This World - Kill the Christians

[Boggit]

An interesting BBC2 documentary about the persecution of Christians in the Middle East by IS (Satanic State) and other Islamic Extremists (Satanic Extremists). At least Jews have the protection of the Israeli state, and I assume the experience would be even grimmer for them if Israel was militarily weak. Thumbs up for the Kurds O0 who have protected them in Iraq, showing that Muslims, Christians (and most likely Jews) can live peacefully together.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b05rcr7n

Some recent news on the subject...
http://news.yahoo.com/ethiopia-hold-national-mourning-group-kills-christians-141549048.html
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/apr/15/middle-east-christians-islamic-persecution-iraq-war
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/17/world/europe/italy-accuses-muslim-migrants-of-killing-christians-at-sea.html?_r=0

I used the Satanic reference instead of Islamic - as a statement of disgust at their methods - most Muslims I know denounce the extremists as non-Muslim within their understanding of their faith. Peaceful Islam and peaceful Islamic expansion has closer links with Sufism http://www.yale.edu/yup/pdf/cim6.pdf , which is a later tradition of Islam, and has also received criticism with the extremists, even to the point of them declaring it bid'ah (or heretical innovation).

Peaceful Sufi Islam is difficult to reconcile with the early history of Islamic expansion, which evidence points to being done at the point of the sword. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muslim_conquests  In that respect IS - and other similarly extremist groups like Al Shabab, Boku Haram -  are in many respects acting out the historical role of the Prophet, and his successors in the spread of Islam. That is following a Fundamentalist agenda, based on the actions of the Prophet and his close followers. So should we be surprised?

The challenge is separating out Islam between the good (like Sufism) and the evil that is in the religion. It is inaccurate to say all Muslims are evil, they are not. However, some sects calling themselves Muslim clearly are.

[Mr. Bigglesworth]

I seem to remember that at one point in the history of Egypt, they were very tolerant to Christians. They had an enlightenment of sorts. Then it all went to hell. Probably the same time they burned the library of Alexandria.

[Nefaro]

I seem to remember that at one point in the history of Egypt, they were very tolerant to Christians. They had an enlightenment of sorts. Then it all went to hell. Probably the same time they burned the library of Alexandria.

Egypt is the home to the Coptic Christian faith, related to the Orthodox but separate since the earliest christian times, and having the head of their religion in Alexandria.  So, yes, they have been a regular presence in Egypt although since the rise of the Muslim Brotherhood (around WW1), it's xenophobic ideals, and the resulting Muslim hostilities, I'm sure the percentage in Egypt has dropped steadily.

[Staggerwing]

Then it all went to hell. Probably the same time they burned the library of Alexandria.

Well, to be fair, the Moslems were only one of the last group to burn the Library. It had already been torched a few times, once by Julius Caesar and also once by the head of the Coptic Church itself (the same one whose nephew Cyril later had Hypatia torn to bloody shreds).

[jejo68]

Kurds are by and large secular muslims. That makes a Whole lot of difference

[Windigo]

I seem to remember that at one point in the history of Egypt, they were very tolerant to Christians. They had an enlightenment of sorts. Then it all went to hell. Probably the same time they burned the library of Alexandria.

O0

[LongBlade]

I seem to remember that at one point in the history of Egypt, they were very tolerant to Christians. They had an enlightenment of sorts. Then it all went to hell. Probably the same time they burned the library of Alexandria.

O0

History waxes and wanes with tolerance. There were periods of enlightenment and there were periods of fire and sword. More of the latter but enough of the former to warrant attention.

[Airborne Rifles]

Inspiring (to me at least, as a Christian) response from Arab Christians (via an American Christan song writer, to the ISIS targeting of Christians:

http://rickleejames.com/2015/04/11/a-letter-from-the-people-of-the-cross-to-isis/

The faith of the Copts in Egypt and more recently of other Christians in Ethiopia who went to their deaths peacefully refusing to renounce Jesus Christ is having quite an impact on Christian communities around the work. And ISIS are the ones distributing the video.

[GDS_Starfury]

There were periods of enlightenment and there were periods of fire and sword.

[Boggit]

There were periods of enlightenment and there were periods of fire and sword.

You make one of my points very nicely. Without a strong military Jews in Israel would face an awful time with IS. I don't imagine life is secure for Jews living in Iraq, Syria, even Lebanon etc where the extremists hold any sway.