Almost Heaven
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Originally posted in Gatestone Institute...https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/21779/persecution-of-christians-june
The following are among the abuses and murders inflicted on Christians by Muslims throughout the month of June 2025.
Syria: On Sunday, June 22, a gun and suicide bomb attack inside a church in Damascus murdered 25 Christians and wounded nearly 70. At least two armed Muslim men entered the Mar Elyas Greek Orthodox Church during mass, when it was packed with some 350 worshippers, and indiscriminately opened fire before one of them detonated an explosive belt inside the sanctuary. : "He started shooting wildly, then blew himself up," Eyewitnesses described the scene. "The blast threw bodies everywhere — blood, broken glass, screams. I thought it was the end of the world," one survivor said. Another worshipper, barely escaping with her life, recalled, "We tried to run but the smoke and dust made it impossible. People were crying and praying for mercy. The killer shouted, 'You all deserve death!' It was a message of hate aimed straight at us." Video footage shows the church interior destroyed — pews splintered, walls shattered, and the floor slick with blood. Photos showed charred and blood-splattered floors, with shrapnel peppering the church walls. "I have never seen such devastation in a place of worship," a volunteer rescuer related. "When we got to the church, we found the doorway filled with body parts," another relief helper said.
The regime of Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa — formerly the head of the jihadist faction Hayat Tahrir al-Sham — initially attributed the assault to ISIS (the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria). Yet two days later, a lesser-known group, Saraya Ansar al-Sunna — an offshoot of al-Sharaa's very own organization — claimed responsibility. Some Muslims in Syria celebrated the carnage.
One ISIS supporter, Al-Wa'eli, shared an image of a jihadist with the caption, "If you do not rejoice over this action... you do not have any [faith]." Quoting Islamic justifications, he insisted, "We were commanded [by Allah] to kill you," referring to Christians. The Bariqah ("Blessing") News Agency further announced that ISIS will strike Christians "whenever and wherever we want" They added: "We act based on clear proof from our Lord."
"We come here to pray for peace," one elderly churchgoer responded to so much hate, "but now we live in fear. How can we worship when death stalks us even inside the church?" Other survivors said: "They came to kill us because we believe."
Nigeria: In early June, Muslim Fulani herdsmen massacred at least 86 Christians in Benue state, in a surge of violence that included mass slaughters during and after Sunday worship, the burning of homes, and abductions. Victims were gunned down or butchered with machetes, often within sight of inactive military checkpoints—prompting clergymen to accuse the military of complicity and lament the closure of over 15 parishes. A prominent Nigerian attorney called on President Tinubu to declare a state of military emergency, citing the government's inaction and the growing threat. Radicalized Fulani militants, according to the UK's All-Party Parliamentary Group for International Freedom of Religion or Belief, "adopt a comparable strategy to Boko Haram and ISWAP [ISIS offshoot] and demonstrate a clear intent to target Christians and potent symbols of Christian identity."
Over in Plateau State, in the first days of June, at least 18 Christians were slaughtered by the Islamic herdsmen. Christian survivors reported "indiscriminate shootings, killings, and large-scale arson."
In Benue State, between June 13–14, the Fulanis massacred at least 100 Christians—possibly as many as 200—in the predominantly Christian village of Yelwata. The attackers, chanting "Allahu Akbar," attempted to storm St. Joseph's Church, where 700 mostly Christian Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) were sleeping. The Fulanis burned sleeping Christian families alive and slaughtered those who fled. The raid, described by the local tribal ruler as "a full-scale genocidal invasion and land grabbing campaign by herder terrorists," targeted Christian displaced persons and food supplies.
Democratic Republic of Congo: On June 7, the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), a violent Islamic group, massacred hundreds of Christian civilians. Many others drowned while trying to escape the assault by fleeing in the river.
Sudan: Between June 9 and 11, Sudan's Rapid Support Forces (RSF) carried out coordinated airstrikes on three churches—the Sudanese Episcopal Church, the African Inland Church, and the Roman Catholic Church—in El Fasher, North Darfur. The attacks killed at least five Christians, including Fr. Luka Jumu, and injured dozens more. "The bombing of these churches is not only an attack on buildings but a brutal assault on the right to freedom of religion or belief," said a spokesman for Christian Solidarity Worldwide, adding that the RSF targets churches "to conduct ethnically motivated violence against non‑Arab Christians."
Sub-Saharan Africa: Persecution of Christians across Africa continues with brutal intensity, especially in regions plagued by Muslim militancy, according to a June 20 report. In the Democratic Republic of Congo, where roughly 95% of the population is Christian, Muslim groups are responsible for horrific violence. The European Parliament has labeled ISCAP, an ISIS affiliate, "the deadliest armed group in the DRC." The European Parliament noted that between January and June 2024, Islamic State claimed responsibility for killing nearly 700 African Christians, with ISCAP alone claiming 639 deaths. In Mozambique, where Christians make up about 62% of the population, Islamic terrorists relentlessly target believers, abducting clergy and slaughtering congregants. Similarly, Nigeria's Christians—roughly half the population—face "near-genocide levels" of violence, including "shockingly brutal" attacks by jihadists, where men are killed and women "kidnapped and targeted for sexual violence."
Pakistan: According to a June 2 report, on Mother's Day, May 12, Christian farm worker Kashif Masih, 35, was brutally tortured and murdered after being accused, falsely, by Muslim landlords of stealing a mobile phone. Kashif was subjected to sickening sadistic abuse: nails were forcibly pierced into his private parts. His beaten and bloodied body was then discarded on the road. His body showed extensive bruising and deep wounds, evidence of the torture he endured (graphic images here). Despite urgent calls for help from family members, police response was sluggish. A First Information Report (FIR No. 754/25) was eventually filed against Muhammad Areeb, Muhammad Ijaz, Malik Irfan, and others for murder and rioting. Discussing this incident, the British Asian Christian Association said,
This is just a small sample from the article. Also attached at the end are reports from previous months.
The following are among the abuses and murders inflicted on Christians by Muslims throughout the month of June 2025.
The Muslim Slaughter of Christians
Syria: On Sunday, June 22, a gun and suicide bomb attack inside a church in Damascus murdered 25 Christians and wounded nearly 70. At least two armed Muslim men entered the Mar Elyas Greek Orthodox Church during mass, when it was packed with some 350 worshippers, and indiscriminately opened fire before one of them detonated an explosive belt inside the sanctuary. : "He started shooting wildly, then blew himself up," Eyewitnesses described the scene. "The blast threw bodies everywhere — blood, broken glass, screams. I thought it was the end of the world," one survivor said. Another worshipper, barely escaping with her life, recalled, "We tried to run but the smoke and dust made it impossible. People were crying and praying for mercy. The killer shouted, 'You all deserve death!' It was a message of hate aimed straight at us." Video footage shows the church interior destroyed — pews splintered, walls shattered, and the floor slick with blood. Photos showed charred and blood-splattered floors, with shrapnel peppering the church walls. "I have never seen such devastation in a place of worship," a volunteer rescuer related. "When we got to the church, we found the doorway filled with body parts," another relief helper said.
The regime of Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa — formerly the head of the jihadist faction Hayat Tahrir al-Sham — initially attributed the assault to ISIS (the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria). Yet two days later, a lesser-known group, Saraya Ansar al-Sunna — an offshoot of al-Sharaa's very own organization — claimed responsibility. Some Muslims in Syria celebrated the carnage.
One ISIS supporter, Al-Wa'eli, shared an image of a jihadist with the caption, "If you do not rejoice over this action... you do not have any [faith]." Quoting Islamic justifications, he insisted, "We were commanded [by Allah] to kill you," referring to Christians. The Bariqah ("Blessing") News Agency further announced that ISIS will strike Christians "whenever and wherever we want" They added: "We act based on clear proof from our Lord."
"We come here to pray for peace," one elderly churchgoer responded to so much hate, "but now we live in fear. How can we worship when death stalks us even inside the church?" Other survivors said: "They came to kill us because we believe."
Nigeria: In early June, Muslim Fulani herdsmen massacred at least 86 Christians in Benue state, in a surge of violence that included mass slaughters during and after Sunday worship, the burning of homes, and abductions. Victims were gunned down or butchered with machetes, often within sight of inactive military checkpoints—prompting clergymen to accuse the military of complicity and lament the closure of over 15 parishes. A prominent Nigerian attorney called on President Tinubu to declare a state of military emergency, citing the government's inaction and the growing threat. Radicalized Fulani militants, according to the UK's All-Party Parliamentary Group for International Freedom of Religion or Belief, "adopt a comparable strategy to Boko Haram and ISWAP [ISIS offshoot] and demonstrate a clear intent to target Christians and potent symbols of Christian identity."
Over in Plateau State, in the first days of June, at least 18 Christians were slaughtered by the Islamic herdsmen. Christian survivors reported "indiscriminate shootings, killings, and large-scale arson."
In Benue State, between June 13–14, the Fulanis massacred at least 100 Christians—possibly as many as 200—in the predominantly Christian village of Yelwata. The attackers, chanting "Allahu Akbar," attempted to storm St. Joseph's Church, where 700 mostly Christian Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) were sleeping. The Fulanis burned sleeping Christian families alive and slaughtered those who fled. The raid, described by the local tribal ruler as "a full-scale genocidal invasion and land grabbing campaign by herder terrorists," targeted Christian displaced persons and food supplies.
Democratic Republic of Congo: On June 7, the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), a violent Islamic group, massacred hundreds of Christian civilians. Many others drowned while trying to escape the assault by fleeing in the river.
Sudan: Between June 9 and 11, Sudan's Rapid Support Forces (RSF) carried out coordinated airstrikes on three churches—the Sudanese Episcopal Church, the African Inland Church, and the Roman Catholic Church—in El Fasher, North Darfur. The attacks killed at least five Christians, including Fr. Luka Jumu, and injured dozens more. "The bombing of these churches is not only an attack on buildings but a brutal assault on the right to freedom of religion or belief," said a spokesman for Christian Solidarity Worldwide, adding that the RSF targets churches "to conduct ethnically motivated violence against non‑Arab Christians."
Sub-Saharan Africa: Persecution of Christians across Africa continues with brutal intensity, especially in regions plagued by Muslim militancy, according to a June 20 report. In the Democratic Republic of Congo, where roughly 95% of the population is Christian, Muslim groups are responsible for horrific violence. The European Parliament has labeled ISCAP, an ISIS affiliate, "the deadliest armed group in the DRC." The European Parliament noted that between January and June 2024, Islamic State claimed responsibility for killing nearly 700 African Christians, with ISCAP alone claiming 639 deaths. In Mozambique, where Christians make up about 62% of the population, Islamic terrorists relentlessly target believers, abducting clergy and slaughtering congregants. Similarly, Nigeria's Christians—roughly half the population—face "near-genocide levels" of violence, including "shockingly brutal" attacks by jihadists, where men are killed and women "kidnapped and targeted for sexual violence."
Pakistan: According to a June 2 report, on Mother's Day, May 12, Christian farm worker Kashif Masih, 35, was brutally tortured and murdered after being accused, falsely, by Muslim landlords of stealing a mobile phone. Kashif was subjected to sickening sadistic abuse: nails were forcibly pierced into his private parts. His beaten and bloodied body was then discarded on the road. His body showed extensive bruising and deep wounds, evidence of the torture he endured (graphic images here). Despite urgent calls for help from family members, police response was sluggish. A First Information Report (FIR No. 754/25) was eventually filed against Muhammad Areeb, Muhammad Ijaz, Malik Irfan, and others for murder and rioting. Discussing this incident, the British Asian Christian Association said,
This is just a small sample from the article. Also attached at the end are reports from previous months.
