Monday, April 09, 2012

Have We Lost All Common Sense?

The brief report below from Spanish television describes the persecution and brutality directed against Christians and other religious minorities in Muslim countries.

Many thanks to Hermes for the translation, and to Vlad Tepes for the subtitling. WARNING: This video contains images of graphic violence, and may be disturbing to sensitive viewers:


For readers who prefer text, Hermes has arranged the video transcript in article format:

I warn you that the images we are about to broadcast are extremely disturbing. They show the stoning of a 15-year-old girl who maintained relations with a young man without the consent of her family. This is pure persecution and brutality coming from a Muslim country. People throw stones at the girl till she dies.

Following this, we’ll talk about religious liberty in the world. Irene Sanchez reports on this issue.

This morning the organization “Aid to the Church in Need” presented its latest report concerning religious liberty in the world, which states that nowadays 350 million people are being persecuted due to their faith or discriminated against because of their beliefs. Of those, 200 million are persecuted Christians. The reasons: radical Islamism and Christianophobia.

“Iran, Iraq, Egypt, Pakistan… countries in which religious extremism and Islamic rules dominate, are those where freedom of worship is more persecuted.” The director of “Aid to the Church in Need” commented this morning on the situation in Europe, and more specifically in Spain.

“Freedom of expression has its limits, and this limit, as Miguel Angel said before, is respect for the freedoms and beliefs of others. No one can even imagine the extreme insults and offences which are being directed ay crucifixes, at the Virgin Mary…”

The missionary Miguel Angel Ruiz has even given a piece of advice: “Europe has failed in a big way regarding this (issue), and particularly in Spain. Things will go extremely bad if they do not wake up…”

A Catholic school in Spain has been denounced because the children there were taught to pray. The school is located in Albacete, its name is “Saint Angel”, and it is a private school. As we said, it has been denounced for having taught children in a religion lesson how to pray. Well, Eduardo, have we all gone mad? Have we lost all common sense?

Websites:

16 comments:

Anonymous said...

Thank you for mentioning Aid to the Church in Need, which must be one of the world's most underreported charities. There are many projects which need funding, including security for the cathedral in Pakistan:

http://www.churchinneed.org/site/News2?page=NewsArticle&id=6946&security=1&news_iv_ctrl=1002

It's a scandal that so little has been donated so far. Perhaps GoV readers can help! God bless you.

Qualis Rex said...

I second the poster above. I have been a long-time supporter of "the church in need" and anyone who is intersted can watch their series on the EWTN network. They do wonderful work and help communities that the world has essentially forgotten; namely the Christians living in Mohammedan lands. And they do it with minimal overhead, sonce most of the ministry is run through "lifers" (i.e. religious orders who do not draw a salary for their work). Kudos for mentioning this wonderful organization.

Nick said...

It is simply astonishing that we are continually being preached at in the media about a possible (i.e, non-existent) "backlash" against the Muslim "community" whenever a misunderstander of the religion of peace commits an heinous act.

But nary a word is said about the actual persecution of Christians throughout the Islamic world.

(See link.)

babs said...

"have we all gone mad? Have we lost all common sense?"

In a word, yes.

The Muslims will either kill or drive every single non believer out of their countries. No one can dispute the exodus that has already taken place from Muslim lands. Those non-believers that still remain in Muslim lands are persecuted horribly. But, of course, the greatest losers of all are the Muslims that have lost ten fold more lives to the glory of Allah than any other group.

Every now and again GOV gets a commenter that admonishes us of not paying attention to history. I would reply that we here at GOV have paid a huge amount of attention to history and the findings are irrefutable.

Qualis Rex said...

Babs - so true...so true. One glaring piece of history; all Mohammedan nations that wipe out their Christian (and Jewish) minorities have stagnated economically and technologically. The "zenith" of Mohammedan culture (what they call the "Golden age") that happened around the 12th century was at the height of the Mohammedan expansion into what were then Christian lands. Once the Christian culture was extinguished or removed, critical thinking, valued (i.e. non-Quranical) learning and science fell to the way-side and thus began the decline of the Mohammedan civilization.

Even in the wealthiest gulf states, almost all the technology and infrastructure from the oil industry is dominated by the West. Mohammedans simply do not have the desire, capability or propensity for technology that Western culture (or Asian) has. Their loss in the long term, but of course it's the Christians' loss in the short-term (as always).

Anonymous said...

That's why they expand outward and colonize, they are trapped in a culture that is like locusts.

Once they have devoured everthing good they hibernated for a few centuries till they saw a way to invade greener lands.....

Profitsbeard said...

Islam can only invade "organisms" [nations/states] which have "lowered immune responses" {a lack of the sense to defend one's own civilization brought about by a toxic combo of: learned self-loathing, historical fatuousness, moral relativism, and multi-cultural utopian idiocy].

Islam is a parasite that a healthy "body" can easily repel.

It is only dangerous because we are self-weakened.

Martin Baldan said...

I largely agree with the general sentiment. but I don't like this:

"Freedom of expression has its limits, and this limit, as Miguel Angel said before, is respect for the freedoms and beliefs of others. No one can even imagine the extreme insults and offences which are being directed ay crucifixes, at the Virgin Mary…"

That's exactly what the Islamists say. Freedom to insult and offend is just as important as freedom to respectfully disagree, because fanatics always take offense at truths they don't like.

The Catholic church is opportunistically conflating Christian persecution in the Middle East with criticism and scorn by leftwing activists in Spain and other Western countries, through the newfangled "Christianophobia".

That's an insult to the Copts and other Christians who are facing actual persecution.

Yes, those militant leftwing secularists are major league hypocrites and idiots with a transparent agenda, but some Christian authorities don't lag far behind. From some of their comments, they are not above forging an alliance with Islamic authorities against secularism, ie, against the rest of Western society.

Counter-Jihadists can't completely trust any other group as an ally against the Islamization of Europe. The situation is pretty messed up.

Greetings from Spain.

Qualis Rex said...

M.O.B. - I disaqree. Take the case in the UK where women were banned from something as small as wearing a cross around their necks, which is now on its way to the European High Commission. If you don't see this as persecution, then you need to look up the meaning in the dictionary. No one is saying the outcome or gravity is on par with the suffering of the Christians of the Middle East. But the building-blocks are certainly there, and we have to be aware and vigilant instead of burrying our heads in the sand.

Si de veras estas en España, son estas las cosas que tienes que reconocer. Si no estás con la iglesia, la única santa, eres parte del problema mahometano en tu pais...y no le puedes echar la culpa a NADIE menos tu mismo.

Baron Bodissey said...

Qualis Rex,

This is an English-language site. In future, if you choose to post statements in foreign languages, please provide an English translation.

A Google translation of QR's Spanish:

"If you really are in Spain, these are the things you have to recognize. If you are not with the church, the one holy, you are part of the Mohammedan problem in your country ... and you can not blame anyone except yourself."

Anonymous said...

M.O.B

There are a lot of closet Lefties and "lets all get along" type clerics that infiltrated the churches in the 60's-90's. The RCC is full of them and some of the more liberal Protestant denominations aren't much better. You can easily spot them by their stance on certain social positions that mirrors the Left's agenda.

Martin Baldan said...

Qualis Red,

I would need more details on the British case. Link, please? If the prohibition only involved public (ie state-managed) schools or similar, and it also affects any other religious symbol, then it's just a matter of dressing codes, and it's not persecution of Christians.

Yes, I am in Spain and I'm a right-wing voter (obviously). I just don't like the way some Catholics here react to left-wing mocking by pointing out how Muslim don't have to take that kind of stuff.

Even the great Esperanza Aguirre, who is, in my opinion, the best Spanish politician hands down and a textbook classical liberal, still made a remark along those lines.

I payed close attention to the Christianophobia thing. It was pretty clear that persecution of middle Eastern Christians was just the appetizer, while the main course was silly leftwing secularist paranoia, which at worst might lead to Christians not being able to display their signs in state-managed premises. No comparison, really.

Qualis Rex said...

M.O.B - I wish I had time to find the link, as the blog owners here posted on the very story. But since I cannot, you can read all about the UK decision to allow companies to ban their employees from wearing crosses at this link. They do not put this ban on hijab, turbins or yarmulkas...just crosses, which equal descrimination and persecution.

I understand your frustration with some members of the church in your country. I have never been a fan of the church in Spain, and since the 1970's they do a poor job of upholding the traditions and teachings of the church. But you cannot confuse certain wayward/leftist factions within the church (and you will find them worldwide) with the actual teaching on Mohammedanism. Our blessed Pope Benedict had the courage in 2006 to speak out against Mohammedanism, and for his truth unarmed Christians (and nuns) were gunned down and murdered around the globe.

Without the church, there is no Europe. This is fact. We may not like certain factions within it, or certain misguided leaders who currently claim speak for it, but to abandon the truth is to abandon our history and culture to the Mohammedan.

Martin Baldan said...

Qualis Rex,

I don't see why private companies should not be allowed to have dressing codes for their employees. Of course, it should also include the right to ban Muslim religious symbols, or to enforce crucifixes and other Christian symbols.

I'm not happy about the way the left is trying to erase Europe's Christian heritage, while remaining silent or even enthusiastic about the increasing Islamization. But I do believe freedom of speech and separation of Church and State are bedrock principles of Western identity in any modern sense. By modern I mean post-Enlightenment, not post baby-boomer takeover.

Europe should be whatever Europeans want it to be. Muslim immigrants are not Europeans in any meaningful sense other than legally. They have their own culture, which is incompatible with ours. That's the actual problem, rather than secularization.

I'm an atheist, but most of my close relatives are practicing Catholics. I have no problem with that, and I feel we are both just as European and Western. I received a Christian education and I don't regret it. Most of the priests I met seem to be good people.

There's no need to push for a Christian theocracy. Western secularism is a great invention. Not any religion is fit for a secular society. For instance, Voodoo is most likely not and Islam as we know it is obviously not. But Christianity is. Let's celebrate this fact and focus on expelling the hostile intruder death cult.

Qualis Rex said...

MOB - the point is in the UK private companies have NOT forbid the Mohammedan head-scarf, Jewish yarmulkah or Sikh Turban-- ONLY the Christian cross. You might be letting your personal prejudices cloud your judgement if you cannot see this is blatant persecution.

Atheism is the bedrock of secularism and communism. The current left-leaning secularist movement in control of most of Europe would like nothing more than to make everyone atheists, because the only real challenge to their authority comes from the Catholic church (all other state-run churches have cowered and conformed). You want secularism and separation of church and state? Then you get Rodriguiz Zapatero and Fernandez de la Vega.

You cannot have it both ways.

Martin Baldan said...

Qualis Rex,

Persecution as usually defined implies violence or the threat thereof, so it can only be exerted either by the government or by violent gangs.

If what you mean is that some British private companies have an anti-Christian bias, that may well be the case, but they are entitled to have a bias, as long as they don't use violence.

Also, consider that they may want to also ban headscarfs, but they are afraid of being successfully sued and/or battered by Muslims. This is what I would call persecution.

You are mixing up three concepts which I think it's very important to keep separate.

Secularism:

It simply means separation of church and state. It's a very Christian concept, by the way. You know, "Render unto Caesar", or this quote:

"And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men."(Mathew:6:5-8)

Atheism: It just means you don't believe in God. It doesn't mean you make it your mission in life to destroy Christianity or any other religion. I certainly don't.

Communism: It's only linked with atheism because Marx happened to see the church as an obstacle for revolution. But this is just an accident of history. There are many leftwing priests, and even Marxist priests (liberation theology).

Moreover, it's far from being the case that every atheist must be a Marxist or somehow leftwing in any modern sense of the word, much less an enabler of Islam. Think of Ayn Rand. Nothing further from the truth, on both accounts.

I don't accept the idea that we have to pick between two theocracies, or between three totalitarian systems (if you include Marxism). Also, as I said, I think it would be a big mistake to put all eggs in the Christian authorities basket. Not just that many of them are closer to communism than you may think. They are also closer to Islam than you may think. I've heard more than once that "better Allah than no God" and comments along the lines that at least Muslims know homosexuality and adultery are wrong. It's not that surprising if you think of it. Muslim are just the most serious and enthusiastic followers of Mosaic law.

In centuries past, the church was indeed leading the battle to a great extent, but back then secularism was not an issue. Now the scenario is much more complex, and increasingly reminding of that of WWII, where it was not clear who would make a pact with whom the next day.

There's still hope, but it must involve a reinforcement and renewal of the secularist pact between Western Science and Christianity, not a pointless battle between theocracy and anti-clericalism which only benefits the Islamizers.

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