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A scary, not merry, Christmas for Christians in the Middle East

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A scary, not merry, Christmas for Christians in the Middle East

By Lela Gilbert

 

Published December 23, 2013

FoxNews.com

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Whether the words are “Merry Christmas” or the more politically correct “Happy Holidays,” late December merriment is a given in many parts of the Western world. Either in honor of Jesus’ birth or just because it’s a colorful, glittery season, warm-hearted toasts to friends and loved ones are in order.

And it’s not unusual to hear cautionary warnings here in the United States such as, “Be sure to remember the less fortunate during the holidays.” Or, in more concrete terms, “Your donation is the gift that keeps on giving.”

All of this makes perfect sense in Western countries, where there’s plenty to celebrate and plenty to share.

But what about the rest of the world? For example, what kind of Christmas can Christian communities in the Middle East expect – not only in the little town of Bethlehem, but beyond?

Apart from Israel, the region once known as the “Cradle of Christianity” is now comprised of Muslim-majority states.

In fact, in the lands of Judeo-Christian beginnings, the people representing those two pre-Islamic faiths are either dwindling or gone altogether. 850,000 Jews were expelled from their ancient homelands between 1948 and 1970. It is estimated that less than 50 Jews remain in Egypt, Iraq, Syria, Jordan and Lebanon combined.

And now Christians face the same fate.

In Egypt, the Middle Eastern country with the largest Christian population – at least 10 percent of the population – Christians are at great risk.

In August, at least seven Copts were killed and more than 200 churches and other Christian religious structures, homes and businesses assaulted in the worst attack on Copts since the 14thcentury. In October, Islamists on motorcycles opened fire on a Coptic wedding party, killing four, including two children. On December 18, a Christian husband and wife were assaulted by Muslim Brothers, who spotted a cross hanging from their car’s mirror.

Many believers who can flee Egypt are doing so; the rest are bracing themselves far continuing waves of violence.

In Syria, in a civil war that has killed more than 100,000, radicalized jihadis are increasingly targeting Christians. Earlier this month, 12 nuns from the village of Ma’alula were kidnapped; abductions, torture, mass killings and beheadings of Christians are reported frequently. An estimated 200,000 Christians have fled Syria; many are living in tents and recently faced days of sub-zero weather during a deadly winter storm.

In Iraq, Canon Andrew White, who is sometimes called the Vicar of Baghdad, reports that Christians are “frightened even to walk to church because they might come under attack. All the churches are targets… We used to have 1.5 million Christians, now we have probably only 200,000 left… There are more Iraqi Christians in Chicago than there are here.”

Meanwhile, an Iraqi imam declares that “wearing red Santa hats is the same as being converted to Christianity; this is a conversion ceremony introduced secretly by the Christians…” According to Sharia law, the imam’s statement is license to kill.

Christians in the Middle East may well celebrate the birth of Jesus with candlelight, prayers and good wishes. But an ever-deepening gloom has fallen, eclipsing festivities. Fear is pervasive, and the sudden demand to “convert or die” is a very real danger. Secular pundits have lamented this; Jewish historians have taken note.Even Britain’s Prince Charles has spoken out on behalf of Middle East Christians.

Yet, strange as it seems, there is little or no outcry from America's churches. Considering their deep roots in biblical history, you’d think they’d be paying closer attention.

A great champion for religious freedom, Congressman Frank Wolf (R-Va.) is well aware. He aptly observed, in remarks to the British Parliament, that today “…the Patriarch Abraham would have a difficult time surviving in Iraq. Jonah would be hard pressed to make it to Ninevah. And Paul could scarcely travel the road to Damascus.”

Along similar lines, British MP Sir Tony Baldry pointed out that nowadays, in the face of Herod’s edict against Bethlehem’s infants, Joseph would be ill-advised to flee to Egypt with his little family.

Jesus would not be safe in today’s Egypt or anywhere else in the region.

And neither are his followers.

Lela Gilbert is author of "Saturday People, Sunday People: Israel through the Eyes of a Christian Sojourner" and co-author, with Nina Shea and Paul Marshall, of "Persecuted: The Global Assault on Christians." She is an adjunct fellow at the Hudson Institute and lives in Jerusalem. For more, visit her website: www.lelagilbert.com.

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Osiris Newbie

Osiris

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This author sounds like she's never actually been to the Middle-East. In my 38 years of traveling there almost every year, the Coptic Church down the street from our apartment there has never been harassed or Ill-treated, the Coptic neighbors of my in-laws have a perfectly friendly relationship with them, and one of the main reasons that the Muslim Brotherhood has been ousted and is being driven underground is because of the shit they pull by inciting violence against Copts. Most Copts that i know say they love Egypt and it is there homeland.

 

Now let's introduce some balance to this discussion (click the link below for a pic the Obama haters will love)

 

Only in Egypt: muslims defending churches, Christians protecting mosques!

 

By Ali Al Sharnoby (Bio and Archives) Monday, August 19, 2013

 

Cairo, Egypt-After a long stressful day due to increasingly crazy events and ever changing news, I had to quickly return home before curfew, which the government imposed to reduce the chances of Muslim Brotherhood violence in the streets.

 

 

 

As I entered my home, I heard the bells of the nearby church ringing in a strange way. Next came screams and the sound of many gunshots. I t old my children to stay away from the balconies, and got ready to defend my family against any possible attack.

 

But my curiosity as a journalist kept on pushing me to get out and cover the story despite the risk because I know that journalists are most targeted by the Muslim Brotherhood gangs, even more so than police and army members, because they are present in an unmarked way with no badges or uniforms and work to uncover the facts of the Muslim Brotherhood to the public. The Brotherhood have already killed a dozen journalists and wounded many others.

 

Heading fast to the nearby church, I noticed many of my neighbors, both Muslims and Christians, carrying knives, sticks and like me, scurrying to the church where the sounds of gun shots had stopped. I saw man with a serious wound to is arm as his brothers put him into a car to go to the closest hospital.

 

Getting to the church, I had expected to see a large number of dead and injured people, and worried that the church would be torched. But thank God, I found only 3 wounded with minor injuries in the hand and the head, wounds that were the result of citizens fighting with Muslim Brotherhood members before people quickly converged on the church, forcing to Brotherhood to retreat and run away.

 

There were hundreds of Egyptians of all ages. All of them made it clear they were willing to kill Brotherhood members if they turned up again. About half of them were Muslims. A few Salafists, too, came to be with us as they live in the same neighborhood and refuse to attack the church. I heard a lot of dialogues between Christians and Muslims. I felt the warmth of real cohesion and unity against the new danger, and knew that there is no difference between our needs and destiny because everyone was there to protect the House of God.

 

I walked among the crowds and heard a Christian man say to a Muslim one: They want to make discord between us and they think we will fight each other because of what theyre doing. Let them come now to see how we stand united. They do not belong to any religion because they come to burn and destroy the House of God.

 

The Muslim man replied saying: My brother, we all know this, but even if this was your own home we will all defend it.

 

I was very impressed and touched when I saw them hugging and kissing each other after these words.

 

While we were standing about, an army tank came as the SOS citizens had requested help to protect the church. But when the Officer inside saw the crowds, he told us youre not in need for our protection now. You are doing well and they will not be able to come again as long as they see this crowd .. Everyone smiled when he left raising his hand in a victory sign.

 

A few moments later, some phone calls came to some of those present advising that the Brotherhood had attacked the nearby mosque, having despaired of coming back to the church. They threw stones at the mosque, shooting into the air to intimidate people inside.

 

I found young people of all ages making a beeline as straight as an arrow to the mosque. Many of them were Christians, and I saw in their eyes a determination for victory, while they were running to protect the mosque from the aggressors.

 

I remembered the defiant words of the Orthodox Pope, uttered the day before, when he told the Muslim Brotherhood and the extremists and terrorists with them: If you burn the churches we will pray with our brothers in the mosques, and if you burn the mosques, Muslims will pray with us in the church, and if you burn them both, were all going to pray together in the streets protecting each other.

 

I remembered the words of the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, when the Muslim Brotherhood started torching churches and attacking Christians. He announced that whosever does this is outside of the religion of Islam and all of us must fight him.

 

I discovered my neighbor, Munir Peter, who lives next door to me. We grew up together and got to be adults together. We used to eat and play in his house or my house, while his mother sat with my mom all day laughing and preparing food together. We never felt any differences and even after growing up, remain very good friends. I even have relatives and other Muslim friends in the same building, but when I need something, I do not ask any of them, I only ask this Christian neighbor. Even with his brother and other family relatives living in the building next to us, he does the same. When he needs anything, he requests it only from me and not any other.

 

I rushed over to him. He welcomed me among a gathering of young Christians and Muslims, and all of them know that the Muslim Brotherhood wants us to believe that if they burn churches and shops owned by Christians, the church and Copts will rise up and ask for external force to protect them, or will rise up with violence and set the whole country aflame.

 

Since the police and army forces broke up the Brotherhoods two sit-ins which they started after the dismissal and expulsion of Morsi, the Brotherhood and those who followed them burned about 40 churches, killed Copts and looted their shops. It should be important to note that moderate Muslims were not safe from their rampages either. They were also killed and their shops looted.

 

Brotherhood gangs randomly shot civilians without distinction between a Muslim or a Christian. They think they can terrorize Egyptians to allow Morsi and the Brotherhood back into power again!

 

Of course they are deluded because they are the first to know the impossibility of turning back the clock. Everyone is convinced that they are just a bunch of terrorists and fanatic nerds dressed in religious garb, growing their beards to fool the gullible and none-educated poor people.

 

http://canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/57297

 

Some images:

 

http://wp.patheos.com.s3.amazonaws.com/blogs/danpeterson/files/2013/08/BRmDegHCYAAiv7p.jpg

 

http://peacetour.org/sites/default/files/Egypt-CoptsProtectingMuslims_Feb3rd.jpg

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Osiris Newbie

Osiris

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The one that supposedly caused the Benghazi attack? LMAO. But no, it was actually a terror attack.

 

Err what does that have to do with this topic? That wasn't the point, the point was to balance the narrative of complete discord between Copts and Muslims with stories of unity between the groups.

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Kosar_For_President Newbie

Kosar_For_President

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Not to mention the mental torture and persecution of Christians in America now.

 

The gays in your face ALL THE TIME!

People saying Happy Holidays!

An aluminum pole!

 

Pretty much the same.

 

I get it now, why didn't I think of it sooner. Woody likes penis in his mouth. It makes sense now.

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