A word from Iraq

Archbishop Bashar Warda of the Chaldean Archeparchy of Erbil, Iraq, has some much-needed perspective noticeably absent in the overheated debate about US immigration.

Everyone, including the [Trump] administration, seems to agree that this [temporary travel ban] should have been implemented with more clarity. There was much confusion about what the order meant and many people were very upset.

From my perspective in Iraq, I wonder why all of these protesters were not protesting in the streets when ISIS came to kill Christians and Yazidis and other minority groups. They were not protesting when the tens of thousands of displaced Christians my archdiocese has cared for since 2014 received no financial assistance from the U.S. government or the U.N. There were no protests when Syrian Christians were only let in at a rate that was 20 times less than the percentage of their population in Syria.

I do not understand why some Americans are now upset that the many minority communities that faced a horrible genocide will finally get a degree of priority in some manner.

That is what I would like to know. Where were all these protesters when Yazidis and Christians were being killed? Where was the media outrage? Did Hollywood stand in solidarity with the victims of ISIS? Of course, to ask the question is to answer it....

The bishop also had this to say:

I would also say this, all those who cry out that this is a “Muslim Ban” - especially now that it has been clarified that it is not - should understand clearly that when they do this, they are hurting we Christians specifically and putting us at greater risk. The executive order has clearly affected Christians and Yazidis and others as well as Muslims.

Please pray for the victims of persecution by religious fanatics in the Middle East. The US media, Hollywood and academia may have forgotten them, but God has not.

Persecution: Christmas 2010

It's not just Asia Bibi whose life is threatened by intolerant extremists. A growing number of leaders of Christian and post-Christian denominations are noticing this persecution - especially at the hands of Muslims.

The comments by Anglican leader Rowan Williams are especially significant. Williams, who made headlines in 2008 when he suggested that parts of Islamic sharia law are somehow compatible with British law and should be adopted to maintain social cohesion, specifically mentioned Asia Bibi by name.

Pope Benedict XVI had words of encouragement for Catholics in China and Iraq.

It's not just Christians who are targets of Muslim extremists. Thousands in Pakistan are facing starvation after a suicide bombing by the Taliban ended a food-relief program in parts of that country.

Martyrs: Iraq

In the October 31 attack on the Syrian Catholic Cathedral of Our Lady of Deliverance in Baghdad, Iraq, 58 people were murdered. A three-year-old boy named Adam told the al-Qaeda backed terrorists that murdered these people (including Adam's parents) "Enough, enough, enough!" until he, too, was killed.

Come quickly, Lord Jesus. Please pray for Christians suffering persecution in Iraq.

Respect for me, not for thee

That seems to be the attitude of many Western governments, journalists, and intellectuals that make up our self-anointed ruling class.

A recent editorial by the Calgary Herald expressed concern for this bizarre double standard. A key quote from the editorial:

When Florida pastor Terry Jones announced plans to burn the Qur'an on the ninth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, he was roundly, and rightfully, condemned. Christian groups worldwide were at the forefront of the protests, denouncing Jones and calling on him to respect the dignity of Islam. In 2005, allegations that U.S. military personnel had desecrated copies of the Qur'an at the Guantanamo Bay detention camp sparked an internal investigation to ensure no repeat.

The recent murder of Christian aid workers in Afghanistan, the deaths of 58 Christians in Iraq, the continuing persecution of Christians worldwide has sparked little outcry among the ruling class. But any hint of "Islamophobia" (real or imagined) seems to provoke endless hand-wringing.

The editorial goes on to say:

Not one of these incidents has garnered even a fraction of the attention the proposed Qu'ran burning caused. This begs the question: Why?

Perhaps it's because Christians rarely riot in difficult circumstances. They should not have to. In an enlightened world forever preaching equality and justice, no group should have to resort to death and destruction to get injustices remedied.

I think the editorial writers are wrong here. It is my opinion that the largely secular ruling class is not motivated by sympathy for Islam, let alone being secretly Muslim itself. It is highly unlikely (for example) that President Obama is a closet Muslim seeking to impose sharia law. Nor is it fear of attacks by Muslim extremists that are behind this new "tolerance" for Islam. Rather, I believe that the antipathy of the ruling class towards Christianity and Judaism is fueled by the claims of both that God's law is superior to man's laws, that humanity is sinful by nature and needs a Savior that is not a mortal President or Prime Minister. Such a view conflicts with the ruling class's messianic desire to remake society in its own image.

The ruling class's tolerance for the actions of Muslims - a tolerance they would not in a million years extend towards Christians and Jews - is nothing but an old political strategy: the enemy of my enemy is my friend. Islam is seen as a rival to Christianity and Judaism, and thus benefits from the ruling class's desire to divide and conquer. If the ruling class ever came to believe that Islam could threaten their hold on the nation's government, universities, and media, they would attack Muslims just as savagely as they now go after Christians and Jews.

I think that it may come as a shock to many, but the secular ruling class tends to view Muslims the same way they view Christians and Jews - as a bunch of ignorant, reactionary Bible-thumpin' (or Koran-thumpin') bigots. But for now the ruling class seems to view Islam as a useful political weapon against those they hate, and therefore Muslims benefit accordingly.

Martyrs: Iraq

Attack on church in Iraq kills at least 58.

Please pray for all Christians in Iraq.

Witnesses to the faith: Iraq

Iraq is a deadly place for Christians, as the kidnapping of Iraqi businessman Yonan Daniel Mammo demonstrates.

Please pray for Iraqi Christians.