Peanut Gallery: As events unfold in the Middle East, “dhimmitude” is a word you should understand- it directly affects Christians living in Islamic countries and explains why they are so often mistreated (see earlier post “Muslim Persecution of Christians”).
“dhimmitude […] represents a behavior dictated by fear (terrorism), pacifism when aggressed, rather than resistance, servility because of cowardice and vulnerability. […] By their peaceful surrender to the Islamic army, they obtained the security for their life, belongings and religion, but they had to accept a condition of inferiority, spoliation (plundering) and humiliation. As they were forbidden to possess weapons and give testimony against a Muslim, they were put in a position of vulnerability and humility.”[9] (Wikipedia)
To put it simply, non-muslims (dhimmis) living in Islamic countries are second-class citizens with little, or no, protection under Sharia law. They are essentially at the mercy of the enforcing religious authority.
If you read the entire Wikipedia article you will find that my characterization of “dhimmitude” and “dhimmis” is disputed by some scholars as “past history” and could be described as Islamophobic. But disputed or not, there is growing evidence that Western observers of Islamic countries have turned a blind eye to the current wide-spread reality of “dhimmitude,” particularly in rural, or lawless, areas that are outside normal Western scrutiny. (I refer you again to “Muslim Persecuton of Christians.”)
The answer lies in the willful denial of the historic realities (past and present) of “dhimmitude.” Jew-hatred (and Christian persecution) are intrinsic to Muhammad Morsi’s Sharia inspired worldview. But it simply doesn’t fit the Western pundits’ “Arab Spring” narrative.
Christians in Iraq are on the verge of extinction. Large numbers have fled abroad or to the (until recently) safer Kurdish region, where they face unemployment and inadequate schooling, medical care and housing. The church faces many challenges – members being killed or abducted, and a lack of capable leaders. In central and southern Iraq, traditional Christians suffer as much as Muslim-background believers, as a result of their visibility. In May 2012, 20 Christian families in Mosul received threats, and the house of another Christian was set on fire.
Prayer Request:
For the many Christians displaced from their homes by threats of murder or abduction
Ask God to raise up godly, wise leaders to shepherd the church
For Open Doors trauma counsellors working with children and families affected by persecution.
Sargon’s Story: Sargon* and his wife Leja* once lived in Baghdad, where Sargon worked as a mechanic. Now, they live in northern Iraq in a small, sparsely furnished apartment.
Iraqi Christians Flee North While still in Baghdad, the fallout from a bomb claimed three of the lives of Sargon’s fellow mechanics. To this day, though he survived, Sargon carries shrapnel in his shoulder that cannot be removed and continues to cause him pain.
The effects of that day have also resulted in emotional shrapnel in Sargon’s heart, aggravated by increased terrorist attacks in the couple’s neighborhood in Baghdad.
One day Leja found a letter in their mailbox, “You had better get away quickly, or you may die.”
As other Christian in Baghdad had to do, the traumatized couple had to take the letter very seriously. They gathered as much of their possessions together as possible and took off that same night in their old car, heading for northern Iraq.
Sargon found work at a small local garage in their new city. He earned little; hardly enough to pay their rent. So after a while he and his wife began making serious plans to return to Baghdad, despite the dangers.
When Open Doors learned of their situation we provided the couple with a micro loan, which enabled Sargon to start up his own garage.
Although the small micro-loan helped Sargon and Leja make a new start, they still wrestle with serious issues: Tenants moved into their Baghdad home, with the help of the government, and the couple will not be able to get it back without costly legal assistance.
There is no “happy ending” to Sargon and Leja’s story yet, and unfortunately their story is also the story of many Christian refugees in northern Iraq.
Peanut Gallery:Marginalized – it’s a bitter pill to swallow. But the sooner I come to terms with it the better. There is Life outside of politics – thank God. And, in America, this is the season for social conservatives to “stay the course” at the cultural margins… and let the chips fall where they may.
mar·gin·al·ize\ˈmärj-nə-ˌlīz, ˈmär-jə-n ə l-ˌīz\transitive verb : to relegate to an unimportant or powerless position within a society or group Other forms: mar·gin·al·ized; mar·gin·al·iz·ing
Peter Leithart has provided me with some reality therapy… maybe you can use some too. Democrats might find something to think about here as well.
My advice to Bad Republicans is: Let it come. If the price of regaining power is to abandon any semblance of Christian sexual morality, the price is too high. If the Republican party can’t bring itself to endorse a traditional understanding of marriage, let it split. If the Republican party can’t be bothered about the slaughter of the unborn, let it shatter into a million little pieces. Good Republicans will blame Bad Republicans for tearing the GOP to pieces. So be it.
In this article, published by First Things, Leithart maps out the future for social conservatives… and there is no peace on the horizon.
“Don’t imagine that I came to bring peace to the earth! I came not to bring peace, but a sword.” Matthew 10.34 NLT
Social, cultural conservatives are moving into unfamiliar territory. We’ve got a lot to learn.
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President Obama is convinced that liberals have won the culture war, and he aims to leverage that victory to force a transformation of the Republican party. In a New Republic interview published earlier this week, he noted that attitudes are changing “in the country as a whole around LGBT issues and same-sex marriage” and that this poses a challenge to Republicans. Some Republicans will “embrace” the change, but “there’s a big chunk of their constituency that is going to be deeply opposed to that.”
Peanut Gallery: Christian Persecution – Afghanistan – #3 (worldwatchlist.us)
Teen in Afghanistan beheaded for refusing marriage proposal
“Family and societal pressure combined with government persecution have pushed the church underground. The state treats converts, who all come from a Muslim background, in a very hostile manner.
Christians cannot meet in public; even gatherings in private houses require extreme caution. No church buildings exist, even for expatriates, and both local and foreign Christians are subject to kidnapping, abduction, killing and having to flee the country.
The Taliban is regaining power and has vowed to purge all Christians from Afghanistan, both foreign and local.” (worldwatchlist.us)
Please Pray:
For peace and stability as international troops withdraw in 2013-14
That God would thwart Taliban attempts to target NGOs and relief organizations
That Christian radio and TV programs will strengthen isolated believers and bring the gospel to this closed country.
Prayer:Heavenly Father – You created all people in Your image, from every tribe and nation, and You offer them a future and a hope. Have pity on the wretched people of Afghanistan; show mercy to the people of this miserable country. Lord Jesus – By the power of Your Blood shed on the Cross, break their bondage to the spiritual forces of darkness that grip this land. Holy Spirit – Plant Your seeds of Life and Light in the hearts of these people, through dreams and vision, radio witness, and the living witness of Christian workers in that country. Shield them and protect them. I ask it in Jesus’ Name. Amen.
From 1987-1992 the country’s official name was the “Republic of Afghanistan” but today it is an “Islamic Republic.”
For Afghans, Islam represents a potentially unifying symbolic system which offsets the divisiveness that frequently rises from the existence of a deep pride in tribal loyalties and an abounding sense of personal and family honor found in multi-tribal and multi-ethnic societies such as Afghanistan.
Mosques serve not only as places of worship, but for a multitude of functions, including shelter for guests, places to meet and converse, the focus of social religious festivities and schools. Almost every Afghan has at one time during his youth studied at a mosque school; for some this is the only formal education they receive.
Some unconfirmed reports state that there are 500 to 8,000 Afghan Christians practicing their faith secretly in the country (among a population of 30.4 million.) [20]
Background: Izmit Protestant Church is located in the northern industrial city of Izmit (Wikipedia). It is a small church with 20 members all of whom are Turkish nationals and converts from Islam – as is its pastor of four years, Emre Karaali.
“The İzmit Protestant Church was founded as the first church in the city in 1999, the same year a massive earthquake killed 40,000 in Kocaeli, whose administrative center is İzmit.” (Hürriyet Daily News)
And yet, in a city of 300,000 people, in a country that is 99% Muslim, this pastor and this small church were seen as a threat to the community . Why?
“The church was preparing for four days of celebrations between Jan. 17 and 21 and had invited top local officials in the city before the plot was revealed.” Leaflets announcing the event had been handed out around the city and city officials had been invited. (Hürriyet Daily News)
The chuch had previously been accused of “missionary” activity. Pastor Karaali was pushing the envelope in Izmit by openly sharing his faith and publicly announcing the church’s “celebrations.” He had been receiving threats for over a year.
Heartbreak: A conspiracy to commit murder (find details and original story here) began with two women who attended the church for over a year and eventually became members (one of whom was baptized) and were welcomed “as family” into the fellowship.
“These people had infiltrated our church and collected information about me, my family and the church and were preparing an attack against us,” said Karaali, 33, a native Turk and a convert to Christianity. “Two of them attended our church for over a year and they were like family.”
Can you feel this man’s anguish… his sense of betrayal? Trust and good faith have been severely compromised in that small church community… whose offense was sharing the love of Jesus.
Miracle: The miracle in this story is that the Turkish Police actually thwarted the plot and protected the pastor and his family. They could have simply let it play itself out and have been rid of him. Stranger things have happened in Turkey. But they didn’t.
Karaali said his treatment at the hands of the police was “exceptional.” The pastor said he has been working with police since January 2012, when he informed them of a death threat he had received. “I received a threat by phone and that’s when the police started to investigate,” Karaali said.
Motivation: Did these women “infiltrate” the church with sabotage in mind? Or, were they genuine inquirers and new converts who were “found out” by family and friends and “turned” by Islamic radicals to become co-conspirators in this murderous plot. We will probably never know – both are real possibilities, but I favor the latter.
Muslim converts to Christianity risk bitter and often deadly opposition from their families and friends. It is not uncommon for people outside the family circle to be brought in as enforcers. No wonder Izmit Protestant Church has only 20 members.
Compulsion: Pastor Karaali is a man “under compusion”… he can’t do anything else.
“For if I preach the gospel, I have nothing to boast of, for I am under compulsion; for woe is me if I do not preach the gospel.” 1 Corinthians 9:16 NASB
Please pray that God will use this murderous conspiracy for good… and that many lives would be saved.
“As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive.” Genesis 50.20 NASB
May God bless and protect Pastor Karaali and the Izmit Protestant Church… and strengthen them with the courage of their convictions as this ordeal unfolds.
Police in Turkey say they thwarted an assassination plot against a Christian pastor Tuesday when they arrested 14 suspects, two of whom had been part of his congregation for more than a year.
Emre Karaali, pastor of Izmit Protestant Church and the target of the alleged plot, said two of the arrested suspects were regular members, feigning interest in Christianity. One of them, he said, participated in a baptism in July.
Some of the other suspects also had visited the church, Karaali told World Watch Monitor. He said three of the suspects are women. “These people had infiltrated our church and collected information about me, my family and the church and were preparing an attack against us,” said Karaali, 33, a native Turk and a convert to Christianity. “Two of them attended our church for over a year and they were like family.”
The Peanut Gallery 