As the world reacts with shock and horror at the recent immolation of a Jordanian pilot at the hands of the Islamic State, it is well to remember that this particular form of savagery has a long history in Islam and under the state.
The image to right is of Sidhom Bishay, a Coptic Christian who was immolated in 1844 by local authorities for reportedly “insulting Muhammad,” the prophet of Islam. Today deemed a saint for his martyrdom — he was tortured and eventually immolated with burning tar for refusing to renounce Christ and convert to Islam — his face and body appear frozen in the same position he died in (he turned his head away from the pouring tar and his raised shoulders are indicative of the initial shock of feeling molten tar on his head).
A summary of Sidhom Bishay’s story follows (thanks to Michele A. for researching and translating):
Sometime in March 1844, Bishay was on his way to church located in the Damietta cemetery when a Muslim donkey-driver ran into him and started scolding the Copt for not knowing his “dhimmi” (inferior) status and giving the Muslim driver the right of way. As crowds gathered around, the Muslim driver falsely accused the Christian of insulting Muhammad in order to “get even” with him for not “knowing his place.”**
Further incited by a local imam, the enraged mob beat and kicked Bishay and dragged him along the street until his face was a bloody pulp.
A few days later, they brought him before Khalil Agha, the governor of the city. In the presence of the judge, Bishay was asked to abjure Christianity and embrace Islam under pain of death. He refused and was condemned to receive 500 lashes followed by execution (recall Sudan’s Meriam Ibrahim for a recent and similar sentencing). In front of the governor, Bishay was beaten with shoes and dragged across a staircase until his facial bones were crushed.
All the while the mob was shouting ” Kill him! Burn him!” According to a 19th century manuscript referring to the incident, that martyr for Christ experienced many tribulations before finally being smoldered to death in tar.
On the fourth day, his persecutors returned and stripped him naked, mocked him, and paraded him through the streets of town dressed in sheepskin. They covered his body with mud and his head with a dirty cloth. Then they fastened cuts of meat with iron clips around his hips and tied two hungry dogs and a cat to let them fight each other and bite at his flesh. After that, they made him ride a buffalo upside down. The crowd cheered as he crossed town as if he was an animal being led to slaughter.
The man “never lost his patience but kept invoking the Virgin and Christ,” say Coptic chroniclers.
Finally, boiling tar was poured all over his head and face and he was left outside the door of his home. His family attempted to nurse him, but he died five days later on March 25, 1844. During these five days, members of Damietta’s Christian community locked themselves inside their homes for fear of attacks by enraged mobs.
Sidhom Bishay was subsequently canonized by the Coptic Orthodox Church. His body rests today in a glass-fronted shrine in the Cathedral of Saint Mary in Damietta — a stark reminder that burning “infidels” alive is not something new to the Islamic world.
** See pgs. 135-145 of Crucified Again to see how this sort of “retribution” –falsely accusing Christians of “blasphemy” in order to get “even” with them whenever they fail to behave submissively — is still a common practice today, especially in Pakistan.
Let Thy Kingdom Come… and deliver us from evil…
“…..the Muslim driver falsely accused the Christian of insulting Muhammad in order to “get even”…
This seems to be a common tactic amongst some muslims. You identify the “target”, claim they have “insulted Muhammad” (which usually means they’ve told the truth about him), in order to get “the mob” on their side, before launching an attack on the by-now- outnumbered “target”.
This is exactly what Muhammad did. He created a “pretext” for attacking the local tribes, in particular the Jewish tribes, by claiming they were “disobeying Allah’s Law”. His prime goals were common: money( “booty” in the Quran)and sex (another wife and/or sex slave from the women of the conquered tribe)through political power. He just needed to find a reason for each jihad…….
Why any Christian would want to stay in that part of the world is beyond me.
It is very difficult to leave this part of the world;
– If you are an original inhabitant of this land from the beginning of its history, it is your country as was the country of your ancestors for thousands of years.
– If you have lived all your life in this land have most of your family and church rooted to this land.
– if you love this country then love allows you to overlook such hatred and terrorism while learning to live with wolves although you are a lamb. Our Lord give us the strength and wisdom to continue.
We are the Coptic nation of Egypt, the same applies for all Christians in other parts of this region called the Middle East.
All we ask for is raising the awareness of the World governments and peoples of the nature of Islam and Moslems.
Not all Moslems are terrorists but most terrorists are Moslems, it is good to explore all reasons for such well documented, historically verified and scientifically proven fact.
I just don’t think it is necessary for Christians to be sacrificial lambs. Christ gave his life for all of us. There is no need for more sacrifice. He told us to be wise as serpents and innocent as doves, to beware of wolves dressed in sheep’s clothing, not to cast our pearls before dogs and pigs, and if they don’t accept our teaching in one place to move to another. Get out of there, my friend, while you still can. The way things are going, it’s likely to get much worse over there before it gets better, and that process may take hundreds of years. May the Lord Jesus Christ bless you and keep you and be gracious unto you and may the light of his countenance always shine upon you and yours in the days, weeks, months, and years ahead, and may the peace of Christ which passes all understanding be always with you and yours.
Texas patriot, you have to understand the attachment of the copts to the land of egypt. They believe that their presence there is the fulfillment of Isaiah 19:19 – “in that day there will be an altar to the LORD in the midst of egypt, and a pillar to the LORD near its border”. Thus they see the coptic church as none other than the altar to the Lord in the midst of egypt prophecised in the bible.
also, the coptic church herself was established by saint mark the evangelist. His remains are still there in alexandria guarded by the copts. To leave egypt is to leave the see of st mark and st peter.
I don’t think Jesus wants us to put much stock in earthly things, even in various sorts of historical religious relics. The only thing that really counts is the sovereignty of God in the hearts, souls, and minds of believers and going about the business of loving our neighbors as we love ourselves. From my perspective, the entire Middle East is a death-trap for Christians, and the sooner we get out of there the better.
It is not our mission from Christ to abandon sinners to spiritual darkness which leads to Hell, especially when they are our own countrymen. Jesus did not. He mandated us to spread the Gospel and we can do that sometimes by staying where He placed us. Running away to save one’s self may also mean one is too attached to living in this world! Will you allow Daesh to overrun America?
I understand. There is really nothing to worry about. The Lord Jesus Christ has already won the battle over fear and death. As you say, our lives in this world last only for a little while. The Lord will work it all out in due course, and his ways are mysterious to us. Just stay very, very close to him, and you will be fine.
18 I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. 19 For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed. 20 For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope 21 that[h] the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God. 22 We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. 23 Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies. 24 For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have? 25 But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently. 26 In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. 27 And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God. 28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who[i]have been called according to his purpose. 29 For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. 30 And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.
Matthew 8:18-30
Sorry Texas Patriot, but you come across as a totally insensitive nutjob – why do you measure and reduce the lives of others by and to your own blinkered experiences? These are real people, with real lives, real families, living in real danger with limited options to get free. Step back.
S: Sorry Texas Patriot, but you come across as a totally insensitive nutjob – why do you measure and reduce the lives of others by and to your own blinkered experiences? These are real people, with real lives, real families, living in real danger with limited options to get free. Step back.
I just don’t see any immediate and practicable solution to their problem other than escape by any means necessary. Christians living in a Muslim-majority nation are subjected to institutionalized discrimination and ultimately death even if they are falsely accused of “insulting” Islam. The United States cannot intervene in every case of institutionalized racial, ethnic, religious, or any of the myriads of other forms of discrimination that exist by, between, or among people. If Christians choose to remain in those societies, there is an inevitability that they will suffer from one or more of those forms of discrimination. We make a big mistake if we project our own values and our own laws onto others. America is unique, not because we are like everyone else, but because America is exceptional. We go against the grain of tribal conformity that has characterized virtually every nation on earth throughout history prior to July 4, 1776. Unfortunately, we are still very far from perfecting our own ideals of individual freedom, human rights, and constitutional democracy, and if we don’t get that right, we won’t be able to help anyone else under any circumstances.
Y’know, I looked up those verses – and that’s not at all what it says. What the heck Bible are you reading from???
Matthew Chapter 8, Verses 18 – 33
18 When Jesus saw a crowd around him, he gave orders to cross to the other side.
19 A scribe approached and said to him, “Teacher,* I will follow you wherever you go.”
20 Jesus answered him, “Foxes have dens and birds of the sky have nests, but the Son of Man* has nowhere to rest his head.”
21 Another of [his] disciples said to him, “Lord, let me go first and bury my father.”
22 But Jesus answered him, “Follow me, and let the dead bury their dead.”
23 j He got into a boat and his disciples followed him.
24 Suddenly a violent storm came up on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by waves; but he was asleep.
25 They came and woke him, saying, “Lord, save us!* We are perishing!”
26He said to them, “Why are you terrified, O you of little faith?”* Then he got up, rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was great calm.
27The men were amazed and said, “What sort of man is this, whom even the winds and the sea obey?”
28 When he came to the other side, to the territory of the Gadarenes, two demoniacs who were coming from the tombs met him. They were so savage that no one could travel by that road.
29 They cried out, “What have you to do with us, Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the appointed time?”
30 Some distance away a herd of many swine was feeding.
31 The demons pleaded with him, “If you drive us out, send us into the herd of swine.”
32 And he said to them, “Go then!” They came out and entered the swine, and the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea where they drowned.
33The swineherds ran away, and when they came to the town they reported everything, including what had happened to the demoniacs.
Many thanks. My mistake. Should have been Romans 8:18-30, not Matthew. I’ve corrected it.
Live and love in peace, depend on the grace of the Lord, and pray, hope, and don’t worry. All will be well.
You are right Peter, I think it was in 1999 when I visited St. Mark’s Cathedral in Alexandria and I was blessed to visit his burial place, was very humbling experience!
I think the Christians who have always remained in the Middle East are to be honoured not criticised. It is not a crime to love one’s homeland.
I think Marcella, you are absolutely right. God bless them and keep them, and grant the grace and peace. God love them and hold them close to His heart.
And may our almighty God bless you for your kind words, may God bless and protect all Christians in all nations!
Thank You Lord, for the patience of my brethren in answering such questions.
There are some parts of the world where prosperity theology is unheard of, where people don’t sue because of scalding cups of coffee from McDonald’s, and where there are no self-indulgent tv reality shows of would-be celebrities.
Words are cheap. It costs money to migrate to another country. All very well for people from first world countries to tell Christians from the oppressed LIC-MIC,* “get out of there!”
*low income to middle income countries
Amen to that. Each person should be free to believe or not believe with out fear of persecution, God gives us the gift of free will. Worship is not worship unless it is freely given . One worships out if love not fear and force. And thank God Christianity is a faith that worketh by LOVE . I am sorry that Muslims must obey a god of hate I just want them to know the God of love, mercy, compassion, forgiveness . I am sure that as you STAY they will see Him through you. Maggieee
Because “that part of the world” was originally Christian until the muslim hordes attacked it and islamicized it. We are experiencing the same threat in the West, today.
That’s why we must ban islam in the West, now.
St. Sidhom Bishay pray for us and the whole world!
From the picture it looks like his body has not seen any decomposition??
Want to know why ISIS kills? And let’s be honest, death by fire, beheading or bullet is still death. Watch the videos in the below link. Professor Bill Warner has statistically analyzed Islam. It opened my eyes to the fact they will NEVER stop until EVERYONE is a Muslim or dead. Moderate Muslims? They want everyone to be Muslim too, that’s why they don’t condemn terrorists as they should. http://www.politicalislam.com/