Crucified Again: Exposing Islam's New War on Christians (40 page)
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Authors: Raymond Ibrahim
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In other words, the West must learn to connect the dots and understand the interconnectivity of Islam, which has been a major theme of this book. The fundamental reason for Muslim hostility to Christians is that they are non-Muslims,
infidels
, and Islam’s Sharia—its way—calls for subjugating
all
infidels. To ignore this fact, or, worse, to empower Islam—whether through mainstream media dissembling or Western policies in support of the “Arab Spring”—is not only to perpetuate the sufferings of Christians and others under Islam. It is also to prepare the way for the West’s own demise. Islamists around the word are still working to fulfill the Muslim mission that began nearly 1,400 years ago: global hegemony. As a Christian patriarch in Syria put it, after pointing out that the slaughter and displacement of Syria’s Christian population is the work of jihadis, “The jihadis will not stop here, the war will spread to Europe
.
What will England be like in ten or 15 years?”
63
Indeed, the Islamic jihad knows no bounds, nor is it a respecter of anything or anyone non-Islamic.
infidels
, and Islam’s Sharia—its way—calls for subjugating
all
infidels. To ignore this fact, or, worse, to empower Islam—whether through mainstream media dissembling or Western policies in support of the “Arab Spring”—is not only to perpetuate the sufferings of Christians and others under Islam. It is also to prepare the way for the West’s own demise. Islamists around the word are still working to fulfill the Muslim mission that began nearly 1,400 years ago: global hegemony. As a Christian patriarch in Syria put it, after pointing out that the slaughter and displacement of Syria’s Christian population is the work of jihadis, “The jihadis will not stop here, the war will spread to Europe
.
What will England be like in ten or 15 years?”
63
Indeed, the Islamic jihad knows no bounds, nor is it a respecter of anything or anyone non-Islamic.
The return of the persecution of Christians under Islam is the most visible aspect of a larger and more dangerous phenomenon: the return of Islam as a global force. The West ignores those being crucified again at its own peril—bringing to memory the words of German pastor Martin Niemoller, who came to understand—but only after being sent to a concentration camp during World War II—what it meant to face a totalitarian ideology hostile to all who reject it:
First they [the Nazis] came for the communists, and I didn’t speak out because I wasn’t a communist. Then they came for the socialists, and I didn’t speak out because I wasn’t a socialist. Then they came for the trade unionists, and I didn’t speak out because I wasn’t a trade unionist. Then they came for the Jews, and I didn’t speak out because I wasn’t a Jew. Then they came for the Catholics, and I didn’t speak out because I wasn’t a Catholic. Then they came for me, and there was no one left to speak for me.
NOTES
1
Many top officials from the Coptic Orthodox Church assert unequivocally that there are more than 16 million Copts in Egypt (without counting the many secret apostates or non-Coptic Christians). Recently, human rights activist Naguib Ghobrial insisted that there are 16.5 million Copts in Egypt and an additional 3 million Copts living abroad—and that the Coptic Church has all the necessary documentation to prove these figures. Ghobrial was responding to the Egyptian government’s minimizing the Coptic population of Egypt, claiming there are only 3 million Copts in the country in order to justify their lack of representation in the government. Arabic-language video of the interview, “Ghobrial: Number of Copts in Egypt is 6 ½ Million” (translation by the author) is available at wafd-news, September 27, 2012,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SqQ0EZ9e0nI
.
Many top officials from the Coptic Orthodox Church assert unequivocally that there are more than 16 million Copts in Egypt (without counting the many secret apostates or non-Coptic Christians). Recently, human rights activist Naguib Ghobrial insisted that there are 16.5 million Copts in Egypt and an additional 3 million Copts living abroad—and that the Coptic Church has all the necessary documentation to prove these figures. Ghobrial was responding to the Egyptian government’s minimizing the Coptic population of Egypt, claiming there are only 3 million Copts in the country in order to justify their lack of representation in the government. Arabic-language video of the interview, “Ghobrial: Number of Copts in Egypt is 6 ½ Million” (translation by the author) is available at wafd-news, September 27, 2012,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SqQ0EZ9e0nI
.
2
Raymond Ibrahim, “Saudi Grand Mufti Calls for ‘Destruction of All Churches in Region,’” Jihad Watch, March 14, 2012,
http://www.jihadwatch.org/2012/03/raymond-ibrahim-saudi-grand-mufti-calls-for-destruction-of-all-churches-in-region.html
.
PART ONE: LOST HISTORYRaymond Ibrahim, “Saudi Grand Mufti Calls for ‘Destruction of All Churches in Region,’” Jihad Watch, March 14, 2012,
http://www.jihadwatch.org/2012/03/raymond-ibrahim-saudi-grand-mufti-calls-for-destruction-of-all-churches-in-region.html
.
1
Tom Heneghan, “About 100 million Christians persecuted around the world: report,” Reuters, January 8, 2012,
http://in.reuters.com/article/2013/01/08/us-religion-christianity-persecution-idINBRE9070TB20130108
.
Tom Heneghan, “About 100 million Christians persecuted around the world: report,” Reuters, January 8, 2012,
http://in.reuters.com/article/2013/01/08/us-religion-christianity-persecution-idINBRE9070TB20130108
.
2
“200 million Christians in 60 countries subject to persecution,” Catholic News Agency, June 19, 2007,
http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/200_million_christians_in_60_countries_subject_to_persecution/
.
“200 million Christians in 60 countries subject to persecution,” Catholic News Agency, June 19, 2007,
http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/200_million_christians_in_60_countries_subject_to_persecution/
.
3
“SOCIOLOGIST: EVERY 5 MINUTES A CHRISTIAN IS MARTYRED,”
ZENIT
, June 3, 2011,
http://www.zenit.org/rssenglish-32747
.
“SOCIOLOGIST: EVERY 5 MINUTES A CHRISTIAN IS MARTYRED,”
ZENIT
, June 3, 2011,
http://www.zenit.org/rssenglish-32747
.
4
See 2013 World Watch List,
http://www.worldwatchlist.us/
.
See 2013 World Watch List,
http://www.worldwatchlist.us/
.
5
The word itself is etymologically connected to the meaning of “way” or “path.” For example, the Arabic word for “street” or “roadway” is
shaar‘
.
The word itself is etymologically connected to the meaning of “way” or “path.” For example, the Arabic word for “street” or “roadway” is
shaar‘
.
6
Islam’s military prowess began to wane in the late sixteenth century, especially after the Christian victory against the Turks at the Battle of Lepanto, but general Muslim confidence in the might of Islam was not humbled until the nineteenth century. After all, there was no Internet to disseminate the news of Lepanto.
Islam’s military prowess began to wane in the late sixteenth century, especially after the Christian victory against the Turks at the Battle of Lepanto, but general Muslim confidence in the might of Islam was not humbled until the nineteenth century. After all, there was no Internet to disseminate the news of Lepanto.
7
Henri Pirenne,
Mohammed and Charlemagne
(London: George Allen & Unwin Ltd, 1939), 166.
Henri Pirenne,
Mohammed and Charlemagne
(London: George Allen & Unwin Ltd, 1939), 166.
8
Ibid., 9, 185.
Ibid., 9, 185.
9
Bernard Lewis,
From Babel to Dragomans: Interpreting the Middle East
(Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2004), 126.
Bernard Lewis,
From Babel to Dragomans: Interpreting the Middle East
(Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2004), 126.
10
Of course, one may argue—as Islam’s apologists habitually do—that the Crusades were the first successful “imperialistic” venture to conquer Muslim lands. However, the Crusades did not impress the power of the West on the Islamic world as the events of the colonial era did. During the Crusades, only one small strip of land including Jerusalem was held by the Christians for any lengthy period of time (two centuries), whereas during the colonial era, practically the entire Muslim world, from Morocco to Indonesia, was subjugated by European powers.
Of course, one may argue—as Islam’s apologists habitually do—that the Crusades were the first successful “imperialistic” venture to conquer Muslim lands. However, the Crusades did not impress the power of the West on the Islamic world as the events of the colonial era did. During the Crusades, only one small strip of land including Jerusalem was held by the Christians for any lengthy period of time (two centuries), whereas during the colonial era, practically the entire Muslim world, from Morocco to Indonesia, was subjugated by European powers.
11
Theodore Hall Patrick,
Traditional Egyptian Christianity: A History of the Coptic Orthodox Church
(Greensboro: Fisher Park Press, 1996), 120.
Theodore Hall Patrick,
Traditional Egyptian Christianity: A History of the Coptic Orthodox Church
(Greensboro: Fisher Park Press, 1996), 120.
12
Transcript of Osama bin Laden Tape, ABC News, December 13, 2001,
http://www.globalresearch.ca/articles/BIN112A.html
.
Transcript of Osama bin Laden Tape, ABC News, December 13, 2001,
http://www.globalresearch.ca/articles/BIN112A.html
.
13
Sacrosanct because the Koran is written in Arabic, the celestial language of Allah and the angels.
Sacrosanct because the Koran is written in Arabic, the celestial language of Allah and the angels.
14
Raymond Ibrahim, “Lessons on the Long Road to Hijab,” Raymond Ibrahim: Islam Translated, December 28, 2011,
http://www.raymondibrahim.com/from-the-arab-world/lessons-on-the-long-road-to-hijab/
.
Raymond Ibrahim, “Lessons on the Long Road to Hijab,” Raymond Ibrahim: Islam Translated, December 28, 2011,
http://www.raymondibrahim.com/from-the-arab-world/lessons-on-the-long-road-to-hijab/
.
15
And even those who wore it, mostly rural women—in all civilizations, it is the rural folk who are most resistant to outside change—wore it for traditional reasons, not as a show of compliance to Islam.
And even those who wore it, mostly rural women—in all civilizations, it is the rural folk who are most resistant to outside change—wore it for traditional reasons, not as a show of compliance to Islam.
16
Bat Ye’or,
The Decline of Eastern Christianity under Islam: From Jihad to Dhimmitude
(Cranbury: Associated University Presses, 2010), 167.
Bat Ye’or,
The Decline of Eastern Christianity under Islam: From Jihad to Dhimmitude
(Cranbury: Associated University Presses, 2010), 167.
17
Samuel M. Zwemer,
The Law of Apostasy in Islam: Answering the Question Why There are So Few Moslem Converts, and Giving Examples of Their Moral Courage and Martyrdom
(London: Marshall Brothers, 1916), 157.
Samuel M. Zwemer,
The Law of Apostasy in Islam: Answering the Question Why There are So Few Moslem Converts, and Giving Examples of Their Moral Courage and Martyrdom
(London: Marshall Brothers, 1916), 157.
18
Theodore Hall Patrick,
Traditional Egyptian Christianity: A History of the Coptic Orthodox Church
(Greensboro: Fisher Park Press, 1996), 134.
Theodore Hall Patrick,
Traditional Egyptian Christianity: A History of the Coptic Orthodox Church
(Greensboro: Fisher Park Press, 1996), 134.
19
Ibid., 20, 148.
Ibid., 20, 148.
20
Keith Roderick, “What Will the Wise Men Bring to Bethlehem,” National Review Online, December 20, 2006,
http://www.nationalreview.com/articles/219529/what-will-wise-men-bring-bethlehem/keith-roderick
.
Keith Roderick, “What Will the Wise Men Bring to Bethlehem,” National Review Online, December 20, 2006,
http://www.nationalreview.com/articles/219529/what-will-wise-men-bring-bethlehem/keith-roderick
.
21
Luiza Oleszczuk, “Christians could disappear from Iraq and Afghanistan,”
Christian Post
, December 30, 2011,
http://in.christiantoday.com/articles/christians-could-disappear-from-iraq-and-afghanistan/6919.htm
Luiza Oleszczuk, “Christians could disappear from Iraq and Afghanistan,”
Christian Post
, December 30, 2011,
http://in.christiantoday.com/articles/christians-could-disappear-from-iraq-and-afghanistan/6919.htm
22
Such as Hassan al-Bana, the Egyptian who founded the Muslim Brotherhood—today the world’s largest and most influential Islamic organization—back in 1928.
Such as Hassan al-Bana, the Egyptian who founded the Muslim Brotherhood—today the world’s largest and most influential Islamic organization—back in 1928.
23
“NASA Chief: Next Frontier Better Relations With Muslim World,” Fox News, July 5, 2010,
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/07/05/nasa-chief-frontier-better-relations-muslims/
.
“NASA Chief: Next Frontier Better Relations With Muslim World,” Fox News, July 5, 2010,
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/07/05/nasa-chief-frontier-better-relations-muslims/
.
24
Tawfik Hamid,
Inside Jihad: Understanding and Confronting Radical Islam
(Top Executive Media, 2006), 178.
Tawfik Hamid,
Inside Jihad: Understanding and Confronting Radical Islam
(Top Executive Media, 2006), 178.
25
Patrick,
Traditional Egyptian Christianity
, 148.
Patrick,
Traditional Egyptian Christianity
, 148.
26
David Bukay, “Peace or Jihad? Abrogation in Islam,”
Middle East Quarterly
XIV, no. 4 (2007): 3–11,
http://www.meforum.org/1754/peace-or-jihad-abrogation-in-islam
.
David Bukay, “Peace or Jihad? Abrogation in Islam,”
Middle East Quarterly
XIV, no. 4 (2007): 3–11,
http://www.meforum.org/1754/peace-or-jihad-abrogation-in-islam
.
27
“Sahih Muslim Book 019, Hadith Number 4294,”
Hadith Collection
,
http://www.hadithcollection.com/sahihmuslim/147-Sahih%20Muslim%20Book%2019.%20Jihad%20and%20Expedition/12807-sahih-muslim-book-019-hadith-number-4294.html
.
“Sahih Muslim Book 019, Hadith Number 4294,”
Hadith Collection
,
http://www.hadithcollection.com/sahihmuslim/147-Sahih%20Muslim%20Book%2019.%20Jihad%20and%20Expedition/12807-sahih-muslim-book-019-hadith-number-4294.html
.
28
Ibn al-Hajjaj Muslim,
Sahih Muslim
, C9B1N31. See also Muhammad Ibn Isma’il al-Bukhari,
Sahih al-Bukhari
(Lahore: Kazi, 1979), B2N24.
Ibn al-Hajjaj Muslim,
Sahih Muslim
, C9B1N31. See also Muhammad Ibn Isma’il al-Bukhari,
Sahih al-Bukhari
(Lahore: Kazi, 1979), B2N24.
29
Ibn Khaldun,
The Muqudimmah: An Introduction to History
, trans. Franz Rosenthal, (New York: Pantheon, 1958), vol. 1, 473.
Ibn Khaldun,
The Muqudimmah: An Introduction to History
, trans. Franz Rosenthal, (New York: Pantheon, 1958), vol. 1, 473.
30
Majid Khadduri,
War and Peace in the Law of Islam
(London: Oxford University Press, 1955), 60.
Majid Khadduri,
War and Peace in the Law of Islam
(London: Oxford University Press, 1955), 60.
31
Ahmed Mahmud Karima,
Al-Jihad fi’l-Islam: Dirasa Fiqhiya Muqarina
(Cairo: Al-Azhar University, 2003), translation by the author.
Ahmed Mahmud Karima,
Al-Jihad fi’l-Islam: Dirasa Fiqhiya Muqarina
(Cairo: Al-Azhar University, 2003), translation by the author.
32
Bat Ye’or,
Islam and Dhimmitude: Where Civilizations Collide
(Cranbury: Associated University Presses, 2010), 56.
Bat Ye’or,
Islam and Dhimmitude: Where Civilizations Collide
(Cranbury: Associated University Presses, 2010), 56.
33
Ye’or,
The Decline of Eastern Christianity
, 79.
Ye’or,
The Decline of Eastern Christianity
, 79.
34
Mark Durie,
The Third Choice: Islam, Dhimmitude, and Freedom
(Australia: Deror Books, 2010), 134–135.
Mark Durie,
The Third Choice: Islam, Dhimmitude, and Freedom
(Australia: Deror Books, 2010), 134–135.
35
“Paying Jizyah is a Sign of Kufr and Disgrace,”
Qtafsir
, n.d.,
http://www.qtafsir.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2566&Itemid=64
.
“Paying Jizyah is a Sign of Kufr and Disgrace,”
Qtafsir
, n.d.,
http://www.qtafsir.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2566&Itemid=64
.
36
Although the Shia do not have a favorable view of Caliph Omar—or of any of mainstream Islam’s “righteous caliphs”—they do follow the same Koran, including the aforementioned verses that are hostile to Christianity, and Christians have also suffered under Shia domination. One of the worst periods of Christian persecution covered in this book was initiated by the Fatimid caliph Hakim bi-Amr Allah, who is still revered in some Shia sects.
Although the Shia do not have a favorable view of Caliph Omar—or of any of mainstream Islam’s “righteous caliphs”—they do follow the same Koran, including the aforementioned verses that are hostile to Christianity, and Christians have also suffered under Shia domination. One of the worst periods of Christian persecution covered in this book was initiated by the Fatimid caliph Hakim bi-Amr Allah, who is still revered in some Shia sects.
37
Ibn Qayyim,
Ahkam Ahl al-Dhimma
(Beirut: Dar Al-Kotob Al-Ilmiyah, 2002), vol. 2, 115, translation by the author.
Ibn Qayyim,
Ahkam Ahl al-Dhimma
(Beirut: Dar Al-Kotob Al-Ilmiyah, 2002), vol. 2, 115, translation by the author.
38
Ibid., vol. 2, 113–114.
Ibid., vol. 2, 113–114.
39
Durie,
The Third Choice
, 40, 141–146.
Durie,
The Third Choice
, 40, 141–146.
40
Robert Spencer,
Muslim Persecution of Christians
(Sherman Oaks: David Horowitz Freedom Center, 2011), 41–42.
PART TWO:Robert Spencer,
Muslim Persecution of Christians
(Sherman Oaks: David Horowitz Freedom Center, 2011), 41–42.
1
Ibn Qayyim,
Ahkam Ahl al-Dhimma
(Beirut: Dar Al-Kotob Al-Ilmiyah, 2002), vol. 2, 115, translation by the author.
Ibn Qayyim,
Ahkam Ahl al-Dhimma
(Beirut: Dar Al-Kotob Al-Ilmiyah, 2002), vol. 2, 115, translation by the author.
2
One of the most significant events in modern Turkey’s attempt to secularize—at the time when Muslims widely believed that success and Western-style secularization went hand in hand—was the transformation of the Hagia Sophia into a museum. And one of the most significant signs of recent times, marking Turkey’s retreat from secularization and return to Islam, is the fact that many Turks are demanding that the Hagia Sophia be turned back into a mosque. In June 2012, to mark the five-hundred-and-fifty-ninth anniversary of the Islamic conquest of Constantinople, thousands of Turks prayed outside the Hagia Sophia shouting “Allahu Akbar!” and demanding the building be re-opened as a mosque in honor of the jihadi sultan who conquered this onetime distinctly Christian nation. For more on Islam and the Hagia Sophia see Raymond Ibrahim, “Greatest Church Soon To Be Mega Mosque?,” Raymond Ibrahim: Islam Translated, June 8, 2012,
http://www.raymondibrahim.com/islam/greatest-church-soon-to-be-:mega-mosque/
.
One of the most significant events in modern Turkey’s attempt to secularize—at the time when Muslims widely believed that success and Western-style secularization went hand in hand—was the transformation of the Hagia Sophia into a museum. And one of the most significant signs of recent times, marking Turkey’s retreat from secularization and return to Islam, is the fact that many Turks are demanding that the Hagia Sophia be turned back into a mosque. In June 2012, to mark the five-hundred-and-fifty-ninth anniversary of the Islamic conquest of Constantinople, thousands of Turks prayed outside the Hagia Sophia shouting “Allahu Akbar!” and demanding the building be re-opened as a mosque in honor of the jihadi sultan who conquered this onetime distinctly Christian nation. For more on Islam and the Hagia Sophia see Raymond Ibrahim, “Greatest Church Soon To Be Mega Mosque?,” Raymond Ibrahim: Islam Translated, June 8, 2012,
http://www.raymondibrahim.com/islam/greatest-church-soon-to-be-:mega-mosque/
.
3
Ismail bin Muhammad al-Ansari,
Hikm Bina’ al-Kina’is wa al-Ma‘abid al-Shirkaya fi Bilad al-Muslimin
[
Ruling on Building Churches and Polytheistic Temples in Muslim Countries
], Islam House, April 13, 2008,
http://www.islamhouse.com/p/107604
, translation by the author.
Ismail bin Muhammad al-Ansari,
Hikm Bina’ al-Kina’is wa al-Ma‘abid al-Shirkaya fi Bilad al-Muslimin
[
Ruling on Building Churches and Polytheistic Temples in Muslim Countries
], Islam House, April 13, 2008,
http://www.islamhouse.com/p/107604
, translation by the author.
4
Raymond Ibrahim, “Saudi Grand Mufti Calls for ‘Destruction of All Churches in Region,’” Jihad Watch, March 14, 2012,
http://www.jihadwatch.org/2012/03/raymond-ibrahim-saudi-grand-mufti-calls-for-destruction-of-all-churches-in-region.html
.
Raymond Ibrahim, “Saudi Grand Mufti Calls for ‘Destruction of All Churches in Region,’” Jihad Watch, March 14, 2012,
http://www.jihadwatch.org/2012/03/raymond-ibrahim-saudi-grand-mufti-calls-for-destruction-of-all-churches-in-region.html
.
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