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Muslim Persecution of Christians: April, 2012
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Considering that Easter, one of the highest
Christian holidays, comes in April, Christian persecution in Muslim
nations—from sheer violence to oppressive laws—was rampant last month: In
Nigeria, where jihadis seek to expunge all traces of Christianity, a church was
bombed during Easter Sunday, killing some 50 worshippers; in Turkey, a
pastor was beaten by Muslims immediately following Easter service and
threatened with death unless he converts to Islam; and in Iran, Easter
Sunday saw 12 Christians stand trial as "apostates."
The persecution of Christians has come to
regions not normally associated with it. As in Nigeria, Muslim militants are
running amok in Timbuktu, Mali—beheading a
Christian leader and threatening other Christians with similar treatment.
Sharia law has been imposed, churches are being destroyed, and Christians are
fleeing Timbuktu in mass.
Categorized by theme, the rest of April's
batch of Muslim persecution of Christians around the world includes (but is
not limited to) the following accounts, listed in alphabetical order by
country, not severity:
Church Attacks
Azerbaijan: A church in the
Muslim-majority nation has "become the first religious community to be liquidated
by a court" since the country's "harsh new Religion Law,"
requiring all previously registered religious institutions to re-register,
came into force in 2009. Greater Grace Protestant Church in the capital,
Baku, "was stripped of its registration at a 15-minute hearing on 25
April. The decision, which was made in the absence of any church
representatives, makes any activity by the church illegal and subject to
punishment."
Indonesia: Gunmen opened
fire on the GKI Yasmin church, causing much damage in the latest attack
on the building, which has been illegally sealed off by authorities since
2008, due to Muslim demands. Another Protestant church unlawfully sealed off
by the authorities—despite meeting all requirements for a permit—was met with
violent
opposition from Muslims for trying to hold a service on the street in
front of their sealed-off church building. Muslim residents made death
threats, played loud music, and even rode a motorcycle through the
congregation. A church spokesman said: "We are constantly having to
change our location because our existence appears to be unwanted, and we have
to hide so that we are not intimidated by intolerant groups… We had hoped for
help from the police, but after many attacks on members of the congregation,
we see that the police are also involved in this."
Kenya: Two separate grenade attacks on
churches occurred: 1) Muslims
threw grenades into an open-air Christian church gathering, killing a
woman and a boy, and wounding some 50 other Christians: Muslims had been
holding a meeting near the gathering, and Christians could hear their
preachers railing against Christianity right before the attack took place. 2)
In a separate incident, a Muslim man pretending to be a worshipper at a
church threw
three grenades during service, killing a 27-year-old university student
and injuring 16. The terrorist, who, according to eyewitnesses, appeared to
be of Somali origin, "looked uncomfortable and always looked down. He
threw three hand grenades and only one exploded. He took off, and he fired in
the air three gunshots."
Nigeria: An early morning attack on a
Christian church service left at
least 16 people dead: Jihadi gunmen on motorcycles stormed Bayero
University in the city of Kano on a Sunday morning during a Catholic mass
held in the school's theater hall, hurling improvised explosive devices, and
opening fire as people fled. "The attack follows a string of violent
incidents against Christians in the predominantly Muslim north."
Sudan: A Christian compound in
Khartoum was stormed by a throng of Muslims "armed with clubs, iron
rods, a bulldozer and fire," the day after a Muslim
leader called on Muslims to destroy "the infidels' church."
Shouting "Allahu Akbar [God is greater]" and "No more
Christianity from today on—no more church from today on," the jihadis
stormed the Bible school bookstore, burning Bibles and threatening to kill
anyone resisting them. "What happened could not be imagined—it was
terrible," said an eyewitness. "They burned all furniture of the
school and the church as well." As usual, "Police at the compound
stood back and did nothing to prevent the mob from vandalizing the compound."
Tunisia: The Christian Orthodox Church
in Tunis, one of very few churches in the nation, is being "abused"
and receiving "threatening messages." Church members are
"living in a state of terror," so much so that the Russian ambassador
in Tunis specifically requested the nation's Ministry of Interior to
"protect the church." The abuse has gotten to the point where
"Salafis covered
the cross of the church with garbage bags, telling the church members
that they do not wish to see the vision of the Cross anywhere in the Islamic
state of Tunisia." Separately, a Muslim burst into a church to deliver a
letter from an Islamist party inviting the archpriest to convert to Islam or
to take
down the church's crosses and pay jizya, Islamic subjugation tribute.
Apostasy and Blasphemy: Death
and Prison
Algeria: A Christian was sentenced to five years in
prison for "shaking the faith" of Muslims. He had discussed his
faith with a Muslim man at a food court when the Muslim became angry and
accused the Christian of "insulting Muhammad." Police arrested the
man and found a large amount of Christian materials in his apartment. The
judge gave him the maximum sentence of five years in prison, even though the
prosecutor himself had recommended a lesser sentence.
Bangladesh: A former Muslim prayer
leader who converted to Christianity was "welcomed by threats and
violence." Members of his Muslim community "beat
him almost to death," causing him to be hospitalized for almost two
months: "the same Muslims who followed him and held him in high esteem
when he was their imam now cannot accept his new status."
Egypt: Two incidents of
"blasphemy" convictions occurred: 1) A juvenile court
sentenced a Coptic Christian teenager to three years in prison for allegedly
"insulting Islam," due to claims that he posted unflattering
cartoons of Muhammad on Facebook. When the incident originally came to light,
Muslims rioted, fire-bombing his home and at least five other Christian-owned
homes. 2) Another judge upheld
a six-year prison sentence for a Christian convicted of "blasphemy":
after a Muslim had told the 49-year old Christian convict that Jesus had
illegal sex with at least ten women, the Christian countered "by stating
that Muhammad, the founder of the Islamic religion, had more than four
wives—a view commonly held by Islamic scholars." Police subsequently
arrested him and, in a 10-minute mock trial with no defense attorney present,
the judge sentenced him to six years in prison for "insulting the prophet."
Iran: A Christian
convert from Islam has been sentenced to six years in prison. Originally
arrested in December 2010 as part of a major crackdown on the country's house
church movement, "the married father of two has been held in the
notorious Evin prison ever since, spending several months in solitary
confinement," where he was likely goaded into returning to Islam. He is accused
of "action against the regime's security, being in contact with foreign
organizations and religious propaganda." In short, according to Iranian
Christians, "his 'crime' was practicing his Christian faith."
Pakistan: Two incidents of
"blasphemy" charges occurred: 1) A Christian man was arrested and
charged with "blasphemy" for rescuing his 8-year-old nephew from a
beating at the hands of Muslim
boys who sought to force the boy to convert to Islam. "Seeing the
attack from a distance, Masih [the man] shouted and rushed to the scene,
rescued his nephew and then went to his work as a painter. Soon after the
incident, a Muslim mob of about 55 led by the village prayer leader besieged
Masih's house," insisting that "the blasphemer" be turned over
to them. He was eventually released from prison, after being threatened and
harassed by Muslim inmates and jail officials. 2) The mother of a newborn
baby has been illegally
jailed for over a month: authorities have failed to file a charge sheet
within the mandatory 14-day period against the 26-year-old Christian woman
accused of "blaspheming" the prophet of Islam. The woman was
arrested after neighbors accused her of "uttering remarks against
Muhammad."
Philippines: Two pastors were
slaughtered by Muslim assailants: 1) A former Muslim who became a Christian
pastor was murdered
in front of his wife in his home: "My husband staggered into our
bedroom and I was shocked because he was full of blood," she recalled.
"I brought him to the hospital right away. He was operated on for eight
bullet wounds, but did not survive." The Philippines is a mostly
Christian nation, but in the south, "Muslim fundamentalists are trying
to build an Islamic state. Christians there face persecution and even death….
This year, at least four house churches closed down after their pastors and
lay leaders were killed by Muslim extremists." 2) Another pastor was shot in the head
five times and killed by two "unknown gunmen" in front of his
teenage daughter.
Dhimmitude
[General Abuse, Debasement, and
Suppression of non-Muslims as "Tolerated" Citizens]
Egypt: A recent "reconciliation
meeting" between members of a
sword-wielding Muslim mob that earlier brutalized a Christian school
proved to be "nothing less than an attempt at legalized extortion."
In exchange for peace, members of the mob that stormed the school last month
without provocation—holding two nuns hostage for several hours—demanded in
the meetings that the school sign over land that includes the guesthouse they
attacked. "Human rights groups and Coptic rights activists, say the
meetings are just a way to pressure powerless groups and people into giving
away what little rights they have." Likewise, the judges appointed to
investigate the Maspero
massacre, which claimed the lives of 27 Christians and injured 329, closed the case, due to
"lack of identification of the culprits." As one Christian
lawyer put it: "We said all along that it was just a show and this is the
outcome we got."
India: Muslims stormed and terrorized
a home where a Christian prayer meeting was being held, beating the
Christians, including a 65-year-old widow. The Muslims
"called them pagans as they kicked, slapped and pushed the Christians….
The Christians were running in all directions for their lives, including the
children who were crying in fear," even as one Muslim, "brandishing
a sickle, chased many of them, hurling all kinds of insults and attempting to
murder them all…. 500 Muslims had gathered and were watching in amusement as
the extremists chased and harassed the Christians for about 90 minutes."
Iran: Historical Christian monuments,
including churches and Christian cemeteries, continue to be destroyed or
allowed to fall into a state of decay as the Islamist
authorities try to wipe out the country's Christian heritage: "It
seems that Islamic Republic officials, unsuccessful in stopping the growth of
Christianity among the people by pressuring them, arresting them and banning
Christian converts from attending church services, want to destroy historical
Christian monuments to totally wipe the Christian heritage from the face of
Iran."
Pakistan: Yet another study
demonstrates that Pakistani
school textbooks "promote religious fanaticism, discriminate against
minorities and trigger religious conflicts." Christians and Hindus
"are obliged to learn the basics of Islam"—studying the Koran is mandatory—while
their own religions are openly denigrated. Even in subjects like social
science and linguistics, "about 20% of the content is linked to
Islam"; and non-Muslim students receive "bonus points" if they
excel in Islamic studies.
Syria: Almost the entire Christian
population—nearly 60,000—of the city of Homs, the nation's third largest,
have fled as fighting between the government and anti-government, largely
Islamist, forces continues. Reportedly only 1,000 Christians remain.
Opposition forces are attacking churches and other Christian centers;
"Muslim neighbors are turning on the Christians. Christians have also
suffered kidnappings
and gruesome murders. Some Christian families, unable to pay a ransom for
their relatives' release and fearing that they may be tortured, have been
driven to ask the kidnappers to kill their loved ones at once."
Tunisia: After the Russian ambassador
stood up for an Orthodox church under attack (see above, under "church
attacks"), the Russian school located behind the church as well as the
Christian cemetery in Tunis were vandalized. The walls of the school and
religious frescoes were smeared
with fecal matter, while the cemetery's crosses were destroyed.
Meanwhile, the new "Arab-spring" government has shown its
"manifest indifference with regard to minorities' right to
protection."
Turkey: The nation's Greek Orthodox
citizens living on the island of Gökçeada (Imbros) in the north Aegean cannot
buy property on the island, though it is an easy matter for Muslims:
"The Land Registry office has admitted to preventing non-Muslims from
buying property, citing a National Security Council (MGK) decision, but
refused to give further details."
About this Series
Because the persecution of Christians in the
Islamic world is on its way to reaching epidemic proportions, "Muslim
Persecution of Christians" was developed to collate some—by no means
all—of the instances of persecution that surface each month. It serves two
purposes:
Accordingly, whatever the anecdote of
persecution, it typically fits under a specific theme, including hatred for
churches and other Christian symbols; sexual abuse of Christian women; forced
conversions to Islam; apostasy and blasphemy laws; theft and plunder in lieu
of jizya (tribute); overall expectations for Christians to behave like cowed
"dhimmis" (barely tolerated citizens); and simple violence and
murder. Oftentimes it is a combination thereof.
Because these accounts of persecution span
different ethnicities, languages, and locales—from Morocco in the west, to
India in the east, and throughout the West, wherever there are Muslims—it
should be clear that one thing alone binds them: Islam—whether the strict
application of Islamic Sharia law, or the supremacist culture born of it.
Raymond
Ibrahim is a Shillman Fellow at the David Horowitz Freedom Center
and an Associate Fellow at the Middle East Forum.
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Monday, May 21, 2012
Ibrahim in Gatestone: "Muslim Persecution of Christians: April, 2012"
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