No Demonstrations in Pakistan When Christian Girls Raped

10/6/2012

(Page 2 of 2)

hypocrisy and the evil that has been laid bare for all the world to see. I do not believe any decent person can ignore this evil without sacrificing part of their own humanity and their capacity for that which is divine and eternal.

Consequently, I am deeply concerned with the way President Obama has responded to the attacks on our embassies and the demonstrations. Many people have been concerned that by blaming the Libyan-embassy attack on the video and excessively condemning the video in relation to the attack, the President inadvertently helped Islamists use the video as an excuse to cause unrest throughout much of the Muslim world. In the process, the hidden evil associated with persecution and the rape of Christian girls was trivialized.

To make matters worse, according to articles by The Daily Beast and the Associated Press, the American embassy in Libya had been bombed prior to the anniversary of 9-11, and our people asked the State Department for increased security. It was refused. Yet the President repeatedly said the attack on the embassy that killed Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other Americans was caused by the video. It was not. It was almost certainly a premeditated attack by al Qaeda.

Some people are now suggesting that the attack on our embassy in Libya made President Obama's Middle-East policies look bad, so he lied about the attack to provide political cover while campaigning for re-election. When President Obama attacked Libya in order to unseat Muammar Gaddafi, he enabled Islamists to gain a foothold in parts of Libya, including al Qaeda. And it is believed that he either armed some Islamists or allowed them to hijack stockpiles of Gaddafi's armaments. It has even been suggested that these weapons may have been used in the attack on the embassy.

I do not expect the President of the United States to view the world through Catholic eyes, but I do expect him to act within the parameters of objective reality and common decency, and not to put politics or ambition above the lives of innocent children like Allah Rakhi and Shumaila Masih.

As Catholic Americans, we cannot turn our eyes from the hypocrisy and the evil that has been laid bare for us to see. Our brothers and sisters in Christ need our help. And we can give them that help by raising our voices in prayer and by making our voices heard when we vote in November.

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Michael Terheyden was born into a Catholic family, but that is not why he is a Catholic. He is a Catholic because he believes that truth is real, that it is beautiful and good, and that the fullness of truth is in the Catholic Church. However, he knows that God's grace operating throughout his life is the main reason he is a Catholic. He is greatly blessed to share his faith and his life with his beautiful wife, Dorothy. They have four grown children and three grandchildren.
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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: Christian, Persecutions, Rape, Muslim, Video, Demonstrations, Pakistan, President Obama, Michael Terheyden

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1 - 4 of 4 Comments

robert matzinger
7 months ago
Pakistan is an Islamic country. As such, those that are not muslim will not be treated as those who are. Degrading Christains is a sport for them as their religion allows it, and there is no outrage from anywhere else in the world, and they know it. As fellow Chrtistains, our best hope for our brothers and sisters there is to pray fervently to God that they will be able leave that country and start life anew in anotherr country that values all human life.
Celia
7 months ago
The people of Pakistan are poor & ignorant. They've been well indoctrinated in their islamic faith that they don't know any better & those who do just turn a blind eye because they don't want to get involved & be the next target. Unfortunately there are too many lukewarm Catholics today who just can't be bothered. Another Hotel Rwanda. God Bless & Help these poor Christians & that their cries do not fall on deaf ears.
Dawn in Kansas
7 months ago
The government of Pakistan needs to take control of the situation thru educating the public and by taking to trial those who are persecuting Christians. Unfortunately, even Pakistan's leaders are threatened. Is this not a country with nuclear weapons? If Pakistan could make such a lethal decision in using nuclear weapons then should they not also be able to have strong moral order and a judiciary that protects it's citizens. How can anyone benefit from the violence put upon poor innocent children? I pray for you Pakistan. You are a jewel that God loves.
Mathew Thankachen O.Praem
7 months ago
The “double standard” of Pakistan and for that case any Islamic countries are very clear. Whenever, Koran or Prophet Muhammad is defamed, their sentiments and impulsive behavior reaches to the sky. On the other, if any minority member or their Religion is harassed or raped, they are least bothered to react. Of course, we cannot blame the political leaders fully as everyone loves his life. They too like any other political leaders think of their safety and “majority vote banks”. If a political leader stand for truth, he will be annihilated from the face of the earth is the lesson we learn from the history of Pakistan. Yet I appreciate the present Prime Minister for his courage who ordered to arrest an “ ustad” from a mosque for his alleged involvement in trapping a ‘mentally retarded Christian girl’ in burning Koran pages and arresting a group of Muslim youth recently for destroying a Hindu Temple in the context of protest against the ‘ Innocence of Muslims”. It is high time that the system of “theocratic state" and " law of Blasphemy" be abolished from the Islamic Nations of the world. The Law of Blasphemy has equal footing in the other Semitic Religions of Jews and Christians who share with Islam the common patrimony. The Jews and Christians have gone another extreme of misuse of liberty in relation to God and Religion is a truth of fact today. Yet, there is an evolution of movement towards “discovery of God" in the depth of man that in turn is affecting the relation to Religion and culture in a constructive way. Even if such law be maintained, it should be applicable only to Islam as other Religious minority is not bound to live the tenet of Islam. If they expect the same from the minority, it should be equally applicable to the Muslims who live in other countries too. It is unfair that while the minority is persecuted by the most Islamic countries, they demand full liberty even to build mosque in the ‘Ground Zero’ of the World Trade Centre. Let the Law be the same for the Christians and the Muslims- either we live as Democratic or Theocratic.
Mathew Thankachen O.Praem.

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