In this mailing: Raymond Ibrahim: 'Killing Christians Takes Us to Paradise': The Persecution of Christians, July 2023 Amir Taheri: Brexit: Lottery as Politics 'Killing Christians Takes Us to Paradise': The Persecution of Christians, July 2023 by Raymond Ibrahim  •  August 20, 2023 at 5:00 am "The Taliban are working to completely erase Christianity or any religious minority from the country, even stating that there are no Christians in Afghanistan, an obviously false claim. Many Christians have gone underground to avoid being kidnapped by the Taliban 'courts.' The rising starvation rates and increasing poverty in Afghanistan create an even higher security threat to these believers since now the Taliban are offering financial compensation to anyone who reports on Christians... and Afghans are desperate, further heightening the security risk [to Christians.] Unless ransomed by their families, Christians captured by the 'courts' face brutal torture and even death. If redeemed, the survivors and their families, often bankrupt from the exorbitant ransom demands, must flee their homes to avoid repeated kidnappings from the various Taliban gangs. Because of the persecution, many Christians escape to Pakistan and risk capture and death by the Taliban. Even if they make it to Pakistan, they must conceal their faith for fear of receiving worse treatment in already poor conditions. Some Christian refugees decide to return to Afghanistan, deciding they have a better chance of survival under the Taliban than in Pakistan." — Report by International Christian Concern, July 13, 2023, Afghanistan. Arguing that churches should never exist in Muslim-majority regions, on Sunday, July 2, Muslims broke up a Christian worship service even as police stood by looking on. — Morning Star News, July 17, 2023, Indonesia. She was heard yelling, "You the minorities should not always ask to be respected!" — Morning Star News, July 17, 2023, Indonesia. This video captures some of the most recent damage of beheadings and desecrations. The report concludes by saying the motivation of the "unknown vandals" remains "a mystery to police." — Kronen Zeitung, Austria. "Blasphemy laws are often used as a weapon of revenge against both Muslims and non-Muslims to settle personal scores or to resolve disputes over money, property or business. A mere allegation is enough to provoke a mob to riot and lynch falsely accused suspects in Pakistan. At least 1,949 persons were accused under the blasphemy laws between 1987 and 2021, according to the Center for Social Justice. A large number of these blasphemy cases are still awaiting justice." — Morning Star News, July 12, 2023, Pakistan. These laws are, moreover, becoming more, not less, severe.... "The... situation became tense after the Friday prayers when announcements were made from mosque loudspeakers asking people to gather for a protest." — Tahir Naveed Chaudhry, a Christian and former lawmaker, Morning Star News, July 4, 2023, Pakistan. "The blasphemy charge against Shahzad stems from personal grudges against him by the complainant, Ullah ... [who] had engaged in legal battles with Shahzad over a piece of land allotted by the government for constructing a church building." If found guilty, [he] faces up to ten years in prison. — Morning Star News, July 4, 2023, Pakistan. "Blasphemy laws are often used as a weapon of revenge against both Muslims and non-Muslims to settle personal scores or to resolve disputes over money, property or business. A mere allegation is enough to provoke a mob to riot and lynch falsely accused suspects in Pakistan," according to Morning Star News. Pictured: Thousands of people in Karachi, Pakistan, demand the execution of Asia Bibi, on November 21, 2018. Bibi, a Christian woman, spent 8 years on death row in Pakistan because of a false accusation of blasphemy, before being released and exiled. (Photo by Asif Hassan/AFP via Getty Images) The following are among the murders and abuses inflicted on Christians by Muslims throughout the month of July 2023. The Muslim Slaughter of Christians Uganda: On July 9, a Muslim man murdered his wife, a mother of three, hours after she became Christian. Ten days earlier, Amina Nanfuka, 31, while being treated for medical complications, had gone to stay with a relative. During her stay, a pastor visited and prayed for her recovery. According to the relative (name withheld), who had become Christian prior to Amina's visit: "I shared the saving power of Jesus, and she showed a desire to accept and to believe in Jesus but requested waiting for the day that the doctor in Kampala had given her for a check-up and thereafter attend the church." Continue Reading Article