Muslim Persecution Of Christians: June, 2013

By Findalis of Monkey in the Middle

The Degradation of Christian Women under Islam

The degradation of Christian women living in the Islamic world continued in the month of June. In Syria, after the al-Qaeda linked rebel group conquered Qusair, a city of the governate of Homs, 15-year-old Mariam was kidnapped, repeatedly gang raped according to a fatwa legitimizing the rape of non-Sunni women by any Muslim waging jihad against Syria's government, and then executed.
According to Agenzia Fides, "The commander of the battalion 'Jabhat al-Nusra' in Qusair took Mariam, married and raped her. Then he repudiated her. The next day the young woman was forced to marry another Islamic militant. He also raped her and then repudiated her. The same trend was repeated for 15 days, and Mariam was raped by 15 different men. This psychologically destabilized her and made her insane. Mariam became mentally unstable and was eventually killed."

In Pakistan, Muslim men stormed the home of three Christian women, beat them, stripped them naked and tortured them, and then paraded them in the nude in a village in the Kasur district. Days earlier, it seems the goats of the Christian family had accidentally trespassed onto Muslim land; Muslims sought to make an example of the Christian family, who, as third-class citizens, must know their place at all times.

The rest of June's roundup of Muslim persecution of Christians around the world includes (but is not limited to) the following accounts, listed by theme and country in alphabetical order, not according to severity:

Attacks on Christian Worship: Churches and Monasteries

Iraq: During the middle of the night, armed men attacked St. Mary's Assyrian Catholic Church in Baghdad; they wounded two Christian guards, one seriously. Later the same day, bombs were set off at two Christian-owned businesses, both near the church; they killed one Christian shop owner, a parishioner at St. Mary's. Since the U.S. "liberation" of Iraq in 2003, 73 churches have been attacked or bombed, and more than half of the country's Christian population has either fled or been killed.

Kenya: Motorbike assailants hurled an explosive device into the Earthquake Miracle Ministries Church in Mrima village church compound during the Sunday of June 9, injuring 15 people, including one pastor who had both his legs broken, another pastor who sustained serious injuries, and a 10-year-old child. Said another church leader, "The Christians living around the scene of the incident are still in shock and are wondering as to the mission behind the attack, while several pastors looked demoralized. But others said prayers will help them stand strong in sharing the Christian faith." Islamic extremists from Somalia's jihadi organization Al Shabaab are suspected of this and other attacks on Christians in the coastal areas of Kenya.

Nigeria: Four churches were burned in an attack committed by members of the jihadi group Boko Haram in Borno State in the Muslim-majority north of the country. According to Agenzia Fides, "A group of armed men with improvised explosive devices and petrol bombs attacked the Hwa'a, Kunde, Gathahure and Gjigga communities on Gwoza Hills, burning the 4 churches, raiding and looting cattle and grain reserves belonging to the population." Discussing the ongoing terrorism Christians in the north are exposed to, one pastor lamented, "There are Christian villages that have been completely wiped out by these Muslim terrorists… Christian fellowship activities and evangelism outreaches are no longer possible…. For a number of years, the attacks on Christians in these three local government areas have caused the displacement of thousands of Christians there. There is a very lamentable problem, as we are no longer able to worship God as Christians in this part of Nigeria."

Syria: An Islamic jihadi rebel wearing a suicide belt reportedly detonated himself outside the Virgin Mary Greek Orthodox Church in an old Christian quarter in Damascus; the attack left four people dead and several injured. Rebel sources confirmed the attack but said it was caused by a mortar bomb. Around the same time, jihadi rebels massacred the Christian village of al-Duwair near Homs, while destroying its churches. Also, according to Agenzia Fides, a Belgian Catholic priest, Fr. Daniel Maes, 74, of the religious Order of "Canons Regular Premonstratensian," was last reported as being "in the sights of jihadi groups who intend to eliminate him and invade the monastery of San James mutilated in Qara," which dates back to the fifth century. Earlier the priest had denounced the "ethnic cleansing" carried out on Christians in Qusair, after the town was taken by the rebels and jihadi groups: "The surrounding Christian villages were destroyed and all the faithful who were caught were killed, according to a logic of sectarian hatred… For decades, Christians and Muslims lived in peace in Syria. If criminal gangs can roam and terrorize civilians, is this not against international laws? Who will protect the innocent and ensure the future of this country? … Young people are disappointed, because foreign powers dictate their agenda. Moderate Muslims are worried, because Salafists and fundamentalists want to impose a totalitarian dictatorship of religious nature. The citizens are terrified because they are innocent victims of armed gangs."

Attacks on Christian Freedom: Apostasy, Blasphemy, Proselytism

Indonesia: The Indonesian Ulema Council in Tegal issued a fatwa against Catholic schools, saying they are "forbidden" and "morally unsound" for young Muslim students, despite its pupils, both Muslim and Christian, routinely scoring higher than in other schools. "For the schools," reported Asia News, "the fatwa is a great blow, coming in the wake of attacks from Muslim extremists and local governments that included threats of closure that were however eventually dropped… [M]any Muslim families have come to the defence of the two schools, claiming their right to a quality education. In fact, many schools run by nuns, priests and lay Catholics offer such excellence in education that they are sought after by non-Christians." Earlier the influential Indonesian Ulema Council lashed out during flag-raising "because Mohammed never did it;" before that announcement, the Islamic clerics "launched anathemas against Facebook for its 'amoral' nature, as well as yoga, smoking and voting rights, in particular for women."

Pakistan: A 16-year-old boy who converted to Christianity from Islam a year ago, and began attending Bible lessons in a Protestant community, was abducted in Peshawar. Local sources said he was kidnapped by Taliban-linked Islamic militants "and his fate may already be marked, as he is considered 'guilty of apostasy,'" the penalty of which is death. As one Pakistani pastor explained: "If a young Muslim converts to Christianity in Pakistan, he is forced to live in hiding. Every Muslim might feel compelled to kill him. The change of religion is not punished by the civil law, it is punishable by Islamic law. For this reason cases of Muslim conversion to Christianity are very rare and some convert in secret."

Somalia: Islamic terrorists from Al Shabaab ("The Youth") publicly executed a 28-year-old man after determining that he had in fact become a Christian. Aiming at his head, he was shot "to death." As Morning Star News explains, "Somalis are considered Muslim by birth, and apostasy, or leaving Islam, is punishable by death." After the execution, the man's parents, widow and son fled the region. The Al-Qaeda linked Al Shabaab has vowed to cleanse Somalia of all Christian presence, and its members have murdered dozens of Muslim converts to Christianity.

Uzbekistan: Four police officers raided the home of a 76-year-old Christian woman, ill with Parkinson's disease. After removing her from her bed and without producing a search warrant, they "turned everything in the home upside down," and confiscated her Bible and other Christian materials. Since then, the woman has been subjected to innumerable legal proceedings. Most recently, she was convicted of "Illegal production, storage, or import into Uzbekistan with a purpose to distribute or distribution of religious materials by physical persons." The judge ordered that her Bible, 14 Christian books, six DVDs and a video be destroyed. She was told by court officials, "This is a Muslim country and all of your Christian books including the Bible are outlawed." Because these proceedings have caused her extreme anxiety, after one hearing an ambulance was called for her.

Dhimmitude: A Climate of Hate and Contempt

Bangladesh: A mob of some "60 extremists" raided a predominantly Christian village. According to the Barnabas Aid group, "they plundered the residents' livestock and other possessions and threatened to return to burn down homes. The attackers then moved on to nearby Bolakipur and targeted a Christian seminary. Battering down the doors, they forced their way into the building and severely beat the rector and a number of students. The previous day, two church leaders from Tumilia were beaten and robbed."

Egypt: "Unknown persons" kidnapped a 7-year-old Christian girl in Dakhaleya Province in northern Egypt. The girl, Jessica Nadi Gabriel, was attending a wedding ceremony with her family when she was seized and torn away. Her father later revealed that the 7-year-old girl's abductors called him demanding a ransom of 650,000 Egyptian Pounds (nearly $100,000 USD). Two weeks earlier, a 6-year-old Coptic boy who was kidnapped and held for ransom, was still killed and discarded in the sewer—even after his family paid the Muslim kidnapper the demanded ransom. Also, a Coptic Christian man named Milad, living in Tanta, said that "unknown persons" invited him and his family to renounce Christianity and submit to Islam and convert. According to widely-read Egyptian newspaper, Youm7, "They also snatched at the crucifix he was wearing around his neck, and threatened to kidnap his children and wife if he refused to convert to Islam." As they wore the trademark white robes and long beards, the man identified them as members of the Salafi movement in Egypt. Meanwhile, U.S. ambassador Anne Patterson was urging the Coptic pope to forbid the Copts from protesting against Muslim Brotherhood rule -- even though they, as Christians, would suffer under it most -- while Al Azhar, the world's oldest Islamic university, based in Cairo, called on new Catholic Pope, Francis I, to declare that "Islam is a peaceful religion."

Iran: According to a June 19 Morning Star News report, "Six more Christians were sentenced for practicing their faith last week, while Iran's presidential election of a moderate politician was not expected to soften the regime's persecution of religious minorities." The same six Christians had been arrested earlier in February 2012, when police raided their house-church meeting. Officials rejected their appeal for release on bail; they are being held in Adel Abad Prison in Shiraz, which houses hardened criminals and often lacks heating or health facilities, and where officials routinely deny medical treatment to prisoners.

Pakistan: Three months after a mob of 3,000 Muslims attacked a Christian neighborhood in Lahore, burning down two churches and 160 Christian homes, few of the perpetrators are in prison. Hundreds of those detained immediately after the incident were released; of the 83 who were arrested, 31 have been released on bail. "Most of the people who were stopped after the attack were declared innocent by the police and immediately released, for corruption or political pressure," said a Christian lawyer. Meanwhile, the Christian whose arrest on blasphemy charges was the occasion for the rampage has gone on trial, even as he insists he never insulted Islam's Prophet Muhammad.

Palestinian Authority: Five schools in Gaza—two Catholic and three Christian—face closure if the Hamas government follows through on an order forbidding co-educational institutions. According to Fr. Faysal Hijazin: "This will be a big problem. We hope they will not go through with it, but if they do, we will be in big trouble. We don't have the space and we don't have the money to divide our schools." In addition to finding additional space, he said, the schools face having to hire more teachers. Under Islamic law, men and women teachers would not be allowed to teach classes to members of the opposite sex older than the age of 10. "It is a concern that in education things are getting more conservative," said the priest. "It reflects the whole society. This is of concern to both Christians and moderate Muslims. It is not easy to be there."

Tanzania: Two Christian pastors were attacked by Muslims. On the night of Sunday, June 2, a Muslim mob broke into the home of Robert Ngai, the pastor of the Evangelical Assemblies of God Church in northeastern Tanzania, and attacked him with machetes. The pastor received serious cuts on his hands and arms when he raised them to protect his head from the blows; when last heard of, he was in the intensive care unit. Two nights earlier, the home of Daudi Nzumbi, Pastor of the Free Pentecostal Church of Tanzania congregation in Geita, also came under attack. However, the attackers fled after they were confronted by Pastor Nzumbi's large, barking dogs. When Nzumbi called police, the officer in charge told him, "I cannot protect every pastor!"

About this Series

Because the persecution of Christians in the Islamic world is on its way to reaching pandemic 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:

1.  To document that which the mainstream media does not: the habitual, if not chronic, Muslim persecution of Christians.
2. To show that such persecution is not "random," but systematic and interrelated—that it is rooted in a worldview inspired by Sharia.

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 that criminalize and punish with death those who "offend" Islam; theft and plunder in lieu of jizya (financial tribute expected from non-Muslims); overall expectations for Christians to behave like dhimmis, or second-class, "tolerated" citizens; and simple violence and murder. Sometimes it is a combination.

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.

United Nations Entrenched Within Most Christian Denominations

The left has been successfully mining the gullibility of American Christians for years. To prove just how successful the left has been in the infiltration of America’s Christian churches, take this little test.

Would you knowingly join, attend, support, or allow your children to be indoctrinated in a Christian church that . . .

*Promotes the moral equivalency of all forms of global spirituality
*Focuses on the creation of an earthly Utopia as opposed to “outmoded” notions of the Kingdom of Heaven
*Stresses “consensus” Christianity over sound theological foundations and Biblical authority.
*Teaches that all war is contrary to God’s will
*Is critical of capitalism and democracy
*Fosters the notion that American patriotism and sovereignty is akin to racism
*Accuses the U.S. of being the source of international poverty and unjust warfare
*Promotes a revolutionary leftist/Marxist social agenda often referred to as Liberation Theology
*Promotes multilateralism through international institutions where the UN and the International Court would overrule the U.S. Constitution
*Is actively working towards the implementation of a Global church and Global government overseen by the UN

Of course you wouldn’t knowingly be part of such a church unless you are a card-carrying leftist.

I hate to break it to you, but if you are an active member of any Christian church in America, it’s a strong probability that this is exactly what you are unknowingly supporting!

There are over 100,000 local congregations and 45 million Christians supporting the above goals – and most of these Christians don’t even know what they are supporting or that much of their money is going to tax-exempt leftist foundations!!!

Few Americans have any idea of how deeply entrenched the United Nations is within many Christian denominations. Fewer Americans understand the connections between the World Council of Churches (WCC), the National Council of Churches (NCC), the United Nations, and the inner workings of their own cherished denominations.

If most American Christians actually realized what was happening right beneath their collective noses, we might witness the 2nd Protestant Reformation!!!

Leftist/socialist agendas such as the UN document, Millennium Development Goals, are currently being implemented in many Christian denominations and some evangelical churches across America.

How could any good Christian object to these lofty sounding goals?

1. Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger
2. Achieve universal primary education
3. Promote gender equality and empower women
4. Reduce child mortality
5. Improve maternal health
6. Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases
7. Ensure environmental sustainability
8. Develop a global partnership for development

But there are those few and far between dissenting voices that have are openly criticized these UN goals:

Read “Conforming Humanity to Socialist Solidarity” by Berit Kjos. Here's an excerpt:

This Millennium World Peace Summit of Religious and Spiritual leaders would supposedly thrust humanity toward a utopian oneness and peace on earth. But for those who doubt the noble rhetoric, this meeting of minds raised some sobering questions:
· What kind of unity did these religious leaders envision?
· What would the UN require of its spiritual leaders?
· What did they have in common?


Read what Concerned Women for America have to say about the NCC's (UN's) Millennium Project.

Last August, the country's largest public policy organization for women, Concerned Women for America, warned the National Council of Churches (NCC) not to become an advocate for the United Nations. The caution came after the NCC announced its plan to work with the U.N. in what Concerned Women for America calls "misguided attempts to eradicate global poverty," and "typical leftist agenda."

“The Concerned Women for America (CWA) criticism is in response to an NCC report entitled "Eradicating Global Poverty," released in February when the organization endorsed the eight U.N. Millennium Development goals. The study guide outlines ways in which NCC plans to work with the U.N. on its Millennium Project to reduce poverty. . .

CWA released a report critical of the NCC's program Tuesday. Crouse called the NCC's guide "a political document with a naïve view of the U.N. and a critical view of the United States. . .

Indeed, it is critical of capitalism and democracy. It is especially critical of the U.S. government as [an alleged] source of international poverty," Crouse continued. "The study guide is riddled with inaccuracies, overstatement and utopian rhetoric. . .”

Here's an excerpt from “The Emerging Global Church, ” a criticism of the UN and the Millenium goals.

Of course, there's more to this list than nice-sounding words. The motivational vision of a worldwide welfare system may have captured hearts around the world, but it actually serves the grandiose aims of socialist change agents who have little concern for human suffering. (Just look how government leaders are treating the victims of hurricane Katrina!) Yet, no other program has more effectively linked the evangelical church to the UN management system, which, from its birth, declared war on Biblical truth and values.[9] And no other program has more effectively drawn Christians into a process designed to manipulate the masses, undermine traditional values, silence resisters, synthesize beliefs, trade individual thinking for collective thinking, and train global citizens to serve the "greater whole."[10]

Evangelicals should read “Treason in the Church”

"Various churches and denominations claim to be undergoing 'transformation.' This word no longer refers to the humble sanctification of the individual believer. Rather, it now refers to an orchestrated, systemic and revolutionary overhaul of the global church, including the 'transformation' of cities, societies, cultures, marketplaces, and more. . ."

Meanwhile numerous mainline Protestant denominations and some evangelical churches are actively implementing the NCC’s: For the Peace of the World: A Christian Curriculum on International Relations

The left wants controversy to occur . . .

Based on a curriculum created by the Presbyterian Church (USA), the National Council of Churches of Christ (MCC's national equivalent) has published a six-session study guide entitled For the Peace of the World that aims to answer some of the above questions.

“I’d like a million copies of this out in the hands of adult Sunday school classes and youth groups,” said NCC General Secretary Bob Edgar, a Methodist minister and former U.S. Congressman. “I’d like a controversy to occur … inside those churches about what our place is in the world. I’d like curiosity to begin to say, ‘What is the faith community’s worldview today?’”

Here’s a sample of this leftist agenda from the For the Peace of the World study guide:

The post 9/11 world has changed America's self-image and its image around the world, Kireopoulos writes.

This situation has caused Christian leaders ... to ask questions about where we are going as a nation," Kireopoulos says. "Have we allowed fear to manipulate us? What is the role of our country as a global citizen? What does our Christian faith teach us about individual and collective actions in the world?

The curriculum offers six study sessions on the following topics:
Is America Number One?
Fear, Security and Love
Is America God's Favorite Nation?
Poverty in a Rich World
Self-Interest and World Citizenship
Preventing War With Peace.

Here’s a review of this study guide by Krista Shaffer, a research associate with Hudson Institute's Bradley Center for Philanthropy and Civic Renewal.

For the Peace of the World: A Christian Curriculum on International Relations offers a similar idea that an America pumped up by the idea of having God’s favor causes conflict. The authors leave Christianity intact, but put forward multilateralism through international institutions as a way to rein America in – and as the only real Christian option . . .

While the Quakers, among many other mainline denominations, are promoting this study guide as appropriate for younger and older adults, what about it’s editor, Antonious Kirepoulous, NCC associate general secretary for International Affairs and Peace??? Do you think he just might have an agenda? Well, just take a look at what he promotes in the quote from him below.

“The United States government has offered a series of justifications for the war in Iraq, including the need to prevent the spread of weapons of mass destruction, the desirability of planting a new democracy in the Middle East, and the need to destroy a major base for terrorism, all of which have been proved false or ill considered as events unfolded.”

The NCC point of view of this war in Iraq is informed by our belief that all war, though sometime used to overcome a greater evil, is contrary to the will of God, and an affront to God’s creation. If scripture is our guide, then we are called to seek peace (Matthew 5:9) and to turn our swords into plowshares (Micah 4:3-4.) . . ."

Is there an Unholy trinity working behind the scenes within America’s Christian Churches?

The UN, working through the World Council of Churches and the National Council of Churches, is no longer shy about implementing a leftist global political agenda:

According to the World Council of Churches (WCC) web site . . .

For over 50 years, the World Council of Churches (WCC), through the Commission of the Churches on International Affairs (CCIA), has maintained a constant and active presence at the United Nations. “In the early years there were offices in New York (UN Headquarters), London, Geneva (UNHCR and ILO), Paris (UNESCO), and close liaison with Rome (FAO). Today only the Geneva and New York UN Headquarters Liaison Offices remain, though consultative relations have further been established with virtually the whole family of UN-related agencies (UNEP, UNDP, UNCTAD, WHO, etc.) . . .

Note: The headquarters of the WCC is: WCC/CCIA United Nations Headquarters Liaison Office, 777 UN Plaza, New York, NY 10017

What impact does the WCC have on the National Council of Churches? Short answer:

“It would seem that the only difference between the American churches attending the WCC and the NCC itself is the letterhead. . .”

The National Council of Churches USA is composed of 35 Protestant, Anglican, Orthodox, historic African American and peace communions representing 45 million Christians in 100,000 local congregations in the United States.

Read the following from BlogCritics:

Given, however, the fact that the US/American churches attending the WCC are virtually identical to the churches that are members of the NCC the position adopted by them this past week obviously reflects the position of member churches in the NCC although not serving as an official position of the latter. An example of this can be found here, where the President of the NCC has initiated a letter (now signed by over 13,000 people) in support of the UNs call for the US to close the prison facility at Guantanamo. It would seem that the only difference between the American churches attending the WCC and the NCC itself is the letterhead. . .

Further Note: According to the WCC website there are 33 member churches from North America (including Canada). The NCC website shows 35 member churches, 21 of which are WCC members.

Here are just a few political issues the NCC (UN)supports:

The NCC and the UN’s “Interfaith ministry a model for diplomacy” is calling for restoring diplomatic relations between Iran and the U.S.

On April 16, 2007 the National Council of Churches Called for Gun Legislation

Here are some excerpts from articles concerning the NCC’s leftist origins and agenda:

". . .Like most of the religious Left, the National Council of Churches (NCC) never has much to say about religious freedom issues affecting Christians. But any implied criticism of Islam sends the NCC ladder team flying out the door in a frenzy!"

" . . .in 1968, alone, the National Council of Churches expended over $19 million on a worldwide network of

According to a FrontPage article, the NCC is supported by such well-known “Christian” activists as Michael Moore

Founded in 1950, the New York City-based NCC has, for more than half a century, remained faithful to the legacy of its forerunner, the Communist front-group known as the Federal Council of Churches. At one time an unabashed apostle of the Communist cause, the NCC has today recast itself as a leading representative of the so-called religious Left. Adhering to what it has described as “liberation theology”—that is, Marxist ideology disguised as Christianity—the NCC lays claim to a membership of 36 Protestant, Anglican and Orthodox Christian denominations, and some 50 million members in over 140,000 congregations. . .

. . .The NCC’s November 1 event in Miami did little to dispel these charges. Under the banner of “Let Justice Roll: Faith and Community Voices Against Poverty,” the pre-election gathering became a makeshift rally for the John Kerry campaign, with Democratic Senator Bob Graham serving as the Democratic candidate’s personal envoy. But it was the presence of another activist that revealed volumes about the NCC’s controversial position within the religious community, and indicated just how, as Robert Edgar puts it, the organization interprets God’s will. That activist? None other than Michael Moore. . .

NCC Watch has this to say about the NCC and the WCC:

The Marxist tendencies of the National Council of Churches and the World Council of Churches have never been a carefully guarded secret. Today, as it did in the past, the NCC has existed as a political, religious, philanthropic, or humanitarian organization that unfortunately has succumbed to the infiltration of the fringe left. Actually, it never really shifted to the left - it was designed in mind as a front group from the very beginning! What better way to bring revolution to the world than by using religion with it's message of equality and the meek inheriting the earth! . . .

In attempting to create a good summary of the new UN sponsored Christian indoctrination, I discovered that Crossroad had already summarized the crisis in the Christian church and how the crisis has been orchestrated by the U.N.

We hope to provide vital facts and Biblical encouragement that will help you prepare for a global society that shows little tolerance for the Christian world view. You will find resources that demonstrate and document --

The cultural shift from a Christian to a global paradigm.
The classroom shift from truth, fact and logic to myth, feeling, and imagination.
The growing acceptance of an earth-centered spirituality and code of ethics that rules out biblical truth.
How movies, television and schools promote this global spirituality.
Why the "group thinking" or "consensus process" taught in schools and workplaces around the world turn young and old against absolute truth.
Why many Christians are conforming to this consensus process.

Is your church under the Big Brother thumb of the UN as a member of the NCC? Find out here!

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