Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul spent Friday morning telling stories to conservatives about the persecution of Christians across the world.
“Today I want to tell you about a war the mainstream media is ignoring,” the Republican lawmaker said Friday during the Values Voter Summit in Washington. “From Boston to Zanzibar, there is a worldwide war on Christianity.”
“You won’t hear much about it on the evening news because the answer is not convenient and does not fit the narrative we have been told about radical Islam,” Paul added.
Paul also said President Obama”tries to gloss over who is attacking and killing Christians.”
“But the truth is, there is a worldwide war on Christians by a fanatical element of Islam,” Paul said.
“Ever since 9/11, commentators have tried to avoid pointing fingers at Islam,” he said. “While it is fair to point out that most Muslims are not committed to violence against Christians, this is not the whole truth and we should not let political correctness stand in the way of the truth.”
Examples referenced by Paul:
- Referencing an incident in Syria, Paul spoke of Islamic rebels storming into town and demanding everyone convert to Islam or die. “Sarkis el Zakhm stood up and answered them, ‘I am a Christian and if you want to kill me because I am a Christian, do it.’ Those were Sarkis last words.”
- “Elsewhere in Syria, Islamic rebels have filmed beheadings of their captives and celebrated by eating the heart of an enemy soldier,” Paul said. “Two Christian bishops have been kidnapped and one priest recently killed.”
- “In Zanzibar, a priest was shot in the head on his way to church by two Muslim youths,” Paul said. :A message by the Muslim Renewal said, ‘We thank our young men, trained in Somalia, for killing an infidel. Many more will die. We will burn homes and churches. We have not finished: at Easter, be prepared for disaster.'”
- Said Paul: “In Kenya, motorcycle assailants hurled bombs into a Christian church injuring 15 people including the pastor who had both of his legs broken.”
- “In Indonesia, the world’s most populous Muslim nation, three girls were beheaded on their way to their Christian school,” Paul said.
- “In Guinea this year a Muslim mob attacked and killed 95 Christians and injured 130,” he said.
- Paul said that, “In Egypt, 82 churches were recently attacked, leaving hundreds dead or wounded.”
- “In Cameroon, recently, two Christians who had converted from Islam were murdered,” Paul said.
- “In Iran, American pastor Saeed Abedini has been imprisoned indefinitely, facing physical and psychological torture at the hands of his captors who have demanded that he renounce his faith,” he said.
- “In Libya, the country we freed from oppression, Benghazi militias raided a Christian church rounding up over a hundred Christians accusing them of being missionaries because they possessed Bibles and crosses,” Paul said. “Many were tortured and one Christian died while being tortured.”
- “In Pakistan, last week 75 Christians were killed and several hundred injured in a church bombing,” Paul said.
