A lie conceals the truth. And ugly but hidden truths never have a chance of being acknowledged, addressed, and ameliorated. Because of this simple truism, one of the greatest lies of our age — that violence committed in the name of Islam has nothing to do with Islam — has made an intrinsically weak Islam […]
Raymond Ibrahim: ‘The Real Bomb Is in Islam’s Books’
During his visit to Egypt last week, “Pope Francis visited al-Azhar University, a globally respected institution for Sunni Islamic learning,” and “met with Sheikh Ahmed al-Tayeb, the imam of the government-run Al-Azhar mosque and an Islamic philosophy professor.” This has been reported by several media outlets, often with much fanfare. Unfortunately, however, Sheikh Tayeb, once […]
Raymond Ibrahim: Why Easter Brings Out the Worst in Islam
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 […]
Graphic: Images and video of Palm Sunday’s Coptic church bombings
The number of dead from the Palm Sunday bombings of two Coptic churches in Egypt has climbed to 50: thirty Christians were killed at the St. George Church in Tanta, and 15 Christians and five police officials were killed in St. Mark in Alexandria. About 120 are seriously injured. Because Islamic suicide bombings are on the […]
Egypt: Muslim man sexually harasses, cuts throat of Christian woman on busy street
In yet another cold-blooded attempt on the life of a Christian, a Muslim man recently attempted to slaughter a Coptic Christian woman in broad daylight and in the middle of a busy street in Egypt. Reports of this latest instance of anti-Christian sentiment in Egypt began appearing Tuesday, and have since been confirmed by local […]
Raymond Ibrahim: A 1,389 Year-Old ‘Phobia’?
A direct correlation exists between Western ignorance of history and Western ignorance of Islam’s “troublesome” doctrines. It is this connection that allows Islam’s apologists to get away with so many distortions and outright lies meant to shield Islam. Take Reza Aslan, CNN’s resident “cannibal”: he recently claimed that “Islamophobia” — defined by CAIR and others […]
Raymond Ibrahim: Islamic Projection: Why Muslims So Hate Infidels
A little known fact: when Muslims persecute religious minorities in their midst, they often justify it by projecting the worst aspects of Islam onto the “infidels.” A well-known phenomenon, “projection” is defined as “the attribution of one’s own ideas, feelings, or attitudes to other people.” One academic article states, “Projection allows the killer to project his […]
Raymond Ibrahim: More Evidence that McMaster Shares Obama’s Views on Islam and Terror
Donald Trump’s new national security advisor, Lt. General H.R. McMaster, has made troubling remarks — such as “the Islamic State is not Islamic” — that one expects from the D.C. establishment. However, a hearty endorsement that he gave to a 2010 book suggests that the totality of McMaster’s views on security issues are worse than simply […]
Raymond Ibrahim: Christianity and Judaism Breed Terrorism Just Like Islam?
Egypt’s top Muslim cleric and head of Al Azhar, Dr. Ahmed al-Tayeb, recently spoke before the religious representatives of some 50 nations during a Cairo-based conference. The sheikh demonstrated once again that he is a master of exhibiting one face to fellow Muslims — one that supports the death penalty for “apostates,” calls for the […]
Egypt: All art is “immoral,” says top cleric, known as a “moderate” around the world
Art has a largely negative impact on human morality. So says Sheikh Ahmed al-Tayeb, the grand imam of Egypt’s Al Azhar madrassa and arguably the “most influetial Muslim in the world.” In a recent televised interview, Tayeb was asked “To what degree does art influence the morals of the youth.” The sheikh responded that art […]
Raymond Ibrahim: The Islamic State Revives Islam’s Original Terror Tactic — Cannibalism
In light of recent revelations that the Islamic State is teaching its followers to eat non-Muslims, surely we can now all agree that, at least in this, ISIS is truly not Islamic? Alas, no. Even the eating of “infidels” has precedents throughout Islamic history, especially as a terror tactic. Two well-documented anecdotes come to mind: […]
Raymond Ibrahim: The Slow-Motion Genocide of Egypt’s Christians
Yet another murderous wave is taking Egypt’s Coptic Christian minority by storm, leading to another exodus from their homes. Last week in al-Arish, Sinai, Islamic State affiliates killed a 65-year-old Christian man by shooting him in the head; they then abducted and tortured his 45-year-old son before burning him alive and dumping his charred remains […]
Raymond Ibrahim: Pope Francis Tears at History’s Walls against Islam
Pope Francis continues to argue for two interrelated points that, while seemingly humane, compromise Western nations and expose their citizens to danger. He reiterated his first point earlier this month when he said, “I appeal not to create walls but to build bridges.” Francis has made this appeal frequently, both figuratively (when imploring Western nations […]
Raymond Ibrahim: Trump to American Muslims — Become Christian, Pay Jizya, or Die?
As American liberals/leftists continue to portray Donald Trump’s immigration ban on seven Muslim nations in the worst possible terms — from “racist” to “Islamophobic” — and as Muslim activists continue to claim “shock and trauma,” a lone Egyptian man has asked some relevant questions that few Muslims care to face. Dr. Ahmed ‘Abdu Maher is […]
Raymond Ibrahim: Muhammad’s Sexual Fantasies of the Virgin Mary
At a time when Western people are constantly warned to speak respectfully of Muhammad, or else offended Muslims might respond with violence — to the shame and blame of those who exercise their freedom of expression — consider what Muslims regularly say about the things non-Muslims hold dear. Recently during his televised Arabic-language program, Dr. […]
Raymond Ibrahim: Muhammad and Forced Conversions to Islam
What are we to make of the glaring contradiction between the Koran’s claim that “there is no compulsion in religion” (2:256) and the many other verses that call for war, slavery, and death to those who refuse to submit to Islam (9:5, et al)—to say nothing of the militant behavior of the prophet of Allah, […]
Raymond Ibrahim: How Trump Can Help Persecuted Christians and Protect Americans with One Move
During a recent interview on CBN, President Trump was asked if he thinks America should prioritize persecuted Christians as refugees. He responded: Yes. Yes, they’ve been horribly treated. If you were a Christian in Syria it was impossible, or at least very, very tough, to get into the United States. If you were a […]
Raymond Ibrahim: The Christian God ‘Loves’ Sex and Booze?
In keeping with ongoing revelations of just how immoral some Muslims view Christianity—to one cleric, Christian church worship is worse than murder and bloodshed—here is another Muslim cleric who appeared on an Arabic language television program claiming that the Christian God “loves”—and thus demands that his followers love—immoral behavior. This is precisely why, argued the […]
Egypt: Four Christians slaughtered over the course of 10 days
That the Coptic Christian Church continues to voice its support for President Sisi should not be interpreted to mean that the situation of Egypt’s Christian minority has improved. One need only look to the substratum of news for confirmation. The current month of January alone has already witnessed three separate instances over the course of […]
Raymond Ibrahim: Enslaved, Tortured, and Sacrificed: Islam’s Child Soldiers Return
Past and present, Muslim militants continue relying on the same inhumane tactics to terrorize “infidels.” The devastating effects of one of these occurred last August in Turkey: a child “recruited” by the Islamic State blew himself up in a suicide attack that left at least 51 people — mostly fellow children — dead. This child […]