The rise of bloody Islam and modern day Christian martyrs

“The Church has ever proved indestructible. Her persecutors have failed to destroy her. In fact, it was during times of persecution that the Church grew more and more; while the persecutors themselves, and those whom the Church would destroy, are the very ones who came to nothing.” St. Thomas Aquinas
From Nigeria to Indonesia , passing through Egypt , Iraq and Malaysia … Christians are being persecuted killed slaughtered for their faith !
Starting by the latest killings in Nigeria . Sunday the 7th of March 2010 around 500 Christians were killed in the villages of Dogo Nahawa, Zot and Ratsat in the central Plateau state in Nigeria which lies on the division line between the northern Muslim majority and the southern Christian majority !
Moving to Egypt where the suffering of Christians never ends . Christians in Egypt make around 10 % of a population of 80 million (around 8 million) which is a large minority , but they aren’t allowed to build churches or even renovate it unless they get a special permit from the president while on the other side Cairo is flourishing with mosques , it is called the city of thousand mosques ! not to mention that Christians are barred from high government positions, diplomatic service and the military, as well as from many state benefits. Universities have quotas for Coptic students considerably lower than their actual percentage within the population… But the new there is that after a few years of relative calm , clashes are seen more often and Christians are being killed on everyday basis. On the 6th of January 2010 , six Christian Copts were murdered in the city of Nag Hammadi on the Coptic Christmas eve , and the Egyptian government seems not to care .
In Iraq , Churches , Christian’s owned shops and businesses and houses are a magnet for terrorists .The number of Christians has fallen from more than 1.4 million before 2003 to less than 600 000 in 2009 ! Since the break out of violence against and killings of the Indigenous Arameans of Mosul at beginning of February this year already 12 Arameans of various denominations have been killed and 720 families (4320 people) fled Mosul for outlying villages and areas for more safety. Last week around 8 Christians were killed also in Mosul…
The latest violence in Malaysia erupted after a decision of the Malaysia's high court that the word Allah (God in Arabic) is not exclusive to Muslims, therefore Christians can also use it! The decision angered radical Muslims in the countries that went on widespread protests that ended up in exploding three churches in Kuala Lumpur as well as several killings !
Finally in neighboring Indonesia , the most populous Muslim country in the world , radical Islam is flourishing . During the past month of February Muslim mob burned a pastor’s house and two churches , another two churches were forced to close…
It is estimated that around 100 million Christians are being persecuted worldwide , which make them the most persecuted religious group in the world. The fate of Christians has always been to give their blood for their faith but the course of history has proven that the more persecuted they are the more they grow up stronger , and Rome is the biggest example where Christians were the more persecuted and nowadays it’s the capital of Catholicism Christianity .
You’re blessed when your commitment to God provokes persecution. The persecution drives you even deeper into God’s kingdom.
Mat 5:10
More infos : International Christian concern - Persecutions
American chronicle - End of Aramaen Christianity in northern Iraq
Christianity's Modern-Day Martyrs
Noël : cent millions de chrétiens sous surveillance
Can Christians Say 'Allah'? In Malaysia, Muslims Say No

East Timor (Timor Leste)

The Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, otherwise known as East Timor, is located in the eastern half of the island of Timor which lies off the northern coast of Western Australia in the Indonesian archipelago.
It’s a small country of 14,870 km2 , and with a population of 1,134,000.
East Timor is an extremely poor country. The economy is based predominantly on agriculture which employs over 90% of the population.
It is one of only two predominantly Roman Catholic countries in Asia (along with the Philippines). Catholics make around 97 % of the population.
The history of the country dates back to 1520 when it was first colonized by the Portuguese. At this time the Dutch were in control of several of the surrounding islands. By 1613 the Dutch had taken control of the western portion of Timor. The Dutch and Portuguese fought for control over the island until 1860. At this time a treaty was made dividing Timor into eastern and western portions.
The treaty gave the western portion to the Netherlands and the eastern portion to Portugal. Eventually the Netherlands gave up its colonies in the Dutch West Indies including West Timor, giving birth to Indonesia. The Dutch recognized the western part of Timor as Indonesia in 1949.
The Portuguese remained in control of East Timor for 455 years, until 1975. A military coup in Portugal in 1974 increased political activity both in Portugal and Portuguese Timor. In 1975 Portugal pulled out of East Timor, leaving it vulnerable to invasion or conquest. The Timorese Democratic Union demanded independence.
July 16, 1976, nine days after East Timor was declared an independent nation, it was invaded and annexed by Indonesia. In July of 1976 East Timor was declared the 27th province of Indonesia. Indonesia occupied East Timor for the next twenty four years. Indonesian rule in East Timor was marked by extreme violence and brutality. More than 200,000 Timorese reportedly died from famine, disease, and fighting since the country’s annexation . The most cruel of these crimes was the Santa Cruz Massacre on November 12, 1991, where Indonesian troops fired upon a peaceful memorial procession to a cemetery in Dili, East Timor that had turned into a pro-independence demonstration. More than 271 East Timorese were killed that day at the Santa Cruz cemetery or in hospitals soon after. An equal number were disappeared and are believed dead. Moreover Indonesia tried to change the demographics of the country by bringing Indonesian Muslim settlers.
On August 30, 1999, a UN-supervised popular referendum was held to choose between Special Autonomy within Indonesia and independence. 78.5% of voters chose independence, but violent clashes, instigated primarily by elements within the Indonesian military and aided by Timorese pro-Indonesia militias broke out soon afterwards. A peacekeeping force was sent to restore order.
By the end of October 1999 the last of the Indonesian soldiers had left East Timor. For the next three years East Timor was governed by the United Nations Transitional Authority in East Timor.
East Timor declared itself a nation on May 20, 2002. Mari Alkatiri, a former guerrilla leader was elected Prime Minister and former rebel leader, José Alezandre Gusmão, was elected president.
Human Rights Organizations claim that 200,000 of the 650,000 Timorese people were killed during the annexation by the Indonesian forces. The Indonesian occupation and invasion of East Timor is one of the worst atrocities of the twenty first century.

More info : Conflict in East Timor
Santa Cruz Massacre
East Timor