"We Will Displace You ...": Persecution of Christians, December 2018

by Raymond Ibrahim • February 17, 2019 at 5:00 am

Saudi Arabia, America's close friend and ally, failed to live up to its promise to eliminate extremist content -- that promotes hostility for, and violence against, religious minorities -- from its 2018-19 school year curriculum.
"Examples of this content include demeaning non-Muslims and encouraging jihad against them. The execution of apostates is prescribed and children are encouraged not to associate with non-Muslims. Saudi Arabia not only continues to use these textbooks domestically, but exports them to other parts of the Middle East." — Report from International Christian Concern, December 1, 2018.
British authorities decided to deport a Christian man back to Pakistan, where he was previously beaten and threatened with death, "despite UK playing host to [Muslim] hijackers, extremists and rapists," to quote from one headline. Asher Samson, 41, "first arrived in the UK in 2004 to carry out his theology training in order to become a pastor, but later applied for asylum after receiving threats from Islamic extremists during visits home..." According to Samson, "If they do send me back my life will be really in danger... I'm so scared... People know who I am, they know I am a Christian..." — The Independent, December 24, 2018.

On December 1, Shabak, an Iraqi Shia militia formed in 2014 to reclaim the Nineveh Plain from the Islamic State, opened fire on the St. George Assyrian Church in Bartella, formerly a Christian-majority city in Iraq, and threatened its priest, Fr. Behnam Benoka. Pictured: St. George Assyrian Church in Bartella. (Image source: Wikimedia Commons)

The Slaughter of Christians

Egypt: A Muslim policeman charged with guarding a Coptic Christian church shot and killed two Christians — a father, 49, and his son, 21 — on the night of December 12 in Minya. Eyewitnesses say a quarrel had ensued before the officer pulled out his gun and opened fire on the two men. Video footage of the incident shows the killer-cop brandishing his gun as he stalks around the bloodied but still moving Christians on the ground. He loudly curses them — or all Copts in general? — as "mother-f*****s." Thousands of angry Christians attended the funeral, chanting kyrie eleison ("Lord have mercy!"), and, "Where are the rights of the martyrs!" Coptic Solidarity said in a statement:

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Mullahs Masquerading as Patriots: Will it Work?

by Amir Taheri • February 17, 2019 at 4:00 am

As it marked its fourth decade in power, the Iranian regime implicitly admitted the bankruptcy of its narrative, according to which the 1979 revolution was prompted by a desire to "revive Islam" which, after the death of the Prophet Muhammad, with the exception of the brief caliphate of Ali ibn Abi-Taleb, had been in agony.
Dropping the regime's usual pan-Islamist narrative, President Rouhani adopted a pan-Iranist discourse, according to which much of Central Asia, Afghanistan, Pakistani Baluchistan, the Caucasus, Oman, the Musandam Peninsula, and territories now covered by Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait must be regarded as Iranian land stolen by foreign invaders.
The crowd in Tehran continued gossiping, laughing and eating while Rouhani was trying to play Persian nationalist. Was he not the man who signed the Caspian Sea Convention dictated by Russia?

The new pseudo-nationalist narrative, told by Iranian President Hassan Rouhani in a speech marking the 40th anniversary of the Khomeinist Revolution, is also designed to explain, or explain away, the fact that after 40 years, the Revolution has failed to spread to even a single other country or inspire similar movements anywhere. Pictured: Rouhani (right) with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif. (Image source: Michael Gruber/Getty Images)

What do scoundrels do, when caught red handed in their shenanigans? According to an old proverb they wrap themselves in a flag and seek refuge in patriotism.

Something close to that seems to be happening to the Khomeinists dominating Iran, thanks to their control of the nation's finances and monopoly on guns. As it marked its fourth decade in power, the regime implicitly admitted the bankruptcy of its narrative, according to which the 1979 revolution was prompted by a desire to "revive Islam" which, after the death of the Prophet, with the exception of the brief caliphate of Ali ibn Abi-Taleb, had been in agony. Thus, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini was given the title of "Ihyagar" or "Reviver" of Islam.

Last Monday, however, Hojat al-Islam wa al-Moslemeen Hassan Rouhani, President of Iran, told a different story to marchers in Tehran marking the 40th anniversary of the mullahs' seizure of power.

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