New York City Muslim Day Parade: Jihad Flags and 'Allahu Akbar'

via Creeping Sharia and Urban Infidel (with video and many more photos)

Kenyan Religious Leaders: 'Attempt to Sow Seeds of Discord between Christians and Muslims will fail.'

Welcome News: Muslims of good conscience in Kenya offer strong statement condemning Nairobi Westgate Mall jihad massacre conducted against Christians.

But the ominous question remains: Will anyone address how it is that Al Shabaab, Al Qaeda, Al Nusra, the Muslim Brotherhood, and all Muslim extremist groups throughout the entire Islamic world base their murderous persecution of Christians and other non-Muslims on the Quran and example of Muhammad?

RELIGIOUS LEADERS UNITED: "WE ARE CONVINCED BEYOND DOUBT THAT THE ATTEMPT TO SOW SEEDS OF DISCORD BETWEEN CHRISTIANS AND MUSLIMS WILL FAIL"

Agenzia Fides via Pravoslavie.ru — 9/25/2013

The attack carried out by the Somali Shabaab against the Westgate Mall in Nairobi has been condemned by religious Kenyan leaders participating in the Inter-Religious Council.

"We, religious leaders, are engaged in a robust dialogue to ensure that these relations are not just maintained but also made stronger. We are convinced beyond doubt that the attempt to sow seeds of discord between Muslims and Christians will fail miserably and that we shall remain united" said Adan Wachu, Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Muslims of Kenya.

Bloody Weekend: Trend of Muslim Rage Against ‘Infidels’ Continues

by Raymond Ibrahim — The Blaze — 9/25/2013

Muslim slaughter of non-Muslim “infidels” saw an especially dramatic weekend in the nations of Pakistan and Kenya.  Even so, these are simply the latest in a long list of jihadi attacks on the Christians of both nations.

Slaughtered in Pakistan for being Christian (“infidel”) church-goers.

Last Sunday, September 22, in Peshawar, Pakistan, Islamic suicide bombers entered the All Saints Church compound right after Sunday mass and blew themselves up in the midst of some 550 congregants, killing, according to the latest count, nearly 90 worshippers, including many Sunday school children, women, and choir members, and injuring at least another 120.   The now destroyed Protestant church was built in Peshawar some 130 years ago.  The Taliban claimed the attacks.

40 Nuns, Orphans Trapped in Saint Takla Monastery in Syria’s Maloula

OCP Media — 9/25/2013

Patriarchate of Antioch and All the East for Greek Orthodox announced Tuesday that about 40 nuns and orphans are trapped inside the monastery of Saint Takla center of Maloula town in rural Damascus due to the ongoing clashes between the Syrian army and opposition fighters.

Mark your calendars for Sunday, October 13

I'm humbled to be asked to join Kevin Allen for his internet call-in talk radio show, Ancient Faith Today, on Sunday, October 13, 8:00pm to 9:30pm Eastern. Please tune in, call-in, and/or join the chatroom during the show!

October 13: The “Conspiracy of Silence” The Rise of Global Christian Persecution and Why the World Isn't Responding

Host Kevin Allen talks with Faith McDonnell and Ralph H. Sidway about the rising tide of Christian intolerance and genocide—the intentional killing of people for their Christian faith—and why global Christophobia is rarely covered by Western media or addressed by the United Nations. Faith McDonnell is the Director of Religious Liberty Programs at the Institute for Religion and Democracy. Ms. McDonnell, a specialist on the persecuted church, is the author of the book Girl Soldier: A Story of Hope for Northern Uganda's Children.  Her blog is titled Juicy Ecumenism. Ralph H. Sidway is the author of Facing Islam and the blog of the same name.

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Ancient Faith Today streams live at 5:00 pm Pacific, 7:00 pm Central, and 8:00 pm Eastern every other Sunday based on the program schedule shown on this page. To listen, go to our homepage and click on the Talk Station pop-up player.

What is Ancient Faith Today?

Ancient Faith Today is what Ancient Faith Radio and Orthodox Internet radio have been missing -- a live inter-active conversation program. Now that void has been filled! Ancient Faith Today streams live, with call-ins from around the world, twice a month on Sunday nights at 5:00pm Pacific/7:00pm Central/8:00pm Eastern on Ancient Faith Radio Talk.

Topics cover all of life through the lens of Scripture and the teaching and canonical tradition of the Holy Orthodox Church. Ancient Faith Today’s host Kevin Allen talks with knowledgeable guests about social issues, global events, politics as they affect matters of faith (from a non-partisan perspective), war and peace, aging, death and life, church affairs, inter-faith affairs, current events, journeys to faith and Orthodoxy, theology and apologetics, cults, atheism, the paranormal, the New Age movement and Eastern religion. More than just “talk radio”, Ancient Faith Today is Orthodox Christianity’s platform for illumining and informative conversation about subjects that matter, with people who care.

There is no other live (streaming) call-in show with an Orthodox Christian perspective Internet radio!

Kevin Allen was the host of Ancient Faith Radio’s popular award-winning program “The Illumined Heart.” Kevin draws upon his unique faith background to host this fascinating, engaging and spiritually constructive program with guests you should know!

Saudi Arabia: Religious Police Confiscate Crosses from Christians

Muhammad said, "I will expel the Jews and Christians from the Arabian Peninsula and will not leave any but Muslim" (Hadith from Sahih Muslim 19.4366).

For readers of this blog and students of Islam, this is more confirmation, not anything new. See these posts:

• Saudia Arabia declares destruction of all churches in region, 4/9/2013
• Saudi Grand Mufti calls for 'Destruction of all churches in region', 3/21/2012
• Challenging Mosque Expansions — The Time is Now (discusses Saudi funding of extremist Wahhabi mosques in U.S.), 6/6/2013
• Speaking of Iconoclasm and the Breaking of Crosses, 3/6/2012
• Islam's Purpose-Driven Jihad, Pt 4 (regarding the breaking of crosses), 5/24/2013

Saudi Arabia: religious police confiscate crosses from Christians

Pravoslavie.ru — 9/25/2013

(ABHA, SAUDI ARABIA) Officers of the Saudi Committee for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice (the religious police) made a raid in the town of Abha in the south of the kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The result of these events was the confiscation of crosses from representatives of one Asian diaspora—to prevent the performing of Christian prayers, called "contradictory to Islam" by the government employees, reports Linga.

According to the Tavasul electronic newspaper's materials, the committee got the information on the "violation of the law" from the municipality, which had informed it of the preparations made by one of the numerous Asian diasporas for to the perform rites and sacraments that they hold approximately every half year, in the presence of a relatively great number of men, women and children. The hostel at a town filling station was chosen as the venue for holding the prayer service.

Open season on Christians in Syria and across the Muslim world

by Matthew Fisher — National Post — 9/22/2013
h/t Fr A

Pakistani Christians gather in a protest in Islamabad on September 22, 2013,

against the killing of their community members in two suicide bomb

attacks on a Church in Peshawar.

It seemed this weekend as if it was open season on Christians across the Muslim world.

Seventy-eight Christians were slaughtered Sunday by twin suicide bombers at a church where I have attended services several times myself in Pakistan’s capital, Islamabad.

Less than 24 hours earlier a gang of Islamic militants from Somalia murdered at least 68 workers and shoppers, including two Canadians, at a mall in Kenya, allegedly shouting for Muslims to get out of the way so they could specifically kill Christians.

Coptic Christians in Egypt also have been targeted recently by supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood, and Christians in large numbers have left their ancient enclaves in Iraq and the West Bank after churches there were blown up or Christians were threatened.

AXIOS to Robert Spencer! (Video Interview)

Robert Spencer is the force behind Jihad Watch, which reports daily on Islam's war against the world, and is the author of twelve books on Islam, a couple of which have made it to the NY Times Bestseller List.

I intend to do a full review this Autumn of Mr. Spencer's latest work, Not Peace But a Sword, a very thorough theological cross-study showing why Islam is incompatible with Christianity. I am deep into the text, and can give it my highest recommendation. In fact, in many ways, I consider it to be the Roman Catholic counterpart to my book, Facing Islam, in that it really delves into the differences in the respective scriptures and traditions. Also like my book, Not Peace But A Sword warns against uncritical inter-religious dialogue of Christians with Muslims, by analyzing Islam's polar opposite worldview, and how that impacts Islam's understanding of key aspects of any religious dialogue, including notions of peace, tolerance, truth, the purpose and destiny of man, the 'Faith of Abraham', etc.

In the below interview, Robert Spencer does his weekly 'Jihad Watch' segment on Michael Coren's The Arena (SunTV, Canada) actually in studio, as he was recently in Canada for a speaking tour. This is a rather personal segment, in which Mr. Spencer shares about how his grandparents were exiled from the former Ottoman Empire during the deadly dangerous era of the Armenian/Orthodox Genocide. One cannot but ponder God's providence in sparing Mr. Spencer's ancestors from the wave of Islamic violence which took the lives of 4 million Christians in his native land.



We all owe Robert Spencer a great debt of gratitude for his diligence and fearlessness in writing and speaking about Islam. His outstanding book, The Truth About Muhammad, was one of the first texts I read on the subject, and like all his books, is very sober and informative, with copious footnotes and bibliography.

So, as the title of this post says, AXIOS to Robert Spencer, and may God keep him safe and grant him many years!
(For you non-Orthodox, "Axios" means, "He is worthy," and is typically shouted by the faithful at the ordination of a priest in affirmation.)

Muslim Persecution of Christians: July, 2013

Gatestone Institute, compiled by Raymond Ibrahim — 9/19/2013

On July 4th, the day after the Egyptian military liberated the nation of Muslim Brotherhood rule, Christian Copts were immediately scapegoated and targeted.  All Islamist leaders—from Brotherhood supreme leader Muhammad Badi, to Egyptian-born al-Qaeda leader Ayman Zawahiri, to top Sunni cleric Sheikh Yusuf al-Qaradawi—made it a point to single out Egypt’s Copts as being especially instrumental in the ousting of former Islamist president Morsi, ushering in a month of pogroms against the nation’s Christian minority.

Among other things in July, unprecedented numbers of Christian churches were attacked, plundered, desecrated, and torched.  According to one Egyptian human rights lawyer, “82 churches, many of which were from the 5th century, were attacked by pro-Morsi supporters in just two days.” Al-Qaeda’s flag was raised above some churches; anti-Christian graffiti littered the sides of other churches and Coptic homes.  Due to extreme anti-Christian sentiment, many churches ceased holding worship services until recently.  Dozens of Coptic homes and businesses were also attacked, looted, and torched.

In the Sinai, a young Coptic priest was shot dead in front of his church, while the body of Magdy Lam‘i Habib, a Copt, was found mutilated and beheaded.  Four other Christians were slaughtered by Muslims in Luxor province.  Whole towns and villages have been emptied of Copts, including more than 100 Christian families from El Arish in the terror-infested Sinai.

Due to the many death threats to Coptic Pope Tawadros II, for a time he left the papal residence at St. Mark Cathedral—which was earlier savagely attacked, when Morsi was still president—and temporarily ceased holding services.

The rest of July’s roundup of Muslim persecution of Christians around the world includes (but is not limited to) the following accounts, listed by theme and country in alphabetical order, not according to severity:

In the Name of Islam

"Cameron and every Western leader can insist that there is nothing in Islam that justifies violence, but Muslims know better. A quarter of British Muslims were willing to endorse the Al Qaeda 7/7 bombings in the UK where such opinions are all but illegal. What then is the true number?

"The true number is much too frightening. That’s why denial is easier."

In the Name of Islam

by Daniel Greenfield — FrontPageMag — 9/23/2013

Denial is the first stage of coming to terms with the unthinkable.

In Westgate, a Kenyan mall oriented toward expats, terrorists separated Muslims from non-Muslims before killing them. The Muslims were allowed to go free if they could recite a Muslim prayer.

During the attack, Al Shabaab’s Arabic Twitter account quoted the Koran, “Plant firmly our feet and give us victory over (Al-Kafireen) the disbelieving people.”  (Koran 2:250). The Kuffar, the non-Muslims of Westgate, included small children.

“I don’t understand why you would shoot a five-year-old child,” one of the survivors said. But the five-year-old was not a Muslim.

Moments like these put the Clash of Civilizations into bloody context. This isn’t abstract politics. It’s not about economics, the environment or foreign policy. It’s about a worldview in which a five-year-old who can’t recite the Islamic confession of faith deserves to be killed.

The crime is not being a Muslim.