Muslim violence against Christians in Iraq reached a new height in 2010 following the fire-bombing of churches in Baghdad and elsewhere throughout the country. It resulted in the flight of more than two-thirds of the ancient Iraqi Christian community. The Iraqi Christian leaders called off Christmas celebrations in 2010. A December 23, 2010 news item in The Richmond Times-Dispatch reported that “Christians across Iraq have been living in fear since the assault on Our Lady of Salvation Church on Oct. 31 as members of this Catholic congregation were celebrating Sunday Mass. Sixty-eight people were killed. Days later, Islamic insurgents bombed Christian homes and neighborhoods across the capital. Later, al-Qaida insurgents threatened more attacks on Iraq’s Christians, many of whom have fled their homes or the country since the church attack. A council representing Christian denominations across Iraq advised followers to cancel public celebrations of Christmas out of concern for their lives and to mourn the victims. Chaldean Archbishop Louis Sako of Kirkuk in northern Iraq summed up the situation, “Nobody can ignore the threats of al-Qaida against Iraqi Christians. We cannot find a single source of joy that makes us celebrate. The situation of the Christians is bleak.”
Historically there were Christian dominated enclaves in countries throughout the Middle East, such as in Lebanon. Today, the remaining 1.5 million Christians represent merely a third of the population and are threatened. Likewise in Bethlehem, where the Palestinian Authority now controls the city – the birthplace of Jesus – the Christians have been pushed out through intimidation and murder, resulting in a diminution from a majority to less than 15% of the city’s population. In an ironic twist, the Muslim Palestinian Authority has banned the sale of souvenir crosses to tourists…
The Washington based Christian Post headlined its December 24, 2007 issue with “Gaza Christians observe somber Christmas after murder” and the Financial Times (FT) of April 22, 2011 reported that in a square in Nazareth, right below the Basilica of the Annunciation, a Koranic verse warns that “whoever seeks a religion other than Islam, it will never be accepted of him, and in the Hereafter he will be one of the losers.” Yet, it is the spectre of losing in the here-and-now that most haunts the dwindling number of adherents to Christianity in the land of his birthplace…
Throughout the Middle East today, Christians have become endangered species. They are under threat from radical Islamists who have seized the opportunity, with mayhem in the Arab world, to settle the score with their Christian countrymen. With limited opportunities available to them in the Arab world, Christians now seek new lives elsewhere in Europe, as well as in North and South America. Those remaining are accused by Muslims of “complicity in the schemes of foreign predators.” The FT conclusion is that “The wave of revolution ripping through the region would uncover the submerged hard-wiring of sectarianism.”
The fate of Christians in the Middle East may not be the same as that of the Jews in Europe on the eve of World War II; they do have the option to leave while the Jews did not. However, what is rather similar is the abandonment of the Middle East Christians by the liberal/mainline Protestant churches, which have been putting their energies into divestment from Israel campaigns rather than using their resources to support their persecuted Christian brothers and sisters in the Middle East. The lack of solidarity in the West by the churches, governments, and media to the plight of the Christian minorities is abominable.
The Arab Spring is becoming a nightmare for Christians in the Arab-Muslim world, but that is obviously not the focus of our secularized and, at times, anti-Christian mainstream western media.
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You know it's getting bad when that drivelling idiot the Archbishop of Canterbury grows a spine and speaks out about it instead grovelling in dhimmitude.
Of course, the people being killed being Christians, it means that the leftstream media are just going to ignore it, or at very best spin it as nothing more than cultural high spirits.
Christianity faces a larger threat of being irrelevant than it faces from Islam. It faces a greater threat if diminishing amid financial scandal than it does from Islam. Christian people themselves could always just defend themselves physically from Muslims if in fact that were a real problem. I don’t think anyone should tolerate people who want us to go to war on the basis if religion. For the most part, in the western world that means that Protestants should not bloggers rile them up. A lot of armchairs could get hurt.
When you say that Christianity is becoming "irrelevant", are you perhaps referring to the "study", a few years ago, which concluded that Christianity is declining? If so, you should be made aware that the study was seriously flawed, in that it did not take into account the Christians who are moving from the mainline denominations (which were counted in the study) to independent, community churches (which were not).
I go to one such church that is filled with former Catholics, Lutherans, Methodists, Presbyterians, Anglicans, Baptists, et al. Just north of us is a church which went from a weekly attendance of 350 to over 2500, in just ten years. Our churches are full, while the mainline churches are dying, and definitely losing their relevance.
Christianity is still relevant. It has just moved …
I was referring to the general decline in mainline denominations, in the general decline of the projection of religious authority by churches, and by the metamorphosis of churches into new age, low key social clubs. Islam has the austerity today that Catholicism had 40 years ago, but I am sure it will decline.
idiot….. Remember what you said here as some muslim is sawing off your head…..
The last time I heard of a Muslim sawing off somebody's head was Daniel Pearl. The confessed murderer was Khallid Sheik Muhammad who worked for Abdul Sayyaf who was part of the Northern Alliance, which was backed by the US. Pearl was abducted by Omar Saeed Sheikh who was an MI6 / Al Qaeda double agent. Or else, Muhammad just doesn't have his facts straight after being waterboarded 183 times. In all of that, "some Muslim" sawing my head off just doesn't seem likely. Some famous Muslim, maybe, but only if I am in Karachi asking the ISI about Al Qaeda members.
I do not think its as irrelevant as you think. There is an increasing number of christians in African countries and in China where the materialism has not satisfied their spriitual needs. I do not think that Protestants are riled up by bloggers. I think you have the muslims confused with protestants who do get riled up over lies and perceived "disrespects" toward their religion.
Once again the Islamists raise their heads above the walls of Christianity to eliminate the Christian faith world wide and the main stream Christian churches and their officials turn a blind eye and instead support the boycotts against Israel and the Jews. It boggles the mind that Christianity world wide is blinded to the machinations of Islam who intend to destroy Christianity wherever it is found. The very birth place of Christianity in Jerusalem is being denied to Christians by Islamists determined to destroy Christianity as sure as they are determined to destroy Judaism in the Holyland and elsewhere.
The Jews and Christians are allies by the course of history whether they like it or not. These religions are the last bastion of freedom of worship. The religious belief in "turning the other cheek" will result in losing both cheeks through the Jihadists.
Unity is strength and all the great religions must come together to fight the aims of Islam and they must do so quickly as the clock is ticking and Islam watches "Rome burning" whilst the great religions of the world stand transfixed and hope the problem will go away. It won't.
Read your history, the Jews ran to the Muslims for protection against the Catholics in Spain. This article contains a lot of 1/2 truths. Christians are not being persecuted in Lebanon, they live side by side with Muslims. Likewise, they have lived peacefully with Muslims in Syria, a secular state, for the past 40 years. Before we push Assad and his gov't out, despite it problems, if we are at all concerned about Christians in the Middle East, we better think twice. If his gov't falls, it will spill over into Lebanon and then it may indeed be the end of Christianity in the Middle East. We (The US) basically wiped out the Christian population in Iraq in the name of freedom, hopefully we will not do the same in Syria. Where the article is correct is the fear of extremest groups grabbing power. Let's face it, there is not going to be democracy as we know it in the Middle East. All the billions we have spent in Iraq hasn't done it and, intact resulted in religious and ethnic cleansing. We need to encourage secular governments like Syria to reform and our efforts and sanctions should be aimed at that end, not overthrowing the gov't. The only reason Egypt has a chance is it has a strong military, but if they sell out to the Salafists, the country will be worse off them it was under Mubarak.
I think you have forgotten how the Lebanese christians were being attacked by the muslims especailly by Hamas and their allies from Syria. This is why the christians allied themselves with Israel when the Israelis invaded Lebanon to wipe out that viper's nest. If the people succeed in overthrowing the Syrian dictator, the so-called secular government of Syria will not be in better shape than what Egypt has become. Syria is and will continue to be a threat like any other despotic regime in the middle east whether secular or islamic.
this is absurd. DON"t speak up in our name. We are living among Muslims and we treat each others just fine. In fact, i might be the only christian in my area -personal choice/experience-and I'm very respected and welcomed.P.c i live in a country with on-going spring !!!! stop stereotyping. of course there is some ignorant people who are being feed up with the wrong ideas but ha what's the difference between them and Israeli settlers??!!
Pray tell what the heck have the Israeli settlers got to do with the price of cheese??????????
Well if it’s cottage cheese, then probably a lot.
Just in case you had'nt heard, the Jews are the cause of all the worlds problems….(sarcasm intended)
yeah the israel the only free country in the middle east sucj bad people
If Christians in the middle east started their own protests about all the crimes muslims commit on them would Obama arm them and help them bring down their muslim dictator regimes? He's helped the muslim brotherhood bring down Mubarak and Gadhafi and they are connected to Hamas which our State Dept. lists as a terrorist organization. Are the Coptic Christians listed as terrorists? NO. They are the victims of the terrorists Obama is supporting with money and weapons. The better to kill them with…. yes muslims are killing Christians in every muslim land…. How's democracy doing in muslim lands? Not so good. Yet we are taxed silly and Obama is giving billions of dollars to non democratic muslim nations who call Israel the "little Satan" and USA the "big Satan". Why are we confiscating money from our citizens and giving it to people who want to kill us? Duh. We gotta get these dangerous traitors in both parties out of our government.
Well said!
Be careful commenting on this problem in a rational manner, using your common sense, lest you be labled a bigot, troublemaker & extremist!
A religion losing relevancy is not near as important as the oppression and genocide of ‘kaffirs’ throughout the Islamic world. Writers of frontpagemagazine, please help expose the persecution of Christians until comments like the one of Flipside will be dismissed as ignorant in any social setting. Its very disturbing to see the scale of the problem verses the lack of interest on this matter.
The Middle East is ruled by iron fisted dictators that visit their sadistic pleasures against their citizens, routinely and violently attack neighbors based on issues as seemingly trivial as what form of religion they practice, and smile too sweetly at the US with their hands extended either for a questionable handshake or for money.
http://msmignoresit.blogspot.com/2011/09/discours…
While sad, it's not surprising. The Muslims have been trying to drive out non Muslim communities from the Middle East for 1400 years. North Africa was once dominated by Christians, now only the persecuted, and dwindling, Coptic community of Egypt remains. The bloodletting has only been slowed when the west could exercise influence, or outright control, over the region. With Muslims now having a free hand they are starting right where they left off. If it's not in the name of Islam, it's in the name of Nationalism(as in the case of Turkey) or now their warped idea of democracy gives them the right to continue their purge.
It`s a pity that the leaders of persecuted M E churches blame in their joint statesments Israel as the cause of Muslims` aggressiveness.The useless apeasement of the Muslims.
In a few days here in New York City at the UN, the hypocrites will hold Durban 3 on racism for the sole objective of demonizing Israel who is NOT racist.
Vile hypocrites! What is urgently needed is a special conference on the vicious Muslim religion- inspired attacks on Christians, their churches, homes and properties. This is taking place not just in the Middle East, but in African nations; Khartoum's Arab Muslim regime targets both Black Christians and Black Muslims for annihilation in Sudan's Nuba Mountains; Nigeria, Kenya, Somalia, Ivory Coast and in Pakistan and Bangladesh.
In Pakistan and Bangladesh the attacks are also perpetrated against Hindus and Sikhs as well as Christians. It also includes the kidnapping of Christian, Hindu and Sikh female children by Muslim males. The kidnappings of Christian female children by Muslim males in Egypt has increased enormously since the ouster of U.S. ally, moderate Mubarak.
In all of these countries, the situation is rapidly worsening. It is an emergency situation that must be dealt with immediately. How can we call ourselves civilized when we ignore the terrible suffering perpetrated by Muslims on non-Muslims?
Booo Hooo, always whinning, if not the Jews, then the Christians. I guess they( Christians) dont understand the local game " catch the Christian". It is a lot of fun and it requiers multiple skills such as long distance running, sprint, wresteling, voice modulation, carving, some surgical skills, igniting fire with limited resources, cheerleading, but most of all it developes deep pride in teamwork and sportsmanship. What impreses me the most is that the players are not motivated by monetary rewards, no Sir. It is all about Brotherhood , Commitment and Teams spirit. Im pleased that the games are being revived again and its competetive spirit its awakening the people by thousands. So stop being so negative and simply join the fun!
P.S. Im not sure what happens to the Christians after they are caught since no one heard from them again
You have a lot of hatred in your heart. May God the Father forgive you and have Mercy on your soul because you must be insane.
Dear Madam, i do regret that you dont recognize satire. Pointing out the insanity that surrounds us!
Erdogone will be gone if he declares war on the Jewish state. Israel is a small nation with a super military force and superbly advanced high-tech weapon systems with tremendous fire power. Erdogone and Ahmadimonkeyboy. No match for the mighty Israeli military capability. The concequences will be fatal for both regimes.
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let me ask this question. Why is that when a christisn converts to a muslim they got no problem with it but if a muslim should convert to Christianity then all hell breaks lose. You hear these muslims preach about peace which is something ghey themselves do not dream about it.CHRISTIANITY WILL NEVER DIE BECAUSE JESUS CHRIST DIED AND ROSE AGAIN.islam will die and the muslims will convert to the true Light of this world and that is JESUS.