‘Strange and immoral silence’ from the international community towards persecuted Christians will be judged by God
A CHRISTIAN HOLOCAUST threatening the lives of 60 million believers worldwide is under way and the international community, including many churches in the West, is ignoring the reality.
The gruelling experience of 100 million persecuted Christians in 60 nations was vividly brought before the Economic Social Chamber of the United Nations (UN) by Rabbi Jonathan Cahn during a passionate speech in New York, in April.
Rabbi Cahn, the Messianic Jewish leader of the Jerusalem Center near NY City, declared that the disturbing spiritual darkness of the Jewish Holocaust in the Second World War had returned – but far more lives were at risk.
Rabbi Cahn told the UN: “Another holocaust is under way. Again it involves a satanic hatred, violence and sadistic cruelty. Again it involves an innocent people marked for destruction – the followers of Jesus known as Christians throughout the world who are taught when struck to turn the other cheek; when cursed to bless and when persecuted to forgive those who oppress them.
“It is these who constitute by far the most persecuted religious group on Earth. They are oppressed, afflicted, hunted down and they are killed: men, women and children – the sacrificial lambs of the modern world.”
The Rabbi highlighted examples of persecution from North Korea to Iraq and warned that the ‘strange and immoral silence’ from the international community towards persecuted Christians would be judged by God.
He also questioned whether people could ‘bear the name Christian’ if they did nothing, saying, “We refuse to help the Messiah if we do not help.”
Rabbi Cahn added: “No people can call themselves Christian if they watch passively on the sidelines as those who share the name of Messiah are oppressed and killed for their faith.
“As we sit on our couches in front of our television sets in our air-conditioned homes, are we remembering our brothers and sisters who sit on stone floors in prison camps as they suffer for their faith? We cannot forget them, we must remember them and we must help them.”
Wake-up call in Nigeria
A WAKE-UP CALL HAS BEEN ISSUED to the Church in Nigeria as the country moves into an unknown future following the election of a Muslim as President.
Muhammadu Buhair beat former President Goodluck Jonathan, a Christian, by two million votes on March 28.
Church leaders said few Christians from the north voted due to a feeling of powerlessness and a lack of political understanding. Believers also lost confidence in the former President after there was no robust action taken to stop Islamist group Boko Haram killing Christians and destroying churches.
Spring Harvest calls politicians to support persecuted believers
EXACTLY 4,496 Christians at the 2015 Spring Harvest signed a petition calling on UK political leaders David Cameron, Ed Miliband and Nick Clegg to properly defend the human rights of Christians being persecuted in the Middle East. Some 300,000 Christians are left in Iraq after an exodus escaping Islamic extremism. There were 1.2 million believers in the country at the beginning of the 1990s.
Loves rules in Iraq refugee camps
THE TALES OF TRAGEDY ran like a river and every refugee had a story of woe to tell the humble, loving woman working her way through the displacement camp in Iraq.
Dr Sarah Ahmed is Director of Operations for the Foundation for Relief and Reconciliation in the Middle East – the flagship of Canon Andrew White, aka The Vicar of Baghdad.
Her own initiative, ‘Because I love peace’ supported by Canon White, has brought her face-to-face with dear souls who ran for their lives away from the Islamic State militants. The stories she keeps hearing pile up about rapes of all ages, alongside abduction, torture and gruesome murders – and the need for healing reaches the limits of human possibilities.
“At times, no matter what I try to provide, I feel like it’s not enough,” said Dr Ahmed. “Nothing is ever enough to chase away misery which has become a permanent resident within these camps. We bring supplies, food, medicine and whatever we can. But giving them back their homes? Identities? Security? Undo the trauma? I don’t think anyone can ever achieve that.”
Dr Sarah Ahmed brings encouragement to the refugee communities and enjoys meeting the children. She was recently pictured holding a little girl who kissed her.
“People are afraid of the children because of scabies and lice,” she added. “but I love them so much, and she wanted to kiss me, and I can’t say no to that!”
Inadequate trauma counselling
A United Nations Security Council report (March 2015) says that Islamic State has an established pattern of sexual violence, slavery, abduction and human trafficking with forced marriages and the selling of young women in open markets. The girls in the report were aged eight to 35. Trauma counselling for them was described as ‘inadequate’.