I'm Anglican, but +Rowan Cantuar doesn't speak for me on this one...I agree with the Foreign Office.
Christian suffering in the Middle East is due to intolerant extremists opposed to democracy.
Rowan Williams, the Imam of Canterbury
But not a word of condemnation for the Islamist beasts who are engaging in the religious cleansing, cleansing that began long before the invasion of Iraq by the way. Typical of the anti-American clergy. All the world's problems are because of the US and the West. Screw off you fence post digger wearing fool.
So who is mad at the Christians.....jihaddis or freedom fighters?
The ArchDruid speaks!
There were more Christian martyrs in the 20th century than in all the preceding centuries put together. The perpetrators were, almost without exception, Communists and Muslims.
What is striking about these hundreds of millions of Christian martyrdoms is the silence of most governments in predominantly Christian countries of the west. Indeed, the National Council of Churches is famous for defending the perpetrators.
Ping
Here's a link to an article that discusses, among other things, the difficulties faced by Christians living in Arab-ruled areas of Israel, including Bethlehem.
http://www.frontpagemag.com/Articles/ReadArticle.asp?ID=26147
Violence against Christian Arabs in the Arab-ruled areas has increased since Hamas took the "National Assembly" and the "Prime Ministry" in last February's elections. Hamas has declared that Jews and Christians will not be permitted to live in their dreamed-of future Palestinian Arab and Islamic state, except as dhimis (second-class citizens with limited rights and protections).
Egypt's minority Coptic Christian community has also had many difficulties. Over 200 Coptic Christians have been killed in the past two years and an unknown number wounded by attacks by illegal Islamic militias. It is illegal for the Coptics to build a new church or make any repairs to an existing church without a government permit, which can be very difficult to obtain.
All of the above are the continuation of trends that existed way before the latest U.S. intervention in Iraq. Difficulties faced by non-Muslims in the Middle East are part and parcel of historical Islam, not a new phenomena that suddenly sprung up with the downfall of Saddam Hussein.
As long has he continues to ignore these facts, I'm sure Archbishop Williams will be given VIP treatment on his next fact-finding mission to the Arab-occupied Israeli territories.
Ping!
btt