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Christian terrorism is religious terrorism by Christian sects or individuals, the motivation for which is typically rooted in an idiosyncratic interpretation of the Bible and other tenets of faith. They often draw upon Old Testament scripture to justify violent political activities.

History

British journalist and politician Ian Gilmour has cited the historical case of the St. Bartholomew's Day massacre in 1572, a beginning of Roman Catholic mob violence directed against the Huguenots (French Calvinist Protestants), as an instance of religious terrorism on par with modern day terrorism, and goes on to write, "That massacre, said Pope Gregory XIII, gave him more pleasure than fifty Battles of Lepanto, and he commissioned Vasari to paint frescoes of it in the Vatican". It is estimated that 2,000 to possibly 25,000 Huguenots (French Protestants) were killed by Catholic mobs, and it has been called "the worst of the century's religious massacres". The massacre led to the start of the "fourth war" of the French Wars of Religion, which was marked by many other massacres and assassinations by both sides. Peter Steinfels has cited the historical case of the Gunpowder Plot, when Guy Fawkes and other Catholic revolutionaries attempted to overthrow the Protestant establishment of England by blowing up the Houses of Parliament, as a notable case of religious terrorism.

Religious scholar Philip Jenkins studied the Quran and the Bible in the light of the September 11 attacks and accusation that the former incites violence. He found that "the Bible contains far more verses praising or urging bloodshed than does the Quran."

By country

Canada

The Sons of Freedom, a sect of Doukhobor anarchists, have protested nude, blown up power pylons, railroad bridges, and set fire to homes, often targeting their own property.

India

The National Liberation Front of Tripura, a rebel group operating in Tripura, North-East India classified by the National Memorial Institute for the Prevention of Terrorism as one of the ten most active terrorist groups in the world, has been accused of forcefully converting people to Christianity. The state government reports that the Baptist Church of Tripura supplies arms and gives financial support to the NLFT. The Church is also reported to encourage the NLFT to murder Hindus, particularly infants. NLFT has also declared a ban against Hindus celebrating Durga Puja and other Hindu festivals.

The insurgency in Nagaland was led by the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN) and continues today with its faction NSCN - Isaac Muivah which explicitly calls for a "Nagalim for Christ."

In Assam, an extremest group named Manmasi National Christian Army (MNCA) with around 15 members from the Hmar ethnic group, have placed bloodstained crosses in Hindu temples and forced Hindus to convert at gunpoint.

Lebanon

In September 1982, Lebanese Phalangist militia groups and members of the South Lebanon Army, in the presence of the Israel Defense Forces, massacred Palestinians in the Sabra and Shatila refugee camps. The militias were populated predominately by Maronite Christians, and were responding to the assassination of Bachir Gemayel. A British photographer present during the incident said that "People who committed the acts of murder that I saw that day were wearing crucifixions and were calling themselves Christians." According to the BBC, the massacre was "a three-day orgy of rape and slaughter that left hundreds, possibly thousands, of innocent civilians dead in what is considered the bloodiest single incident of the Arab-Israeli conflict", and Noam Chomsky has described it as terrorism. On December 16, 1982, it was declared an act of genocide by the United Nations General Assembly.

Northern Ireland

The Guardian newspaper attributed the murder of Martin O'Hagan, a former inmate of the Maze prison and a fearless reporter on crime and the paramilitaries, to the revival of religious fundamentalism.

1. B. Hoffman, "Inside Terrorism", Columbia University Press, 1999, p. 105–120.
2. Ian Gilmour, Andrew Gilmour (1988). "Terrorism review". Journal of Palestine Studies. 17 (2). University of California Press: 136. doi:10.1525/jps.1988.17.3.00p0024k.
3. Peter Steinfels (2005-11-05). "A Day to Think About a Case of Faith-Based Terrorism". New York Times.
4. http://english.aljazeera.net/programmes/rizkhan/2010/03/201032584118951469.html
5. "Taming the Spirit Wrestlers". Time Magazine. 1966-02-11.
6. "The MIPT terrorism annual 2004" (PDF). National Memorial Institute for the Prevention of Terrorism. 2004.
7. ^ "Constitution of National Liberation Front Of Tripura". South Asia Terrorism Portal.
8. ^ "National Liberation Front of Tripura, India". South Asia Terrorism Portal.
9. ^ Bhaumik, Subhir (April 18, 2000). "'Church backing Tripura rebels'". BBC News. Retrieved 2006-08-26.
10. Tripura Society's Website, Independent, and Authentic Information & Views About Tripura
11. http://www.satp.org/satporgtp/countries/india/states/nagaland/terrorist_outfits/Nscn_im.htm
12. Christianity threat looms over Bhuvan Pahar Assam Times - June 23, 2009
13. ^ Sorenson, David (2010). Global security watch—Lebanon: a reference handbook. ABC-CLIO. p. 24. ISBN 9780313365782. Retrieved January 18, 2011.
14. ^ Asser, Martin (September 14, 2002). "Sabra and Shatila 20 years on". BBC News. Retrieved January 17, 2011.
15. Fisk, Robert. "Sabra and Shatila". Countercurrents. Retrieved January 15, 2011.
16. ^ BBC News (June 17, 2001). transcript "Panorama: "The Accused"". Retrieved January 17, 2011. {{cite web}}: Check |url= value (help)
17. Shahid, Leila (2010). "Testimonies - The Sabra and Shatila Massacres: Eye-Witness Reports" (PDF). palestine-studies.org. Retrieved 2011-01-17.
18. Gambill, Gary C. (October 2001). "Damascus Co-opts the Phalange". Middle East Intelligence Bulletin. 3 (10). Retrieved January 18, 2011.
19. Chomsky, Noam (1984). "Terror in South Lebanon". Journal of Palestine Studies: 175. Retrieved January 17, 2011.
20. United Nations (December 16, 1982). "General Assembly Resolution 37/123". Retrieved January 17, 2011.
21. Susan McKay (2001-11-17). "Faith, hate and murder". London: The Guardian.