2013 to 2019: Religious persecution and harassment is of
worldwide concern (Cont'd). Books on this topic.
Recent media accounts about the persecution of
Christians.

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This topic is continued from the previous essay.

Guarantees of religious freedom throughout the world:

The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on 1966-DEC-16.

 

Article 18

1. Everyone shall have the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion. This right shall include freedom to have or to adopt a religion or belief of his choice, and freedom, either individually or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in worship, observance, practice and teaching.

2. No one shall be subject to coercion which would impair his freedom to have or to adopt a religion or belief of his choice.

3. Freedom to manifest one's religion or beliefs may be subject only to such limitations as are prescribed by law and are necessary to protect public safety, order, health, or morals or the fundamental rights and freedoms of others.

4. The States Parties to the present Covenant undertake to have respect for the liberty of parents and, when applicable, legal guardians to ensure the religious and moral education of their children in conformity with their own convictions.

 

Religious persecution and harassment is of worldwide concern (Cont'd).

In the U.S., attacks by the counter-cult movement, anti-cult movement, neo-Nazi groups, antisemites etc. continue to victimize Jews and followers of other small faith groups like Wiccans and other Neopagans. The rapid drop in public support of counter-cult and anti-cult groups lessened this persecution greatly during the 1990s. However, the number of hate groups in the U.S. has increased There is currently much concern by religious conservatives about restrictions on their religious freedom and liberty. However, in the vast majority of cases, it refers to the religious freedom of religious conservatives to denigrate, oppress and reduce the civil liberties of women and minorities -- particularly sexual minorities.

>None of us is truly free if someone, somewhere is being persecuted.

Books on the topic of persecution of Christians:

• Raymond Ibrahim, "Crucified Again: Exposing Islam's New War on Christians," Regnery Publishing, (2013). Available in Kindle and Hardcover formats.

Amazon.com review: "Raymond Ibrahim documents the persecution of Christians that is commonplace in Muslim countries; explains why the mainstream media has been so quiet on the topic; and argues powerfully for greater exposure and international outcry for this crisis. Raymond Ibrahim combines a thorough knowledge of the languages and texts of Islam with up-to-the-minute reports on recent incidences of persecution in a powerful account of a tragedy the mainstream media has largely chosen to ignore."

Read reviews or order this book safely from Amazon.com online book store

• Paul Marshall, et al, "Persecuted: The Global Assault on Christians," Thomas Nelson, 2013, Thomas Nelson, (2013). Available in Kindle and Paperback formats.

Amazon.com review: Many Americans do not understand that Christians today are victims in many parts of the world. Even many Western Christians, who worship and pray without fear of violent repercussions, are unaware that so many followers of Christ live under governments and among people who are often openly hostile to their faith. They think martyrdom became a rarity long ago.

Persecuted soundly refutes these assumptions. This book offers a glimpse at the modern-day life of Christians worldwide, recounting the ongoing attacks that rarely make international headlines.

As Western Christians pray for the future of Christ’s church, it is vital that they understand a large part of the world’s Christian believers live in danger. Persecuted gives documented accounts of the persecution of Christians in Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and former Soviet nations. It contains vivid stories of men and women who suffer abuse because of their faith in Jesus Christ, and tells of their perseverance and courage.

Read reviews or order this book safely from Amazon.com online book store

• Robert Spencer, "Muslim persecution of Christians," David Horowitz Freedom Center, (2011). Available only in Kindle format. An inexpensive, short book, 27 pages in length.

Amazon.com review: The popular image of the Crusades is of Christian warriors terrorizing and subjugating non-Christians. In the eyes of many radical Muslims and their Western allies, these Crusades are still going on in the new form of American “imperialism.” Muslim Persecution of Christians documents the falsification of history that justifies this view. It also describe the real “crusade” now taking place – the religious cleansing of Christians in Muslim lands. This persecution has dramatically increased worldwide in the last decade and is now worse than ever. From Egypt to Nigeria, from Iraq to Pakistan, Christians in majority-Muslim countries face a grimmer present and a more uncertain future than ever, as Islamic Jihadists step up their efforts of Islamize them or drive them out of their lands – or kill them outright.

Read reviews or order this book safely from Amazon.com online book store

2013-OCT to now: Recent news accounts on the persecution of Christians:

• 2013-OCT-20: The Church of the Virgin Marry near Cairo site of a massacre:

  The church was attacked while a wedding was in progress. Four Christians were killed and nearly two dozen wounded. Among those killed were two girls aged 12 and 8 years of age. The security group who had protected the church wee seen leaving shortly before the massacre began. In spite of numerous calls for police and ambulance support, they only arrived two hours after the shooting. ₁

• 2013-OCT-21: Largest massacre of Christians in Syria to date:

A group of US-supported Islamist rebels occupied Sadad, an ancient Christian settlement. During the one week occupation, the rebels killed 45 Christians including women and children. All of the 14 churches in Sadad were ransacked and destroyed, The bodies of six people in one family, aged 16 to 90 were found at the bottom of a well. ₁

• 2013-DEC-16: British cabinet minister discusses the persecution of Christians:

Baroness Sayeeda Warsi, a Muslim who was born of Pakistani parents delivered a speech at Georgetown University. She said:

"Across the world, people are being singled out and hounded out simply for the faith they hold…. [Middle Eastern Christians] are rooted in their societies, adopting and even shaping local customs. Yet ... [a] mass exodus is taking place, on a Biblical scale. In some places, there is real danger that Christianity will become extinct.”

Judge Ken Starr, president and chancellor of Baylor University, wrote:

"The silence of Western governments about this phenomenon and its primary cause – the rise of Islamist extremism – is at best short sighted. The Christian exodus represents not only a humanitarian crisis, but a looming national security problem for the West.

As Baroness Warsi notes, Christians have helped shape the cultures they are now fleeing. In Iraq, Syria, Egypt and elsewhere in the Middle East, Christian communities have lived and worked for almost two millennia. If they continue to exit the region, or if they continue to be persecuted and repressed, the increasingly thin chances that Middle Eastern countries will develop into stable, peaceful societies, free of violent religious extremism, will virtually disappear.

The very concept of freedom, including religious freedom, has ancient Christian roots. Contrary to popular perceptions, the precursors for modern ideas of liberty are rooted in Jewish scripture and the writings of early Christians such as St. Paul, Tertullian and Lactantius. Notions of universal human dignity and freedom were developed by Medieval scholastics and Protestant reformers, and were first codified in the American founding. In the late second and early third centuries, Tertullian became the first thinker in history to use the phrase “religious liberty,” and, furthermore, to argue that religious liberty is a human right belonging to all people regardless of class or creed. A hundred years after Tertullian’s invention of the concept, it formed the basis of the Edict of Milan of 313 [CE], which granted religious freedom to all sects throughout the Roman Empire.

Early Christians, such as the fourth-century Greek theologian Gregory of Nyssa, developed radical critiques of slavery and sexual coercion. In fact, according to Oklahoma historian Kyle Harpe, Gregory was the first person ever to have argued for the basic injustice of slavery. The same high view of human nature and freedom that inspired Gregory leads Coptic Christians in Egypt today to fight for the rights of all people in the current constitutional drafting process, including the rights of atheists. And it leads Christians in India – often joining with non-Christians – to battle against untouchability and the sexual enslavement of women and children.

Even the often-decried missionary activity of Christians in regions such as sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America has encouraged economic growth, female literacy – a key sign of a successful society – and, in some cases, democracy itself. National University of Singapore political scientist Robert Woodberry argues that Protestant missionaries catalyzed the global spread of religious liberty, mass education, mass printing, newspapers, voluntary organizations and colonial reforms, thereby creating the conditions that made stable democracy more likely. In fact, Woodberry draws on historical evidence and sophisticated statistical methods to prove that the presence of Protestant missionaries explains about half the progress toward democracy in Africa, Asia, Latin America and Oceania.

Of course, Christianity’s long story has been mixed. And other minorities also are subject to religious persecution around the world, including Muslims, Jews, Hindus and Buddhists. But the persecution and flight of Christians deserves far more attention than it is getting by Western governments. Baroness Warsi should be applauded for her courage in speaking out.

The United States in particular should mount an aggressive diplomatic initiative to convince Middle Eastern societies that they must protect their Christian communities, and ensure that they become equal citizens in both law and culture. If those societies fail in this critical task, the results could be catastrophic – for the Christians themselves, and for the great causes of global peace, freedom and justice for all people. ₂

• 2013-DEC-18: Charles, the Prince of Wales, highlights persecution of Christians in the Middle East:

Prince Charles and Prince Ghazi of Jordan, visited two churches in the UK which are linked to active Christian denominations in the Middle East. They were the Egyptian Coptic Church Centre in Stevenage and the Syriac Orthodox cathedral in west London. He heard stories of Christians being targeted and persecuted by Islamist militants in the Middle East. At a later reception at Clarence House, where the two royals met with Archbishop of Canterbury, Archbishop of Westminster, and the Chief Rabbi, Prince Charles said he felt deeply troubled by the plight of Christians. He said:

"For 20 years I have tried to build bridges between Islam and Christianity to dispel ignorance and misunderstanding. The point though, surely, is that we have now reached a crisis where bridges are rapidly being deliberately destroyed by those with a vested interest in doing so. This is achieved through intimidation, false accusation and organised persecution including to the Christian communities in the Middle East at the present time."

In Syria, Christians have been accused of supporting President Al-Assad. However, in reality, they have generally remained neutral. Still threats and active persecution have reached such a level that almost a third of Christians in Syria have fled the country. ₃

2018: Report on lack of religious freedom experienced by Christians in Iran:

Article 18

1. Everyone shall have the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion. This right shall include freedom to have or to adopt a religion or belief of his choice, and freedom, either individually or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in worship, observance, practice and teaching.

2. No one shall be subject to coercion which would impair his freedom to have or to adopt a religion or belief of his choice.

3. Freedom to manifest one's religion or beliefs may be subject only to such limitations as are prescribed by law and are necessary to protect public safety, order, health, or morals or the fundamental rights and freedoms of others.

4. The States Parties to the present Covenant undertake to have respect for the liberty of parents and, when applicable, legal guardians to ensure the religious and moral education of their children in conformity with their own convictions.

 

 

Related essay on this web site:

Response by the American public to persecutions of Christians

References used:

The following information sources were used to prepare and update the above essay. The hyperlinks are not necessarily still active today.

1. "Persecution report from across the Middle East," International Christian Concern, 2013-DEC-17, at: http://www.persecution.org/
2. Ken Starr, "No tolerance without Christianity," USA Today, 2013-DEC-16, at: http://www.usatoday.com
3. John McManus, "Christians persecuted by Islamists, says Prince Charles," BBC News, 2013-DEC-18, at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/
4. "International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights," United Nations, at: https://www.ohchr.org/

Copyright 2013 by Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance
Latest update: 2013-DEC-20
Author: B.A. Robinson

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