Why are some Christians murdered and many more terrorized in the name of Islam every Easter holiday?
This year’s most notable attack occurred in Egypt, where two Coptic Christian churches were bombed during Palm Sunday mass, leaving 50 dead and 120 injured.
While this incident received some coverage in Western media, attacks on churches in Egypt on or around Easter are not uncommon. For instance, this last April 12, just two days after the Palm Sunday attacks, authorities thwarted another Islamic terror attack targeting a Coptic monastery in Upper Egypt. Similarly, on April 12, 2015, Easter Sunday, two explosions targeting two separate churches took place in Egypt. Although no casualties were reported, hence no reporting in Western media, large numbers could easily have resulted, based on precedent (for example, on January 1, 2011, as Egypt’s Christians ushered in the New Year — another Christian holiday for Orthodox communities — car bombs went off near the Two Saints Church in Alexandria, resulting in 23 dead worshippers and dozens critically injured).
Less spectacular but no less telling, after 45 years of waiting, the Christians of Nag Shenouda, Egypt, finally got a permit to build a church; local Muslims responded by rioting and even burning down the temporary tent the Copts had erected to worship under (a different incident from this similar one). Denied, the Christians of Nag Shenouda celebrated Easter in the street, to Muslims jeers and sneers (picture here).
While almost anything can provoke Muslims around the world to attack churches, there is a reason that the animus can reach a fever pitch during Easter: more than any other Christian holiday, Resurrection Sunday commemorates and celebrates three central Christian doctrines that Islam manifestly rejects: that Christ was crucified and died; that he was resurrected; and that by especial virtue of the latter, he is the Son of God. As Dr. Abdul Rahman al-Bir, Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood’s mufti said in 2013, Muslims must not commend Christians during Easter, for that holiday “contradicts and clashes with Islamic doctrine and contradicts with our doctrines unlike Christmas.”
From here the carnage makes sense. Thus on Easter Sunday, 2016, another Islamic suicide bombing took place near the children rides of a public park in Pakistan, where Christians were known to be congregated and celebrating. Some 70 people — mostly women and children — were killed and nearly 400 injured. Something similar was in store for Pakistan this year, 2017, as officials foiled a “major terrorist attack” targeting Christians on Easter Sunday.
Celebrating Easter is an especially dangerous affair in Muslim-majority regions of Nigeria: a church was burned down on Easter Sunday, 2014, leaving 150 dead; another church was bombed on Easter Sunday, 2012, leaving some 50 worshippers dead; Muslim herdsmen launched a series of raids during Easter week, 2013, killing at least 80 Christians — mostly children and the elderly; additionally, over 200 Christian homes were destroyed, eight churches burned, and 4,500 Christians displaced.
As Islam’s presence continues to grow in Europe, and in accordance with Islam’s Rule of Numbers, Easter-related attacks are also growing. According to one report, “the terror cell that struck in Brussels [in March, 2016, killing 34] was planning to massacre worshippers at Easter church services across Europe, including Britain.” In Scotland, 2016, a Muslim man stabbed another Muslim man to death for wishing Christians a Good Friday and Happy Easter. And if an al-Qaeda terror plot targeting Easter shoppers in the UK was not thwarted, “it would almost certainly have been Britain’s worst terrorist attack, with the potential to cause more deaths than the suicide attacks of July 7, 2005, when 52 people were murdered.”
One can go on and on:
- The day before Good Friday, 2015, Muslim jihadis raided a Kenyan university and massacred 147; along with the fact that they tried to distinguish between Muslim and Christian students in order to kill only the latter, that they taunted those whom they slaughtered by mockingly saying things such as “This will be a good Easter holiday for us” placed their animus in the context of the Christian holiday.
- In Iran, Easter Sunday, 2012, saw 12 Christians stand trial as “apostates”; authorities raided an Easter service in a house-church in 2014, arresting and hauling off all those in attendance; and in 2015, various churches were banned from celebrating Easter Sunday altogether.
- On Easter Sunday, 2015, the Islamic State destroyed the Virgin Mary Church in Tel Nasri, an ancient Christian region in northeast Syria. After Islamic rebels fired rockets at a Christian neighborhood right before that same Easter, 2015, killing approximately 40, a woman lamented how “Our Easter feast has turned to grief.”
- In 2015, Muslims attacked a Catholic village in Bangladesh as it celebrated Easter; they stabbed its priest, destroyed Bibles, crosses, holy pictures, musical instruments and homes, and slaughtered goats and chickens.
- In Turkey, a pastor was beaten by Muslims immediately following Easter service and threatened with death unless he converted to Islam.
- According to an AP report from 2013, “Iraq’s Catholic Christians flocked to churches to celebrate Easter Sunday, praying, singing and rejoicing in the resurrection of Christ,” but only “behind high blast walls and tight security cordons.”
Of course, while Resurrection Sunday has the capacity to offend — and thus bring out the worst in some — Muslims more than any other Christian holy day, one should be careful not to attribute too much doctrinal nitpicking to the assailants. After all, Muslims have bombed and burned Christian churches on other holidays — a Cairo church was bombed leaving 27 dead before last Christmas — and no holidays at all. (See here for Christmas 2016, here for Christmas 2015, and here for Christmas 2014 for dozens of anecdotes of Muslim violence against and slaughter of Christians in the context of Christmas.)
In short, whatever the holiday, growing numbers of Muslims appear to agree with the view voiced by one Egyptian cleric that “Christian worship is worse than murder and bloodshed” — meaning, shedding the blood of Christians and murdering them is preferable to allowing them to flaunt their opposition to Muhammad’s teachings, as they naturally do every Sunday in church. Only more doctrinally attuned Muslims, who are in the minority, save their attacks for that one day of the year that so flagrantly defies Islam: Resurrection Sunday.
Mo says
“Why Easter Brings Out the Worst in Islam”
Because it is the most explicitly anti-Christian religion on the face of the earth. Islam an ideology invented by hell itself. Its teachings and the atrocities resulting from those teachings demonstrate that every single day.
The strange thing is that the more horrible events we see each day committed by the followers of this ideology, the more popular it seems to become and the more brazen its followers. I was stunned this weekend to see SO many Muslim women walking around in my city! How can that be?
If I followed an ideology that was in the news every day because of the violent acts of its followers, I would be 1) ashamed, even if I was not supporting or involved in it and 2) studying that ideology even further to learn why these coreligionists are doing these things! And then I would LEAVE IT!
But these women are boldly still following this death cult! I can understand that in Muslim countries, where they have no choice. And certainly, there’s a danger for them even in America and other free countries. But if they really wanted to leave Islam, they could do so!
Abbasid says
There was a attempted burning of a Church in Canada on Easter, of course we will never know the perpetrators motives, and there is no outcry and no visits to the church by politicians or new motions in parliament to stop Christianophobia.
Martin N says
“The so called ‘prophet’ Muhammad is a devil and the first-born of Satan” – Martin Luther
’nuff said.
Debi Brand says
Read the rest of post at: http://www.debibrand.org/why-muslims-despise-the-cross/
ele says
Could it be because the Prophet Jesus died to save us sinners while the Islam prophet Mohammad raped, killed and robbed and made up a “religion” to save his own ass?
gravenimage says
A small point, ele, but it is only Muslims who consider Jesus–really, “Isa”–a prophet.
Tracey Schaefer says
I would have to agree with you, Mohammad was a horrible twisted man that seen the power that religion has over people and their lives and decided to create one of his own. He is a Satan’s right hand, pure evil!
gravenimage says
Raymond Ibrahim: Why Easter Brings Out the Worst in Islam
…………………………
Muslims reject the Resurrection, so they are especially enraged by Christians celebrating this holiday.
More generally, Muslims love to attack Infidels on their holidays, especially joyous holidays. Muslims take special delight in harming unbelievers when they are happy. *Ugh*.
abad says
“Why Easter Brings Out the Worst in Islam”
As if this should even be a question!
Because Easter celebrates the One True Living God the Resurrected Lord Jesus Christ Himself, NOT Satan AKA Allah who Muslims worship.
Don Foss says
True. Throughout the Islamic world – I’ve worked and lived in it most of my adult life – you will see Christmas trees in malls, long lines of kids with the folks and their cameras for a shot of little Ahmed on Santa’s lap (strangely, usually a skinny Santa), and even hear Christmas music in the stores – especially in communities with a large expat community due to the oil industry. You will even see homes lit up. On Christmas morning, if I’m home, I can expect to wake to fruit baskets and flowers on my porch or at the front gate, my neighbors wishing me Merry Christmas. I’ve been asked many times to pose with families at a mall with a tree in the background. (I’m obviously a Westerner and usually in Levi’s and T-shirt, and when I speak they know I’m American.) They have no problem celebrating the birth of their 2nd most important prophet. But you never see anything about Easter. Haram (forbidden). Interesting too is that every Valentines Day and Halloween you will see articles and street posters warning people to guard against these abominations from the West. Of course we know not to be overt about these celebrations, but sometimes in the workplace they might be out there.
Tracey Schaefer says
Yet in the west the liberals are promoting Islam and are attacking the Christian faith. I am fearful for the future of the West and Europe for even when the truth about Islam slaps them in the face they always have an excuse cause for instance, ( their neighbor is Muslim and are very nice) yet they have no clue once in large numbers their neighbor becomes their greatest enemy. I am so tired in trying to point this out. The Universities are promoting BDS/Anti-Israel/Christian, they left are promoting Islam and terrorists, the kids unfortunately are falling for their lies! oh I could be here for hours, its a hot mess these days
Kepha says
Yikes.
The whole point of Sunday as “the Lord’s Day” is to commemorate the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. And of course that means confession that he truly died on the cross for our sins and that he is shown to be the Son of God through his victory over death and Hades, the keys of which he now holds (Rev. 1:18).
It seems that the militant “godless” who control our media also let out the stops (albeit not so violently) around Easter. It’s the time when we can be assured on the [pseudo-] History Channel that the Talpiyot tomb in Jerusalem has been proven beyond the possible shadow of a doubt to be that of Jesus’ family, and where Jesus’ bones were actually laid (rather than resurrected).
Carolyne says
I believe you will find that Christians and some others believe that Sunday commemorates the day after the six days it took God to create the earth. “On the seventh day He rested.”
Kepha says
Most of us are aware that the commemoration of the original creation wad Saturday, and the shift to the Lord’s Day is in commemoration of Christ’s resurrection. Just read the Westminster Confession of Faith (1647).