Let’s take stock. In July 2020, the Jesuit magazine America has discovered that “Boko Haram Islamic militants have for years raged against minority Christian communities in northern Nigeria,” and now that their fellow Muslim Fulani cattle herders have also carried out “increasingly brutal attacks on Christian villages.” America magazine has even found that “Christians are being explicitly targeted in the ongoing violence,” and wishes that “prominent archbishops in the United States and Europe” would speak out about this persecution.
But that’s America magazine in 2020. In 2018, it was worried about “so-called experts seeking to spread misinformation and fear” about Islam. These “so-called experts” included me, and even though I had left the Catholic Church a considerable time before that, I was producing “misinformed and ill-intentioned content on Islam, for Catholic audiences in particular.” Some of this alleged “misinformation” was apparently the idea that “Muslims’ faith tradition is responsible for violence.”
America magazine is not being inconsistent. Even though America’s Kevin Clarke identifies Boko Haram as made up of “Islamic militants,” it is absolutely certain that he and his fellow America magazine writers would insist that Boko Haram was misunderstanding the beautiful and peaceful religion of Islam. They would no doubt affirm, with Pope Francis, that “authentic Islam and the proper reading of the Koran are opposed to every form of violence.”
But still, the magazine calls the persecutors “Islamic militants” and notes that Christians are being “explicitly targeted.” When America magazine demonizes analysis of the motivating ideology behind this persecution, they make people afraid to speak out. The bishops in the U.S. and Europe that America magazine wants to speak out against the Muslim persecution of Christians now have been teaching for years that any discussion of such matters is “Islamophobic,” and will harm the “dialogue” between Muslims and Christians. In 2013, Bishop Robert McManus of Worcester, Massachusetts canceled my scheduled address to a Catholic Men’s Conference and explained: “Spencer’s talk about extreme, militant Islamists…might undercut the positive achievements that we Catholics have attained in our inter-religious dialogue with devout Muslims.” So you see, even talk about “extreme, militant Islamists,” and Boko Haram and the Fulani herdsmen are quintessentially “extreme, militant Islamists,” is out of bounds.
America magazine has been at the forefront of the efforts to silence such discussion by demonizing and stigmatizing those who engage in it. And now they want the bishops to speak out? The bishops know better. If they do, they’ll be denounced as “Islamophobic” themselves, probably by America magazine among others, and may even be disciplined by that learned imam Pope Francis, who has made it a superdogma of his Church, enforced far more stringently than any actual element of Catholic faith, that Islam is a religion of peace that has been hijacked by a tiny minority of extremists. Whisper anything to the contrary and the U.S. Catholic Bishops will move ruthlessly to silence you. They’re going to speak out now? You’re dreaming, America mag, and you’re to a large extent responsible for the present situation.
“Leave them; they are blind guides. And if a blind man leads a blind man, both will fall into a pit.” (Matthew 15:14)
“Are Nigeria’s Christians the target of a genocide?,” by Kevin Clarke, America Magazine, July 2, 2020:
Are Nigeria’s Christians the target of a genocide? That is the conclusion of a number of religious freedom analysts and Nigerian clergy who joined a recent online press call.
Boko Haram Islamic militants have for years raged against minority Christian communities in northern Nigeria, and their intention to drive out “Western” influences and establish an Islamic state in northern Nigeria seems clear. But increasingly brutal attacks on Christian villages in Nigeria’s central “middle belt” region have been attributed to Fulani cattle herders and have been explained as the result of conflict over diminishing resources.
But advocates gathered for an online press call hosted by the international advocacy group In Defense of Christians on June 25 believe that Christians are being explicitly targeted in the ongoing violence in an effort to drive them off their land. They argued that the United States and the Nigerian central government must come up with a comprehensive plan to better protect the region’s Christians….
Pointing out that the presidency and top security posts in Nigeria are held by Muslims, the Most Rev. Matthew Hassan Kukah of the Catholic Diocese of Sokoto charged that “this government has given quite a lot of oxygen to Islamist extremism.”…
Noting the resource limitations of the church in Nigeria, he said it was his hope that the global reach of the Catholic Church could help focus more attention on the plight of Nigeria’s Christians.
“I would like to hear much much more from prominent archbishops in the United States and Europe,” he said.
“America’s anti-Islam problem didn’t end with the cancellation of ‘Roseanne,’” by Margot Patterson, America Magazine, June 25, 2018:
…The surge in anti-Muslim hostility is not simply a marker of today’s charged politics. Much of it is fomented by so-called experts seeking to spread misinformation and fear. The Southern Poverty Law Center reports the number of anti-Muslim hate groups has tripled since 2015. Mr. Arain said the current wave of anti-Muslim hostility began in 2010, when plans to build an Islamic center in lower Manhattan near 9/11’s “Ground Zero” was met with intense opposition. Fostered by anti-Islam bloggers Pamela Geller and Robert Spencer, a national controversy ensued, with opponents of the center attributing bizarre and sinister motives to those supporting it. Since then, efforts to stigmatize Muslims as violent, intolerant and un-American have accelerated, promulgated by a variety of anti-Muslim groups….
“Reading Islam’s holy book,” by Jordan Denari Duffner, America Magazine, February 21, 2018:
…After discussing how Americans’ fears of Islam were harnessed (and intentionally amplified) by the disastrous war in Iraq, Wills goes into the text of the Quran itself, drawing attention to what will be familiar to Catholics and other readers of the Bible. In the Quran, he encountered “stories I already knew,” those of Adam, Noah, Moses, Jesus, Mary and even John the Baptist. Wills also talks about what what surprised him and what he appreciates about it. “The overall tenor is one of mercy and forgiveness, which are evoked everywhere, almost obsessively.”…
An important part of this discussion, and of the whole book, is Wills’s explanation that Americans’ fear of Islam has, in many ways, been deliberately constructed. “What caused that fear? War…. In order to mobilize reaction to war conditions, threats from the foe must be emphasized, stating or overstating the peril….” Few Americans have considered this, and even fewer are aware that a well-funded network of bloggers and pundits deliberately spews anti-Muslim messages into U.S. public discourse and politics. I was pleased to see that Wills calls out this industry directly, naming names so his readers can identify these groups and figures. One voice that Wills mentions is Robert Spencer, the blogger and writer who helped contrive the controversy around the so-called “Ground Zero Mosque.” Spencer is just one of numerous Catholic writers working with anti-Muslim groups to produce misinformed and ill-intentioned content on Islam, for Catholic audiences in particular….
“After Trump’s Saudi speech, don’t forget his connections to Islamophobia,” by Jordan Denari Duffner, America Magazine, May 24, 2017:
…But Mr. Trump still described terrorism as “Islamic” and put the onus on “Muslim nations” to “drive out terrorists.” This call to action suggests that terrorism is an outgrowth of Islam, and ignores how Western military intervention contributes the conditions for further violence. Even the broad framing of his speech as one “on Islam” implied that Muslims’ faith tradition is responsible for violence. When H.R. McMaster announced plans for Trump’s speech in Saudi, he said the president would share “his hopes for a peaceful vision of Islam to dominate across the world.” The implication here is that a “violent vision of Islam” is currently the primary or predominant one, which flies in the face of the reality lived by over a billion Muslims globally….
prebangian says
“America” forgot all the other Christians and other Infidels being killed in Africa, more recently Mozambique is now suffering from Jihadist attacks.
gravenimage says
Also true, prebangian.
mortimer says
It’s about time the leaders took leadership on this issue. The Nigerian genocide against Christians has killed between 30,000 and 60,000 Christians in the last 25 years. 1,000 to 2,000 Christians have been killed by Muslims every year.
The motive of the Muslims is to stop the extraordinary, exponential growth of Christianity in Nigeria. IT IS A REAL GENOCIDE and it is clearing Christians from north-east Nigerian states.
In many Nigerian churches, women are asked not to bring a handbag to church for security reasons. Christians have been attacked while leaving their churches and at local restaurants where they stopped for a snack after church. The president of Nigeria is a Muslim and a former general. He could stop these attacks if he truly wanted to.
PHOENIX says
What is happening in these African countries is genocide and the UN and the West should intervene on humanitarian grounds. The Pope should be ashamed that he is not speaking out. This is a humanitarian crisis…but alas no one give a damn…they are only ‘Christians’ the most denigrated people in the world. The Pope of Islam is a coward….and is not well thought of by his clergy or Catholics..other Christians are also to blame….
Gordon says
We also have a problem in the United States with Muslim socialist infiltration into our Democratic government in America. They are here to bring our country down.
JimInIndy says
As a cradle Catholic, I am appalled, but not surprised, by the “America’s” ignorance and misguidance on Islam. Jesuits have drifted liberal for decades. They were once renowned as philosophical leaders, but now the order tends to overthink themselves, and go with what they “think” and feel rather than look at the facts of the real world. Contemplation is not an adequate substitute for reality.
GreekEmpress says
JimInIndy,
If you are in Indy, did you hear about Father Ted Rothrock who was suspended from St. Elizabeth Seton Church for speaking out against Black Lives Matter protesters? No discussion, no dialogue, just relieved from pastoring the church. I contacted the diocese and the church and told them I was very disturbed that they caved in to the “cancel culture” ideology that supports censoring, firing, slandering, and doxing those whose opinions are deemed politically incorrect. I think they are alienating traditional Catholics whose values include support of the nuclear family, whereas the BLM platform is in favor of the destruction of it.
I am an Eastern Rite Catholic and my church was recently vandalized during the civil unrest.
mortimer says
Very sad, GE. They are godless communists. An Eastern church was sprayed with graffiti by a Muslim in my neighborhood.
sharron hill says
Hi GE: Do you know how Anti f a and bl ck l v es ma t te r are connected to Mu sl m terro ists? I am trying to get more info. Thanks.
GreekEmpress says
Hi Sharron,
I’m not the best person to ask about information on how they are connected. There are a lot
of others on JW who can explain it a lot better than I ever could and could give you a lot of detail.
Mortimer and gravenimage are two of many that come to mind.
Can one of you help us out here?
gravenimage says
Hi, Sharron. I don’t have a lot of time right now, so I’ll just post these links:
https://www.jihadwatch.org/tag/antifa
https://www.jihadwatch.org/tag/black-lives-matter
Lots more information there. Hope this is useful.
And if you are new to Jihad Watch, welcome!
mortimer says
Reply to Jim: you are obviously describing a certain Jesuit pope. Not all Jesuits are like him. Fr. Henri Boulad SJ of Alexandria, Egypt is an authority on jihad and Islamic supremacism.
gravenimage says
True, Mortimer.
FYI says
Alas,the Man in White in Rome,pope francis{the ‘pope of the Ear’ }appears to have hearing and comprehension problems.
Anyway, he is far too preoccupied with promoting his Heresies,climate change and pachamama idols to hear the sounds of the butchered Christians.
How terrible to have a pontiff who just smiles and remains silent in the face of such evil.
There are a minority within the RCC who surely know how wrong that is.
francis loves to tell everybody that the koran is a non-violent book,islam is a religion of peace and allah is the same as the Christian God despite the fact that allah….
1]CURSES Christians for believing in Jesus Christ {koran 9:30}
2]DENIES the crucifixion{it was somebody else apparently}{koran 4:157}
3]DENIES the Trinity{and thus the Holy Spirit} {koran 4:171}
4]says christians and Jews are the ‘WORST of created beings’ {koran 98:6}
allah also MISSED a couple of things..
1] the Golden Rule
{=’the MEANING of the Law of Moses and the teachings of the prophets”Matthew 7 v 12}
2]the point of the Exodus 20 decalogue{see the koran:allah gives freedom to violate them as long as the victims are infidels}
3]the First Chief Commandment of YHWH {Deut 6:4-9} which cannot be satisfied in islam since allah permits the violation of the Decalogue which defeats the purpose of the Torah.
4]The Second Chief Commandment of YHWH{Lev19:18}which cannot be satisfied in islam as you cannot love your neighbor if he is a JEW{=’to be hated and despised’ koran 2:65} or a Christian{=’ the WORST of created beings”koran 98:6}
These 2chief laws are in Judaism and Christianity and are defined thus:
‘the WHOLE OF THE LAW OF MOSES and the teachings of all the prophets depend on these 2 chief laws”
Matthew 22:37-40
It seems allah{“the BEST of deceivers” koran 3:54 MISSED their importance.
5}Genesis 1:27: the idea that ALL people are EQUAL before YHWH and made in His spiritual image unlike in the koran where infidels are INFERIOR to muslims and thus Genesis 1:27 does not exist in the koran’s religious apartheid scheme.
6]The name of God is YHWH not ‘allah’
Clearly allah is NOT the YHWH of the Bible.The islamic ‘scholars’ don’t get it:the reason the koran has “HOLES in the narrative” is due to the ABSENCE of the Holy Spirit in islam.
The Bible shows the PRESENCE of the Holy Spirit.It is the Holey Koran that is corrupt.
In fact allah CONFIRMS the Bible k3:3 and tells muslims to consult those who know it koran 10:94
One would think that a jesuit would know all this which surely francis must: francis is bearing false witness by equating the islamic koranic allah with the Judeo-christian biblical YHWH.
It is pretty obvious allah is NOT the YHWH of the Bible.
And yet francis promotes this falsehood.And remains SILENT in the face of the slaughter of christians.
mortimer says
FYI, I doubt sending the pope a hearing aid would change his mind. He’s a hippy. It takes a scholarly mind to dissect what is wrong with Islam.
FYI says
“The catholic Bishops will move ruthlessly to silence you”
Too true:pope francis has appointed his henchmen to key positions,his YES men,to unquestionably follow his vatican disseminated party line about islam and globalism.
francis you see, is creating a church in his OWN image {although most don’t see it}
From what I know and have read from Catholic{..which BTW predicted all this..} and scriptural prophetic sources over many many years i believe it will be easier for a billionaire to enter the Kingdom of God or an elephant to go through the eye of a needle than it shall be for many of these clergymen.
There ARE ‘a Few Good Men’,a few decent Cardinals and a Remnant[they constitute the Wheat} who strive to keep the faith despite the ERRORS,false eco-theology ,pro-globalist agenda coming from the marxist jesuit man in Rome now that the vatican is a POLITICAL center.The majority,especially those blinded by the cult of the holy father won’t see it:but then they are the foolish bridesmaids and the chaff.Of course they don’t see it.
That advice ‘Leave them they are blind guides’ is excellent advice!
Christianity depends on Jesus Christ as your example,the Holy Spirit as your teacher and the Gospel as your reference book.
{There are good clergy of course but be wary of false pastors and false theologies}
gravenimage says
America Magazine discovers Muslim genocide of Christians in Nigeria, wishes US and European bishops would speak out
………………..
Well, better late than never, I suppose. Never mind that the attitudes in America Magazine have led to willfully ignoring the threat of Islam for many years.
spiro. says
How widely read is America magazine
gravenimage says
Apparently 45,000, spiro. a respectable but hardly massive readership.
I was not meaning to imply that America Magazine was single-handedly responsible for the long-time whitewash of Islam in the US and the rest of the West, just that they had, along with many others, contributed to this ignorance of the danger of Islam.
revereridesagain says
“The overall tenor is one of mercy and forgiveness, which are evoked everywhere, almost obsessively.”…
Ignoring the clearly stated requirement that Muslims be merciful to one another and merciless to the “unbeliever”. Indeed. Allahoochikitchikoo is “ever merciful and forgiving” to his groveling, obedient and adoring followers and a savage taskmaster to murderers, rapists, torturers charged with the destruction of the despised kaffirs. The males — there are no Muslim “men” — among which will be rewarded with dozens of renewable virgin whores in a bordello paradise.
And the self-blinded fools in the Catholic Church, the leftist rabbis, and other religious groups that prefer fantasy to reality, still believing that if they feed this monstrous crocodile it will eat them last, will continue to demonize anyone brave enough to insist that they confront the truth.
Walter Sieruk says
Before going over the main subject ,which is the genocide of Christians in Nigeria or any other country infested with an overwhelming number of Muslims it might be of some interest to a few people, probably not many ,that tonight on the date of 7/6/20 just after posting a very short essay on Islamic terrorism on Facebook that my posting was removed because ,as Facebook put it “Your comment goes against our community standards…”
This is my posting that Facebook found in violation of its “community standards”
So here it is “Dr. Sabastian Gorka , well, understands that the root cause of the ideology of Islamic terrorism which is based on Islam. For in his book which is entitled DEFEATING JIHAD explained about the jihadist –Muslims on page 132 which reads “The enemy’s center of gravity is ideology of holy war against the infidel…”
This is, of course, the ideology of Islam’s jihad [Islamic terrorism] is based on the Quran,5:33 4:89 9:111,123.47:4 ,in which the jihadists are in this war against us for the victory of Islam over us.”
Getting to the main topic of this jihadwatch article, it known that as in the days of Nehemiah when he and his men were busy in the reconstruction of the walls around Jerusalem and the Arab became furious and indigent at this at this grand project of the rebuilding of the walls. Neh 4:1 and they thus despised the Jews , Neh. 4:4 ,and schemed terrorist attacks against them.
So the Jewish men set up watch for such attacks, Neh 4:8, therefore ,on this watch they set up guards to be ready for those terrorists attacks , Neh 4;16.
Likewise, in this twenty –first century in areas of the world, as Africa and the Middle East and Indonesia, Christians need to be “on watch and stand firm” First Corinthians 16:13.,as to be on guard from jihad-minded Muslim terrorist attacks against Christians .
For Christians together compose the symbolic body of Christ, Ephesians 1:13. 5:30.
Furthermore, it should be made known that the Muslim terrorists who engage in the persecution of Christians will not get away from the punishment of God for their wicked actions. As seen in Romans 14: 12. First Corinthians 3: 16, 17. Galatians 6:7.
muneshadowe says
Did you ever think the communist in the vatican does not really care?
Eur says
Our future….
Giacomo Latta says
So you are a Catholic and a muslim wishes to take care of your funeral arrangements at no expense to you and promises to take care of your wife and daughters afterwards. What’s not to like?
Marttheman says
Doesn’t the pope know that he is targeted by the muslims as well? He must be quite sure that his Swiss guards can protect him. Then it would be a great gesture of his to send some of his Swiss guards to Nigeria to work as guardian angels against Boko Haram and to protect the Christians. The deafening silence from churches and governments in the West is appalling. If we allow this to happen, soon the whole of Africa will be muslim. The same happened in North Africa. Nobody came to the rescue of the Christians and now most of North Africa is muslim. Only 10% of the Egyptian population is coptic. But their lives are being made miserable as they are dhimmies.
manalive says
“One voice that Wills mentions is Robert Spencer, the blogger and writer who helped contrive the controversy around the so-called “Ground Zero Mosque.” Spencer is just one of numerous Catholic writers working with anti-Muslim groups to produce misinformed and ill-intentioned content on Islam, for Catholic audiences in particular….”
—————————–
Soon after the events of 911 I (a 60 yr old WASP at that time) began a search into what Islam is. Within a few months, I had come across Robert Spencer and David Wood. Watching their videos and reading their books (which none of our political “leaders” will do), it was clear that they were providing accurate, dead-on explanations of Islam’s original documents. They were contriving nothing. They had no axe to grind, only awareness to bring. They were (and are) not anti-Muslim. They simply explain the Islamic ideology, abrogation, taqiyya in its six forms, the history of jihad and all the other barbaric elements of Islamic supremist worldwide conquest. Spencer PROCLAIMS TRUTH, and the western world had better start paying attention. Carry on, Robert! Blessings to you and your work.
gravenimage says
Hear, hear!
Kepha says
So, Mr. Spencer, if you have left the RC Church, I sincerely hope you have not turned your back on Christ and are seeking fellowship with believers elsewhere.
Being Reformed and Evangelical, I hold no candle for the Jesuit order. However, It may be a welcome start that it has recognized the threat pose by groups like Boko Haram. Perhaps the next step will be for Christian leaders of various stripes to take another look at the sources of Islamic ideology. I’ll admit that for a long time, I was not that interested in reading Islamic sources (among other things, I was living in the Far East and needed to know more about the Buddhist and Daosit “mainstream” of where I was living; as well as keeping up with my own religion. It was in the wake of 9/11 that I started to look at Islam again.
gravenimage says
Kepha, Robert Spencer is now Eastern Orthodox. Not sure which denomination.
Linde Barrera says
Looks like the Jesuits and “America” magazine do not have a clear grasp on the magnitude of Islamic doctrine.
CTTV15@Hotmail.com says
Minnesota, including me and some buddies.. It is an extremely peaceful and tranquil place, UNTIL NOW..
Conclusion? ‘The Bikers’ in Stillwater MN are somehow guilty of the NEW crime of ‘Making Eye Contact’? Really? …and the kid at Starbucks is a stone cold ‘racist’? Really?
I would make ‘eye contact’ as well, if a bunch of crazies were chasing me down the streets and parking lots of Stilwater too closely, with cameras, and cell phone cameras clicking of a number of pictures of me and my friends as well. ..They looked annoyed, that’s all.. I would be too..
Or, the thousands of similar examples nationally,..
First comes the undocumented and unsubstantiated COMPLAINT..
Then comes the phony outrage –
Then, here comes Jaylani Hussein (MN CAIR), with the worn out PRESS Conference bellyaching, and the per usual list(s) of insane demands. –
Then comes the extortion of money, and demands for public apologies for made up and staged ‘offences’..
AND then the DEMAND for the per usual REQUIRED SENSITIVITY TRAINING BY A MN CAIR SELECTED psycho-babble ‘expert’.. (Can you say ‘reeducation camp’?)
Another clue: ‘MN CAIR (according to ‘himself’, Jaylani Hussein/CAIR, the pied piper of bull-scat) filed 360 law suits IN MINNESOTA ALONE in 2017′.. It’s like a not-so-little clue folks..
And as an aside, Hussein really hates anyone filming his group presentations.. In fact, HE takes every opportunity to BAN CAMERAS, and any RECORDING DEVICES, when he is up to his endless GROUP presentations and mischief..
Don’t fall for it! It is all a scam.. ..and these folks (the ‘new ungrateful americans’), scammers, and master Con-Artists and ‘Grifters’, and they are very good at it.. ..and its going on all over the country..
But, people in Minnesota are either willingly stupid, and insanely naive… ..’Willful Blindness’..
This is an outrage.. And, I am sick and tired of every damn bit of it..
Kepha says
You say people in Minnesota are either willingly stupid and insanely naive? I’m old enough to remember Sven and Olav jokes.
CTTV15@Hotmail.com says
Sorry about that.. I posted this (above) to the wrong article – Copy and paste..
CTTV15@Hotmail.com says
Sorry about that. I posted the above partially to the wrong article – copy and past..
tgusa says
They demonized those who spoke out regarding Christian persecution, therefore, cancelled.
JamesC. says
“”Spencer’s talk about extreme, militant Islamists…might undercut the positive achievements that we Catholics have attained in our inter-religious dialogue with devout Muslims.”“
For those of us who do not know, what might these “positive achievements” be ? I have no idea what the answer is BTW.
gravenimage says
All Catholics and other Christians have “achieved” is being successfully lied to by Taqiyya-spewing Muslims.