Senior Homeland Security Advisor: America is an “Islamic Country”

This begs for the following political cartoon which mocked Obama's absurd claim that the United States is "one of the largest Muslim countries in the world:"

In any case, consider this a FACING ISLAM ACTION ALERT. Time to contact your congressman and let them know the inmates are running the asylum. Per the final paragraph of this story:

Remarkably, not a single mainstream media outlet has covered this story. Few members of Congress have raised the matter. It’s up to American citizens to educate them. We encourage readers to send this article and our 15 disturbing facts about Elibiary to their congressmen and to share it on Facebook and Twitter.

Senior Homeland Security Advisor: America is an “Islamic Country”
by Ryan Mauro, The Clarion Project — 10/31/2013

Mohamed Elibiary, a senior Dept. of Homeland Security advisor

tweeted that "America is an Islamic country."

A senior advisor to the Department of Homeland Security, Mohamed Elibiary, says that America is “an Islamic country” and continues to argue that the Muslim Brotherhood is comparable to Christian evangelicals.

Elibiary is a member of the Homeland Security Advisory Council and was promoted in September. He also served on the Department of Homeland Security’s Countering Violent Extremism Working Group and the Faith-based Security and Communications Advisory Committee.

Devastating Images & Report from the Christian Town of Sadad in Syria

"Some were killed and some were threatened by the bullet, by strangulation, execution and with the destruction of their houses. 45 civilians were martyred including women, children and men."

OCP Media Exclusive — 10/31/2013 — Many more photos here.

Special Report by Mor Selwanos Boutros Alnemeh (Syrian Orthodox Metropolitan of Homs and Hama)

Photographs from Mor Timotheos Matta Alkhouri (Metropolitan & Patriarchal Secretary)

Forwarded by Mor Eusthathtios Matta Roham (Syrian Orthodox Metropolitan of Jazirah & Euphrates)

My brothers and sisters,

The peace of the Lord be with you:

I present to you a glimpse of the events which have overtaken Sadad over the weeks since its occupation by armed men and terrorists.

St Nicholas Church Near World Trade Center to Echo Landmarks of East

It seems that more than a few comprises are being made to move along construction of the new St Nicholas Church, which will replace the tiny Greek church which was destroyed along with the WTC by the Muslim terrorist attacks of 9/11/2001.  This is not purposed to be a true Orthodox Christian temple, but rather an inclusive symbol of something very different and ominous.

My comments and warnings are interspersed...

Church Near Trade Center to Echo Landmarks of East

St. Nicholas Church, Destroyed on 9/11, to Rebuild With Byzantine Design

by David W Dunlap, New York Times — via Pravmir — 10/31/2013

A rendering of the new St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church, with conceptual images of a landscaped open space known as Liberty Park.

A gleaming, monumental and unmistakable symbol of Orthodox Christianity would rise at the south end of the National September 11 Memorial under plans drawn up for the new St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church.

The original St. Nicholas Church was crushed on Sept. 11, 2001, when the south tower of the World Trade Center collapsed. 

[Here again, as in so many recent articles (e.g. here and here), no mention is made as to what caused the World Trade Center to "collapse." From reading this article, one might surmise that it just gave way under its own weight. We must never forget that it was devout Muslims who hijacked commercial jetliners, flew them into the WTC Twin Towers and the Pentagon, and caused the World Trade Center to "collapse." Obfuscating, refusing to mention this, is the sign of a cowed, defeated, dhimmi populace, which fears to offend its Islamic overlords in any way.]

Plans to replace it on the grounds of the new trade center, across Liberty Street from the memorial, have sputtered, stopped and crept ahead in the intervening years. But no images of the new church have been made public.

Until now.

Eight images published recently on the website of the architect Santiago Calatrava, who is designing St. Nicholas, showed a building that would draw inspiration from the great churches of the East: Hagia Sophia and the Church of the Holy Savior in Chora. Both are in Istanbul. The shallow dome of the new St. Nicholas Church will have 40 ribs, as does the dome of Hagia Sophia. Alternating bands of stone on the corners will echo the walls of the Chora church. Though both date to the early centuries of Christianity, they both were later used as mosques before becoming museums.

Christians Hold Demonstration in Damascus, Syria

Pravoslavie — 10/28/2013

Damascus, October 27, 2013

Christians in Damascus have held a demonstration to call for the release of relatives from the ‘hands of the armed groups.’

The demonstration was held outside a cathedral in the Syrian capital on Saturday.

Protesters held placards reading, “Free our relatives from the hands of the armed groups,” making reference to the foreign-backed militants operating inside Syria.

Bishop Matta Khouri of St. George Cathedral said in an address to the demonstrators that Christians “demand the urgent intervention” of the international community “to set free all the kidnapped in all besieged cities, to set free all the civil prisoners detained by the power of terrorism.”

One of the protesters said, “We are celebrating this mass and this sit-in for our families to be set free, our detained families who are being used as human shields, to be set free in peace.”

How Historic Revisionism Justifies Islamic Terrorism

This is yet another example of one of the core aspects of Raymond Ibrahim's essential work, namely correcting the historical fallacies which have been crippling the West's understanding of Islam for over a century now and especially recently. 

Following Mr. Ibrahim's article I provide just one example from many of Orthodox chroniclers which disprove the politically-correct fantasy that seventh century Christians welcomed the Muslim invaders as 'liberators'.


How Historic Revisionism Justifies Islamic Terrorism
by Raymond Ibrahim — 10/30/2013

“Muslim freedom fighters” accompanies this picture appearing on a

UK Standard report on Syria, rehashing an old but false motif.

How important, really, is history to current affairs?  Do events from the 7th century—or, more importantly, how we understand them—have any influence on U.S. foreign policy today?

By way of answer, consider some parallels between academia’s portrayal of the historic Islamic jihads and the U.S. government’s and media’s portrayal of contemporary Islamic jihads.

While any objective appraisal of the 7th century Muslim conquests proves that they were just that—conquests, with all the bloodshed and rapine that that entails—the historical revisionism of modern academia, especially within Arab and Islamic studies departments, has led to some portrayals of the Muslim conquerors as “freedom-fighters” trying to “liberate” the Mideast from tyrants and autocrats. (Beginning to sound familiar?)

Today’s approach to teaching the history of the Muslim conquests of the 7th century is something as follows: Yes, the Mideast was Christian, but local Christians helped Arab Muslims invade and subjugate their countries in preference to Christian Byzantine rule, which was oppressive due to doctrinal disagreements over the nature of Christ.  Hence, the Muslim conquerors were actually “liberators.”

This perspective, as with many modern Western perspectives concerning Islam, is a product of modern day epistemic distortions, chief among them: 1) repackaged narratives of the “noble savage” myth—yes, 7th century Muslim invaders were coarse, but had elevated ideals, including a fierce love for freedom and religious tolerance in comparison to Christians of the time (not to mention now); and 2) entrenched political correction that seeks to whitewash the true history of Islam followed by the uncritical acceptance of Islamic apologetics, some of which border on the absurd.

Of course, before the Islamic “liberator” thesis had become mainstream, historians such as Alfred Butler, author of The Arab Conquest of Egypt, had this to say about it:

VIDEO: Naida Asiyalova, Russian Suicide Bomber, Was Recent Convert to Islam

Why do some converts to Islam become jihadists? This post gets into the real issues behind Islam and jihad.

Answering Muslims (with link to RT news story) — 10/21/2013

Naida Asiyalova converted to Islam and married explosives expert Dmitry Sokolov. Then she did this: 

If this had happened in London, Prime Minister David Cameron would be at a press conference right now, reminding the world that such attacks have nothing at all to do with Islam's clear commands to kill unbelievers. If it had happened in New York, President Barrack Obama would be at a press conference right now, reminding the world that such attacks have nothing to do with Islam's clear commands to kill unbelievers. Let's see if President Vladimir Putin has more spine than Western leaders. 

Muslim "Revert" Naida Asiyalova

RT—Preliminary data suggests that a female suicide bomber conducted the attack on the bus in Volgograd, central Russia, killing six people and injuring 37, according to the Russian Investigative Committee. 

“Today at 2:05pm Moscow time [10:05 GMT] in Volgograd inside a bus, as a result of an unknown explosive device going off, a blast happened, leading to casualties,” a national Anti-terrorist Committee representative said in the statement. 

Forty passengers were on the bus. At least eight of them are in critical condition. A 20-month-old toddler is among those injured. His state is assessed as moderately severe. 

Russia’s Health Ministry indicated that most of the victims in the explosion sustained mine explosive-type wounds, caused by the bus’s paneling and the shattered glass.

Non-Muslim teachers ‘forced to wear veil’ at faith school

When in Muslim countries, non-Muslims have to give way to Muslim sensitivities. More and more, even in non-Muslim countries, non-Muslims have to give way to Muslim sensitivities. Islamic supremacism and sharia on the march.

by Hayley Dixon, The Telegraph — 9/20/2013 — h/t Thomas

Female teachers at a state funded Muslim school have been ordered to cover their heads with Islamic scarves during school hours even if they are not Muslim, it has been claimed.

Staff at Al-Madinah School, Derbyshire, claim they have been told to sign

new contracts agreeing to wear hijabs Photo: Caters

Staff at Al-Madinah School, in Derbyshire, say that they have been told to sign new contracts agreeing to wear hijabs and make girls sit at the back of classes.

The Muslim faith school, which caters for 200 students aged four to 16, also forbids the teachers from bringing in non-Halal food or wearing unacceptable jewellery, it is claimed.

Non-Asian staff have been seen removing the headgear immediately when leaving the building, but refused to reveal the extent of the school's demands.

Nick Raine, regional NUT officer, said: "We are very worried about the school and the education of the 200 children there.

"It's one thing to have a dress code which we can challenge and quite another to build it into a contract.

Massachusetts: School texts teach Muslim propaganda, including bogus claim that astronaut Neil Armstrong converted to Islam

This report presents valid warnings against Islamic proselytizing in our school systems and the spread of Islam-biased history, religious texts, and outright falsehoods. We should be vigilant concerning what is taught in our school systems, and take decisive legal steps to protect our children and stop the spread of Islam and its false historical narrative. For recent examples of efforts in this regard, see here, here and here.

To refute one specific, outrageous claim, the story about Neil Armstrong converting to Islam has been repeatedly debunked by the late Neil Armstrong and his spokespersons, and was even ruled false by a Muslim cleric in a fatwa.

Massachusetts: School texts teach Muslim propaganda, incl Neil Armstrong converted to Islam 
JNS.org via Creeping Shariah — 10/26/2013

(JNS.org) A new advertising campaign in Boston-area newspapers calls out officials in the public school system of Newton, Mass., over the alleged presence of anti-Israel materials in those schools.

The Boston-based nonprofit Americans for Peace and Tolerance (APT) took out the ads in the Boston Globe, Boston Herald, Newton Tab, Boston Metro, and Jewish Advocate. The ads cover research by concerned parents and students that has revealed the presence of anti-Israel texts in Newton schools including “The Arab World Studies Notebook,” which claims that Israeli soldiers murdered hundreds of Palestinian nurses in Israeli prisons; “A Muslim Primer,” which claims that astronaut Neil Armstrong converted to Islam, but that the anti-Muslim U.S. government warned him “to keep his new religion to himself or he could be fired” from his government job; “Flashpoints: Guide to World History,” which asserts that Tel Aviv, not Jerusalem, is the capital of Israel, and that Jerusalem is the capital of “Palestine”; and other materials.

Constitution committee eliminates all barriers to building churches, stipulates "absolute freedom of belief" for Egyptians

As Robert Spencer notes in his introduction to this article, "Islamic law forbids Christians to build new churches or repair old ones. This is, therefore, a strong and welcome rejection of Sharia."

Ahram Online via Jihad Watch — 10/27/2013

Egypt's 50-member committee tasked with amending the suspended 2012 constitution adopted on Sunday a transitional article that will cancel existing restrictions regulating the building of new churches.

According to Ahram Arabic news website, the committee also initially adopted an article [47] which stipulates "absolute freedom of belief" for Egyptian citizens and endows the state with the responsibility to ensure free practice of religion.

However, under pressure from representatives of Egypt's highest Sunni authority Al-Azhar, which has demanded that freedom of religion be restricted to the three monotheistic beliefs, the committee opted to postpone its vote on article 47 until Monday.

Beleaguered Syrian Christians fear future

Muslims screaming "Allahu Akbar" shouted at the Christians: "Convert to Islam, or you will be crucified like Jesus.”

by Dusan Stojanovic — York Daily Record via Pravmir — 10/28/2013

In this photograph made on Sunday, Oct. 27, 2013, women

stand during a service in an Armenian Orthodox church

in Damascus, Syria. ((AP Photo/Dusan Vranic))

DAMASCUS, Syria—Sami Amir is used to the deep echoing rumble of the Syrian army artillery pounding rebel positions on the outskirts of Damascus. It’s the thump of mortars launched from an Islamist-controlled neighborhood that scares him to death.

The mortars have repeatedly hit in his mainly Christian district of Damascus, al-Qassaa, reportedly killing at least 32 people and injuring dozens of others the past two weeks.

“You don’t know when and you don’t know where they hit,” says Amir, a 55-year-old Christian merchant. “Life here is often too difficult.”

Rebel shelling into the capital has increasingly hit several majority-Christian districts, particularly al-Qassaa, with its wide avenues, middle class apartment blocks, leafy parks, popular restaurants and shopping streets busy with pedestrians.

The shelling and recent rebel assaults on predominantly Christian towns have fueled fears among Syria’s religious minorities about the growing role of Islamic extremists and foreign fighters among the rebels fighting against President Bashar Assad’s rule. Christians believe they are being targeted—in part because of the anti-Christian sentiment among extremists and in part as punishment for what is seen as their support for Assad.

Though some Christians oppose Assad’s brutal crackdown on the opposition and the community has tried to stay on the sidelines in the civil war, the rebellion’s increasingly outspoken Islamist rhetoric and the prominent role of Islamic extremist fighters have pushed them toward support of the government.

Christians make up about 10 percent of Syria’s 23 million people.

“When you bring a Christian and make him choose between Assad and the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant, the answer is clear,” said Hilal Khashan, a political scientist professor at the American University of Beirut, referring to the al-Qaida branch fighting alongside the rebels. “It doesn’t need much thinking.”

The rebels have targeted other Syrian minorities, particularly Alawites, the Shiite offshoot sect to which Assad belongs and which is his main support base.

Altogether, ethnic and religious minorities—also including Kurds and Druze—make up a quarter of Syria’s population. The majority, and most rebels, are Sunni Muslim.

But Christian areas have recently been the focus of fighting.

Abducted Syrian metropolitans are alive - supreme mufti of Syria

Further tentative confirmation on this story I posted back in August. Keep praying...

Interfax — 9/11/2013 — h/t Fr A.

Moscow, October 29, Interfax - Sheikh Ahmed Badreddin Hassoun, Supreme Mufti of Syria, said he has information that the two Christian leaders of the Syrian city of Aleppo are alive.

"According to the mufti's information, they are in Turkey. He says Chechen militants and the Turkish special services associated with them are behind this abduction," Yelena Agapova, deputy chairman of the Imperial Orthodox Palestinian Society, told Interfax-Religion after meeting between representatives of the Imperial Orthodox Palestinian Society and Hassoun in Moscow.

Agapova said the Syrian mufti believes the metropolitans' abduction could be linked to Turkey's requests for the transfer of the seat of the Antioch patriarchate from Syria to Turkey.

In April 2013, militants from the armed Syrian opposition kidnapped Metropolitan of Aleppo Paul, the brother of Patriarch of Antioch John X, and Metropolitan of Aleppo John Ibrahim. Their driver, a deacon, was killed. The metropolitans worked on resolving humanitarian problems in the village of Kafr Dael, which is located near the Syrian-Turkish border.

Terrorist Attacks and Deaths hit Record High, Muslim groups and countries lead the way

...because Islam deadens the human conscience, and creates a culture, mindset and psychosis in which relentless supremacism, brutality, torture and murder against non-Muslims (and heretical Muslims) are obligatory on the faithful. 

Terrorist attacks and deaths hit record high, report shows
CNN Belief Blog via Creeping Sharia — 10/29/2013

As terrorism increasingly becomes a tactic of warfare, the number of attacks and fatalities soared to a record high in 2012, according to a new report obtained exclusively by CNN.

More than 8,500 terrorist attacks killed nearly 15,500 people last year as violence tore through Africa, Asia and the Middle East, according to the National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism.

That’s a 69% rise in attacks and an 89% jump in fatalities from 2011, said START, one of the world’s leading terrorism-trackers.

Six of the seven most deadly groups are affiliated with al Qaeda, according to START, and most of the violence was committed in Muslim-majority countries.

The previous record for attacks was set in 2011 with more than 5,000 incidents; for fatalities the previous high was 2007 with more than 12,800 deaths.

This year is expected to outpace even 2012’s record high. There were 5,100 attacks in the first six months of 2013, said Gary LaFree, START’s director, and the wave of violence shows few signs of ebbing.

In recent weeks, Al-Shabaab, a militant group based in Somalia, attacked a mall in Nairobi, Kenya, leaving 67 dead; suicide bombers killed 81 at a church in Pakistan; and the Taliban took credit for killing two police officers with a car bomb in Afghanistan.

VIDEO: Muslim 'Street Patrol' Brutally Attack Florida Student in London

The patrols began appearing on London’s streets in 2011 to enforce sharia law countries. The student's offense: drinking a beer.

Footage from the attack on a Florida student by a London Muslim patrol.

The Clarion Project — 10/27/2013

A student from Florida was brutally beaten by a Muslim gang in London. The gang was part of a self-appointed street patrol enforcing sharia (Islamic) law in London. The “crime” of the student, an American citizen who was in England to advance his studies, was drinking a beer.

The patrols, who began appearing on London’s streets in 2011, are followers of radical Islamic preacher Anjem Choudary, whose goal is to enforce sharia law even in non-Muslim countries.

The Clarion Project’s National Security Analyst Ryan Mauro discussed this case and the larger phenomenon of the Muslim patrols with Fox news’s Megan Kelly on “The Kelly File.”  On the show, Mauro also discussed the radical Islamic group Jamaat ul-Fuqra which has large communes all around the U.S. where member are trained in guerrilla warfare. A video of women receiving such training at the group’s "Islamberg" headquarters in New York is shown below.

Warning: The following video contains graphic and disturbing footage of the attack in London captured by security cameras. Excellent analysis and information provided by Ryan Mauro.

Iran gives Christians 80 lashes for communion wine as UN blasts human rights record (UPDATED W/PHOTO)

A public lashing in Iran in 2005. (Photo: © Reuters)

by Benjamin Weinthal, FoxNews — 10/24/2013

Four Iranian Christians were reportedly sentenced to 80 lashes for drinking wine for communion, a shocking punishment meted out even as a new United Nations report blasted the Islamic republic for its systematic persecution of non-Muslims.

The four men were sentenced Oct. 6 after being arrested in a house church last December and charged with consuming alcohol in violation of the theocracy's strict laws, according to Christian Solidarity Worldwide. They were among several Christians punished for their faith in a nation where converting from Islam to Christianity can bring the death penalty. According to a new October UN report by Ahmed Shaheed, UN special rapporteur on human rights in Iran, such persecution is common, despite new President Hasan Rouhani's pledge to be a moderate. 

EU Gives Turkey a Failing Mark On Media Freedom

AINA — 10/26/2013

The European Parliament's report on Turkey this year, adopted on Oct. 18, presents a mixed bag of progress and concern related to the country's democratization efforts. It's noteworthy that media freedom receives the least praise, which in a way reveals the state of democratic culture in the country.

Key provisions of the Turkish legal framework and their interpretation by members of the judiciary continue to hamper freedom of expression, including freedom of the media," the report states. "The ownership structure of the Turkish media, dominated by large industrial groups, combined with at times intimidating statements by high-level officials and warnings by the authorities, also makes self-censorship in the media widespread, as shown when mainstream media failed to report on the June protests. This environment has also led to dismissals and resignations of journalists.

Well said -- especially the flag raised concerning the business establishment's ownership of media and the cost of such relationship.

Truth be told, this is not a new thing. It is just that Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's government has figured out how to use this weakness to its interest. The media conceded their duty long ago as the fourth estate. The government decided to play hardball with the long-standing media patronage, confident in their strong showing at the ballot box since increasing their votes in three consecutive general elections, beginning in November 2002.

The report bluntly stated:

[The] state officials themselves continued to launch suits against critical journalists and writers. This, together with the high concentration of media ownership in the hands of industrial conglomerates with interests going far beyond the free circulation of information, continued to lead to widespread self-censorship by media owners and journalists. In particular, the mainstream media hardly reported on the Gezi Park protests in early June. Columnists and journalists were fired or forced to resign after criticizing the government. As a result, freedom of the media remained restricted in practice.

Obama stops Smithsonian from displaying Armenian Genocide-era artwork for fear of irking Turks

More efforts by Obama to repeal the Edict of Milan.

As the article concludes: "[This is] a sign of the Obama administration’s dismal reputation in the Armenian American community that everyone assumes it must be yet another slap in the face for Armenians seeking to promote understanding of one of the darkest chapters in 20th-century history."

"Armenian ‘orphan rug’ is in White House storage, as unseen as genocide is neglected"

by Philip Kennicott, Washington Post, October 21 — via Jihad Watch

The rug was woven by orphans in the 1920s and formally presented to the White House in 1925. A photograph shows President Calvin Coolidge standing on the carpet, which is no mere juvenile effort, but a complicated, richly detailed work that would hold its own even in the largest and most ceremonial rooms.

If you can read a carpet’s cues, the plants and animals depicted on the rug may represent the Garden of Eden, which is about as far removed as possible from the rug’s origins in the horrific events of 1915, when the fracturing and senescent Ottoman Empire began a murderous campaign against its Armenian population. Between 1 million and 1.5 million people were killed or died of starvation, and others were uprooted from their homes in what has been termed the first modern and systematic genocide. Many were left orphans, including the more than 100,000 children who were assisted by the U.S.-sponsored Near East Relief organization, which helped relocate and protect the girls who wove the “orphan rug.” It was made in the town of Ghazir, now in Lebanon, as thanks for the United States’ assistance during the genocide.

Police, Islamic Extremists in Pakistan Hunt for Christian Accused of ‘Blasphemy’

"Don’t they know that the Koran orders us to slit the throat of whoever is disrespectful to Allah’s beloved prophet?” — Hafiz Abdul Malik of the Islamic extremist group Jamaat ud Dawa.

This is the voice of pure, authentic Islamic culture. Be sure to read through the whole article, as the last third presents numerous examples of Pakistan's brutal blasphemy laws.

Morning Star News — 10/25/2013

Flag of Lashkar-e-Taiba, predecessor of Jamaat ud Dawa.

The sword undergirds all of Islam.

ISTANBUL (Morning Star News) – Police and a banned Islamic extremist group in Lahore, Pakistan are searching for a young Christian accused of blasphemy – with the extremist group calling for his death – after he sought to correct misconceptions about Christianity in a Muslim book, sources said.

Sources close to Adnan Masih, 26, said he believes that if he turns himself in, he will be killed by either the Islamic extremist Jamaat ud Dawa (JuD) or the Pakistani judicial system, which makes blasphemy against Islam’s prophet punishable by death. They said Masih denies having written anything against Islam or its prophet, Muhammad, when he scribbled in a Muslim book he found in a glassworks shop where his brother works.

Appeal from Archbishop Selwanos Boutros for the safety of Christians in Saddad & Homs in Syria

We are called daily to pray for, and to co-suffer with — at least in spirit — our Christian brethren in Syria. Let us also learn from their faith, courage and love of Christ and His Cross.

OCP Media — 10/27/2013

To all international, humanitarian and religions organizations and institutions and to who have a humanitarian role in the world, To all people with good intentions in the world,

I call for you today on behalves of all the innocent people including elders, women, children, young men and women trapped in an areas, where we can’t reach them nor can they reach us in Sadad & Alhafar. I appeal to the groups forbidding them from leaving sieged areas and to negotiate with them an evacuation in a safe way where they wouldn’t be harmed. Allowing them to move to Derattiah direction or in Homs direction where we will be waiting to receive them.

I ask all who can reach the organizations in the world and who know the pressure points as you can and dialogue with them to contribute to this work and to ask for evacuate them without any harm noting that they’re not suffering yet but lacking power, water, phone services with little of food & lots of young babies needing formula and sick people in a need for medicines. The number of those people exceeded 3000 persons not allowed leaving and under a lot of pressure forced to stay against their will.

Allegations of Child Abuse at Columbus Mosque Religious School

One of the students reported: "If they do not learn their religious passages as they are instructed," they are sometimes "chained to a wall by their wrists and ankles and beaten with a long stick."

This horror speaks to a larger problem — importing jihad: "when several students in a class of mostly Somalis learning English, entered a discussion." The Somali connection should immediately provoke alarm and scrutiny. There have been numerous reports, and even FBI investigations, of young Somali Muslim men from America joining jihad terror groups, such as the one responsible for the recent Nairobi Mall Massacre.

Child abuse incidents have also been alleged at a Nashville mosque in recent years, see here and here.

Allegations Of Child Abuse At Religious School Of Mosque 

10TV — October 23, 2013 — h/t Atlas Shrugs

COLUMBUS, Ohio - An investigation is underway after teachers at a Westerville school reported allegations of child abuse at a mosque.

Westerville police said the accusations came from children, who are 8, 9, and 10 years old.
A normal day of school at Mark Twain Elementary in Westerville took quite the turn, when several students in a class of mostly Somalis learning English, entered a discussion.

According to a Westerville Police report, the allegations were discovered after children told their teachers about the alleged actions at their religious school, which is part of the Masjid As-Salaamah mosque on Cleveland Avenue in Columbus.

According to the police report, it all started when the teacher said how impressed she was with their knowledge of the Quran.

In response, one of the students told her that, at their religious school, "if they do not learn their religious passages as they are instructed," they are sometimes "chained to a wall by their wrists and ankles and beaten with a long stick."

Orthodox Church School Children helping Syrian Refugees with Care Packages

Children at St Elias Orthodox Church in LaCrosse, WI, set a glowing example for our Orthodox communities in America to follow. You can reach out to IOCC to learn how your parish can help.

by Pete Zervakis, WXOW — via Pravoslavie — 10/14/2013

The Syrian Civil war, which has been ongoing for roughly two and a half years, has claimed the lives of more than 100-thousand people.

The United Nations estimates the continued tensions between the government and rebel forces will have displaced 3.5-million people by the end of 2013.

Kids at La Crosse's St. Elias Orthodox Church are seeking to help the refugees displaced by the conflict.

Children from the church's Sunday school program Sunday put together what teacher Stacey Kalas called "hygiene kits."

The kids took up the challenge of assembling the care packages after being made aware by the International Orthodox Christian Charities that many Syrian refugees lack basic, hygienic supplies like towels or toothbrushes.

Anti-Christian Sentiment Growing at Alarming Rate

Directly proportional to the growth of Pro-Islam forces and influence, so it would seem. 

by Paul Strand — CBN News — 10/16/2013

WASHINGTON -- Hostility against Christian Americans is growing at an alarming rate, according to a new survey from the Family Research Council and Liberty Institute.

The Liberty Institute's Jeff Mateer noted that while last year's survey was based on 600 cases, "this survey that we're releasing right now is almost 1,200. So we've almost doubled in just one year."

One such case involved college student Audrey Jarvis, who was asked twice to remove her cross, or at least hide it, at a student orientation.

"My supervisor came up to me out of nowhere and asked me to remove my cross necklace because he thought it would be offensive to incoming freshmen," she recalled.

Jarvis received an apology from her college, but couldn't forget how hurtful the man was who found her cross so objectionable.

"I think he was just kind of ignorant to the fact that his words could offend me in attempting to not offend somebody else," she said.

In another case, Air Force Senior Master Sgt. Phillip Monk got in trouble with his lesbian commanding officer when she ordered him to answer how he felt about gay marriage.

"This is about religious freedom because I expressly stated that I had a religious conviction that wouldn't allow me to answer the question the way it was posed to me," Monk said.

Former NFL running back Craig James found himself a victim of growing anti-faith sentiment when just one hour into a new job as a FOX Sports analyst, he was booted off the air.

James and the Liberty Institute insist it was because a top network manager disapproved of a statement James made about gay marriage 15 months before in a political debate.

"They knew who I was, what I stood for," James told CBN News. "And I'm being punished -- I was fired -- for my religious beliefs."

FOX says James just wasn't a good fit, but Liberty Institute is fighting to get James his job back.

"This is not about Craig James," the former NFL running back said. "This is about an American who had a job and someone came back -- a big corporation -- and said, 'Hey, we can't allow you on our network because of your belief and definition of what marriage is.'"

With some 1,200 cases like these documented in the new Religious Hostility Survey, Mateer says he's frightened for his country.

Mark Steyn: 'The Melancholy, Long, Withdrawing... Silence'

"It is hard not to admire those brave Christians in Egypt, Nigeria, Pakistan, their churches firebombed, their congregants attacked, but their hearts full and their faith strong. Post-Christian Europe has a hole at its heart – and a hole will eventually be filled by something."

National Review — 10/25/2013

Re what Benjamin below refers to as the “fight for faith” by persecuted Christians in the Middle East, Africa and Asia, one reason why it’s not getting much play in the western media is that in the heart of what we used to call Christendom they’ve pretty much given up the fight.

Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk opens International Conference on Martyrdom

Metropolitan Hilarion, as Chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate's Dept for External Church Relations (DECR) must employ at times the delicate art of diplomacy, so we should be thrilled at his emphasis on martyrdom, confessors and mass repressions, undertaken in the context of his role as Rector of the Ss Cyril and Methodius Institute.

One of the goals for this blog is to make known and to present for veneration new martyrs and confessors under the modern Islamic jihad. (You can click on links for several of these Holy Witnesses on the left-hand column to learn more about them.) 

When leading hierarchs of the Church put their full force, with the grace of God, behind such endeavors as this conference, it encourages the entire Church, laity as well as clergy, to strive to make know those who have confessed to the end their faith in Christ our God, and in turn to stir us all up to a fervent faith which does not hesitate to "take up our cross and follow Him."


Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk opens International Conference on Martyrdom, Confession and Mass Repressions
PRAVMIR — 10/24/2013

An international conference on Theological Reflection on Martyrdom, Confession and Mass Repressions opened at the conference hall of the Danilovskaya Hotel, Moscow. It is organized by the Ss Cyril and Methodius Institute of Post-Graduate and Doctoral Studies with the participation of Novospassky Monastery and the Educational Center “Butovo Firing Range” and with the support of the Russian World Foundation.

Addressing the meeting Metropolitan Hilarion in his capacity as rector of the Institute, said that he hoped it was the first but not the last martirological conference held by the Ss Cyril and Methodius Institute. “The fact that we all have gathered together here today speaks of the vitality of the theme of martyrdom and confession and of the church people’s attraction to the living experience of the Church”, he said. He also expressed hope that through new metropolias and dioceses the Church will be able to give special attention to the veneration of New Martyrs and Confessors associated with a particular part of the Russian Church.

Middle Eastern primates to meet in Cyprus to discuss the future of Christians in the region

OCP Media — 10/17/2013

October 15, 2013. (Romereports.com) The primates of the increasingly fragile Greek Orthodox Churches in the Middle East plan to meet in Cyprus to talk about their future in the region.

   

The meeting is still being planned out, but the main topic of discussion will be the instability in Syria and Egypt. But more importantly, they will decide what their Church’s should do about it.

THEODOROS II — Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Alexandria:

“The big question is what is going to happen the next day? Are the Christians going to move out of the Middle East? Is it what we want? is it the right thing to do?” 

During a visit to Rome, Theodoros II, Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Alexandria, said their Churches are going through very difficult times. 

The Egyptian leader, along with the Greek Orthodox Patriarchs of Jerusalem and Antioch, and the Archbishop of Cyprus, will also discuss the development of a campaign to meet with world leaders and explain the hardships their Churches face in the Middle East.

“First we’ll visit the European Union, we’ll visit also President Putin of Russia, very soon we will visit President Obama.”

The expected outcome of those meetings with world leaders is still unclear. But Patriarch Theodoros II has found strong support from another leading figure: Pope Francis. The two religious leaders met for the first time during the Patriarch’s visit to Rome.

“Pope Francis knows well the issues that are affecting us. He’s worrying a lot about the situation.”

Pope Francis has continually made appeals for peace in Egypt and Syria. He has also called on the responsibility of all Christians worldwide to look after and help fellow Christians in the Middle East.

The message resonates well with Patriarch Theodoros II, who thanked the Pope for his promotion of peace.

Spain Ends Stand-Off Over Illegal Mosque Amid Rising Tensions

'The rules of the city and the country are mandatory for everyone,' said Josep Monràs, Mayor of Mollet del Vallès in Spain.

by Soren Kern — The Clarion Project — 10/14/2013

Muslims pray in public square in Barcelona (Photo © Reuters).

Police in Spain have forcibly removed Muslim activists from an illegal mosque in a small town in Catalonia, an autonomous region in northeastern Spain that is home to the largest Muslim population in the country.

The eviction ends -- for now, anyway -- a highly public one-year standoff in which Muslim immigrants in the Catalan town of Mollet del Vallès openly and aggressively challenged the authority of municipal officials to evaluate and determine the proper location of new mosques based on established urban planning regulations.

The dispute over the unauthorized mosque is the latest in a growing number of mosque-related conflicts resulting from efforts by towns and cities across Spain to relocate overfilled mosques from congested downtown areas to uninhabited industrial parks.

Catalan police ended the standoff in Mollet del Vallès on October 2 by conducting an early morning raid on the property, which was being illegally occupied by up to 50 Muslims from North Africa who were angry over a decision by the town council to prohibit the premises from being used as a mosque.

Tennessee, Missouri senators want response to attacks on Christians

The Tennessean — 10/23/2013

JEFFERSON CITY, MO. — U.S. Sen. Roy Blunt wants the State Department to respond to recent attacks on Christians in Egypt.

The Missouri Republican joined Tennessee’s GOP senators, Lamar Alexander and Bob Corker, in a letter to the State Department. They want the U.S. to urge Egypt’s government to take steps to protect Coptic Christian churches, communities and individuals.

The senators say recent attacks on minority Christians have endangered their ability to worship.

Blunt also has sponsored legislation allowing the appointment of a special envoy to promote religious freedom in a region described as the “Near East and South Central Asia.”

The bill would allot $1 million annually to the new envoy for staff, investigations and travel.

International Effort by the OIC to Criminize Criticism of Islam

In its latest effort to curb free speech worldwide, the OIC's recent Geneva conference addressed the pressing issue of 'Islamophobia.'

by Deborah Weiss, The Clarion Project — 10/24/2013

Members of the 'Organization of Islamic Cooperation' (OIC).

In its quest to criminalize speech that’s critical of all Islam-related topics, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC)* endorsed the formation of a new Advisory Media Committee to address “Islamophobia.”

This past September, the OIC held “The First International Conference on Islamophobia: Law & Media.”  The conference endorsed numerous recommendations which arose from prior workshops on Islamophobia from media, legal and political perspectives.  A main conclusion was the consensus to institutionalize the conference and create an Advisory Media Committee to meet under the newly established OIC Media Forum based in Istanbul Turkey.

Supposedly, the purpose of the conference was to support an OIC campaign to “correct the image of Islam and Muslims in Europe and North America.”  By this, it means to whitewash the intolerant, violent and discriminatory aspects of Islam and Islamists.  The OIC has launched a campaign to provide disinformation to the public, delinking all Islam from these undesirable traits and attacks all who insist on these truths, as bigots, racists and Islamophobes.

The OIC is a 57 member organization consisting of Muslim countries whose long term goal is the worldwide implementation of Sharia law and seemingly the ultimate establishment of a Caliphate.  Its members tend to vote together as a block in the UN, so it is extremely powerful, despite the fact that few people have heard of it.

Its present goal is the international criminalization of all speech that “defames” Islam, which the OIC defines as anything that sheds a negative light on Islam or Muslims, even when it’s true.

Its target is the West and one of its tactics is to accuse those who criticize Islam or its various interpretations as “Islamophobic.”  It is attempting to pass the equivalent of Islamic blasphemy codes in the West, using accusations of bigotry to silence anyone who speaks the truth about Islamic terrorism or Islamic persecution of religious minorities.

What Eid Teaches Moderate Muslims and Their Kids

by Enza Ferreri — 10/17/2013

Two days ago 15 October - the date changes every year - was the wonderful Islamic festival of Eid-ul-Adha, celebrated by Muslims worldwide by sacrificing fully conscious animals.

Of course, considering that this is a multi-million-animal slaughter - on Eid, 7.5 million animals are sacrificed every year in Pakistan alone -, by the theory of probability some incident or another is bound to happen.

Like this in Gaza, where some poor, oppressed (sob) Palestinians showed their great kindness of heart - why, they would never hurt an Israeli, promise - when, not content with simply butchering the animals, started torturing them and were attacked and wounded by the cattle.

A few reports are coming from Italy, where Muslims are - alas, oops I meant Insha'Allah - rapidly multiplying. Il Giornale di Vicenza, a local paper in the region of Venice, says about the halal slaughter on Eid:

The ceremony takes place in front of the family, with the children in the front row: it is not considered a macabre spectacle because Muslims witness it from an early age and it's part of the religious tradition.

Does U.S. Army consider Christians a terror threat?

“On the very base that was the site of mass murder carried out by a radicalized Muslim soldier, it is astonishing that it is evangelical groups that are being identified as a ‘threat.’” — Tony Perkins, Family Research Council president

When I saw this story, I recalled posting a very similar one several months back (April 2013), which you can read here. That incident was in Pennsylvania, this latest in Texas — actually at Ft Hood, where one would expect people would know the real threat does not come from Christians of any kind. Also referenced in this article is a similar incident on a base in Mississippi.

See also this related story: Obama Purging Military Commanders, which reports that, "Retired generals and current senior commanders say the administration is not only purging the military of commanders they don’t agree with, but is striking fear in the hearts of those still serving."

And those still serving are being indoctrinated to believe Christians are a major domestic enemy threat.

These are not isolated incidents. These are symptoms of a spiritual battle being waged against Christians across all aspects of the public space: in government, in the courts, in the Army, in the media, in the culture at large, and of course via the rise of Islam.

To quote Hieromonk Seraphim Rose:

Christian compromise in thought and word and negligence in deed have opened the way to the triumph of the forces of the absurd, of Satan, of Antichrist. The present age of absurdity is the just reward of Christians who have failed to be Christians.

It is futile, in fact it is precisely absurd, to speak of reforming society, of changing the path of history, of emerging into an age beyond absurdity, if we have not Christ in our hearts; and if we do have Christ in our hearts, nothing else matters.

Now one cannot be a half-hearted Christian, but only entirely or not at all.

Does Army consider Christians, Tea Party, a terror threat?

by Todd Starnes, Fox News — 10/23/2013

Soldiers attending a pre-deployment briefing at Fort Hood say they were told that evangelical Christians and members of the Tea Party were a threat to the nation and that any soldier donating to those groups would be subjected to punishment under the Uniform Code of Military Justice.

A soldier who attended the Oct. 17th briefing told me the counter-intelligence agent in charge of the meeting spent nearly a half hour discussing how evangelical Christians and groups like the American Family Association were “tearing the country apart.”

Michael Berry, an attorney with the Liberty Institute, is advising the soldier and has launched an investigation into the incident.

“The American public should be outraged that the U.S. Army is teaching our troops that evangelical Christians and Tea Party members are enemies of America, and that they can be punished for supporting or participating in those groups,” said Berry, a former Marine Corps JAG officer. 

Metropolitan Hilarion: the unique role of the Russian Orthodox Church is that it unites the peoples of the post-Soviet space

Many insights in this wide-ranging interview...

PRAVMIR — 10/22/2013

On October 19, 2013, Metropolitan Hilarion as the host of the Church and the World talk show on Vesti-24 TV channel had as his guest Fedor Lukyanov, journalist and political scientist, chairman of the Council for Foreign and Defence Policy. Below is the abridged text of their talk.

Fedor Lukyanov: We are meeting at a very interesting moment. Not so long ago there was the Valdai Forum which attracted truly universal attention throughout the world. The theme of the Forum was Russia’s Identity in the Rapidly Changing World, which is of primary importance both for our country and the whole world. You were a guest of the Forum and made a very interesting speech. Can you tell us about your expression? Did you feel anything new in that atmosphere?

Metropolitan Hilarion:  First, it seemed to me that the whole atmosphere of the Forum was very much in harmony with the spirit of our time. It was an atmosphere of frank discussion between people concerned, between those who sometimes find themselves at the opposite ends of the pubic spectre expressing polar points of view while being able to speak with each other. It suggests that we have made a certain progress, at least in the area of conducting debates.

Certainly, I was very much impressed by the President’s speech. I should say that I don’t remember of any programmatic speech made in recent time that would give so much attention to things we as church people hold dear, to spiritual and moral values. We often hear from state leaders statements about the economic or financial policy, but when, after a long interval, we heard something about moral and spiritual values, about the importance of inter-confessional dialogue, about the importance of the Russian Orthodox Church and the role of the clergy in people’s life and special calling of Russia as guardian of these values, I took it as the most important of all that was said at the forum. I think it will play an important role in policy both in Russia and on the international arena.

F.L. I agree, it was an extraordinary speech. I as a person involved in international relations noticed the statement in the speech that competition in the new changing world will become more acute, but along with traditional spheres, such as military and political, it moves to another plane. In the first place, it is the problem of moral values. Secondly, the president emphasized that there will be the struggle for man, for ensuring conditions for his development. It will become a guarantee for the development of the state.

M. H. The fact that the state is increasingly turning to the real man can be considered a very important and very positive shift in our social development. But the real man is not a mere economic or financial element. The life of the real man is based on particular spiritual and moral values.

It is interesting that the President spoke on the theme that we often discuss speaking about the processes taking place in the West. Indeed, a systemic destruction of family values is happening there today.

Record-breaking Jesus Statue Built in Syria

Follow-up to this story.

by Grace Cuddihy, The Moscow Times via OCP Media
10/22/2013

A bronze statue of Jesus Christ, taller than the famous Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro, has appeared in war-torn Syria. The statue, entitled “I Have Come to Save the World” was apparently the brainchild of Yury Gavrilov, a 49-year-old Muscovite who runs an organization in London called the St. Paul and St. George Foundation.

The project was backed by both the Russian Orthodox Church and the Russian government, which takes an active interest in Syria as seen in recent events. Russia also has a navy base on Syria’s Mediterranean sea coast.

 Despite the statue’s Russian connection, it was cast in Armenia and made by an Armenian sculptor, Artush Papoian. Syria’s ethnic Armenians have been fleeing the country in droves since the conflict began, to the extent that Armenia has built a new settlement called New Aleppo to house them,  the news website Eurasianet.org reported. The settlement is named after the war-torn northern Syrian city where most of Syria’s ethnic Armenian population live. Some 7,000 of Syria’s ethnic Armenians are now seeking refuge in neighboring Armenia, Armenian news agencies reported.

Lebanese President Vows to Help Secure Bishops’ Release

Lebanon Daily Star via AINA, OCP Media — 10/22/2013

BEIRUT — President Michel Sleiman vowed Monday to help secure the release of two bishops kidnapped in April by armed men near the Turkish border.

A statement from his office said Sleiman’s remarks came during a meeting with senior security and military officers at the presidential palace in Baabda.

The meeting addressed ways to improve the performance of intelligence work and activate coordination mechanisms among the various security agencies.

The statement said Sleiman congratulated the head of the General Security Maj. Gen. Abbas Ibrahim for his efforts that led to the release Saturday of nine Lebanese pilgrims after 17 months in captivity.

World Council of Churches stands by as Christians perish, Churches wither

If the Orthodox required any further motivation to flee the useless, apostate and corrupt houses of the NCC and the WCC, this analysis provides it.  

by Malcolm Lowe — Gatestone Institute — 10/22/2013

Who needs the WCC any more? Would the world, let alone Middle East Christians, be better off without it?

The World Council of Churches (WCC) in Geneva claims to represent and serve 345 churches worldwide. What has it done to help the persecuted churches in Iraq, Syria and Egypt? Or the flood of Syrian refugees into Jordan and Lebanon? Answer: it has devoted the whole of 2013 to promoting a World Week for Peace in Palestine Israel (September 22-28). That is, it has poured its Swiss francs into stirring up the one corner of the area that is currently almost calm.

It is not as if it is a secret that Muslim violence in Iraq drove out half the Christian population within a decade. Or that affiliates of Al-Qaeda have emptied whole Syrian villages and towns of their Christian populations. Or that almost a hundred Coptic churches in Egypt were assailed by supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood shortly after President Morsi was deposed. And that was merely one chapter in the ongoing martyrdom of the Copts, which has seen 100,000 of them fleeing Egypt since the downfall of President Mubarak.

All such facts are documented on many websites, above all that of Raymond Ibrahim, which also records the endless attacks on Christians in Pakistan and Nigeria, indeed worldwide, by Muslim groups. Since August 2011, the Gatestone Institute has published his monthly roundup of such reports. Look at the website of the WCC, however, and you will hardly notice any awareness of all that. Instead, the WCC's website is loaded with schemes and resources relating to the Palestinians. The "resources" offer compilations of Palestinian propaganda, including calls for the so-called Palestinian "right of return" (that is, the transformation of Israel into an Arab-majority state).

The excuse for this absurd imbalance is that the WCC has maintained for decades, and insists on maintaining against all evidence, that the churches of the Middle East have no other real problem than the Palestinian issue. Earlier this year (May 21-25), the WCC held a conference on "Christian Presence and Witness in the Middle East" near Beirut, Lebanon. Its closing statement proclaimed: "Palestine continues to be the central issue in the region. Resolving the conflict between Israel and Palestine in accordance with the UN resolutions and international law, will greatly help resolving the other conflicts in the region."

Given the misery that has overwhelmed Christians in the wake of the so-called "Arab Spring," who in the world still believes such nonsense except inveterate Jew haters? For sure, the WCC could round up a few of the latter among bishops in the Middle East, but is that its excuse? How can any sane well-educated church bureaucrat, of the sort from which the WCC is recruited, make such a statement only a two-hour ride away from the turmoil in Syria, which has sent hundreds of thousands of refugees into the same Lebanon where they were conferring?

Such is the current level of persecution of Christians in Egypt that even the WCC cannot wholly overlook it. On August 15 last, Rev. Dr. Olav Fykse Tveit, the WCC General Secretary, sent a brief letter of solidarity to WCC member churches in Egypt. In the letter, he expressed regret for "attacks against several churches and properties of the Christian community." The word "several" shows unawareness that already fifty churches and a thousand Christian businesses had been set on fire on the day that President Mursi was dismissed, according to Egyptian attorney Ehab Ramsy. That is, if Tveit did not deliberately understate the severity of Coptic suffering.

The WCC's website informs us that "in addition to his letter" Tveit remarked that "I hope that this will not be interpreted as a conflict between Christians and Muslims." Who did he think was organizing the systematic assault on Egyptian Christians? Balinese Hindus? Papuan animists? Martians? Even Amnesty International, which is itself otherwise over-busy with the Palestinians, dared to mention – in a detailed report (sixteen pages with ample illustrations) on "Egypt's Christians Caught between Sectarian Attacks and State Inaction" – that Muslims were responsible for the attacks.

Bring Syrian cleric and activist Mother Agnes to your city!

Mother Agnes was one of the voices from within Syria who disputed U.S. justification for military intervention through her fearless 'on-the-ground' reporting and warning against supporting the bloodthirsty jihadists. She has been cited by the NY Times, the London Daily Mail, and other sources. (See here, here, and here.)

Mother Agnes-Mariam North America Speaking Tour

What is Really Happening in Syria Today?

October 24 — December 4

Syria Solidarity Movement — h/t Abraham

Mother Agnes-Mariam of the Cross is Mother Superior at the Monastery and Convent of St. James the Mutilated in Qara, Syria.  Gunmen attacked her vehicle in May, 2013.  Much of the population in the towns and villages around the monastery have fled and been made refugees.

But the story that Mother Agnes tells is very different from what we hear and read in the North American press.  She has spoken in Ireland and Australia, and she organized an international delegation led by Nobel Peace Laureate Mairead Maguire to come to Syria to see for themselves.  And she is one of the main organizers of Mussalaha (“Reconciliation”), a popular movement in Syria that mediates disputes and organizes ceasefires between opposing forces.

Mother Agnes will be touring the U.S. and Canada from October 24, to December 4, 2013 under the auspices of the Syrian Solidarity Movement, a U.S. tax-exempt nonprofit project, ID no. 20-5516191.  If you or your church, house of worship, school, university, union or other organization wishes to invite Mother Agnes to to speak, please contact us at the address below.  If requested, Mother Agnes will also be happy to speak about the conditions of Arab and other Christian communities throughout the Middle East.

Kremlin ready to consider citizenship for Syrian Christians

OCP Media — 10/21/2013

Head of Russian Orthodox Church’s press service said that the Russian authorities should show kindness to these people, who are “in real danger.” 

The Kremlin is ready to consider a Russian citizenship request from about 50,000 Syrian Christians when it receives it, a presidential spokesman said Friday. “We have not received any requests so far. These documents will be considered in line with the established procedures once we receive it,” Dmitry Peskov said. The Russian Foreign Ministry on Wednesday published a collective request for a double Russian-Syrian citizenship from a group of Christians living in the Kalamoon district.

The Syrians say in their letter that they are going to defend their homes and “would prefer death to roaming around migrant camps,” but seek Russian protection in case they are “under threat of being physically eliminated by terrorists.”