Millions fled homes in 2013 due to religious beliefs: US

Yahoo – AFP, Jo Biddle, 28 July 2014

Two young Syrian soldiers ride a motorcycle past a huge poster bearing a

 portrait of President Bashar al-Assad next to a painting of a Syria's national 

flag in the Christian town of Marmarita in the central Homs region, on August 19,

2013 (AFP Photo/Louai Beshara)

Washington (AFP) - Conflicts and repression around the world in 2013 triggered the largest displacement of religious communities in recent memory, a US report said Monday, revealing millions had fled their homes.

"In almost every corner of the globe, millions of Christians, Muslims, Hindus, and others representing a range of faiths were forced from their homes on account of their religious beliefs," the United States said in its annual International Religious Freedom Report.

"Out of fear or by force, entire neighborhoods are emptying of residents."

From the Middle East to Asia and stretching into parts of Africa and Europe, "communities are disappearing from their traditional and historic homes and dispersing across the geographic map. In conflict zones, in particular, this mass displacement has become a pernicious norm."

The 2013 report, prepared by the State Department, singled out Syria where it warned that after three years of civil war against President Bashar al-Assad "the Christian presence is becoming a shadow of its former self."

"In the city of Homs the number of Christians dwindled to as few as 1,000 from approximately 160,000 prior to the conflict."

Amid Egypt's political upheavals as the military ousted Islamist president Mohamed Morsi, in June, and moved against his Muslim Brotherhood, Christian churches, homes and businesses were looted and torched.

Egyptian Coptic Christians sit on a bench near debris that remain in the 

courtyard of Amba Moussa Coptic church after it was vandalized and torched 

by unknown assailants earlier this month on August 27, 2013 in the central

Egyptian city of Minya (AFP Photo/Gianluigi Guercia)

"Islamist-led mobs carried out acts of violence, intimidation, compelled expulsions, and punishment against Christians, especially in Upper Egypt," the report said.

But there were also attacks on Shiites led by Salafist after "months of government and official Islamic anti-Shiite rhetoric."

A million people fled the fighting in the Central African Republic last year, where at least 700 people were killed in sectarian violence, and in Myanmar mob-violence in Meikhtila province caused 100 deaths and over 140,000 people were displaced.

"North Korea again stood out for its absolute prohibition of religious organizations and harsh punishments for any unauthorized religious activities," it said, while countries like Saudi Arabia, Iran and Sudan put severe restrictions on people following religious groups "that did not conform to the state-approved religion."

Governments must fight intolerance

The report deals with events in 2013 and was written before thousands of Christians and other minorities had fled the Iraqi northern city of Mosul amid last month's jihadist onslaught led by Islamic State insurgents.

But the State Department still found that last year in Iraq there were "reports of societal abuses and discrimination based on religious affiliation, belief, or practice."

"When governments choose not to combat discrimination on the basis of religion and intolerance, it breeds an environment in which intolerant and violent groups are emboldened," it warned.

In China, "the government’s respect for and protection of the right to religious freedom fell well short of its international human rights commitments."

Beijing "prosecuted family members of self-immolators, imprisoned and tortured Falun Gong practitioners, continued its harassment of members of house churches and unregistered Catholic bishops and priests, and sought the forcible return of ethnic Uighurs who were seeking asylum overseas."

Members of Indonesia's branch of the Falungong spiritual movement, also known

 as "Falun Dafa", hold a poster as they during a protest in front of the Chinese 

embassy in Jakarta on July 14, 2014 (AFP Photo/Oscar Siagian)

Chinese officials also detained students, monks and laypeople in Tibetan areas and there were reports of the torture of Muslim Uighurs.

Militants in Pakistan killed more than 400 Shiite Muslims in 2013 in sectarian attacks, and more than 80 Christians died in a church bombing, while the authorities continued to enforce blasphemy laws.

Restrictive laws against "extremism" were also used in Russia to target the activities of minority religious groups, and continued "to grant the Russian Orthodox Church a privileged position."

"Rising anti-Semitism and anti-Muslim sentiment in parts of Europe demonstrated that intolerance is not limited to countries in active conflict," the report stressed, adding that many Jewish communities in some European countries were considering emigrating.

But the report also noted that amid "the darkness of religious strife lay inspiring and unheralded acts of interfaith solidarity."

Following the Peshawar church bombing "resilient Muslim community members formed human chains around churches during services in a show of solidarity and to stand up against senseless violence.

"In Egypt, Muslim men stood in front of a Catholic church to protect the congregation from attacks. And after an increase of mosque attacks in the United Kingdom, a local orthodox Jewish neighborhood watch team began assisting Muslim leaders to ensure safe access to mosques and alert them to possible attacks."

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"The Recalibration of Awareness – Apr 20/21, 2012 (Kryon channeled by Lee Carroll) (Subjects: Old Energy, Recalibration Lectures, God / Creator, Religions/Spiritual systems  (Catholic Church, Priests/Nun’s, Worship, John Paul Pope, Women in the Church otherwise church will go, Current Pope won’t do it),  Middle East, Jews, Governments will change (Internet, Media, Democracies, Dictators, North Korea, Nations voted at once), Integrity (Businesses, Tobacco Companies, Bankers/ Financial Institutes, Pharmaceutical company to collapse),  Illuminati (Started in Greece, with Shipping, Financial markets, Stock markets, Pharmaceutical money (fund to build Africa, to develop)), Shift of Human Consciousness, (Old) Souls, Women, Masters to/already come back, Global Unity.... etc.) - (Text version)

“… New Tolerance

Look for a softening of finger pointing and an awakening of new tolerance. There will remain many systems for different cultures, as traditions and history are important to sustaining the integrity of culture. So there are many in the Middle East who would follow the prophet and they will continue, but with an increase of awareness. It will be the increase of awareness of what the prophet really wanted all along - unity and tolerance. The angel in the cave instructed him to "unify the tribes and give them the God of Israel." You're going to start seeing a softening of intolerance and the beginning of a new way of being.

Eventually, this will create an acknowledgement that says, "You may not believe the way we believe, but we honor you and your God. We honor our prophet and we will love you according to his teachings. We don't have to agree in order to love." How would you like that? The earth is not going to turn into one belief system. It never will, for Humans don't do that. There must be variety, and there must be the beauty of cultural differences. But the systems will slowly update themselves with increased awareness of the truth of a new kind of balance. So that's the first thing. Watch for these changes, dear ones.  …”

"THE RECALIBRATION OF BELIEF"– Aug 18, 2013 (Kryon Channelling by Lee Carroll)