Islamic States Condemn Attacks Against Churches in Israel

Edit: Israeli settlers have often been hostile to Christians living in Palestine in the past and many Christians have fled the Middle East to escape the violence coming from all sides in the conflict.

General Secretary of the Union of 57 Islamic States, Ihsangoglu, weighed sharp criticisms.

Riad (kath.net/KAP) The organization for Islamic Collaboration  (OIC) have roundly condemned the anti-Christian defacement of a Church in Jerusalem and are holding Israel responsible.  The attack against Church property occurred in succession with other attacks of Israeli extremists against Christian and Muslim property, explained the General Secretary of the Union of 57 Islamic States, the Turkish historian Ekmeleddin Ihsangoglu, on Wednesday in the Saudi Jeddah.

The international community must protect the holy places and put pressure on Israel, in order to bring an end to such activities and enforce the adherence to International Law, says Ihsanoglu.  Previous attacks by the radical Islamic Hamas against Christian and Islamic structures were condemned.  The occurrence is a witness of an "Israeli racism, which is established against a Palestinian presence in Jerusalem, whether it is Islamic or Christian."

On Monday anti-Christian slogans were discovered  on a Baptist church in the center of Jerusalem.  Additionally, three cars parked there had their tires slashed.  According to media reports the things that are on the church, things like curses against Jesus and his Mother Mary, and also "Death to Christendom" and "We will crucify you".

Two weeks previously there were threatening slogans written in Hebrew on the Greek Orthodox Holy Cross Monastery near the Israeli Parliament.

Link to kath.net...