Wednesday, December 14, 2011

More Violence Against Christians in Iraq -Just in Time for Christmas

Ishtar Broadcasting Corporation and Jihad Watch reported that a Christian couple was murdered by gunmen in Mosul. The couple's two children were also hurt but are alive. Links to both sites are given below:

http://www.jihadwatch.org/2011/12/iraq-muslims-murder-christian-couple-as-they-walk-to-their-car.html

http://ishtartv.com/en/viewarticle,35738.html

Violence committed by Muslims against Christians is stepped up annually as the Christmas season approaches. In particular, Christians in the Middle East are targeted as they are a minority and have little protection. A list of the more notable attacks is quoted from The Human Rights Blog in a post Dated Jan. 4 2011:
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October 31, 2010
Baghdad:  Nearly 60 Iraqi Christians are killed and over 100 are injured by bullets and bomb blasts after Our Lady of Salvation Catholic Church is attacked by armed gunmen strapped with bombs.  Al-Qaeda claims responsibility for the massacre and declares that they are waging war upon Christian minorities.  See Bloomberg Report. President Obama calls the attack “barbaric and heinous” while Pope Benedict XVI calls it a “vile gesture.”  See The New York Times
As a result of the bombing, over 10,000 of Iraq’s Christians flee the city in fear and move to the northern Kurdish provinces or abroad. According to the United Nations, 1,000 Christian families left Iraq.  See The Washington Times
November 10, 2010
Baghdad:  Coordinated bomb attacks on Christian homes, including the homes of those Christians who survived the October massacre, kill three Iraqi Christians and injure 26 others.  A group affiliated with al-Qaeda claims responsibility.  The Christian Science Monitor
November 24, 2010:
Cairo:  Two Coptic Christians are killed and 152 arrested as Christian demonstrators protest the Egyptian government’s refusal to allow a community center to be turned into a church in Cairo’s suburb of Omraniya.  (Egyptian law prohibits Christian churches from being built in Egypt without express governmental permission.)  See The Wall Street Journal
December 22, 2010:
Egypt:  Egyptian universities announce that they will hold final exams during the Coptic Orthodox Christmas period despite requests from Egypt’s Coptic Church to postpone the examinations until after Coptic Christmas celebrations.  See Al-Masry Al-Youm, Egypt
December 23, 2010:
Iraq:  A council of Iraqi Christian churches advises followers to cancel public Christmas celebrations for fear of violence amidst threats by al-Qaeda insurgents. Churches in the cities of Baghdad, Kirkuk, Mosul, and Basra, take down Christmas decorations, cancel Christmas Eve Mass, and advise Christian laity to refrain from decorating their homes.  In Kirkuk, an appearance by Santa Clause is cancelled. See The Boston Globe
December 30, 2010
Alexandria:  After a New Year’s Eve service, a bomb explodes in front of Al-Qiddissin “Saints” Coptic Orthodox Church killing 21 worshipers and injuring over 100 others.  According to The Los Angeles Times, “the bomb designed to inflict maximum civilian casualties, bore the hallmark of Al Qaeda militants.”  See Newsweek
Baghdad:  Two Christians are killed and 16 wounded after coordinated bombs are detonated at six separate Christian targets within a one-hour period throughout Baghdad in front of Christian homes.  Among those dead are Fawzi Ibrahim, 80, and his 75-year-old wife, Jeanette, who opened the front door of their home only to find a piece of luggage with a bomb hidden inside. See Los Angeles Times
January 3, 2011
Baghdad:  Christian woman Rafa Toma is shot dead in her bed while asleep in her home.  See AOL News
Europe:  Radical Islamist website affiliated with al-Qaeda posts a “hit list,” which details Coptic Orthodox Christian Churches throughout Europe, including in France, England, The Netherlands, and Germany, that are to be bombed during Julian Christmas Eve services.  Coptic services throughout Europe will be shortened due to security threats.  See CNN

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This is of course a brief summary. Note that believers were advised to cancel Christmas celebrations in many cities in Iraq. Imagine that - I thought that only bad snowstorms at the North Pole could cause such a thing.

Anjem Choudary is an incendiary Muslim cleric who recently saw his fourth attempt at having a group that would not get outlawed due to suspicion of having terrorist ties go out of business.The last one was Muslims Against Crusades, which was shut down by British authorities in November of this year. Mr. Choudary summed up the attitude that contributes to the vicious behavior. The following is quoted from the Assyrian National News Agency in an article from November 15, 2011:
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A Muslim lawyer has launched an extraordinary rant against Christmas, branding the celebration 'evil'.
Hate preacher Anjem Choudary claimed the festival was the 'pathway to hell' and urged his followers to boycott it.
'In the world today many Muslims, especially those residing in Western countries, are exposed to the evil celebration Christmas,' he raged in a sermon broadcast on the internet.
'Many take part in the festival celebrations by having Christmas turkey dinners.
'Decorating the house, purchasing Christmas trees or having Christmas turkey meals are completely prohibited by Allah.
'Many still practise this corrupt celebration as a remembrance of the birth of Jesus.
'How can a Muslim possibly approve or participate in such a practice that bases itself on the notion Allah has an offspring?
'The very concept of Christmas contradicts and conflicts with the foundation of Islam.
'Every Muslim has a responsibility to protect his family from the misguidance of Christmas, because its observance will lead to hellfire.
'Protect your Paradise from being taken away - protect yourself and your family from Christmas.'
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It seems that the very fact that Christians want to continue with their time-honored traditions in celebrating the birth of the person that they believe to be their savior and Lord is just too much for the tolerant Muslims. They are just so concerned that Muslims will be seduced by these events that they can't see any other option than to put a stop to them.

Such attacks are most frequent in, but not restricted to, the Middle East; Sweden, a nation with no real colonial history for which it must make amends and which generously allowed a tremendous amount of Muslim immigration in the last twenty-plus years, also often falls victim to those to whom they have offered a home. The last several years have witnessed massive attacks, including firebombing and attacks on fire and police personnel in cities such as Malmo during the same season. Although the situation in Malmo has gotten so bad that Firefighters can no longer respond to fire calls without police protection in that city, Christmas and St. Lucia's Day (a Swedish tradition) are special times where the angry yet tolerant Muslim residents feel the need to work overtime.

It is a travesty that so little is mentioned about such attacks and that even less is done to prevent them.

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