A recent Saints Peter and Paul Conference (mostly via video) entitled “Christian Persecution Is Real,” took place at the Basilica of St. Mary in Alexandria, Virginia. The truth of this persecution that remains largely ignored was highlighted and discussed in order to raise awareness and support. One of the speakers was Shakeel Raphael, who “projected an image of his brother Nadeem Samson on the screen, prison bars superimposed over the man’s sorrowful face. Three years ago, Samson, a Christian, was arrested and, Raphael believes, falsely charged with blasphemy — the crime of speaking out against Islam, the Prophet Muhammad or the Quran. He was beaten to near death and has been locked in a prison in Lahore, Pakistan ever since.”
Such practices should be intolerable to Western nations that claim to support and defend human rights, but they do little or nothing in response. It should be unacceptable any human being could be mercilessly beaten, or murdered for the supposed sin of offending a religion’s prophet, but it isn’t. Instead, we keep hearing that “the majority of Muslims are peaceful.” Yes. So were the majority of Germans during the Nazi era.
In the West, which is in the position to help persecuted Christians, “Islamophobia” has become the buzzword that silences dissent. Westerners have allowed that same Sharia principle responsible for Christian persecution to enter their countries. According to Sharia, one must not criticize Muhammad without punishment. In the West, there are already social punishments levied against those who offend Islam, established via Muslim Brotherhood-linked groups which have worked tirelessly with “anti-racism” groups to perpetuate a victimhood narrative. While Westerners mourn a myriad of historical wrongs such as slavery in America, a grave wrong is happening now. Jihadists are carrying out a Christian genocide in Africa and the Middle East.
Kudos to the Saints Peter and Paul Conference organizers. The overwhelming majority of cases of Christian persecution are in Islamic countries and the subjugation of Christians is sanctioned in normative Islam (cf. Qur’an 9:29), all while Westerners conduct comfortable politically correct debates about “Islamophobia” and Islam as a religion of peace.
“Christian persecution at all-time high, say experts at Alexandria conference,” by Zoey Maraist, Catholic Herald, September 16, 2020:
Shakeel Raphael projected an image of his brother Nadeem Samson on the screen, prison bars superimposed over the man’s sorrowful face. Three years ago, Samson, a Christian, was arrested and, Raphael believes, falsely charged with blasphemy — the crime of speaking out against Islam, the Prophet Muhammad or the Quran. He was beaten to near death and has been locked in a prison in Lahore, Pakistan ever since.
Samson’s life, his family’s lives and the lives of the 24 other prisoners charged with blasphemy in Pakistan have been shattered, said Raphael. “But with your help and prayer, (God) can do miracles for my brother,” he said.
Raphael was one of the many speakers at the Saints Peter and Paul Conference, titled “Christian Persecution Is Real,” at the Basilica of St. Mary in Alexandria Sept. 11-12. The speakers hailed from around the world, including India, China and Nigeria, but they all had one thing in common — they spoke for the persecuted Christians suffering within their homelands and around the globe.
Oluwasayo Ajiboye, a Nigerian and the president of Mission Africa International, spoke about what he believes is an ongoing genocide against Christians perpetrated by violent Muslim extremists, such as the terrorist organization Boko Haram. “This genocide is a jihadist ideation. It’s an attempt to rub out every group that says, ‘We are not going to be Muslim,’ ” he said. “These (Christian) people are voiceless. They need your help to be their voice.”…
Conference attendees also viewed the documentary “Christians in the Mirror: Stories of Courage and Faith in the Face of Persecution from Syria, Iraq, Sudan, India and Egypt.” Throughout the two days, attendees were able to view the Save the Persecuted Christians display about “Warfare on Women,” highlighting how women are often targeted or most harmed by religious persecution.
Many speakers noted that not only can ordinary Americans help persecuted Christians, persecuted Christians can help and inspire Americans through their incredible witness. “There’s a big temptation just to tune everything out, to go back to Netflix, to go into our happy little bubbles,” said Father David A. Dufresne, parochial vicar. “This should motivate us to pray, to do penance, to do acts of reparation for these sins against our brothers and sisters in Christ and it should give us a greater spirit of solidarity, to recognize that we are one body of Christ.”…..