69 million page views

"Innocence of Muslims"?

Reader comment on item: Another Islamist Assault, Another Western Cringe

Submitted by Andy B. (United States), Sep 16, 2012 at 16:49

It's a sad irony that the makers of that pathetic film, "Innocence of Muslims," was actually paying credit to Muslims in general by declaring them up front as "innocent," or naive followers. But the results have proven the title to also be an oxymoron. Unless there's a way to make "mob rule" a form of innocence. And the typical silence of American Muslims, is tantamount to tacit approval.

Despite the witch-hunt knee-jerk reaction of the free, but easily frightened press, the maker of the film was probably driven more by fear than hatred. A "hate crime" this was not, if we put ourselves in his shoes:

  • Muslims in Iraq have been assassinating priests and bishops, and bombing churches, to drive out or exterminate all Christians, many of whose ancestors have lived there for nearly 2,000 years. In 2003 they made up 4% of the population, but Christians now make up 40% of the refugees;
  • Near Luxor, Egypt, in January 2010, six Christians were machine-gunned to death and ten others were wounded outside their church. That came after five days of rioting, arson, and wanton destruction of Christian property;
  • In November 2010, at a Christian church celebration in Baghdad, eight gunmen stormed in and ordered the priest to the floor. The priest pleaded to let the parishioners not be harmed. They murdered him lying there and began gunning down everyone they could. When security men stormed in, the gunmen used their hand-grenades to finish off the remaining worshipers and then detonated themselves with their explosive vests. Toll: two priests and forty-seven parishioners murdered in cold blood."
  • Two days later, Al Qaeda in Iraq issued a bulletin: "All Christian centers, organizations and institutions, leaders and followers are legitimate targets for the (holy warriors)." Over a dozen Christians were killed over the following weeks. Today, only about 5,000 of the original 100,000 Christians who once lived in Mosul remain;
  • Early 2010, seven churches in Muslim Malaysia were firebombed;
  • After midnight Mass, New Year's Day, 2011, at a church in Alexandria Egypt, 21 worshipers were blown up and 97 wounded by a suicide bomber;
  • In March 2011, in neighboring Ethiopia, 10,000 Christians were driven out of their homes by invading mobs of Muslims who also burned down 50 churches during the rampage;
  • In May, 2011, in Cairo, Salafi Muslims, taking advantage of their post-Mubarak freedoms, attacked and burned a church that left a dozen dead and 200 wounded;

From Egypt to Iran, the Vatican states that 17,000,000 Christians have been driven out. Robert Fisk wrote in the U.K.'s "Independent," Across the Middle East it is the same story of despairing—sometimes frightened—Christian minorities, and of an exodus that reaches almost Biblical proportions." ("Independent," 10/26/10).

The liberal press may be witch-hunting and lynch-mobbing an innocent, but fearful victim who needs out protection.

Submitting....

Note: Opinions expressed in comments are those of the authors alone and not necessarily those of Daniel Pipes. Original writing only, please. Comments are screened and in some cases edited before posting. Reasoned disagreement is welcome but not comments that are scurrilous, off-topic, commercial, disparaging religions, or otherwise inappropriate. For complete regulations, see the "Guidelines for Reader Comments".

Follow Daniel Pipes

Facebook   Twitter   RSS   Join Mailing List

All materials by Daniel Pipes on this site: © 1968-2023 Daniel Pipes. daniel.pipes@gmail.com and @DanielPipes

Support Daniel Pipes' work with a tax-deductible donation to the Middle East Forum.Daniel J. Pipes

(The MEF is a publicly supported, nonprofit organization under section 501(c)3 of the Internal Revenue Code.

Contributions are tax deductible to the full extent allowed by law. Tax-ID 23-774-9796, approved Apr. 27, 1998.

For more information, view our IRS letter of determination.)