Merry Christmas, but remember: Christians still face persecution around the world

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I would like to wish all viewers a very merry Christmas and all the best for 2021. May the new year be free from lockdowns and other shenanigans that have been imposed on us. I hope all of you will have a safe and joyous holiday season.

On a somber note, to reflect: when people of other faiths migrate to Christian majority areas, they want to flex their muscles and put forward demands for some reasonable, and some not so reasonable, accommodations. Our politicians lap this up, with voting signs twirling around them.

But let us take a moment to reflect on the plight of Christians in countries where they are minorities.

I will give you just a few examples:

  1. Pakistan: In the first six months of 2020, International Christian Concern (ICC) documented at least 80 incidents of persecution against Pakistan’s Christian population. This included instances of discrimination, sexual assaults, abductions, forced conversions, forced marriages, blasphemy accusations, and murder.

  2. Iran: In 2018, four United Nations human rights experts said that members of the Christian minority in Iran, particularly those who have converted to Christianity, are facing severe discrimination and religious persecution. Muslims who change their faith to Christianity are subject to societal and official pressure which may lead to the death penalty.

  3. Egypt: There are systemic problems hindering Christians’ freedom of worship in Egypt, including unlawful church closures, harassment of worshippers by security agencies, and failure to protect churches from terrorist attacks and sectarian violence. Especially targeted are Coptic Christians where many of the women have been forcefully converted.

  4. Christians continue to be heavily attacked in various parts of Africa.

Meanwhile, what’s so different in Canada? The Ogunkoya family, who have converted to Christianity, are in hiding because if they are deported to their native Nigeria, they will be killed for being Christian. Wouldn’t Christmas be the perfect time to save this family by allowing them to stay in Canada?

I wonder why these atrocities are not raised in any forum or protest rallies? Where are our friends from the left? Where are the social justice warriors? Where are the so-called champions of human rights who scream and shout that certain lives matter? Don’t these lives matter? Why aren’t our political leaders taking this up with representatives of these countries where atrocities are committed every day? Is our prime minister not concerned? If a particular faith is told boo, even if it's Halloween, of course that would be taken up in Parliament and motions and laws would come into effect immediately.

So, while we celebrate Christmas in the comfort of our homes safely in Canada, let us think about our fellow humans who are followers of the Christian faith but face massive challenges practicing it in many parts of the world.

Once again, merry Christmas and blessings of peace for all those who may not be Christian, but care and dare to speak out about freedom of religion.

If you are interested in doing some reading over the holidays, take a moment to check out my new book, The ABC’s of Islamism at TheABCssofIslamism.com.

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  • By Raheel Raza

The ABC's of Islamism

Everything you wanted to know about radical Islam, but were afraid to ask.

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