Islamophobia: is it persecution?

Islamic leaders from all over the world and in the United States claim Westerners are blinded by Islamophobia. William J. Murray examines Islamophobia in the light of the latest mass murders of Christians in Iraq and Egypt.

MORE CHRISTIANS MURDERED IN IRAQ -

On Sunday, November 1st, terrorists from a group called the Islamic State of Iraq stormed Our Lady of Salvation Syriac Catholic Church in Baghdad . Their first act was to murder two Catholic priests with shots to the head. The few American media outlets reporting on the attack, including Fox News, said it was part of a major attack on the Iraqi stock exchange, but that was not true. A car bomb was exploded at dusk near the exchange when it was already closed; this was only a diversion to lure guards away from the church. The real target was the church.

The attackers had explosives and wore suicide vests. The attack came during the traditional time of Catholic mass when 120 worshipers were in the church. Most media in the U.S. didn't report the full extent of the bloodbath; however, some European news outlets did report in detail how 58 died and 78 others were injured. Many of those who survived the bombs lost limbs, were paralyzed or suffered other very serious injuries.

The White House issued a sort of generic statement on the attack that never mentioned that the victims were Christians, or that the attack was on a church. In part the statement read, "The United States strongly condemns this senseless act of hostage taking and violence by terrorists linked to al Qaeda in Iraq that occurred Sunday in Baghdad killing so many innocent Iraqis." No wonder so many Americans think President Obama is a Muslim.  

THREE THINGS ABOUT ISLAM - We are now streaming the English version of "Three Things About Islam" which was originally produced in the Netherlands. This is a must see for anyone who has questions about the core of Islamic beliefs. View here!

ARCHBISHOP OF BAGHDAD SPEAKS OUT

This week I attended a small group round table discussion at the Hudson Institute with the Archbishop of Baghdad, Father Jean Benjamin Sleiman. The archbishop discussed the grim situation that exists for Christians in Iraq and made it clear that there was no true security to entice Christian families who had fled, to now return. He reaffirmed what we all already knew, that "...the laws of Sharia are not the same as the laws of democracy." He said that the government, not the church, must provide security for Christians. He explained that, "You can't eliminate the fear after your neighbors are killed". The United States provides no funds for religious minorities (that means Christians) in Iraq.

IRAQI CHRISTIANS NEED HELP - The Religious Freedom Coalition is receiving virtually no funds for our Iraqi Christian Refugee Project from Internet sources. Just a few hundred dollars have been generated at our Facebook page. Although thousands of people read the Internet version and Facebook verions of our update virtually all funding is coming from direct mail. Iraqi Christian refugees really do need our help!

Captiol Hill Action for Iraqi Christians

ACTION TO ASSIST IRAQI CHRISTIANS - This week former Governor David Beasley of South Carolina visited Washington to talk with congressional leaders about the plight of Iraqi Christians. Traveling with Governor Beasley was a representative of the Religious Freedom Coalition's ministry partner in Amman, Jordan. Together the two men made the case that the United States must have an official policy toward the religious minorities in Iraq, something that was not done under Secretary of State Rice during the Bush Administration. In addition to one-on-one meetings, Governor Beasley spoke at several meetings to leaders of social conservative organizations who may be able to assist Iraqi Christian refugees. Our ministry partner returned to Jordan with about $48,000 in contributed medical supplies. Please help!

FACEBOOK FOR IRAQI CHRISTIANS - The Religious Freedom Coalition also has a Facebook page to expose the crisis faced by Iraqi Christians. If you have a Facebook account, please become our friend at this link.

Help Iraqi Christian Refugees at Facebook.com

We are now a part of the Facebook.com "causes" network and as of today have 59 friends. We need just 41 more "friends" to become an official club. Please join the Iraqi Christian Refugee "cause" at Facebook.com. Click here to view our cause page at Facebook.com