[Originally published on Gatestone Institute, via RaymondIbrahim.com]
Human rights organization Open Doors published its 2014 World Watch List in January, highlighting and ranking the top 50 nations that persecute Christians. The overwhelming majority of countries making the list—and nine of the top ten worst offenders—are Muslim, and include nations from among America’s allies (Saudi Arabia, Kuwait) and its contenders (Iran); from among economically rich nations (Qatar) and poor nations (Somalia and Yemen); from among “Islamic republic” nations (Afghanistan), “democracies” (Iraq), and “moderate” nations (Malaysia and Indonesia).
The report also indicates that every Muslim nation that the U.S. has helped “liberate,” including in the context of the “Arab Spring,” has become significantly worse for Christians and other minorities. Previously moderate Syria is now ranked the third worst nation in the world to be Christian, Iraq fourth, Afghanistan fifth, and Libya 13th. All four receive the worst designation in the ranking process: “extreme persecution.”
Three of these countries—Iraq, Afghanistan, and Libya—were “liberated” in part thanks to U.S. forces, while in the fourth, Syria, the U.S. is actively sponsoring “freedom fighters” against the regime, many of whom have been responsible for any number of atrocities—including massacres, beheadings, and the crucifixion of Christians and others.
Despite this track record of interfering in Islamic nations only for the human rights of minorities to plummet, and despite the fact that Syria has gotten dramatically worse for Christian minorities, Secretary of State John Kerry declared in January that, if only Bashar Assad goes away, “I believe that a peace can protect all of the minorities: Druze, Christian, Isma‘ilis, Alawites—all of them can be protected, and you can have a pluralistic Syria, in which minority rights of all people are protected.”
The same was predicted of Iraq over a decade ago, yet today, well more than half of the Christians are either dead or fled, after years of constant attacks on their churches and persons once Arab dictator Saddam Hussein was ousted.
Libya offers a more recent precedent. Since U.S.-backed “rebels” overthrew Qaddafi, Christians—including Americans—have been tortured and killed (some for refusing to convert), their churches bombed, and their nuns threatened.
January’s roundup of Muslim persecution of Christians around the world includes (but is not limited to) the following accounts, listed by theme and country in alphabetical order, not necessarily according to severity.
Attacks on Christian Churches
Egypt: Christian churches were severely targeted during the first month of 2014. Among other incidents, during New Year Eve church services, Muslim Brotherhood supporters attacked St. George Church in Ain Shams; one young Coptic man died from a bullet wound to the head. International Christian Concern reports that on Friday, January 3, Muslim Brotherhood supporters also attacked an Evangelical Church in the Gesr El Suez area of Cairo, “pelt[ing] stones on the church and chanting slogans against Christians,” in the words of a local. Reports indicate that “there was no security for the church building and that the attackers operated with impunity.” On Sunday, January 5, security forces in Suez disrupted a terrorist cell belonging to the “Supporters of Jerusalem,” which was plotting to attack a nearby church during January 7 Orthodox Christmas celebrations. Among other things, a bomb was found in the bathroom of the Three Saints Church in Beni Suef city, which was diffused by police. On January 10, security forces “arrested a bearded person in possession of four hand grenades in a handbag next to the Church of two Saints,” according to a local Christian. (In 2011, a suicide attack on the same church on New Year’s Eve resulted in the killing of over 20 Christian worshippers). On January 24, authorities found explosives inside a car parked behind the Al Malak church, which was targeted, “to be exploded,” sources told International Christian Concern. On Saturday, January 25, Security forces in Ismailia Security directorate found 26 Molotov Cocktails inside a bag next to the church of St. Bishoy in Ismailia city. Witnesses say that the person in possession of the bag of explosives was sitting in a car next to the church and that “he fled when he saw the policemen.” On January 28, “A group of armed men,” reported Asia News, “attacked the Coptic Orthodox Church of the Virgin Mary in the governorate of Giza. Police responded to gunfire and one officer died in the shootout, while two others were injured.”… Click for complete report
dlbrand says
This rising swell began with our “success” in Iraq.
There from, while we boasted of the “remarkable changes” the Iraq experiment brought to the Mideast, this change (marked increase in persecution of Christians and minorities), it gained momentum, fanned out.
Kepha says
Perhaps because the O’s administration and lots of our leading people think, in their hearts of hearts, that if they had any guts they’d be doing the same thing?
RonaldB says
It seems apparent that minorities are only safe under a dictatorship in a Muslim country. A dictator tends to look on the country as his personal property, and takes it personally when someone commits violence against someone living in his dominion. It’s quite unpleasant to have a dictator take personal offense at your actions.
By “liberating” Muslim countries from their natural order of authoritarian government, we open the way for Muslims to follow the bedrock dictates of Islam: persecute non-Muslims, or Muslims with a different theology than you.
It is simply dumb and evil for Kerry and any in the administration with any conscience, to ignore the obvious consequences of US meddling.
dlbrand says
Well stated. Indeed.
Mumia W says
I agree with you completely. Muslim countries need secular dictators for minorities to be safe.
gravenimage says
Ronald B wrote:
It seems apparent that minorities are only safe under a dictatorship in a Muslim country.
……………………..
Ronald, dlbrand, and Mumia—secular (or semi-secular, usually) dictators are, I believe, generally a “transitional” phenomenon in the Muslim world—they are found principally in parts of Dar-al-Islam that were under colonial rule and usually still have at least some vestige of civilized laws on the books.
Infidels are rarely completely safe under these dictators—they are still handy scapegoats. But generally, minorities *have* been more secure under their regimes than under resurgent Shari’ah.
Most of these dictators orignially popped up from fifty to seventy years ago as these countries gained independence—more and more now these countries are fast Islamizing.
The *only* country I can think of in recent years that Islamized and then returned to a semi-secular dictator is Egypt—for most of them, once they take that step they don’t go back, because Islam was always simmering below the surface.
We might not have been able to stop this hideous trend, in any case—but what is utter madness is where we *enable* it, in the mistaken idea that we are supporting “democracy”. Suicidal madness…
dlbrand says
“GI,” all you stated above, no need to “inform” me on it–I am, have been, long aware of it.
Indeed. I agree just about 100% with you. My agreement with the earlier post was, with focus on the Iraqis in particular, they were better off, under Saddam than they are now.
And indeed, I am well aware, as you state, Islam in any mix is just that: Islam in the mix, be that Iraq, Pakistan, Egypt, or you name it, including US of A–and rest assure, my friend, I know what Islam is and teaches.
For that reason, I call for the practice of it to be banned in our nation.
We’re on the same page, Grave.
Brian Hoff says
Do you know you cannot ban Islam as than religion in America may-be you can do that in Serbland.
dlbrand says
Brian,
Briefly here, the practice of Islam includes honoring no law that contravenes with Allah’s law.
Allah’s law allows a man to have four wives at a time and as many slave girls as he desires. Both groups, wives and slavegirls, are there to serve the desires of their master, and thus, irrespective of the age of the slave girl or wife, the man who is her master has the legal right to her full spectrum of service, to include sexual intercourse.
Allah’s law makes legal killing, maiming, casting terror in the hearts of those who openly assert they find fault in the man, Mohammad and in the deen he brought.
Allah’s law commands the believer to bid the fair, fair according to Shariah, and to forbid the unfair, unfair, according to Shariah. In other words, Allah’s law commands the ummah of Muhammad to control the communities they live in, and if they cannot honor the tenets of Allah’s law, they are to leave that place and go to where they can honor that law.
Allah’s law makes lawful using arson as a weapon, therewith, destroying houses, churches, trees, and people, and in so doing casting terror into the hearts of unbelievers. That is lawful because it was Sunnah of their prophet, thus Sunnah of the “Noble Companions” of the prophet.
With respect to slavegirls, if a father or grandfather sees a slavegirl of his sons or of his grandsons, and he desires to have carnal conjunction with her, he can. No wrong done.
No “unlawful intercourse”; thus no punishment incurred.
That law is based on the words of the prophet of Islam, stating, “Thou and Thine are thy Fathers.” And that rule also applies to the grandfather, because, in Islam he also is considered the parent of his grandchildren.
(THE HEDAYA, COMMENTARY ON THE ISLAMIC LAWS, TRANSLATED BY CHARLES HAMILTON, KITAB BHAVAN, New Delhi -110002, 2nd Edition, Reprint: 1994. P. 183.)
These “issues,” Brian, are just a few I have time to note now, a few, I know, many Americans would never sign off on acknowledging it is fine and dandy for such acts to be lawful in our land.
But these acts all are lawful here–they are all included in the practice of Islam. And that practice is legally allowed in our nation.
Thus, either we acknowledge, we have no problem with all the above and more being not only acceptable here but legal, or we ban the practice of Islam in our nation. Because the above practices are all included in basic Islam.
Shane says
Why are not Christian leaders like the Pope talking about the genocide against Christians in Muslim countries? Christians around the world must unite to fight against this atrocity which is occurring in most Muslim countries. We must try to save our brother Christians even if they are from another branch of Christianity.
mark says
And what really irks me is that so many ‘moderate’ Muslims, even among us in our own countries, are secretly celebrating Christian persecution. And to them, countries like the USA and Canada are Christian. That is how ignorant they are. I have it straight from the mouth of one who witnessed Muslims celebrating 9/11 in Alberta, Canada right after it happened. These Muslims were your run-of-the-mill types.
gravenimage says
U.S. Becomes Chief Enabler of Christian Persecution
…………………………..
It makes me sick at heart that the US—and other Western nations—are winking at persecution and even *genocide* of Christians in Dar-al-Islam.
We continue to shovel boatloads of “foreign aid” at countries like Pakistan, while staying silent about those awaiting death of “blasphemy” charges. *Shameful*.
Bezelel says
Stalling the pipeline deal is just another way to keep us from boycotting arab oil. Anti frackers about the same result. They have more money than sense now and don’t help each other. Our help is used against us.