Tag: Syria

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” →

Muslim Persecution of Christians: November, 2012 (Re-Blog)

Peanut Gallery: Persecution of Christians is wide-spread around the world… the most egregious country being North Korea, as documented by the Open Doors World Watch List. I am  highlighting one country each Monday here on the Peanut Gallery.

Muslim Persecution of Christians is more focused – documenting accounts of Christian persecution in the Muslim world on a monthly basis. I have cross referenced the countries cited in the Open Doors World Watch List. The same bad actors keep showing up wherever Christians are being persecuted. Each of the accounts are documented in the original post… they are too numerous to include here.

I encourage you to read through these accounts – here or at the original post. It is sobering, to say the least. Please pray for those whom God places on your heart.

Muslim Persecution of Christians – About This Series.

Because the persecution of Christians in the Islamic world is on its way to reaching pandemic proportions, “Muslim Persecution of Christians” was developed to collate some—by no means all—of the instances of persecution that surface each month.

It serves two purposes:

  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.

Accordingly, whatever the anecdote of persecution, it typically fits under a specific theme, including hatred for churches and other Christian symbols; sexual abuse of Christian women; forced conversions to Islam; apostasy and blasphemy laws that criminalize and punish with death those who “offend” Islam; theft and plunder in lieu of jizya (financial tribute expected from non-Muslims); overall expectations for Christians to behave like dhimmis, or second-class, “tolerated” citizens; and simple violence and murder. Sometimes it is a combination.

Because these accounts of persecution span different ethnicities, languages, and locales—from Morocco in the West, to India in the East, and throughout the West wherever there are Muslims—it should be clear that one thing alone binds them: Islam—whether the strict application of Islamic Sharia law, or the supremacist culture born of it.

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Muslim Persecution of Christians: November, 2012

by findalis, maggiesnotebook.com

Christian-PersecutionReports of Christian persecution by Muslims around the world during the month of November include (but are not limited to) the following accounts. They are listed by form of persecution, and in country alphabetical order, not necessarily according to severity:

Church Attacks

Egypt: Following Friday afternoon prayers in northern Cairo, Salafi Muslims went to the construction site of a Coptic Orthodox Church service center, hanging a sign that read, “Masjed El Rahman,” or “Mosque of the Merciful.” They claimed that the church did not have the necessary permits to exist, even though local officials confirmed the church did have them. The Salafis occupied the construction center for some 24 hours. One of them reportedly said: “We have a small mosque at the end of the street and the presence of a church here will offend us.” Continue reading “Muslim Persecution of Christians: November, 2012 (Re-Blog)” →

Please pray for Christian refugees from Syria in Lebanon

Peanut Gallery: Please continue to pray for displaced Syrian Christians… now finding refuge in Lebanon. The article below tells their story.

“Keep on loving each other as brothers and sisters. Don’t forget to show hospitality to strangers, for some who have done this have entertained angels without realizing it! Remember those in prison, as if you were there yourself. Remember also those being mistreated, as if you felt their pain in your own bodies.” Hebrews 13.1-3 NLT


Prayer: Lord Jesus, give me the same compassion that you feel for strangers and refugees close to me… or far away. I remember especially today refugees from Syria. Use your people to feed them, clothe them, shelter them… and above all to love them. I ask it in your name.

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Bishop Expects Massive Influx Of Christian Refugees From Syria, Lebanon

Thursday, October 25, 2012 – By BosNewsLife Middle East Service
with additional reporting by BosNewsLife’s Stefan J. Bos

BEIRUT, LEBANON (BosNewsLife)– The Bishop responsible for Maronite Christians in Europe warned the Western world Thursday, October 25, that recent deadly attacks in Christian districts of Beirut and Damascus could “unleash” a massive “new wave” of Christian refugees.

Bishop Maroun Nasser GemayelIn remarks published by the ‘Aid to the Church in Need’ (ACN) group, Bishop Maroun Nasser Gemayel said Christians in the Middle East were longing for freedom and security and could therefore “be tempted to emigrate” to Europe or the United States, “despite their great love of their homeland.”

Bishop Gemayel said the situation in Syria’s capital Damascus already was dramatic, and “now many, including those in [Lebanon’s capital] Beirut, will believe that they can no longer live in safety even in the Christian quarters” despite their “great love of their homeland.”

Anti-Christian attacks last Friday, October 19 in Beirut and on Sunday, October 21, in Syria’s capital Damascus killed Continue reading “Please pray for Christian refugees from Syria in Lebanon” →

Please pray for Syrian believers – Day 7

Peanut Gallery: My people are hurting….” writes a Syrian Pastor.

  • “I can cry like Nehemiah because the walls of our cities are burnt and the people in great trouble and disgrace,
  • I can weep like Jeremiah because of the intensity and the spread of evil,
  • I can mourn like David because of the indiscriminate brutal killing of innocent people, children, women, elderly, youth subject to shelling or under the rubble of their homes.
  • Neither fighting party is the true mother of this child, this country. Their worship of the idol of power and their desire to win is too cruel to care for the child they claim that they are fighting for.
  • Innocent people are paying the heavy toll of this evil. It is gloomy, sad and painful.
  • The only good news is that the church is moving whole-heartedly to help relieve some of the suffering, and the Lord is surely opening hearts to receive the gospel.”

“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. 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. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.”
Ephesians 6.10-13 ESV

Please pray for Syrian believers: 

  1. For peace in the country and an end to the bloodshed. For God’s rich mercies on the suffering people.
  2. For the safety and protection of the churches, keeping the church’s faithful witness.
  3. Wisdom and vision for church leaders.
  4. For the glory of the living God to dwell in the Church.
  5. To empower the Church to reach out to the suffering, to share the divine cure of the gospel, and to speak the word of the Lord in all boldness.
  6. That the evil powers of darkness will be defeated in our land.
  7. That the values of false religion will be exposed for what they are and despised and rejected by many.
  8. For many souls to come to know the love and forgiveness of Christ and to enjoy His saving grace.
  9. That the Lord would send wise, God-fearing counselors to the decision-makers in all parties in the country.

He writes: “It was much unexpected turmoil. Not even in our wildest dreams did we imagine the violence that is sweeping across the country now. For many years Syria enjoyed peace and stability in the heart of the unstable Middle East. We were a safe haven for our neighbors. We received displaced people and refugees from other countries like Palestine, Lebanon, Iraq, Sudan, and even from Somalia and other far away areas.” 

Christians in Syria had a relative degree of freedom and security in Syrian society (compared with other Middle Eastern Countries) until the onset of civil war. (Wikipedia)

“Yet now the violence pushed the host people out of their homes, fleeing for their lives. Many are displaced internally and many others are external refugees living in the most humiliating circumstances, deprived of even shelter , clean water, power, food, and medical care. Millions are not sleeping in their own beds, forced out of their homes to find themselves with their children homeless and living in public parks or in the wilderness. Others are not sure if they or their children and loved ones will see the light of a new day, tens of thousands of families lost loved ones: a child, a father, a mother, or a husband. Hundreds of the injured died for lack of medical care. Thousands of children go to bed terrified of the sound of shelling. Hundreds of thousands are in camps in neighboring countries….”   

The civil war changed everything – causing massive displacements of innocent people all over the country (1.5 million by UN estimates) … death and mayhem have become the norm… and many people are trying to leave causing a major refugee problem both within Syria and in the bordering countries of Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey, and Iraqi Kurdistan. (Wikipedia)

Thank you: “We deeply appreciate the prayers of God’s people everywhere; it is a rare time where the Church in Syria is feeling the true oneness of the body of Christ all over the globe.  For this, we thank the Lord, for it is a great encouragement to us.” (With love, from Syria.)

Please pray for Syrian believers – Day 6

Peanut Gallery: How do Christians survive as minorities in Islamic countries? Not easily… although in Syria, Christians have enjoyed relative freedom and autonomy and have integrated well into Syrian life.

“Remind the people to be subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready to do whatever is good, to slander no one, to be peaceable and considerate, and always to be gentle toward everyone.” Titus 3.1-2 NIV

But the Sectarian Civil War  (pitting ruling Alawites against opposition Sunni Muslims) have caught Christians in the crossfire… and everything has changed. How to respond?

In this crisis, Syrian Christians have adopted this motto of a Lebanese pastor who lived through the heat of the civil war in his country –

Our loyalty is to Christ, Our submission is to the laws of the land, and Our love is to all. (With love from Syria….)

“In May 2011, International Christian Concern indicated that Christians in Syria were more afraid of the anti-government protesters than of the government itself, because under the Syrian Assad government there has been tolerance towards religious minorities.” (Wikipedia)

Please join me in prayer: “My people are hurting….”

  • For peace in the country and an end to the bloodshed.
  • For God’s rich mercies on the suffering people.
  • For the safety and protection of the churches, keeping the church’s faithful witness.
  • For wisdom and vision for church leaders.
  • For the glory of the living God to dwell in the Church.
  • To empower the Church to reach out to the suffering, to share the divine cure of the gospel, and to speak the word of the Lord in all boldness.
  • That the evil powers of darkness will be defeated in our land.
  • That the values of false religion will be exposed for what they are and despised and rejected by many.
  • For many souls to come to know the love and forgiveness of Christ and to enjoy His saving grace.
  • That the Lord would send wise, God-fearing counselors to the decision-makers in all parties in the country.