• • Jihadists Force Syrian Christians to Sign Submission Treaty
• • Open Season on Christians in Libya
• • Why Are Christians the World's Most Persecuted Group?
• • UN report blasts Iran for persecution of Christians, other religious minorities

by John Rossomando  •  Feb 27, 2014 at 2:05 pm

Jihadists from the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) have imposed a treaty on Christians in the Syrian city of Raqqa requiring them to pay the jizya tax.

The jizya is a discriminatory poll tax proscribed by the Quran that allows them to keep their lives and their religion in exchange for subordinating themselves to Islam. The verse tells Muslims to fight those who do not believe in Allah unless they are "humbled" and pay the jizya.

Christians in the north-central Syrian town were given three options: convert to Islam; remain Christian and pledge submission to Islam; or "face the sword," according to the Times of Israel.

Al-Qaida leader Ayman al-Zawahiri disavowed any connections between the jihadist group and his global terrorist movement earlier this month.

Al-Zawahiri also surprised many last month when he called on Egyptian jihadists to avoid fighting Christians and Shia.

"We must not seek war with the Christians and thus give the West an excuse to blame Muslims, as has happened before," al-Zawahiri reportedly said.

Nonetheless, the document signed by Christian leaders purportedly also bears al-Qaida's stamp.

Christians are forbidden from renovating their churches or monasteries; displaying crosses or other religious symbols in public. They are not to read the Bible indoors loud enough for Muslims who are standing outside to hear; cannot prevent Christians from converting to Islam; cannot saying anything offensive about Muslims; and must pay the jizya tax twice annually.

"If they adhere to these conditions, they will be close to God and receive the protection of Mohammed his prophet ... none of their religious rights will be detracted nor will a priest or monk be wronged. But if they disobey and of these conditions, there are no longer protected and the ISIS can treat them in a hostile and warlike fashion," the document concludes.

This is not an isolated case of the jizya being imposed on Christians in Syria by jihadists.

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By Raymond Ibrahim on March 4, 2014in Muslim Persecution of Christians

It's open season on Coptic Christians in Libya

A few days after seven Copts were identified as Christians, pulled out of their homes by "unknown gunmen" and taken out and executed in Jarutha, some 20 miles west of Benghazi (see here for graphic pictures), Egyptian Copts are still being singled out and killed.

This comes after the Islamic jihadi group, Ansar al-Sharia-which appears connected to Egypt's now ousted Muslim Brotherhood-offered a reward to any Benghazi resident who helps them round up and execute the nation's few Christians, according to Egyptian human rights groups.

Yesterday another body was found, believed to be that of a Copt-due to the small cross tattooed on his wrist traditionally worn by Egyptian Christians, not least to identify themselves.

And the day before that, another Coptic Christian, Salama Fawzi, 24, was shot at, including in the head, while he was unloading food in front of his grocery stand in Benghazi by several "unknown gunmen"; he is currently in critical condition.

Under Col. Gaddafi, many Copts migrated to Libya looking for work opportunities. However, since the dictator was ousted-and sodomized and murdered, to gleeful laughter by Hillary Clinton-Christians have been under attack there, from the arrest, torture, and killing of Christians accused of "proselytizing," to the bombing and burning of churches in the north African nation, evincing the true nature of the U.S-supported "Arab Spring" takeover of Libya.
SOURCE HERE.

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February 28, 2014 by Raymond Ibrahim

Why are Christians, as a new Pew report documents, the most persecuted religious group in the world? And why is their persecution occurring primarily throughout the Islamic world? (In the category on "Countries with Very High Government Restrictions on Religion," Pew lists 24 countries-20 of which are Islamic and precisely where the overwhelming majority of "the world's" Christians are actually being persecuted.)

The reason for this ubiquitous phenomenon of Muslim persecution of Christians is threefold:

Christianity is the largest religion in the world. There are Christians practically everywhere around the globe, including in much of the Muslim world. Moreover, because much of the land that Islam seized was originally Christian-including the Middle East and North Africa, the region that is today known as the "Arab world"-Muslims everywhere are still confronted with vestiges of Christianity, for example, in Syria, where many ancient churches and monasteries are currently being destroyed by al-Qaeda linked, U.S. supported "freedom fighters." Similarly, in Egypt, where Alexandria was a major center of ancient Christianity before the 7^th century Islamic invasions, there still remain at least 10 million Coptic Christians (though some put the number at much higher). Due to sheer numbers alone, then, indigenous Christians are much more visible and exposed to attack by Muslims than other religious groups throughout the Arab world. Yet as CNS News puts it, "President Obama expressed hope that the 'Arab Spring' would give rise to greater religious freedom in North Africa and the Middle East, which has had the world's highest level of hostility towards religion in every year since 2007, when Pew first began measuring it. However, the study finds that these regions actually experienced the largest increase in religious hostilities in 2012."

Christianity is a proselytizing faith that seeks to win over converts. No other major religion-including Buddhism, Hinduism, and Judaism-except Islam itself has this missionary aspect (these faiths tend to be coterminous with their respective ethnicities: Buddhists, Asians; Judaism, Jews; Hinduism, Hindus). Thus because Christianity is the only religion that is actively confronting Muslims with the truths of its own message, not only is it the primary religion to be accused of proselytizing but, by publicly uttering teachings that contradict Muhammad's, Christians are accused of blaspheming as well. Similarly, this proselytizing element is behind the fact that most Muslims who apostatize to other religions overwhelmingly convert to Christianity. Finally, if indigenous Christians are many in the Middle East, because that is the cradle of Christianity, in other regions with large Muslim populations, such as sub-Saharan Africa and East Asia, Christian missionaries have won over millions of converts to the faith-many of whom are now targeted and persecuted according to Islam's anti-apostasy law, which often calls for the death penalty.

Christianity is the quintessential religion of martyrdom. From its inception-beginning with Jesus followed by his disciples and the early Church-many Christians have accepted martyrdom rather than recant their faith, in ancient times at the hands of Romans, in Medieval and modern times at the hands of pious Muslims and others. Few other religions encourage their adherents to embrace death rather than recant, as captured by Christ's own words: "But whoever denies me before men, I will deny him before my Father in heaven" (Matt 10:33; see also Luke 14:33)." Conversely, Islam teaches Muslims to openly renounce their faith (taqiyya)-not just when their lives are threatened, but even as a stratagem of war-as long as they remain Muslim in their hearts. Other religions and sects also approve of dissimulation to preserve their adherents' lives. Back in the 1800s, for instance, Samuel M. Zwemer, a Christian missionary, observed that in Iran "Bahaism enjoys taqiyya (concealment of faith) as a duty, but Christianity demands public profession; and hence in Persia it is far easier to become a Bahai than to become a Christian."

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The election last year of self-professed moderate President Hassan Rouhani has not brought Iran's Christians any relief, according to a new United Nations report which finds the Islamic Republic's Bible believers more persecuted than ever.

The detailed report finds Iran has continued to imprison Christians for their faith and designated house churches and evangelical Christians as "threats to national security." At least 49 Christians were among 307 religious minorities being held in Iranian jails as of January 2014, noted the UN, which also blasted the regime for its hostility to Jews, Baha'is, Zoroastrians and Dervish Muslims, the UN report stated.

"These are indicators that President Rouhani has no influence over hard-liners, who remain fully in charge of the judiciary and security apparatus, government entities that are responsible for the most severe abuses against religious minorities," Dwight Bashir, deputy director for policy at the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, told FoxNews.com.

Among the Christians held in Iranian prisons is American citizen and Christian pastor Saeed Abedini, who is serving an eight-year prison term for alleged crimes related to his faith. President Obama has called for Abedini's release, even as his administration has negotiated a disarmament deal with Iran.

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