Christmas Attacks on Christians Occur Worldwide after ISIS Warnings
Christmas Day attacks on Christians occurred worldwide after the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) issued a warning against Christians in the Middle East celebrating the occasion.
In Berlin, Germany, four men were attacked by Muslims on St. Stephen's Day, the day after Christmas. The victims, who are all Orthodox Christians from Montenegro and Serbia, were accosted as they were making their way out of an establishment in Potzdamer Platz, according to Church Militant.
One of the attackers reportedly shouted and identified himself as a Muslim while asking the four Chrisians about their religion. Four other men joined him in the assault, the report details.
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Even France was not spared from the Christmas attacks on Christians. In Calais, hundreds of Muslim migrants stormed the streets and stole items from trucks and other vehicles.
Earlier this month, Somalia and Brunei announced a Christmas ban in which celebration of the occasion was forbidden to avoid damaging the Muslim faith. Christians in Brunei face up to five years in jail should they go against the policy. Somalia, on the other hand, implemented the Christmas ban for fear of triggering Islamist attacks, an AFP report published on Yahoo News says.
In Bethlehem, Palestinian rioters threw rocks at the Latin patriarch of Jerusalem when he entered the city on Christmas. Fortunately, no one was injured in the attack, but the car was heavily damaged, the report relays.
In the village of Zababdeh in the northern West Bank of Palestine, Islamic radicals suspected to have ties with terrorist groups torched a Christmas tree. On Wednesday, authorities detained them along with a dozen other suspected Muslim radicals in Bethlehem.
Because of the Israeli-Palestinian violence, the number of pilgrims coming to Bethlehem this year dropped significantly. Since October, more than 100 have been killed in a series of attacks on Israelis.
The Christmas mass held in Bethlehem served as a tribute to the victims of the Israeli-Palestinian clash and the family members they left behind.
