[NYer]

Patriarch Ignatius Youssef III Younan discusses the plight of his flock and the mistakes in policy and perspective that have compounded their difficulties.

Patriarch Youssef sat down with the Register in Rome to provide an update and overview of the situation facing Syriac Catholics in their main homelands of Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon. (The Catholic bishop of Antioch traditionally carries the title “patriarch” — one of five patriarchs of Antioch, three Catholic and two Orthodox.)

[NYer]

“It is a matter of Islam, radical Islam, and most of the Sunni Muslims are radical. Why? Because they take their Quran literally. In the Quran you have verses that promote tolerance toward non-Muslims, the people of the book, like us [Christians], like Jews, and you have verses that are very intolerant, very violent,” he explained.

“A Muslim has to learn the Quran literally. Each letter of the Quran is the word of God, and if you have people memorizing verses like ‘Go and kill the infidels’ — and those who do not say, ‘Allahu Akbar’ [God is great], or ‘There is one God, Allah, and there is one prophet, Muhammad,’ are the infidels, this is the problem,” he said.

He thinks Western governments that have relationships with Muslim-majority governments need to insist those governments confront the promotion of violence and “reform your book of religion.”

Catholic ping!

[sparklite2]

fundamental errors in Syria came from Western politicians insisting that democracy can be exported, when it can’t

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I hope we’ve learned that lesson. I doubt we have.

[Gunpowder green]

If the Islamist rebels win in Syria, one of the first things that they will do is slaughter the Christians. Yet our government supports the Islamists and opposes the Christians.

[Just mythoughts]

And just how many of lying Ryan and Obama’s refugees they have imported to the US are Christian?

[pgkdan]

“American, French, English, European Union politicians — they knew that, and now they harvest what they have sowed,” he said.

[pgkdan]

“American, French, English, European Union politicians — they knew that, and now they harvest what they have sowed,” he said.

True enough but don't leave the Vatican out of that equation. This Pope is among the worst when it comes to defending Christians in the Middle East. In fact, given his position he is by far the worse. By far.

[ex-snook]

After WW I, England stuck its nose into reorganizing the area, then we are in there for oil. Maybe when we get oil independence and Israel gets security, we will be gone. Of course, we can have politicians and military who want to war somewhere that is ‘doable’ and Presidents who want to be ‘war time’ Presidents. That may have a familiar ring to it, including the current candidates.

[Excellence]

Somebody benefited.