraging Muslims to apostatize to Christianity, an American family(husband and wife, two sons) were attacked by a Muslim throng that set fire to their property and vehicle. "Only the intervention of police saved the[ir] lives" from "an enraged mob spurred by a local religious leader."

Iran: A Christian pastor remains incarcerated awaiting execution for refusing to recant Christianity; the government of Iran, under international criticism, now claims that he is getting the death penalty, not because of religion, but because he is a "Zionist," a "rapist," and other new charges, even though its own court documents clearly assert his crime is apostasy.

Somalia: A Muslim convert to Christianity was abducted and decapitated, his body dumped in the road, by Muslims from al-Shabaab, "a militant group with ties to al Qaeda" that has "vowed to rid Somalia of Christianity."  According to a leader of the underground church: "It is usual for the al-Shabaab to decapitate those they suspect to have embraced the Christian faith, or sympathizers of western ideals."

Sudan: 129 people in southern Sudan were arrested and charged with apostasy, which "carries a maximum sentence of death." The plaintiff maintains that while the defendants may be familiar with the Quran, they are not upholding the "Sunna of Muhammad":  "Given the track record of the Government of Sudan, it is possible that Article 126 [which criminalizes apostates] is being used to suppress ethnic minorities and those who the state perceives as potential sources of opposition."

"Dhimmitude" (Abuse, Debasement, and Suppression of Christians)

Egypt: A 14-year-old Christian girl was prevented from entering school because she refused to wear a veil: "The school management described her as 'flaunt' for not covering her hair"….  Coptic students were forced to obey for fear of the school management's threats" except the girl and her parents, who "refused this decision because it is inconsistent with religious freedom and a blatant Islamization of education."

Iraq:  Three Christians were kidnapped; according to police sources, "Gunmen in a modern vehicle blocked the Christians' way, set their white Landrover [car] on fire, killed their hunting dogs and led them to an unknown destination."  This abduction comes "after several other anti-Christian attacks in recent weeks, including a car bomb that exploded in August near a church in central Kirkuk..."

Iran: Along with the aforementioned Christian pastor awaiting execution, five Christians, including a "heavily pregnant woman," were ordered to "report to prison immediately to serve a one year prison sentence," being convicted of "crimes against the Islamic Order."  Also, an adopted child was confiscated from its Christian parents, as a way to pressure them to testify against fellow Christians: "If you want your child back, you must file a complaint against your fellow Christians in prison."

Kazakhstan: "Lawmakers in Kazakhstan have voted for 'controversial legislation' that Christians and rights activists say will further limit religious freedom in the mainly Muslim Central Asian state."  Among other things, the new law "makes[s] it more difficult for churches to worship freely" and bans "house churches."

Philippines: In Mindanao, "the Christian minority is suffering harassment and pressure from the Muslim population. Government officials are forcing Christians to sell their land to make room for Chinese industries.  According to sources, the climate of impunity, the abductions, the continuing clashes between the army and extremist Islamic groups and the economic crisis have created an unbearable atmosphere for the Christian population, who are afraid to express their faith in public."

Sudan: A Catholic priest was beaten for allegedly "preaching against Islamic government and opposing its teaching and rules." Likewise, Muslims sent text messages to at least 10 church leaders in Khartoum saying they are planning to target Christian leaders, buildings, and institutions:  "We want this country to be purely an Islamic state, so we must kill the infidels and destroy their churches all over Sudan," said one recent text message circulating in Khartoum.

Incitement against and Killings of Christians

Egypt: In a circulated video, the grand mufti of Al Azhar, Ali Goma'a, referred to Christians as "infidels"; Wagdi Ghoneim, a popular cleric and former U.S. imam, called Copts "Crusaders" on Al Jazeera, insisting that they do not deserve equal rights with Muslims in Egypt; Abu Shadi, a representative of the Salafis, told Tahrir News that the Copts must either convert to Islam, pay jizya and assume inferior status, or die.

Nigeria:  Over 100 Christians have been killed by Muslim militants, many hacked to death, and aided by the military; "among them was a pregnant woman who died with a child in her womb."   Similarly, Muslim militants "went to shops owned by Christians at a market at about 8 p.m., ordering them to recite verses from the Quran." If they were unable to recite, the gunmen shot and killed them.

Syria: An anti-Assad Muslim preacher urged Muslims through sermons televised in Syria to "tear apart, chop up and feed" the meat of Christians and others who support the regime "to the dogs."

Muslim Persecution of Christians: August, 2011

by Raymond Ibrahim

Hudson New York

September 7, 2011

This series was developed in order to collate some—by no means all—of the foulest instances of Muslim persecution of Christians that surface each month. It serves two purposes:

 Intrinsically, to document that which the mainstream media does not: habitual, if not chronic, Muslim persecution of Christians.

Instrumentally, to show that such persecution is not "random," but systematic and interrelated—that it is ultimately rooted in a Sharia inspired worldview.

As will become evident, whatever the anecdote of persecution, it typically fits under a specific theme, including hatred for churches and other Christian symbols; sexual abuse of Christian women; forced conversions to Islam; apostasy and blasphemy laws; theft and plunder in lieu of jizya; overall expectations for Christians to behave like cowed dhimmis (second-class citizens); and simple violence. Oftentimes it is a combination of the aforementioned.

Because these accounts of persecution span different ethnicities, languages, and locales—from Morocco in the west, to India in the east, and even throughout the West, wherever there are Muslims—it is clear that one thing alone binds them: Islam—whether the strict application of Sharia, or the supremacist culture borne of it.

Categorized by theme, August's batch of Muslim persecution of Christians includes (but is not limited to) the following anecdotes, listed according to theme and in alphabetical order by country, not necessarily severity of atrocity:

Attacks on Christian Symbols: Churches and Bibles

Indonesia: Two churches were set aflame; officials downplayed these atrocities by arguing that the buildings were "only made of board" and not real churches. A mayor also proclaimed that churches cannot be built on streets with Muslim names, even as Muslim majority regions reject the building of any churches.

Iran: Officials launched a Bible burning campaign, confiscating and destroying some 7,000 Bibles, many publicly burned. Likening their tiny Christian minority to the "Taliban and parasites," the regime also "cracked down" on Christians (who make up less than 1% of the entire population), arresting many, the whereabouts of which remain unknown.

Iraq: Two churches were bombed: the first damaged the church and wounded 23; the second damaged the church (a third church was targeted but the bomb was defused before going off).

Nigeria: Two churches were bombed, including a Baptist church no longer in use due to previous Muslim attacks; when officials arrested Islamist leaders, a third Catholic church was torched.

Apostasy and Forced Conversions

Eritrea: It was revealed that at least eight Christians have died in prisons, most under severe conditions and torture, simply for refusing to recant Christianity.

India: A female who was formerly stripped and beaten by a Muslim mob for converting to Christianity, continues to receive severe threats to return to Islam or die; likewise, Muslims held three Christian women "threatening to beat and burn them alive if they continued worshipping Christ."

Iran: A Christian pastor in Iran remains behind bars, where he is being tortured and awaits execution for refusing to recant Christianity.

Malaysia: Religious police raided a church when they "found evidence of proselytisation towards Muslims" and "receiving information that there were Muslims who attended a breaking-of-fast event at the church"; aFacebook campaign created to support the raid and to "prevent apostasy" has already drawn support from 23,000 people.

Norway: A Muslim convert to Christianity was tortured with boiling water and told by fellow Muslim inmates "If you do not return to Islam, we will kill you"; if deported, he risks death by stoning for leaving Islam.

Pakistan: Muslims openly abducted a 14-year-old Christian girl at gunpoint saying she had to convert to Islam; another Christian woman who was abducted, drugged, and tortured for two years—all while being informed she had converted to Islam—happily made her escape. In both cases, the police, as usual, are siding with the Muslim abductors. Most recently, two Christians returning from church were attacked by Muslims and beaten with iron rods for refusing to convert to Islam or pay "protection" (jizya) money.

Sudan: A 16 year old Christian girl finally escaped from her Muslim kidnappers, who "beat, raped and tried to force her to convert from Christianity to Islam"; whenever she tried to pray, she was beaten again and called an "infidel"; when her mother went to the police, they told her to convert to Islam before they returned her child.

Uganda: In accordance to Islam's Hanafi School of law, a Muslim father locked his 14-year-old daughter in a room for several months without food or water, simply because she embraced Christianity; when rescued, she weighed 44 pounds.

General Oppression, Violence, and Murder of Christians

Bangladesh: Church leaders, including an elderly pastor, were severely beaten in a police station for protesting that Muslims had illegally seized and occupied a Christian home. A previously tortured Christian activist is in hiding in Honk Kong, even as his wife and children face death threats from surrounding Muslims.

Egypt: Soon after breaking their Ramadan fast, thousands of Muslims rampaged a predominantly Christian village, firing automatic weapons, looting and throwing Molotov Cocktails at several homes; they beat a priest, plundering and torching his home; another Copt was murdered in his home, which was also ransacked. Separately, a Copt was savagely attacked by seven Muslims in front of a police station; he lost one eye and required 20 stitches in his head. And girls leaving church were sexually harassed by Muslim who hurled stones at the church shattering five windows.

Nigeria: In what is being called a "silent killing," ten Christians were slain by Muslims seeking to expunge Christianity from northern Nigeria; eyewitnesses insist that the army is assisting and enabling the slayings.

Pakistan: A Christian family consisting of 26 people, including women and children, lived in slavery for over 30 years, forced to labor on a farm belonging to a wealthy Muslim landowner; they only recently managed to regain their freedom, through the aid of the Catholic Church. Separately, a Muslim mob attacked a group of Christians watching a Jesus movie, destroying the projector. A Christian man was beaten unconscious for celebrating Independence Day, told by Muslims "How can you celebrate when you are Christian? Convert to Islam if you want to join the celebration."

Somalia: Al-Shabab ("the youth") is intentionally preventing food aid from reaching the nation's miniscule Christian minority: "Any Somali that the Islamists suspect to be a Christian, or even a friend of Christians, does not receive any food aid."

Sudan: A "humanitarian crisis is unfolding" in Sudan's border region where Christians and their churches are being targeted in a systematic campaign of ethnic cleansing by North Sudan's Islamist regime.

United Kingdom: A Muslim family was terrorized and threatened with death because their daughter married a Christian, a crime according to Sharia.

Uzbekistan: Authorities continue to pressure churches and Christians, fabricating evidence to punish or limit Christians' ability to practice their faith, and subjecting them to excessive fines, false accusations, and confiscating their Christian literature.

These were just some of the stories of Christian suffering under Islam that made it to a few non mainstream media last month.

Then there are the countless atrocities that never make it to any media—the stories of persistent, quiet misery that only the victims know—such as the recent revelation that a 2-year-old girl was savagely raped in Pakistan because her Christian father refused to convert to Islam: it took five years for this story to surface. How many are the tales of woe that never surface?

Now, back to your regular scheduled MSM programming on how the perpetually misunderstood religion of Islam is really the "religion of peace"…

Muslim Persecution of Christians: July, 2011

by Raymond Ibrahim

August 12, 2011

Because the persecution of Christians in the Islamic world is endemic, on its way to reaching epidemic proportions, I begin with this article a new series called "This Month in Muslim Persecution of Christians," wherein some—by no means all—of the foulest instances of persecution that surface each month will be collated and assessed.

 The purpose of this series is two-fold:

Intrinsically, to document that which the MSM does not: Muslim persecution of Christians.

Instrumentally, to show that such persecution is not "random," but systematic and interrelated—that it is ultimately rooted in a Sharia worldview.

As will become evident, whatever the anecdote of persecution, it typically fits under a specific theme, including hatred for churches and other Christian symbols; sexual abuse of Christian women and misogyny; apostasy and blasphemy laws; theft and plunder in lieu of jizya; and over all expectations for Christians to behave like cowed dhimmis.

Because these accounts of persecution span different ethnicities, languages, and locales—from Morocco in the west, to India in the east—it will also become clear that one thing alone binds them: Islam—whether the strict application of Sharia, or the supremacist culture borne of it.

The vilest anecdote to surface in July comes from Pakistan, a hotbed of anti-Christian sentiment, even though Christians make up less than 2% of the population: a 2-year-old Christian girl was savagely raped when her father refused to convert to Islam. Because her anatomy has been disfigured, she has undergone five surgeries and suffers several permanent complications; her family lives in fear and hiding. Though this anecdote surfaced days ago, it occurred four years ago—a reminder that some of the most savage instances of persecution never see the day of light; a reminder that, no matter how late they surface, they shall be duly noted and remembered.

Categorized by theme, the rest of July's batch of Muslim persecution of Christians includes (but is not limited to) the following:

Attacks on Churches

Egypt: Muslims angered by the installation of a church bell—under Sharia, churches must not offend Muslims by ringing bells—went on a violent spree, attacking among others a 5-month pregnant Christian woman and others who were "beaten with iron rods and pipes."

Indonesia: Christians were forced out of a church building and hounded even as they tried to worship at the side of the road.

Nigeria: Two churches were bombed simultaneously; at least three Christians died, several were injured.

Pakistan: Under accusations of "blasphemy," and with the help of a local politician, Muslims attempted to annex a Christian hospital established in 1922 by missionaries.

Tanzania: Muslims burned down two churches to cries of "away with the church—we do not want infidels to spoil our community," and vows not to befriend "infidels."

Sexual Abuse of Christian Women and Misogyny:

Egypt: Muslims "severely sexually harassed" a Christian woman in front of her husband at a bus terminal; when her husband tried to defend her honor, he was violently beaten. Soon afterwards, thousands of Muslims in the region began looting and torching Christian property, screaming "Allahu Akbar!" and "cursing the cross." Also, a Muslim ring using sexual coercion to convert Christian girls was exposed.

Pakistan: Newlyweds run for their lives, because the man is Christian, the woman Muslim. Under Sharia, the leader of the household, the man, must be Muslim. Says a Pakistani Muslim scholar: "I condemn this marriage, I call it illegal, these two could be killed for what they did."

Apostasy and Proselytizing

Iran: A Christian pastor faces the death penalty for "convert(ing) to Christianity" and "encourag(ing) other Muslims to convert to Christianity." Even if he is found innocent of apostasy, the charge of evangelizing Muslims will still carry a severe penalty.

Saudi Arabia: A captured Christian pastor is set to be deported to Muslim Eritrea, where he faces the death penalty.

General Killing of Christians

Ivory Coast: Muslims crucify two Christian brothers on "the example of Christ" and in accordance to Koran 5:33: "The pair were badly beaten and tortured before being crudely nailed to cross-shaped planks by their hands and feet with steel spikes."

Why 'Christian' Persecution?

by Raymond Ibrahim

September 9, 2011

Some are asking why my new monthly series, "Muslim Persecution of Christians," wherein I collate and assess some of the atrocities committed by Muslims against Christians, does not include the persecution of other religious minority groups; others are suggesting I broaden my scope to include all minorities, for instance, homosexuals.

Of course other minority groups—essentially any religion other than Islam (or even the wrong kind of Islam, e.g., Shi'ism, Sufism)—experience persecution in the Muslim world. Accordingly, others qualified in the particulars of the various religions and civilizations persecuted by Islam are encouraged to collate and comment on them, monthly or otherwise.

That said, a series documenting the persecution of Christians under Islam is necessary for several reasons:

First, most religious persecution in the Muslim world is by far directed against Christians. Several reasons account for this; for starters, sheer numbers: from Morocco in the west, to Pakistan in the east, and throughout most of Africa, wherever Muslims make a majority, there are more Christians than other religious minorities; this tends to be true even along Islam's periphery, like Indonesia, which also has a significant Buddhist and Hindu presence.

These large numbers are not simply a reflection of proselytization, but the fact that much of what is today called "the Muslim world" stands atop land that was seized by force and conquest from Christians, whose descendants still remain, sometimes in large numbers, such as Egypt, where the indigenous Copts make millions. (Unlike the Jews, who managed to make it back to their ancestral homeland, these Christians are already on their homeland and have nowhere to go.)

Moreover, by collating and tracing the same patterns of abuse regarding all things intrinsically Christian—people, churches, crosses, Bibles—one can better highlight and articulate the issue as a distinct phenomenon, which it is.

It is true that Muslim aggression and violence knows no bound and is regularly directed against all non-Muslims in general. But it is equally true that the wider the scope, the more the net catches, the more generic the anecdotes become, the more they are liable to be dismissed by the mainstream as a product of non-ideological factors (from poverty to politics), even though that is not the case.

On the other hand, by focusing on one group, one phenomenon, one can more clearly and unequivocally connect the dots, present a more focused case.

For example, while Muslim animus for Israel is interconnected to Muslim animus for Christians and others, it should be, and is, highlighted as a distinct phenomenon to be acknowledged and rectified. Were one to lump Israel with the rest of the "others" on Islam's hit list—Christians, Buddhists, Hindus, Sufis, homosexuals, et al—without giving it any special attention, focus would be lost on the particulars of its fight, its history, and all the other aspects that make its conflict singular.

Accordingly, even though connecting the various manifestations of Muslim aggression is useful, particularly as it provides the big picture, when certain arenas reach a fever pitch, there is no wrong that they be highlighted separately, say, through one monthly report.

There are, of course, practical issues to consider as well: a document collating all Muslim aggression and persecution would not only be too cumbersome and long to read, but redundant; better simply to visit Jihad Watch for a comprehensive survey of Islam's daily doings.

Finally, one needs to be knowledgeable of the history and civilizations of the peoples being persecuted in order to do them justice, to demonstrate historical continuity, show past precedents, connect the dots, etc. And while I'm intimately acquainted with the particulars of Muslim-Christian interactions—historically, theologically, even personally—I'm less so with the particulars of, say, Muslim-Buddhist interactions.

I therefore leave it to others to highlight the various minority groups' plights—ideally not merely by listing the various anecdotes, but by demonstrating continuity for that particular group's history with Islam.