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Exposing the role that Islamic jihad theology and ideology play in the modern global conflicts

Raymond Ibrahim: Christians Prefer Death to Islam

Apr 20, 2015 8:57 am By Raymond Ibrahim

Islamic State Libya ChristiansApproximately two months after the Islamic State (IS) published a video depicting its members slaughtering 21 Coptic Christians in Libya, on Sunday, April 19,  the Islamic jihadi organization released another video of more Christians in Libya being massacred, this time for not paying jizya—extortion money demanded of the “People of the Book” according to Koran 9:29.

Two scenes appear in the 29-minute-long video published by al-Furqan, the Islamic State’s media wing.  The first scene consists of a group of Christian Ethiopians dressed all in black, on their knees, with their arms tied behind their backs.  Masked IS members stand behind the Ethiopians with rifles aimed at their heads.  According to the video, this scene takes place in the city of Fezzan.  The Christian captives are called “Worshippers of the cross belonging to the hostile Ethiopian Church.”

The second scene shows more Christian Ethiopians dressed in orange uniforms and standing on the shores of Barqa, the same region where 21 Egyptian Christians were earlier decapitated for refusing to convert to Islam.

Other scenes include the narrator referencing the fatwas of medieval jurist Ibn Taymiyya that proclaim all Christians “infidels.”  Then Abu Malik ibn Ans al-Nashwan, apparently one of the group’s leaders, appears saying that “The dealings of the Islamic State with Christians under its authority is according to Allah’s Sharia [Islamic law].   Jizya [tribute] is imposed on those who accept, and war on those who resist.”

The final scene is of the Christians in Fezzan being executed by gunfire to the back of their heads and the Christians in Barqa all having their heads carved off.

It is likely that the reason these Christians “resisted” to pay jizya was that they did not have the money—migrant Christian workers in Libya, whether from Egypt or Ethiopia, are about as poor as they get.

And they refused the only other option that could have spared their lives according to Islamic law—renunciation of the Christian Trinity and conversion to Islam.

The narrator continued by saying that IS had “invited” the Christians of Raqqa, Syria to enter Islam, but they refused.   So IS demanded of them payment of jizya and they complied and were permitted to live.  Next follows a scene depicting Christians in Raqqa—according to the video’s claims—saying how “peaceful” life is under the Islamic State, and that the caliphate does not compel them to do anything except pay jizya.

Whether scripted or not—and odds are on the former—these supposedly “content” Christians are hardly representative of the overwhelming majority of Christians in territories annexed by the Islamic State.

In the summer of 2014, IS issued a statement concerning Christian minorities, saying “We offer them three choices: Islam; the dhimma contract—involving payment of jizya; if they refuse this they will have nothing but the sword.”  Hours after this ultimatum was proclaimed, the jihadis began painting the letter “n” on Christian homes in Mosul—in Arabic, Christians are known as “Nasara,” or “Nazarenes”—signaling them out for the slaughter to come and prompting a mass exodus of Christians from the region.  Many older and disabled Iraqi Christians, unable to pay the jizya or join the exodus, opted to convert to Islam.

In one instance, three Islamic State members burst into the home of a Christian family, demanding jizya.  When the father of the house pleaded that he did not have the money, the intruders raped his wife and daughter in front of him. The man was reportedly so traumatized that he committed suicide… Keep reading

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Filed Under: Islamic State (aka ISIS, ISIL, Daesh), Libya, Muslim persecution of Christians Tagged With: Barqa, Fezzan


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Comments

  1. Gary says

    Apr 20, 2015 at 9:30 am

    Why do Christian prefer death to Islam?

    “Simon Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have words of eternal life. 69″We have believed and have come to know that You are the Holy One of God.”

    John 6:68-69

    • Kepha says

      Apr 20, 2015 at 9:05 pm

      If all this is true, then Islam is in deep, deep trouble. The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church.

      • AnneM says

        Apr 21, 2015 at 7:58 am

        …..And of new Christian believers.

  2. MKG says

    Apr 20, 2015 at 9:32 am

    In Summary,
    They love death more than we love life.
    We prefer death over islam.
    Life is still at the top of our list, where islam is at the bottom.
    Life is worth fighting for.

    • TH says

      Apr 20, 2015 at 8:12 pm

      The major priotity for a Christian is to achieve eternal life and be with the Risen Jesus, God the Father and the Holy Spirit, plus the angel and the saints in eternal bliss. Now in order to achieve this a Christian cannot prefer any other value, even his own life. Of course, martyrdom has never been obligatory and if one can avoid it one can flee. But supposing there is no possibility of fleeing, then he or she should put thier faith above any other value. Of course, if they know what Islam is like and what being under their barbaric regime means, it is no wonder that they realize that what their faith promises is well worth the suffeirng involved to achieve it. A Christian has to follow his conscience. Otherwise, if it is a major issue, it is a serious sin. and puts his eternal life in jeopardy. In fact, according to Christian teaching the same goes for anyone. One must follow his conscience.

      • MKG says

        Apr 20, 2015 at 9:46 pm

        Thank you for helping me brush up on my cataclysm.
        I have yet to hear of a martyr who otherwise had the strength to resist those who would slay them. Martyrdom is the valor of the weak. A last great act of defiance towards evil as well as a demonstration of faith. Martyrs should be honored.

        If one has the means, the strength and the will to survive it would be unconscionable to kneel before evil. That would be nothing short of a form of suicide. For dying when one could otherwise live is suicide, and offensive to the Lord. Remember, fighting doesn’t always mean killing your opponent. Showing mercy is not only a form of valor, but also pleases the Lord.

  3. Susan says

    Apr 20, 2015 at 9:49 am

    Unless the media starts to report the news and or leaders of the free world speak up we are doomed. Muslims will take over the world and I will definitely kill myself before I let islamic sociopaths kill me. Thank you Mr. Obama your legacy will be the destruction of civilization you top all the evil leaders before you
    , Hitler, Stalin, Lenin and let’s not forget mohammad.

    • Godwin says

      Apr 20, 2015 at 11:30 am

      Not so fast, China n Russia will fight n defeat them when your leaders are so weak.

      • gravenimage says

        Apr 20, 2015 at 8:57 pm

        Godwin, right now Russia and China are doing little against JIhad. In fact, Russia is helping to arm Iran.

    • Godwin says

      Apr 20, 2015 at 11:34 am

      Beware of Hillary Clinton for she belongs to the same gang as OBama, David Cameron n Tony Blaire.

    • AnneM says

      Apr 21, 2015 at 8:15 am

      Remember who the Muslims worship:

      Allah = SATAN.

  4. Renee says

    Apr 20, 2015 at 11:52 am

    Islam is testosteron in overdrive.

  5. Champ says

    Apr 20, 2015 at 8:47 pm

    Great essay, Raymond!

    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    More on the subject from “Got Questions” …

    Question: “What happens after death?”

    Answer: Within the Christian faith, there is a significant amount of confusion regarding what happens after death. Some hold that after death, everyone “sleeps” until the final judgment, after which everyone will be sent to heaven or hell. Others believe that at the moment of death, people are instantly judged and sent to their eternal destinations. Still others claim that when people die, their souls/spirits are sent to a “temporary” heaven or hell, to await the final resurrection, the final judgment, and then the finality of their eternal destination. So, what exactly does the Bible say happens after death?

    First, for the believer in Jesus Christ, the Bible tells us that after death believers’ souls/spirits are taken to heaven, because their sins are forgiven by having received Christ as Savior (John 3:16, 18, 36). For believers, death is to be “away from the body and at home with the Lord” (2 Corinthians 5:6-8; Philippians 1:23). However, passages such as 1 Corinthians 15:50-54 and 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17 describe believers being resurrected and given glorified bodies. If believers go to be with Christ immediately after death, what is the purpose of this resurrection? It seems that while the souls/spirits of believers go to be with Christ immediately after death, the physical body remains in the grave “sleeping.” At the resurrection of believers, the physical body is resurrected, glorified, and then reunited with the soul/spirit. This reunited and glorified body-soul-spirit will be the possession of believers for eternity in the new heavens and new earth (Revelation 21-22).

    Second, for those who do not receive Jesus Christ as Savior, death means everlasting punishment. However, similar to the destiny of believers, unbelievers also seem to be sent immediately to a temporary holding place, to await their final resurrection, judgment, and eternal destiny. Luke 16:22-23 describes a rich man being tormented immediately after death. Revelation 20:11-15 describes all the unbelieving dead being resurrected, judged at the great white throne, and then being cast into the lake of fire. Unbelievers, then, are not sent to hell (the lake of fire) immediately after death, but rather are in a temporary realm of judgment and condemnation. However, even though unbelievers are not instantly sent to the lake of fire, their immediate fate after death is not a pleasant one. The rich man cried out, “I am in agony in this fire” (Luke 16:24).

    Therefore, after death, a person resides in a “temporary” heaven or hell. After this temporary realm, at the final resurrection, a person’s eternal destiny will not change. The precise “location” of that eternal destiny is what changes. Believers will ultimately be granted entrance into the new heavens and new earth (Revelation 21:1). Unbelievers will ultimately be sent to the lake of fire (Revelation 20:11-15). These are the final, eternal destinations of all people—based entirely on whether or not they had trusted Jesus Christ alone for salvation (Matthew 25:46; John 3:36).

    http://www.gotquestions.org/what-happens-death.html

    • Linde Barrera says

      Apr 20, 2015 at 11:54 pm

      To Champ- Thank you for your post of 8:47 pm on 4/20/15 as respects what happens to a person who believes in the salvation of Jesus Christ and one who does not. From what I know, Jesus doesn’t hate anyone and doesn’t want anyone to lose their salvation. Yet there are those who do hate Christ and want nothing to do with Him. So Jesus will, when the person dies, separate Himself from those who didn’t want Him in their lives while on Earth, to be in a place where they will never feel His love or see His light for eternity. I interpret that, as an accommodation on His part, for their unbelief. I go to this website to learn new things and get points of view to enlarge my world. It is always sad when some have an attitude that reeks of “I am better or smarter than you”, or they are trolls and just look to pick a fight. I like to ask questions to help me understand what is going on. I am no troll, and I am not so smart that I know everything another person posts, especially when they get very wordy and sarcastic. So thank you for your clarity. It is a gift. God bless you.

      • Champ says

        Apr 21, 2015 at 3:54 am

        Thank you for your kind words, Linda. And I’ve greatly enjoyed your contributions to Jihad Watch, too, my friend. Take care! 🙂

  6. JamesonRocks says

    Apr 20, 2015 at 10:18 pm

    So then, a radical moozie will cut your head off and a moderate moozie will just shoot you in the back of the head. Yes, now I understand.

  7. Bill C says

    Apr 21, 2015 at 7:49 am

    It took Christians over 300 years the first time to fight a defensive war. Over 70 percent of Christian lands were concurred by Islam before the Crusades started. The ‘Bad Press’ (poor history we are taught) might make our response too late this time.
    Christian Crusades about 250 yrs
    Muslim Jihad about 1,500 yrs

  8. AnneM says

    Apr 21, 2015 at 8:13 am

    Allah = SATAN.

  9. Uncle Vladdi says

    Apr 22, 2015 at 3:04 am

    Impractical of them. I’d pretend to convert, then “accidentally” drop a grenade amongst my new “brethren” during my first introductory raid against the infidels.

    😉

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