In this mailing:
- Giulio Meotti: The Pope's Stubborn Silence on the Persecution of Christians
- Uzay Bulut: The Widespread Persecution of Converts to Christianity
- Amir Taheri: Why Tehran Crosses Only 'Pink Lines'
by Giulio Meotti • February 3, 2019 at 5:00 am
Unfortunately, Pope Francis's stance on Islam seems to be coming from a fantasy world.
"Authentic Islam and the proper reading of the Koran are opposed to every form of violence", the Pope claimed, not quite accurately. It is as if all of the Pope's efforts have been directed to exonerating Islam from any of its responsibilities. He seems to have been doing this even more than observant Muslims -- such as Egypt's President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, American author and physician M. Zuhdi Jasser, former Kuwaiti Information Minister Sami Abdullatif Al-Nesf, French-Algerian author Razika Adnani, Paris-based Tunisian philosopher Youssef Seddik, Jordanian journalist Yosef Alawnah, and Moroccan author Rachid Aylal, among many others -- have been doing.
"Pope Francis could in no way be ignorant of the heavy problems caused by the expansion... at the very heart of the Christian domain... Let us note this again... the last religion that arrived in Europe has an intrinsic impediment to integrating into the European framework that is fundamentally Judeo-Christian..." – Boualem Sansal, Algerian author, in his best-selling book "2084."
Pope Francis now faces the potential risk of a Christian world physically swallowed by the Muslim crescent -- as on the Vatican logo chosen for the Pope's upcoming trip to Morocco. It is time the appeasement is replaced.
The persecution of Christians is now an international crisis. Unfortunately, Pope Francis's stance on Islam seems to be coming from a fantasy world. (Photo by Giulio Origlia/Getty Images)
4,305 Christians were killed simply because their Christian faith in 2018. This is the dramatic number contained in the new "World Watch List 2019" just compiled by the non-governmental organization Open Doors. It reveals that in 2018, there were 1,000 more Christian victims -- 25% more -- than the year before, when there were 3,066.
These days, 245 million Christians in the world are apparently persecuted simply for their faith. Last November, The organization Aid to the Church in Need released its "Religious Freedom Report" for 2018 and reached the a similar conclusion: 300 million Christians were subjected to violence. Christianity, despite stiff competition, has been called "the most persecuted religion in the world".
by Uzay Bulut • February 3, 2019 at 4:30 am
"[F]or millions of Christians -- particularly those who grew up Muslim or were born into Muslim families -- openly following Jesus can have painful consequences. They can be treated as second-class citizens, discriminated against for jobs or even violently attacked." — Open Doors, World Watch List 2019.
"The root of the problem is that the existence and functions of Protestants and other non-Muslim groups are seen as a threat by the government institutions. And therefore, it is believed that all their activities should be banned." — 2008 Report: "The Question of Places of Worship for the Protestant Community of Turkey," prepared by the Legal Committee of the Alliance of Protestant Churches of Turkey.
Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan are all secular on paper. Yet, "the police, secret service and local authorities strictly monitor religious activities, with state authorities regularly raiding non-registered churches. In general, the Islamic culture makes life for Christian converts particularly difficult, but indigenous Christians with a Muslim background bear the brunt of persecution from the state and family, friends and community." — Open Doors, World Watch List 2019.
"While Christians are indeed experiencing a 'life of hell' in North Korea, overthrowing Kim Jong-un's regime could not only lead to a quick halt to this persecution but also to a rise of Christianity — as has happened recently in Russia... Unlike the persecution of Christians in Communist nations, persecution of Christians is perennial, existential, and... far transcends any ruler or regime. It unfortunately seems part and parcel of the history, doctrines, and socio-political makeup of Islam — hence its tenacity and ubiquity. It is a 'tradition.'" — Raymond Ibrahim.
According to the human rights organization Open Doors, the number of Christians in the world subjected to persecution -- 245 million -- is 14% higher than it was a year ago. (Image source: iStock)
According to the human rights organization Open Doors, the number of Christians in the world subjected to persecution -- 245 million -- is 14% higher than it was a year ago.
In its 2019 World Watch List, Open Doors reports:
"In seven out of the top 10 World Watch List countries, the primary cause of persecution is Islamic oppression. This means, for millions of Christians -- particularly those who grew up Muslim or were born into Muslim families -- openly following Jesus can have painful consequences. They can be treated as second-class citizens, discriminated against for jobs or even violently attacked."
The report also states that Muslim converts to Christianity in countries governed by sharia [Islamic] law face the most severe persecution, both by the state and by family, friends and community. The following are examples from the report:
by Amir Taheri • February 3, 2019 at 4:00 am
Europeans, including British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt, delude themselves in believing that by "working with Iran" they could prevent the Islamic Republic from "crossing the red lines."
The problem is that the Islamic Republic does not cross those real or imaginary "red lines". Like the now-defunct Soviet Union in its time, the Islamic Republic's strategy is to cross only "pink lines". The Islamic Republic has no troops in Yemen but manages to keep that tragedy going by helping Houthi rebels hang on to the patch of territory they hold.
In the EU countries, Tehran is careful not to cross "red lines". But, it crosses "pink lines" when it can through mosques, hussainiyahs, religious endowments and fake charities. In Britain alone, the Islamic Republic controls at least a dozen tax-exempt "charities", often used for financing violent groups across the globe or simply for money laundering.
To show what a special place Iran's mullahs have in her heart, when in Tehran, EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini wears the full Khomeinist hijab, but when she visits other Islamic capitals she unleashes her peroxide blonde hair in full evidence. Pictured: Mogherini with Iran's Foreign Minister Javad Zarif on July 28, 2015. (Image source: European Union/Flickr)
Talk to any senior European Union official and you are sure to hear the Islamic Republic in Iran designated as "a threat to regional stability." German Chancellor Angela Merkel endorses Israeli Premier Benjamin Netanyahu's assessment of Iranian behavior as "unacceptable."
French President Emmanuel Macron insists that Iran should carry out UN resolutions by closing its ballistic missile project. And, yet, EU's Iran policy, assuming such a thing exists, is plagued by contradictions.
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