Cultural Genocide Against Christians – Christians, Muslims, and Silence by Andreas Unterberger
The following excerpt is taken from The Gates of Vienna blog
If you have stumbled onto this blog and are not a Christian, get yourself a hot drink, pull up a comfy chair and then tuck into the following article written by one of the best in the business:- All Of Grace by Charles Spurgeon“One should be aware of the historical fact that Christians were the clear majority in many regions of the Middle East prior to Mohammed. And these majorities are now all but extinct.”
by Baron Bodissey
Our Austrian correspondent ESW has translated excerpts from an article by Andreas Unterberger about the current level of persecution suffered by Christians, especially in Muslim-majority countries. It is followed by a report about a panel discussion on the same topic hosted by Akademikerbund and the Political Academy.
Christians, Muslims, and Silence
by Andreas UnterbergerSeldom have I experienced such a heavily attended event with such crowds of people, such emotion, such dismay. The evening’s topic: contemporary Christian persecution which has reached daunting dimensions and which, according to reliable sources and studies, has reached the highest levels in history, and which is ignored to an extent that can probably be only fathomed with the help of psychiatric analysis.
Only a few dry facts first: From China to South America, 230 million Christians are currently being persecuted for politically, culturally, or religiously motivated reasons. Last year, at least 500 Christians were killed in India during religious clashes. In North Korea, Christians have no legal protection at all and can be killed on the spot.
However, the worst situation for Christians can be found in Islamic countries. More than half of the 80,000 Iraqi Christians have fled Iraq due to countless targeted terrorist attacks. Only in the Kurdish part of Iraq can they live in relative safety. In Egypt a few media reports on the swine flu were sufficient for pogroms against the pork-eating Copts. Athanasios Heinein, the head of the exiled Coptic church in Greece calls this “cultural genocide”.
Even more harrowing are the individual reports. For example, the report about an abducted priest from Mosul for whom the parish had paid ransom, and who was still beheaded and returned mutilated. Or a report about a recent case of six male members of a Christian family who have been sentenced to death. Or another report of the abduction of Christian girls who are forcefully married and converted to Islam.
Most harrowing of all is what is happening in Europe: The total and utter ignorance of these persecutions against Christians. As soon the topic is mentioned, politicians and some pastors stiffen with fear: “Please do not say anything that could provoke the Islamic Faith Community. In any case, we all believe in Abraham.”
It is difficult to remain calm. The main accusation against Islam is the following: Not a single Islamic country allows freedom of belief, with the exception of the Islamic belief. Nine countries employ the death penalty for apostasy. However, if one asks — supposedly liberal — representatives of the Islamic Faith community, whether in the 21st century one should be able to choose one’s religion, one gets many words but no answers. Nobody says, “Yes, this is a [human] right, and condemn government restrictions.” The honest ones say, “No, the Quran forbids apostasy.”
This means that we have already said all there is to say about Muslim-Christian dialogues. Islam is a religion of direct power conquest, of total combination of state and religion, of combat readiness, which does not allow for one millimeter of tolerance or freedom. All this is proven by hundreds of unvarnished citations, which in turn no Muslim denies.
Does all this mean that Christianity with all its soft values like charity will disappear in the long run? Not necessarily. History has shown that Christianity has often come back even stronger after totally hopeless positions due to outward attacks or inner squalor. The laicist and anti-religious element is probably even more endangered, which still vehemently prepares its own demise with attacks against the relatively harmless cross in classrooms or with the potentially society-destroying legality of homosexual partnerships.
Tags: Christian Persecution