The Oct. 7 Hamas terrorist attack on Israel not only launched Israel into a bloody war, it also exposed anti-Semites worldwide. Even here in America, religious persecution and hatred seem to be raging now—particularly against Jews, but also against Christians.
Thousands of terrorist sympathizers took to the streets or social media this month to glorify horrific atrocities committed on Israeli civilians and to support the fictional “people” the “Palestinians.” The federal government claims to see a rising risk for hate crimes against both Jews and Muslims, but the reality is that Jews were the most targeted religious group for hate crimes in America even before this Israel-Hamas war, and college campuses are ringing with calls for violence against Jews, not Muslims. I’m not saying anti-Arab hatred doesn’t exist; I’m saying anti-Semitism is a far greater threat. In fact, a former Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) director recently said that she had never seen as much hatred for a group as she found against Jews in U.S. academia.
At University of Pennsylvania and a Massachusetts college, students were cheering for “intifada” or jihad to kill Jews and take over Israel. At Tulane University, peaceful pro-Israel protestors were assaulted. Jewish students at New York’s Cooper Union barricaded themselves in the library as violent pro-Palestinian protestors banged on the door. Around 20 student groups at Columbia University signed an anti-Semitic screed accusing Israel of “racist…apartheid” and justifying the heinous terrorist attacks by claiming Israel’s “occupation” of “Palestinian” land triggered it (fact check: false). It’s terrifying how many Americans, particularly on college campuses, seem to have a violent and irrational hatred for Jewish people and Israel.
Related: Pro-Palestinian George Soros Funded University With Hamas-Sympathizing Students
While less violent, we can also find examples of the persecution of Christians in America. There are many cases I could cite, including business owners persecuted for refusing to affirm anti-biblical homosexual ideology, but I am going to look at one in particular: violence against Christian pro-lifers. There have literally been hundreds of examples of violence and destruction against pro-life centers and churches, but scarcely any confirmed federal arrests, though multiple pro-life activists are facing years in jail for a peaceful protest at an abortion clinic. The reason this is so particularly relevant is because of recent news from Ohio about pro-abortion vandalism of Catholic churches.
MRCTV’s Tierin-Rose Mandelburg reported on a rising problem of church vandalism in Ohio leading up to a vote on Issue 1, a radical law that would allow abortion up to birth. Citing information from the Catholic Telegraph, Mandelburg noted that in “just a month, more than 12 churches have experienced vandalism incidents along with schools and cemeteries in the area.” She gave examples:
- Vandals spray painted the windows on the front door of The Incarnation Catholic Church in Centerville, Ohio to cover a "Vote No" sign that was posted inside the building.
- Vandals removed yard signs that urged voters to "Vote No" to Issue 1 at St. Bartholomew Church in Cincinnati. Those signs were replaced with "Vote Yes" signs.
- At St. Monica-St. George Church in Clifton, vandals removed a large "Vote No" sign and threw it in a dumpster. After it was put back, vandals returned to steal the sign.
- The Cathedral Basilica of St. Peter in Chains in Cincinnati had signs stolen too and signs that they had displayed on a fence were also vandalized.
- At St. Mary Church in Oxford an 8’x8’ sign was cut in half and a 4’x4’ sign was vandalized. Apparently their signs are also being stolen multiple times a week.
Catholic high schools and cemeteries have seen similar vandalism. Of course, abortion not only always ends an innocent human life, it has terrible effects on the mothers too (particularly rape victims), and it is never necessary to save a woman’s life. Yet Democrats screech, scream, and vandalize as if abortion is the sacred “right” on which all justice depends.
Based off a list from LifeNews, Mandelburg said that there have been a staggering 313 instances of pro-abortion, anti-life violence in recent years. If it were the other way around, and there were 313 examples of pro-life violence, the federal government would be on the warpath to crush the pro-life movement (even more so than it already is) and arrest the perpetrators. But Joe Biden’s Department of Justice almost totally ignored violent and destructive pro-abortion activists’ attacks on pro-life centers and churches. Why? Because leftist government officials agree with the activists.
Religious persecution is no longer a horror that occurs only in other countries. It’s come right here to the U.S., and it’s only getting worse.
