Jihadists Target Churches Around the World

For years we have been hearing about the persecution that Christians around the globe are suffering at the hands of Jihadists, and despite the ongoing reports, the suffering is continuing uninhibited.  In the nation of Nigeria, Rev. Amos Mohzo, the President of the Church of Christ in Nations (COCIN), revealed that in the past two years Fulani militants & their Jihadist allies have forced the closure of 70 churches in central Nigeria's Plateau state.  Many Christians were drive from their homes and a good number of these churches were burned down.  Many Christians live in camps outside their destroyed communities & cannot return to their homes due to the ever increasing danger of Jihad in the region.  Most have been relying on NGO organizations to survive.  

Christian farmers express frustration that the Nigerian government isn't effectively utilizing the military to protect their communities.  Many state that what's happening now is a continuation of the Jihads waged by Fulani herdsmen against Christian  and other non-Islamic communities in the 18th & 19th centuries.  Presently Open Doors ranks Nigeria as #6 on the list of nations considered most dangerous to be a Christian, but sadly, what's happening in Nigeria is happening across the globe.  

Azaghar Church Closed in Algeria

Over the past few years, the Algerian government has forced the closure of over 40 registered churches and they have not granted permission the new churches to be opened.  Most Christians have been forced to attend house churches, but the government has further mandated that house church gatherings must be limited to no more than 10 people, otherwise the leaders may face arrest & imprisonment, which has forced many house churches to go underground.  Algerian authorities have acted on their threats, arresting Pastor Youssef Ourahmane, a Christian convert, in March of 2023 and sentencing him to two years for an unauthorized religious assembly.  He has been appealing this ruling for over a year.  

Defaced Catholic Church in Lieusaint France

This ongoing targeting of churches by Jihadists is even happening in Western Nations.  Across the nation of France Jihadists have vandalized churches, cemeteries, & memorials with Graffiti promoting their hateful messages.  Slogans such as "France is already Allah's," "Submit Yourself to Muhammad," "Bastard Jesus," "Submit to Allah Infidel" & "Koufars" (meaning Kafirs).  These Jihadists have targeted both Christian & Jewish sites for this kind of graffiti.  This sort of vandalism has gone beyond graffiti.  Jihadists have broken in & smashed organs & sound systems, smeared excrement on buildings, & in one case a statue of the Virgin Mary was found with a knife in it's throat & a message saying "Mary, Hear is Your Fate."  

America is likewise not immune to this.  On June 30th, Jamshaid Choudhry, a Muslim NYC Taxi Driver pulled up to the Holy Family Roman Catholic Church in Queens & began beating the statues of Mary, Joseph, & Jesus with his shoes, cursing the statues as blasphemous, & eventually knocking the head off the statue of Jesus.  Jamshaid Choudary was arrested a few days later and the damage done to the statue is estimated to be approximately $20,000.  It's safe to say that these church attacks are not a "regional issue," it's an "Islamic Intolerance Issue."  The Western Leaders keep urgings us to show "Tolerance to Islam," yet they don't seem so eager to request tolerance in return despite the fact that it's very clear worldwide that Islamic doctrine is not tolerant of Christianity, Judaism, the West, or anything deemed to be "Un-Islamic."  Perhaps it's time for us to stop looking the other way and start standing firm, because "Tolerance of Intolerance just Cowardice." -Ayaan Hirsi Ali

Sources:

"Algerian Pastor Awaits Verdict on Second Appeal for his Conviction."  21Wilberforce.  2024.  Accessed from https://21wilberforce.org/algerian-pastor-awaits-verdict-on-second-appeal-for-his-conviction/.

Balasamini, Dean.  "NYC Taxi Driver Charged with Hate Crime After Allegedly Decapitating Jesus Statue in Wild Caught-on-Camera Tantrum."  New York Post.  July 13th, 2024.  Accessed from https://nypost.com/2024/07/13/us-news/nyc-man-charged-with-hate-crime-after-decapitating-jesus-statue/.

Boyd, Andrew.  "Nigeria Terror Attacks Shut Down 70 Churches."  Anglican Ink.  July 10, 2024.  Accessed from https://anglican.ink/2024/07/10/nigeria-terror-attacks-shut-down-70-churches/.  

"'Submit to Allah': French Villagers Horrified by Vandalism of 58 Graves, Church with Islamic Slogans.  Christian Daily International.  March 20th, 2024.  Accessed from https://www.christianpost.com/news/islamist-defacing-of-christian-sites-shocks-french-villagers.html.  

"Terrorists Shut Down 70 Churches in Nigeria; Priest Released."  Morningstar News.  July 08th, 2024.  Accessed from https://morningstarnews.org/2024/07/terrorists-shut-down-70-churches-in-nigeria-priest-released/.

"'We Muslims Can't Accept This F*** Religion'-Another Church in France Gets Vandalized."  V4 Agency.  July 21st, 2024.  Accessed from https://v4na.com/en/we-muslims-we-cant-accept-this-f-religion-another-church-in-france-gets-vandalised-131036/.

Woods, Amanda & Alex Oliveira.  "NYC Taxi Driver Decapitates Jesus Statue with own Shoe in Bizarre Caught on Camera Tantrum."  New York Post.  July 01, 2024.  Accessed from https://nypost.com/2024/07/01/us-news/nyc-taxi-driver-decapitates-baby-jesus-statue-with-own-shoe-in-bizarre-caught-on-camera-tantrumnyc-taxi-driver-decapitates-baby-jesus-statue-with-own-shoe-in-bizarre-caught-on-camera-tantrum/.