While Western media, following the lead of pro-Brotherhood Al Jazeera, continue demonizing the Egyptian military’s attempts to neutralize the Muslim Brotherhood terror bases – where people have been tortured, raped, and killed, all according to Islamist fatwas (yes, including the rape, more on this later) the media portray them as “sit ins” where Islamists are “holding vigil” only to be slaughtered by the military. Conversely, the media has been incredibly silent about the terrors being visited on Egypt’s Coptic Christians, the nation’s original inhabitants, by the very same people in the “sit ins.”
For starters, and as CBN’s Gary Lane just put it, “What do Muslim Brotherhood members do when Egyptian Security Forces launch a forewarned operation to clear them from Cairo tent cities? Attack Christians. That’s right. Morsi supporters responded with a monumental attack — unprecedented in modern times — on churches throughout Egypt. The torching and destruction of churches occured within six hours of the start of the military crackdown.”
Indeed, the abuse of Egypt’s Christians has reached unprecedented levels in the modern era. Al-Qaeda’s flag has been raised above their churches; their pope is in hiding under threat of death; a priest was shot in front of his church, and another Copt beheaded; their children are being abducted; nary a day goes by without a church being attacked or set aflame; hate filled graffiti covers their homes and churches.
And why has the persecution reached unprecedented levels? Because the Muslim Brotherhood’s Mohamed Morsi was ousted by a revolution that saw as many as 30 million Egyptians, most of them Muslims, take to the streets. But of course, the Brotherhood does not want to admit that Muslim majorities do not favor their rule, so they scapegoat the already-hated Christians, portraying them as fundamental to the ousting of Morsi. Any number of Brotherhood leaders — from the general guide, Mohammed Badie, to the group’s spiritual father, Sheikh Yusif al-Qaradawi, all of whom publicly denounced the Coptic pope for being supportive of the revolution and supposedly even killing Muslims – are responsible for this rise in persecution of Copts.
Accordingly, among some Islamists, anti-Christian fury has taken on genocidal proportions. Recently a Libyan Muslim named Tamar Rashad called in to a talk show, saying “I want to offer the good news to [Pope] Tawadros that, Allah willing, the day is coming when no Copt will ever again tread the ground of Egypt – and no churches. We will no longer allow churches to exist.” When the TV host appeared to protest, Rashad interrupted him saying, “It’s already decided, take your cameras and go to the churches and you’ll see what’s going to happen soon, Allah willing.”
In fact, it has become difficult in the last few days to keep up with the attacks on Egypt’s Christians, so many and nonstop are the reports emanating from human-rights organizations in Egypt. Especially throughout Upper Egypt – in Minya, Asyut, Sohag – Christians and their churches are under attack; dozens of Coptic homes and businesses have been set on fire. Due to the risk to Christian lives, many churches are no longer holding regular worship services.
Also often left untold by the major media is that Copts suffered unprecedented abuses under Morsi’s one year of rule – through legal measures as well as extralegal ones.
For example, in April, after Christians mourned several Copts who were killed by Muslims in St. Mark’s Cathedral, Coptic Christianity’s holiest site and home to the Coptic pope (before he went into hiding from recent death threats), Muslim mobs who had waited outside launched yet another attack. Eyewitnesses said as many as 40–50 tear gas canisters targeted the mourners, many of whom were women and children hiding in the cathedral. Two more Copts were killed and many dozens wounded as other officers stood by while the Muslim mob tried to destroy the cathedral. As one Egyptian political commentator pointed out at the time, under Mubarak, not even a pebble was thrown at St. Mark’s Cathedral.
Similarly, under the one year of Morsi rule, over a dozen cases of Copts being attacked, arrested, and given sentences double the maximum for supposedly insulting Islam, took place; under Mubarak’s thirty year rule, less than a handful of cases was ever registered—proof that, under the Brotherhood, Coptic persecution became legally codified in the context of “blasphemy.”
One can go on and on. Yet you won’t find out about the persecution of Egypt’s Christians – certainly nowhere near its true extent nor the historical continuity and patterns evinced throughout the centuries – following the so-called mainstream media or academia, as can be seen even now in their skewed coverage of the military’s attempts to disperse the Brotherhood bases.
It’s time the full, ugly truth about Muslim persecution of Christians was known – and acted upon.
— Raymond Ibrahim is the author of Crucified Again: Exposing Islam’s New War on Christians and publishes monthly reports on Islamic persecution of Christians.
Morsi supporters deliberately and violently kill Egypt’s police in carrying out their assigned task of securing Egypt’s streets, Egypt’s police respond by killing Morsi supporters in the process of defending themselves.
That is the truth. All these riots going on all over the world are all fundamentally muslim subversion of governments and peoples, with the aim of overthrowing them.
“Wicked men and imposters advance from bad to worse.” “In the last days, critical times hard to deal with will be here…for men will be lovers of themselves, fierce, not open to any agreement….” (2Tim.) Christ’s disciples will be, and have been, persecuted as he was persecuted. As things deteriorate and lawlessness increases, the persecution of anyone attempting to follow Christ will only go from bad to worse.
Persecution reigns and the propaganda of thee inflames.
I guess the Western media doesn’t include the NY Times and the Washington Post:
“And they lashed out at Christians, attacking or burning seven churches, according to the interior minister. Coptic Christian and human rights groups said the number was far higher.”
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/15/world/middleeast/egypt.html
“Violence spread Thursday, with government buildings set afire near the pyramids,
policemen gunned down and scores of Christian churches attacked.”
http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/mourners-search-for-missing-loved-ones-in-egypt-as-death-toll-from-violence-soars-to-638/2013/08/15/f30288e2-0609-11e3-bfc5-406b928603b2_story.html
“Persecution reigns”
A couple of small paragraphs in several pages devoted to the Muslim Brotherhood ‘protests’, hardly an in depth report is it ?
MB supporters have been primed for martyrdom;
“Pretty much everyone I met in that camp over the weeks told me how keen
they were to die for the cause – by extension they were willing to
sacrifice their children too. So when the authorities say the
Brotherhood was using children as “human shields”, they have a point.”
http://blogs.channel4.com/lindsey-hilsum-on-international-affairs/egypt-violence-bloody-immoral-murky/2452
Perhaps not but that isn’t the point (and who knows when enough is enough). The assertions made are not true and Ibrahim has undermined his own position and the cause championed with which I agree. 90% true is 0% true in matters like these and the once credible become irrelevant.
“The assertions made are not true ”
Really,do you have any evidence to support that ? becasue you must be reading a different MSM to me,Christian persecution does not fit the political correct narrative of the West,it is under-reported and ignored for reasons of community cohesion,amid the ongoing Islamification of Europe,in preparation for weaving together the two sides of the Mediterranean.
The rape and sexual slavery of thousands of white girls was swept under the carpet and whistle blowers prosecuted all for reasons of ‘community cohesion’,do you honestly think the persecution of Christians in another part of the world would get a fair hearing in such a warped,politically correct climate ?.
“Under-reported” is not none and credibility matters. “The horror, the horror” is and hearts of darkness reign and the world needs to know. The stakes are too high to jeopardize that message spread in any way. Truth claims easily proved not help not.
There’s the issue of magnitude as well. What’s “enough coverage” and who makes that call? That answer, I suggest, needs to be provided by Ibrahim and those concerned like ItinerantView.
Coverage in the West compared to coverage in the not-West? Coverage in the NY Times compared to coverage in the Washington Times? Coverage in “On Faith” in the Washington Post compared to the Gospel Coalition? Coverage in The Guardian (UK) compared to the LA Times?
I, as you, am interested in making sure the world knows “the horror” that is. What would satiate you?
MSM is definitely working in a somewhat concerted manner. It is amazing how much saturation a certain even will get, whiles world changing events of horrific proportions are occurring elsewhere the media is saturated with the missing Malaysian aeroplane, and we all know this has everything to do with the MUSLIMS yet it took about two weeks before someone dared to mention that these are MUSLIMS involved. Muslims do this kind of thing to other Muslims because anything goes when fighting for the demon allah. While Venezuela gets little attention. Here we have Hezbollah, the MUSLIMS once again, effecting regime change with the MARXISTS.
I don’t pretend to know ‘why this’ and ‘why not this’ and consider myself pretty informed (university professor, NYT, WPost, National Review and Weekly Standard every day and more) but I didn’t have a clue about Venezuela until 2 weeks or so ago and wonder where in the hell I have been. Scared me a bit.
Indeed, western civilisation is under siege and we don’t even know it. All these riots are in opposition to democratic freedoms, but the ordinary people think that they are fighting their unjust government. In the end they end up like Libya and Egypt.
I don’t share your thoughts with regard to some of the big
picture trends (and that’s okay). I think the expansion of western civilization is under siege and democracy is a form of government appalling to many because it is perceived to be “Western.”
Democracy empowered the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt (2012). Oops, beware of what you ask.
I shared an office wall with the future Prime Minister of
Somalia and current President of Puntland Abdiweli Mohamed
Ali (link below) for a few years (2001-2003). Democracy, the institution of, is likely to be a one or two generation’s quest.
http://allafrica.com/stories/201403271376.html
Communism and Islamism have combined in their mutual hatred for democratic freedoms and goal for world dominion.
http://www.frontpagemag.com/2013/dgreenfield/what-do-you-get-when-you-combine-communism-and-islam/
That “oops” wasn’t directed at you (if you took it that way).
There’s something going on and it ain’t pretty that’s for sure. Last book of the Bible occurs to me.