World News Korner

Christian militias chase tens of thousands of African Muslims out of their homelands.

Courtesy of the Washington Post:

Tens of thousands of Muslims are fleeing to neighboring countries by plane and truck as Christian militias stage brutal attacks, shattering the social fabric of this war-ravaged nation.

In towns and villages as well as here in the capital, Christian vigilantes wielding machetes have killed scores of Muslims, who are a minority here, and burned and looted their houses and mosques in recent days, according to witnesses, aid agencies and peacekeepers. Tens of thousands of Muslims have fled their homes.

The cycle of chaos is fast becoming one of the worst outbreaks of violence along Muslim-Christian fault lines in recent memory in sub- Saharan Africa, tensions that have also plagued countries such as Nigeria and Sudan.

“Civilians remain in constant fear for their lives and have been largely left to fend for themselves,” Martine Flokstra, emergency coordinator for the aid agency Doctors Without Borders, said in a statement Friday, adding that the violence had reached “extreme and unprecedented” levels.

On Friday, thousands of Muslims hopped aboard trucks packed with their possessions, protected by soldiers from Chad, and drove out of Bangui, as Christians cheered their departures or tried to loot the trucks as they drove through Christian areas. At least one Muslim man, who fell from a truck, was killed by a mob. Meanwhile, thousands more Muslims huddled at the airport in a crowded hangar, waiting to be evacuated.

“They are killing Muslims with knives,” said Muhammed Salih Yahya, 38, a shopkeeper, making a slitting motion across his throat. He arrived at the airport Wednesday from the western town of Yaloke with his wife and five children. “I built my house over two years, but the Christians destroyed it in minutes. I want to leave.”

To be fair while this is a case of the Muslims being victimized by the Christians, the converse has been true many times in the region as well.

However it seems when the Christians are being persecuted by an Islamic government or it's people, American churches and others start demanding action from the government to intercede, but never a word when it is the Muslims being persecuted or executed by the Christians.

The fact is that people are tribal, and they always care more about those that are more like them, than those who are different.

And we have made great progress in accepting our similarities and coming together as a people. Especially in America where we have made impressive strides in racism, sexism, and overcoming cultural differences.

However when it comes to religious differences it seems we are moving further apart, rather than closer to together, and that our ability to tolerate other faiths is decreasing rather than increasing.

Perhaps it is because the world is steadily moving toward a less religious and more enlightened future, and those who are defined by their religious faith are starting to feel under attack and defensive. Or perhaps it is simply that with more knowledge about the culture and religion of others comes a recognition of how alien they are to how we think, live, and believe.

Whatever the cause I actually feel that even in America we are in danger of seeing a rise in violence driven by religious intolerance and a need for domination. Right now it is expressing itself as a grab for political power and an attempt to undermine secular public schools, but failing that I have no doubt that there are those willing to kill and die for their god right here in the good old USA.

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