Convert or Else

Lately I’ve had some conversations with several self-professed Christians regarding Israel, and Jews in general. I’m sorry to call a spade a spade but the word that strongly impresses itself in my mind as a result of some of these dialogues is “anti-Semitism”. It is plainly that because some of these “Christians” have a disposition for finding any excuse to deride the Jews as a race; even to the point in denying scriptural references about Israel’s future in God’s stated plan.

Anyway, I would love to get some comments from the usual Israeli-sin-stalking pundits regarding the following news item, given that I don’t see it covered on any of their websites:

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) — Dozens of Gaza Christians staged a rare public protest Monday, claiming two congregants were forcibly converted to Islam and were being held against their will. The small but noisy demonstration showed the increasingly desperate situation facing the tiny minority. Protesters banged on a church bell and chanted, “With our spirit, with our blood we will sacrifice ourselves for you, Jesus.” See Gaza Christians protest over forced conversions

One other thing – please note that forced conversion and intolerance to religious plurality is sanctioned in various Islamic literature. For example:

f1.3 Someone raised among Muslims who denies the obligatoriness of the prayer, zakat, fasting Ramadan, the pilgrimage, or the unlawfulness of wine and adultery, or denies something else upon which there is scholarly consensus (ijma`, def:b7) and which is necessarily known as being of the religion (N: necessarily known meaning things that any Muslim would know about if asked) thereby becomes an unbeliever (kafir0 and is executed for his unbelief (O: if he does not admit he is mistaken and acknowledge the Obligatoriness or unlawfulness of that which there is scholarly consensus upon. As for if he denies the obligatoriness of something there is not consensus upon, then he is not adjudged an unbeliever). See Reliance of the Traveller and Tools for the Worshipper (p 46)

According to Wiki:

“The book was translated by the American Muslim scholar Nuh Ha Mim Keller in 1991 and became the first translation of a standard Islamic legal reference in a European language to be certified by Al-Azhar.”