The "Middle East and Terrorism" Blog was created in order to supply information about the implication of Arab countries and Iran in terrorism all over the world. Most of the articles in the blog are the result of objective scientific research or articles written by senior journalists.
From the Ethics of the Fathers: "He [Rabbi Tarfon] used to say, it is not incumbent upon you to complete the task, but you are not exempt from undertaking it."
“We will have to continue to allow the entry of minimal humanitarian supplies. We have done this until now.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks about Israeli actions in Syria, July 17, 2025. Credit: PMO.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on
Sunday accused the United Nations of lying about the entry of
humanitarian supplies to Palestinians in Gaza, pledging to continue
letting minimal aid into the territory.
“We will eliminate Hamas,” he reiterated during a visit to the Ramon Air Force Base in the Negev Desert.
“In order to complete this goal, and also
the release of our hostages, we are making progress in fighting and
negotiating,” Netanyahu said. “In any path we choose, we will have to
continue to allow the entry of minimal humanitarian supplies. We have
done this until now.”
The prime minister accused the U.N. of
lying about the entry of Israeli aid and making up excuses for not
distributing it until now.
“It says we are not allowing humanitarian
supplies to enter. It is allowed. There are secured convoys. There have
been all along, but today it is official. There will be no more
excuses.”
Netanyahu added: “We will continue to
fight, we will continue to act until we achieve all of our war
goals—until complete victory.”
“There's lots of criminals here, and it was a grand conspiracy," Devin Nunes tells Just the News.
The chairman of the President's
Intelligence Advisory Board says he believes crimes were committed by
intelligence and law enforcement officials who relentlessly pursued
President Donald Trump over the last decade, and he also wants to make
sure that spies who abused their powers are stripped of their security
clearances and their jobs.
"Look, it's really simple. There's lots of criminals here, and it was
a grand conspiracy," former House Intelligence Committee Chairman and
current PIAB chief Devin Nunes told Just the News.
"Remember, we made, I don't know, a dozen criminal referrals when I
was chairman of the House Intelligence Committee," he added during an
exclusive interview on the Just the News, No Noise television show Thursday night.
Nunes said whether people are prosecuted now will depend on whether
the statute of limitations for crimes have expired, or whether those
deadlines get extended by the pursuit of a conspiracy case. He said he's
comfortable leaving those decisions to FBI Director Kash Patel and
Attorney General Pam Bondi.
The former Republican lawmaker from California said he's focused in
his role as the head of the civilian oversight board for U.S.
intelligence on making sure that intelligence officers face discipline
and consequences, regardless of whether they are prosecuted eventually.
"I just continue to be fascinated by the people who are still
carrying a security clearance. It's amazing who are still in these
agencies," Nunes said. "And I'm just shaking my head like every time I
turn around, like, wait, wait, wait, wasn't that person in that position
a Russia hoax person.
"All of those people need to get their security clearances pulled,
and they should not be working anywhere near law enforcement or
intelligence for that matter," he added. "So it's one of the things that
our board is tasked with."
The Houthis stated that any country that wants to avoid escalation should "pressure the enemy to halt its aggression and lift the blockade on the Gaza Strip."
Flames and smoke rise from the
damaged Greek-flagged oil tanker MV Sounion, which had been on fire
since August 23, after an attack by Houthi terrorists, on the Red Sea,
September 15, 2024; illustrative.(photo credit: EUNAVFOR ASPIDES/HANDOUT VIA REUTERS)
Yemen's Houthis
will begin targeting any ships it can reach that deal with Israel,
regardless of the company's nationality, the terrorist organization said
in a statement Sunday night.
The
Houthis stated that all countries who want to avoid escalation should
"pressure the enemy to halt its aggression and lift the blockade on the
Gaza Strip. There is no free person on this earth who can accept what is
happening."
In
their statement, the Houthis wrote that the group had a "religious,
moral, and humanitarian responsibility" toward the people of Gaza, and that the conditions Palestinians face would be "unacceptable to any human being, let alone Arabs and Muslims."
"The
actions of the Yemeni Armed Forces express our moral and humanitarian
commitment to the injustice against the brotherly Palestinian people,
and all our military operations will cease immediately upon the
cessation of aggression against Gaza and the lifting of the blockade,"
the statement concluded.
Eternity C cargo ship; illustrative (credit: SCREENSHOT/X/VIA SECTION 27A OF THE COPYRIGHT ACT)
Houthi attacks on vessels in the Red Sea
Since the October 7 massacre,
the Iranian proxy has consistently attacked vessels in the Red Sea in
what they say are acts of solidarity with the Palestinians.
Israel, in response, has been launching attacks on Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen, most notably Hodeidah port.
"We
remain deeply concerned for the welfare of the crew members in the
custody of the Houthis, as well as for those currently unaccounted for,"
Ellie Shafik, head of intelligence with UK-based maritime risk
management company Vanguard Tech, said following the attack. "Their
safety and swift release must be a priority for all involved."
Currently, 12 members of the vessel's crew are said to be missing or held hostage by the terrorist group.
Netanyahu, speaking from the Israel Air Force's Ramon Air Base claimed that the UN is "creating an excuse and lie about Israel," by saying that Israel is not allowing humanitarian aid to enter Gaza.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu against backdrop of IDF soldiers at war in Gaza (illustration). (photo credit: Getty Images/Chip Somodevilla, JACK GUEZ/AFP)
Israel will "need to continue allowing the entry of minimal humanitarian
supplies" into the Gaza Strip, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said
on Sunday, claiming that Israel has "done this until now."
Netanyahu,
speaking from the Israel Air Force's Ramon Air Base, claimed that the
UN is "creating an excuse and a lie about Israel," by saying that Israel
is not allowing humanitarian aid to enter the enclave.
"We
are allowing [aid], there are secured routes, there always have been.
But today it is official, there will be no more excuses," Netanyahu
commented.
In order to complete Israel's goal of eliminating Hamas
and releasing hostages, the IDF is continuing to apply pressure via its
operations, and authorities are conducting negotiations, Netanyahu
noted, adding that "we will achieve this goal."
"We
will continue to fight, we will continue to operate until we achieve
all our war objectives, until complete victory," he added.
Humanitarian aid is airdropped over Gaza as seen from northern Gaza Strip, July 27, 2025 (credit: REUTERS/DAWOUD ABU ALKAS)
"I
want to send a clear message to the dictator Khamenei: If you continue
to threaten Israel, our long arm will once again reach Iran, with even
greater force, and this time, it will reach you personally," Katz said.
"Do not threaten us, or you will be harmed," he added.
US Ambassador Mike Huckabee also commented on Israel providing aid into the Gaza Strip on X/Twitter earlier on Sunday.
"Is the UN, New York Times,
and Hamas all happy now? I'm sure Hamas is. Their lies &
propaganda destroyed cease-fire deal, tried to discredit safe and
functioning GHF effort, emboldened Hamas & will result in this
complete balagan! Most sad for hostage families-grief prolonged,"
Huckabee wrote.
Why would Hamas demand GHF method stop? Because suddenly Hamas is promoting humanitarianism & efficiency for food delivery that Hamas couldn't loot? Right! And Jeffrey Dahmer was a master chef & should have had a cooking show. https://t.co/Iuc26MtaPp
— Ambassador Mike Huckabee (@GovMikeHuckabee) July 27, 2025
"Why would Hamas demand GHF method stop? Because suddenly Hamas is
promoting humanitarianism & efficiency for food delivery that Hamas
couldn't loot? Right! And Jeffrey Dahmer was a master chef & should
have had a cooking show," Huckabee added in a separate post.
From Reims to the Rio Grande, history repeats—but in Trump’s America, the border holds, and the ghosts of appeasement find no sanctuary.
There is never a dull moment in the second,
more cheerful reign of Donald Trump. I am writing from London, but was
in France last week, picking my way through various battlefields and
cemeteries in and around Verdun, Bastogne (think “Easy Company” and
“Battle of the Bulge”), and Reims.
Well-informed readers will know, as I did not, that “Reims” is not
pronounced as its letters might suggest but rather as a nasalized “Reince.” I have always associated the place with champagne, and I am pleased to say that the city capitalizes on the association.
But one point of interest had nothing to do with that magical elixir.
Reims was also the location of General Dwight D. Eisenhower’s
headquarters at the end of World War II. It was there, in fact, that the
Nazis officially surrendered on May 7, 1945.
The headquarters, an old school building, is a sort of time capsule.
All the maps and military paraphernalia have been preserved just as they
were on that fateful day. The entrance is marked by four flagpoles on
which flags of the four Allies—the U.S., the U.K., the Soviet Union, and
France—flutter.
The chambers were undergoing renovation when I was there, alas, but
on the doors was an image of the ceremony. Army Chief of Staff Alfred
Jodl, his back to the camera, signed for the Nazis—Hitler, of course,
being unavailable. General Walter Bedell Smith, Eisenhower’s chief of
staff, signed for the Allies. Eisenhower, having recently witnessed the “indescribable horror” of the Ohrdruf concentration camp,
declined to participate, thus denying the Nazi bigwig the honor of his
presence. Jodl, found guilty of war crimes at his trial in Nuremberg,
was hanged in 1946.
I drag you along for this bit of history, Dear Reader, because even as I write this, the contemptible contention that the real villain of World War II
was not Adolf Hitler but Winston Churchill is making the rounds again.
Eisenhower made sure that army photographers documented the savage
barbarities of the camps in order to warn future generations. “I made
the visit deliberately,” he said, “in order to be in a position to give
firsthand evidence of these things if ever, in the future, there
develops a tendency to charge these allegations merely to ‘propaganda.’”
Of course, anti-Semitism is alive and well in the United States, too.
But I suspect there is this difference. In the United States, virulent
anti-Semitism is largely an elite phenomenon. It thrives in the Petri
dishes of swank colleges and universities and a handful of cities.
That’s where you see the Palestinian flags and shouts of “globalize the
intifada.” (It is also, I am happy to say, where the Trump
administration’s battle against anti-Semitism has enjoyed its most conspicuous victories.)
It’s my sense that in the U.K., the phenomenon is more general. “Why
is that?” I asked an English friend. “Because the invasion of Britain by
Muslims has proceeded much further here than in the U.S.” That was when
Jean Raspail’s novel The Camp of the Saints came up.
That dystopian fantasy portrays the destruction of Western
civilization by a tsunami of illegal immigration from the Third World.
Conspicuous in the apocalypse Raspail describes is the feckless
collusion of white Europeans and Americans in their own supersession.
They faced an existential crossroads. They chose extinction, laced with
the emotion of higher virtue, rather than survival. (The title, it is
worth noting, comes from the Book of Revelation, 20:9.)
Beautiful people, in and out of academia, pronounced anathema upon Camp of the Saints,
accusing it of embodying the cardinal sin of the Age of Woke, “racism.”
But the book is racist only if reality itself is racist. To anyone not
infected by what Elon Musk calls the “woke mind virus,” it reads like a grim documentary, a matter-of-fact description of a civilization committing suicide.
My friend and I agreed that there should be no immigration without
assimilation. That should be the operative motto, the slogan, the
standard. Assimilation has proceeded imperfectly in the United States.
It seems to have been abandoned altogether in the U.K.
Which brings me to what history will judge as one of Donald Trump’s
greatest accomplishments: the reassertion of America’s borders and the
ending of illegal immigration. In May 2025, the U.S. Customs and Border
Protection website reports,
“The U.S. Border Patrol released zero illegal aliens into our country—a
staggering drop from more than 62,000 that USBP was forced to release
along the southwest border in May 2024.” The internet is full of TikTok
videos showing ICE agents apprehending illegal aliens. We are invited by
the anti-Trump propaganda press to deplore these actions. But the
overwhelming response is “This is what I voted for.” That, certainly, is
my feeling.
Aliyev’s public praise of Trump is not just rhetoric. It reflects decades of quiet strategic ties with Israel and a rare opportunity to expand the Abraham Accords eastward.
Ilham Aliyev, President of
Azerbaijan, seen at Al Shati Palace in Abu Dhabi during a visit to the
United Arab Emirates, July 9, 2025(photo credit: RYAN CARTER/UAE Presidential Court/Handout via REUTERS)
When
US President Donald Trump posted a clip from Azeri counterpart Ilham
Aliyev’s Shusha Global Media Forum speech on Truth Social he was not
just boosting a friendly quote. He was signaling that Azerbaijan’s long partnership with Israel and Washington is now on his radar in a public way.
In
that video, Aliyev calls Trump a leader who ends wars says they share
core values including family values and wishes him success especially
when draining the swamp. Trump rarely shares videos of foreign leaders
so the post stands out and shows that people around him increasingly
view Baku as central to the region’s next phase.
For
more than three decades Israel and Azerbaijan have worked together on
strategic issues. Shifts in Middle East politics and Israeli Palestinian
flare ups have not derailed the relationship.
Aliyev
has balanced ties with Ankara and Jerusalem and Azerbaijan has hosted
more than three rounds of talks between Turkey and Israel on Syria to
cool tensions. That steadiness makes Azerbaijan a natural fit for the Abraham Accords.
Washington DC, USA - September 15, 2020: Benjamin Netanyahu, Donald
Trump, Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani, and Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan
attend the Abraham Accords ceremony in The White House. (credit:
SHUTTERSTOCK)
Azerbaijan in Abraham Accords: A signal to Muslim majority states
Joseph
Epstein of the Turan Research Center at the Yorktown Institute argues
that bringing Azerbaijan into the Accords would signal to Muslim
majority states in Central Asia such as Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan
that open cooperation with Israel is both possible and worthwhile. It
would also squeeze Tehran which sees a secular Shia state aligned with
Israel and Turkey as a strategic problem.
Epstein
also cautions against tying Azerbaijan’s entry to unrelated conditions
like a peace deal with Armenia because that would undercut the spirit of
the Accords and risk a fragile process in the South Caucasus. The
Accords were built to unite Muslim countries that choose tolerance and
reject extremism. Armenia is not part of that track and forcing it in
would be counterproductive.
Rabbi Marvin Hier, founder of the Simon Wiesenthal Center and the rabbi who blessed Trump
at his 2017 inauguration, shares that view. Separate tracks should stay
separate. Azerbaijan has proved its friendship to the Jewish people in
words and deeds. Aliyev has said many times that respect for Jews is
part of Azerbaijan’s identity and his policies have backed that for
decades. Hier urged Trump to recognize that record without conditions
calling Azerbaijan a genuine ally and a bridge between East and West and
asking him to take a bold step and bring Baku into the Accords as
recognition of what already exists.
This
is an opportunity. Adding Azerbaijan would deepen the Accords
architecture of pragmatism strengthen Israel’s regional position and
show that cooperation between Muslim and Jewish nations
is already real. The task now is to formalize it amplify it and avoid
side deals that dilute the spirit or the success of the Accords.
Michael Jankelowitz is a Jerusalem-based commentator on World Jewish Affairs.
He previously served as spokesperson to the International Media at the
Jewish Agency for Israel.
The two artworks in question were created by Michael Sandle, and depict the supposed mass murder of Gazan children.
The two artworks in question were
created by Michael Sandle, and depict the supposed mass murder of Gazan
children. Notably, Sandle exhibited an artwork on the same theme in the
Summer Exhbition 2024, and received criticism at the time.(photo credit: screenshot/royal academy/michael sandle)
The Royal Academy
(RA) has ignored requests to remove two ‘antisemitic’ drawings from its
Summer Exhibition, UK Lawyers for Israel (UKFLI) reported.
The two artworks in question were created by Michael Sandle and depict the supposed mass murder of Gazan children. Notably, Sandle exhibited an artwork on the same theme in the Summer Exhibition 2024 and received criticism at the time.
The first of the two 2025 pieces is called Terrorist versus smiling mass murderer of innocents, depicts two figures – a Hamas terrorist and an IDF soldier
– standing in front of a pile of rubble. The IDF soldier is smiling and
covering his ears with his hands, while the terrorist’s face is
covered, and he is turned away from the scene.
JPost Videos
The
second artwork is called Apropos terror – a pilot doesn’t hear the
screams of the women and children he is massacring with impunity. It is
identical in many ways to the other, featuring the same two figures in
the same clothing, although the background is a semi-collapsed building.
This
time, the soldier is not smiling. However, like the first one, he has
his hands covering his ears, which the artist has depicted as a way of
symbolizing the IDF’s choice to turn away from Gazans suffering. UKFLI’s
Caroline Turner wrote to RA interim secretary and chief executive,
Natasha Mitchell, calling for them to be removed, and to executive Simon
Wallis, explaining that the two drawings are antisemitic and present a
blood libel.
The
two artworks in question were created by Michael Sandle, and depict the
supposed mass murder of Gazan children. Notably, Sandle exhibited an
artwork on the same theme in the Summer Exhbition 2024, and received
criticism at the time. (credit: screenshot/royal academy/michael sandle)“The
titles of both these drawings imply that Israel is purposely
slaughtering women and children on a mass scale. This is far from the
truth, since the Israeli army does all it can to avoid harming women and
children while targeting
“Accusing Jews of killing babies/children
is an old-fashioned blood libel. Sandle should be aware that Israel
aims to kill terrorists, not innocent children and others.” The images
“apply double standards by requiring of Israel a behavior not expected
or demanded of any other democratic nation,” which can be antisemitic
according to example 8 of the International Holocaust Remembrance
Alliance working definition of antisemitism, the organization added.
Double standards
A
spokesperson for UKLFI added, “The Royal Academy has shamefully ignored
the views of its Jewish and Israeli visitors, and once more displayed
antisemitic, anti-Israel artworks. We hope that they will now remove
these offensive items.”
One
Jewish visitor called the works “disgusting antisemitic art,” according
to The Telegraph. As noted, in 2024, UKFLI reached out to RA regarding
Sandle’s drawing, The mass slaughter of defenseless women & children
is not how you deradicalize Gaza.
Then-chief executive, Axel Ruger, did not remove the drawing but did take down two other antisemitic works by young artists.
“We
are, however, grateful for the clarifications you have provided and
intend to continue to take these into account in the future, along with
any concerns raised by other visitors of diverse backgrounds when
reviewing our policies,” Ruger told UKFLI at the time.
On its website, the RA says its Summer Exhibition “contains sensitive content covering political and societal issues.”
“Inclusion
of works in the Summer Exhibition should not be read as the RA
supporting any particular artist’s point of view,” it adds.
That a man could be tortured to death under false allegations, and that the police failed to act promptly or conduct a proper investigation, shows the systemic discrimination Christians face daily. The failure to collect crucial evidence and the reluctance to pursue justice...." — britishasianchristians.org, June 2, 2025.
The attackers, chanting
"Allahu Akbar," attempted to storm St. Joseph's Church, where 700 mostly
Christian Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) were sleeping. — Nigeria.
Persecution of Christians across Africa continues with brutal
intensity, especially in regions plagued by Muslim militancy... In the
Democratic Republic of Congo, where roughly 95% of the population is
Christian, Muslim groups are responsible for horrific violence. The
European Parliament has labeled ISCAP, an ISIS affiliate, "the deadliest
armed group in the DRC."
"The horrific killing of Kashif Masih is not just a tragedy—it is
a damning indictment of the justice system in Pakistan. That a man
could be tortured to death under false allegations, and that the police
failed to act promptly or conduct a proper investigation, shows the
systemic discrimination Christians face daily. The failure to collect
crucial evidence and the reluctance to pursue justice...." —
britishasianchristians.org, June 2, 2025.
When the Christian couple reported the rape to Saddar Police
Station, officer Muhammad Sikander tried to bribe them with Rs. 150,000
(about $500 USD) to drop the case and leave the area. When they refused,
Intekhab was beaten. — Pakistan.
"The case is a tragic but familiar reminder of the dangerous
intersection of gender-based violence and religious persecution. Sexual
violence against minority women is not rare – it's a systemic human
rights emergency that is often met with silence and inaction.... These
[Christian and non-Muslim] women are isolated, marginalized and viewed
as disposable." — morningstarnws.org, June 24, 2024, Pakistan.
"There's no law in Pakistan that criminalizes forced faith
conversion." While the constitution guarantees freedom of religion, that
freedom "is routinely violated when minors are coerced into Islam
through abduction and sham marriages... [E]very delay in justice sends
the message that Christian girls are disposable." — Albert Patras,
rights advocate, morningstarnews.org, June 23, 2025.
Islamic law makes it very difficult for all victims of rape, not
only Christian women, to prove rape because it demands proof by four
reliable male witnesses. — Sonja Dahlmans, author of "Hidden Crimes,
Public Deception: The Epidemic of the Disappearance of Coptic Girls and
Women in Egypt."
On June 18, the European Parliament approved a €4 billion
financial aid package to Egypt — despite that country's mounting
persecution of Christians, including a recent court ruling to evict
monks and seize one of Christianity's holiest sites: the 1,500-year-old
Orthodox Monastery of St. Catherine on Mount Sinai.
Human Rights Watch released a damning report exposing the
systematic misuse of Pakistan's blasphemy laws to target religious
minorities—especially Christians and Ahmadis—as well as the poor. Titled
"A Conspiracy to Grab the Land," it details how false blasphemy
accusations are weaponized to incite mob violence, displace vulnerable
communities, and seize their property with near-total impunity.
On June 6, International Christian Concern exposed the
widespread, systemic persecution of Christians living under Islamic law
(sharia) across countries like Brunei, Iran, Yemen, Pakistan, and the
Maldives.
On June 22, a gun and suicide bomb attack in Mar Elyas Greek
Orthodox Church in Damascus murdered 25 Christians and wounded nearly
70. At least two armed Muslim men attacked inside the church during
Sunday mass, when it was packed with 350 worshippers. Pictured: Some of
the destruction wreaked by the attackers in Mar Elyas. (Photo by Ali Haj
Suleiman/Getty Images)
The following are among the abuses and murders inflicted on Christians by Muslims throughout the month of June 2025.
The Muslim Slaughter of Christians
Syria: On Sunday, June 22, a gun and suicide bomb attack inside a church in Damascus murdered
25 Christians and wounded nearly 70. At least two armed Muslim men
entered the Mar Elyas Greek Orthodox Church during mass, when it was
packed with some 350 worshippers, and indiscriminately opened fire
before one of them detonated an explosive belt inside the sanctuary. :
"He started shooting wildly, then blew himself up," Eyewitnesses described
the scene. "The blast threw bodies everywhere — blood, broken glass,
screams. I thought it was the end of the world," one survivor said.
Another worshipper, barely escaping with her life, recalled,
"We tried to run but the smoke and dust made it impossible. People were
crying and praying for mercy. The killer shouted, 'You all deserve
death!' It was a message of hate aimed straight at us." Video footage shows
the church interior destroyed — pews splintered, walls shattered, and
the floor slick with blood. Photos showed charred and blood-splattered
floors, with shrapnel peppering the church walls. "I have never seen
such devastation in a place of worship," a volunteer rescuer related. "When we got to the church, we found the doorway filled with body parts," another relief helper said.
The regime of Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa — formerly the head of
the jihadist faction Hayat Tahrir al-Sham — initially attributed the
assault to ISIS (the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria). Yet two days
later, a lesser-known group, Saraya Ansar al-Sunna — an offshoot of
al-Sharaa's very own organization — claimed responsibility. Some Muslims in Syria celebrated the carnage.
One ISIS supporter, Al-Wa'eli, shared
an image of a jihadist with the caption, "If you do not rejoice over
this action... you do not have any [faith]." Quoting Islamic
justifications, he insisted, "We were commanded [by Allah] to kill you,"
referring to Christians. The Bariqah ("Blessing") News Agency further announced that ISIS will strike Christians "whenever and wherever we want" They added: "We act based on clear proof from our Lord."
"We come here to pray for peace," one elderly churchgoer responded to so much hate, "but now we live in fear. How can we worship when death stalks us even inside the church?" Other survivors said: "They came to kill us because we believe."
Nigeria: In early June, Muslim Fulani herdsmen massacred
at least 86 Christians in Benue state, in a surge of violence that
included mass slaughters during and after Sunday worship, the burning of
homes, and abductions. Victims were gunned down or butchered with
machetes, often within sight of inactive military checkpoints—prompting
clergymen to accuse the military of complicity and lament the closure of
over 15 parishes. A prominent Nigerian attorney called on President
Tinubu to declare a state of military emergency, citing the government's
inaction and the growing threat. Radicalized Fulani militants, according
to the UK's All-Party Parliamentary Group for International Freedom of
Religion or Belief, "adopt a comparable strategy to Boko Haram and ISWAP
[ISIS offshoot] and demonstrate a clear intent to target Christians and
potent symbols of Christian identity."
Over in Plateau State, in the first days of June, at least 18 Christians were slaughtered by the Islamic herdsmen. Christian survivors reported "indiscriminate shootings, killings, and large-scale arson."
In Benue State, between June 13–14, the Fulanis massacred at least 100 Christians—possibly as many as 200—in the predominantly Christian village of Yelwata. The attackers, chanting "Allahu Akbar,"
attempted to storm St. Joseph's Church, where 700 mostly Christian
Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) were sleeping. The Fulanis burned
sleeping Christian families alive and slaughtered those who fled. The
raid, described
by the local tribal ruler as "a full-scale genocidal invasion and land
grabbing campaign by herder terrorists," targeted Christian displaced
persons and food supplies.
Democratic Republic of Congo: On June 7, the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), a violent Islamic group, massacred hundreds of Christian civilians. Many others drowned while trying to escape the assault by fleeing in the river.
Sudan: Between June 9 and 11, Sudan's Rapid Support Forces (RSF) carried out coordinated airstrikes on three churches—the
Sudanese Episcopal Church, the African Inland Church, and the Roman
Catholic Church—in El Fasher, North Darfur. The attacks killed at least
five Christians, including Fr. Luka Jumu, and injured dozens more. "The
bombing of these churches is not only an attack on buildings but a
brutal assault on the right to freedom of religion or belief," said
a spokesman for Christian Solidarity Worldwide, adding that the RSF
targets churches "to conduct ethnically motivated violence against
non‑Arab Christians."
Sub-Saharan Africa: Persecution of Christians across Africa
continues with brutal intensity, especially in regions plagued by Muslim
militancy, according to a June 20 report.
In the Democratic Republic of Congo, where roughly 95% of the
population is Christian, Muslim groups are responsible for horrific
violence. The European Parliament has labeled ISCAP, an ISIS affiliate, "the
deadliest armed group in the DRC." The European Parliament noted that
between January and June 2024, Islamic State claimed responsibility for
killing nearly 700 African Christians, with ISCAP alone claiming 639
deaths. In Mozambique, where Christians make up about 62% of the
population, Islamic terrorists relentlessly target believers, abducting
clergy and slaughtering congregants. Similarly, Nigeria's
Christians—roughly half the population—face "near-genocide levels" of
violence, including "shockingly brutal" attacks by jihadists, where men
are killed and women "kidnapped and targeted for sexual violence."
Pakistan: According to a June 2 report, on Mother's Day, May 12, Christian farm worker Kashif Masih, 35, was brutally tortured and murdered
after being accused, falsely, by Muslim landlords of stealing a mobile
phone. Kashif was subjected to sickening sadistic abuse: nails were
forcibly pierced into his private parts. His beaten and bloodied body
was then discarded on the road. His body showed extensive bruising and
deep wounds, evidence of the torture he endured (graphic images here).
Despite urgent calls for help from family members, police response was
sluggish. A First Information Report (FIR No. 754/25) was eventually
filed against Muhammad Areeb, Muhammad Ijaz, Malik Irfan, and others for
murder and rioting. Discussing this incident, the British Asian
Christian Association said,
"The horrific killing of Kashif Masih is not just a
tragedy—it is a damning indictment of the justice system in Pakistan.
That a man could be tortured to death under false allegations, and that
the police failed to act promptly or conduct a proper investigation,
shows the systemic discrimination Christians face daily. The failure to
collect crucial evidence and the reluctance to pursue justice sends a
chilling message to other vulnerable minorities."
The Abduction, Rape, and Forced Conversion of Christian Girls and Women in Pakistan
On June 11, three Muslim men — Muhammad Mohsin, Zahid Gujjar, and Muhammad Arslan — gang-raped
a 20-year-old Christian woman in front of her 3-year-old daughter who
watched in terror. The men first sent Sheeza Bibi's husband, Intekhab,
away from their cattle farm on a fake errand, leaving Sheeza and her
child defenseless. When Intekhab returned hours later, he found his wife
and daughter in tears. Sheeza, after initial hesitation, confessed that
she had been assaulted.
The trauma did not end there. When the Christian couple reported the
rape to Saddar Police Station, officer Muhammad Sikander tried to bribe
them with Rs. 150,000 (about $500 USD) to drop the case and leave the
area. When they refused, Intekhab was beaten and Sheeza was slapped by a
female officer, before being thrown out of the police station. Juliet
Chowdhry of the British Asian Christian Association condemned the attack
and the corrupt police response, stating:
"This vicious and cowardly assault on a young Christian
woman, carried out in front of her child, reflects the terrifying
vulnerability of religious minorities in Pakistan. That Sheeza and her
husband were then beaten and bribed by the very people meant to protect
them is unconscionable."
Also on June 11, a Muslim man raped
a married Christian mother of five at gunpoint. For more than a year,
Rashid Anwaar had stalked and harassed the woman — who remains unnamed
for her protection — demanding
she "accept Islam and marry him." Her family repeatedly complained to
his family, but no one intervened. On the day of the attack, Rashid
found the woman alone and unwell. He entered through an open door,
locked himself inside the room, pulled a gun, and raped her while
threatening to kill her if she screamed. Her husband, Indrias Paulus,
and her brother arrived mid-assault, heard her cries, and confronted the
rapist, who escaped by climbing a wall while brandishing his pistol,
dropping his phone and abandoning his motorcycle. Police initially tried
to help him evade justice, but, due to much pressure and mounting
evidence, they eventually arrested him. Last reported, the victim continues to "cry all night and cannot sleep."
"I'm
afraid to step outside. For over a year, Rashid harassed me – trying to
force me to convert and marry him. He threatened me constantly, but no
one intervened because of his influence."
The impoverished woman said the assault has also distressed her children and that it is hard to avoid their questioning eyes:
"I have five children – three sons and two daughters. My
eldest son is 16 years old, and he keeps asking me what happened. How do
I tell him that his mother has been violated by a man who believed that
he had the power to fulfill his evil desires?"
Janssen, a field officer of international advocacy group Jubilee Campaign, said,
"The case is a tragic but familiar reminder of the
dangerous intersection of gender-based violence and religious
persecution. Sexual violence against minority women is not rare – it's a
systemic human rights emergency that is often met with silence and
inaction.... These [Christian and non-Muslim] women are isolated,
marginalized and viewed as disposable. In a society dominated by
patriarchal and religious majoritarian structures, their safety is
secondary. This is not just rape – it's armed assault and a hate crime."
On June 3, a Christian girl escaped
the Muslim man who kidnapped, tortured, raped, and forcibly converted
her to Islam two years earlier. Muskan Liaqat was only 14 when Muhammad
Adnan and his father Muhammad kidnapped her at gunpoint from her home on the night of May 24, 2023:
"They took me to their home, where they tortured me and
forcibly took my thumb impressions on some papers – I was later told
that I had become a Muslim and [Muhammad] Adnan was my husband... I was
raped and beaten by Adnan with an iron rod on almost a daily basis. He
used to call me 'Chuhri' [a pejorative term used for Christians] and
other curse words. As a result of repeated sexual abuse, I got pregnant
in 2024."
Due to the ongoing torture and beatings, she miscarried four months into her pregnancy:
"I
used to cry all night and prayed to God to rescue me from this hell,
but it looked like my prayers were not reaching Him... I wanted to kill
myself as it seemed the only way out of the agony that I was suffering
every day. I would also question myself, 'Would my family accept me even
if I somehow manage to escape and return home? Would they believe me
that I had not gone with Adnan willingly?' These thoughts haunted me all
the time, forcing me to think that ending my life was the only option."
Muskan's prayers were finally answered on June 3, 2025, when Muhammad
Adnan had to leave her unguarded at his house, and she managed to
escape back to her family:
"I'm
truly grateful to God for rescuing me from captivity and to my family
for trusting me that I had not gone with Adnan willingly."
On June 11, another Muslim man abducted
a 14-year-old Christian girl, Elishba Adnan. Since then, the police
have taken no action—neither registering a First Information Report
(FIR) nor intervening in any meaningful way—despite the family's
desperate pleas to recover their daughter from her kidnapper, Babar
Mukhtar, 26, who is already married. Rights advocate Albert Patras said
the police are stonewalling the case, claiming
the girl "converted to Islam and married of her own free will," without
showing any documentation to support this claim. As Patras points
out, "There's no law in Pakistan that criminalizes forced faith
conversion." While the constitution guarantees freedom of religion, that
freedom "is routinely violated when minors are coerced into Islam
through abduction and sham marriages." Elishba's father, Adnan Masih, a
sanitation worker, has made repeated visits to the local police station:
"Elishba's disappearance has devastated our lives," he said.
"If the police had acted promptly, we might have rescued her. But now
much time has lapsed, and God knows what has become of her."
Even Pakistan's new child marriage law—which sets the minimum age at
18—only applies to the Islamabad Capital Territory and excludes Muslims
in other provinces due to Islamic law. As Patras noted,
"If they convert to Islam, the law ceases to protect them." He further
pointed to how Pakistan's Council of Islamic Ideology has openly opposed
treating underage marriage as rape. It "does not conform with sharia,"
he declared.
In this climate, Christian girls—some as young as 10—are routinely
kidnapped, raped, and forced into Islam under the guise of religious
marriage, only to be returned to their captors by courts as "legal
wives." "These incidents breed terror among minority communities," said
Patras. "And every delay in justice sends the message that Christian
girls are disposable."
Finally, a Christian family fled for their lives after enduring
months of abuse and sexual harassment from their Muslim landlord,
Muhammad Maqbool. Trapped in bonded labor over a debt of Rs. 850,000
(less than $3,000 USD), the Masih family lived on Muhammad's farm—where
they faced physical assaults, forced servitude, and threats of forced
conversion and prostitution. "He violently beat my son," said
Pervaiz Masih, the family patriarch. "He kissed my daughter-in-law's
face, hugged her, and demanded she sit with him drunk." Soon the
22-year-old newlywed, Somika, became Muhammad's main target: "He'd touch
me, make indecent comments, and send my husband away just to be alone
with me," she said.
After Muhammad threatened to convert and marry off Somika if the debt
was not paid, the family escaped in the night, leaving everything
behind.
Egypt: In a June 30 video interview, Sonja Dahlmans, author of a 52-page report titled, "Hidden Crimes, Public Deception: The Epidemic of the Disappearance of Coptic Girls and Women in Egypt," said,
"Nobody speaks about the situation of the Copts and this
is precisely why I titled the report "Hidden Crimes, Public Deception."
Other reports and analyses hardly ever mention gender-based crimes
committed against Coptic women and girls, which makes them particularly
vulnerable. The result of this is that the abduction, rape and forced
conversion of Copts stays under the radar; they are the only victim
group in Egypt that almost everybody neglects. This raises the question
why journalists and analysts consider all other stories of sexual
violence in Egypt to be true, except for what the Coptic community tells
us."
Dahlmans also stated that the demand for truth from Western
politicians and policy makers is problematic, putting pressure on the
victims of these abductions and rape, rather than demanding the Egyptian
government to prosecute the perpetrators. Islamic law, she added,
makes it very difficult for all victims of rape, not only Christian
women, to prove rape because it demands proof by four reliable male
witnesses. This is a major problem for Muslim women—but even more so for
non-Muslim ("infidel") women living under Islam, such as Christian
women and girls in Egypt. She said,
"[O]ne of the women we interviewed for our report was
actually undressed at the police station and the police were trying to
make her confess that she had been sleeping around with multiple men. In
that way, they were trying to make her ruin her own reputation as part
of an intimidating tactic to prevent victims to go to the police and
report their case."
Muslim Attacks on Churches and Other Christian Symbols and Institutions
Syria: On June 8, shots were fired at the large cross of the historic Syriac Orthodox Cathedral of St. Mary of the Holy Belt in Homs, which dates to the 5th century. In a statement,
the Syriac Orthodox Archdiocese of Homs, Hama, and Tartous condemned
"the heinous shooting incident that targeted the Holy Cross ... at dawn
on Sunday ... by an unknown party, in a reprehensible act targeting the
sanctity of places of worship and the security of citizens."
Egypt: On June 18, the European Parliament approved a €4 billion financial aid package to Egypt—despite that country's mounting persecution of Christians, including a recent court ruling to evict
monks and seize one of Christianity's holiest sites: the 1,500-year-old
Orthodox Monastery of St. Catherine on Mount Sinai. The monastery—built
in the 6th century on the site where Moses is believed to
have encountered the burning bush—is the oldest continuously active
Christian monastery and home to the world's oldest functioning library.
But an Egyptian appeals court declared its inhabitants "squatters,"
paving the way for their removal and for state tourism control. "We have
lived in Sinai since the sixth century," lamented
Archbishop Damianos, abbot of the monastery: "Now they tell us: 'You
have no right to be here; you are newcomers.'... I am 91 years old today
and I have lived in the Monastery since the age of 27—you can imagine
the pain in my heart."
Separately, on June 7, a fire broke out
inside the Virgin Mary Church in Esna, Luxor governorate. Civil defense
forces quickly responded and contained the flames, preventing any
injuries. It was the latest of many churches to, according to the
authorities, "accidentally catch fire" in Egypt (see Egypt entry herefor several examples).
Uganda: On June 3, Ugandan security forces intercepted and killed two Muslim terrorists—one a female—who were preparing to launch a deadly attack on the Uganda Martyrs' Shrine during Martyrs' Day (which honors 45 Christian converts executed for their faith in the 19th
century). The terrorists, wearing explosive vests, were stopped about
500 meters from the basilica by a counterterrorism unit. An exchange of
gunfire triggered an explosion that killed both attackers and destroyed
their motorcycle. The death toll could have been immense, as the site
was expected to be packed with Christian visitors on that day of
celebration.
Kenya: According to a June 2 report, Benedictine Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart have shut down
all their operations in Kenya's Kerio Valley due to relentless daily
violence from surrounding Muslims. The closure follows the brutal murder
of Father Alloy Bett, a local Catholic priest, and ongoing instability
threatening both personnel and locals. Sister Rosa Pascal, prioress of
the mission, cited severe psychological trauma among the sisters and a
critical staff shortage forcing an indefinite suspension of essential
services—including the closure of the Chesongoch mission hospital. This
retreat marks yet another blow to Christian communities facing Muslim
violence in East Africa, highlighting the stark reality: faith-based
missions are under siege, forced to abandon their work as Islamic terror
spreads.
Indonesia: On June 27, a 200-strong Muslim mob violently disrupted
a Christian youth retreat—tearing down crosses, smashing property, and
chasing terrified children, while police and soldiers stood by. The mob,
incited after mosque prayers, surrounded a private home in Tangkil
village used for Christian gatherings. Chanting "Destroy that house!"
they vandalized the building, threw a motorbike into a river, and tore
down a wooden cross, which one man used to smash a window. Videos show
screaming youths fleeing into cars as the crowd jeered. Claiming it was
about permits, one Muslim resident said,
"It's not that we are intolerant, but worshiping secretly in a 100%
Muslim area invites unrest." Officials later insisted the attacks were
"spontaneous," and the site was "a house, not a church." However, "this
is not about permits," said human rights activist Permadi Arya: "This is
pure intolerance allowed by the state."
France: On June 17, a Muslim man known to police for 86 prior offenses—including theft, violence, and death threats—stormed a church
during an evening service. He insulted worshippers, accused the Church
of supporting "the Israelis," and labeled clergy as "pedophiles." He
threatened the congregation: "If you move, you're dead!" and concluded
with an explicit prediction, "We'll kill you all one day!" Police
quickly located and arrested the man, identified as Hasein O., born in
1968. Despite his violent history, he was not flagged for
radicalization.
Portugal: A June 30 video
shows what is described as a Pakistani migrant who broke into a
cemetery and started destroying crosses while crying "Allahu Akbar," and
partially declaring the shahada ("there is no god but Allah").
United Kingdom: According to a June 10 report,
Graham Wanstall, a retired author and patient at Kent and Canterbury
Hospital, was pushed out of the hospital's Christian chapel by "a group
of Muslim men" who said they had a prayer meeting and demanded that he
move. Graham initially complied, but they insisted he keep moving
further away until he found himself in a corner facing the wall away
from the altar—a deeply disrespectful act in a Christian setting, said Graham, who felt "belittled and humiliated."
Italy: On June 7, a local Islamic community was allowed to
celebrate the Eid al-Adha feast on a parish-owned field near the
Sanctuary of Marcellina—a gesture of goodwill by the local Church. Yet
during prayers, someone deliberately covered a nearby statue of Jesus with a large black cloth. According
to journalist Roberto Arditti, the author of the Italian report, it was
a brazen, symbolic erasure of Christianity in its own homeland. The act
was not random—it was visible, well-prepared, and provocative. And
Christian community leaders stood by silently, possibly complicit:
"Respect," he added, "means knowing where you live, whose house you are in."
Generic Muslim Abuse of Christians
Somalia: According to a June 18 report,
this March, a Muslim mother of three shared a Jesus film with her
Muslim parents. Watching the scenes of Christ's passion, she wept aloud,
saying, "Oh, an innocent Son of God suffering for the sins of humanity." Visibly shocked, her father jumped up and cried, "Christ is not the Son of God but only one of the prophets sent by Allah!" He then gave her an ultimatum:
"I have no room for you in my house anymore. Just go away with your
children." Her husband joined in condemning her faith, pronouncing
Islamic divorce when she refused to recant. Until now, she continues to
receive death threats from relatives. She explained
their logic in an interview: "It is better that they kill me than me be
a Christian, since I have become an apostate and should be killed."
Pakistan: On June 9, Human Rights Watch released a damning report
exposing the systematic misuse of Pakistan's blasphemy laws to target
religious minorities—especially Christians and Ahmadis—as well as the
poor. Titled "A Conspiracy to Grab the Land," it details how false
blasphemy accusations are weaponized to incite mob violence, displace
vulnerable communities, and seize their property with near-total
impunity. The report shares harrowing stories, such as a Christian
beautician in Lahore whose salon was vandalized by a mob falsely
accusing her of Koran desecration. Another Christian school owner was
blackmailed for thousands of rupees after threats from local Islamic
groups, despite the blasphemy claims being totally baseless. Blasphemy
remains a capital offense in Pakistan, often sparking deadly mob
violence, long pretrial detentions, and unfair trials.
Separately, On June 6, an "anti-terrorism" court acquitted
10 Muslim men accused of leading the violent August 16, 2023, riots in
Jaranwala, where thousands of Muslims ransacked and/or torched over 25
churches and 85 Christian homes following false blasphemy accusations
against two Christian brothers. Despite strong evidence from 23
witnesses, including eyewitnesses who identified the attackers, Judge
Javed Iqbal Sheikh ruled the suspects innocent, sparking much outrage
among Christian leaders who condemned the verdict as a grave miscarriage
of justice. In the words
of the Reverend Shehzad Gill, senior chaplain to the Moderator Bishop
of the Church of Pakistan, the court ruling "turn[s] a blind eye to
blatant acts of violence and hatred" for Christians in Pakistan.
Similarly, politician Shamaun Qaiser called
the acquittal "a betrayal of justice." The Church Management Committee
accused the police and investigators of manipulating evidence to protect
Muslim suspects, deliberately ignoring "solid evidence" and the testimony of victims who identified the attackers.
Muslim World: On June 6, International Christian Concern exposed
the widespread, systemic persecution of Christians living under Islamic
law (sharia) across countries such as Brunei, Iran, Yemen, Pakistan,
and the Maldives. These nations enforce strict interpretations of Sharia
that criminalize apostasy and blasphemy with brutal punishments
including corporal penalties, imprisonment, forced labor, and even
death—effectively banning Christians from openly practicing their faith.
In Yemen,
Islam is the state religion; renouncing it is a crime punishable by
law. Most Christians are secret converts who live in constant fear,
facing discrimination such as denial of medical care, sexual violence,
forced marriages to Muslim men, and social ostracism. Iran routinely
imprisons Christians simply for their beliefs, while Pakistan
enforces harsh social and economic discrimination, relegating
Christians to degrading jobs like sewer cleaning and street sweeping.
The Maldives outright bans any religion other than Islam, making Christian worship illegal and nearly impossible.
The report describes this persecution as an "open secret"
often carried out with government endorsement or complicity. In some
instances, authorities take pride in suppressing Christians by using
slurs, false accusations, and violence as tools of repression. The
normalization of such systemic abuse under Islamic extremism renders
Christians second-class citizens with little recourse for justice or
protection.
About this Series
While not all, or even most, Muslims are involved, persecution of
Christians by extremists is growing. The report posits that such
persecution is not random but rather systematic, and takes place
irrespective of language, ethnicity, or location. It includes incidents
that take place during, or are reported on, any given month.
