The following are among the abuses and murders inflicted on Christians by Muslims throughout the month of December 2023.
Christmas Slaughters
Nigeria: Beginning on Christmas Eve and into Christmas Day, Muslim terrorists massacred nearly 200 Christians. Well-armed Muslim Fulani tribesmen hacked, stabbed, riddled with bullets and burned alive Christians, many of whom were in the process of celebrating Christmas. According to one report:
"At least 25 communities across three Local Government Areas [in Plateau State] were targeted. Survivors recounted militia men attacking in large numbers, indiscriminately killing and destroying homes, vehicles, farmlands and other properties. About 37 individuals, primarily women, children and the disabled, were burned to death in their homes. Eight churches and parsonages were also destroyed..."
More than 300 Christians were left seriously wounded; 29,350 people displaced, and countless homes and churches—in just one village, 221 homes—torched during the jihadist raids. "My house was burnt," said Naomi, a local whose four family members were murdered, "and I mourned on Christmas day."
Several Christian leaders were also killed, including one pastor, his wife, and five children, said Dawzino Mallau, another local: "These terrorists who attacked these Christian communities were in the hundreds," he added, "and they carried out the attacks as the hapless Christians were preparing for Christmas programs lined up by their pastors." Another report stated:
"Most of the Christians killed were women, children and the elderly unable to escape..... Christian leaders in Nigeria have said they believe herdsmen attacks on Christian communities in the Middle Belt are inspired by their desire to forcefully take over Christians' lands and impose Islam... Nigeria led the world in Christians killed for their faith in 2022, with 5,014, according to Open Doors' 2023 World Watch List (WWL) report. It also led the world in Christians abducted (4,726), sexually assaulted or harassed, forcibly married or physically or mentally abused, and it had the most homes and businesses attacked for faith-based reasons. As in the previous year, Nigeria had the second most church attacks and internally displaced people."
Philippines: On Sunday, Dec. 3, Muslim terrorists bombed a Catholic mass being held in the gymnasium of Mindanao State University, Marawi. Four Christians—three women and one man—were killed, and more than 50 injured. "The explosion caused panic among dozens of worshippers and left the victims bloodied and sprawled on the ground," said the campus security chief. "At least two of the wounded were fighting for their lives." Based on camera footage, the terrorists arrived on motorcycle and left a bag full of explosives in the gymnasium before riding away.
Mass was being held in the gymnasium because there is no chapel on the university's grounds. Reminiscent of the Jolo Cathedral bombings of Jan. 27, 2019, when 20 Christians were killed and more than a 100 wounded, the explosion created a crater in the gym floor.
In Rome, Pope Francis offered prayers for the victims and appealed to "Christ the prince of peace (to) grant to all the strength to turn from violence and overcome every evil with good." The Islamic State later claimed the attack, and published an article, "The Philippines Are a Field of Jihad," where, according to analyst Aymenn Jawad al-Tamimi,
"The Philippines is presented as a place where disbelievers (in this case, the Christians) oppress Muslims and are at war with them, and as part of this war the Christians have also managed to enlist 'apostate' [lapsed Muslim] allies from deviant groups that had espoused the idea of independence or autonomous rule for Muslims, contrasting with the Islamic State's purist stance of fighting for belief against disbelief and for God's law against man-made law. The Christians face a three-way choice: conversion, subjugation as dhimmis who pay jizya (poll-tax) in accordance with the dictates of Qur'an 9:29, or death.
"Thus, while part of the Islamic State's 'grievances' entail supposed oppression of Muslims, it is also the existence of disbelief itself that is a 'grievance', entailing subjugation and never-ending war to realise a global vision of conquest..."
Uganda: During a Christmas Day jihadist raid, Muslims of the Allied Democratic Forces, a terrorist front, slaughtered three Christians—a 75-year-old grandmother and her two grandchildren, aged five and 13. According to the slain woman's son Wilson Byaruhanga:
"The attackers were shouting the Muslim slogan, 'Allah Akbar' [God is greatest] and saying, 'We have to teach these infidels a lesson during this Christmas celebration.'"
After hiding his sick wife, and,
"on coming back to pick up my mother and the children, I found the Muslim terrorists were already at my mother's house, and there was a loud bang [from gunshot] and sound from the iron sheet roof, which was so frightening...I found out that the Muslim terrorists had killed my mother and the two children."
Six days earlier, the same Islamic terror group had slaughtered ten other Christians in another village.
Also in Uganda, a Muslim man killed his mother for becoming Christian. Before dying from her wounds, Sawuba Naigaga, 46, described what happened to a friend, who related that, on Dec. 15, Sawuba's son, 25, a graduate from an Islamic university, had returned home after spending four years in Saudi Arabia. That day, he heard his mother mentioning the name of Jesus while praying. According to her friend, before Sawuba died, she said:
"As I was praying with my eyes closed, my son called me, saying 'Mum, Mum—you are becoming a disgrace to the family and the religion of Allah.' I kept quiet, and he pushed me hard to the wall, then I fell down. He then took a blunt object and hit me at the head. Since then, I lost all my consciousness, only to find myself in the hospital bed."
Her friend added:
"One thing which I know is that she kept her faith silent from her family members, including her son.... I ran to Sawuba's home after hearing wailing from her house and an alarm from neighbors. I dashed quickly to the scene, and I found her in a pool of blood but in an unconscious state. We rushed her to a nearby hospital, but she breathed her last breath after two days on Dec. 17 due to internal bleeding."
Austria and Germany: Several terror plots were uncovered. In Germany, authorities arrested a Muslim man suspected of plotting a terror attack on the Christmas market of Hanover. The 20-year-old asylum seeker, originally from Iraq, allegedly planned on stabbing Christmas shoppers randomly with a knife. Although the "Lower Saxony State Criminal Police Office is currently not providing any further background information," according to the Dec. 1 report, the man "is said to be an Islamist who allegedly agreed to carry out such an attack in support of the terrorist militia 'Islamic State' (IS)."
Special Forces also managed to arrested several Islamic terrorists who planned on bombing churches and other targets during Christmas. According to a Dec. 24 report,
"After a specific terror warning, there was a major operation at Cologne Cathedral on Saturday [Dec. 23] evening. Security authorities in Austria, Germany and Spain have received indications that an Islamist terrorist cell may want to carry out several attacks in Europe on New Year's Eve or Christmas."
Vienna police confirmed that an increase in terrorist activities always occurs during the Christian season: "there is generally an increased risk in Austria during the Christmas holidays." The remainder of the report makes clear just how dangerous, and onerous, the Christmas season has become in Germany and Austria in recent years:
"Since terrorist actors across Europe are calling for attacks on Christian events—especially around December 24th—the security authorities have increased the corresponding protective measures in public spaces in Vienna and the federal states....
"In Cologne, the Cologne Cathedral was searched in the evening. The police operations management wanted to make sure that dangerous objects had not already been deposited in the church. That's why explosives detection dogs were used; they searched the cathedral for explosives for hours. The first all-clear was given on Sunday morning: no explosives were discovered.... [T]he cathedral is searched with sniffer dogs after the evening mass and then locked. Tomorrow all visitors will be screened before entering the church. The police and the cathedral chapter recommended avoiding bags on Christmas Eve and coming to mass early.
"In Vienna, St. Stephen's Cathedral is said to be particularly at risk. The Vienna police even announced access controls with submachine guns....
"There will be increased police precautions over the Christmas holidays. Civilian and uniformed emergency services with special equipment and long weapons are deployed. Police attention is focused primarily on churches and religious events, especially church services and Christmas markets. The measures are taken as necessary and can also include access controls if necessary. Visitors to events and church services are asked to bring a photo ID and to allow more time than usual."
Despite all of the above, according to a later report from Jan. 2, "Three migrants who allegedly planned an attack on Cologne Cathedral are free again. A judge let them go after just one night in custody."
Muslim Attacks on Christmas and Churches
Germany: On Sunday evening, Dec. 17, several life-sized nativity figures standing in front of a church were beheaded in Rüsselsheim, a migrant stronghold (images available here). Baby Jesus, Joseph, Mary, the Three Wise Men—even a donkey—were decapitated. According to one report, "the nativity scene, which was part of a Christmas marked, looked like a battlefield and the figure of Jesus in the manger was found beneath the rubble."
"The Rüsselsheim trade association that funded the nativity scene said the incident should be approached with humour, but was later criticised for downplaying the attack. 'This situation should be approached with humor and the Christmas story should be used as an analogy for solidarity and cohesion,' the association wrote on Facebook. 'Similar to the Holy Night, which was marked by unexpected twists and challenges, we see this 'Headless Night' as an opportunity to stand together and bring light into the darkness together.'"
Few locals saw it this way: "A joke is when you can laugh about it," said one resident of Rüsselsheim. "What's funny about beheading Mary and Joseph?"
Another said, "It's a barbaric act! Criminal offences must not be trivialised." Similar statue beheadings occurred during the two previous Christmases in Rüsselsheim. Police were last reported as investigating it as a "religiously motivated" crime.
Belgium: On Friday, Dec. 15, another Nativity scene was, according to a report, "lynched" in Malle: Mary and Joseph were beheaded, and the animals damaged or stolen. "Who does something like that?" was the mayor's response. Sanne Van Looy added:
"I deeply regret this a week before Christmas. A nativity scene offers so much coziness. Maria and Joseph are temporarily at the technical service, but are damaged beyond repair. It is not certain whether we will have new images by Christmas. It's going to be tight, but we'll do our best.... We invest so much in a clean and pleasant municipality. Next year then plexiglass? Less beautiful, but safer. A report has been filed with the Voorkempen police. The police will ask traders to make camera images available. Hopefully we find the perpetrators. We already have a suggestion for a community service order: temporarily playing the role of living Christmas statues."
France: On Dec. 6, a Muslim woman was arrested for breaking a bench inside a church in Nice while screaming "Allahu akbar." Described as "visibly not in her normal state"—that is, acting crazy—she was automatically hospitalized. With a significant Muslim population, Nice has witnessed many Islamic terror attacks in recent years. On Oct. 29, 2020, for example, another "Allahu akbar"-screaming Muslim man stormed the Notre-Dame Basilica of Nice, where he slaughtered two Christian women—one by beheading—and a man. In 2016, another Muslim man murdered 84 people in Nice.
Austria: A church was set on fire in Vienna, which has a large Muslim population. "Attacks on churches are not only an attack on our culture, but above all on our peaceful coexistence. Something like this cannot be tolerated under any circumstances and must have no place in our city," said Laura Sachslehner, a member of the Vienna City Council. According to the Dec 27 report:
"This is not the first worrying incident in the Ottakring district of Vienna: three suspected terrorists were arrested at the refugee centre before Christmas. As a result, increased security measures were taken by the police."
Also in Austria, on Dec. 9, Heiligenkreuz Abbey received a bomb threat by phone. Police later confirmed that it had an "Islamist overtone": the caller had said "Convert to Islam, or I'll bomb you away!"
"It makes us very sad that we have become victims of a cowardly, Islamist threat," commented Father John Paul. "But it encourages us even more to pray and work for peace, healing and reconciliation."
Italy: A man of "North African origin" set fire to a nativity scene inside a church in Parabiago. Before long, an inferno consumed much of the church. It took some time, but the fire brigade managed to quench the flames. Damage was extensive, including the destruction of a 17th- century organ.
Separately, and a few days after entering a church and demanding monetary aid from a priest, a man, who had introduced himself only as "Ali," desecrated and stole sacred objects from the church.
Sweden: On Dec. 20, St. Mary's Armenian Apostolic Church in Södertälje, was broken into and vandalized. Several valuable items of "great sentimental value for the church" were robbed. "We didn't expect this," said Alexander Sharoyan, a church representative. "It's sad now, like this, before Christmas. We are facing an empty altar with many sad members." Södertälje has a large Muslim migrant population. Several other churches were also attacked and crime is endemic.
United States: According to a Dec. 10 report, "Pro-Palestinian Radicals Target Symbols of Christianity":
"Radical pro-Palestinian demonstrations appear to have developed a new tactic: they are targeting Christmas tree lightings across the country, and other Christian symbols, in addition to symbols of Israel and Jewish institutions.
"The latest example was Friday's [Dec. 7] protest in Los Angeles, where pro-Palestinian radicals marched from a fundraiser for President Joe Biden to an area where there are several synagogues. They sprayed anti-Israel graffiti on the walls opposite the synagogues, and also vandalized a local church. Prior to that, pro-Palestinian activists disrupted the Christmas tree lighting at Rockefeller Center in New York City, clashing with police. Governor Gavin Newsom was forced to move California's Christmas tree lighting indoors due to the threat of protests. And in Michigan, pro-Palestinian protesters tried to drown out a children's choir at a Christmas tree lighting in Ypsilanti last month."
The report posits that one of the reasons pro-Palestinian activities have become anti-Christian "is that pro-Palestinian protests have become increasingly Islamic":
"At Friday's protest in Los Angeles, for example, Muslim participants held prayers during the demonstration outside the Biden fundraiser. Christians have faced persecution from Muslims in areas run by the Palestinian Authority, such as Bethlehem, and may have been marginalized within the movement. Many evangelical Christians are seen as pro-Israel, so that may also make churches targets of hatred, alongside synagogues."
Lebanon: Public Christmas trees were torched in two separate incidents. According to the Dec. 30 report:
"A Christmas tree was burned Saturday morning [Dec. 30] with gasoline in front of the Saint George Church... Those responsible have not yet been identified. On Christmas Eve, several people set fire to a tree in Tripoli, capital of North Lebanon, using a Molotov cocktail and attempted to burn a second one, before being arrested. The motivations behind these actions have not been disclosed."
Egypt: A group of Muslims rose in violence against the Christians of the village of 'Azib, burning homes and killing cattle, on learning that the Christians were building a church. For many years prior, the 3,000 Christian villagers did not have a church to pray in, and had to travel great distances to worship in the churches of other regions. After many years of applying for a church permit, authorities finally approved it. However, on Dec. 16, when the Christians began to dig the church's foundation, Muslims began to abuse them—to the point of torching the home, and some of the cattle, of one of the Christians involved in the digging. Security forces were sent to resume calm, and church building was temporarily halted. Two days later, on Dec. 18, the Christians were, according to an eyewitness,
"shocked by the emergence of dozens of extremists, despite the presence of security. They attacked Coptic homes to takbirat [cries of "Allahu akbar"] and chants rejecting the construction of the church—'Long and wide, we will bring the church to the ground' [which rhymes in Arabic]. They hurled rocks at some Coptic homes and set fire to others."
The report closed by saying:
"[T]he Copts are now living in a state of panic. All of them are [hiding] inside their homes following these attacks, which have created great chaos, even as police forces chase the extremists, with some of the recruits getting injured as a result of the stones hurled at them."
Indonesia: After Muslims, led by the Islamic Defenders Front, an Islamic extremist group banned since 2020, protested, officials halted the construction of a Christian school, even though it had already met all legal requirements. According to one report:
"The district council in Parepare in South Sulawesi province promised protesters that approval would be withdrawn from Gamaliel Christian School Foundation. This action came even though the foundation had met all requirements and had been granted permission to build a school.... The district council agreed to withdraw permission for construction in order to avoid possible friction..."
Muslim Persecution of Apostates, Blasphemers, and Evangelists
United States: A Muslim family in Nashville, Tenn., thrashed their son because he converted to Christianity. According to the Dec. 12 report:
"A mother, dad and son were arrested after officers responded to a welfare check to find a juvenile who appeared to be 'cut haphazardly' with lumps on his face... [T]he victim told police his family attacked him for recently becoming a Christian. The family are [sic] Muslims... The victim told officers his mother, brother and father repeatedly punched him and spat in his face. Arrest records show his mother then took a knife and scratched the back of his right hand with it. His family demanded he take back his Christianity belief and say he was a Muslim during the attacks, the arrest record adds. The victim said the abuse continued until law enforcement arrived at the home. When officers saw the victim, he was 'trembling and wide eyed' with 'disheveled' hair. The boy was transported to a local hospital for treatment, arrest records state."
Mauritania: Authorities arrested 15 Christian leaders and their families (a large number considering that there are only about 1,000 Christians in the entire nation). According to a Dec. 13 report:
"Mauritania's current penal code, specifically Article 306, imposes the death penalty for apostasy, with the provision for a lesser penalty if the accused repents. The arrests were reportedly triggered by posting a video showcasing a baptism ceremony in Mauritania. The video, believed to be leaked by an insider seeking monetary gain, quickly went viral. The aftermath of the video's dissemination led to disturbing incitements, with some calling for violence against Christians. Reports include statements like, 'We have to kill those who preach Christianity, and these Christians have no place in Mauritania.' Tragically, this hostility has extended beyond the arrested individuals, affecting their families who are now facing harassment from their neighbors."
According to another report:
"The charges against the Christians were unclear; there is no law against evangelism in Mauritania, but officials nevertheless forbid non-Muslims from 'proselytizing' and ban any public expression of faith except Islam... Apostasy, or leaving Islam, is punishable by death in the northwest African country, where the population is 98 percent Sunni Muslim, 1 percent Shia Muslim and the constitution designates Islam as the sole religion of the citizenry and state."
The Christians, according to a later report, were released without charge. "They have been asked to go home and believe what they want, but in private and discreetly," a Christian leader said. "It seems that our brothers have more to fear from the Islamists than from their government. Thank God for this happy ending."
Uganda: After Muslims beat them for quoting the Koran, two Christian evangelists, Joseph and Isaac, spent Christmas Day in jail for "blasphemy." The report does not indicate which verses were deemed so objectionable, or why. The two men had been preaching on a street corner when they were surprised to see "a multitude of Muslims," said Pastor Robert, who was there but managed to escape.
"We thought that maybe they had come to listen to the word of God, but to our surprise, they just grabbed my colleagues and started beating them, and shortly police came and arrested them."
The two Christians were subsequently charged under Section 122 of Uganda's penal code for allegedly "wounding the religious feelings" of Muslims, and sent to jail to await trial. Muslims were particularly outraged that the evangelists quoted from the Koran during their missionizing efforts. As one Muslim leader told authorities:
"We as Muslims have worked hand in hand to get these kafir [infidels] after warning them to stop using our Koran and other Islamic literature, but they refused. They were quoting the Koran while speaking to our Muslims on the streets of Soroti—this is unacceptable in our faith."
During their Dec. 20 hearing, both Christians appeared in very bad shape; one was limping, though it was unclear if his injury was sustained from the Muslim mob or during his time in custody. "We are concerned about the deteriorating physical appearance of our two evangelists, and we are calling for the court to handle the case with justice," said another pastor on condition of anonymity:
"When the two evangelists appeared in court yesterday [Dec. 20], they had lost a lot of weight and were in a very sad mood; possibly they may have been subjected to some kind of torture."
Although Uganda is a Christian-majority nation, with Muslims making up less than 12% of the population, the anonymous pastor continued by saying that the nation's "religious sensitivity" law is being used disproportionately in favor of Muslims:
"We have been seeing Muslims in their open-air crusades using our Bibles. Even the Muslims do use the Bible, but the church has never accused them in any court of law in Uganda."
France: On Dec. 12, two Muslim girls, aged 11, followed, harassed, and assaulted one of their classmates, a French boy, also 11, as he walked home after school. One of the girls verbally assaulted him before pulling out and threatening the boy with a pair of scissors. After she struck him on the head and he fell, the other girl held her friend back, even as the assaulter continued to howl abuses:
"You dirty Christian! You're all the same, you dog! Is it good to be a dog? Tomorrow I'll nab you at school."
On learning of this attack, the boy's father accompanied his son to the local police station and filed a complaint for "violence and public insult based on race, religion or origin." The girl—who has a history of attacking other students—later confessed to school authorities.
Raymond Ibrahim, author of Defenders of the West, Sword and Scimitar, Crucified Again, and The Al Qaeda Reader, is the Distinguished Senior Shillman Fellow at the Gatestone Institute and the Judith Rosen Friedman Fellow at the Middle East Forum.
About this Series
While not all, or even most, Muslims are involved, persecution of Christians by extremists is growing. The report posits that such persecution is not random but rather systematic, and takes place irrespective of language, ethnicity, or location. It includes incidents that take place during, or are reported on, any given month.
Previous reports
- November, 2023
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