The Teaching of Contempt toward the Jewish state is no longer church-inspired, albeit, some radical churches find a way to teach contempt toward Israel in the guise of preaching human rights and “protection for the Palestinians.” Mainly, however, the teaching of hate against Jews is now the work of the radical left and the extreme right. Anti-Semitism is no longer directed openly against Jews. Instead, it is leveled against the Jewish state, and its Jewish supporters. Ironically, it was the tragedy of the Holocaust that contributed to the establishment of the UN in 1945 and it also impacted on the drafting of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Unfortunately, the UN has done little to stop the display of anti-Semitic contempt of Israel, regularly expressed by the various agencies within the UN, rhetoric that ultimately led to the Holocaust. Nor has the UN acted to prevent recent genocides in Rwanda, Bosnia, and Darfur. Moreover, the UN has given a platform to the likes of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who said, according Reuters (9/24/2012) “Israel has no roots in the Middle East and should be eliminated,” ignoring a UN warning to avoid incendiary rhetoric ahead of the annual General Assembly session. Celebrating his 79th birthday last July, Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei vowed that, “By God’s grace the Palestinian nation will certainly gain victory over the enemies, and will witness the day when the fabricated Zionist regime will be eradicated.”
The UN pays lip service to commemorating the Holocaust, while at the same time allowing its body (General Assembly) to become a politicized weapon against the Jewish state. The UN has done nothing to combat the global rise of anti-Semitism, or end the vilification, demonization, delegitimization, and double standards applied to Israel alone.
Europeans use of Nazi terminology has been one way in which they have expressed contempt for the Jewish state. According to Dr. Manfred Gersenfelds book on anti-Semitism, “The War of a Million Cuts,” he referenced French scholar of rhetoric Georges-Elia-Sarfati’s emphasis on one of the words the Nazis invented, Vernichtungskrieg; meaning a war of total destruction, and extermination. Israel is now being accused of conducting a war of extermination against the Palestinians. Amazingly, in mainstream European society, there is a wide agreement with such a hate statement. There are 400 million citizens, 16-years and older in the European Union (EU). Of those, more than 150 million (40% +), think that Israel conducts a war of extermination against the Palestinians. They agree with such a statement when asked in polls. According to Gersenfeld, in a 2004 poll, a great majority of Germans, who should really know better considering their past, saw Israel as a Nazi state. The imagery, namely comparing Israel to Nazi Germany, which is pervasive throughout the EU, is an insult to Jewish survivors of the Holocaust, and to the six million Jews who perished in it.
Lorrie Goldstein’s Toronto Sun (12/24/2017) piece, summarized the “Teaching of Contempt.” “When religion was the driving force of civilization thousands of years ago, Judaism was portrayed by its enemies as the world’s most evil religion, with Jews falsely accused of murdering the children of non-believers to us, their blood, to use their blood to make matzah for Passover, known as the ‘blood libel.’ In the twentieth century, when ‘science’ became the defining symbol of human progress, the Nazis sought to prove through ‘science’ that Jews were uniquely evil. Today, when ‘human rights’ are paramount, Jew haters portray Israel as the world’s worst human rights violator for its treatment of the Palestinians. It’s just the same old Jew hatred, the same cancer, forever evolving and metastasizing.” The UN, the EU, and the radical churches cannot hide behind International Holocaust Remembrance Day to cover up the continuous and deliberate hatred for Jews and the Jewish state. In the absence of sincere action to eradicate the virus of anti-Semitism, the so-called “remembrance” of the Holocaust is nothing more than sheer hypocrisy.
According to the human rights organization Open Doors, the number of Christians in the world subjected to persecution -- 245 million -- is 14% higher than it was a year ago.
In its 2019 World Watch List, Open Doors reports:
"In seven out of the top 10 World Watch List countries, the primary cause of persecution is Islamic oppression. This means, for millions of Christians -- particularly those who grew up Muslim or were born into Muslim families -- openly following Jesus can have painful consequences. They can be treated as second-class citizens, discriminated against for jobs or even violently attacked."
The report also states that Muslim converts to Christianity in countries governed by sharia [Islamic] law face the most severe persecution, both by the state and by family, friends and community. The following are examples from the report:
- In Iran, "Converts from Islam face persecution from the government; if they attend an underground house church, they face the constant threat of arrest."
- In Qatar, "Christians experience persecution at all levels of society: The government, the local community and even one's family can be dangerous for Christians, especially for converts from Islam to Christianity. Islam is seen as the only acceptable faith, and Sharia law prescribes a wide range of rules for personal, family and community life. Evangelism is outlawed and can lead to a lengthy prison sentence.
- In the United Arab Emirates, "Christian converts often lose their inheritance and parental rights, are forced to marry, are fired or are required to work for free. To avoid the death penalty or other penalties, Christian converts often feel like they must hide their faith or flee to another country."
- In Pakistan, "Christians continue to live in daily fear they will be accused of blasphemy -- which can carry a penalty of death. ... Christians are largely regarded as second-class citizens, and conversion to Christianity from Islam carries a great deal of risk."
Another country that is secular on paper but increasingly oppressive towards Christians is Turkey. According to the Open Doors report:
"Over the last year, the situation in Turkey has deteriorated significantly for Christians as President Erdogan's powers grow. Churches there try to maintain a low profile, especially after the two-year case of U.S. Pastor Andrew Brunson who was unjustly jailed there and released in late 2018. Religious nationalism continues to grow to new heights."
Most Muslim converts to Christianity in Turkey are Protestant, yet the Turkish government does not even recognize the Protestant community as a "legal entity." The government denies the Protestant community the right freely to establish and maintain places of worship. Protestants in Turkey, therefore, have no recourse but to worship in unofficial religious foundations or church associations, which are often targeted by authorities and shut down.
Christian converts are also persecuted in non-Muslim, totalitarian, communist states, such as North Korea and China. The scholar Raymond Ibrahim explains the distinction between Christian persecution in Islamic and communist regimes as follows:
"While Christians are indeed experiencing a 'life of hell' in North Korea, overthrowing Kim Jong-un's regime could not only lead to a quick halt to this persecution but also to a rise of Christianity — as has happened recently in Russia... That 'South Korea is so distinctively Christian' reflects what could be in store — and creating fear for — its northern counterpart.
"Unlike the persecution of Christians in Communist nations, rooted to a particular regime, Muslim persecution of Christians is perennial, existential, and far transcends any ruler or regime. It unfortunately seems part and parcel of the history, doctrines, and socio-political makeup of Islam — hence its tenacity and ubiquity. It is a 'tradition.'
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