Jihadi leader Al Hassani blasts Christians on TV

Jihadi leader Ahmad Al Baghdadi Al Hassani has spoken of Christians as polytheists and friends of the Zionists, in an Egyptian TV address. The extremist leader further stressed they must choose “Islam or death”, while their women and girls may legitimately be regarded as wives of Muslims. The statements do not come as a complete surprise, but do mark a diversion from Baghdadi’s usual attacks against Americans. Today he lives in Syria, supporting the armed opposition, where it is likely his words will have muted impact due to limited numbers of Christians in much of Syria.

Al Hassani’s comments seem to mark a growing trend of anti-Christian sentiment in the Muslim world, with them coming just after a group of Egypt’s Christian women voters were banned from casting their ballot in a disputed constitutional referendum.