“Islamic State released a video purporting to show it killing 11 Christian men in Nigeria, saying it was part of a campaign to avenge the deaths of its leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi and its spokesman.”
This endless cycle of revenge is sanctioned by the Qur’an: “And We ordained for them therein a life for a life, an eye for an eye, a nose for a nose, an ear for an ear, a tooth for a tooth, and for wounds is legal retribution. But whoever gives charity, it is an expiation for him. And whoever does not judge by what Allah has revealed – then it is those who are the wrongdoers.” (5:45)
Of course, these Christians in Nigeria had nothing to do with the killing of al-Baghdadi, but the Islamic State’s targeting of them reveals how they view the conflict: it’s Islam versus Christianity, and thus any Christians can be killed to avenge the death of a Muslim leader.
“Islamic State says it killed 11 Christians in Nigeria,” Reuters, December 27, 2019:
MAIDUGURI/CAIRO — Islamic State released a video purporting to show it killing 11 Christian men in Nigeria, saying it was part of a campaign to avenge the deaths of its leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi and its spokesman.
The militant group posted the footage on its online Telegram news channel on Thursday, the day after Christmas, with Arabic captions but no audio.
The video showed men in beige uniforms and black masks lining up behind blindfolded captives, then shooting one and beheading the rest.
A previous video seen by Reuters said the captives had been taken from Maiduguri and Damaturu in Nigeria’s northeast, where militants have been fighting for years to set up a separate Islamist state.
In that earlier video, the captives pleaded for the Christian Association of Nigeria and President Muhammadu Buhari to intervene to save them….
Walter Sieruk says
Those violent and vicious jihad –minded Muslims, as those of ISIS, in their murderous persecution of Christians aren’t really going to get away with their destruction of Christians. As the apostle Paul had written each individual Christian is actually, in the View of God, a temple of God. For to Christians, it is written in the Bible “Don’t you know that that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst? If anyone destroys God’s Temple, God will destroy that person; for God’s temple is sacred, and you together are that temple.” First Corinthians 3:16,17. [N.I.V.] As in “A man reaps what he sows.” Galatians 6:7.
Fred says
One question… why does the all-knowing, all-powerful Christian God and His Superman Son allow this unimaginable torture and slaughter of His precious ‘children’ occur in the first place? Maybe He’s not omniscient and omnipotent? Maybe He’s indifferent and uncaring? Or most likely He and His Son does not exist, and never did? Something to ponder, yes?
Noam Cherney says
Same questions I asked others and myself. More often than not in a somewhat conceited and smug way. In the end it does not matter to me whether Jesus or Mohammed are imaginary or not. I see that one role model gets crucified for mankind while the other “role model” is a depraved killer and liar. In other words, even a hard core atheist will come to the conclusion that one religion is a positive force in human history while the other is not.
fred says
For most of its history Christianity was certainly not a ‘positive’ force in the world… was without question a superstitious, oppressive, barbaric, theocratic, producer of crusades, inquisitions, witch-burning, support of slavery, and too many other atrocities to mention… and anti-science/anti-humanistic that also aggressively worked toward forcing its manipulative theology on the world. It must be remembered the reformations that happened in Christianity to render it more benign was from centuries of outside influences of modernity, science, and secular humanism. A deeper reading of its scriptures does not get you there. The one thing the God of the Bible and Quran is NOT is a tolerate, loving moderate! I agree, the ‘models’ of the Christ figure vs. the Mohammad one (whether either existed or not) are quite different. I i would rather live in a Jesus-view of the world then a Mohammad one any day of the week! However, again i pose the question to all devout Christians on this site – and i never receive a compelling response because the cognitive dissonance is too great – here it is again…. IF you were born and raised in a strict Islamic family in a Muslim Theocratic nation/culture, incessantly indoctrinated since birth about the truth claims of Islam, only went to Islamic schools, only heard from parents and Imams, only studied the Quran and Hadiths, etc… you most assuredly would be yelling from the rooftops about how the Quran is the real word of God (Allah) and Mohammad is his only true messenger/prophet. What does this prove? That what your tightly held religious convictions are is almost always a product of where you were born and raised…. not from evidence, reason, critical thinking, legitimate epistemology, or any real understanding of the origins of your religion and how the Bible was cobbled together over centuries by bronze-age, primitive men that knew nothing about cosmology, evolution, science, or any natural phenomena… like thunder, lightening, floods, earthquakes, famine, disease, etc…. or patterns of the human mind or to ponder what consciousness is.
Alice W says
If the God of the Universe does not exist, then why not do whatever we like on earth? What are morals? Why not kill some one who is not considered human?
God sent The Christ as a way from this life to the next.
The Bible warns about a God who will judge the living and the dead. The Bible warns of God having the power to destroy not only the body but the soul. Warning: God is not a man that he should lie…
jeanie says
I agree.
Patti Eakes-Harris says
Because God gave us Free Will. Otherwise, accepting Him, worshipping Him and following His precepts would be nothing but a kiss-up session – which to many, it is already.
We don’t HAVE to accept Him as Lord of our lives, or follow His precepts or dippity-squat! We can read the contract and say “no thanks”. It’s a Free Gift, lest anyone try to boast or come off as “holier than thou”. And yet, we STILL have a lot of THOSE types, too! Personally, I have more respect for an unbeliever more than the people who “portray” themselves as Christians for fire insurance. The atheists are more honest.
Naildriver says
Astonishing such horrors and monstrous murders do not garner even passing notice from news media, and international outrage. Islam needs to be held accountable and Muslims across the world shamed for their hard wired association to such ‘rightheous’ adherence to Islam’s directives.
Lion heart says
Naildriver : I am not a white guy by ethnically , and I am a Canadian Christian guy originally from Iraq; and I wanna say that if a white person does that or goes on a killing spree , we will see the western media will be outraged and will talk about that crime for DECADES like that in New Zealand mosque but when it comes to Muslims committing mass murder and terrorist attacks against non Muslims especially against Christians , the western media , western leaders & politicians become silent and COWARD !!
James Lincoln says
Lion heart,
At least Fox News covered the story…
https://www.foxnews.com/world/isis-beheads-christians-nigeria-baghdadi
Lion heart says
Yeah except the fox need so far ! That’s true
mortimer says
As with previous genocides … the world looks away and politicians look at one another hoping no one will ask them to pay for the rescue mission.
Nigeria’s government is in the hands of Muslim sympathizers and a Muslim president who has pretended to do something about Boko Haram. Nigeria is a big country with hundreds of criminal gangs.
Naildriver says
‘Criminal gang’ is correct in most discussions, but it was a Muslim gang in adherence to Islam, ie persuading those locals to choose Islam or suffer a similar fate. This isn’t about genocide; it’s about Islam and what it’s devotees do when they dominate an area — as devotees for this horror have done since being hatched by by that vile human Mohammed..
All Muslims bear responsibility; and Islam being the vehicle for such murders should be dismantled as other such systems — without gloves or apology; even should all Muslims choose to die with it. The choice is theirs.
I resent my government telling me Islam is ok.
mortimer says
Kindly note that Islam contains a compulsory teaching of RETRIBUTION that DECREED by ALLAH. Ordinary Muslims are required to enforce revenge under the guidance of the mullahs. This is no joke … we are all potential targets as kafirs :
-K.11.173 “Believers, retaliation is decreed for you in bloodshed.”
-K.2.178 “O you who believe! Retaliation is prescribed for you in the matter of the slain.”
– K.5:33 “The reprisal against those who wage war on Allah and His Messenger, and go about the earth corrupting it, is that they should be killed or crucified, or have their alternate hands and feet cut off, or be banished from the land.” Waging war against Allah is rejecting Him.”–Tafsir of Imam al-Bukhari
-Imam AbdulLatif ibn AbdurRahman rahimullah said, “It is not possible for someone to realize Tawheed and act upon it, and yet not be hostile against the mushrikeen. So anyone who isn’t hostile against the mushrikeen, then it can’t be said that he acts upon Tawheed, nor that he realizes it.” [ad-Durar as-Saniyyah 8/167]
-(The recompense of those who wage war against Allah and His Messenger and do mischief in the land is only that they shall be killed or crucified or their hands and their feet be cut off on the opposite sides, or be exiled from the land.) `Wage war’ mentioned here means: oppose and contradict, and it includes (opposing) disbelief.”–Tafsir Ibn Kathir “Surat al-Ma’idah [Q 5]”
-K. 2.191 And kill them wherever you find them, and drive them out from whence they drove you out, and persecution is severer than slaughter, and do not fight with them at the Sacred Mosque until they fight with you in it, but if they do fight you, then slay them; such is the recompense of the unbelievers.
-K.9:11-12 – But if they violate their oaths after their covenant, and taunt you for your Faith, – fight ye the chiefs of Unfaith: for their oaths are nothing to them: that thus they may be RESTRAINED.
-from a Sharia law web site … the “punishment of EXECUTION which sharee’ah imposes on everyone who reviles the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), whether he is a Muslim, a dhimmi or a mu’aahid, because transgressing against the status of the Prophets is disbelief in Allaah Almighty, and it invalidates every sanctity, right and covenant; it is a major betrayal which deserves the MOST SEVERE punishment.”
“Honor” is restored to Islam through the shedding of blood. No kafir is ‘innocent’. All kafirs deserve to be killed because they reject Mohammed.
“Killing Infidels is a small matter to us.” – Tabari IX: 69
elee says
Thank you Mr. Spencer for your tireless work in bringing this sort of occurrence to the worlds attention. I have been saddened to read of these events here for some time now. Thanks to your efforts I saw this event first in my Google news feed today, the second time of late that this has happened. You/we are gaining the reluctant worlds attention Hey west, you do not give defenceless people independence and walk away from them. ASt least I hope we dont. Oh and I shall not name the politician here who told us a few months ago that ISIS was finished, kaput, history.
gravenimage says
Nigeria: Islamic State releases video showing it murdering 11 Christians
…………….
*Horrifying*–these poor Christians.
And of course Christians in Nigeria had nothing to do with the killing of Al Baghdadi. These Jihadists would have killed them anyway. This is more Islamic justification.
ralph g says
I am a Deist, believing in and worshiping God without favoring any man-made religion. I would be inclined to regard all religions as good and well-intentioned, but where Islam is concerned I draw the line. They are the curse of the earth and are akin to a rapidly-spreading, fatal virus in the world’s body. Islam rapidly is re-conquering Europe and in the US we now have them in Congress. It’s only a matter of time…Unless we act aggressively, as President Trump is trying to do, to ban immigration of Muslims. There are no moderate Muslims. They all believe the Koran and Sharia law and both are clearly against any principles on which the United States was founded.