Christianity 'Close To Extinction' In Middle East

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Christianity 'Close To Extinction' In Middle East

Post: # 26392Unread post Gary Oak »

If they do succeed in cleansing these arab lands of Christians then I suspect that these lands will soon become so cursed and horrible that living there will be unbearable


Christianity 'Close To Extinction' In Middle East

http://www.telegraph.co.uk

Christianity faces being wiped out of the ?biblical heartlands? in the Middle East because of mounting persecution of worshippers, according to a new report.

The study warns that Christians suffer greater hostility across the world than any other religious group.

And it claims politicians have been ?blind? to the extent of violence faced by Christians in Africa, Asia and the Middle East.

The most common threat to Christians abroad is militant Islam, it says, claiming that oppression in Muslim countries is often ignored because of a fear that criticism will be seen as ?racism?.

It warns that converts from Islam face being killed in Saudi Arabia, Mauritania and Iran and risk severe legal penalties in other countries across the Middle East.

The report, by the think tank Civitas, says: ?It is generally accepted that many faith-based groups face discrimination or persecution to some degree.

"A far less widely grasped fact is that Christians are targeted more than any other body of believers.?

It cites estimates that 200 million Christians, or 10 per cent of Christians worldwide, are ?socially disadvantaged, harassed or actively oppressed for their beliefs.?

?Exposing and combating the problem ought in my view to be political priorities across large areas of the world. That this is not the case tells us much about a questionable hierarchy of victimhood,? says the author, Rupert Shortt, a journalist and visiting fellow of Blackfriars Hall, Oxford.

He adds: ?The blind spot displayed by governments and other influential players is causing them to squander a broader opportunity. Religious freedom is the canary in the mine for human rights generally.?

The report, entitled Christianophobia, highlights a fear among oppressive regimes that Christianity is a ?Western creed? which can be used to undermine them.

State hostility towards Christianity is particularly rife in China, where more Christians are imprisoned than in any other country in the world, according to the report.

It quotes Ma Hucheng, an advisor to the Chinese government, who claimed in an article last year that the US has backed the growth of the Protestant Church in China as a vehicle for political dissidence.

?Western powers, with America at their head, deliberately export Christianity to China and carry out all kinds of illegal evangelistic activities,? he wrote in the China Social Sciences Press.

?Their basic aim is to use Christianity to change the character of the regime...in China and overturn it,? he added.

The ?lion?s share? of persecution faced by Christians arises in countries where Islam is the dominant faith, the report says, quoting estimates that between a half and two-thirds of Christians in the Middle East have left the region or been killed in the past century.

?There is now a serious risk that Christianity will disappear from its biblical heartlands,? it claims.

The report shows that ?Muslim-majority? states make up 12 of the 20 countries judged to be ?unfree? on the grounds of religious tolerance by Freedom House, the human rights think tank.

It catalogues hundreds of attacks on Christians by religious fanatics over recent years, focusing on seven countries: Egypt, Iraq, Pakistan, Nigeria, India, Burma and China.

It claims George Bush?s use of the word ?crusade? after the September 11 attacks on New York created the impression for Muslims in the Middle East of a ?Christian assault on the Muslim world?.

?But however the motivation for violence is measured, the early twenty-first century has seen a steady rise in the strife endured by Christians,? the report says.

The 2003 invasion of Iraq left Iraqi Christians ?more vulnerable than ever?, highlighted by the 2006 beheading of a kidnapped Orthodox priest, Fr Boulos Iskander, and the kidnapping of 17 further priests and two bishops between 2006 and 2010.

?In most cases, those responsible declared that they wanted all Christians to be expelled from the country,? the report says.

In Pakistan, the murder last year of Shahbaz Bhatti, the country?s Catholic minister for minorities, ?vividly reflected? religious intolerance in Pakistan.

Shortly after his death it emerged that Mr Bhatti had recorded a video in which he declared: ?I am living for my community and for suffering people and I will die to defend their rights.

"I prefer to die for my principles and for the justice of my community rather than to compromise. I want to share that I believe in Jesus Christ, who has given his own life for us.?

The report also warns that Christians in India have faced years of violence from Hindu extremists. In 2010 scores of attacks on Christians and church property were carried out in Karnataka, a state in south west India.

And while many people are aware of the oppression faced in Burma by Aung San Suu Kyi and other pro-democracy activists, targeted abuse of Christians in the country has been given little exposure, the report says.

In some areas of Burma the government has clamped down on Christian protesters by restricting the building of new churches.

?Openly professing Christians employed in government service find it virtually impossible to get promotion,? it adds.


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Re: Christianity 'Close To Extinction' In Middle East

Post: # 26393Unread post Blue Frost »

Thanks to the world ignoring the slaughter of Christians by Muslims, and forced conversions . :angry:
Sick world when one group dies, and the other gets money for doing such things, and catered to by the UN . :angry:
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Re: Christianity 'Close To Extinction' In Middle East

Post: # 26408Unread post beanthere »

I don't think that the persecution of Christians over there spell extinction though. Historically speaking, when the Christians in a certain place are persecuted, the numbers grow albeit in underground churches. Not only that, but the Christians in places like that are far stronger spiritually speaking than those of us who don't face such persecution and their faith is beyond comparison. I bet the Christians in the middle East will come out of this like spiritual giants, and not afraid of anything.
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Re: Christianity 'Close To Extinction' In Middle East

Post: # 26410Unread post Blue Frost »

I find that the Coptic communities are really strong people, but can be extremely bold sometimes which isn't good sometimes.
I have a lot of respect for them, but they need to start using the media more like the Hamas Palestinians do.
The thing is though the Coptic's are not terrorist .
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Re: Christianity 'Close To Extinction' In Middle East

Post: # 26528Unread post Sharlee »

My sister-in-law is a coptic Christian, born and raised in Jordan. For an Islamic country, Jordan is fairly liberal, yet she and her family were still persecuted to some degree. They weren't eligible for scholarships despite being A students (her brother finished #1 in the entire country when he graduated), few employers were willing to hire them, her father's business kept being shut down for months at a time for no reason, every time they had to file their tax statements, they were audited and always ended up with huge tax assessments ... pretty mild stuff compared to other countries, but it still affected them. Almost all of the family has now immigrated to the US.
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Re: Christianity 'Close To Extinction' In Middle East

Post: # 26530Unread post Blue Frost »

I'm glad they are here Sharlee, I hope they can live a lot more happy here even with the garbage they might go through sometimes.
I bet they are successful here also, like I said strong people.
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Re: Christianity 'Close To Extinction' In Middle East

Post: # 26535Unread post Sharlee »

Incredible people! My sister-in-law is a chemist, 2 of her sisters are bank executives, one brother is a doctor and the other is in graduate school (can't recall what he's studying). They all speak at least 2 languages, with several speaking French as well as English and Arabic. They're truly incredible people and a credit to society.

As bean said, they didn't wilt under persecution, but their faith was strengthened.
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Re: Christianity 'Close To Extinction' In Middle East

Post: # 26543Unread post Blue Frost »

I admire them a lot, people like that make it good when they get away from the Islamic horror they are in.
If up to me I would have them all brought over here.
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Re: Christianity 'Close To Extinction' In Middle East

Post: # 27650Unread post Gary Oak »

Muslims whine about Palestinians however everywhere muslims are they tyrannise and oppress.


The Long Christian Winter

http://www.guardian.co.uk


The line about the American general meeting the Arab Christian isn't as familiar as it should be. "When did your family convert?" the general asked. "About 2,000 years ago," the Arab answered wryly.

The general's ignorance is widely shared. Take but one example from closer to home. Over-zealous teachers in London have recently been pulling Syrian Orthodox refugees out of school assemblies in London, on the basis that Arab children must by definition be Muslims.

The truth, of course, is that Christianity is an import from the Middle East, not an export to it. Christians have formed part of successive civilisations in the region for many centuries
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Saudi Arabia Declares Destruction Of All Churches In Country

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Saudi Arabia Declares Destruction Of All Churches In Country

http://www.christiantelegraph.com

Earlier this month news reports surfaced out of Saudi Arabia that raised the red flag for Christians, reports MNN.

Todd Nettleton, a spokesman for the Voice of the Martyrs USA, says, "The Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia--the top Islamic official in the country of Saudi Arabia--has declared that it is "necessary to destroy all the churches of the region.'"

Nettleton goes on to note that the report hasn't surfaced anywhere except on the Council on Foreign Relations Web site, which was then picked up by The Atlantic.

Ranked second on the Open Doors World Watch List (a compilation of the 50 countries where persecution of Christians is the most severe), the news is not really a surprise. There is no provision for religious freedom in the constitution of this Islamic kingdom.

All citizens must adhere to Islam, and conversion to another religion is punishable by death. Public Christian worship is forbidden; worshipers risk imprisonment, lashing, deportation, and torture.

Evangelizing Muslims and distributing non-Islamic materials is illegal. Muslims who convert to Christianity risk honor killings and foreign Christian workers have been exposed to abuse from employers.

Sheikh Abdul Aziz bin Abdullah, the Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia, created an implication with his assertion. Nettleton explains, "This was in a meeting with Kuwaiti officials who came to Saudi Arabia.

They were asking this Islamic official
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Re: Christianity 'Close To Extinction' In Middle East

Post: # 39007Unread post Blue Frost »

The church isn't a building, and the worst thing they can do is drive it underground.
I do wish we had a more friendly Christian government here, if anyone deserved a new home many of them do from the tormented hell they live in.

I would think that every christian in our courtiers should know this, and boycott Saudi oil.
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Muslim Militants Turn Nigeria Into Christian Killing Field

Post: # 43698Unread post Gary Oak »

Are moo slimes capable of not being evil ?

Muslim Militants Turn Nigeria Into Christian Killing Field

http://www.cbn.com
Last year more Christians were killed in Nigeria than any other country. The onslaught of bombings gave Nigeria the sad distinction of being the nation with the highest Christian death toll.

More than 900 Christians reportedly were killed in Nigeria in 2012, all victims of the Boko Haram group and other Islamic militants.

"They are so radical they don't even spare Muslims. If Muslims are sympathetic to any cause at all...if they are sympathetic to the Christians cause, or the minorities cause, they are also termed as infidels," Mark Lipdo, program coordinator for the Stefanos Foundation, said.

In 2013, radicals have killed more than 120 Nigerians, most of them Christians.

Gregory Lar, an international human rights attorney, said, "It is happening at this time because it appears there is a new resurgence, a new Islamic awareness in the need to propagate their religion."

The new wave of violence has caused various groups in Southern Nigeria to take up arms. They are determined to protect Christians.

Attorney Emmanuel Ogebe warns the country may be on the brink of broader conflict.

"Because of the massive Christian Muslim population in Nigeria, there is no country on Earth that is as rich and as ready for a religious war. All the elements, all of the ingredients are there," he said.

Ogebe's spoke at a recent conference sponsored by the Washington, D.C.-based Jubilee Campaign. Some panelists criticized the U.S. State Department's reluctance to blame the violence in Nigeria on Islamic extremism.

"The route they are taking is dangerous. It's against American interests and it is not positive. It's not sensible. The ultimate aim of this extremism--it's not just to wipe out Christians. It will hit back here ultimately," Ogebe argued.

For years, Islamic militants limited their attacks on Christians to the 12 northern Nigerian states where Shariah law is in place.

Now, they are pressing into central and southern states where Christians are in the majority.

World Magazine reporter Mindy Belz said the pattern is all too familiar.

"We've seen it happening in Sudan, we've seen it in Mali, we've seen it in parts of the Middle East and other parts of North Africa. When that happens what is growing up in there are also the seeds of terrorism that is targeting the West."

So, what is the solution to stop the attacks against Christians and others?

Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan has proposed a possible amnesty for Boko Haram terrorists, but Lipdo said amnesty would be a mistake.

"It goes to say that the government must have to succumb to the pressure of terror and then we see that it will go into reward for the perpetrator to continue to carry out his carnage. That is wrong," he said.

"The problem has gone beyond Nigeria alone," Lar said. "It actually has it's roots in Mali and Libya. So, even if the Nigeria situation is well contained and the borders are not secure, you have not solved the problem,"

It seems the future is dismal for Christian in Nigeria, but Lipdo suggests Christians united in prayer can make a difference.

"What we see is disunity that has taken on the Church, so the voiceless are not being represented," Lipdo said. "If we look to the person of Christ and avoid all these differences and come together, we will be able to give a voice to the voiceless and that is what we are called to do."

Read more at http://www.prophecynewswatch.com/2013/M ... 5Swpl3x.99
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Re: Christianity 'Close To Extinction' In Middle East

Post: # 43714Unread post Blue Frost »

Yet the media ignores it on mass, you can find it online, but where is it on TV.
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Re: Christianity 'Close To Extinction' In Middle East

Post: # 58087Unread post Gary Oak »

Muslims certainly are consistant.............consistantly evil that is


For Arab World's Christians, An Uncertain Fate

http://www.npr.org


As Egypt plunges into unrest amid the military-backed government's crackdown on demonstrators, the country's Christian minority has been targeted by Islamic extremists.

Dozens of churches have been burned, ransacked and looted since the government began fighting against supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood and ousted President Mohammed Morsi two weeks ago.

Video posted on YouTube shows the streets of the city of Minya, 190 miles south of Cairo, by night, an orange glow in the sky. The video shows flames bursting from the arched windows of a Coptic Christian church. Young men toss wooden boards and rocks at the facade.

Activists and human rights groups say this scene has played out dozens of times around the country, where Christians make up approximately 10 percent of the population.

The Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights, an Egyptian human rights group, has documented attacks on at least 45 churches this summer. Eight schools were also attacked, along with two charities and at least one orphanage.

"Burning our churches, killing our brothers and sisters and looting our shops and our stores," says Mina Thabet, an engineer and activist with the Coptic Christian group Maspero Youth Union, tells Jacki Lyden, host of weekends on All Things Considered, from Cairo. "I have seen the real meaning of hate."

That hate, he says, has come from the Muslim Brotherhood and extremist Islamic groups. He also blames the government for failing to provide security. Thabet and other Christians are worried.

"I feel not safe now, but I have hope. I have hope, and I think there will be a chance to rebuild," Thabet says. "And we will not leave our country. We will live here, and we will die here."

Uncertain Future

The experience of Christians in Egypt is not unique to that country. Christians make up small but significant minorities in several countries in the region.

"The Coptic Christian community in Egypt predates the coming of the Arabs and Islam. Or the Christian community in Iraq goes back to the earliest times of Christianity," says John Esposito, director of the Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding at Georgetown University.

"And so ... their forms of Christianity are actually older than, for example, Protestant religious traditions."

He says the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003 and the revolutions of the Arab Spring have brought open sectarian conflict.

"Historically, when European colonialism came to the Arab world, they were often seen as European Christian powers that came and conquered, bringing the Christian faith," Esposito says. "And so if you will, the centuries-long Christians that were already been living there were often brush-stroked by that association with Christianity."

In addition, Esposito says Syria's Assad regime and Iraq's Saddam Hussein used their relationship with these communities in exchange for support.

In Iraq, the indigenous Christian population "lived within Saddam's Iraq and, relatively speaking, had religious freedom, access to education and lived in relatively good relations and peace with their Muslim neighbors," Esposito says. "With the invasion of Iraq and its occupation, and then the growing militancy in that post-period between Sunni and Shia militants, Christians got caught in a crossfire."

The resulting anti-Christian sentiment sparked killings and bombings of churches and an exodus of Iraqi Christians, he says.

Many of these Christians went to northern Iraq as well as Syria. Recently, there has been news of attacks on churches and kidnappings of clergy members in Syria.

"The influx of Christians from Iraq has affected Syrian Christians from the time of the uprising in Syria because Syrian Christians, when they saw the Iraqis coming in, their great fear was that any kind of overthrow of the government would mean they'd suffer the same kind of consequences as occurred in Iraq," Esposito says. "And indeed, as we've seen more militant groups coming into Syria to fight, they have in fact targeted Christians."

Esposito says the fate of Christians in the Middle East will vary by country.

"I think that the jury is really out on Iraq. We have seen significant numbers flee Iraq. I think the same situation is faced by many Christians in Syria," he says. "This is a watershed moment in terms of the issue of democracy, rights for all people regardless of their religion. ... For people who are minorities, vis a vis the powers that be, they face a very tough time."
Read more at http://www.prophecynewswatch.com/2013/S ... h36Rh6A.99
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Re: Christianity 'Close To Extinction' In Middle East

Post: # 58089Unread post Blue Frost »

Been a lot as of late with the Brotherhood in power, and even after tossed out.
The people Obama just loves is the worst of the worst.
I wish I was President, I would let the Coptic Christians migrate here before I would the brutal Islamist. Any Christian is in danger over there.
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Rebels Dismember Christian Girls Live

Post: # 58474Unread post Gary Oak »

http://beforeitsnews.com/middle-east/20 ... 54178.html

Shouldn't the USA be helping Assad slaughter these scum of the earth ?
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Re: Christianity 'Close To Extinction' In Middle East

Post: # 58475Unread post Blue Frost »

:angry: Yes he should be helping the dictator this time, because the terrorist are the ones wanting power.
Obama wants the nasty people in power, it's a guarantee of future war, and conflict.
Obama should be in prison, or shot for supporting terrorist, McCain, and a lot more also.
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Re: Christianity 'Close To Extinction' In Middle East

Post: # 58634Unread post Gary Oak »

http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Peace/2013 ... ria-rebels

It does seem that once again the USA is on the wrong side. I do believe that this is about taking down another leader who actually is the leader of his nation and they want Syria run by a shadow government
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Re: Christianity 'Close To Extinction' In Middle East

Post: # 58636Unread post Blue Frost »

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Our Afghan Allies In Action

Post: # 58642Unread post Gary Oak »

Another Product Of US Intervention
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