Persecution of Christians in the Middle East
In the daily drumbeat of Mideast news, there is one story of historic proportion that is nearly unreported: the growing persecution and systematic destruction in the Islamic world of some of the world’s oldest Christian communities.
We hear when a Catholic bishop is murdered in Iraq, when machete-armed fanatics attack Egyptian Copt worshipers, or when churches are torched in Hamas-controlled Gaza. But what about the jailing in Saudi Arabia of foreign workers for holding forbidden Christian prayers? Or the arrest in Pakistan of a Christian man for marrying a Muslim woman? Or the continuing Islamic educational system that teaches the young that Christians (as well as Jews) are “the descendants of apes and pigs”?
The pattern is nearly the same wherever extremist Islam holds sway. From Bangladesh to Darfur, Christians have become regular targets for Islamic thugs and the governments that back them. Just this month, a Pakistani court upheld the kidnapping, conversion and “marriage” to older Moslem men of two Christian sisters, aged 10 and 13.
Yet even in lands that are not under orthodox Sharia law, Christian communities feel the pressure of persecution. In constitutionally secular Turkey, a legally recognized Protestant church in the capital of Ankara is under threat of closure by local Islamist police.
Many Christians in Islamic lands have become subject to such terror that they are fleeing the homelands their ancestors have known almost since the time of Jesus. Iraq’s Christian sects now feel forced to pray in secret. Others simply leave. Although they comprise less than four percent of Iraq’s population, Iraqi Christians now account for 40 per cent of its refugees.
Lebanon’s once politically powerful Christian community has already shrunken almost beyond recognition. Thirty years ago, Lebanon was 60% Christian; today it is barely 25%. The growing political power of Iran-backed Hezbollah is encouraging further departures.
Even in the Holy Land, where Jesus walked, there is an increasing Christian exodus from both the West Bank and Gaza. Part of it surely stems from the continuing Palestinian- Israeli conflict. But much of it results from a growing Islamic campaign to force Christians to sell their property and leave. Bethlehem, the birthplace of Jesus, was once 90% Christian. Today it has a 65% Moslem majority.
The only place in the Mideast where Christian communities continue to grow is in the Jewish State of Israel. Israel’s tolerance is logical. What people of faith knows the dangers of religious persecution better than the people of Israel especially those whose families originated in the Islamic world? Between 1948 and 1956 more than 850,000 Jews were forced to flee the Arab lands where their families had lived for centuries.
Most found new homes in Israel; others settled in Western Europe and the Americas. Today there are almost no Jews in the Arab world. In Egypt, where 180,000 Jews once lived, there are fewer than 80. In Iraq, where Jews once comprised a third of Baghdad, there are possibly ten left. In Libya, there are none.
For much of Islamic history there was relative tolerance of both Jews and Christians. Though never treated as equals to Moslems, they were accepted as Dhimmi protected minorities. Today there seems to be a dangerous tendency in many Muslim nations to neither respect nor try to preserve the historic sanctity of these once sheltered cultures and faiths.
When Afghan fanatics destroyed two ancient statues of Buddha, the world was shocked. But the world should not forgot that between 1948 and 1967, when Islamic forces controlled the Holy City of Jerusalem, there was a systematic campaign to erase the historic Jewish presence. Synagogues were destroyed and ancient Jewish gravestones carted away. Even today, the Palestinian Authority not only denies Israel’s right to consider itself a Jewish state, but denies the historic Jewish connection to Jerusalem. It is an empty effort to enhance the Palestinian political narrative at the expense of others’ hard earned history.
If there is a hope of true peace in the Middle East, extremist Islam must reform its view of others. It cannot go on teaching that non-Islamic history in the Middle East is “fiction.”
There is a sacred opportunity now to take up the call for the Islamic world’s hard-pressed and ever shrinking Christian communities. All people of commitment and tolerance – Christian, Jew, and Moslem – should speak out loudly and forcefully so that the Islamic world’s Christians do not suffer the same fate as its now all but non-existent Jewish communities.
What do you think?
11:02 am
I have always loved Israel and their historical journey from the beginnings of time as we know it. Jews are God’s choses children and I fully believe in Genesis 12:3 ‘And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.’
7:45 pm
God said He has a remnant in Israel and no amount of persecution will ever destroy that remnant. I agree with you Rich, these are God’s people and it is our responsiblity to comfort them in whatever way we can.
6:56 am
I think that you are trying to declare a religious war here between Christian and Jew (or in fact you are trying to get the Christians on your side) and Muslims on the other side. Look at what you are writing; you are the one who is declaring war on Muslims. Muslims are not declaring war on Christians or Jews they are in war with people who are occupying a country and killing Muslims people. In Muslims holy book (Quran) they are respecting Jesus and Moses and all the prophets of all religions and all Muslims believe in them. Why are you not mentioning that Prophet Mohammed encouraged Muslims to be hand in hand with Christians and that he made peace with Jews (who by the way disregarded that peace). I have many many Christian friends and when we sit together we don’t ask if you are a Christian or a Muslim because we don’t care about your religion we care about the respect that each one has to other personally not for the religion, and this is supported in the holy Quran when it says ” you have your religion and I have my religion”. people want to support whom ever they want to support but I think who ever wrote that piece of work and who ever is promoting it, is actually promoting hatred among people to kill the humanity. You are saying that you need peace and yet what you are writing is promoting war, not only the war between what you call “Jews and Muslims” but you are trying to drag a third party here, Christians, to join with you in this war that you are declaring. How come you are not mentioning that the Jews killed Prophet Jesus, who is the Christian prophet? And by the way do not say wrong things on Islam behave because Islam does not say that Christians are the descendent of apes and pigs. You are promoting lies to make Christians and Muslims hatred.
Why are you not mentioning that when Omer Ebn El Khatab went to Jerusalem he gave the key of the Muslim holy place to a Christian family to be safe with them? Why are you not talking about Egypt today, which has in front of every mosque a church? I mean Christmas is here, merry Christmas to all, and I am, a Muslim, celebrating it with my Christian friends.
By the way Muslims are not thugs and we are not going to feel happy when you say that about us. If you have a case, promote it with out any disrespect to the other part cause this only shows how weak you are, and this is what we learn from Islam, to respect you opponent even if they don’t because manners is the most important thing in Islam.
You are talking also about democracy, lets see if you will publish my point of view.
9:10 pm
If what you say is truth, you are indeed a VERY unusual Muslim. There is a certain part of Muslims who believe as you say you do, but Radical Islamists believe the exact opposite, and all they believe in is “Jihad.” The Arab countries have 10 or more times the amount of land that Israel occupies, and yet they are not satisfied. My church has Missionaries in Jordan & Iraq. We did have Christian Missionaries who operated a clinic for women, some pregnant, free of charge. Some were murdered by Radical Islamists who burned down the clinic. Alaa, if you knew about the Christian belief, you would know that our Living God of Love is the same as the God of the Jew! So, of course we love, respect, and care very much about Jews. Our God gave Israel their land + more…Jews are the only people on earth who have received a Land Grant from the Creator of the Universe! You sound young, so you just might be alive to see the Jewish Messiah come in the clouds to save Israel from the rest of the people of the earth who are trying to destroy Israel – the Bible says that every eye will see Him when He comes! And EVERY KNEE WILL BOW! I will pray for you, that your eyes may be opened. Israel has done more than she should have done to have peace. Someday, God will give Israel peace FOREVER AND EVER!
6:30 pm
I like to respond by saying that the Holiest of Books on earth, the Bible in Ezekiel chapter 35:25-31 that Israel is his holly hill, his blessed place given in eternal covenant by him to his people, the Israelites.
This passage is the clearest desire of God for His people, the People of Israel and of ALL who believe in Him. Verse 29. “And I will make their land famous for its crops, so my people will never again suffer from famines or the insults of foreign nations.
30. In this way, they will know that I, the Lord their God, am with them. And they will know that they, the people of Israel, are my people, says the Soverign Lord. 31. You are my flock, the sheep of my pasture. You are my people, and I am your God. I, the Sovereign Lord, have spoken!
11:38 pm
“Alaa”, talk about blinders!! Man, you are sticking your head in the sand like an ostrich. Face the true facts. It is not only this article that explains what is happening; such reports come first hand from almost all travelers and people who have stayed for any length of time in any of the extremist countries. Note, “extremist” is emphasised. We all know, and give thanks for wonderful people who are Muslims. A pleasure to be their friends. They NEED to start protesting loudly against those extremists who throw a dark cloud over Islam. It is fact what you say about the teachings of your holy book and Mohamed, but there are some that choose to ignore that and declare war on so-called all “infidels”, defined as being (to them) anybody who is not Muslim. We are also not blind to history and recognise that there have been both Christians and Jews who have not acted they way the Holy Bible teaches. Right is right no matter how many people disagree; wrong is wrong no matter how many say it is right!
3:11 am
Alaa,
dear brother in humanity, I applaud your passion for tolerance and mutual respect. I don’t intend to go deeply theological here because this is not the right venue. However, let me express my opinion that I don’t agree this article is very much a declaration of war against Islam. Far be it!
Let me also challenge you, since I believe you do keep an open mind, a challenge to look back into history, if not as related by our Holy Scriptures (i.e. the Bible, the Quran), but try even looking at it from historical, scientific and archaeological evidence. And while doing that, try removing religious bias from your research.
All other evidences (non-religious) would point out the truth, that RADICAL Islam has indeed persecuted Jews, Christians, and even other religions. I am not asking you to convert to a different religious system, all I am asking you to do is this: research about your own religion, its history and roots, then do the same for “other” religions. Compare, and see for yourself what I am talking about.
Peace be to you!
5:30 pm
I feel in my sorrowing heart that is truly a shame that we, God’s people, of whatever faith cannot find it in us to honor each other and live in peace as God intended.
God Bless
6:23 pm
To my brother Alaa, I thank and applaud you for standing up for your belief. I encourage you to please continue into your research. As a teacher in the word an a Christian I beseech you brethren to study your HOLY Quran, and the Bible. Please look into John 10:9-21, now John Ch.10:16 states, “there other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice” There will be one flock and one shepherd. Please keep in open mind on this topic.
1:42 am
As a Christian, I am deeply concerned for my persecuted brothers and sisters around the world. Sadly, many Christians, especially in the United States, are unaware of the plight of the persecuted Church.
However, what amazes me regarding the situation in the Middle East is the Christian support for the very people who are persecuting Christians, even among Arab and Palestinian Christians. I was visiting an Arab Catholic website the other day and was astounded by the distorted thinking I found there. I was discussing this with my pastor, and he said it was almost as if these people are suffering from the “Stokholm Syndrome”, sympathizing with and supporting the very people who are persecuting, even murdering them.
Then you have the likes of Anglicans Stephen Sizer and Colin Chapman who are so rabidly anti-Israel that they don’t stop to think that when they urge Christians to “understand” the “Palestinian plight” that fuels the terrorist activities of Hamas and Hezbollah, they are encouraging them to sympathize with the people who are terrorizing their brothers and sisters in Christ! While the Anglicans have done their damage in the UK, the PCUSA has contributed to this moral ambivalence thanks to Donald Wagner and Gary Burge, the former a minister and the latter a professor at Wheaton College.
These people are so determined to deligitimize Israel, Biblically and politically, that they give little thought to who they are actually supporting. And I am ashamed to say, most Christians are woefully ignorant of the history of the Middle East, the history of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the teachings and practice of radical Islam, and the plight of the persecuted Church in the region. I am even more ashamed to say that many Christians are Biblically ignorant, which is why they can be so easily deceived. That the men I have mentioned above represent churches many Christians consider to be apostate is telling.
I am sure a new book by Ted Dekker and another author, “Tea With Hezbollah”, will sell very well.