As Christians prepare to celebrate Easter, Muslims continue to desecrate that one symbol most representative of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ: the Crucifix.
Most recently in France, on Mar. 16, 2023, a Muslim man smashed a church’s six foot tall cross—which had stood since the 1600s—into pieces. A week earlier, also in France, another Muslim man broke off and desecrated the crucifixes affixed to some 30 graves.
A couple weeks before that, in neighboring Belgium, a 16-year-old convert to Islam arrested on terrorist related charges had earlier videotaped himself smashing crucifixes.
What is it about the cross that prompts such behavior?
For starters, not only is it the symbol of Christianity; it also symbolizes the fundamental disagreement between Christians and Muslims. As Historian Sidney Griffith explains, “[t]he cross … publicly declared those very points of Christian faith which the Koran, in the Muslim view, explicitly denied: that Christ was the Son of God and that he died on the cross.” Accordingly, the cross “often aroused the disdain of Muslims,” so that from the start of the seventh century Muslim conquests of Christian lands, there was an ongoing “campaign to erase the public symbols of Christianity, especially the previously ubiquitous sign of the cross.”
Testimonies abound from the very earliest invasions into Christian Syria and Egypt of Muslims systematically breaking every crucifix they encountered. According to Anastasius of Sinai, who lived during the seventh century Arab conquests, “the demons name the Saracens [Arabs/Muslims] as their companions. And it is with reason. The latter are perhaps even worse than the demons,” for whereas “the demons are frequently much afraid of the mysteries of Christ”—among which he mentions the cross—“these demons of flesh trample all that under their feet, mock it, set fire to it, destroy it”
The comparison to demons is not without significance. Last year in Pakistan, for example, a Muslim man named Muhammed climbed atop and wrapped himself around a large cross on church property and started spasmodically swinging his body in an attempt to bring it down—all while reciting Koran verses, shouting Islam’s jihadist war-cry, “Allahu Akbar,” and threatening Christians (video here). According to the report, Muhammad was “in such a religious frenzy,” and so “intent to tip the cross over,” that “he was risking his life to do so.” He fell, was injured and tended to—by Christians.
Similarly, after a Muslim man was arrested for destroying crosses in a French graveyard, initial reports stated that “The man repeats Muslim prayers over and over, he drools and cannot be communicated with: his condition has been declared incompatible with preliminary detention.” He was hospitalized as “mentally unbalanced.”
Ironically, for Muslims, it is the cross itself that it satanic. After referring to the crucifix as “an element of the devil,” Indonesian cleric Sheikh Abdul Somad continued his videotaped response to the question why Muslims “felt a chill whenever they saw a crucifix,” by saying, “Because of Satan!” Similarly, Kuwaiti cleric Othman al-Khamis issued a fatwa comparing the Christian crucifix to Satan, adding that crosses can only be publicly displayed in order to mock them, for example by depicting them “in an insulting place such as socks.” In keeping with such logic, a Pakistani shoe-seller placed the image of the cross on the soles of his shoes, so that the crucifix might be trodden with every Muslim footstep.
As with all things Islamic, hate for the cross traces back to the Muslim prophet Muhammad. He reportedly “had such a repugnance to the form of the cross that he broke everything brought into his house with its figure upon it,” to quote historian William Muir. Muhammad also claimed that at the end times, Jesus (the Muslim “Isa”) would make it a point to “break the cross.”
When asked about Islam’s ruling on whether anyone — even a Christian — is permitted to wear a cross, Sheikh Abdul Aziz al-Tarifi, a Saudi expert on sharia, confirmed the hostility: “Under no circumstances is a human permitted to wear the cross.” Why? “Because the prophet — peace and blessings on him — commanded the breaking of it [the cross].”
Sheikh al-Tarifi also explained that if it is too difficult to break the cross — for example, a large concrete statue — Muslims should at least try to disfigure one of its four arms “so that it no longer resembles a cross.” Historic and numismatic evidence confirms that, after the Umayyad caliphate seized the Byzantine treasury in the late seventh century, the caliph ordered that one or two arms of the cross on the stolen Christian coins be effaced so that the image no longer resemble a crucifix.
Fast-forward nearly fourteen centuries, a few years ago in Turkey, authorities “ruled that architectural elements of houses which resemble crosses will not be tolerated.” This ruling came “following complaints that the balconies of certain villas in the village resembled crosses. Photos show that houses had two levels and a cross shape divided the houses into four quadrants. Multiple complaints … led the houses to be destroyed on the basis of their architecture incorporating the cross.”
It is perhaps this continuity between past and present that is most telling. If in 2019 Muslims used human excrement to draw a cross on a French church—smearing fecal matter on churches is not uncommon in the Muslim world—in 1147 in Portugal, Muslims displayed “with much derision the symbol of the cross,” wrote a chronicler. “They spat upon it and wiped the feces from their posteriors with it.” Decades earlier in Jerusalem, Muslims “spat on them [crucifixes] and did not even refrain from urinating on them in the sight of all.” Even that supposedly “magnanimous” sultan, Saladin, commanded “whoever saw that the outside of a church was white, to cover it with black dirt,” and ordered “the removal of every cross from atop the dome of every church in the provinces of Egypt” (Sword and Scimitar, pp. 171, 145, 162).
But why should this topic matter in the first place? After all, the cross is an inanimate object; mocking or destroying it should have zero impact a Christian’s faith. While this is true—and while attacks on real, living humans, chief among them Christian minorities throughout the Muslim world, are obviously worse—attacks prompted by or targeting the cross are important because they truly underscore the reason behind the hate, perhaps even more than when a Muslim kills a Christian (which can be and often is allotted to several other interpersonal factors, for example, personal envy).
Lest all of the above appear too theoretical or abstract, in Part 2 of this article, countless modern day examples of Muslim hostility, violence, and murder provoked by the crucifix will be documented.
Great article, Raymond! Wishing you a glorious, meaningful Easter.
Thx Raymond. Was explaining to a young (40’S) friend the 40 year and continuing UK grooming gang atrocites and how it is in many European countries to a lesser degree.
For the first time in knowing and working with him for 16+- years, he listened quietly without objection. Truth, breaking through I think.
I was chking in on some of Anne Marie Waters’ vids and she mentions it often. It is still going on in UK unabated, while the authorities and legacy media in Europe and US and other Western countries block it from the news.
The failure of the Western contries to protect their teen daughters and, to continue to import those who would due them brutal harm, is one of the great tragidies of our time.
Thx again Raymond, look forward to part 2.
Hi Don,
Just for your information: Our new about a year old TV channel GBNews (the only channel worth watching for news) has been mentioning this quite often lately with a special proramme ‘Grooming Gangs’ dedicated to the subject, which aired on 11th February this year, by a young journalist and documentary film maker with GBNews Charlie Peters. It seems it has finally forced Prime Minister Rushi Sunak and Home Office Minister Suella Braverman to go on TV just over a week ago and say they were going to take care of the situation. All I can say is “About time!”. Will let you know of any developments. It appears the situation was allowed to go this far because every one was is afraid of being called “racist”. So what? Does that make me a racist because opponents are trying to shut me up by calling me names? As far as I am concerned, they can call me racist all they want. Only the truth hurts. Will let you know of any developments!
Thx much Mary. I have no faith in Sunak or anyone in the UK Gov, but wil give him the benefit of the doubt and wait and see.
They are still importing the group responsible en masse daily from France. How wil that stop the problems? Madness. It is their plan to destroy not just UK but all of Western Civ.
As I’ve mentioned before, I’m greatly encouraged by our many new Republican Congressmen and women and Senators old and young who are genuine fighting for the truth. I intend to bring this to them in person or at least in certified mail or by phone. They Highlight my comments on occasion on other matters.
This one is so inflamatory it requires some person to person explanation.
I’ll chk out GBNews and C Peters.
Mary if you’d like to communicate off this site. This is a throw away email I have and once I have yours I’ll send you my regular one. No problem if you’re not comfortable with that. Not sure Raymond can allow that in these comments. Here’s the email: [email protected]
Stay safe and well over there above all else.
Muslims are worshipping satan aka Heylel they are misguided and
deiceved and the devil cant stand Christians that are saved its pure
hatred.
Everything stated in the Bible as sin forbidden or evil is directly promoted in islam.
Peadophelia (Aisha Muhamad) Necrofelia bestiality fornication lying the eating of sacrificial meat hate and murder of fellow men etc etc the list is endless .
The islamic scriptures call to violence 36852 times tell me dear muslim how does that compute in your head to a religion of peace ? …… ill wait .
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uDrNaZa9mfo
It is very good article – I can attest to the fact that even some Muslims that play online games (which I to enjoy) will try and damage a cross while in game. I was playing a round of a zombie game that featured a battle in a cemetery. In this game a lot of the scenery was actually capable of being affected by human players – i.e. you could break windows and other objects. One of the items that was capable of being damaged were the cemetery headstones. As this phase of the game was about to start I noticed a human player (this game allows 4 random human players to compete against a zombie horde) going throughout the cemetery setting and destroying any headstone that had a cross on it. I asked him (players could communicate via typing a msg) why he was doing this – he responded by saying the cross was forbidden and had to be destroyed. I asked if he was a Muslim and he answered yes of course. I told him I didn’t agree with his belief system and asked him to leave the game – I even called a vote by the other two humans in game but was unsuccessful. Not sure what happened after that as I left the game. Regardless, it is easy to see that some Muslims will take an opportunity to destroy the Christian symbol of a cross whenever and wherever they can.
I do have one note of possible clarification – in the second paragraph of the article it says the cross is Plexiglass and dates from the 1600s. Not sure what the cross is made of but don’t believe it was plexiglass since that didn’t show up until the 1920s.
There is a very interesting map that was created which chronicles the spread of Christianity after Christ’s death. It shows a white form that slowly but surely spreads over the Mid East and north and west across north Africa. And when we reach the year the antichrist big Mo was born, it shows a blackness that slowly but surely spreads over the white Christian areas and to similar lands west and north. While watching this interesting video it occurred to me that this was satan responding in kind to the spread of Christianity with his ideology filled with hate and death. Is it any wonder that those who are followers of this ideology hate the cross and wish to destroy it ?
St Anastasius of the Sinai is a good resource regarding Islam, thank you for using him!
I am reminded of the evening prayer ” Arise O Lord and let Thy enemies be scattered, and let them that hate Him flee from before His face. As smoke vanisheth, so let them vanish: as wax melteth before the fire, so let the demons perish at the presence of them that love God, and who sign themselves with the Sign of the Cross, and who say in gladness: rejoice o Cross of the Lord, for thou drivest away the demons by the power of Our Lord Jesus Christ, Who was crucified on thee, Who descended into Hades and trampled on the power of the Devil, and gave us His precious Cross for the driving away of all enemies. O most precious and life giving Cross of the Lord, help me together with the most holy Lady Theotokos, and with all of the holy heavenly powers, always, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages amen”