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'We Are Going to Behead You and Get a Big Reward': The Persecution of Christians, December 2024 - by Raymond Ibrahim for the Gatestone Institute - 26.01.25

"Experts warn of a growing trend of youth radicalization through online platforms, where extremist groups exploit vulnerabilities to indoctrinate and recruit individuals. This year alone, 15 minors have been arrested across Spain for terrorism-related offenses...." — rmx.news, January 2, 2025, Spain.


"Despite the declarations of tolerance and inclusion by the new government in Syria, this attack on Christian sites is not the last, because jihadists continue to act and have fought for the new Syrian government. In particular, some, who are as close as two peas in a pod to the Islamic State, with the same patches on their combat uniforms." – caliber.az, December 24, 2024, Syria.


Ahmed al-Sharaa, jihadist warlord and current leader of Syria, swiftly turning into an Islamic state, confessed in a Dec. 17 interview that, "When we build the Islamic caliphate, Christians will pay Jizya under Islamic Sharia." — X.com, December 17, 2024.


The word jizya -- a payment for protection -- is often translated to "tribute" or "tax." The requirement originates in Koran 9:29: "Fight those among the People of the Book [Christians and Jews] who do not believe in Allah, nor the Last Day, nor forbid what Allah and his Messenger have forbidden, nor embrace the religion of truth [Islam], until they pay the jizya with willing submission and feel themselves humbled."


On December 19, "just days before Christmas, a period of heightened security risks due to festive gatherings," Spanish police arrested four Muslim migrants of Moroccan origin (aged 14 to 17), for plotting a terrorist attack on the Basilica of Santa María in Elche, a UNESCO World Heritage Site that draws large crowds, especially around Christmas time.


The following are among the abuses and murders inflicted on Christians by Muslims throughout the month of December 2024.

 

Jihadist Hate and Terror for Christmas


Germany: On December 4, an Iraqi asylum seeker was arrested for plotting a terror attack, by plowing his vehicle into the crowd at a popular Christmas market in Augsburg. The man, known only as Ali al-G, has a long "history of posting pro-IS content on social media." The report adds:


"This incident is the latest in a series of thwarted plots targeting Germany's Christmas markets, which are particularly vulnerable to attacks. Last month, a 17-year-old male of Turkish descent was arrested in Elmshorn, Schleswig-Holstein, on suspicion of planning a truck attack on a local market.


In November 2023, another Iraqi national was detained in Hanover after authorities discovered plans for a similar assault. Two teenagers were also apprehended last year for conspiring to execute an attack in Leverkusen, North Rhine-Westphalia, using a fuel-laden truck. Authorities have been on heightened alert following the 2016 Berlin Christmas market attack that claimed 12 lives."


Spain: On Dec. 19—"just days before Christmas, a period of heightened security risks due to festive gatherings," notes a report—police arrested four Muslim migrants of Moroccan origin (aged 14 to 17), for plotting a terrorist attack on the Basilica of Santa María in Elche, a UNESCO World Heritage Site that draws large crowds, especially around Christmas time. One of the terrorists, "a fourth-year secondary school student, reportedly showed no prior behaviour that might have raised alarms among classmates or teachers, adding to the concerns over hidden radicalization," says the report before adding:


"Experts warn of a growing trend of youth radicalization through online platforms, where extremist groups exploit vulnerabilities to indoctrinate and recruit individuals. This year alone, 15 minors have been arrested across Spain for terrorism-related offenses, sparking calls for urgent action to counter extremist propaganda and prevent radicalization."


Pakistan: On Christmas Day, three Christians were shot and wounded in an attack on the home of

Pastor Shahzad Siddique in Lahore. The attack came as a result of an altercation on the night before, when, according to one of the pastor's neighbours, "Pastor Siddique was leading a rally comprising church members including young girls and women on Dec. 24 when a group of local Muslims riding a car started misbehaving with the participants. Pastor Siddique and other elders confronted the Muslims and told them not to tease the congregants. This must have stoked anger in the Muslims and led them to plan the attack."


On Christmas Day, more than a dozen gunmen randomly opened fire on the pastor's home. "I had just returned home from my church and was resting when unidentified motorcyclists opened fire outside my house," the pastor recalled. He called police, who arrived nearly 30 minutes later:

"I was briefing the policemen about the firing incident when, all of a sudden, youths riding motorcycles came there and opened indiscriminate fire on us.


Unfortunately, three people – my uncle, driver and a church member – received bullet injuries on the arm, stomach, and leg. We were able to catch one attacker while the others fled on foot, leaving behind five motorcycles... I believed that this country was safe for us, but now I'm forced to admit that it isn't safe to be a Christian in Pakistan. I've always preached peace and tolerance, but this unprovoked attack has shown that extremist elements do not want a peaceful society."


Discussing this incident, Joseph Jansen of the human rights group Voice for Justice said:

"This act of violence, driven by religious hatred, highlights a grave issue of intolerance and discrimination. The government of Pakistan must act decisively to hold accountable those inciting such hatred and attacking individuals and places of worship. Inaction against perpetrators has allowed extremist forces to thrive unchecked, further exacerbating the threat to vulnerable communities. Pakistan's failure to safeguard minority rights and prevent religious based violence also undermines its international commitments."


This article extends to 13 pages in the attached pdf file and so please click on this link if you want to read the whole article:




Raymond Ibrahim, author of Defenders of the West, Sword and Scimitar, Crucified Again, and The Al Qaeda Reader, is the Distinguished Senior Shillman Fellow at the Gatestone Institute and the Judith Rosen Friedman Fellow at the Middle East Forum.


About this Series


While not all, or even most, Muslims are involved, persecution of Christians by extremists is growing. The report posits that such persecution is not random but rather systematic, and takes place irrespective of language, ethnicity, or location. It includes incidents that take place during, or are reported on, any given month.


Basilica of Santa María in Elche, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.


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