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A remarkable story. "They said they would prefer to have a dog touch the bread rather than us." From Asia News, with thanks to Nicolei:
M is a Catholic Afghani and a refugee in Italy. He told his story to AsiaNews, an account of discrimination and threats under the Taleban regime owing to his family faith. His father was killed because he converted, and to save his son, he did not tell him that he had been baptised. It was only when he arrived in Italy that the boy discovered he was a Christian. "Now I want to live for Jesus even when I am with my Muslim friends".
(AsiaNews) – Subjected to discrimination and scorn at the hands of the Taleban in Afghanistan, he was forced to flee, losing his entire family. M (whose real name cannot be disclosed for security reasons) is an Afghan youth who is a refugee in Italy. He has always been a Catholic, however without knowing it: his father, a convert from Islam, had to hide the truth from him to protect him. M only discovered his religion a year ago: an Italian cultural mediator explained to him that Isai, the term used by his peers to denigrate him, meant "Christian". And he saw images in churches, which his family would keep hidden at home, and in the hands of one of his teachers, he saw a rosary like his mother’s.M lived in a small mountain village. When he was still a child, his father, a landowner, was killed by neighbours, who accused him of having made money by betraying his Islamic faith and becoming a Christian. In reality, they wanted to take over his lands. According to local laws, the males of the family of the victim, once they come of age, have the right to avenge the death, with the tacit consent of all. So those who had murdered M’s father started to persecute him and his brother, with the intention of killing them before they came of age and could take justice into their hands. M and his brother escaped. Their mother also escaped and the brothers have not heard from her since. This was at the end of 1999 under the Taleban regime, during the civil war.
"From when I was young, I tried to enter the mosque like everyone else," recalled M. "But the others prevented me from doing so and they accused me of not being a Muslim. I did not understand but I saw small signs, which made me think that my family and me were different: no one wanted to eat with us, they said they would prefer to have a dog touch the bread rather than us. We lived an isolated life without friends. When I tried to play with other children, they kept their distance from me, at school they mocked me and beat me. All families kept at least one weapon per member at home; we only had an old hunting rifle hung on the wall, which my father rarely used. My companions offended me, using the word Isai: I thought it meant ‘criminal’ or ‘assassin’ and I felt dirty. Meanwhile, I continued to press my father for explanations. I would see him and my mother say the rosary (at the time I did not even know what it was) and I looked at the image of Jesus and the Virgin Mary hung on the wall in one of the rooms of the house, which was always kept closed. I would ask and demand, my father would only reply, ‘When you are old, you will understand’."
Read it all.
Posted by Robert at September 28, 2005 4:14 AM
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"He has always been a Catholic, however without knowing it"
Huh?
Posted by: Kim Hartveld![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.jihadwatch.org/dhimmiwatch/nav-commenters.gif)
at September 28, 2005 4:32 AM
I have always been a rocket scientist, however without knowing it.
Posted by: Kim Hartveld at September 28, 2005 4:37 AM
Quote:n Italian cultural mediator explained to him that Isai, the term used by his peers to denigrate him, meant "Christian"
I didnt kno Isai is an offensive term. In Hindustani, Christians are called "Isai" while Jesus is known as "Isa Masih" but in purer forms on Hindi hes called "Yeshu".
Posted by: Vikrant_Camberleykar at September 28, 2005 5:26 AM
So in effect, if I have the story correct, he had to suffer the persecution of being a Christian, but without the spiritual support to endure it that prayer and knowledge of the bible would have given him.
Pray his Mother is safe and that they find each other.
at September 28, 2005 5:55 AM
Yes, the story is rather confusing. Perhaps the parents of "M" were trying to protect him by not revealing their religious conversion until he was older and more discreet in his conversations with those outside the family. Although he saw signs of Catholicism, his mother's rosary, the boy would not have had any other point of reference about Christianity (like Christian neighbors or a church down the street) to figure things out. From someone who worked in Saudi Arabia, I learned that there were Saudi citizens, not foreign workers, who had converted to Christianity but had to keep their change of faith "in their heart" and not known to their families. Another unanswered question in the story of the Afghan refugee is how and where his parents converted to Christianity? The story of "M" illustrates that even in a remote mountain village, Islam is a religion with no exit visas.
Posted by: maryrose at September 28, 2005 6:20 AM
People of the book now you know what they really think of you - even when you kiss their koran.
In 1924, Mohammed Ali to whom Gandhi showed such affection said, : "However pure Mr. Gandhi's character may be, he must appear to me, from the point of religion, inferior to any Mussalman even though he be without character." In 1925 he emphasized: "Yes, according to my religion and creed, I do hold an adulterous and a fallen Mussalman to be better than Mr. Gandhi". That is the true Islamofascist mentality revealed in all its glory.
In this way Gandhi's experiment with Islam failed. This should serve as an object lesson to all who try to appease the fanatic Muslims. It will not succeed but only lead to greater fanaticism and destruction.
http://www.faithfreedom.org/oped/HinduWoman40718.htm
Gandhi, being a useful idiot did not see it.
Posted by: leavingtheleft at September 28, 2005 8:21 AM
This piece is a candidate for fowarding to friends and family. The impression it leaves is indelible.
Posted by: Cornelius at September 28, 2005 9:27 AM
"I have always been a rocket scientist, however without knowing it."
This is not as uncommon as you think. Many Jewish parents throughout the centuries kept the fact secret from their children FOR SURVIVAL .... get it, Ms Rocket Scientist?
Posted by: Kemaste at September 28, 2005 10:00 AM
You can be a Jew without knowing it.
You cannot be a Catholic without knowing it.
Duh.
Posted by: Kim Hartveld at September 28, 2005 10:37 AM
"He has always been a Catholic, however without knowing it"
To my way of thinking, this is not possible - and Kim, a poster above, is correct to question this statement.
Is a Catholic a baby born of Catholic parents - or someone who understands the religion and accepts its laws? One might be Danish, for example, and not know it; one might be Brazilian and not know it -- but to take the name of a religion and apply it to oneself must involve some type of belief adoption. The essence of any religion is a personal belief system -- this may follow the beliefs of the culture and society into which one is born, or it may not.
But, I agree with Kim, one cannot be a Catholic and not know it.
Can one be a humanist because ones parents were humanists? Or does the application of the term humanist to oneself imply that a certain amount of contemplation has gone into it?
This article speaks of religion as though it were a nationality, a fact of existence - not the belief system by which one lives. M. Scott Peck, the well-known psychiatrist and author, says that everyone is religious -- whatever makes you tick is your religion, and unless we are brain dead, we each have our own religion.
Islam, more so than most organized religions, claims the children of its followers, sometimes with ferocity. Catholicism does the same though in a socially more acceptable manner, through discussion, agreements, and perhaps threats to deny permission for a church sanctioned marriage.
Is religion an inherited characteristic, such as red hair or green eyes, or is it a conscious choice to follow one belief system, or none, after having surveyed them all? If it is the former, then it is essentially an unconscious state -- you are born into a culture, born into a religion, no questions asked. The latter choice is more difficult and requires personal intelligence and courage which may lead one to reject the ways of the parents.
The point of this article is that M's parents, Christians living in Muslim Afghanistan, were not given the right to educate their child in the ways of their religion and also that M was persecuted for this religion, of which he was only dimly aware.
But to say that he was a Catholic but didn't know it brings down that religion to the level of a biological fact -- not a spiritual choice.
Posted by: Jen at September 28, 2005 10:49 AM
I think the factor here is that he had been baptised. Then once old enough to decide for himself (or in practical terms free of the repressive regime so that he could exercise his choice) he went on to confirm that he too accepted Christ, as had his parents. He seems to have always had the feeling that he was different.
The Russian poetess Irina Ratushinskaya was brought up in an atheist state and came to believe during atheist lessons. God seemed to her to be the underdog reviled by authority, and that authority was making too much fuss about something which did not exist. She tryed praying and found that she was answered. When she finally got hold of a bible she found things confirmed there which she had worked out for herself from those answers. This is not exactly the same, but I can see parallels.
at September 28, 2005 11:02 AM
Jen and Kim:
I wouldn't discount M's story too hastily. It's not an analogous story, but several years ago, a small number of Portuguese immigrants in Toronto wanted to know why their families routinely burned a pair of candles every Friday night in the basements of their homes, as their families had done for generations. I'm not sure who came up with the answer, but the likeliest explanation was that their ancestors were forced converts from Judiasm to Catholocism during the Inquisition.
Given M's age at the time and the prevailing societal conditions, his understanding of his faith would be rather clouded, wouldn't it?
Posted by: waterdragon52 at September 28, 2005 12:53 PM
BEING CHRISTIAN IN CANADA ?
Below is a link to a Mosque that Alleged it was a victim of a Hate-crime when the Women-Only entry was damaged , the vandalism was suspicous and it happened just after a Jewish School was torched by a Middle East Immigrant that was caught and claimed that Israels treatment of the Palestinians drove them to do it .
Several "Vandalism" claims have yet to net any arrests and one case against a Muslim business which had a swastika sprayed on a wall , ended up a insurance fruad arson case for a failing business and owner debts.
A Catholic politician with our Federal Government is on record in a video at that Mosque speaking against racism and intolerance , but to apease the Muslims he declares Allah and Muhammed as the "true" religion on Earth and denies Jesus as the Messiah for every Christian on Earth with is also more than a Billion followers like Islam claims to have.
I complained to the Liberal about his denouncing of Jesus as the Messiah to Christians and i got a insulting reply labelling me the intolerant racist/bigot , with video evidence showing how Muslims expect Christians to deny their faith while in their Mosques should be enough to prove Islam is the problem .
I never said what my faith was , but he attacked me as a bad Christian and that no religion promotes my kind of hate and bigotry.
My reply indicated that I never stated my faith but it was nice to see you too also stereotyped me as a Islamophobe and assumed I must have been a Christian.
The title of his clip is " Pickering Elected officials response" , listen to him declaring Allah as the God of all people and Jesus as just another prophet prior to Muhammed.
The last speaker is a Muslim and you can fast forward to catch his declaration that Allah allows "Revenge" as a response to an attack on Muslims but prefers a peacefull man.
http://www.cig.ca/arpresentsearch.php
The "Jesus rules" clip is laughable , the media swoop in and leaders were outraged and promised security for the Mosque to stem the Racism. Note how the Mosque had no security video and it was a one-storey commercial building made into a Mosque that had no overt outer signs of a religious place of worship , and the Custodian phoned 911 after smelling smoke yet didn't hear the B&E of these "Alleged" Christian-drunks smashing doors and damaging property .
Normally you are innocent until proven guilty as in the Jewish School arson where Muslims demanded calm so they don't become the scapegoats for this attack, but these Muslims seem to know for a fact that the vandals were drunk Christians even though not one arrest has been made after 18 months of Police work.
BTW, when the arsons were found guilty and sentenced in a hate-crime the media was in the hallway to catch the anger by Muslims since they assumed racism was behind the arrests and the Judge would through it out,but he didn't and they had a Victory party ready for the Mother/Son Jew-haters to celebrate their freedom ( or attack on the Jews and getting away with it) from the Zionist controlled Justice system in the West.
at September 28, 2005 1:19 PM
"isai" was how the pakistani media referred to christians until quite recently, i understand. christians there objected to it, because they found it demeaning (i think this had some kind of caste meaning for them)
they are now referred to as "masihi", as they requested
in fact ive just checked, it changed in 1998 or thereabouts, thanks to a one man letter writing campaign by mr altaf naseem. "isai" has negative connotations, implying sweeper, which a lot of them sadly are
Posted by: freddiefreeloader at September 28, 2005 2:47 PM
"In this way Gandhi's experiment with Islam failed. This should serve as an object lesson to all who try to appease the fanatic Muslims. It will not succeed but only lead to greater fanaticism and destruction."
If "Hindus and Muslims are brothers", peaceful, turn the other cheek Gandhi, who said he is both Hindu and Muslim could not convince Muslims to live in peace....how the heck do these PC punks in the west think they'll be able to do it?
Posted by: helox at September 28, 2005 3:43 PM
At the next reception of the Saudi Royal prince, a Mother Theresa type of Christian and a Muslim rapist or whore should be presented before the prince. The prince should then be asked according to his religious beliefs, who is more of a human with more character, the Mother Theresa or the rapist? That should show these PC punks in the West what Islam is all about. Someone should send the same question to Ibrahim Hooper of CAIR.
Posted by: helox at September 28, 2005 3:47 PM
Impressing story.
Posted by: Franze at September 28, 2005 5:16 PM
It's not that surprising, this guy being Catholic without knowing it.
After all, I'm the last islamic Prophet and I never knew until just recently!
Fatwas for everyone!
Prophet Geoff
Posted by: Geoff at September 29, 2005 11:48 AM
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