When Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio became the new Catholic pope in 2013, he chose the name of Francis to indicate that his pontificate would be one of mercy and compassion for the poor and needy—for such is the reputation of his eponym, Saint Francis of Assisi: “the man of poverty, the man of peace, the […]
Saudi Arabia: 27 Christians arrested and deported for “conducting Christian prayers” in private residence
Saudi Arabian officials recently arrested 27 Christians—among them several women and children—for the crime of “conducting Christian prayers” and being “in possession of Bibles,” reports Arab media. The group of Christians, most if not all of whom were Lebanese nationals, were celebrating a Virgin Mary feast day when authorities stormed their residence and arrested them. […]
Christians Are ‘Target Practice’: Muslim Persecution of Christians, May 2016
[Originally published by the Gatestone Institute] More reports of the brutal treatment that Christians and other minorities experienced at the hands of the Islamic State (SIS) emerged during May. One account told of a couple who, after their children were abducted by ISIS militants, answered their door one day to find a plastic bag on their […]
Meet Ahmed al-Tayeb, the “Most Influential Muslim in the World”
There’s nothing like knowing Arabic—that is, being privy to the Muslim world’s internal conversations on a daily basis—to disabuse oneself of the supposed differences between so-called “moderate” and “radical” Muslims. Consider the case of Egypt’s Dr. Ahmed al-Tayeb. Hardly one to be dismissed as a fanatic who is ignorant of the true tenets of Islam, […]
Confirmed: Islam, Not ‘Grievances,’ Fuels Muslim Hate for the West
An old (and tiresome) debate appears to have been settled by those best positioned to settle it. According to Andrew Gripp, a former political science professor: Since 9/11, one of the defining fault lines in American and Western politics has concerned whether jihadist groups such as al-Qaeda and ISIS are motivated by their religion […]
Can Quranism Save Islam?
Huffington Post recently published an article titled “The Source of Muslim Extremism” authored by Mike Ghouse (described as “a speaker, thinker, and a writer” who “offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day”). He argues that all violence and intolerance committed “in the name of Islam is coming from a single source; the secondary […]
Insult after Injury: Egypt’s Muslim-Christian ‘Reconciliation Meetings’
We often hear about Egypt’s Christians being attacked by Muslim mobs. What we rarely hear about is what happens afterwards. Are the culprits imprisoned? Are the victims compensated? Do authorities take measures to help prevent such attacks from happening again? While the acquainted reader may correctly assume no, the anatomy of what always takes […]
Forget Explanations, Focus on Reason Why West is Losing against Islam
The most efficient way to solve a problem is to first break it down to its simplest parts—its bare-bone elements. This was the ultimate point of a recent article in which I asserted that: When it comes to the connection between Islam and violence against non-Muslims, one fact must be embraced: the majority of […]
Coptic bishop: Egypt’s Christians attacked ‘every two or three days’
After the latest round of attacks on Egypt’s Christian minority—which saw at least one Copt stabbed to death and many Christian homes and a church burned—Coptic Bishop Makarious of al-Minya, the region where many of the attacks on Christians take place, was interviewed on television. Although Church authorities in Egypt are regularly diplomatic and sensitive […]
Eject Western Traitors, Beat Islamic Terrorists
Muslims around the world—especially in Europe where their numbers have burgeoned in recent times—are wreaking havoc. The newest atrocity—assuming another one hasn’t already occurred since this writing—is the barbaric slaughter of an 85-year-old Christian priest in France. Yesterday (7/26) morning, “Allahu Akbar” shouting Muslims stormed his church in Rouen while the octogenarian priest, Jacques […]