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Cross being removed from the Armenian Church in Raqqa, Syria, 2013 Source:  Caffè Storia, August 22, 2014 It was in March 2013, at the peak of the complex phase of the civil war in Syria, when the Jihadist militants of Jabat al-Nusra captured the city of Ar Raqqah (Raqqa or Rakka) from the government troops of President Bashar al-Asad.  In May of 2013, while the United States and Europe were still discussing a possible military intervention in Syria against al-Asad and at the United Nations they were trying to find, without success, tangible proof as to who had really...

A story which happened in Buenos Aires eight years ago helps us to understand the position adopted by Pope Francis regarding the ISIS, the “Islamic State” which has embarked on a merciless hunt against Christians. Avoiding, as always, naming Islam and fanatic Muslims, Jorge Mario Bergoglio, invited “stopping the unjust aggressors” without “any bombing” or “starting a war”. A choice which does not seem to leave escape for the victims and for this judged sterile by many: believers (including Antonio Socci from these columns) and non-believers (the case of Massimo Cacciari). In reality this intervention is perfectly in line with...

Construction Is Part of a Building Boom Nationwide as Muslim Population RisesANCHORAGE—On the edge of this northern outpost an unfamiliar sight is emerging: twin minarets. Alaska's small but growing Muslim community is building the state's first newly constructed mosque. "This is our future," said Osama Obeidi, one of the Muslim-Americans leading the building effort for the Islamic Community Center of Anchorage. "We have second-generation Alaskans now, and new people coming all the time. We need a place to call home." The 15,000-square-foot mosque, taking shape near a Sons of Norway Viking Hall, will eventually include a Sunday school and a...

Pope Francis will celebrate a Mass next August to mark the 100th anniversary of the Armenian genocide, an Argentine cardinal has revealed. Speaking at the Armenian Catholic cathedral in Buenos Aires, Cardinal Mario Poli said that the Pontiff will celebrate the commemorative Mass in St. Peter’s basilica. The date for the Mass has not yet been announced.

Erbil (Agenzia Fides) - The defense of the attacked is an absolute right. But only "the forces of the State should take charge of this defense", while the creation of differentiated militia on ethno-religious basis "can destroy Iraq". This is how - according to Lebanese sources - the Patriarch of Babylon of the Chaldeans Louis Raphael I expressed himself during his participation in the initiatives and meetings organized by the Delegation of the Patriarchs of the Eastern Churches that arrived on Wednesday, August 20 in Erbil, capital of the autonomous region of Iraqi Kurdistan, to express their closeness to refugees...

Today, Wednesday, I started the day with Toronto's Number One morning man, John Oakley, at AM 640. We focused on two stories - the policing of Ferguson, Missouri, and the decapitation by ISIS of my fellow Granite Stater - James Foley of Rochester, New Hampshire, who was kidnapped while reporting on the Syrian uprising. His executioner - the man standing next to him in the picture at right - was speaking with a British accent. That's to say, he's one of thousands of citizens of western nations - British, American, European, Canadian and Australian - who've flocked to join the...

Refugee Samo Ilyas Ali has nine children to feed but he can't focus on the future because the sounds of women and children crying out for help while being buried alive by Islamic State militants in northern Iraq often consume his mind. Tens of thousand of Yazidis fled their ancient homeland of Sinjar and other villages to escape a dramatic push by the Sunni militants who regard the ethnic minority as devil worshippers who must embrace their radical version of Islam or die. The refugees sit idle in camps in the semi-autonomous Kurdish region in northern Iraq. Traumatized by Islamic...

There is a great deal of confusion in the Church today as to whether or not Muslims worship the same God as do we. In fact many prelates, including our own Cardinal McCarrick, either are honestly confused about the matter or they exploit general confusion so that they may appear to be "ecumenical". Indeed, nine years ago at Catholic University His Eminence addressed some Muslim dignitaries; in that address he invoked "allah" three times but he gave not one mention to Jesus Christ. That address, which can be called de facto idolatry, is here. Cardinal McCarrick and other devotees of...

Reading the papers is reading authors of confusion. They say “Saudi top cleric blasts al-Qaida and ISIS as ‘enemy No. 1′ of Islam” in a statement issued in Riyadh.“The ideas of extremism, radicalism and terrorism … have nothing to do with Islam and (their proponents) are the enemy number one of Islam,” the kingdom’s top cleric said.He cited jihadists from the Islamic State, which has declared a “caliphate” straddling parts of Iraq and Syria, and the global al-Qaida terror network. Really? ISIS and al-Qaida do not represent Islam? ISIS IS ISlam and ISlam is ISIS.Muslims frequently say that we, the...

In his most explicit statement yet, the Pope endorses the use of force to stop the monsters of ISIS, well, as close as he is likely to come. ABOARD THE PAPAL PLANE (AP) — Pope Francis on Monday endorsed the use of force to stop Islamic militants from attacking religious minorities in Iraq but said the international community — and not just one country — should decide how to intervene. Francis also said he and his advisers were considering whether he might go to northern Iraq himself to show solidarity with persecuted Christians. But he said he was holding off...

FULL TITLE: Archbishop of Mosul: "I have lost my Diocese to Islam - You in the West will also become the victims of Muslims" Armenian Orthodox church in Raqqa, Syria, now an ISIS office Our sufferings today are the prelude of those you, Europeans and Western Christians, will also suffer in the near future. I lost my diocese. The physical setting of my apostolate has been occupied by Islamic radicals who want us converted or dead. But my community is still alive. Please, try to understand us. Your liberal and democratic principles are worth nothing here. You must consider again...

Nihad Awad of the Hamas-linked Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) has claimed [2] that “research has shown that anti-Islam prejudice goes down when people interact with ordinary Muslims and have greater knowledge of Islam.” Accordingly, he says, “it might also be a good idea for Americans of other faiths to borrow a Quran from a Muslim friend, neighbor or co-worker. In that way, knowledge may be increased as bonds of friendship are formed.”Awad is right. Americans should read the Quran. If they did, they would find that it makes sense of a great many recent events that might otherwise remain...

The battle of our centuryFATHER RAYMOND J. DE SOUZAIt is not a war between religions. It is a war within Islam that has lethal consequences for all those it touches. It began dramatically on Sept. 11, 2001. Our century is characterized by a lethal theological war in the house of Islam, with brutal consequences for the whole world, whether it be lower Manhattan or northern Iraq. Centuries are not exactly 100 years long. The late British historian Eric Hobsbawm proposed a more persuasive division of history with his "long 19th century," which began with the French Revolution in 1789 and...

As exclusively reported by Breitbart London last week, Muhammed has been crowned Britain's most popular boys name in figures published by the Office of National Statistics (ONS) today. The name of the Muslim prophet beat Oliver as the most popular boys name chosen by parents in Britain in 2013. As a result of the way the statistics are put together, the name does not appear to have won, as the ONS classifies each of the different spellings as a different entry on the list. This means that "Muhammad" came in 15th with 3,499 children but "Mohammed" was 23rd with 2,887...

[Fr. Z's comments in brackets and italics.]Bolded sections are from the document, Fr. Z's emphasis.The Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue released a statement about the wave of terror washing across Syria and Iraq. The statement was in French. HERE Here is an English translation: The whole world has witnessed with incredulity what is now called the “Restoration of the Caliphate,” which had been abolished on October 29,1923 by Kamal Ataturk, founder of modern Turkey. Opposition to this “restoration” by the majority of religious institutions and Muslim politicians has not prevented the “Islamic State” jihadists from committing and continuing to commit...

Moscow, August 13, Interfax - Renowned expert on Islam Roman Silantyev believes that Turkey leaves behind the secular character of the state and it will inevitably influence life of the country's Christians. "Turkey has already been turned into an analogue of Saudi Arabia. Soon, we should forget about secular Turkey, and it will make the life of local Christians more difficult," the expert told Interfax-Religion on Wednesday commenting on Recep Tayyip Erdogan's victory at the presidential elections. Silantyev believes that when Erdogan was a prime-minister, Turkey has become "a weak-willed satellite of dwarfish Qatar, not even America, as Qatar representatives...

For Islamic scholars, there is a statement in the apostolic exhortation of Pope Francis, Evangelii Gaudium, which is particularly troubling: Faced with disconcerting episodes of violent fundamentalism, our respect for true followers of Islam should lead us to avoid hateful generalisations, for authentic Islam and the proper reading of the Koran are opposed to every form of violence. (p. 253) As the situation in the Middle East escalates, and the violence of the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) spills rivers of innocent Christian blood, this statement seems incongruous with reality. Popes are certainly free to have personal opinions....

The Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue has issued a statement deploring the upsurge in violence in Iraq, calling on religious leaders, those involved in interfaith dialogue and on all men and women of good will, to unequivocally condemn terror in the name of religion. The Council also calls on religious leaders “to exercise their influence with the authorities to end these crimes, to punish those who commit them and to reestablish the rule of law throughout the land, ensuring the return home of those who have been displaced."Below please find the English translation of the original French text:The whole world...

From CNS: The Vatican called on Muslim leaders to condemn the “barbarity” and “unspeakable criminal acts” of Islamic State militants in Iraq, saying a failure to do so would jeopardize the future of interreligious dialogue. “The plight of Christians, Yezidis and other religious and ethnic communities that are numeric minorities in Iraq demands a clear and courageous stance on the part of religious leaders, especially Muslims, those engaged in interfaith dialogue and everyone of goodwill,” said a statement from the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue released by the Vatican Aug. 12. The full statement, from the Vatican: The whole world...

Displaced Iraqi Christian families, who fled from the village of Hamdaniya near the northern city of Mosul (PA) Iraqi Christians driven from their homes by Islamic State fighters are beginning to die in crowded camps, witnesses have claimed.Sahar Mansour, 40, who lectured in chemistry at the University of Mosul before she fled the city in June, said newborn babies, the sick and the elderly in the Ankawa refugee camp on the outskirts of Irbil are dying from diseases, thirst and malnutrition. Mansour now resides in the camp.The same claim was made by Chaldean Catholic Patriarch Louis Sako of Baghdad, who...