#Observatory of Intolerance Against Christians in Europe

[religion-is-a-mental-illness]

By: Stephen Evans

Published: Dec 17, 2021

The UK is one of the 'most intolerant' countries in Europe towards Christians. That's the extraordinary claim of a report published this week by Observatory of Intolerance Against Christians in Europe (OIACE).

The report identifies the UK, France, Germany, Spain and Sweden as the top five countries driving what it describes as a "rising phenomenon" against Christians.

The scientist Carl Sagan famously said, "extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence". This report offers little.

A few examples of the supposed "discrimination" and "intolerance" faced by UK Christians illustrate just how scant the evidence is.

One of the more bizarre examples provided by the report is schools being "pressured to provide atheist content".

What's being referred to here is one instance of a Church of England controlled multi-academy trust agreeing to provide a meaningful alternative for pupils withdrawn from Christian collective worship after two parents launched a legal challenge. The parents simply wanted their local (non-faith) school to provide a more inclusive environment for their children.

The authors are looking through the wrong end of the telescope here. Those on the receiving end of intolerance and discrimination when it comes to state education are the pupils locked out of local faith schools due to discriminatory admissions policies – and those compelled to take part in Christian rituals by a law that forces all schools to hold daily acts of Christian worship.

But this report never lets the reality get in the way of its victim narrative.

The report's authors go on to cite 'buffer zones' as further evidence of victimisation of Christians. These are the zones introduced around abortion clinics by a handful of local authorities where women were facing harassment and intimidation when accessing healthcare.

It takes a very myopic mindset to refuse to recognise that the right to oppose abortion shouldn't interfere with the fundamental right for women to make individual reproductive choices and access sexual health services.

The report goes on to claim the requirement on schools to provide LGBT inclusive relationships and sex education; the refusal to allow religion-run adoption agencies to discriminate against same-sex parents; and even the inclusion of places of worship in measures to curb the spread of coronavirus indicate a "decline in religious freedom".

The point entirely and intentionally missed by this report's authors is that human rights are the basic rights and freedoms that belong to everyone, not just Christians. In pluralistic societies, competing rights sometimes clash – and a balance needs to be struck. When the practicing of your religion encroaches on the rights and freedoms of others, a restriction on your right may be reasonable. The belief that not always entirely getting your own way amounts to discrimination is a highly narcissistic and flawed approach to human rights.

The appalling treatment of Christians and other religious and nonreligious minorities in countries such as Afghanistan, Somalia, Libya, Pakistan, Yemen, Iran, North Korea, China, and Nigeria is deserving of everyone's attention. This year's #RedWednesday campaign did a fine job of highlighting the persecution faced by millions of Christians, not least the girls and women living under the constant threat of abduction, sexual violence and forced conversion.

But claiming that the human rights of Christians are "under pressure" in a country where, in almost all walks of life, Christianity is uniquely privileged, is simply absurd.

Nevertheless, hardline Christian advocacy groups continue to push a false narrative of Christians being persecuted here. So loud became their calls that in 2016, the Equality and Human Rights Commission carried out a comprehensive review of equality and human rights law relating to religion or belief.

The Commission's findings gave lie to the claim that Christians are being unfairly treated. Their report said the law strikes the right balance between protecting religious freedom and upholding the right to non-discrimination.

The labelling of National Secular Society backed legislative attempt to end the automatic right of 26 Church of England bishops to seats in the House of Lords as an 'incident' of anti-Christian intolerance is further evidence of the crybully tactics deployed by unscrupulous Christian campaigners.

But the cries of persecution will undoubtably grow louder as those wanting to impose their beliefs on others see their privileges challenged.

Secularism isn't intolerance of Christian beliefs. It's the view that those beliefs shouldn't be elevated or privileged above others.

All around the world well-funded Christian activists are lobbying for laws to allow them to discriminate and impose their beliefs on people who don't share them – all under the guise of 'religious freedom'.

Human rights advocates everywhere need to be wise to these bad actors claiming victimhood to gain special privileges to trample on the rights of others.

[mybeautifulchristianjourney]

Anti-Christian hate crimes in Europe including arson, vandalism, threats, physical assaults, and even murder showed a collective increase in 2022 The Observatory on Intolerance and Discrimination Against Christians in Europe has revealed in a new report...

[sutrala]

(CHRISTIAN POST) – Anti-Christian hate crimes in Europe including arson, vandalism, threats, physical assaults, and even murder showed a collective increase in 2022 The Observatory on Intolerance and Discrimination Against Christians in Europe has revealed in a new report. The...

[korrektheiten]

„Antichristliche Hassverbrechen“ und Brandstiftungen gegen Kirchen nehmen massiv zu

Tichy:»Angriffe auf Christen und christliche Einrichtungen nehmen zu; und das nicht nur im globalen Süden oder in von kommunistischen Regimen beherrschten Ländern, sondern im Herzen Europas. Zu diesem Ergebnis kommen die Jahresberichte sowohl des Menschenrechtsbüros der OSZE als auch des Observatory on Intolerance and Discrimination against Christians in Europe (OIDAC Europe). Die Organisation, die unter Der Beitrag „Antichristliche Hassverbrechen“ und Brandstiftungen gegen Kirchen nehmen massiv zu erschien zuerst auf Tichys Einblick. http://dlvr.it/SywCkG «

[inconvenientobservations]

More Than 500 Crimes Against Christians in 2021

More Than 500 Crimes Against Christians in 2021

EUROPE. Observatory of Intolerance and Discrimination Against Christians in Europe (OIDAC) have produced an overview of 519 cases of intolerance against Christians in 19 countries during 2021. It points out three types of this: hate crimes, self-censorship and negative stereotypes and treatment of Christians in the media. Examples are how churches was hit with Covid-19 regulations that was…

[urbanchristiannews]

Report Says Europe Has Seen Over 500 Anti-christian Hate Crimes in 2021

Report Says Europe Has Seen Over 500 Anti-christian Hate Crimes in 2021

St. Vitus Cathedral in Prague, Czechia More than 500 anti-Christian hate crimes occurred in Europe in 2021, a significant drop from the nearly 1,000 that happened in the previous year, according to a new study. The Observatory on Intolerance and Discrimination Against Christians in Europe, a nongovernmental organization based in Austria, released its 2021 Annual Report last week. The report…

[creepingsharia]

“We Shall Come for Your Head Soon”: Muslim Persecution of Christians, February 2019

‘Muslim men beat and raped a Christian woman and mother of four for leaving Islam. The 41-year-old woman became a secret Christian in 2017; however, threats began after Somali Muslims saw her at a church...’

by Raymond Ibrahim

Massacres of Christians

Nigeria: A number of fatal Islamic terror attacks targeting Christians occurred throughout February:

February 10: Muslim Fulani herdsmen killed 10 Christians and an unborn child.  Armed herdsmen in large numbers had surrounded the Christian village around 11 p.m. the (Saturday) night before. “We heard gun shots, and this forced me and my family to remain in our bedrooms as it was difficult for us to run out of the house,” said one survivor. “The Fulani gunmen surrounded our house and were shooting and shouting, ‘Allahu akbar [God is greater].’ They killed my father, mother, two brothers, and one of my sisters-in-law.”  The attack came as a complete surprise, even for the village head:  “We have never had any misunderstanding with the Fulani herdsmen, so I don’t know why they attacked our village,” he said. “Ten members of my community, including a pregnant woman, were killed during the attack, thus making the unborn child to be the eleventh victim.”

February 12:  In the northeast, Boko Haram jihadis invaded four Christian communities, killing several Christians and displacing many others. “I saw a man who I know to be a Christian and a member of the Church of the Brethren in Shuwa, my home town, shot to death,” said one eyewitness. “Also, Bulama, a community leader in Madagali, was shot dead alongside many Christians.”

February 26: Muslim Fulani herdsmen slaughtered at least 32 people in Maro, a Christian village in north-central Nigeria.  Churches were also damaged and a boarding school shut down. “We ran out of the church building as the shooting was going on,” said a woman who was in a Bible study class when the raid began.  “Many have been killed, and I have not seen my family members since morning. I have escaped out of the area.” Another local Christian said, “The armed herdsmen are shooting anyone they see and are setting fire on houses and church buildings.”

Reported on February 25: Muslim herdsmen attacked a Christian wedding celebration, killing 12 people.  “From behind the hill overlooking this village emerged armed Fulani herdsmen who shot indiscriminately at Christians from various churches here at the venue of the feast,” said one local. “Twelve Christians who are members of various churches were shot dead instantly, while another five Christians were injured.”  Six of those murdered were children.

Burkina Faso: Muslim terrorists slaughtered a 72-year-old Christian missionary in the Muslim-majority African nation. According to the report, “Antonio Cesar Fernandez was travelling with two colleagues from Togo back to their community in the capital Ouagadougou when a group of jihadists stopped their car. After searching the vehicle they made the 72-year get out and took him to a forested area. A few minutes later there was the sound of shots.”  Antonio had been a missionary in Africa since 1982.

Attacks on Churches

Ethiopia: Angry Muslim mobs attacked ten Christian churches. “The incensed crowds comprising Muslim residents of all ages from across the town made their way to the churches chanting ‘Allahu Akbar’ after being given false information that a mosque in the surrounding countryside had been fire-bombed,” said a local. “The contents of all the churches were removed from the buildings and set on fire on the street.”  According to the report,

One of the attacked churches, Meserete Kristos Church, has since been vandalized again, and area Christians have faced intimidation and threats…  While Kale Hiwot Galeto church building was destroyed in the Feb. 9 attack, aid workers believe the other nine church buildings were not set ablaze only because of the risk to neighboring Muslim-owned properties.  Municipal police were present during almost every attack but took no action….  More than 9,900 worshippers are estimated to attend the 10 churches. A small number of Christians sustained minor injuries and returned home after receiving hospital treatment, including two that were more seriously injured… Huge amounts of property were destroyed, including Bibles, song books, instruments, benches and chairs….

France:  During just the first two weeks of February, “[a]t least 10 incidents of vandalism and desecration of Catholic churches have been reported in France,” notes a February 15 report. “Vandals in Catholic churches throughout the country have smashed statues, knocked down tabernacles, scattered or destroyed the Eucharist, burnt altar cloths and torn down crosses, among other acts of desecration of religious items.” The St. Nicholas Catholic Church in Houilles was vandalized on three separate occasions in February; a 19th century statue of the Virgin Mary deemed “irreparable” was “completely pulverized,” said a clergyman, and a hanging cross was thrown to the floor.   Similarly, Vandals desecrated and smashed crosses and statues at Saint-Alain Cathedral in Lavaur; they mangled the arms of a crucified Christ in a mocking manner; an altar cloth was burned. “God will forgive. Not me,” the city’s mayor said.  On the very next day, Vandals plundered and used human excrement to draw a cross on the Notre-Dame des Enfants Church in Nimes; consecrated bread was found thrown outside among the garbage.  According to Father Emmanuel Pic from Notre-Dame parish, “Nothing of value has been broken, but it is the intent that is very shocking. This is what characterizes profanation.” The Observatory on Intolerance and Discrimination against Christians in Europe added that “It is our sincere hope that the perpetrators are brought to justice and that awareness of increasing anti-Christian hostility in France reaches the public square.”

Turkey: On Sunday, February 23, threatening graffiti messages were found on the main entrance door of the Armenian Church of the Holy Mother of God in Istanbul. The Armenian Patriarchate of Constantinople said in a statement that “There were written racist and hate speeches in both English and Arabic [saying] you are finished!” One Armenian writer shared images of the vandalism on Twitter and wrote, “The walls and the door of the Balat Surp Armenian Church. We built its entrance with rocks from the historical church in İznik [Nicaea], where the council met [Council of Nicaea, 325]…. Now they say, ‘YOU ARE FINISHED.’ There are no local [Armenian] people left. The ‘New Turkey!’” Commenting on this latest church attack, an Armenian Member of Parliament, tweeted, “Every year, scores of hate attacks are being carried out against churches and synagogues. Not just the perpetrators, but also the people who are behind them, should be addressed. For the most important part, the politics that produce hate should be ended.”

Egypt:  Due to the closure of their church in December 2018, Coptic Christians held their third funeral in the middle of the street in February.  They had long tried to get the necessary permits to register their unofficial church, to no avail.  According to the report,

The village currently has no church, but there are approximately 2500 Coptic Christians living there… The police had closed the church in order to pacify the Islamists, who used a nearby mosque’s microphone to rally Muslim villagers against the Christians….  Unfortunately, the situation in Kom al-Raheb is commonplace throughout Egypt. Police frequently cave to the demands of hardline Islamists instead of protecting the right of Christians to freely practice their faith. When churches are closed, Christians are left to worship and hold rites (such as funerals) in the street.

Attacks on Apostates, Blasphemers, and Evangelists

Kenya: Muslim men beat and raped a Christian woman and mother of four for leaving Islam.   The 41-year-old woman became a secret Christian in 2017; in 2018, however, the threats began, after Somali Muslims saw her at a church: “We have known that you are a Christian, and one of us saw you come out of a church on Sunday,” read one message. “If you continue attending the church, then we shall come for your head soon.”  She and her four children, who had also converted to Christianity, quickly relocated. Then, on January 2, four Somali Muslims forced their way into the Christian family’s home: “I was beaten and then raped by four men who threatened me, telling me not to say anything about the ordeal that I went through.  As they left the house at 1 a.m., one of them said, ‘We could have killed you for being a disgrace to Islam and joining Christianity, which is against our religion, but since you are a single mother, we have decided to spare your life with the condition that you should not mention our names.’”

Pakistan: On February 19, four Christian women were falsely accused of blasphemy, prompting “enraged Muslims” to riot and dislocate approximately 200 Christian families from the village.  Problems began when a Christian landlord asked a Muslim couple to leave, because they had been “causing trouble among the Christian families in the community,” to quote locals.  In retaliation, the Muslim wife accused four Christian women—three of whom were the landlord’s daughters—of desecrating a Koran.  “As news of the accusation spread, a mob of enraged Muslims gathered … and attacked several Christian properties, including [the landlord’s] house and a nearby church. The mob killed pets, livestock, and damaged several Christian homes by stoning them.”  Soon after a police investigation began, “it was revealed that Samina Riaz [the Muslim accuser] borrowed a copy of the Quran from Khalid Khan, a nearby shopkeeper,” explained a local involved with the case. “When she reached home, she threw it into a water tub in the restroom. She purposely alleged the Christian women of desecrating the Holy Book of Islam.”  Even though Samina Riaz confessed to framing the Christians, “members of the mob are still refusing to allow Christians to open their churches,” says the report.

Meanwhile, Asia Bibi, a Christian mother who was in prison — and on death row — for nearly a decade, was finally acquitted in late 2018. However, apparently to placate tens of thousands of angry Muslims who rioted and protested all throughout Pakistan, authorities still kept her a prisoner. In a February 9 report, which until very recently contained the latest information concerning Asia’s whereabouts, AP quoted a human rights campaigner in contact with her: he saidthe government had her and her husband locked in a single room where “the door opens at food time only.” She was permitted to make phone calls in the morning and at night, usually to her daughters. “She has no indication of when she will leave…. They are not telling her why she cannot leave.” Because many Muslims have vowed to kill her, “At the moment, she has security, but she could face problems any moment, any time, and it could happen very quickly,” said the contact. Most recently, on May 8, it was reported that Bibi had finally left Pakistan and was at long last reunited with her family in Canada.

Ethiopia: “An Ethiopian police officer was arrested, dismissed and forced to move to another part of the country after he told colleagues about his Christian faith,” says a report.  The 25-year-old man, using the pseudonym of Adane, grew up in Ethiopia’s eastern Somali region, which is “nearly 100 percent Muslim.”  Although he became Christian two years ago, problems for him began when another policeman “recently filed a complaint against him with the Somali State Human Rights Office. He had been heard talking about his newly found Christian faith while in uniform.”  The deputy chairman of the Human Rights Office, an ethnic Somali himself, was reportedly “greatly surprised to discover that there actually was a Christian within the tribe.”  He “advised Adane to return to Islam. Adane refused, claiming a constitutional right to religious freedom. He was then arrested.  Following intervention by the Human Rights Office-chairman, Adane was released, only to find he had been dismissed from the police force. The chairman advised Adane to relocate to another area because he had made too many enemies locally…”

Iran:  February witnessed a significant increase of state sanctioned persecution of Christians.  In the city of Rasht, nine Christians were arrested and detained.  One of them, a pastor who took over after his predecessor was arrested, was himself arrested on February 10, during church service. Although Rasht has had its fair share of persecution—at least three Christians from there recently received a sentence of 80 lashes—“[t]he past month represents the heaviest wave of publicly known arrests in Rasht within the last three years,” says the report.  “It is the policy of the Islamic government not to put thousands of Christians in jail,” explained Dr. Hormoz Shariat, a human rights activist. “Their policy is to arrest a few and put maximum sentence on minor offenses [such as holding church meetings in a home]. They then publicize it in order to put fear in the hearts of Christians. Their strategy is causing fear and isolation.” 

In another incident reported on February 1, five women, former Muslims who had converted to Christianity, were arrested.   One of the women, a 65 year-old, was arrested in her home.  According to the report,  

Authorities confiscated several of her personal items, including electronics and Christian materials (such as Bibles), while searching her residence. She was detained for ten days and interrogated during that time. She was temporarily released after paying a bail of 30 million Toman [$600]. However, she was later charged with “acting against national security.” The prosecutor forced her to visit an Islamic religious leader who offered her the opportunity to return back to Islam.

Another of the apostate women faced the charge of “disturbing public order, propagating Christianity, and connecting with foreign entities.”  If convicted, all these Christians could face up to ten years in prison.

Tajikistan: New amendments to the Muslim majority nation’s religion law are being used to exercise tighter control over its small Christian community. As one February 25 report explains, “Tajik authorities implementing a new religion law are barring children from attending religious [church] services and have burned [five] thousands of calendars with Bible verses.” 

Hostility for and Violence against Christians

Germany: On February 15, “in the multicultural district of Berlin Neukölln, a Christian from Iraq was hit in the face by a Muslim … and threatened with a knife because of a Christian tattoo,” said a February 17 report (in translation).  Two men approached the 27-year-old Iraqi Christian, “on account of his religious tattoo,” and demanded money.  “He did not comply with this request, whereupon one of the unknown held him and the other beat him several times in the face,” while drawing out a knife.  The Christian eventually managed to escape.  One of the two assailants were arrested.  According to the police report, “The arrested person claims to be of Muslim faith.”

-------------------------

Read it all, and years worth of previous reports, at the link below.

[45oldschool-blog]

According to a new report from a watchdog on anti-Christian incidents, between April and June Germany saw thirty anti-Christian attacks ranging from thefts to arsons.

The data was compiled by the Observatory on Intolerance and Discrimination Against Christians in Europe, who noted around 30 separate incidents between April 1st and June 10th published on the group’s website.

[mybeautifulchristianjourney]

by Deborah Bunting | A new report says hate crimes against Christians in Europe rose 70 percent between 2019 and 2020. The study by the Observatory On Intolerance Against Christians in Europe (OIDAC), a watchdog group based in Vienna, focused on five Western European countries, France, Germany, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom because they have been most troublesome to Christians...

[judica-me]

Vandals and arsonists have targeted French churches in a wave of attacks that has lasted nearly two months.

More than 10 churches have been hit since the beginning of February, with some set on fire while others were severely desecrated or damaged.

St. Sulpice, the second-largest church in Paris, after Notre Dame Cathedral, had the large wooden door on its southern transept set ablaze March 17.

Investigators confirmed March 18 that the fire was started deliberately, according to the website of the Vienna-based Observatory on Intolerance and Discrimination Against Christians in Europe, an independent organization founded with the help of the Council of European Bishops’ Conferences.

Pray for the church in France. 

[yhwhrulz]

A new study shows that hate crimes against Protestants and Catholics increased by 70% in Europe last year, the Christian Post (CP) reports. The Observatory on Intolerance Against Christians in Europe (OIDAC) presented its report amid concerns about an ongoing decline in religious, parental, and conscience freedoms for European Christians.

[buddylistsocial]

Report: Anti-Christian Attacks in Europe Rose 285% Since 2008

Report: Anti-Christian Attacks in Europe Rose 285% Since 2008

ROME — The number of officially recorded anti-Christian incidents in Europe has risen by 285 percent between 2008 and 2019, according to Ellen Fantini, director of the Vienna-based Observatory on Intolerance and Discrimination Against Christians in Europe (OIDACE).

Speaking with the Catholic News Agency (CNA), Fantini saidthat the trend of increasing attacks is particularly noteworthy in France,…

[sakrumverum]

Europa: Wie stark ist die antichristliche Diskriminierung?:

<img src="https://de.catholicnewsagency.com/image/european_unions_flag_in_rome_italy_april_10_2015_credit_bohumil_petrik_cna_4_10_15_1508476956.jpg/640" style="margin: 10px 0"><p>Es gib eine versteckte und doch präsente Diskriminierung der Christen. Sie ist in ganz Europa wirksam. Dies zeigt die "Beobachtungsstelle" <em>Observatory on intolerance and discrimination against christians in Europe</em>, die während der Vollversammlung der europäischen Bischöfe in Santiago di Compostela eine synthetische Vorschau ihres Jahresberichts vorlegte. Die Daten sind wenig tröstlich.</p> <p>Besonders eine Information ist interessant, die Spanien betrifft: Mindestens sechs spanische Bischöfe und Priester wurden strafrechtlich verfolgt, weil sie während der Heiligen Messe die Genderideologie kritisiert hatten oder weil sie eine Kritik gegen ´das Gesetz zum ganzheitlischen Schutz gegen LGBTI-Phobie und Diskriminierung aufgrund von sexueller Orientierung und Identität´geschrieben und veröffentlicht haben."</p> <p>Auf fünf Seiten zeigt das <em>Observatory</em> mehrere Fälle von Intoleranz und Diskriminierung auf, die von Angriffen auf die Gewissensfreiheit in Frankreich, Schweden, Irland, dem Vereinigten Königreich und Polen bis hin zu jenen gegen die Religions- und Versammlungsfreiheit in Deutschland, Spanien und dem Vereinigten Königreich reichen. Aber nicht nur. Die internationalen Organisationen selbst scheinen der Diskriminierung von Christen keine Aufmerksamkeit zu schenken.</p> <p>Ein Panorama das nicht besonders tröstlich ist und von dem man nur wenig weiss. Es handelt sich um Daten, die zum Nachdenken bringen.</p> <p>Ausgehend gerade von dem, was die großen internationalen Organisationen betrifft. "Nur sehr wenige der Teilnehmerstaaten der OSZE (Organisation für Sicherheit und Zusammenarbeit in Europa) gehören, haben offizielle Daten zu Hassverbrechen mit antichristlicher Motivation vorgelegt" liest man im Bericht. Nur fünf OSZE-Mitgliedstaaten (Dänemark, Finnland, Deutschland, Griechenland und Polen) stellten diese Daten im Jahr 2017 – dem jüngsten Jahr , aus dem Statistiken vorliegen - zur Verfügung.</p> <p>Der Bericht verweist darauf, dass es hingegen 17 OSZE-Staaten sind, die offizielle Daten zu rassistisch und fremdenfeindlich motivierten Straftaten vorgelegt haben, 14 haben Hassverbrechen gegen sexuelle Orientierung und Genderidentität aufgeführt; 13 Verbrechen mit antiislamischem Hintergrund und 11 Verbrechen mit antisemitischer Motivation.</p> <p>Der Bericht analysiert daraufhin eine Reihe von Fällen - einige bekannt, andere weniger. Zum Beispiel der Fall der schwedischen Hebammen Ellinor Grimmark und Linda Steen, die keine Arbeit im Krankenhaus fanden, weil sie sich geweigert hatten, an Abtreibungen teilzunehmen. Ihr Fall wurde vor den Europäischen Gerichtshof für Menschenrechte gebracht.</p> <p>Dort liegt ebenso der Fall des Apothekers Bruno Pichon aus Frankreich, der sich geweigert hatte, eine Spirale (IUD) zu verkaufen.</p> <p>In Irland fordert das Abtreibungsgesetz Ärzte, die aus Gewissensgründen Abtreibungen ablehnen, dazu auf, die Patienten, die eine Abtreibung wollen, zu einem anderen Arzt zu schicken, der bereit ist, sie durchzuführen.</p> <p>Unter all diesen Schatten gibt es auch ein kleines Licht. Aus Polen, wo im Jahr 2019 der Oberste Gerichtshof jenes Gesetz als verfassungswidrig ansah, das zum Prozess gegen einen Buchdrucker geführt hat, der sich geweigert hatte, ein Transparent für eine Unternehmensgruppe für LGBT-Rechte zu erstellen.</p> <p>Es gibt zudem Fälle von Angriffen auf die Meinungs- und Versammlungsfreiheit. In Irland und im Vereinigten Königreich gibt es eine Vielzahl von buffer zones, das heißt von Zonen, in denen man sich nicht treffen oder beten kann, obwohl in diesen Nation über Jhre hinweg problemlos Gebetsmahnwachen gegen Abtreibung stattgefunden haben.</p> <p>Im Europa der Gastfreundschaft betrifft christliche Diskriminierung auch Asylsuchende: Diejenigen, die vom Islam zum Christentum konvertieren, wird das Leben schwerer gemacht; besonders ihre Bekehrung wird als "nicht genuin" angesehen. In Schweden wurden 68 Prozent der afghanischen Konvertiten, die Asyl beantragt hatten, aus diesem Grund abgelehnt; das Vereinigte Königreich hat einem zum Christentum konvertierten Iraner das Asyl verweigerte. Es ist aber auch wahr, dass es im Vereinigten Königreich Anzeichen der Hoffnung gibt. Die <em>Country Policy and Information Note for Iran</em> vom Mai 2019 stellt diesbezüglich eine Verbesserung im Vergleich zu den bisherigen Leitlinien dar. Aber das Problem bleibt natürlich.</p> <p>Diskriminierung gib es auch an Universitäten. In Deutschland wurden beispielsweise von der deutschen Studentenmission 30 Fälle gemeldet, in denen christliche Gruppen nicht an der Universität akkreditiert wurden. Es wurde ihnen verboten, Flugblätter zu verteilen und auch, der Studentenvertretung beizutreten.</p> <p>Auch die Diskriminierung im Internet fehlt nicht: Von der Entfernung einer Seite des Lebensschutz-Films "Unplanned" bis hin zu Bildern eines ungeborenen Kindes imMutterleib, die entfernt wurden, da sie als "gewalttätig" eingestuft wurden.</p> <p>Aber am meisten beeindrucken die Hassverbrechen gegen Strukturen. Der Fall Frankreichs ist emblematisch. Auch wenn das Feuer in Notre Dame in Paris zufällig entstanden war - die zahlreichen Angriffe auf Kirchen in ganz Frankreich sind es nicht, wie die durch eine anarcho-libertären Gruppe in Brand gesteckte Kirche in Grenoble; der Angriff auf die Kirche von Notre-Dame des Enfants in Nimes, zu dem derzeit ermittelt wird; der Brand, der in der Kirche von Equihen-Plage gelegt wurde und Schäden in einer Höhe von 340.000 Euro verursacht hat. Ganz zu schweigen vom Angriff auf den Weihnachtsmarkt in Straßburg.</p> <p>In Spanien hat ein Künstler 242 geweihte, während Heiliger Messen gestohlene Hostien für eine Ausstellung verwendet.</p> <p>Ein Mann beschmutzte eine Kirche in Jaen mit seinem Kot, am <em>Internationalen Tag der Frau</em> tauchten überall Schriften zugunsten von Abtreibung und gegen Katholiken auf.</p> <p>Unter den Ländern, die zitiert werden, befindet sich auch Italien aufgrund des Vandalismus gegen zahlreiche Kirchen. Kein rosiges Bild also. Die europäischen Bischöfe haben ihren Blick darauf geworfen. Um das Problem nicht zu vergessen, sondern es anzugehen.</p> <p><em>Übersetzt und redigiert von Susanne Finner aus dem Original bei ACI Stampa, der italienischen Schwesteragentur von CNA Deutsch.</em></p> <p><strong>Das könnte Sie auch interessieren:</strong></p> <p>https://twitter.com/CNAdeutsch/status/1179650893366661120?s=20 </p> <p>https://twitter.com/ewtnDE/status/1121774812160983040?s=20 </p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/cnadeutsche/nachrichten/~4/ba_n39P8cJg" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>

--Quelle: https://de.catholicnewsagency.com/story/europa-wie-stark-ist-die-antichristliche-diskriminierung-5293

[inconvenientobservations]

Attacks against Christians in Europe

Attacks against Christians in Europe

GERMANY/FRANCE. Attacks against Christians and churches are getting more attention, perhaps because there’s a pattern one can see all over Europe.

The watchdog organisation Observatory on Intolerance and Discrimination Against Christians in Europenoted that 30 different incidents against Christians took place between April 1st and June 10th in Germany alone. Many of the attacks were different…