The Coptic Christian church has confirmed the murder of 21 Coptic Christians by the global terrorist organization ISIS in Libya.
Our human rights, dignity, and security must be for ALL of our fellow human beings of all identity groups. Responsible for Equality And Liberty (R.E.A.L.) condemns this gruesome and outrageous attack by ISIS in Libya, which was clearly documented as a deliberate hate crime attack on Christians. There is a long and grim history of abuse, murder, and intolerance against Coptic Christians, which people of conscience must reject without qualification.
The global terrorist group ISIS paraded the Christians in orange jumpsuits and cut their throat on the beach.
21 Coptic Christians Murdered in Libya by Global Terrorist Organization, ISISGlobal Terrorist Organization ISIS Justifies Hate Crime Murders as Attacking "Nation of the Cross"
The actions of ISIS terrorist group in wanton and gruesome murder of 21 Christians must be rejected by all people of all identity groups, all religions, all ethnic groups, and all people of conscience. Their murder was an attack on all of us. When someone attacks the shared universal human rights, security, and dignity of one of us, it is an attack on all of us. There is never any rationale, religion, or ideology which justifies such attacks on and murders of our fellow human beings. We must reject any such extremist views as wrong – all the time.
Our human rights, dignity, and security must be for ALL of our fellow human beings of all identity groups. Responsible for Equality And Liberty (R.E.A.L.) condemns the terrorist attack last night, Tuesday night, which led to the death of three young American Muslims.
The family has created a Facebook website of three American Muslims in Chapel Hill, North Carolina: Deah Shaddy Barakat, 23, and his wife Yusor Abu-Salha, 21, and Abu-Salha’s sister, Razan Abu-Salha, 19, of Raleigh. My sympathies and prayers go out to their families and loved ones.
They were murdered in Chapel Hill, NC, with Craig Stephen Hicks arrested for the murders. Every such murder is a terrorist attack when people of an identity group are targeted.
The actions of the murderer of these young people must be rejected by all people of all identity groups, all religions, all ethnic groups, and all people of conscience. Their murder was an attack on all of us. When someone attacks the shared universal human rights, security, and dignity of one of us, it is an attack on all of us. There is never any rationale, religion, or ideology which justifies such attacks on and murders of our fellow human beings. We must reject any such extremist views as wrong – all the time.
As more information becomes available, R.E.A.L. will update this posting.
R.E.A.L. rejects and condemns violence against Muslim-Americans, and we urge our fellow Americans and our human beings to show respect for Muslim lives, as we respect all lives. #MuslimLivesMatter
R.E.A.L. rejects the anti-human rights view that any would have in targeting people for violence, murder, and abuse of their human rights due to their religion, their ethnic background, and their identity group. We urge all of our fellow human beings to continue working with us to improve our global culture to accept our universal human rights as a priority for all of our leaders, all of our governments, and in all of our lives.
23-year-old Deah Shaddy Barakat, his wife, Yusor Mohammad Abu-Salha, 21, and her sister, Razan Mohammad Abu-Salha, 19 (Source: Facebook)
A woman at the Fairfax County Jail, Natasha McKenna, died after by shackled by police deputies and a Taser stun gun was used on her repeatedly for failing comply with the deputies’ commands, according to reports citing the sheriff’s office. The repeated Taser shocks apparently drove her into a cardiac arrest and resulted in her death. She was shackled while being repeatedly shocked with an electric Taser stun gun, with four 50,000 volt shocks from the Taser gun, while strapped into a restraint chair. It is a disgrace and an embarrassment to human rights activists that the individuals responsible for Natasha McKenna’s death have not yet been identified and held accountable.
How are they above the law?
UPDATE: February 12, 2015: “‘It takes six deputies to restrain a 5’3′, 37-year-old woman?’ Harvey J. Volzer, an attorney for McKenna’s family, asked in an e-mail to The Washington Post. He said that McKenna had been diagnosed with schizophrenia when she was 12.”
“The Fairfax sheriff’s office declined to answer further questions about the incident Thursday. In an e-mail, Capt. Tyler Corey said, ‘We are grateful for the diligence and professionalism displayed by the Police detectives as they work through their investigation.'”
Fairfax County Sheriff’s Captain Tyler Corey proud of investigators, after woman tasered to death, and no action taken.
April 1, 2015 from the Washington Post: “A mentally ill woman who died after a stun gun was used on her at the Fairfax County jail in February was restrained with handcuffs behind her back, leg shackles and a mask when a sheriff’s deputy shocked her four times, incident reports obtained by The Washington Post show.”
Restraint Chair Similar to those used in Fairfax County Jail
“Natasha McKenna initially cooperated with deputies, placed her hands through her cell door food slot and agreed to be handcuffed, the reports show. But McKenna, whose deteriorating mental state had caused Fairfax to seek help for her, then began trying to fight her way out of the cuffs, repeatedly screaming, “You promised you wouldn’t hurt me!” the reports show.”
“Then, six members of the Sheriff’s Emergency Response Team, dressed in white full-body biohazard suits and gas masks, arrived and placed a wildly struggling 130-pound McKenna into full restraints, their reports state. But when McKenna wouldn’t bend her knees so she could be placed into a wheeled restraint chair, a lieutenant delivered four 50,000-volt shocks from the Taser, enabling the other deputies to strap her into the chair, the reports show.”
Another report on April 13, 2015, states that “experts” felt this was inappropriate. (As if you have to be an expert to know it is wrong to strap down a woman and electrocute her.)
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Responsible for Equality And Liberty defends the right of equal justice for all people, and rejects the use of authority as a tool of oppression to belittle and deny justice to people in the United States of America, and anywhere in the world.
Like many in our America today, and especially among human rights activists, we are used to making such reports and protesting such behavior from fascist and totalitarian rogue nations with a history of oppression such as: North Korea, Communist China, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and other rogue nations in the greater Middle East, Asia, Africa, and South America.
Do not let our reporting deceive anyone, we are as sickened and disgusted by what is going on in the United States right now as anyone else.
As we continue to see the litany of reports about American rogues in law enforcement, we must challenge those who have lost their way (some would say lost their minds) and remind them as human rights activists, our challenge to oppressors of human rights are not just to distant shores, but also right here in the United States of America.
For many individuals whose human rights are denied or compromised, the future is the present. Our future goals in defending their universal human rights must be to ensure their human rights today.
Most of us cannot imagine a life without loyalties. Our shared loyalties build trust, unity, community, and personal growth. It would be a sad life and grim world for us to have no devotion to any higher cause or larger community other than ourselves. But our loyalties begin with a shared respect and commitment to our values, ethics, integrity, safety, and most of all, our shared universal human rights. If we don’t have loyalty to those shared values and principles, we don’t have loyalty with our brothers and sisters in humanity at all.
Loyalty matters. Loyalty defines our lives and our characters as individuals.
Loyalty is never an excuse to allow the human rights abuses and suffering of others, or to excuse those whose actions have allowed the human rights abuses and suffering of others. That is not loyalty at all. That is disloyalty to the truths that we hold self-evident and the human rights values we all share as human beings.
Loyalty without values, without principles, without a commitment to our universal human rights has nothing to do with community. Such shallow expressions of “loyalty” are nothing more than gangs who seek to use their force to suppress the rights, the dignity, and the security of others. We have seen this throughout history, and we see this today. This shallow view of loyalty is devoid of a sense of responsibility for our shared universal human rights and dignity, putting the pride and ego of their clan above the dignity and decency of others, even the weakest and most vulnerable of our citizens.
Loyalty does not justify bullies. Loyalty does not just committing crimes and violence against the helpless among us. Loyalty is not an excuse for those who rationalize such anti-social behavior and anti-human rights behavior by others in their group. There is no loyalty in the actions of criminals, their co-conspirators, and those who rationalize their anti-social behavior.
A life without loyalties is a grim existence. This is why, as human beings, our community is more than our own self-interest. This is why we urge of all our fellow human beings to work in improving the priority of our shared universal human rights in our culture. This is why we urge all to be responsible for equality and liberty.
On April 8, 2014, Shannon Conley, age 19, of Arvada, Colorado, aka “Halima,” was arrested by the FBI for supporting the ISIS terrorist organization, as well as support to the Al-Qaeda terrorist organization.
“According to court documents, including the stipulated facts in the plea agreement, from about sometime in February 2014 and continuing through April 8, 2014, Conley and a co-conspirator did unlawfully work together and with other individuals known and unknown to commit an offense against the United States, specifically to provide and attempt to provide material support and resources to a designated foreign terrorist organization, specifically Al-Qaeda (AQ) and its affiliates, including Al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI), a/k/a the Islamic State of Iraq (ISI), a/k/a the Islamic State of Iraq and Al Sham (ISIS), a/k/a the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). The conspiracy was accomplished, in part, when Conley met the co-conspirator on the Internet. During their communications, they shared their view of Islam as requiring participation in violent jihad. The co-conspirator communicated to Conley that he was an active member of an Al-Qaeda (AQ) affiliate fighting in Syria known as the Islamic State of Iraq and Al Sham (ISIS). The two then decided to become engaged; and, together they worked to have Conley travel to Syria to join her new fiancé. Before traveling to Syria, Conley refined and obtained additional training and skills in order to provide support and assistance to any AQ and/or ISIS fighter. Conley also intended to fight if it became necessary to do so. In furtherance of the conspiracy, Conley joined the U.S. Army Explorers (USAE) to be trained in U.S. military tactics and in firearms. She traveled to Texas and attended the USAE training. She also obtained first aid/nursing certification and National Rifle Association certification. Conley knew that ISIS was a designated foreign terrorist organization. In fact, on numerous occasions, Special Agents with the FBI met with her in extraordinary attempts to persuade her not to carry out her plans to travel overseas to provide support to a foreign terrorist organization and to engage in violent jihad. On March 29, 2014, the co-conspirator, together with others, arranged for an airline ticket to be purchased for Conley to travel to Turkey, departing from Denver on April 8, 2014. On April 8, 2014, Conley traveled to Denver International Airport and attempted to board the flight to Turkey. She was then arrested by FBI agents. A subsequent search of Conley’s home revealed DVDs of Anwar Al-Awlaki lectures and a number of books and articles about Al-Qaeda, its affiliate groups, and jihad. Agents also recovered shooting targets labeled with the number of rounds fired and distances.”
On September 10, 2014, Shannon Conley pled guilty before U.S. District Court Judge Raymond P. Moore to one count of conspiracy to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization.
On January 23, 2015, Shannon Conley was sentenced “to serve 48 months in federal prison, followed by three years on supervised release, for conspiracy to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization. During her supervised release, Judge Moore ordered her to serve 100 hours of community service. ”
CNN has reported on this case: “Shannon Maureen Conley, 19, allegedly told FBI agents before her arrest that she was going to be with a member of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, or ISIS, that she had met through the Internet. Conley, a certified nurse aide, had told FBI agents she was going to be the man’s wife and a nurse in a ISIS camp near the Turkish border, documents showed. Conley first came to the attention of authorities after the pastor and the security director at a church in Arvada, Colorado, called police and said she was acting suspiciously. Authorities interviewed her seven times over the course of five months before arresting her at the airport.”
At her sentencing, CNN reported that Judge Moore felt that Conley was unrepentant. “The judge said a belief, even if she was misled by ill-intentioned extremists asserting religion justifies violent jihad, does not excuse her actions. ‘There is a string of defiance that rolls through her life that I have not seen change yet,’ Moore said. ‘Defiance has been a part of the fabric for a long time and that is concerning.’ The judge talked about how she showed up to a meeting with the FBI wearing a T-shirt that said, ‘Sniper don’t run, you’ll die trying.’ The judge also mentioned how investigators tried to stop Conley with multiple warnings that following through on her plans could lead to her arrest. She responded with, ‘I’d rather go to prison than do nothing,’ according to Moore. ‘What am I to do about this obsession with the military?’ Moore said. He said Conley planned to be a police officer and join the military and then went to training with U.S. Army Explorers to learn military skills. What if one reason she desired to go to Syria to marry an ISIS fighter wasn’t just because she shared a belief in jihad, but ‘because he was attractive to her because he was a soldier?’ the judge asked. The judge noted that Conley still signs letters ‘behind enemy lines.’ A female imam went to mentor Conley in jail and reported that Conley wanted to talk about violent jihad. The judge said it’s surprising that Conley suddenly is disavowing jihad and that she has seemed to do a 180-degree turn in a very short period. The judge also brought up a letter Conley wrote to a friend that seemed to mock the American people’s concern about terrorism.”
Conley’s attorney stated that she has used her time in prison to read entire the Qur’an. He noted that Conley, a convert to Islam, changed her adopted Muslim name from Halima to Amatullah, because she is a different person now. Amatullah means female ‘servant of Allah.’ Conley initially took the name Halima after converting to Islam.”
American ISIS Recruit Shannon Conley aka “Halima” Trained with U.S. Army Explorer Group
Responsible for Equality And Liberty (R.E.A.L.) stands in support of our universal human rights for all, and we stand in defiance against those, including terrorist and hate groups, which seek to attack such universal human rights, dignity, and security for all
In Ohio, American ISIS terrorist Christopher Lee Cornell, 20 years old, aka Raheel Mahrus Ubaydah, has confessed that he is a member of ISIS terrorist group. On January 21, 2015, Christopher Cornell was indicted with “attempting to kill officers and employees of the United States, solicitation to commit a crime of violence and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence. Cornell was charged for his alleged participation in a plot to attack the U.S. Capitol Building and kill government official.”
American ISIS Terrorist Christopher Cornell – Charged with Terrorist Plot against U.S. Capitol and Support for ISIS (Source: Boone County Jail)
The four-count superseding indictment alleges that on or about August 2014 through January 2015, Cornell allegedly plotted, planned and attempted to attack the U.S. Capitol. Cornell allegedly attempted to kill officers and employees of the United States during their official duties, specifically by attempting to attack the U.S. Capitol Building. During that same time, the defendant allegedly attempted to persuade others to kill officers and employees of the United States. Cornell also allegedly possessed two semi-automatic rifles and approximately 600 rounds of ammunition.
In addition, on May 7, 2015, Christopher Cornell received additional charges in superseding indictment returned in Cincinnati, and he was charged with attempting to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization, ISIS. The four-count superseding indictment alleges that on or about August 2014 through January 2015, Cornell allegedly plotted, planned and attempted to attack the U.S. Capitol. Providing material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization carries a potential maximum sentence of 15 years in prison. Attempted murder of government employees and officials is a crime punishable by up to 20 years in prison. Solicitation to commit an attempted murder is a crime punishable by 20 years in prison. Possession of a firearm in furtherance of an attempted crime of violence is a crime punishable by a mandatory sentence of five years in prison.
In March 2015, FOX 19 had an interview with the American ISIS terrorist Christopher Cornell. R.E.A.L. will provide a link and excerpt to this interview. The interview is recommended to providing an insight into the twisted mind of American ISIS terrorist supporters.
March 9, 2015 – FOX19 Interview with Terrorist Cornell: “The Green Township terror suspect has opened up about his plot to attack the U.S. Capitol. Christopher Cornell, 20, spoke from his jail cell on last Wednesday saying if he had a chance would have followed through with his plot to bomb the Capitol and would have put a gun to President Barack Obama’s head. ‘I would have released more bullets on the Senate and House of Representative members and I would have attacked the Israeli Embassy and various other buildings,’ Cornell said. The Green Township native was arrested by Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agents outside the Point Blank Range and Gun shop on Harrison Avenue in Colerain Township after buying firearms and 600 rounds of ammunition on Jan. 14. During the hour-long conversation with Tricia Macke, Cornell, 20, referred to himself as Raheel Mahrus Ubaydah. ‘I’m with the Islamic State,’ Cornell said. ‘I’m very dedicated to establish the Sharia in America, to wage war on the kafr (an Islamic term for ‘unbeliever’) and raise the word of Allah above all.’ ”
” ‘I got orders from the brothers overseas because I’m with the Islamic State. My brothers over there, in Syria and Iraq, gave me specific orders to carry out jihad in the west, so I did so,’ said Cornell. According to court documents, a confidential FBI source began to contact Cornell last August, who responded via instant message that he had been in contact with individuals overseas but he did not believe that he would receive authorization to conduct a terrorist attack in the United States. Cornell allegedly told the informant that they should go on with the attack. ‘I believe that we should just wage jihad under our own orders and plan an attack,’ Cornell allegedly told the informant, according to court documents. Cornell met with the FBI informant Oct. 17 and 18, and again Nov. 10 and 11. Federal authorities said he discussed how they would build, plant and detonate pipe bombs at the U.S Capitol. Then, he U.S. the informant would shoot and kill employees inside. Cornell showed the informant on his computer that he researched how to construct pipe bombs and the cost of the guns they would buy for the attack. According to court documents, under the name Raheel Mahrus Ubaydah, Cornell posted videos and statements supporting ISIS and violent jihad in North America.”
“Cornell said he didn’t do this alone, and spoke about his alleged ties to leaders of the Islamic State in the interview, saying he spoke with other members overseas via an encrypted messaging service. ‘Talking about how we should raise Jihad in America. We should form groups and alliances with the Islamic State. When I say groups, I mean what you would call sleeper cells,’ said Cornell. And Cornell said he believes there are more attacks to come. ‘What do I think is coming? Many things. There will be many, many attacks. Like I said, we are ready for the battle over the Capitol.’ Cornell said there are others like him throughout the United States. ‘We are pretty strong. Yes, yes. In every state like I said. We’re in Texas. We’re in Ohio. We’re in New York City. We’re in Washington, DC. We’re in every single state you can name, just about.’ ‘I’m not afraid of the punishment. You must understand this. The punishment I receive in here doesn’t come close to the punishment that people like Barack Obama is going to face,’ Cornell said.”
Groups within Iran are reporting the blogger Soheil Arabi, is facing an imminent death by hanging, for the “crime” of his Facebook posts, which the Iranian government views as insulting Islam.
As an Iranian-rights group reports, Soheil Arabi, has been imprisoned, flogged, fined, and sentenced to death because of articles he published on Facebook. He is the father of a five -year-old daughter.
A Twitter campaign for his freedom was started at #SaveSoheil.
Iran: Soheil Arabi Sentenced to Death for "Blasphemy" Because of Facebook Postings
Human Rights Watch has reported that “[a] Tehran criminal court had convicted him in August of sabb al-nabbi, or ‘insulting the prophet,’ referring to the Prophet Muhammad, which carries the death penalty.” ” On November 24, 2014, Iran’s Supreme Court upheld a criminal court ruling sentencing Soheil Arabi to hang. The court transferred his file to the judiciary’s implementation unit, opening the way for his execution.” “Nastaran Naimi, Arabi’s wife, told Human Rights Watch that intelligence agents linked with Iran’s Revolutionary Guards arrested her and her husband at their home in Tehran in November 2013. ”
Iranian blogger Mojtaba Safari (based in Canada) writes that: “Soheil created his Facebook page in August 2012, naming it “a generation that does not want to be silent.” He criticized the regime as the cause of socio-eco-political problems in the country. ” “The problem is that in Iran, almost any criticism of the system can be regarded as ‘disrupting the internal security of the state,’ and punished by death. This article has been used to execute thousands of Iranian dissidents since the 1979 Revolution. A few months ago, Iran executed Mohsen Amir-Aslani, who was charged with insulting the prophet Jonah. Another similar case was the Iranian blogger, Sattar Beheshti, who was tortured to death in November 2012 for criticizing the Islamic Republic of Iran on Facebook.” “Iran is a perfect example of what a religious state is capable of, and why the ideas of democracy and freedom are not compatible with Sharia law.” “A state that doesn’t respect its people will not respect its neighbors either. The brutal Iranian theocracy is not only a threat to its own people but also a threat to the world. Pressuring the regime and saving Soheil Arabi’s life is a matter of Iranian and global importance. ”
Responsible for Equality And Liberty respects the dignity of our religious beliefs, but we know that without a commitment to our universal human rights, freedom of speech, and freedom of press, those who justify “blasphemy” laws and punishments, will have such arguments turned against them to deny their own freedom of religion. This is the endless circle of attacks on human rights, human dignity, and human lives, when we reject our Universal Human Rights, as described in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights as a starting point for shared respect, law, and order.
We have seen with both Muslim, Christian, and other faiths, where the argument of “blasphemy” is used by someone of another faith to deny freedom of religion to others.
In Iran, the Shia-based Iranian government is using such a blasphemy law to deny the freedom of Soheil Arabi and others, and seek the death penalty against him. But in Pakistan, those Shiites practicing their Muslim faith are attacked, killed, and their houses of worship destroyed by those extremist who claim their Shia faith is a “blasphemy.” While the Iranian court is planning the execution of Soheil Arabi, in Pakistan, Shiite have recently buried their dead killed by an extremist who bombed the Shia Imambargah mosque, on the view that the Shia religion itself is a “blasphemy.” As the AP has reported, “Sunni extremist groups like those believe Shiites are infidels, and their presence has fueled sectarian attacks.”
The practice of violence and oppression for “blasphemy” has long caused death and violence, not just to Iranian people, but the people of the Shia faith around the world. Shiites and Shia houses of worship have long been the target and victims of such “blasphemy” laws and attitude by extremists.
Blasphemy? Shiite Mosque in Rawalpindi, Pakistan Attacked by Extremists Rejecting Shia Religious Practice as Blasphemy (Source: AP)Blasphemy? 69 Shiites Killed in Bomb Attack by Extremists Rejecting Shia Religious Practice as Blasphemy (Photo: London Time/Alice Fordham)Blasphemy? Attack on Shiites in Karachi, Pakistan, Killing Nearly 50 by Extremists Who Reject Shia Religious as "Blasphemy" (Source: Anwar Abbas)Blasphemy? Pakistan Shia Girl Protests Murders of Shiites by Sunni Extremists Killing Shiites as "Infidels," based on their extremist view that the Shia Religion is "Blasphemy" (Source: ASIF HASSAN/AFP/Getty Images)
So if these extremist measures and violence based on rejecting the freedom of others as “blasphemy” against Shiites in Pakistan and other parts of the world is wrong, how is it right for Iran to use such “blasphemy” law to condemn Soheil Arabi to death for his universal human rights of freedom of speech?
In Pakistan, the Sunni-based Pakistan government is using such a blasphemy law to deny the universal human rights of Sunni Muslims, Shia Muslims, and people of all faiths, especially minority Christians. But the results are that even the Pakistan Ambassador to the United States was charged with “blasphemy,” Muslims are imprisoned by those with a grudge, the perspective of “blasphemy” justifies the killing of minority Muslims, their houses of worship, the oppression, murder, and destruction of houses of worship of minority Christians, Hindu, and Sikh.
In the Vatican, Pope Francis has recently argued that those “offending” the religious views of others should normally expect a “punch in the nose.” While Pope Francis went to make obligatory (and clearly contradictory) remarks that one should never kill for their God, and rejecting terrorism, Pope Francis’ comments come in the backdrop of 185 churches burned in recent months in Nigeria by Boko Haram and up to 60 churches burned on the weekend of January 17-18, 2015 in Niger. His comments come in the context of Christians being imprisoned, burned to death, churches burned down, and entire towns destroyed by those offended by “blasphemy.”
In Responsible for Equality And Liberty’s unequivocal support for our universal human rights, we do not offer disrespect to religious leaders of these faiths or these theocratic nations. We challenge those extremists, theocratic governments and leaders, and those who believe that our universal human rights are expendable. We have learned and the world has clearly seen that such universal human rights are essential.
Those who defend the right to use legal and violent means to punish “blasphemy” must realize that this argument will ultimately be turned by others against them and their faith. These creates a vicious circle of destruction on human rights, human liberty, and human lives.
Responsible for Equality And Liberty offers an outstretched hand, not an upraised fist, to our brothers and sisters in humanity, including those who have lost their way on our universal human rights. We urge them to reconsider their position and to support the universal human rights of all people and all faiths, not just because it is the right thing to do, but also because without those universal human rights, their human rights are also endangered.
We urge all people to be responsible for equality and liberty.
In the African nation of Niger, reports state between 45 to 61 churches were set on fire by extremist opposed to the cartoons published by the Charlie Hebdo magazine in France, under their freedom of press. These attacks happened over the weekend of January 17-18, 2015, and more details are coming out. The extremist attacks also resulted in 10 killed, as part of attacks also on a local bar owned by people from France, as well as attacks on the Niger police, and burning of Niger police vehicles.
Niger: Evangelical church in Niger torched (Source: Danette Childs)
Many of the attacks on Christian houses of worship were in the Niger capital city of Niamey.
Niger: Protesters Burn Roadblock in January 17, 2015 Protests (Source: AP Photo/APTN)
CNN and AFP reported: “AFP, the France-based news wire service, said police reported that 173 people have been injured; at least 45 churches have been ‘set ablaze in the capital (Niamey) alone,’ and a ‘Christian school and orphanage were also set alight.’ Numerous sites were pillaged before being burned. Video from Niamey showed protesters waving Qurans and yelling ‘God is great’ while tearing apart Bibles and throwing them onto the ground.”
Niger: January 17 Protests with Burning Police Vehicle
A Christian outreach organization, Open Doors, with Christians in the nation of Niger, stated that 61 churches had been burned over the weekend, according to missionary Neal Childs. Mission Networks News (MNN) reported that “61 churches in Niger over the weekend” were attacked by protesters torching the churches.
Niger: Despite the burning of church, this Bible wasn't completely burned. (Source: Danette Childs)
MNM interviewed Neal Childs, who stated: “Last week, churches all across the nation went on without any idea that churches would be burned. Four of our churches were attacked. Three [they] actually got in and did great damage. Two of our pastors’ homes were also burned. A Bible school was also burned.” According to MNM, “Childs says the attacks happened simultaneously in Niamey. It appears police and other security officers were overwhelmed and couldn’t control it.”
Niger: Arson Terror Attack on St. Gabriel Church (Source: Redemptorists)
According to the Redemptiorists, “[i]n Niamey, the churches of St. Paul, St. Augustine, St. Gabriel, St. John, St. Theresa and St. Joseph were burned down and looted, as well as two convents of religious women.” the Redemptorists reported “[i[n the Dioceses of Maradi and Niamey, several churches were burned down along with some religious houses that were attacked. Other Protestant churches were also damaged by the demonstrators.”
Niger: Arson Terror Attack on St. Gabriel Church (Source: Redemptorists)
Similar protests on Friday in the second city of Zinder also saw five people killed and 45 wounded. AFP also reported that “The death toll from riots a day earlier in Niger’s second city of Zinder had climbed from four to five after a body was found ‘burned inside a church,’ he added.”
Niger: Arson Terror Attack on St. Gabriel Church (Source: Redemptorists)
The attacks by extremists and violent mobs against any house of worship anywhere in the world is a direct attack on our shared universal human rights.
Responsible for Equality And Liberty (R.E.A.L.) rejects the efforts of extremist mobs, organizations, and individuals to attack the universal human rights of all. Our support for those we find holy cannot be honored by unholy violence and hatred. Our religious freedoms cannot be supported by denying the religious freedom of others. We support all of our universal human rights, including our freedom of press, freedom of speech, freedom of conscience, human dignity, and our shared security.
