Christianophobia: Advent Calendar Day 9
Review of Rupert Shortt, Christianophobia: A Faith Under Attack (Rider Books, 2012). As I write, the persecution of Christians around the world is a cause for real concern. In Iraq and Syria, followers of the so-called Islamic State (IS) have daubed the Arabic letter 'n' (for 'Nazarene', the Muslim name for Christians) on the houses and churches of Christians. This marks them out for fines, harassment and murder. In Nigeria, Boka Haram (which means something like 'western education is sinful') target girls for abduction and are engaged in other campaigns of violence against the Christian community. Rupert Shortt's work predates these headlines, while demonstrating that these recent news stories are not new, even if the media attention they receive is a new departure. In Christianophobia , Shortt gives an account of the persecution of Christians around the world. This is not a book for the fainthearted. There are descriptions of ...