some don't forget. During the First Crusade and the massacre at Jerusalem, it has been reported that the Crusaders "circled the screaming, flame-tortured humanity singing 'Christ We Adore Thee!' with their Crusader crosses held high". Muslims were indiscriminately killed, and Jews who had taken refuge in their Synagogue were murdered when it was burnt down by the Crusaders.
American Muslims are increasingly concerned about persecutions of Muslims in American society. I would urge more of them who can do so to make their way to the Salem Witch Museum. However, taking a short tour of the Salem Witch Museum is to be recommended as an important educational experience for anyone concerned about fear-driven persecution of any group or individual in our society today. The story of the persecutions and witch trials in Salem is very moving. The first museum exhibit should be acceptable to Muslims and it tells the story of the Salem witch trials with a mannequin display and a recorded narration. In a setting of fear and hysteria in Puritan New England, innocents were falsely accused, persecuted in witch trials, and numbers executed by hanging. Others were driven into debt, their lives destroyed. One man had stones piled on his chest until he was crushed to death. Of course this all turned out to be utter hysterical nonsense and finally, in 2001 the governor of Massachusetts signed into law the posthumous exoneration of those remaining victims of the hysteria not already exonerated. This exhibit itself is excellent and makes a visit to the Salem Witch Museum worthwhile. The museum staff was notably at all times professional, courteous and charming. I should warn that the second museum exhibit does have some content that Muslims may find unacceptable and may wish to ignore or avoid. Nonetheless, what is interesting is some material in the exhibit that is relevant for civil rights activism generally. The exhibit ends with a mannequin exhibit of a couple of present-day practitioners of a New Age religion, presenting themselves as good, quite misunderstood but harmless, and wanting to be protected by the US Constitution. Although I am not personally interested in the New Age religion in the exhibit nor do I agree with it, this part of the exhibit successfully expresses a human concern about tolerance and is interesting from the point of view of civil rights. This call for tolerance sounds all too familiar to American Muslim ears: wanting to be respected as part of the American mainstream, yet being unfairly and irrationally feared and persecuted, like medieval witches. Also quite interesting from a civil rights perspective is the last presentation of the second exhibit, the large display on the wall showing a simple formula of a background of extensive fear in the community. This, when added to a trigger, yields scape-goating or what I call "persecution." There is also a very truncated list of examples of this formula in recent history. I would argue that this simple formula of "fear-trigger-scape-goating" may be increasingly of concern to Muslims given their situation in the USA nowadays. Although it is a small exhibit, this last exhibit was effective in making its important point against persecution generally. I could imagine expanding that exhibit to rival Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum in London with standing mannequin displays in the hundreds, exemplifying countless persons and groups who want to be free of persecution. Indeed our Constitution and Bill of Rights should apply to all of them in the USA. Out in the waiting room before the main exhibit there are plaques listing the victims of the witch trials as well as a description of the witch-hunting done by Senator Joe McCarthy during the Red Scare of the 1950s. The museum gift shop did effectively provide me with better literature dealing with the subject of the history of the witch trials. While I am also pleased that I did find the gift shop to be sensitively free and clear of anything overtly satanic, ungodly, or malignant, some of the other material there I would simply describe as to be ignored or avoided by Muslims. The Salem Witch Museum does have an important message for American Muslims and many others too. American Muslims are forced to contemplate their own ethics in this country and adopt standards to maintain their ethical foundation. Without an ethical foundation, we are left with the law of the jungle. The anti-persecution message of the Salem Witch Museum can inform American Muslims in their process of ethical discernment. This ethical discernment and maintenance of an ethical foundation has two sides, that we should neither be unjust persecutors nor should we allow ourselves to be unjustly persecuted. We can recognize that this hysterical witch hunting and persecution that we sometimes see in America is nothing new. At the very least, we can recognize any pattern of intolerance and persecution recycling itself in American history for what it really is and refuse to be part of it. In the case of Islamophobia manifesting as witch-hunting and persecution, although we cannot oppose this persecution with our hands in our current situation, we can oppose it with our voices and with our hearts. Such nonviolence in opposition to unjust persecution is legitimate. On Oct 30, 12:44 pm, Travis <[email protected]> wrote: > *Bulletin of Christian Persecution * > > *October 8, 2012 - October 29, 2012* > > *October 8, 2012* > Egypt<http://click.icptrack.com/icp/relay.php?r=8149463&msgid=897222&act=6V...> > Mohammad Mostafa Kamel, a Muslim prosecutor at the Alexandria Criminal > Court, and his two sons, aided by some hired Muslims, broke into the church > of the St. Mary in Rashid at and demolished a great part of its altar. They > came to the church with front loaders. Kamel had no demolition order. > > Tanzania<http://click.icptrack.com/icp/relay.php?r=8149463&msgid=897222&act=6V...> > Bishop Bernadin Mfumbusa of Kondoa warned that religious freedom and other > civil liberties were under threat from intolerant radical Muslim influences > sweeping in from countries neighbouring the east African nation. > > "We see more and more itinerant preachers from Saudi Arabia and Sudan > entering this country - and Muslims are increasingly making political > demands." These demands include extending Islamic Sharia law and making > everyone subject to it - Muslim and non-Muslim alike. > > *October 9, 2012* > Indonesia > <http://click.icptrack.com/icp/relay.php?r=8149463&msgid=897222&act=6V...> > Twin explosions rocked the restive district of Poso, Central Sulawesi, on > Tuesday as the region's ongoing sectarian violence continued. No one was > injured in the blasts, which targeted the home of a Christian public > employee and a church. > > Pakistan<http://click.icptrack.com/icp/relay.php?r=8149463&msgid=897222&act=6V...> > Shumaila Bibi, a Christian, was kidnapped by a 26 year old Muslim Muhammad > Javed Iqbal on the way home. She was subjected to sexual assault and forced > to study the Koran. On a pretext she managed to escape and return to her > family. > > *October 11, 2012* > Pakistan<http://click.icptrack.com/icp/relay.php?r=8149463&msgid=897222&act=6V...>(h/t > to > JihadWatch<http://click.icptrack.com/icp/relay.php?r=8149463&msgid=897222&act=6V...> > ) > A mob led by Islamic clerics ransacked the home of a teenage Christian boy > in Pakistan's Karachi city and set fire to furniture and some other > household articles after he was accused of sending text messages with > blasphemous content. More > HERE<http://click.icptrack.com/icp/relay.php?r=8149463&msgid=897222&act=6V...> > . > > *October 12, 2012* > Bosnia<http://click.icptrack.com/icp/relay.php?r=8149463&msgid=897222&act=6V...>(h/t > to > thereligionofpeace<http://click.icptrack.com/icp/relay.php?r=8149463&msgid=897222&act=6V...> > ) > Christians are massively leaving post-war Bosnia-Herzegovina amid mounting > discrimination and Islamization. There are just 440,000 Catholics left in > the Balkan nation, half the prewar figure. > > Pakistan<http://click.icptrack.com/icp/relay.php?r=8149463&msgid=897222&act=6V...>(h/t > to > JihadWatch<http://click.icptrack.com/icp/relay.php?r=8149463&msgid=897222&act=6V...> > ) > Militant Muslims attacked St. Francis of Assisi Parish church, smashing > windows and doors, tearing up holy books and destroying cars. > > *October 13, 2012* > Iran<http://click.icptrack.com/icp/relay.php?r=8149463&msgid=897222&act=6V...>(h/t > to > thereligionofpeace<http://click.icptrack.com/icp/relay.php?r=8149463&msgid=897222&act=6V...> > ) > Massive arrests of evangelical Protestant Christians, including many former > Muslims, are reported in Iran, with men and women being dragged to prisons > across the Islamic nation. "We have learned that at least 100, but perhaps > as many as 400 people, have been detained over the last 10 days," said > Firouz Khandjani, a council member of the 'Church of Iran' house church > movement. > > Tanzania<http://click.icptrack.com/icp/relay.php?r=8149463&msgid=897222&act=6V...> > Violent clashes erupted in Dar es Salaam when scores of Muslim youth > stormed a police station and demanded that a 14-year-old boy accused of > urinating on the Quran be handed over to them. > In the aftermath of the confrontation, at least five churches were > attacked, several car windows smashed and passersby injured as the angry > mob moved from street to street at Mbagala Kizuiani protesting the > desecration of the holy book. > > *October 14, 2012* > Pakistan<http://click.icptrack.com/icp/relay.php?r=8149463&msgid=897222&act=6V...> > Pastor Karama Patras, an Evangelist and famous for healing crusades in > Pakistan was arrested on October 13, 2012, on accusations of blasphemy by > police after taking him in preventive custody when Muslim mob attacked his > home. > > *October 16, 2012* > Iran<http://click.icptrack.com/icp/relay.php?r=8149463&msgid=897222&act=6V...> > An official of one of Iran's largest house church movement says recently > detained church members are tortured and otherwise pressured to confess to > crimes they did not commit. "We are especially concerned about seven > Christians of our church who were taken to prison on Friday," October 12, > said Church of Iran council member Firouz Khandjani. > > *October 17, 2012* > Nigeria<http://click.icptrack.com/icp/relay.php?r=8149463&msgid=897222&act=6V...> > No fewer than 30 persons were feared killed and property worth several > millions of naira destroyed in a renewed hostility by suspected Fulani > [Muslim] herdsmen in Yogbo Village in Guma. The attackers stormed the > village at about 7a.m. on Sunday when most of the villagers were in church > and killed mostly women and children. > > Indonesia<http://click.icptrack.com/icp/relay.php?r=8149463&msgid=897222&act=6V...>(h/t > to thereligionofpeace > <http://click.icptrack.com/icp/relay.php?r=8149463&msgid=897222&act=6V...> > ) > The city is back in the limelight for acts of violence and terror probably > related to Muslim extremism, this after years of relative calm following a > peace accord signed in 2001 by radical Muslim groups and Protestant > Christian movements. > > In the past few days, the port city in central Sulawesi has been the scene > of attacks against Christian-owned buildings. Two missing policemen, who > were investigating one recent attack, were found yesterday, stabbed to > death, their bodies hurriedly buried. > > *October 18, 2012* > Egypt<http://click.icptrack.com/icp/relay.php?r=8149463&msgid=897222&act=6V...>(h/t > to > thereligionofpeace<http://click.icptrack.com/icp/relay.php?r=8149463&msgid=897222&act=6V...> > ) > A Muslim gang led by Ali Hussein attempted to kidnap a Coptic Christian > mother. A member of the woman's family rejected the demands and Hussein > shot him. Before the struggle was over, four men were dead. > > Indonesia<http://click.icptrack.com/icp/relay.php?r=8149463&msgid=897222&act=6V...>(h/t > thereligionofpeace<http://click.icptrack.com/icp/relay.php?r=8149463&msgid=897222&act=6V...> > ) > Authorities in Banda Aceh ordered the closure of nine Christian home > churches and six Buddhist prayer houses for alleged irregularities in their > building permit. According to Deputy Mayor Hajjah Illiza Sa'aduddin Djamal, > the buildings were illegal because they lacked the right permit. "Aceh is a > special territory that enforces Sharia," she said and home churches violate > the law because they lack the appropriate building permit. > > *October 21, 2012* > Nigeria<http://click.icptrack.com/icp/relay.php?r=8149463&msgid=897222&act=6V...>(h/t > to > thereligionofpeace<http://click.icptrack.com/icp/relay.php?r=8149463&msgid=897222&act=6V...> > ) > At least hundreds of residents began fleeing northeastern Nigeria Sunday, > October 21, after three days of Islamic attacks against churches and other > targets left dozens dead. > > Pakistan<http://click.icptrack.com/icp/relay.php?r=8149463&msgid=897222&act=6V...>(h/t > to > thereligionofpeace<http://click.icptrack.com/icp/relay.php?r=8149463&msgid=897222&act=6V...> > ) > A Muslim mob ransacked the home of a 16 year old Christian boy whom they > accused of sending a blasphemous text message. > > *October 22, 2012* > Pakistan<http://click.icptrack.com/icp/relay.php?r=8149463&msgid=897222&act=6V...> > A young Christian woman was kidnapped on her way to work at a hospital by > armed Muslim men. > > *October 23, 2012* > Indonesia<http://click.icptrack.com/icp/relay.php?r=8149463&msgid=897222&act=6V...> > The city of Poso, in the Indonesian province of Central Sulawesi, has been > the scene of renewed sectarian violence against the local Protestant > minority. Overnight on Sunday, unknown assailants set fire to the Madele > Pentecostal Church. > > Syria<http://click.icptrack.com/icp/relay.php?r=8149463&msgid=897222&act=6V...> > Up to 10 people were killed and 15 wounded as the charge detonated at the > historical gate of Bab Touma, a busy pick up point for taxis and buses. > "Terrorists are doing this," said George, a Christian who, like many > residents in Bab Touma lives in fear of the rebel fighters trying to gain > control of the capital. > > *October 24, 2012* > Indonesia<http://click.icptrack.com/icp/relay.php?r=8149463&msgid=897222&act=6V...> > A home-made bomb was found and defused at a Christian high school in Tonipa > hamlet in Poso. > > Pakistan<http://click.icptrack.com/icp/relay.php?r=8149463&msgid=897222&act=6V...>(h/t > to > JihadWatch<http://click.icptrack.com/icp/relay.php?r=8149463&msgid=897222&act=6V...> > ) > The High Court ordered a Christian girl who had been kidnapped by a Muslim > man and forcibly married to him to return to his home as his wife. > > *October 25, 2012* > Syria<http://click.icptrack.com/icp/relay.php?r=8149463&msgid=897222&act=6V...>(h/t > to > thereligionofpeace<http://click.icptrack.com/icp/relay.php?r=8149463&msgid=897222&act=6V...> > ) > A Greek Orthodox priest has been found slain after being kidnapped near the > Syrian capital of Damascus. The body of the Rev. Fadi Jamil Haddad, pastor > of St. Elias Church in Qatana, outside Damascus, was discovered in the > Jaramana district of the capital. The Vatican agency quoted a colleague > saying the priest had been "horribly tortured." > > *October 28, 2012* > Nigeria<http://click.icptrack.com/icp/relay.php?r=8149463&msgid=897222&act=6V...> > A [Muslim] suicide attacker drove a jeep packed with explosives into > Catholic church in Nigeria during morning mass yesterday, killing at least > eight people and wounding another 100. The majority of the victims were > children. More > HERE<http://click.icptrack.com/icp/relay.php?r=8149463&msgid=897222&act=6V...> > . > > *October 29, 2012* > Egypt > <http://click.icptrack.com/icp/relay.php?r=8149463&msgid=897222&act=6V...>(h/t > to > thereligionofpeace<http://click.icptrack.com/icp/relay.php?r=8149463&msgid=897222&act=6V...> > ) > Five Egyptian Coptic Christians were injured Sunday in clashes with a > Muslim mob at a church in a village south of Cairo, security sources said. > The violence took place as Muslim villagers attempted to block access to > the church as the Coptic faithful arrived from throughout the area to > attend Sunday mass. More > HERE<http://click.icptrack.com/icp/relay.php?r=8149463&msgid=897222&act=6V...> > . > > Produced by > politicalislam.com<http://click.icptrack.com/icp/relay.php?r=8149463&msgid=897222&act=6V...> > Publisher: Bill Warner; Edited by Asma Marwan > Permalink<http://click.icptrack.com/icp/relay.php?r=8149463&msgid=897222&act=6V...> > > This message was sent to [email protected] from: > > Political Islam . com | Suite 500 3212 West End Av | Nashville, TN 37203 > > Email Marketing by [image: iContact - Try It > Free!]<http://www.icontact.com/a.pl/144186> > Manage Your Subscription > <http://app.icontact.com/icp/mmail-mprofile.pl?r=8149463&l=3216&s=6VT9...> > | Send > To a Friend > <http://app.icontact.com/icp/core/message/forward?m=897222&s=8149463&c...> -- Thanks for being part of "PoliticalForum" at Google Groups. For options & help see http://groups.google.com/group/PoliticalForum * Visit our other community at http://www.PoliticalForum.com/ * It's active and moderated. 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