This seems like a bold departure from Charles’ usual warm praise for anything and everything Islam-related, but when one recalls that the British government recently defined “Islamist extremism” as something quite distinct and different from Islam itself, it all becomes clear: now Charles feels he can speak up for persecuted Christians without fear of being charged with “Islamophobia.”
Now it will be interesting to see how the British government tries to define an “Islamist” as opposed to an ordinary “Muslim.” Must they profess public belief in political Islam or the supremacy of Sharia? Must they come out in favor of violent jihad? And will there be any way to distinguish one group from the other, or will the difference only become clear when the “Islamist” commits an act of jihad violence, thereby showing himself to be in the “Islamist” camp?
“Christians persecuted by Islamists, says Prince Charles,” by John McManus for BBC News, December 18 (thanks to all who sent this in):
Christians in parts of the Middle East are being deliberately targeted by Islamist militants in a campaign of persecution, Prince Charles has said.
The Prince of Wales made his comments after visiting the British branches of churches based in the region.
The prince heard accounts of Christians being murdered and families forced from their homes.
The upheavals of the Arab Spring have left many religious minorities vulnerable to accusation and attack.
Deeply troubled
Charles, accompanied by Prince Ghazi of Jordan, visited the Egyptian Coptic Church centre in Stevenage and the Syriac Orthodox cathedral in west London.
The two royals met church members who had either suffered intimidation or family members whose safety they feared for.
Later at a reception at Clarence House, attended by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Archbishop of Westminster and the Chief Rabbi, Prince Charles said he felt deeply troubled by the plight of Christians.
“For 20 years I have tried to build bridges between Islam and Christianity to dispel ignorance and misunderstanding,” he told the audience.
“The point though, surely, is that we have now reached a crisis where bridges are rapidly being deliberately destroyed by those with a vested interest in doing so.
“This is achieved through intimidation, false accusation and organised persecution including to the Christian communities in the Middle East at the present time.”…