Don’t be caught looking too Jewish or Christian

Would you be shocked to discover that in the year 2025, looking too Jewish or sounding too Christian could immediately relegate you to a disenfranchised status?

Well, you shouldn’t. This is the new iteration of progress in a world which seems to be going backward rather than forward. Instead of learning from the mistakes of history, so as not to repeat their tragedies, we seemed to be unable to overcome our worst tendencies.  

Sadly, we are witnessing the return of intolerance against Judeo-Christian beliefs playing out right before our eyes.

Only a few days ago, a local Christian minister was told by the Muslim mayor of Dearborn, MI that he wasn’t welcome in his own community.  

Pastor Edward “Ted” Barham probably never imagined that publicly registering his complaint, at a city council meeting where a discussion took place concerning the naming of street, in honor of a controversial Arab American publisher by the name of Osama Siblani, would result in his vilification.

The pastor quoted a Siblani speech stating, “We are the Arabs who are going to lift Palestinians all the way to victory whether we are in Michigan and whether we are in Jenin. Believe me, everyone should fight within his means. They will fight with stones, others will fight with guns, others fight with planes, drones and rockets.”

Protesting what sounded as a call to violence, Barham felt a moral obligation to acknowledge the publisher’s long record of whitewashing terror.  

One example was a 2003 Washington Post comment stating, “Mr. Bush believes Hezbollah, Hamas and other Palestinian factions are terrorists, but we believe they are freedom fighters.”

It’s not surprising that Abdullah Hussein Hammoud, Dearborn’s first Shia Muslim mayor would show hostility toward the pastor, because that Islamic sect does not legitimize Christianity.  On the contrary, their position is that the salvation of one’s soul is only attainable through submission to Islam. 

By his highly offensive and intolerant response, the mayor apparently believes that deference should already be afforded to the large Muslim population who voted him into office, relegating the sensitivities of others to a place of no importance or consideration.

The mayor went on to suggest that the pastor leave his city, so that he could celebrate his departure. That statement reflects a deliberate and blatant disenfranchisement of an American Christian from his own hometown.  

In essence, unless he accepts the decision to honor a violent Muslim, he is being told that he has no place in the community where he has always lived. To question or show any measure of disapproval is met by an invitation to exit the city.  In short, it comes down to approve or move!

This is what’s happening in the heartland of America, but, perhaps, it’s indicative of things are changing faster than we know.

Just a year ago, a similar incident occurred when a Jewish man, wearing a kippa (traditional skullcap) tried to cross the street, in the City of London. Told to leave the area where a pro-Palestinian march was underway, he was told that he would be arrested if he didn’t comply.  The reason given by the police was that he looked too Jewish.

While some might commend the police officer for his concern over the man’s safety, the bottom line is that anyone whose appearance identifies them as a Jew, may no longer have the freedom of movement in certain areas.

Another 2024 incident involved a Jewish man who was told to “get out of a comedy gig in London which took place at the Soho Theatre, featuring comedian Paul Currie.”

In last week’s Jerusalem Post newspaper, there was yet another shocking report a Gothic shop in Flensburg, Germany whose owner hung a sign on the door which read, “Jews are banned from entering here.”

A few hours later, a pizza shop in Furth, Germany similarly posted a sign warning that Israeli customers were banned in that establishment.

All of these occurrences are deeply disturbing, because each one highlights a growing apprehension towards Jews, shared by Americans, Brits and Europeans, all of whose countries have sizeable Muslim communities which have elected municipal leaders who happen to adhere to Islam. 

In the case of Germany, these prohibitions appear to have been made by local citizens who have decided that Jews and Israelis are not worthy customers to patronize their shops.

These examples point to the liability of either speaking out as a Christian, who is against honoring violence, or being told that looking too Jewish will result in the loss of your freedoms. The thought of Jews being banned from businesses is all-too reminiscent of the dark days of Germany when it bitterly turned against its Jewish community without fighting against injustice and intolerance.

What we are witnessing, this time, is the commonality of persecution, amongst Jews and Christians, both hated by radical Muslims as well as Woke Progressives. The aligned bigotry of these two groups coincidentally serves their particular ideologies.

Possibly the worst statement was one just made by former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton who just a week ago “warned that white Christian are responsible for so much damage.”  How will such a comment be met by anyone who already hates Christians? 

If the goal is to marginalize Jews and Christians, it’s likely that these incidents will only multiply, testing the limits of how far religiously observant people can be disqualified from full participation in society.

Will governmental leaders take up this fight against the religious persecution of Jews and Christians? If not, it will simply embolden others to further oppress and deprive them from the same rights and privileges enjoyed by others.

Of course, the alternative is to keep silent or surrender to abandoning one’s lifestyle in favor of their safety. Many of us have heard stories of friends and family members who are wearing baseball caps in public places rather than a kippa. 

Reminded, yet again, that these despicable attacks occur at our holiest places and on Yom Kippur, two Jews were murdered just outside of a Manchester UK synagogue.

Will Christians begin to experience similar incidents?Jews and Christians share the misfortune of being targets of ethnic and religious persecution. If this is not met with resistance by political leaders and ordinary people, the ugliness of history will, indeed, repeat itself again.