EU Accused of Silence Over Islamist Violence Against Christians

Brussels officials are never lost for words on Gaza or the war in Ukraine. But critics say it is another matter entirely when it comes to the persecution of foreign Christians, especially by Islamists.

Dutch conservative MEP Bert-Jan Ruissen said on Monday that the European Union—as well as other international communities—is “far too silent about jihadist violence against Christians.”

He was commenting on the killing on Sunday of more than 40 Christians taking part in an evening Mass at a church in Congo by members of the Islamic State-affiliated Islamist ‘Allied Democratic Forces’ , who also took children as hostages and burnt houses nearby.

Describing the Islamist organisation’s aims as to “establish an Islamic state and therefore eliminate everything (read: Christians) in its path,” Ruissen pointed to an initiative he introduced to the European Parliament earlier this year with the goal of working towards resolving this issue, but which has yet to be implemented. Among his proposals is that “member states must make greater efforts to track down secret funds of Islamic State and the [Allied Democratic Forces].”

Sweden Democrats MEP Charlie Weimers also said in May that Brussels funding is helping to “fuel” Islamism, pointing in particular at the rise of the Muslim Brotherhood, which is working to impose an ‘Islamic identity’ on Europe.

Weimers is working with like-minded politicians to curtail this funding, insisting, “I will never give up until all public funding and legitimisation of [the Muslim Brotherhood] and its networks are history.”

Zero tolerance is not just a goal—it is a necessity to protect our society.

The Congolese massacre also attracted attention in France, where lawyer Thibault deMontbrial warned that the goal of Islamism “is the same everywhere in the world: conquest.” Journalist Jean-Sébastien Ferjou added that the attack should “spark reflection at the Élysée.”