Egypt Coptics Mark Christmas With A Fear Of The Future

Amid Orthodox Christmas, Egypt's Christians Fear For Their Rights Under Islamist Government -- CNN

It's Orthodox Christmas, but the mood in Cairo's working-class Shobra district this year is somber. There aren't many colorful festivities and decorations that traditionally mark Eastern Christmas celebrations in this predominantly Christian neighborhood, and Shobra's Coptic Christian residents say they are in no mood to celebrate.

Growing concerns about the rights of Egypt's Copts, who make up an estimated 12% of the population, have dampened the mood of Christians, overshadowing this year's celebrations.

"Many of my friends and relatives have left the country," said 27-year-old Beshoy Ragheb. "I would leave, too, if I had a place to go."

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More News On The Plight Of Egypt's Coptic Community

First Christmas for Egypt Copts under Islamist rule -- AFP
Egypt Copts mark Christmas with fear of future -- AP
Egyptian-American Coptic Christmas Marred by Concerns about Christians Back Home -- Voice of America
Egypt's pope urges Copts to 'not be afraid' -- Bloomberg Businessweek/AP
Amid Instability In Egypt, Coptic Christians Flee To U.S. -- NPR
Worry taints Egyptian Coptic Christmas -- BBC
Egypt’s Christians worried by Islamists’ rise -- Washington Post

My Comment: sadly .... I expect more of this to happen .... but not successful in stopping it.

The War Against Christianity

In The Middle East, The Arab Spring Has Given Way To a Christian Winter -- Rupert Shortt, The Guardian

Attacks on Christian communities from Iraq to Egypt undermine the region's struggle for broader freedoms.

The line about the American general meeting the Arab Christian isn't as familiar as it should be. "When did your family convert?" the general asked. "About 2,000 years ago," the Arab answered wryly.

The general's ignorance is widely shared. Take but one example from closer to home. Over-zealous teachers in London have recently been pulling Syrian Orthodox refugees out of school assemblies in London, on the basis that Arab children must by definition be Muslims. The truth, of course, is that Christianity is an import from the Middle East, not an export to it. Christians have formed part of successive civilisations in the region for many centuries – they were, as Rowan Williams has pointed out, a dominant presence in the Byzantine era, an active partner in the early Muslim centuries, a long-suffering element within the Ottoman empire and, more recently, "a political catalyst and nursery of radical thinking in the dawn of Arab nationalism".

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My Comment: As I have said on many occasions in this blog .... persecution and violence against Christians is one of the most under-reported stories in the world.

The 'Real' Plight Of Christians In Bethlehem

The Palestinians’ Christmas Lies -- Jonathan S. Tobin, Commentary

Christmas in Bethlehem and video of the annual parade in the Palestinian city south of Jerusalem is standard holiday fare on television news. Since the days of Yasir Arafat the Palestinian Authority has made a big deal out of the Christmas celebration, and the media’s need for footage suitable for a day on which little news is made has always been a bonanza for Fatah. The result is that along with quaint pictures of Manger Square and the Church of the Nativity Western viewers are given the impression that Christianity is both protected and cherished by the PA. PA leaders also use the occasion to try and make the argument that the Palestinians, rather than the Israelis, are the true descendants of the Jewish nation that produced Jesus of Nazareth two thousand years ago.

Both assertions are equally false. Modern day Christians face harassment and exclusion throughout a region where the Arab Spring has brought Islamists to power, and nowhere is that more true than in the West Bank and Gaza.

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Previous Post: Christianity Is 'Close To Extinction' In The Middle East

My Comment: In 1947, Christians made up 85% of the population, but by 1998 the figure had declined to 40% .... and today .... probably much lower. And while the Palestinian authorities blame Israeli travel restrictions for the exodus .... I suspect that discrimination, a dire economic situation, continuing conflict and unrest, and the rise of Islamic radicalism are .... in total .... expediting this immigration.

The Loneliest Church In The World?

(Pastor Nazir Alam smiles as he talks to a journalist at a church in South Waziristan November 28, 2012.REUTERS/Faisal Mahmood )

Pakistan’s Loneliest Church Celebrates Christmas In Taliban Territory -- Reuters

This Christmas, Pastor Nazir Alam will stoke up a fire, lay a fresh cloth on the altar and welcome parishioners as they arrive at his church in Waziristan, a Pakistani tribal area known as an al-Qaeda haven.

“The lights are all up, and the choir boys are ready. The church is looking its best,” said 60-year-old Alam, a former missionary who has celebrated his last ten Christmases there. “There’s not much left to do but to pray and rejoice.”

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My Comment: What can you say about a pastor who has to wear camouflage military clothing (see above photo). Lets face it .... if it was not for the presence of the military, this church would have been firebombed a long time ago .... and the sad part of this story is that tonight .... there are probably many churches around the world who are faced with that real fear tonight.

Christianity Is 'Close To Extinction' In The Middle East

(Click on Image to Enlarge)

Christianity 'Close To Extinction' In Middle East -- The Telegraph

Christianity faces being wiped out of the “biblical heartlands” in the Middle East because of mounting persecution of worshippers, according to a new report.


The study warns that Christians suffer greater hostility across the world than any other religious group.

And it claims politicians have been “blind” to the extent of violence faced by Christians in Africa, Asia and the Middle East.

The most common threat to Christians abroad is militant Islam, it says, claiming that oppression in Muslim countries is often ignored because of a fear that criticism will be seen as “racism”.

It warns that converts from Islam face being killed in Saudi Arabia, Mauritania and Iran and risk severe legal penalties in other countries across the Middle East.

The report, by the think tank Civitas, says: “It is generally accepted that many faith-based groups face discrimination or persecution to some degree.

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My Comment: I have remarked on more than one occasion that this is one of the most under-reported stories of the past few years.

A Bleak Christmas For Christians Caught In The Middle Of Syria's Civil War

Syrian Patriarch Vows To Stay Despite Violence -- Deutsche Welle

Islamist rebels have warned Christian towns in central Syria they will be attacked if they do not evict forces loyal to President Bashar Assad. Syria's new Greek Orthodox leader has called on Christians to stay put.

In a video message, seven armed men, including an Al-Ansar Brigade militia leader, said residents of the Hama provincial towns of Mharda and Squilbiya should expel "Assad's gangs and shabiha," a pro-regime militia.

News of the threat coincided with an appeal from Patriarch Youhanna Yazigi in Damascus that Syria's warring parties renounce violence and begin dialogue.

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More News On The Plight Of Christians In The Middle Of Syria's Civil War

Syrian Christians fear bleak future after Assad -- AP
Black Christmas faces Syria Christians -- AFP
Syria Rebels Threaten To Storm Christian Towns Of Mahrada, Sqailbiyeh -- Huffington Post/AP
Christians urged to stay in Syria -- UPI
Syrian Christians Face Bleak Christmas -- Voice of America
Islamists Hijacking Syrian Revolution, Threaten Christians -- Arutz Sheva
Syria Islamists warn Christians as new patriarch urges peace -- AFP

The Church Of Holy Sepulchre May Close Over An Unpaid Water Tax Bill

The Church of the Holy Sepulchre during the Orthodox holy fire ceremony. The site attracts more than 1 million pilgrims annually. Photograph: Nir Elias/Reuters

Church Of Holy Sepulchre Bank Account Frozen Over £1.5m Water Bill -- The Guardian

Standoff over unpaid water bill could result in closure of revered church believed to be site of Jesus's crucifixion and burial.

One of the most venerated sites in the Christian faith, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, where Jesus is believed to have been crucified, buried and resurrected, is facing a financial crisis over an unpaid water bill in a row that could result in its closure.

The church, which attracts more than 1 million pilgrims each year, has been issued with a 9m shekel (£1.5m) water bill, backdated 15 years to when the supply was taken over by a new company, Hagihon.

As a result of the church's failure to pay, Hagihon has secured the freezing of the bank account of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate, which is jointly responsible for the church's administration.

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My Comment: A 9m shekel (£1.5m) water bill .... this is outrageous, and only fuels the rumor mill that Israeli authorities are turning a blind eye to preserving holy Christian sites.

Ignoring The Plight Of The World's Christians

Suicide car bomber attacked St. Rita Catholic Church in Kaduna, Nigeria. Credits: Reuters

Christians Persecuted Throughout The World -- Rupert Shortt, The Telegraph

The latest bombing in Nigeria shows how Christians are increasingly suffering for their faith – and how their plight is being ignored.

Imagine the unspeakable fury that would erupt across the Islamic world if a Christian-led government in Khartoum had been responsible for the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Sudanese Muslims over the past 30 years. Or if Christian gunmen were firebombing mosques in Iraq during Friday prayers. Or if Muslim girls in Indonesia had been abducted and beheaded on their way to school, because of their faith.

Such horrors are barely thinkable, of course. But they have all occurred in reverse, with Christians falling victim to Islamist aggression. Only two days ago, a suicide bomber crashed a jeep laden with explosives into a packed Catholic church in Kaduna, northern Nigeria, killing at least eight people and injuring more than 100. The tragedy bore the imprint of numerous similar attacks by Boko Haram (which roughly translates as “Western education is sinful”), an exceptionally bloodthirsty militant group.

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My Comment: I completely agree. There are many stories that much of the media prefers to ignore .... Christian persecution has always been on top of that list.