Beware! Four Muslim militants behead a Christian convert
Grisly video released to warn Afghanistan Christian minority
A grisly video released to international media by two separate Afghan
sources depicts four Afghan militants beheading a man believed to be a
Christian in Herat Province. The video is intended to warn Afghanistan's
tiny Christian population of the dire consequences if American forces
leave Afghanistan. President Barack Obama announced his intentions to
begin a gradual withdrawal of U.S. troops earlier this week.
The recent video is an example of the dangers that wait for any individual turning from Islam in Afghanistan.
PrintChrist acknowledged that the U.S.-backed government headed by President Hamid Karzai has been no friend to Christian converts. He says that earlier this year, two civilian courts sentenced two Afghan Christians to death for changing their religion.
It was only after bowing to international pressure, including personal visits to one jail by U.S. and European diplomats, the two were released and allowed to leave the country. Both now live in Europe.
The recent video is an example of the dangers that wait for any individual turning from Islam in Afghanistan.
The militants in the video, who claim to be Taliban, captured the victim, a man in his 40s named Abdul Latif earlier this year from his village outside Enjeel, a town south of Herat.
In the two-minute video, the men, wearing explosive belts (or suicide vests) and kaffiya head scarves to cover their faces, recite verses from the Quran while forcing Latif to the ground and pinning him with their feet.
"You who are joined with pagans . . . your sentence [is] to be beheaded," reads one of the militants in Farsi from what looked like a paper decree. "Whoever changes his religion should be executed." The passages refer to Sura 8:12 ("I will instill terror into the hearts of the Unbelievers: smite ye above their necks . . .") and the hadiths, or sayings of Mohammed.
As the victim fights his captors from the ground, one of the militants thrusts a medium-sized blade into the side of his neck. With blood flowing onto the ground the militants shouted "Allahu Akhbar" or "God is great" over and over until Latif is fully beheaded, his head placed on top of his chest.
The brutal killing followed a now-too-familiar pattern used in other beheadings captured on video, notably the killings of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl in Pakistan in 2002 and U.S. defense contractor Nick Berg in Iraq in 2004.
- - -
Pope Benedict XVI's Prayer Intentions for January 2013
General Intention: The Faith of Christians. That in this Year of Faith Christians may deepen their knowledge of the mystery of Christ and witness joyfully to the gift of faith in him.
Missionary Intention: Middle Eastern Christians. That the Christian communities of the Middle East, often discriminated against, may receive from the Holy Spirit the strength of fidelity and perseverance.
Keywords: Afghanistan, murder, video, begeading, Christian minority
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Why are these poor Christians tied by association to a country (US) that tries so hard to be atheist in the world?
Gabriella I agree with you entirely. I do not believe Islam is a religion, it is a philosophy in much the same way communism or fascism are. The Christian church is far too taken up fighting over fundamentally insignificant details i.e as in word perfect liturgy, Traditional or Modern, Women priests or no women priests etc. The central issue is that Jesus is the son of God, died and was resurrected. As we fight amongst ourselves a really frightening dogma is slowly taking over. It may be wrong to hate or fear Muslims but it is right and understandable to be truly afraid of Islam. We are in dire need of Shepherds who will protect their flocks, stand up for what is truly Christian and have no truck with the 'all religions are as valid as the next' mantra. At the moment there is no level playing field. Christian churches get burnt to the ground, Bibles trashed and Christians murdered and none of these get even a quarter of the coverage granted to a man who burnt a koran. Wake up and smell the coffee.
Come on people? Don't you get it yet? islam is all about "peace"..sooooooo peaceful indeed:
Qur'an:9:5 "Fight and kill the disbelievers wherever you find them, take them captive, harass them, lie in wait and ambush them using every stratagem of war." Ishaq:325 "Muslims, fight in Allah's Cause. Stand firm and you will prosper. Help the Prophet, obey him, give him your allegiance, and your religion will be victorious."
Qur'an:8:39 "Fight them until all opposition ends and all submit to Allah."
Qur'an:8:39 "So fight them until there is no more Fitnah (disbelief [non-Muslims]) and all submit to the religion of Allah alone (in the whole world)."
Ishaq:324 "He said, 'Fight them so that there is no more rebellion, and religion, all of it, is for Allah only. Allah must have no rivals.'"
Qur'an:9:14 "Fight them and Allah will punish them by your hands, lay them low, and cover them with shame. He will help you over them."
Ishaq:300 "I am fighting in Allah's service. This is piety and a good deed. In Allah's war I do not fear as others should. For this fighting is righteous, true, and good."
Ishaq:587 "Our onslaught will not be a weak faltering affair. We shall fight as long as we live. We will fight until you turn to Islam, humbly seeking refuge. We will fight not caring whom we meet. We will fight whether we destroy ancient holdings or newly gotten gains. We have mutilated every opponent. We have driven them violently before us at the command of Allah and Islam. We will fight until our religion is established. And we will plunder them, for they must suffer disgrace."
Qur'an:8:65 "O Prophet, urge the faithful to fight. If there are twenty among you with determination they will vanquish two hundred; if there are a hundred then they will slaughter a thousand unbelievers, for the infidels are a people devoid of understanding."
Ishaq:326 "Prophet exhort the believers to fight. If there are twenty good fighters they will defeat two hundred for they are a senseless people. They do not fight with good intentions nor for truth."
Bukhari:V4B52N63 "A man whose face was covered with an iron mask came to the Prophet and said, 'Allah's Apostle! Shall I fight or embrace Islam first?' The Prophet said, 'Embrace Islam first and then fight.' So he embraced Islam, and was martyred. Allah's Apostle said, 'A Little work, but a great reward.'"
Bukhari:V4B53N386 "Our Prophet, the Messenger of our Lord, ordered us to fight you till you worship Allah alone or pay us the Jizyah tribute tax in submission. Our Prophet has informed us that our Lord says: 'Whoever amongst us is killed as a martyr shall go to Paradise to lead such a luxurious life as he has never seen, and whoever survives shall become your master.'"
Muslim:C34B20N4668 "The Messenger said: 'Anybody who equips a warrior going to fight in the Way of Allah is like one who actually fights. And anybody who looks after his family in his absence is also like one who actually fights."
Qur'an:9:38 "Believers, what is the matter with you, that when you are asked to go forth and fight in Allah's Cause you cling to the earth? Do you prefer the life of this world to the Hereafter? Unless you go forth, He will afflict and punish you with a painful doom, and put others in your place."
Qur'an:9:123 "Fight the unbelievers around you, and let them find harshness in you."
Qur'an:8:72 "Those who accepted Islam and left their homes to fight in Allah's Cause with their possessions and persons, and those who gave (them) asylum, aid, and shelter, those who harbored them - these are allies of one another. You are not responsible for protecting those who embraced Islam but did not leave their homes [to fight] until they do so." [Another translation reads:] "You are only called to protect Muslims who fight."
Muslim:C9B1N31 "I have been commanded to fight against people till they testify to the fact that there is no god but Allah, and believe in me (that) I am the Messenger and in all that I have brought."
Bukhari:V9B84N59 "Whoever says this will save his property and life from me.'"
Qur'an:8:73 "The unbelieving infidels are allies. Unless you (Muslims) aid each other (fighting as one united block to make Allah's religion victorious), there will be confusion and mischief. Those who accepted Islam, left their homes to fight in Allah's Cause (al-Jihad), as well as those who give them asylum, shelter, and aid - these are (all) Believers: for them is pardon and bountiful provision (in Paradise)."
Tabari IX:69 "Arabs are the most noble people in lineage, the most prominent, and the best in deeds. We were the first to respond to the call of the Prophet. We are Allah's helpers and the viziers of His Messenger. We fight people until they believe in Allah. He who believes in Allah and His Messenger has protected his life and possessions from us. As for one who disbelieves, we will fight him forever in the Cause of Allah. Killing him is a small matter to us."
Ishaq:578 "Crushing the heads of the infidels and splitting their skulls with sharp swords, we continually thrust and cut at the enemy. Blood gushed from their deep wounds as the battle wore them down. We conquered bearing the Prophet's fluttering war banner. Our cavalry was submerged in rising dust, and our spears quivered, but by us the Prophet gained victory."
seager get your facts right. The usa and uk are not goign aroudn killing muslims. They are stopping muslims from killng both muslims and non-muslims. If u take a globe and put pins in every trouble spot in the world u will find one common factor. Muslims and islam.
You guys just cannot and will not accept the fact that u guys are totallly evil. I have never appreciated any religion that openly tells its followers to kill.
Gabriella, I think Mrt. Hopper was being sarcastic and critical of political correctness. And as to your question, EVERY major culture has its share of violence and intolerance. That doesn't mean we should belittle the deaths of innocents like this poor Christian, but it's not fair to ignore Christian history from the time it became the state religion of the Roman Empire to the time when the West took a new look at the way it had treated religious minorities, Native Americans, Asians, Africans, women, ... Just because Islamic extremism and bigotry is a major problem doesn't mean that Islam is an evil religion.
Samuel Hopper, PLEASE, read the Koran from the beginning to the very end and then make your comments about it. If Islam is such a peaceful religion why is it that there is so much violence and darkness of the mind in the countries where it is practised? Please, answer my question, I will appreciate it.
Archangel Gabriel did not appear to Mohamed, Dr. Torregiani because that would mean that Our Lord had changed His mind about Mary, Jesus, everything. Our God is a perfect God, Who does not make mistakes, Who does not change His mind.
Islam has made a joke of the divinity of Our Lord. That they believe some of the Bible teaching? - no wonder, it is a nice story, why not? But, as soon as the Bible teaches about Jesus as the Son of God, they become vicious! - that does not fit into their mentality, Mohamed's mentality of "Eye for an eye and tooth for a tooth" !
Let us pray for them, they do need our prayers, our love. God loves them they are His creatures - even if very confused, misguided creatures.
@Bulbajer I think UN should do something about killing thousands of civilians by the NATO in libya and other muslim or non-muslim countries, not killing of 1 person because of changing his religion. Be realistic and imagine yourself being one of those civilians who are being killed for no reason!
A Muslim is the one who believes in Jesus (PBUH), if you dont, you are not a muslim. Jesus is the God..and he himself worshiped God. I thought God came in form of Jesus and so why did he need to worship God? because he knew that he himself was not God and he knew God is only one! anyway, why people dont bother when US or UK forces are killing millions of MUSLIM civilians in muslim countries just to catch 1 or 2 terrorists? and why is it that people bother far too much when 1 person gets killed because he changed his religion. It ofcourse is a bad practice, but killing thousands of civilians ..isnt that far far worse than this? we british or americans are really humans for our cats and dogs (pets) but not for humans, regardless their colour or race or religions.
"Blessed are those who suffer persecution...." (Jesus) We grieve for the passing,of our martyrs today, even as we rejoice in the knowledge that the KIngdom of Heaven is theirs.... May the Lord comfort their families with this remembrance.