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New report: Christians persecuted at alarming rate in Muslim world

May 11, 2014 6:57 pm By Robert Spencer

pakistan-christiansThis is a direct result of the Qur’an’s commands to fight against the People of the Book until they pay the jizya with willing submission and feel themselves subdued (9:29), and its declarations that the unbelievers among the People of the Book are the most vile of created beings (98:6), and that Christians who believe that Jesus is the Son of God are accursed of Allah (9:30), and that those who believe in the divinity of Christ are unbelievers (5:17, 5:72), and that Muslims should be harsh with unbelievers (48:29), etc. etc. etc. But to point these things out and to note that Muslims act upon them is to be “hateful” and “Islamophobic.”

“Christians persecuted at alarming rate in Iran, Arab world, US report says,” by Benjamin Weinthal, FoxNews.com, May 11, 2014 (thanks to all who sent this in):

Christians are under siege in the Middle East, and the Obama administration is not doing enough to stop religious persecution by its allies, according to a new report from a bipartisan federal commission.

The report, from the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, faulted usual suspects Iran, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, as well as North Korea. The number of Christians in the Middle East has plunged to just 10 percent of the overall population from more than 25 percent in 2011.

“While the Obama administration should continue to shine a spotlight on abuses through public statements, it also should impose targeted sanctions to demonstrate that there are consequences, too,” Dwight Bashir, the commission’s deputy director of policy and research, told FoxNews.com. “By not utilizing an existing legislative tool, the United States risks sending the message that it prefers a nuclear deal to standing up for the rights of the Iranian people. The United States should not be confronting such a scenario in the first place.”

The report identified the 16 worst violators of religious freedom, designating them “countries of particular concern.” It said Iran, a fixture on the commission’s reports since it began issuing them in 1999, has only gotten worse since “purportedly moderate President Hassan Rouhani” came to power last year.

“As of February 2014, at least 40 Christians were either in prison, detained or awaiting trial because of their religious beliefs and activities,” noted the report.

Morad Mokhtari, an Iranian human rights researcher at the New Haven, Conn., Iran Human Rights Documentation Center, told FoxNews.com any hopes that Rouhani would usher in a more tolerant age in the Islamic Republic have been dashed. Mokhtari, an Iranian Christian, said Rouhani “has not been effective in changing the judicial system” and it is unclear if he wants to reform Iran’s Shariah-dominated legal apparatus.

Hamid Babaei, spokesman for Iran’s mission to the UN, told FoxNews.com that he would review the commission’s report, but declined further comment.

Saudi Arabia — a traditional U.S. ally in the Gulf region — was criticized because it bans all non-Islamic religious institutions and practices.

“Not a single church or other non-Muslim house of worship exists in the country,” the report stated. Some Saudi Arabia textbooks in 2013/2014 “justified violence against apostates and polytheists and labeled Jews and Christians ‘enemies.’”

During his March visit to the Kingdom, President Obama chose not to raise human rights issues with King Abdullah or other Saudi officials. Prior to Obama’s trip, a bipartisan group of 70 members of Congress urged Obama to address Saudi Arabia’s ban of women drivers and other important human rights cases.

FoxNews.com telephone and email queries were not returned by Nail Al-Jubeir, Saudi Arabia’s diplomatic spokesman in Washington.

The report also lamented the plight of Christians in Egypt, although most of the blame was laid at the feet of the ousted government of Mohammad Morsi, the Muslim Brotherhood-backed president ousted by the military last year.

“Despite some progress during a turbulent political transition, the Morsi-era government and the interim government failed or were slow to protect religious minorities, particularly Coptic Orthodox Christians, from violence,” the report stated, before implying that the Obama administration should use its leverage to protect the Christians who make up roughly 10 percent of Egypt’s population. “Egypt is one of America’s most important allies in the Middle East. Just last month, the Obama administration approved a shipment of attack Apache helicopters to the military-run government.”…

Pakistan — a U.S. ally on paper — was cited by the report as having gutted religious freedom by failing to protect Christians and discriminating against Hindus and other religious minorities. “Violence against Christians continued” the report noted, citing the Pakistan Taliban suicide bombers attack on the All Saints Church in 2013. The attack killed more than 100 people.

Sudan, where most of the population is Muslim, was designated because of its ruthless crackdown on converts.

“Conversion from Islam is a crime punishable by death, suspected converts to Christianity face societal pressure and government security personnel intimidate and sometimes torture those suspected of conversion,” wrote the commission.

The additional sanctioned countries of particular concern were Burma, China, Eritrea, Iraq, Nigeria, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Vietnam….

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Filed Under: Muslim persecution of Christians Tagged With: featured


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Comments

  1. Jay Boo says

    May 11, 2014 at 7:54 pm

    The path Islam offers
    is a long dark walk.

    • miriam rove says

      May 11, 2014 at 8:11 pm

      yes. another path is destruction.m

  2. Elisabeth says

    May 12, 2014 at 1:56 am

    Prayer March for Persecuted Christians Orlando, FL May 17

    Location: Lake Eola Park, at the Forum (opposite Panera Bread)
    Date: Saturday, May 17, 2014
    Time: 6:30-9:00 PM
    Conclusion: Trinity Lutheran Church, 123 E. Livingston 8-9 PM
    Speakers: Sister Hatune Dogan, Elizabeth Sabaditsch Wolff, Mrs. Julie Dass, and others from Egypt, Syria, Pakistan, Iran, and Europe
    Cost: Free and Open To The Public
    Dress: March will cover 1 mile so wear comfortable shoes.
    Speakers: If you can’t physically do the walk go to Trinity Lutheran Church before 8 PM to hear our international speakers and prayer service.
    Parking: Free covered parking across street from Trinity Lutheran Church, 123 E. Livingston (Park there and walk to muster area at the park.)

    Contact Bruce Lieske or Alan Kornman at PrayerMarch@yahoo.com for more info.

  3. Elisabeth says

    May 12, 2014 at 1:56 am

    Prayer March for Persecuted Christians Orlando, FL May 17

    Location: Lake Eola Park, at the Forum (opposite Panera Bread)
    Date: Saturday, May 17, 2014
    Time: 6:30-9:00 PM
    Conclusion: Trinity Lutheran Church, 123 E. Livingston 8-9 PM
    Speakers: Sister Hatune Dogan, Elisabeth Sabaditsch-Wolff, Mrs. Julie Dass, and others from Egypt, Syria, Pakistan, Iran, and Europe
    Cost: Free and Open To The Public
    Dress: March will cover 1 mile so wear comfortable shoes.
    Speakers: If you can’t physically do the walk go to Trinity Lutheran Church before 8 PM to hear our international speakers and prayer service.
    Parking: Free covered parking across street from Trinity Lutheran Church, 123 E. Livingston (Park there and walk to muster area at the park.)

    Contact Bruce Lieske or Alan Kornman at PrayerMarch@yahoo.com for more info.

    • dumbledoresarmy says

      May 14, 2014 at 6:20 am

      Excellent.

      No reason why something like this couldn’t be done in other countries as well.

      Canada, Australia, UK, NZ, and every country in continental Europe.

      In Canberra, in Australia, it would probably be possible for determined and fit walkers, taking their time and pacing themselves, to do the rounds of every one of those “world’s worst persecutors” that happen to have an embassy in Australia, holding a public prayer session outside each one.

  4. Salah says

    May 12, 2014 at 2:56 am

    “..that the Obama administration should use its leverage to protect the Christians who make up roughly 10 percent of Egypt’s population.”

    Thanks, but NO.
    Obama has NO leverage in Egypt, he lost it when he sided with his Muslim Brotherhood masters against the will of the people, both Muslims and Copts.
    To the Egyptian people Obama is a terrorist, a JIHADIST.
    The Egyptian people bravely crushed the Muslim Brotherhood thugs, the jihadists and political Islam altogether.

    http://crossmuslims.blogspot.com/2013/07/the-end-of-muslim-brotherhood.html

  5. gavinwca says

    May 12, 2014 at 12:37 pm

    From the actions in the Muslim word , Erick Holder must be the Attorney General there.

  6. jewdog says

    May 12, 2014 at 8:38 pm

    What are they going to do when they run out of Christians? At the present rate of decrease, that should be in only a few years. Maybe they can go after heretics then, as they often do in Syria.

  7. xyz says

    May 14, 2014 at 2:30 am

    We pray for the martyrs who lose their lives in following the teachings of Christ.
    Wonder when you guys in the west will wake up. Im really hoping that all who read this talk about what Islam truely is paste on you walls and talk about it.. get the whole world to know the truth.. and it will set you free

  8. Champ ✞ says

    May 14, 2014 at 3:13 am

    Did Jesus rise from the dead?
    by Matt Slick

    Did Jesus really rise from the dead? This is one of the most important questions of all of history. If Jesus arose from the dead, then what he said about himself is true. If he did not arise from the dead, then what he said about himself is not true. Jesus claimed to be the only way to God (John 14:6). He claimed to be able to forgive sins (Luke 5:20). He also claimed to be divine (John 8:24; 8:58 with Exodus 3:14). Therefore, his extraordinary claims are tied to his resurrection.

    Of course, it is one thing to “say” that Jesus arose from the dead, it is another thing to prove it. But the problem is we cannot prove that he rose from the dead. The reason is because the documents that describe him are 2000 years old. At best, all we can do is look at those documents to determine if they are reliable and accurate. If they are, then we simply need to look at what they say to see if they support his resurrection or not. It is then up to the individual to accept or reject the claims that are presented.

    More here:

    http://carm.org/questions/about-jesus/did-jesus-rise-dead

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