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This is the message broadcast around the world by Islam, but the big question is: will church members or just Pastors be beheaded? 

Punishment of Christian Pastors is escalating and soon some predict that Sheria law will demand harsh torture and beheading in the United States.  

Think this is an exaggeration? Keep reading.

One landmark case unfolded in the early 2000s. Pastors Danny Nalliah and Daniel Scot organized a seminar examining Islamic teachings, including jihad, the treatment of non-Muslims, and doctrinal contrasts with Christianity. Three Muslim attendees, backed by the Islamic Council of Victoria, accused the pastors of "racial vilification" under the state's new Racial and Religious Tolerance Act. The pastors presented documented facts from Islamic sources, yet a tribunal convicted them in 2004 of vilifying Muslims. The ruling ordered public apologies and carried the threat of significant financial penalties.

The pastors refused to compromise, arguing that the verdict infringed on their religious liberty and the right to proclaim biblical truth. Pastor Nalliah stated that the case awakened many Australian Christians. An appeals court later overturned the decision in 2006, but the episode highlighted how such laws can chill open discourse. Critics noted that similar seminars on other religions rarely triggered comparable legal action. The case underscored a broader concern: in the name of tolerance, authorities sometimes prioritize protecting one faith from criticism over safeguarding the expressive rights of another.

This dynamic intensifies dramatically in countries enforcing strict Islamic blasphemy laws. In Pakistan, mere accusations of insulting the Prophet Muhammad or the Quran can lead to mob violence, imprisonment, or death by beheading sentences—even without solid evidence.

Christian pastors and converts have borne a disproportionate burden. Pastor Yousef Nadarkhani in Iran faced execution threats for apostasy after converting from Islam to Christianity. Though international pressure sometimes intervenes, the threat remains constant. In Pakistan, Pastor Zafar Bhatti spent over a decade in prison on blasphemy charges before acquittal, only to die days after his release.

Indonesia, the world's largest Muslim-majority nation, has also seen preachers targeted. In 2021, Christian preacher Muhammad Kece was arrested for allegedly altering Islamic phrases and criticizing aspects of the faith. Blasphemy charges there carry prison terms and have been used against both Muslim reformers and Christian voices. Under groups like the Islamic State or in regions with Sharia enforcement, Christians face even harsher fates: forced conversion, jizya taxes, or execution by beheading for refusing Islamic dominance.

In Western contexts, the pressure manifests differently but follows a similar logic. UK street preachers have been arrested for "blaspheming" Islam or inciting public disorder when crowds of protesters respond with threats. One evangelist in Walsall faced mob intimidation and police charges after preaching against Islam; courts eventually acquitted him, but the ordeal illustrated selective enforcement. Islamist groups or activists often leverage public order laws to silence criticism, while overt calls against Christianity rarely provoke equivalent responses.

Traditional Islamic jurisprudence historically prescribed severe punishments for apostasy, blasphemy, and perceived insults to the faith—penalties still enforced or culturally endorsed in several nations. By contrast, mainstream Christian teaching emphasizes persuasion over coercion in the New Testament era. When Christian pastors highlight these differences—citing Quranic verses on warfare, treatment of "People of the Book," or historical conquests—they risk being labeled "Islamophobes" or hate-mongers.

Defenders of such laws argue they prevent communal violence and promote social harmony. Yet critics counter that they create a de facto blasphemy taboo favoring Islam, undermining secular governance. In democratic societies, this leads to self-censorship among pastors wary of legal or violent backlash. Evangelical leaders have documented rising incidents where criticism of Islamic doctrine invites accusations of racism, conflating race with belief.

Like the ostrich who bures its head in the sand many Americans are remaining silent because all this trouble is happening on the other side of the world and not here.

Remember:

• America enslaved the Black man.
• Murdered American Indians.
• Fed poison paint chips to prisoners.
• Pardoned and befriended Nazi scientists.
• So to say our government won’t side with Islam is myopic.

Then again, show me where I am wrong and I’ll print a retraction.

-Steve