Priest tells UNHRC to ‘end witch hunt’ of Israel

[Mosby]

A Greek Orthodox priest from Israel defended the Jewish state before the UN Human Rights Council on Tuesday, arguing that it is the only country in the Middle East where Christians are not persecuted, and imploring the 47 member nations to “end your witch hunt of the only free country in the region.”

“In the Middle East today, there is one country where Christianity is not only not persecuted, but affectionately granted freedom of expression, freedom of worship and security,” Father Gabriel Naddaf said.

"It is Israel, the Jewish state. Israel is the only place where Christians in the Middle East are safe.”

According to Naddaf, some 120,000 Christians have been killed each year in the Middle East for the last decade. “That means that every five minutes a Christian is killed because of his faith,” he said. “Those who can escape persecution at the hands of Muslim extremists have fled. Those who remain, exist as second- if not third-class citizens to their Muslim rulers.”

http://www.timesofisrael.com/priest-tells-unhrc-to-end-witch-hunt-of-israel/

[whosinpower1]

1. 120 000 each year?

That equates to 1.2 million Christians killed over a decade......In the middle east.

Really? Where does he get this stat? The only one I could find was from the pope-and he states 100 000 per year for the entire world.

[oberliner]

2. That stat comes from the Vatican

"Credible research has reached the shocking conclusion that an estimate of more than 100,000 Christians are violently killed because of some relation to their faith every year," Vatican spokesman Monsieur Silvano Maria Tomassi said Tuesday in a radio address to the United Nations Human Rights Council.

[whosinpower1]

3. But that is not just for the middle east

It is for the entire world - yes?

[oberliner]

4. No idea

Perhaps the man quoted in the OP was lying or exaggerating.

[azurnoir]

5. interesting indeed because very different numbers are given here

Zion Musa then begged the attackers to spare her father, a request met with a misfired bullet that caused her to faint. She survived but her 52-year-old father – a man who worked closely with Open Doors, a nondenominational group tracking persecuted Christians worldwide – did not.

Musa, according to the group, was one of 2,123 Christians killed last year due to their faith, compared to 1,201 in 2012. More than half of those reported killings (1,213) occurred in Syria, followed by Nigeria (612) and Pakistan (88).

But North Korea — a country of more than 24 million, with an estimated 300,000 Christians — remained the most dangerous country worldwide for Christians for the 12th consecutive year, followed by Somalia, Syria and Iraq.

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2014/01/12/christians-killed-for-faith-nearly-doubled-in-2013-group-finds/


and before anyone gets anxious because of FoxNews this story was written by Joshua Rhett Miller, who also broke the story at the link and which was run here also

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2014/08/27/clothing-retailer-removes-children-shirt-resembling-nazi-concentration-camp/

the following is a world map provided by Open Doors the organization mentioned in the snip, perhaps the good Father has persecution confused with outright murder

http://www.worldwatchlist.us/?utm_source=opendoorsusa.org&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=world-watch-list&utm_content=homepage-map

[oberliner]

6. Wow, 2 Fox News links in one post!

In any case, it still seems like a lot of Christians killed - not sure why the guy in the OP needed to inflate these figures. The real numbers make the point.

[azurnoir]

7. yes 2,123 is a bit different from 120,000 isn't it

as for Fox News this seemed a war on Christians type thing and who would know more about that

[oberliner]

8. Definitely

One wonders how two sources can have such different figures.