The harassment of Christians of Middle Eastern extraction in the West by immigrant Muslim extremists appears to be one of the unexplored angles in the unfolding Islamist story.
While the press is quick to run stories warning of a backlash against Muslims in the West in response to the actions of their coreligionists here and abroad, we seldom see serious reporting on incidents that are happening in Europe, America and Australia.
A wire service story from the AAP (Australian Associated Press) run by the Guardian last week left me frustrated by its lack of detail. The story entitled "Two teens charged after death threats allegedly screamed at Christian school" reported:
Two teenagers have been charged after death threats were allegedly screamed at a Christian school in Sydney’s west. A 14-year-old was in the front passenger seat of a red hatchback when he allegedly began yelling abuse outside the Maronite College of the Holy Family in Harris Park on 16 September. Onlookers said the boy and the car’s driver threatened to "kill the Christians" and slaughter their children while brandishing an Islamic State flag out the window.
The article goes on to say the two were arrested, but offers no further details. What is the Maronite College of the Holy Family? Who attends this school? Who made these remarks? What was their motivation? None of these questions are addressed by the AAP.
A report in the Sydney Morning Herald fleshes out the story somewhat. The article entitled "Sydney Christian school targeted by death threats from car with flag 'similar to Islamic State's'" reports:
About 1200 boys and girls attend the Maronite College of the Holy Family, an Arabic language school formerly known as the Our Lady of Lebanon School. Earlier reports of the threats referred to the Our Lady of Lebanon Church directly across the road from the school.
Though the article does not spell this out, it is safe to assume that an Arabic language Roman Catholic parochial school serves Christian Arab immigrants from Lebanon, Iraq and Syria (the Levant). The very people whom the Islamic State in the Levant (ISIL) is seeking to convert to Islam or destroy.
Continue reading "Why the press silence" by George Conger.