Jihadists Destroy Armenian Cathedral of Aleppo

The Cathedral of the 40 Martyrs, Destroyed
on April 28th, 2015 

(Beirut) "Just in time" for the 100th anniversary of the genocide of the Armenians, jihadists destroyed the Armenian Cathedral of Aleppo. Ignatius Joseph III. Younan, Patriarch of the  Syrian Catholic Church of Antioch in union with Rome, speaks of a "tragedy in Aleppo", the second largest city of Syria. On April 28, the city was bombarded by Islamist militias. Here also, the Cathedral of the Forty Martyrs  of the Armenian Apostolic Church was destroyed.

The cathedral in the Christian district Jdeydeh is dedicated to the Forty Martyrs of Sebaste. It was built in 1429 in front of a smaller predecessor. In its present form, it was enlarged 1499/1500. She is one of the oldest churches in the Armenian diaspora and the old city of Aleppo.

The patriarch spoke of his visitations in twelve Syrian parishes. In all he had found a precarious situation, but above all the desire of Christians and Muslims, "that the slaughter come to an end as soon as possible".

"West Does not Want to Understand Real Problem"

The bell tower of the cathedral before destruction

In Syria there is an incumbent, internationally recognized government, "which can not be put on the same footing as the rebels," said the Patriarch to the daily newspaper Avvenire. "But the West, particularly the United States, France and Great Britain, do not want to understand the real problem: that the Sunni majority does not accept the various minorities."

The West must seriously ask themselves whether or not to put an end to this tragedy, said the Patriarch. "If we really want, then the flow of arms must stop. In addition, the borders must be controlled so that the jihadists who come even from Indonesia and Nigeria can not just to enter the country. Unfortunately, the West also gets its advantage from the war, because some thought to be able to resolve the crisis at least in part, by selling weapons to the fighters. "

Of the Islamic State, the Patriarch said: "I can not discuss the Islamic state. The problem of IS would be solved within a short time if it were not militarily  supported by some countries in the region such as Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Qatar, with the tacit approval of the West."

Turkey and Genocide: "Why the Patriarch of Antioch Can Not Reside in This City?"

Magnificent Reliefs of Armenian Religious Art Were Lost

Regarding the Turkish reactions to Pope Francis, who spoke about the genocide of the Armenians, Ignatius Joseph III .Younan said: "Last Sunday we commemorated the tragedy of our Armenian brothers with a Holy Mass who also included  both Catholics and Orthodox Syrians. The genocide took place. If the Turks do not want to acknowledge this, that's their problem. But that's the truth. We need not be afraid of their reaction. We should rather ask: Why is there, in the area of ​​present-day Turkey, where Christianity was represented historically since ancient times, only a population of 50,000 Christians out of 80 million?  Why did none of the five patriarchs of Antioch, three Catholic and two Orthodox headquarter in this city? I myself am the son of refugees. My mother and my father had to leave Turkey when I was a kid. Given certain attitudes we must firmly and decisively remain here."

EU could make great contribution to the solution of the Middle East conflict

Considering the EU the Patriarch added, "I think of the European Union in a particular way. If the EU is united, their cultural identity rediscovered and  not be determined by the United States: Where does that leave Turkey? Unfortunately, the West is often a prisoner of a certain cowardice, which is reflected in a politically correct mentality. In reality, the EU could make a major contribution to solving the Middle East problem."

Text: Giuseppe Nardi
image: ora pro Siria
Trans: Tancred vekron99@hotmail.com
Link to Katholisches...
AMDG

Muslims Demonstrate With Pope Citation: “Whoever Insults My Mother, He Will Get My Fist."

Muslim Demonstration in London With
Pope Citation

(London) While on the German mainland freedom  of expression and  of assembly by Pegida is restricted by the State in Dresden, Leipzig, Vienna and Linz, under false pretexts and the peoples' resentment of politics and the media is attacked, Muslims may  in Britain unhindered and even appeal to Pope Francis.

Thousands of Muslims did this last Sunday in London is the front of the residence of Prime Minister David Cameron in Downing Street. They were protesting against the left-wing satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo which published cartoons about Islam. The rally participants condemned the abuse of freedom of expression by the satirical magazine. The right to freedom of expression of Charlie Hebdo , so say the Muslims, is  used as an excuse to insult Mohammed, who is "holy" to Muslims.  Above all, the cartoons against the “prophet”   was called an "assault on the norms of civil society". Their publication in the satirical newspaper was "a violation of Islamic law." As an added attraction point it was noted among the protesters that the weekly newspaper was owned by the Jewish Rothschild family since 2014.

Pope's quote: “If He Insults My Mother, He Will Get My Fist"

Among the slogan boards of Muslims many had a quote from Pope Francis,  that said after the  Paris terror attack: "Insult my mum and I will   punch you (Pope Francis) "(" insult my mother and I will punch you" ). This is what the  Pope is quoted as saying on the flight from Sri Lanka to the Philippines. When Doctor Gasbarri [the papal trip's marshal], who is my friend, insulted my mother, he gets one with my fist,”  is what Pope Francis said jokingly to the show the limits of free speech, is literally being claimed  ​​by the Muslim protesters.

Text: Giuseppe Nardi
Image: Il Foglio

Trans: Tancred vekron99@hotmail.com

Link to Katholisches…

AMDG

Blasphemous Charlie Hebdo Magazine Attacked by Unknown Assailants who Shouted Islamic Slogans: False Flag?

Update: we removed the offending photo.  Hope people are more angry with Charlie Hebdo than they are with us.

Edit: this graphic cartoon didn't get much press outside of France that we recall. There certainly wasn't the kind of response from the Christian world that there has been in the Islamic one.  The Christian world has cravenly stood by as a silent and ineffectual spectator with respect to such things.

Still, the identity and the motivations of the perpetrators are unknown.  Until an organization takes responsibility for it, which to date no one has, it will be impossible to know.  But even if it was Islamics, surely no one expects that the blame will be put where it belongs.

Photo: courtesy of LC

Islamists Control Libyan Capitol: Christians Hardly Dare to Leave Their Homes

(Tripoli) The Islamists have taken control over Libya's capital Tripoli. Christians hardly dare to leave their homes: "We celebrate Holy Mass as in the times of the great persecutions."

The government and parliament have fled to Tobruk. The Libyan Capitol has sunk into chaos: "Since the West has militarily intervened, armed bands have the say."

The end of August saw the Islamist Misrata Brigade, the Libyan Dawn, capture the international airport In Tripoli. Parliament and government then tool flight. The security situation in the Libyan capital since then has been a "nightmare". "Defenseless, above all are the Christians, says Pater Amado Baranquel for the Catholic News Service.

Celebrating Mass in Secret

The Franciscan priest was a pastor for Philippine guest workers in Libya before the war. Their number before the war was about 13,000. Today he cares for all of the Christians. "For two weeks Christians have hardly dared to leave their homes any more," says Pater Amado. They are afraid of being abused or even killed. "There is no rule of law any more in the city. We don't know who might protect us or come to help us. All Holy Masses have to be celebrated in private in secret and private homes, as in the old times during the great persecutions," is how the Franciscan described the difficult situation.

In Libya there are daily conflicts between Islamists and forces loyal to the government. There are check points on the streets. Before getting to the control point you don't exactly know which side set it up. "Who can we trust? Whom can we ask for help? The question will remain open until we know who will take over the government."

"The Church Stands by Her People"

The situation in Bengazi, the second largest city in Libya, which is controlled by Islamists, is no different. "The Church stands with Her people," exclaims Sylvester Margi, Apostolic Vicar of Bengazi for the Catholic Church, besides the Orthodox Copts and the Greek Orthodox who have excavated their priests from the city. "The Catholic Church has decided to take the religious sisters out of Bengazi into safety." The danger of rape is too great, says the Apostolic Vicar, who is remaining behind in the city.

"We don't know what the future will bring. At the moment there are two governments, two warring parties and countless associated militias and battle groups. nicht, was die Zukunft bringen wird. There are at present not intermediaries," says Pater Amado.

The 115 Parliament members live with their families on a Greek luxury liner about 1.500 Kilometers from the Capitol of Tripoli. They seem prepared to go further into exile. Neither US-Präsident Obama, NATO or the Inited Nations, who toppled the previous president Muammar al-Gaddafi, and simultaneously plummeted the land into it's current chaos, show the least interest to change the situation. The same goes for the EU, despite Libya being a point of departure for most of the immigrants who are attempting to get to the EU through Lampadusa.

Text: Giuseppe Nardi
Bild: Asia news
Trans: Tancred vekron99@hotmail.com
AMDG

Pope's Turkey Trip and An Absurd Attack on Pope Francis

Absurd accusation from Turkey: Head of state religion Office raises Francis before, not doing enough to defend the Islam

Rome / Istanbul (CBA) Reportedly, later this year Pope Francis wants to undertake a visit to Turkey and participate in Constantinople on Orthodox on the Patronal Feast of St. Andrew. Various media reports were not unfounded, it said on Friday from the Roman Church circles. A month ago there had been evidence of the Pope's participation from the Patriarchate of Constantinople in the celebrations on 30 November at the Phanar, the official residence of the Patriarch. Originally, it was named for 2015 as a possible date for the Pope's visit for the Feast of St. Andrew's.

As already his predecessor John Paul II. in 1979 and Benedict XVI. in 2006 Francis should start with a protocol-related Turkey visit to the capital Ankara. Benedict XVI. had also made ​​a trip to the tomb of Mary at Ephesus, above the port city of Izmir in his three-day visit to Turkey. At that time, the trip took place after the discussion of the Regensburg speech of the Pope where misleading quotes on Islam and violence contributed to more objectivity.

Currently, statements by Mehmet Görmez have made headlines in Turkey. The head of the National Religion Office, who reports directly to the Turkish Prime Minister, accused Francis mid-week, of not doing enough in defense of Islam.

There were attempts to reinterpret the existence of Islam in question to making it a "security and legitimacy problem", Görmez said. Among other things, Görmez pointed to the increasing number of attacks after his presentation on mosques in Germany. In the years 2001 to 2012 there were an annual average of 22 mosques that have been attacked in the Federal Republic. In 2013 there were 36, while this year the number had increased to 70. In contrast, not only the Islamic world should fight back, but "all religious institutions, especially the Vatican."

 It is not enough, "to wash the feet of a young girl or to organize an interfaith football tournament." Görmez played on the washing of the feet by the Pope on Holy Thursday and on the "football match for peace" last Monday in Rome.

(C) 2014 CBA Catholic News Agency. All rights reserved.
Link to kath.net...
Trans: Tancred vekron99@hotmail.com
AMDG

Continued in St. Paul: Church of St. John's Gutted and Handed Over to Muslims

Mehmet IV Entering Hagia Sofia 1453

Whether unarmed or well-equipped, march on and fight for the cause of Allah, with your wealth and your persons. - 9:41

Edit: we'd reported on this in early June of this year when it happened.  St. John's was a fairly conservative presence in the Archdiocese.  Now it will be turned into a Mosque, it's cross hacked off its spire, to be replaced by the hateful symbol of Mohamedism.

This is something which should send a chill over those of us who are Europeans, because this is one of those symbolic events that accompanied the Muslim conquest of our cities.

It's unclear what's happened to rererdos, the portion behind and around the altar, but some men from another parish have come to take away the volks altar (Cramner Table), the altar in front of the reredos, but the confessionals have already been thrown into a dumpster.

There are many photos

Link ...   

Muslims Attack in Utrecht: "We Will Kill You Christians"

12.08.2014 | 16:33 |   ( The Press )

The Hague . A Catholic seminary student from Colombia has been threatened and spat upon in Utrecht by radical Muslims: Brother Jaider Chantré Sanchez who upon just leaving  church on the weekend, while walking alone through the park when two Muslims began to pursue him, cursing and spitting . They are supposed to have shouted, "We will  kill all of you Christians." 

"I was so scared. It is the first time something like  that's happened to me,"    Chantré Sannchez recently explained in the newspaper "De Telegraaf ". "I was told in Colombia, the Netherlands is a tolerant country. But this does not seem to be so," continued the student, who was able to escape. The attacker had apparently been traveling to an anti-Israel demonstration.  Yet Sanchez believes he has an explanation as to why they had become so aggressive, however, with this explanation: "I wore a T-shirt with the logo Nasrani. This is used by the IS-terrorist group in Iraq to mark houses of Christians. Many Christians wear those shirts now in solidarity with their fellow Muslims in Iraq. The logo must have seemed to the two Muslims like a red flag."

Heated social climate

The incident causing quite a stir. "When you are wearing a T-shirt and are threatened, anyway, that is unacceptable," said Hans Zuijdwijck, a spokesman for the Archdiocese of Utrecht. The incident shows how heated the social atmosphere is in the Netherlands. So it was in The Hague in the recent days demonstrations, where fans of the IS-terrorists, who murder and pillage in Iraq, as they shouted slogans such as "Death to all Jews". As citizens marched in a counterdemonstration, they were attacked by the Islamists.(Htz)

("Die Presse", print edition, 13/08/2014)

Translated: Tancred vekron99@hotmail.com

Link to ...

AMGD

Islamists Capture the Largest Christian City on the Nineveh Plain: 100,000 Christians in Flight

Jihadis of the Islamic States (IS)

 (Baghdad) The jihadists of the Islamic State (IS) have conquered the largest Christian town in the Nineveh plain in northern Iraq. 100,000 Christians are fleeing. Organizations speak of a "humanitarian catastrophe." How long will the West will still look away? Christian solidarity is really not a category for the "neutral" Western state doctrine ?

This past July 20, the Christians of Bach Dida (Qaraqosh) was still   a haven to the monks of the 1,600 year old Syrian Catholic monastery Mar Behnamr from which they'd been driven.'  The Islamists had  occupied the monastery and offered the monks with the alternative of "conversion" to Islam, escape or death. The Kurdish Perschmerga brought the monks after a flight of several hours to the Christians of Bach Dida. Now the city which is barely 30 kilometers southeast of Mosul has been conquered by the Islamists. The Iraqi army has abandoned the Nineveh plain after the first advance without fighting. The Christians have organized, despite a lack of weapons,  a kind of militia, but were hopelessly inferior to the battle-hardened jihadists, funded by the oil emirates and Washington.

Christians Defenseless - Radical Cleansing

Christians on the Run

Bach Dida, also known under the name Qaraqosh, is the largest Christian town in Iraq. The city is the largest Christian church in the country on the Euphrates and Tigris. The Christians have in their flight, as far as possible, the preserved in the city and taken venerated relics. Others were buried. They fear that the churches be desecrated or destroyed. The Chaldean archbishop of Kirkuk Yousif Thomas Mirkis-Sulaimaniya, a Dominican, speaks of an "unimaginable humanitarian catastrophe" and a "tragic situation". He feared that the largest church in the city could be misused by the Islamists in a command center, as it has already happened in other places. "A show of force," said the Archbishop. "Tens of thousands of people are terrorized and expelled, as we speak. We suffer a disaster that is hard to describe in words."

Not only Bach Dida, but the entire area was conquered by the Islamists, as well as the other Christian places of the valley Kayf, Bart and Ella Karamlesh. The area is "cleaned". Wen the Islamists did not immediately shoot (men) or abducted (women) has only the alternative of "escape or death". Since the Iraqi state power no longer exists in the province of Nineveh, hoped the Christians  to protect the Kurdish Peshmerga. These are ready to offer the Christians in the Kurdish area protection, but do not want to get involved in direct combat due to lack of weapons with the Islamists outside of Kurdistan. This means that the majority Christian area of ​​Qaraqosh is defenseless.

Conquest with the Cry Allahu Akbar  - Mass Executions

"We are witnessing a genocide by cleansing. How long will the world just watch? We called on the UN Security Council to intervene immediately. Here  a disaster of the largest proportions is taking place. Why does nobody help us?

The nearby town of Tal Kayf was conquered by the Islamists: "The Islamists arrived at night. There were shots. Long convoys of armed fighters of the Islamic State invaded the city. WIth the cries of Allhu Akbar they proclaimed their conditions," said a Christian from the valley Kayf, managed to escape in the Kurdish capital of Erbil.

In addition to the Christians, the minority Yazidi were driven as well. Even Muslims took to flight.  About 500 men of the city were executed by the Islamists, hundreds of women, especially Christian women were deported as slaves of the Islamists, says Tempi, citing Iraqi sources.

Patriarch Sako: "People Are Suffering Here Via Crucis "

The Chaldean Patriarch Raphael I Louis Sako of Baghdad, who had directed a desperate cry for help to Pope Francis a few days ago, said: "They create a void, an emptiness. In Syria, there is an intact army fighting against the Islamists. In Iraq, there is no army that can protect anyone. The Kurds withdrew into their territories. They only have light weapons.The Islamists are very well armed. Thousands of people are on the streets on the run. Their goal is uncertain. If no help comes, droit 50,000 of them the death by hunger and thirst. There are women, children, old people. It is necessary to mobilize the conscience of public opinion in all countries. The people on the run, walk, experience their Via Crucis.

Asianews has now started a  concrete relief effort, which will find imitation hopefully also in the  rest of the world.  Donations will be collected under the keywords: "Adopt a Christian from Mosul." With five euros a day a refugee can be helped. The money will be sent to the Patriarchate of Baghdad to coordinate the relief effort for the persecuted Christians.

Text: Giuseppe Nardi
image: Asianews / tempos

Trans:; Tancred vekron99@hotmail.com

Link to Katholisches...

AMGD

2,300 ISIS Fighters From Europe -- And What If They Return?

"European" Islamists at War

Since in the course of centuries not a few quarrels and hostilities have arisen between Christians and Moslems, this sacred synod urges all to forget the past and to work sincerely for mutual understanding and to preserve as well as to promote together for the benefit of all mankind social justice and moral welfare, as well as peace and freedom. -Nostra Aetate

(Baghdad) The Islamists of the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIS) march forward.   In Christian areas in Mosul they have interrupted the electricity and water supply, as the news agency    Aina reports.   The access to the water for inhabited places like the Assyrian settlements  Bartella and Qaraqosh they control and require payments.  One liter of water costs six dollars.  The price goes up almost daily. It's unaffordable for many residents.   A new preliminary form of the poll tax, which Christians have to  pay to the Islamist "caliphate".   It's a form to break any resistance.
 

 Are Saddam's chemical weapons still in Iraq?

According to the Wall Street Journal, the jihadists have also taken Al Muthanna, where Saddam Hussein was producing chemical weapons and have occupied it.  According to American security sources, however, the Islamists were not in a position to deploy the complicated weapons.  The only people who would be harmed by the chemical weapons operated by Islamists, would be themselves," says  the Wall Street Journal, quoting an American officer. Even more than this naive assumption, the question arises as to why, just 45 kilometers away from Baghdad in Al Muthanna,  there are chemical weapons are stored.

Thousands of Islamists from Europe to fight in the Middle East

There are not only Iraqis in the ranks of the ISIS, but Syrians, Saudis, Chechens, Afghans, Pakistanis, Yemenis, Somalis, Tunisians, Egyptians, Algerians are fighting as well.  Among them are also "European" units.  Europol estimates the number of fighters at 2,300 that have set out from Europe to fight in the Middle East for the ISIS jihad.  How much are from Germany or Austria, and Switzerland, no one knows exactly.   According to Europol, the United Kingdom is the country from which  most jihadists have set out.

And if the ISIS-fighters return to Europe?

According Lahoor Talabani, head of the anti-terrorist unit of the autonomous Kurdish government in northern Iraq,  to start, there are at least 450 British citizens who have joined the ISIS.  The task force associated with Al-Qaida controls today, says Talabani,  a contiguous area with an east-west distance of at least 500 kilometers.   An area in which the border between Iraq and Syria is no longer important because it extends over both countries.  After the conquest of Fallujah in January and now Mosul and Tikrit also, the ISIS has pushed up to within a few miles of Baghdad.

For Talabani fighters from Europe are a problem not only for Iraq but for Europe as well, because ISIS leader, Abu Bakr Al Baghdadi "if they survive their current engagement, they can be used for an attack against England."   The situation will deteriorate rapidly if the West doesn't do anything. "Talabani hopes for air support from the West, as  requested by Iraq's Prime Minister Al Maliki.  However, U.S. President Obama seems unenthusiastic, to again return to the land that had been conquered in 2003.    Obama had made the campaign promise to leave Iraq and that had helped him win the 2008 presidential election.

From Stone Age  The Taliban Have Long Been Digitized 

Meanwhile,   the time in which the Islamists sent messages with videotapes is long  in the past. Today they skillfully use the limitless possibilities of  communication on the Internet.  There are no more video messages from Afghan caves.   Instead, the Islamists have their own websites, using the latest technological standards and publishing their texts, messages and photos on Facebook.  From the "Stone Age-Taliban," as it was called disparagingly still around 2000, they have become a  "digitized Taliban".  Their  global loudspeaker is the Internet.

They have no problems to post on Twitter and Facebook about their actions.  The enemy may read along.   However, they are aimed at mobilizing influence in the Islamic world.  The Internet offers the possibility to simultaneously use information and disinformation. Syria's president has accused all rebels of being terrorists.  But the West has supported the rebels and claimed a part is democratic.   This offers the Islamists enormous leeway to present themselves as anti-Assad-front and as "good" rebels.

Text: Giuseppe Nardi Text: Giuseppe Nardi
Bild: Tempi Photo: Tempi
Trans: Tancred vekron99@hotmail.com
Link to Katholisches...
AMGD

Kasab The City of the Armenians is Liberated --- All Churches Destroyed by the Islamists

(Damascus) On the 14th and 15th of June the Syrian army regained control of Kasab.  The city, inhabited by Armenians city in northwestern Syria, is less than three kilometers from the Turkish border and 17 kilometers from the Mediterranean. It had been captured in March by anti-Assad rebels.

 As the Armenian Patriarch Nerses Bedros XIX Catholic Tarmouni explained,   the advancing Syrian soldiers provided a picture of devastation. Alle Kirchen der Stadt wurden von den Islamisten zerstört. All the churches of the city were destroyed by the Islamists.   The crosses were torn from the churches, the icons damaged or burned, statues smashed.  The churches were burned down and the walls smeared with Islamist slogans and the Koranic suras.

 The reclaiming of Kasab  was attended by the regular Syrian associations, self-defense units formed by Syrian Armenians in part and associations of the Shiite Hezbollah from Lebanon.

 Islamists Systematically Destroyed Christian Symbols

  Desecrated icons of Kasab

 On March 21, the attack of the Islamists had begun. Particularly active was   the Al-Qaida Salafist associated Al-Nusra Brigade. The Islamists moved from the border mountains of Turkey into the city.  More than 700 families were evacuated from the city. What remained were units of the Syrian army and the young Armenian men who formed a self-defense militia to defend the churches of the town.  After heavy fighting, however, they had to retreat before the overwhelming power of the Islamists. Now they have returned to their liberated city.

  The Armenian Catholic Patriarch called on the refugee population to return to Kasab and participate in the reconstruction of the city.  The Armenians of Kasab are mainly engaged in agriculture. The city has a symbolic character for the Armenians.   Since 1915 they have had  been expelled by the Turks in the great genocide of Cilicia, and Kasab is the last Armenian enclave of this area.

Text: Giuseppe Nardi  
 Picture: Ora per Siria
Trans: Tancred vekron99@hotmail.com
Link to Katholisches...
AMGD

Archdiocese Selling Historic Church to Muslims?

Update 19:26 GMT:  the sale has been confirmed by the listing agent, but the Archdiocese refuses to discuss it. City Council Member Kathy Lantry also confirms this:

I am writing to let you know that we have a Purchase Agreement on the Church of St. John's in Dayton' Bluff. The buyer intends to use the church for an Islamic worship center and the house as residency for the minister. They have no intended use for the school at this time.

Edit: it's a church that was active on St. Paul's East Side for 127  years when its pastor, Father George Welzbacher said its last Mass.  It's been a part of home, of homeland,  a consolation and a source of learning for generations of Americans, students, parishioners, pastors and the people of the neighborhood.    It was one of the more conservative parishes in the Archdiocese.  Soon, it will be another conquest by advancing militant Islam.

Now it looks like it's being sold to Muslims.  The asking price is less than a million dollars, which seems a bit on the cheap side.  We're contacting the Archdiocese, but haven't heard anything yet.

Listing here.

Thanks to liberal immigration policies, the streets are teaming with Muslims and their increasingly visible presence is taking advantage of the continuing decline of Christianity.

And don't ask where we got the information.

H/T: Brother Ass

11 Year Old Christian Girl Raped for Three Days -- Two Muslims Arrested

(Islamabad)  An 11 year old Christian girl, Maria Sarfraz was kidnapped and raped for three days by several men.  In the meantime, two Muslims were arrested as alleged perpetrators Since then, the family of the victim and the other Christian families have been  menaced with arson attacks and death threats.

As the Pakistan Christian Post reported, Maria Sarfraz was abducted from Sheikhupura in Punjab on the way to school. In another city, the abducted girl was held captive and repeatedly raped by several men. After the girl's father, Andrew Sarfaz, had reported her as a  missing person to the police, the girl was  located on April 28 and   liberated.

Raped for Three Days

According to medical opinion, Mary was raped for three days by different men. The police arrested two Muslims, Muhammad Safdar and Muhammad Mehoob on suspicion of kidnapping and rape. Friends of the men have been putting pressure on the victim’s familyand other Christian families of Sheikhupura in the meantime. That if they do not withdraw the accusation, the homes of Christians would be burned down.

According to the latest report of the Pakistan Movement for Solidarity and Peace, every year more than 700 Christian and 300 Hindu girls and women abducted, forcibly Islamized and forced to marry a Muslim in Pakistan. Since the police and judiciary are unable or unwilling to take action against the perpetrators, most will not be held accountable. For this reason there is always a new kidnapping because the perpetrators feel safe.

Due to Inaction of the Police and Justice There Are Always New Cases

Initially  in April, a group of Muslim men in Mally ki  in Sialkot district (Punjab) raped a   Christian girl  who was only 7 years old.  The girl survived, but is seriously injured. The police did not arrest the perpetrators but supported them in the abduction of Iqbal Masih, the father of the rape victim, "to force the family to withdraw the accusation," said the Pakistan Christian Post .

Text: Giuseppe Nardi
image: Tempi

Trans: Tancred vekron99@hotmail.com

Link to Katholisches…

AMGD

Ibrahim A. -- A Ghanian Asylum Seeker as Church Desecrator

Islamism

On Saturday afternoon of the 29th March 2014 there were four churches of Vienna which suffered severe, religiously motivated criminal damage, especially statues of saints and sacred objects. Alleged perpetrators: an asylum seeker from Ghana.

Has the Archdiocese of Vienna and kathpress has hidden the (alleged) vandal, Ibrahim A.'s religious belief so as not to mess up the Caritas business with the asylum seekers? [Image: National Police Headquarters in Vienna, image quote by orf.at]

Systematic property damage

Thus, 

• the statue of St. Jude Thaddeus was pushed from its by its marble base, in Vienna's St. Stephen's Cathedral,
• in the parish church Breitenfeld four statues was overturned and the lid of the baptismal font destroyed,
• in the Lazaristenkirche of Vienna in the fingers of a stone statue of Saint Vincent had its fingers chopped off,   all (!) statues in the church damaged or destroyed, the "wooden body a crucifix" (ie Christ) was torn down and demolished while his arms were chopped off,
• in the parish church Neuottakring there was property damage.
• The "Kronenzeitung newspaper" reports of possibly three other acts of vandalism at churches in the district of Meidling.

Ibrahim A. - religiously motivated offenders

In a press release from the Police Headquarters in Vienna from 30March 2014   they describe damage to property in St. Stephen's Cathedral: "On 29.03.2014 at 17:15 hours an unidentified man threw a statue of the saint in the church of St. Stephen from its marble base. A moment later the man wanted to leave the church. Many passers-by forced the 37-year-old Ibrahim A. to the ground in front of the cathedral shop  and held him until the police arrived. The accused described religious reasons as his motive. He was arrested."

The Vienna Cathedral Parish Priest Fr. Anton Faber supposed that the offender Ibrahim A. had "been a madman [I], who was playing religious themed music prior to the incident on his iPod." In addition, the offender Ibrahim had suffered a  "psychotic episode" and been seized by an "internal disturbance".

Ibrahim A. was prevented from the destruction of the Sacred Heart image. 

In the course of detention by those present, Ibrahim A. had also injured a person slightly.

Offender set free - warned by police against renewed arrest

The spokesman for the Vienna State Police, Roman Hahslinger, although the presumption was obvious that the perpetrator was a serial offender, he was not arrested apparently.

Rather, the police didn't   question   Ibrahim A. at the time.  Not until this week will he be asked about the other crime scenes. -  Thus, if he can be found again the police have pre-announced his timely arrest.

Oddly enough the police did not consider the grounds for detention (such as  the danger of recidivism).

Ibrahim A. - an asylum seeker from Ghana

In media reports, the origin and status of the (alleged) church vandal is mostly concealed.

He is the 37-year old Ibrahim A., an asylum seeker from Ghana, who is housed in the care center in Lower Austria Traiskirchen.

How fortunate that he was able to  save, despite the assuredly alleged persecution  in Ghana, his iPod from his African tormentors. Otherwise he would not have gotten the "inspiration",  to "proceed against religious statues." 

The fact that he referred to the Catholic faithful as "puppets", fits well into the picture.

Whitewashing by the Archdiocese of Vienna and the Catholic Press Agency (kathpress)

Characteristically,  the Archdiocese of Vienna and Catholic press was silent on their websites about the origin of the offender and the Cathedral Parish Priest Fr. Faber  himself  and the release of the police referred to the religious motivation of the Ghanaian asylum.

The other assessments of the offender by Father ("seized by an inner disturbance" or "psychotic episode") Faber, however, were cited.

In the OTS- broadcast, the Catholic press (on the following day at 14:02 clock) is rather pointed out that "the uncharacteristic act of vandalism for the otherwise peaceful life of religions in Vienna" and that "also no one was [would be] harmed."

Why is there silence about  the Muslim religious devotion of the (alleged) perpetrator?

Note

For legal reasons, the presumption of innocence for the asylum seeker from Ghana, Ibrahim A. applies. [Naturally!]

Trans: Tancred vekron99@hotmail.com

Kreuz.net...

AMGD

Syria: Islamists Descend on Christian Town

About 80 dead - 670 families from Kasab fled to the port city of Latakia Kasab (kath.net / idea ) In north-west Syria, Islamist rebels have attacked the predominantly Christian town of Kasab. The reports are from the Christian Hilfsbund (Bad Homburg) working there in the Orient, citing eyewitnesses. As the director of federal assistance, Andreas Baumann, the Protestant news agency 'idea' said it has so far the area on the Syrian-Turkish border has been relatively quiet and safe. In the 3500 population city and twelve surrounding villages, there live mainly Christian Armenians. Even Armenian refugees from the city of Aleppo and other parts of the country have sought refuge there from the fighting. On 21 March an offensive had been launched by the Islamists. 670 Christian families then fled or were evacuated by the Syrian military - more than 60 kilometers south from the port city of Latakia. They lived there with relatives or in churches. Partner organizations of Christian auxiliary Federal supplied them with food.

Turkey Syrian Shoots Down Syrian Jet.

Baumann showed himself very concerned about the development. Government troops had tried in vain to repel the insurgents. So far, 80 people have been killed. Rebels had beheaded 13 Armenians. In the fighting, the Turkish military had shot down a Syrian fighter aircraft, according to the media reports it had penetrated Turkish airspace. According to Baumann it is believed that the rebels had advanced from Turkish soil to Kasab. The place is located just three kilometers from the Turkish border. Meanwhile, Latakia was being attacked with rockets, Baumann said. The Armenians are considered as the oldest Christian nation in the world. During the First World War they were the victims of genocide by the then Ottoman Empire, now Turkey. He noted an estimated 300,000 to 1.5 million Armenians fell victim. Turkey denies this genocide. Of the 21 million inhabitants of Syria, 90 percent are Muslim and 6.3 percent Christian, of which three percent are Catholics and Orthodox, plus small groups of Protestants before the Civil War. The rest of the population consists of non-religious people or followers of other religions. The Christians enjoyed relative freedom of belief under the regime of President Bashar al-Assad; they are hunted by the insurgents as his allies.

  Link to kath.net....

 AMGD

Islam or Death? -- Islamists Take 2,000 Christians as Hostages and Threaten with Being Shot

(Damascus) Two thousand Christians are hostages in the hands of the Islamists. On Saturday night the rebel Salafist Brigade Al-Nusra took the Christian town of Kanaye. Since then, they have kept the Christians of the place hostage, as the retired Bishop of Aleppo, Bishop Giuseppe Nazzaro reported. A resident of Kanaye, who escaped, called the bishop and brought him the bad news. The Islamists offer the Christians two the alternatives: Islam or death.

"Based on the information available to me, I can say that the Al-Qaeda fighters have invaded the village on Saturday. First, they occupied the church and prevented the priest from sounding the bells of the church tower and alarm to warn the Christians," said Bishop Nazzaro. He fears for the lives of Christians of Kanaye, one of the many Christian places of Syria. "The Islamists have blocked all access routes to Kanaye and Christians explained that Islamic law is now in effect in Kanaye. The Islamists threatened the Christians: If even one woman is found unveiled on the road, all Christians would be executed. People are terrorized. Communication is unfortunately broken. Today it was not possible for me to make contact. What is currently happening in Kanaye, I can not say," said the bishop.

  In Aleppo, 15 Children Were Killed

Another village was taken in 2012 in the same manner by he Islamist group Ghassanieh,  near Kanaye, in the region Idlib. The churches and holy places were looted, Christians symbols were destroyed, especially the cross. The homes of Christians were seized by the Islamists. The Christians had to give up their homes and fled. "The same fate now threatens Kanaye. We would currently be happy if we knew that the Christians could get away with their lives," said Msgr Nazzaro.

In Aleppo, the Syrian Air Force flew an attack on the rebel-controlled part of the city. In this case, 83 people were killed, including 15 children.

Text: Giuseppe Nardi
 image: Asianews
Trans: Tancred vekron99@hotmail.com
Link to katholisches....
AMGD

Libya Introduces Sharia -- The Result of the "Arab Spring"

(Tripoli)  Sharia is the basis and "source" of all law in the North African Mediterranean state Libya. A committee will now consider all applicable laws and regulations to determine whether they are in accordance with Islamic law.Two and a half years after the outbreak of the "Arab Spring", the results are devastating: a torn country in which various islamist groups and clans have controlled  whole regions and now has also saw the introduction of Sharia.The Libyan Parliament decided last Wednesday the introduction of Islamic law. The Sharia have to submit to all laws and regulations of the country. Therefore, the Parliament set up a commission to review all legal standards for compliance with the Sharia. Provisions that are not compliant with Shari'ah must be abolished or replaced.

A country in chaos

Two and a half years after the outbreak of the "Arab Spring" and little more than two years after the assassination of "revolutionary leader" Muammar Gheddafi by the rebels supported by NATO, the oil-rich Mediterranean country is in the depths of chaos. Several armed militias, independent of the State militias  parts of the territory under their control. They fight each other and the state. The real power has the Grand Syrtis in hand.  The transitional government has already declared Sharia as the basis of the entire law after the fall of Gaddafi. Now this has been officially adopted by Parliament.

The new law shows that the Islamists who were suppressed by the old regime, are becoming an ever more dominant factor in Libya. The Islamist militias have forced the Parliament to introduce Sharia  with violence and threats to the government, which can hardly exercise authority in the state, hoping thereby to appease the most extreme groups of Islamists. What is meant is mainly Ansar al-Sharia , the "followers of Islamic law," a Salafist militia  which is connected to Al-Qaeda.  An offshoot of Ansar al-Sharia exists in Tunisia, Yemen, Egypt, Mali, Morocco and Mauritania.

"Sharia is the Law"

Mohammed Al-Zaroug of the Libyan Muslim Brotherhood Party of Justice and Construction declared contentedly: "Sharia is the law. Now no one can say that the Parliament does not work with Shari'ah." Ibrahim Al-Gharyani of the. Alliance of National Forces said: "The law already contains hardly any laws that contradict Islamic law." The Muslim Brotherhood holds 17 of 80 seats in parliament, the Alliance has 39 seats.

Also on Wednesday, the Parliament appointed 60 members of a commission to draft a new constitution for Libyan.Christians, who can hardly move freely in the government-controlled capital of Tripoli in Libya. In the rest of the country they are fair game.

Text: Giuseppe Nardi
image: As Sabhab (screenshot)

Trans: Tancred vekron99@hotmail.com

Link to Katholisches...

AMGD

Church and School Are Shelled: 9 Children Killed and 27 Wounded

(Damascus) Islamist rebels have fired two shells into the predominantly Christian district of Al-Qassaa of Damascus. The Christians' Holy Cross Church and St. John's School were struck. Nine children have died, 27 were injured.

As the news agency Sana reported, the children were in a school bus that had just arrived from school in order to bring them to class. The nearby school and the church were also struck.

According to witnesses, the shells fell in the Holy Cross Church and the St. John School. Already on the 7th of October, the Islamists had shelled the church and next to a Christian school. Samaan, a Christian from Al-Qassaa reports that the Islamists "always work this way. They fire shells, then wait a month and then shoot it again."

In kindergarten, there were no casualties in October, because the attack took place on a Sunday. It was apparently the church and potential church visitors. The attack on the school was on a work day this time and caused a bloodbath.

There is still fighting around the Syrian capital, although Assad made a concession to the rebels in order to include all sides in the Geneva II Peace Conference. In Qudsaya is not being fought over presently. The city is located west of Damascus. It is in rebel hands, but is surrounded by government troops. The concession by President Assad to stop the fighting, freed the trapped people from a hopeless situation. The agreement includes that trucks with food such as flour, wheat, water and milk powder may be brought into the city.

Text: Giuseppe Nardi
 Image: Tempi
Trans: vekron99@hotmail.com
Link to katholisches...

Murdered Christians: "Why Does Not the World Raise Their Voice?" -- Islamists Plunder Saint Symeon Monastery

Edit: now we probably begin to understand more of what motivated the men who travelled thousands of miles on foot to fight the Turk.

(Damascus) In the meantime details about the murder of 45 Christians in Sadad are becoming known. A whole family was thrown alive into a well by the Islamists, where they died. Islamist rebels in the north also targeted the "Rock of Symeon" from the 5th Century. The "rock of Simeon" in Arabic, Kalat Siman, is a large monastery with cathedral from the early Byzantine period. It originated as a spiritual center in the place where the saint Symeon the Stylite lived on a column until his death after 37 years. Symeon Stylites died in 459 and became the first pillar saint in Church history.

During his lifetime he was sought by thousands of pilgrims, seeking advice and assistance, as Symeon was not had a reputation for holiness, but God worked many miracles through him. Even Emperor Theodosius II (401-450) climbed up the column in order to ask him for advice. The rush of pilgrims was also so great after his death, that the Byzantine Emperor Zeno (425-491) established the Symeon Cloister on the road to Antioch, 35 km to the north west of Aleppo. During his reign the mighty cathedral and the monastery was built as a pilgrimage center. At the center of the great crossroads is the 15-18 meter high pillar on which according to tradition the saint had lived on a wooden platform.

Saint Symeon the Stylite Islamic conquest in 1164

After the conquest of Islam had rolled over it several times , the monastery was near the border between the Byzantine Empire and the Islamic sphere. In the 10th Century, the monastery was fortified because of the increasing Islamic pressure. 1164 saw the conquest by the Seljuk Turks and the Muslim decline.

The jihadists of the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant control part of the city of Aleppo have recently put the Cathedral of Saint Symeon the Stylite in the crosshairs. They destroyed what was left to destroy that was recognizably Christian and dragged away what was more valuable, reported Le veilleur de Nineveh. The impressive ruins are a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.

"How Can You Commit Such Inhuman and Brutal Acts?"

The area of ​​Aleppo near the Turkish border is in a dramatic situation, as the Christian Claude Z. says: "The situation is critical: we have had no electricity for ten days, there is a lack of food, rebels and army are fighting and the Islamist terrorists have introduced Sharia law in the areas they where they control part of the city. "

As Kirche in Not [The Catholic relief organization in German Zone] has reported, 30 of the 45 CHristians killed in Sadad were found in two mass graves. Many of the dead showed signs of abuse. Among them were old people, women and the disabled. Six members of a family, including a 90-year-old woman were thrown alive into a well by the Islamists , where they perished miserably.

The Melkite Greek Catholic Patriarch of Antioch, Gregory III. Laham said, "How can one commit such inhuman and bestial acts to older people and their families? I do not understand: Why does not the world raise their voice against such brutality. Extremism and fanaticism have overtaken Syria. What has happened in Sadad exemplifies what experience of all Christians in Syria is."

Text: Giuseppe Nardi
 Image: Wikicommons
Tancred: vekron99@hotmail.com

Link to Katholisches...

AMGD

Imam Destroys Marian Statue -- "We Tolerate None But Allah"

(Damascus) Islamist rebels have destroyed a statue of Mary in Syria. "Only God can be worshiped in this country." A video shows Imam Omar Gharba how he destroyed a statue of the Mother of God in Idlib province, a city under the control of Islamist militias. "We will not tolerate anyone except Allah."

Wahhabi Imam Destroyed Statue

A Wahabi Imam (Wahabism is the most radical form of Islam and is regarded officially as state doctrine in Saudi Arabia) let himself be filmed in the act with the cry Allahu Akbar (Allah is the Greatest) destroying a statue of the Virgin Mary. The incident occurred in the city Yaaqoubiya in the Syrian province of Idlib, near the border with Turkey.

"Only Allah"

The city is Yaaqoubiya in the Levant is controlled by the Islamist militia Islamic State of Iraq and is associated with Al-Qaeda. The militia is responsible for the destruction of many churches in Syria. The video was released on Monday on the Internet. Omar Gharba includes a statement that "only Allah is worshiped in the land of the Levant, and only the law of Allah is allowed." That Christianity alone worships God, the Mother of God but worshiped, is a distinction of the Wahabit does not seem to know.

The Destruction

During his statement, the Islamist held the statue constantly in his hand: "We accept nothing but Allah's religion and the Sunnah of the Prophet of Allah, Muhammad." Then he smashed the statue of Mary to the cheers of enthusiastic Islamist bystanders.

 Text: Giuseppe Nardi
Bild: Screenshot
Trans: Tancred vekron99@hotmail.com
Link to Katholisches....



AMGD

330 Years Since the Relief of Vienna

In 1683 the Christian Alliance Defeated the Turks Before Vienna and Led the Liberation of Southeast Europe from the Turkish yolk.

Vienna 1683, the armies of the Holy League attacking the Ottoman
besieging forces.  Since 1400, Turkish troops began attacking
the Empire, a Fresco in the Graz Cathedral by Thomas von Villach
counts them among the seven menaces. [The Previous Picture: was of

Hatschi Bratschi's hot air balloon, just as politically incorrect

as this one.]

The Christian relief force

In early September 1683, the armies mediated by Pope Innocent XI. into the Holy League gathered for the attack on the Turkish siege forces under the Ottoman Grand Vizier Kara Mustafa in front of Vienna.

The French King Louis XIV., was committed to neutrality by Pope Innocent XI., was previously connected to the Sultan. France tried in vain to hold the Polish king from a merger with the army of Emperor Leopold I..

The formal leadership of the relief army, the Emperor Leopold I left to Poland's King Jan III. Sobieski. The individual parts of the army, however, remained under the suzerainty of the respective commanders.

Duke Charles of Lorraine led the imperial troops (among them, the troops provided by the Pope), supported by the Bavarians and Franks under Max Emanuel and the Saxons under Elector Johann Georg III.

The financing of the relief force was paid for to a substantial degree by the Holy Church under Pope Innocent XI., who fell back again on the income and wealth of ecclesiastical rule, the abbeys and monasteries.

The soldiers in the city were paid from ecclesiastical property, especially from the depot of the Primate of Hungary, Bishop Kollonitsch, experienced in fighting the Turk, who cambe back into the besieged city.

12th September 1683

The city of Vienna was under the command of Ernst Rüdiger Graf Starhemberg just was barely holding backthe attacks of the Ottomans, who had besieged the city with around 100,000 men.

These build trenches around the city ditches and dug underground blasting chambers which were set off undermine the walls defending the city. In addition, the city was under constant artillery fire.

The armies of the Holy Alliance took advantage of the Kara Mustafa poorly defended positions in Vienna Woods to the west of the city, as a staging area.

According to estimates by the troops under the leadership of Lorraine, they comprised about 40,000 men, with 20,000 additional soldiers by Jan Sobieski.

The attack took place from the Kahler and Leopold mountain and by midday the Alliance troops established a front from Heilgenstadt to Grinzing and Sievering.

"The Giauren [unbelievers = Christians] appeared with their detachments on the slopes on like storm clouds, gathering around the Erz Mountains. The other wing was opposed on the banks of the Danube composed of Walachians and Moldovans and over-reaching with the other wing to the extreme divisions of the Tartars, covered the mountains and fields while formed up in crescent order of battle. They were like a flood of wallowing black pitch pouring downhill, everything that opposed them was crushed, and burned," is how Mehmet, the Ottoman chronicler, describes the relieving army.

General Attack

The general attack on the main line of defense of the Ottomans took place at three twenty pm, the attack apparently exerted overwhelming pressure, so that even Kara Mustafa's camp had to be evacuated in great haste.

Just as Kara Mustafa was surprised by the strength of the defenders of Vienna, it also apparently the strength of the Christian troops.

At five thirty in just over two hours, the battle was over.

Cowardice of the Turks

An Irish officer who witnessed the combat action, "If the victory was not as extensive as we had set out to do, this is only due to the cowardice of the enemies whom we have driven before us from morning to night, who had not the courage to look us in the face as we displaced them from position to position, and pursued to narrow passes, which we never would have succeeded had they have had even a trace of courage. The battle lasted with the troops of the King of Poland for the longest time, but that only increased his fame, because the losses of the enemy's soldiers and cannons were greatest there, the enemy had left us practically his whole camp, with tents, bags and luggage."


Pursuit

With the relief of Vienna, the dislodging of the Ottomans from Eastern Europe was launched. Among the officers of the Imperial Army then, was the young Prince Eugene, as a lieutenant-colonel.

According to estimates, the death toll of the areas in which the Turks had ravaged, murdered and enslaved, were twice as high as in the Second World War.

Book Recommendation via Kreuznet: 

Siege of Vienna by John Stoye

 Trans: Tancred vekron99@hotmail.com AMGD