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“All Praise is Due to Allah” for “Genocide against Christians”: Muslim Persecution of Christians, April 2018
“All Praise is Due
to Allah” for “Genocide against Christians”: Muslim Persecution of Christians,
April 2018
Breaking Israel News
Latest News Biblical perspective
By Raymond Ibrahim October 17, 2018 , 7:00 am
Muslim Slaughter
of Christians
Pakistan: A Muslim man set a Christian
woman on fire because she refused to convert to Islam and marry
him. With burns covering nearly 90 percent of her body, Asma Yaqoob, 25,
died five days later, on Sunday, April 22. According to her father, he
and his son were waiting for Asma, a domestic servant, at the home of her
employer, when she answered a knock on the door. “After some time we heard her
screaming in pain,” he said. They “rushed outside to see what had
happened” and saw Rizwan Gujjar, 30, a onetime family friend, fleeing “while
Asma was engulfed in flames.” Three months earlier Gujjar had
begun pressuring Asma to marry him. She, “not wanting to recant her
Christian faith,” politely declined and tried to avoided him, says
another report. So,
on April 17, when she answered the door, he doused her with gasoline and set
her aflame. According to
her mother,
Asma told us that
on the night of the attack, Gujjar had come to Zaman’s [her employer’s] house
and told her that she has no other choice but to renounce her faith and marry
him in court the next morning. My daughter refused, upon which he emptied
a bottle of petrol on her body and set her alight… My daughter is a staunch
Protestant Christian and had been resisting Gujjar’s pressure for a long
time. She was not interested in him and had repeatedly complained about
his misbehavior. When all efforts failed to convince Asma to cave in to his
demand, Gujjar attempted to kill her.
“Asma’s family were persistent in getting her the best
treatment they could find, and traveled hundreds of miles to a hospital
equipped with a burn unit,” said an activist acquainted with the case in
a statement. “They
did everything they could possibly do. This family will have a lot of trauma to
work through and they are in shock. It is hard for anyone to see the life of a
loved one so young and full of talent snuffed out.”
Separately, Islamic jihadis slew at least six Christians
and wounded several others in two separate attacks, both in Quetta, Pakistan,
near the Afghan border. First, on April 3, armed men riding motorbikes opened fire on
a rickshaw carriage and killed a family of four Christians returning from the
previous day’s Easter celebrations. A 12-year-old Christian girl received
bullet wounds but survived her
family. A note saying that “this is the first episode of genocide against
Christians,” was found at the
murder scene.
The Islamic State claimed responsibility. It said in a
statement that a “covert unit” of jihadis had “managed to target a number of
the combatant Christians…. [the jihadis] shot them with a pistol, which
resulted in the killing of four of them, and all praise is due to
Allah.” One official, however, said other Sunni militants operating
in the region might have been responsible. “Since security was tight in
churches, we believe that the terrorists chose to target the Christians on the
roads instead,” he added.
As the genocidal note had predicted, it was de ja vu for
Christians less than two weeks later: another group of unidentified assassins
riding atop motorbikes opened fire on Christians as
they exited church following Sunday service on April 15. At least two
worshippers were slain and five others—including two girls aged
11 and 13—were injured by bullets.
Lamenting his son, Azhar, whose corpse was riddled with
14 bullets, his father said “The
terrorists have not just killed Azhar. They have also killed me and his
mother.” His son was still alive when locals took him to a hospital, “but
there was no doctor present there to attend to him.”
Talking of his slain nephew, Iqbal—who as the only
able-bodied male was his family’s breadwinner—his uncle said “We are poor and
hardly make enough money to meet both ends. These Islamist terrorists
have taken away the only hope of a better future for my sister’s family.”
Four months before these twin attacks, Islamic suicide
bombers attacked Bethel Memorial Methodist Church in Quetta, killing nine and
wounding dozens. “The Christian community is feeling insecure and
threatened,” said Pastor
Simon of the bombed church: “We are not safe at places of worship, schools, or
residential apartments. The majority of Christians are so depressed they are
not sending their children to school and even avoid going to gatherings such as
social or religious events.”
Nigeria: Muslim Fulani herdsmen slaughtered about 350
Christians and torched hundreds of homes and scattered churches
in 27 different attacks throughout the month of April.
In one instance, the Islamic herdsmen stormed St.
Ignatius Church during service and massacred 19 Christians,
including two priests, on April 24 in Benue State. According to the
report, “the parishioners and the priests had gone for early morning mass at
about 5:30 a.m., when the herdsmen who stormed the village and the church
wasted no time in spraying bullets on everyone in sight….” The motivation
of the murderers was not missed on the Catholic Diocese of Makurdi, which in
a statement regretted
the “deadly attack by herdsmen/Jihadists.”
On the following day, April 25, in the Guma region,
“Seven Christian villagers who were displaced in previous attacks and were taking
refuge in the church premises were killed,” said a local
authority.
Another statement concerning another of these deadly raids
(in Saghev village, Friday, April 20) said, “Ten
[Christian] corpses have so far been recovered, with many others injured.
The armed herdsmen also burnt numerous houses, shops and other property in the
area. This mindless attack was unprovoked, and we urge security agencies to
arrest the herdsmen behind the killings for prosecution.”
Although Western media often portray these attacks as
based on land disputes with no religious motive—but rather Muslim Fulani
herdsmen wanting Christian land for their flocks to graze on—20 of the 27
regions attacked have no grazing laws,
meaning that even if there were no Christians on the land, the Fulani would
still be unable to graze there.
Egypt: One month after a Christian soldier
was killed by his Muslim commander over his faith, another Christian soldier
was killed on April 22. The family of Michael Farahat Saad, 22, was
told that he died when a rifle he was cleaning accidentally fired, killing him
instantly. According to one report, however, “a
doctor at Qusiya General Hospital who examined the body said the bullet wound
entered from the back and exited from the front, shattering the jaw. The entry
and exit wounds indicated someone else shot him.” Michael is one
of about nine Christian
soldiers to be murdered in recent times by Muslim officers and
soldiers on account of their faith.
Muslim Attacks on Christian Churches
Philippines: In an attack described by
police as bearing “the signature of an Islamic extremist group,” a bomb
explosion rocked a church during Sunday mass. According to the report, “Attendees of the mass christening
at St. Anthony Parish Church … were left in shock after an explosion just
outside the church on Sunday, April 29, followed by authorities detonating a
separate IED [improvised explosive device] just a few meters from the
church. The explosion, which injured 2 persons [who required
hospitalization], was heard around 12 p.m. while the church was packed with
people attending a mass christening…”
Egypt: Local Muslims attacked the
Virgin Mary and Pope Kyrillos VI Church in Beni Meinin on 14 April—hours
after the Building Authority Committee came to inspect the building in
preparation of legalizing its status as a church. “Many Muslim young men from
our village and villages nearby gathered in front of the church building and
began pelting it with stones and bricks while shouting ‘Allahu akbar’ [Allah is
the greater], and ‘We don’t want a church in our village,’” said one local
resident. “Windows and a door were smashed and some of the church’s
contents destroyed. They also pelted Coptic-owned houses next to the building.
Five Copts received minor injuries.”
Two days later Christian homes in the region were
attacked again. “Some Muslim villagers had a meeting in one of the mosques.
They incited people against us. After the meeting they set fire to a wood store
owned by my brother, and four other houses,” said another
Christian resident. Police responded by arresting five Christians as they
tried to put out the fire. “The police are conniving with Muslim
villagers. We were attacked, our homes destroyed, some of us arrested—where are
our rights? … There is a situation of fear and panic among the Christians
and there isn’t any protection for us.”
Separately, three Islamic militants were apprehended
before they managed to bomb Christian churches in Egypt. According
to the report, “police at
a security checkpoint found a bag in the possession of one of the defendants
which contained printed material detailing support for Daesh [Islamic State].
During the investigation, one of the suspects confessed to the charge of
forming a cell with some of his friends to target churches during the Easter
celebration.” Two of the defendant’s associates were arrested and also referred
to the public prosecutor for investigation. During the previous Easter’s
celebrations, “nearly 40 Christians were killed and 100 others were wounded in
two suicide bombings…”
Finally, a Muslim man appearing to be in his thirties
attempted to break into the St. George church in Cairo. According to
the report, the man
“angrily shouted Islamic slogans of ‘There is no god but Allah,’ ‘The nation of
Muhammad will triumph,’ and ‘I will uphold Islam,’ as well as cheers denouncing
Christianity and the Cross. He held a club in his hand, with which he began
attempting to destroy whatever he could reach, and succeeded in breaking a lamp
on the church gate before the guards, who had hastened to close the gate,
caught him.” Police eventually came and took him in. Although
police said it was not clear whether he acted independently or as part of an
organization, “Passers-by say that, on the other side of the street, there
stood four other young men who cheered the assailant and egged him on.”
Cyprus: On “Wednesday night [April 4], about 20
Muslim migrants attacked a Christian congregation outside St. Mary’s church
during the holy liturgy in Leukosia,” says one report (original
Greek here).“Most
of the Christians were inside the church when 20 Muslims suddenly arrived at
the temple’s yard and began screaming, cursing, and beating the
attendees. According to statements given by locals at Sigma live news,
one of the Muslims was waving an adze [axe-like tool] and tried to use it
against members of the congregation. The Muslims disappeared after the police,
called in by the terrorized believers, appeared on the scene.”
Pakistan: Unidentified vandals set an
under-construction church, the Gospel of Jesus Mission, ablaze by apparently
lobbing a bomb over its open roof, in Lahore on April 15. “The altar, pulpit,
dozens of Christian books, carpets, pedestal fans, plastic chairs, tables, wall
clock, wooden crosses, tarpaulin, handmade fans, and worship instruments were
desecrated and burnt to ashes,” says the report. “We
are a poor community,” said one church member. “We did not have enough funds to
complete the [roof] construction. Everything we had has burnt, I don’t know how
we will be able to restore the church as the officials even have not visited
us.” According to church pastor, Yousaf Aziz John, local Christians
“started constructing this church about three years ago and [are] still
collecting small donations for it… We could not blame anybody for doing such
[a] horrible act, however it’s clear that Christians are unacceptable in this
society and are not given equal rights, equal dignity, and freedom of
religion.”
Discussing this incident, one human rights activist said,
“There is a hostile attitude against Christians in the society. In 2014, we had
to face a severe resistance while building a church in a village near Lahore.
People abused us and threatened us of dire consequences. The Muslims pelted
stones at our under-construction church. Such things are conducted to
create a fearful atmosphere that the community may abandon the place.”
Explaining how “[a]ttacking places of worship is an unchecked trend in
Pakistan,” the report concludes:
In September 2013,
All Saints Church was bombed in Peshawar, killing hundreds of worshippers. In
March 2015, two churches were bombed in Lahore which killed roughly two dozen
Christians. In 2016, two other churches were set on fire in Kasur and Lahore.
In October 2017, militants threw a grenade at Gospel Faith Church in Quetta. In
December of 2017, another church was attacked in Quetta, killing nine
worshipers. In 2018, several attacks on Christians, their properties, and
their places of worship speak volumes about the situation of religious freedom
in Pakistan. The community as a whole is frightened and worried for what is to
come in the future.
Germany: A Muslim migrant from Pakistan who
vandalized two churches was hospitalized. According to the report, “For the
second time in a few days, a church in Chemnitz has been damaged by
vandalism. Several stained glass windows were smashed in at the St.
Peter’s Church in Theaterplatz on Monday evening [April 23]. The man who
is responsible for the deed had already broken into the church of St. Mark on
the Sonnenberg over the weekend and had also rampaged there. He was
provisionally arrested at the church. The suspect is a 24-year-old asylum
seeker from Pakistan. The
property damage incurred at the church amounts to around 3000 euros, according
to police.” Although attacks on churches in Muslim nations are common,
“state police ruled out a political or religious motive for his actions” and
said the man had been “housed in a specialist clinic.”
Nigeria: An April report says
that Muslim Fulani “herdsmen had destroyed 500 church buildings since 2011 with
attacks that have displaced 170,000 people.”
Muslim Attacks on Christian Freedom and Dignity
Mauritania: On April 27, the government made
the death penalty “mandatory” for anyone who blasphemes against Islam, says
one report, thereby “increasing
worry among Christians in the African nation.” According to
the Voice of the Martyrs, “This new law sort of becomes more stringent — that
three days [originally granted to blasphemers] to repent disappears. Everyone
is going to be punished. Even if you do repent, you are still going to be
punished. And in the case of blasphemous remarks or sacrilegious acts,
according to the law, the death penalty is now mandatory.” Discussing the
persecution Christians face, the Religious Liberty Commission of the World
Evangelical Alliance warned that
“the gospel of salvation is severely repressed” in Mauretania.
Morocco: Security agents detained for
24 hours a Christian man for having gospel literature and four other religious
books in his backpack. Authorities stopped the 35-year-old Moroccan as he
left his home in Rabat on the morning of April 18. The Christian
was released without charges after being detained for 24 hours. Things
might have been different if he had more books or was perceived as evangelizing
to Muslims. According to one report, “Article
220 of the Moroccan Criminal code calls for imprisonment of six months to three
years and a fine of 200 to 500 Moroccan dirham (US$20 to US$ 49) for employing
enticements ‘to shake the faith of a Muslim.’ Such ‘enticements’ could include
education, health care, orphanages and other aid that Christians consider
biblical commands. The harassment comes as Moroccan Christians are beginning to
call on the government to respect their religious rights.”
Algeria: Authorities in the city of
Tizi-Ouzou closed down Early
Childhood Home, a day-care center for Christian children established 14 years
ago by the Full Gospel Protestant Church. On April 17, Pastor Salah
Chalah was summoned to the local police station, where he was accused of
illegally running the center, which is located on the church’s premises.
He was ordered to close it down. At the time, around 20 children,
aged between one and five, were enrolled in the center, under the supervision
of four teachers, all Christians. “Since it was established 14 years ago,
the care centre has never been threatened by authorities, though the church
premises have been inspected on a regular basis by the intelligence agency,”
Chalah said. “The
centre only exists to teach Christian values to our children in their early
childhood, because in neighbouring nurseries, the teaching of the Quran and
Islamic values form an integral part of the official curriculum.”
Gaza: In an interview, Fr. Mario da Silva, a
Catholic priest, said that the
local Christian population has shrunk to its last 1,000 inhabitants—five times
less than it was six years earlier—in part because “there is now a lot of fear
with the news that the Islamic State has arrived, coming from the Sinai
Peninsula, in Egypt … There have already been threats. There is also fear of
the Salafist groups who are coming in from the south.” He explained
how, “[e]very year Christians have one permit to leave and visit the holy
places on Easter and Christmas,” at which point many of them never return.
Iraq: “An explosive charge believed to be planted
by Islamic State militants went off while four children were playing outside a
medical complex at the Christian-majority Bartella town in eastern
Mosul,” said a local
source. “The explosion left the four children injured.” The report adds
that “Bartella, largely inhibited by Christians, was emptied from inhabitants
when the IS group seized the town in August 2014. After controlling the town,
IS ordered the Christians to pay a tax, convert to Islam, or die by the sword,
prompting the residents to flee the town.” Documentarian Gwendolen Cates,
who spent year in the Arab nation, also said, “The
Christians of Iraq, along with other religious minorities, live in constant
fear and face potential genocide. … The minorities are being increasingly
‘ghettoized,’ with their land being taken.”
Pakistan: a Muslim man raped a 13-year-old
Christian girl on April 11 in Lahore. According to the brief report, “Three
young Muslim men stood guard while another identified only as Shehryar raped
her.”
According to the victim’s mother, “They are now pressing
us to reconcile by offering us money, but we have resolved not to compromise
over our daughter. The Muslim boys have ruined the life of my daughter,
and we will not rest till we get justice.”
United Kingdom: A Christian nun who was chased out
of Iraq by the Islamic State was denied a visafrom
the nation that provided refugee status to tens of thousands of Muslim
men. Four years earlier, ISIS had invaded and occupied Sister Ban
Madleen’s convent in Qaraqosh, prompting her to flee for her life. She
settled with thousands of other internally displaced persons, mostly
Christians, in Erbil, where she set up kindergartens for the
children. When the opportunity for her to visit her sick sister in
the UK came, officials denied her. According to the report,
The letter from UK
Visas and Immigration, a division of the Home Office, gives the reasons for
refusing Sister Ban a visa: that she had not provided evidence of her earnings
as a kindergarten principal, and that she had not provided confirmation that
the Dominican Sisters of St Catherine of Siena would fund her visit. For these
reasons, the letter says the clearance officer is not satisfied that she is
genuinely seeking entry for a permissible purpose. Rather than allowing
Sister Ban to provide the necessary evidence, the letter, a copy of which the
Catholic Herald has seen, ends: “In relation to this decision there is no right
of appeal or right to administrative review.” The letter acknowledges the
importance of family visits, and accepts that Sister Ban had previously
travelled to the UK and complied with the terms of her visa, but points out
that she was issued that visa seven years ago in 2011 and comments specifically
on her absence of recent travel to the UK.
“Do they not know what happened between 2014 and now?”
wondered one Fr. Kiely, who is acquainted with her case. He further
confirmed that denying religious orderlies visas in not uncommon in the
UK: another nun with a PhD in Biblical Theology from Oxford was denied
twice; another nun was denied entry for not having a personal bank account; a
Catholic priest was refused a visa for not being married; and three archbishops
from Iraq and Syria were refused entry despite being invited by the country’s
Syriac Orthodox Church for the consecration of the UK’s first Syriac Cathedral,
an event attended by Prince Charles.