What don’t you understand? This pathetic puff piece about poor misunderstood Islam? On this day of all days?
Islamist militants besieged this church in Baghdad in 2010In reference to Iraq, Shortt outlines the effect of the first Gulf War in 1990-1 and then the US-led invasion in 2003; anti-Christian violence intensified, resulting in a dramatic decline in the Christian population.
The violence against Christians in Muslim-majority contexts cannot therefore be blamed solely on Islam itself. Western governments, especially the US and British, need to be held to account for the way that their foreign policies, particularly in the Middle East, have increased the danger for Christian minorities.
They do not appear to be learning from history either, as they are now backing the opposition to President Bashar al-Assad in Syria. Like Saddam Hussein in Iraq, Assad had afforded the Christian community in Syria a considerable degree of protection and freedom; this has now been shattered by war and seems unlikely to be restored by any new regime, as Islamists have gained influence in the effort to oust the president.
Western support for the Arab Spring, which has promoted the rise of political Islam, has ignored the implications for Christians in the Middle East and North Africa.
You honestly find the above quotes to be positive toward Islam????
Islamist militants besieged this church in Baghdad in 2010In reference to Iraq, Shortt outlines the effect of the first Gulf War in 1990-1 and then the US-led invasion in 2003; anti-Christian violence intensified, resulting in a dramatic decline in the Christian population.
The violence against Christians in Muslim-majority contexts cannot therefore be blamed solely on Islam itself. Western governments, especially the US and British, need to be held to account for the way that their foreign policies, particularly in the Middle East, have increased the danger for Christian minorities.
They do not appear to be learning from history either, as they are now backing the opposition to President Bashar al-Assad in Syria. Like Saddam Hussein in Iraq, Assad had afforded the Christian community in Syria a considerable degree of protection and freedom; this has now been shattered by war and seems unlikely to be restored by any new regime, as Islamists have gained influence in the effort to oust the president.
Western support for the Arab Spring, which has promoted the rise of political Islam, has ignored the implications for Christians in the Middle East and North Africa.
You honestly find the above quotes to be positive toward Islam????
If your opinion remains unchanged, please cite one complete sentence which shows this article is an apologia for "poor misunderstood Islam" or a "puff piece".
Thank you.