How Obama Ushered in the New Age of Christian Martyrdom

Source:
Gatestone Institute
Date of source:
10 Oct 2015

“Everywhere that U.S. leadership helped Islamic jihadis topple secular autocrats in the name of "democracy and freedom," indigenous Christian minorities are forced either to convert to Islam or die,” Raymond Ibrahim states. This opening of the article was followed by a list of Christians who were told to convert, refused and then were tortured and killed in IS held territory in Syria. The first list comes from “a Christian leader associated with the martyrs.” Other examples come from IS held territory in Iraq. Ibrahim then goes on wit dramatic accounts of mass slaughter of Christians by Muslims in the past.

Next in his argument is accusing the BBC of “downplaying of Muslim persecution of Christians.” A masked IS spokesman, he wrote, addressed Christians everywhere with the threat that the Islamic State will expand and Christians will have the choice between conversion or “the edge of a spear” (death). Following this statement captive Ethiopian Christians were killed.

Ibrahim then paraphrases a speech of Vladimir Putin before the United Nations where he addressed the nations that supported the “Arab Spring,” chief among them the US: “Instead of the triumph of democracy and progress, we got violence, poverty and social disaster -- and nobody cares a bit about human rights, including the right to life. I cannot help asking those who have forced that situation: Do you realize what you have done?”

And Christians, Ibrahim concludes, often pay the highest price.

Cornelis Hulsman: this text is in direct contradiction with the experience of Christians in Qaryatayn as reported by MEMRI on September 3 and October 9. They had the choice of paying the jizya, a poll tax for Christians. Not fun and humiliating but also not live threatening. Thus what is true and what is not? I am cautious because much of Raymond Ibrahim’s reporting in the past turned out to be inaccurate. It is true that Arab Christians (not Christians in general) often pay the highest price. It is sad to see ancient communities being wiped out but this does not mean that all reporting about this is accurate.

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