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Bangladesh: Christians skip traditional Christmas Midnight Mass for fear of Muslims

Dec 25, 2015 1:39 pm By Robert Spencer

In Bangladesh, the Christians know what they’re up against. In the U.S., Christian leaders would regard these people are vicious Islamophobes. Don’t they realize that doing things like canceling Midnight Mass could harm the “Muslim-Christian dialogue”? Catholic churches in Dinajpur should expect a strongly-worded letter from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops!

Dinajpur church

“Bangladeshi Christians Skip Traditional Christmas Midnight Mass,” VOA News, December 24, 2015 (thanks to Pamela Geller):

Churches in Bangladesh skipped the traditional Christmas midnight mass services this year due to the increasing number of threats against Christian leaders, allegedly by Muslim extremists. Catholic houses of worship in the town of Dinajpur were among those that took the unusual step of opting out of holding the annual late night services because of security concerns voiced by the community.

“Several church leaders in Dinajpur have received death threats over the past weeks. Police advised us to remain as cautious as possible. All Catholic churches in this diocese decided not to hold mass at midnight this Christmas,” the bishop of Dinajpur, Sebastian Tudu, told VOA in an interview Thursday.

In Dinajpur, where unidentified gunmen shot and seriously wounded an Italian priest last month, services Thursday began at around 4 o’clock in the afternoon local time, ending before sunset.

Many Christian families across the country had told their community leaders this week that they would stay away from midnight mass this Christmas because they did not feel safe being out at night, said William Proloy Samadder, organizing secretary of the Bangladesh Christian Association, or BCA.

“We convened meetings and all church leaders agreed that the fears of the church members were not unfounded,” he said. Samadder, who escaped an attempt on his life on Wednesday, said, “All churches in the country have been placed under unusually heavy police security this Christmas.”

Christians in Bangladesh constitute less than one percent of the population. The community has been living in fear after more than three dozen church leaders received death threats from Islamists. At least four church leaders narrowly escaped attempts on their lives in recent weeks.

Threatening letters

Islamists in Bangladesh began targeting church leaders after killing four secular bloggers, along with a publisher, two foreign nationals, three Shi’ite Muslims and others.

In several threatening letters, the Islamists – who said they belonged to Islamic State as well as the banned militant outfit Jama’atul Mujahideen Bangladesh, or JMB – said they would kill all church leaders for “spreading Christianity” in Bangladesh.

The Christian leaders said the Islamists’ accusation was baseless, saying the Christian population has remained almost static since the country became an independent nation in 1971.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina met Bangladeshi Christian leaders Tuesday and assured them that Christians would be protected during Christmas.

Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal said security for all churches, including 60 in Dhaka, would be increased with surveillance cameras and the deployment of additional police officers.

Festive spirit missing

The church leaders said the festive spirit was missing among most Christians.

“In Bangladesh, the churches are not engaged in any aggressive evangelical activity. They are well-known in this country for their service to the society. Some militant groups have robbed the spirit of this Christmas by unfairly targeting the Christian leaders,” according to BCA secretary general Nirmol Rozario, who said he received a death threat via a mobile phone text message on Tuesday.

Islamist militants bombed a Hindu temple in Bangladesh earlier this month after killing two Shi’ite devotees and one muezzin in separate bomb and gun attacks in October and November, he said.

“Many Christians fear that the militants are aiming to launch identical terror attack on churches…This is the first time in my life that I find Christians celebrating Christmas with such panic and fear.”

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Filed Under: Bangladesh, Featured, Muslim persecution of Christians Tagged With: Dinajpur


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Comments

  1. Mark A says

    Dec 25, 2015 at 1:57 pm

    Coming soon to a Christian church near you……….

  2. Ralph says

    Dec 25, 2015 at 2:01 pm

    FYI about Muslims:
    Study the history of the deeds of Islam …270 million dead ..If you think we can co-exist with people that follow this book , you had better read it again till it soaks in …!

    ) Slay the unbelievers wherever you find them. Qur’an 2:19

    2) Make war on the infidels living in your neighborhood. Qur’an 9:123

    3) Any religion other than Islam is not acceptable. Qur’an 3:85

    4) The Jews and Christians are perverts; fight them.” Qur’an 9:30.

    5) Maim and crucify the infidels if they criticize Islam. Qur’an 5:33

    6) The infidels are unclean; do not let them into a mosque. Qur’an 9:28

    7) Punish the unbelievers with garments of fire, hooked iron rods, boiling water; melt their skin and bellies. Qur’an 22:19

    8) Do not hanker for peace with the infidels; behead them when you catch them. Qur’an 47:4

    9) The unbelievers are stupid; urge the Muslims to fight them. Qur’an 8:65

    10) Muslims must not take the infidels as friends. Qur’an 3:28

    11) Terrorize and behead those who believe in scriptures other than the Qur’an. Qur’an 8:12

    12) Muslims must muster all weapons to terrorize the infidels. Qur’an 8:60

    13) Be terrified that Allah will replace you and put others in your place and inflict you with a painful doom. Qur’an 9:38 and 39. “The militant Muslim is the person who beheads the infidel, while the moderate Muslim holds the feet of the victim.” — Marco Polo (1254-1324).

    Quran 8:39 – And fight with them until there is no more fitna (disorder, unbelief) and religion should be only for Allah.

    Quran 8:12 – I will cast terror into the hearts of those who disbelieve. Therefore strike off their heads and strike off every fingertip of them.

    Quran 3:56 – As to those who reject faith, I will punish them with terrible agony in this world and in the Hereafter, nor will they have anyone to help.

    Quran 8:67 – It is not for a Prophet that he should have prisoners of war until he had made a great slaughter in the land.

    Quran 9:14 – Fight against them so that Allah will punish them by your hands and disgrace them and give you victory over them and heal the breasts of a believing people.

    Quran 9:29 – Fight those who believe not in Allah nor the Last Day, nor hold that forbidden which hath been forbidden by Allah and His Messenger, nor acknowledge the religion of Truth, (even if they are) of the People of the Book, until they pay the Jizya with willing submission, and feel themselves subdued. (Meaning pay a tax, which is what ISIS is doing)

    From the Hadieth –

    Muslim (1:33) – the Messenger of Allah said: I have been commanded to fight against people till they testify that there is no god but Allah, that Muhammad is the messenger of Allah

    Bukhari 8:387 – Allah’s Apostle said, “I have been ordered to fight the people till they say: ‘None has the right to be worshipped but Allah’. And if they say so, pray like our prayers, face our Qibla and slaughter as we slaughter, then their blood and property will be sacred to us and we will not interfere with them except legally.

    Bukhari 52:73 – Allah’s Apostle said, ‘Know that Paradise is under the shades of swords.

    Bukhari 1:35 – The person who participates in (Holy Battles) in Allah’s cause and nothing compels him do so except belief in Allah and His Apostle, will be recompensed by Allah either with a reward, or booty ( if he survives) or will be admitted to Paradise ( if he is killed).

    Quran 3:56 – As to those who reject faith, I will punish them with terrible agony in this world and in the Hereafter, nor will they have anyone to help.

    Quran 8:67 – It is not for a Prophet that he should have prisoners of war until he had made a great slaughter in the land.

    Quran 9:14 – Fight against them so that Allah will punish them by your hands and disgrace them and give you victory over them and heal the breasts of a believing people.

    Quran 9:29 – Fight those who believe not in Allah nor the Last Day, nor hold that forbidden which hath been forbidden by Allah and His Messenger, nor acknowledge the religion of Truth, (even if they are) of the People of the Book, until they pay the Jizya with willing submission, and feel themselves subdued. (Meaning pay a tax, which is what ISIS is doing)

    From the Hadieth –

    Muslim (1:33) – the Messenger of Allah said: I have been commanded to fight against people till they testify that there is no god but Allah, that Muhammad is the messenger of Allah

    Bukhari 8:387 – Allah’s Apostle said, “I have been ordered to fight the people till they say: ‘None has the right to be worshipped but Allah’. And if they say so, pray like our prayers, face our Qibla and slaughter as we slaughter, then their blood and property will be sacred to us and we will not interfere with them except legally.

    Bukhari 52:73 – Allah’s Apostle said, ‘Know that Paradise is under the shades of swords.

  3. Phobic-ist says

    Dec 25, 2015 at 2:18 pm

    I utterly despise Islam in all its evil twisted forms!!!! Just had to say this….

  4. Jaladhi says

    Dec 25, 2015 at 2:24 pm

    And what do all those “peaceful” Muslims have to say about this?? Nothing!! Obviously, there aren’t any peaceful Muslims let alone millions of peaceful Muslims!! Its only fantasy of the Western world.

  5. Angemon says

    Dec 25, 2015 at 2:42 pm

    The church leaders said the festive spirit was missing among most Christians.

    Yeah, I heard that fearing for your life has that effect on people…

  6. Mo says

    Dec 25, 2015 at 4:49 pm

    Coming soon to an American city near you! (If Barry or Hillary haven’t already shut the Christian churches down.)

  7. Janice says

    Dec 26, 2015 at 9:47 am

    This is the religion only Satan could devise. It fits in perfectly with his role as Christ described him… ” He was a murderer from the beginning.”…and this religion rapes children and women and takes part in kidnappings and the slave trade. Like I said a religion only Satan could devise.

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