Tag: Religious Persecution

Please Pray for Christians in Somalia – World Watch List #5

Peanut Gallery: Christian Persecution – Somalia #5 on World Watch List 

East-Africa-Map

It is too dangerous for believers to meet openly in this strictly Islamic state. Terrorist groups such as al-Shabaab target converts to Christianity and eliminate them.

Aid workers, Christian or otherwise, require tight security due to the risk of abduction.

The election of a new parliament and president in 2012 created a framework for a more legitimate government. But for Christians the future still looks bleak, as the provisional constitution does not allow for religious freedom. (Population: 9.8 million – a few hundred Christians)

Please Pray:

  • Al-Shabaab, which is backed by al-Qaeda, remains a serious threat. Pray that its influence will diminish
  • That Christian radio programmes will bring hope to isolated believers and those who are seeking God
  • Some of those who have returned to Somalia following the political changes have been exposed to Christianity. Pray this will bring more tolerance towards Christians.

Prayer: Heavenly Father – May your Kingdom come… and your will be done… in Somalia, as it is in heaven. Feed your people and deliver them from evil. Lord Jesus – Come in power to Somalia… break their bondage to sin and death… set them free – may your Word go forth with power accomplishing your Kingdom purposes. Holy Spirit – Move among your people… strengthening, encouraging, protecting them. I ask this in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Somali-woman-mourns-near--007Persecution dynamics

Islamic leaders maintain that Somalia remains a strictly Islamic state with no room for Christians. Children attend mandatory Madrasa Islamic classes, people are buried with Islamic burial rights whatever their religion might be, and it is extremely difficult to openly declare faith. It is too dangerous to meet openly and families of converts are fearful that they might be suspected of conversion and risk execution. Continue reading “Please Pray for Christians in Somalia – World Watch List #5” →

Muslim Persecution of Christians: December, 2012 – Re-Blog

December, 2012
December, 2012

Peanut Gallery: Raymond Ibrahim’s stated purpose in cataloging these monthly incidents of “Muslim persecution of Christians” is twofold:

1) To document that which the mainstream media does not: the habitual, if not chronic, Muslim persecution of Christians.

2) To show that such persecution is not “random,” but systematic and interrelated—that it is rooted in a worldview inspired by Sharia.

Whether or not it is “systematic and interrelated,” you can decide for yourself. But it certainly is pervasive. And for the Christians on the receiving end, it can be terrifying… and sometimes horrific.

Prayer: As you read through the list, please pray for those people and places that God places on your heart.

“For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.”  – Ephesians 6.12 ESV

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Muslim Persecution of Christians: December, 2012
“Siad Deserved to Die Because He Was Not Committed to the Islamic Religion.”

by Raymond Ibrahim – February 6, 2013 at 4:00 am

Sweden: “Quite frankly we are at a loss why the Migration services [in Sweden] are so determined to deport [him]. People with weaker cases get permission to stay in Sweden, but not him.”
— Attorney for Reza Jabbari, a convert to Christianity seeking asylum in Sweden. If the Swedes return him to Iran, he is likely to face imprisonment or be sentenced to death for apostasy.

As usual, the month of Christmas saw an uptick in Christian persecution under Islam, in a variety of forms, from insults to murders. In Iran, Pastor Youssef Nadarkhani—after being imprisoned and tormented for years for converting to Christianity, then recently released thanks to international pressure—was rearrested again, on Christmas Day, to serve the remainder of his 45 days, which the court had earlier decreed could be served in the form of probation. In Syria, near Christmas, Islamic rebels beheaded Andrei Arbashe, a 38-year-old Christian man, and fed his body to dogs. In Nigeria, Christmas mass celebrations in several churches, were, once again, turned into scenes of carnage; and in Pakistan, Christians spent yet another “Dark Christmas.”

There were also the usual fatwas [Islamic legal decrees], forbidding Muslims to acknowledge Christmas: in “moderate” Indonesia, the nation’s top Muslim clerical body said that Muslims should not offer Christians greetings such as “Merry Christmas,” and that Muslims are forbidden from attending any Christmas celebrations. In Egypt, the Committee for Rights and Reform issued a similar fatwa, forbidding Muslims to congratulate Christians during Christmas. Even in the West, in Australia, the Lakemba Mosque issued a fatwa warning Muslims that it is a “sin” to wish people a Merry Christmas, because Christmas Day is among the “falsehoods that a Muslim should avoid … and therefore, a Muslim is neither allowed to celebrate the Christmas Day nor is he allowed to congratulate them [Christians].” Continue reading “Muslim Persecution of Christians: December, 2012 – Re-Blog” →

“Dhimmitude” – a word you should understand

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”). islam for dhimmis

“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.”)

This current post, however, was prompted by an article by Andrew G. Bostom posted on pjmedia.com, “Muhammad Morsi’s Islamic Jew-Hatred, Bernard Lewis’ Islamic Negationism” – asking the question: “Why do the media’s Middle East pundits ignore the Jew-hatred intrinsic to Islamic doctrine?”

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.

Continue reading ““Dhimmitude” – a word you should understand” →

Please Pray for Christians in Iraq – World Watch List #4

Peanut Gallery: Christian Persecution – Iraq – #4 (worldwatchlist.us)

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
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.

*Sargon & Leja – not their real names.

Country Video:

Marginalized – “Not Peace, But a Sword” – Re-Blog First Things

jerusalem-cross-lapel-pin
Jerusalem Cross

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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“Not Peace, But a Sword”

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.”

Unity is the president’s preferred weapon to divide and conquer. Continue reading “Marginalized – “Not Peace, But a Sword” – Re-Blog First Things” →