Catholic Bishops Issue Islamophobia Guide While Christians Face Global Persecution

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has published a 15-page guide titled “Islamophobia: A Guide for U.S. Catholics on Anti-Muslim Bigotry,” and the timing could not be more problematic.

Let’s examine the facts. The USCCB, featuring an Islamic design on the cover of this booklet, declares an urgent need to counter “the rising tide of anti-Muslim sentiment that has been present for decades.” The guide, introduced by Bishop Elias Lorenzo of Newark and Imam Kareem Irfan, instructs Catholics to “address the disturbing phenomenon of anti-Muslim sentiment in our times.”

Here is what makes this particularly galling. This guide appeared within days of Senator Ted Cruz introducing legislation to address the systematic massacre of Christians in Nigeria by Islamic terrorists. In July, Pope Leo condemned ongoing jihadist violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo after 49 Christians were murdered during a church service. In September, 64 Catholics were killed in Ntoyo, Congo. According to available data, Christians face attack and subjugation in more countries than any other religious group globally.

Yet the USCCB’s priority is cautioning Catholics against “unfair stereotyping” of Muslims. The guide warns that Catholics must avoid the supposedly false notion that “Muslims are uniquely prone to violence, oppressive to women, intolerant of other religious groups.” It insists that “most Muslims do not embrace such attitudes” and demands Catholics avoid “making generalizations about Muslims and engaging in collective blame.”

The logical problem here is obvious. Nobody is suggesting that every individual Muslim embraces violence. That would indeed be unfair stereotyping. However, acknowledging that Islamic theology contains elements that inspire violence and that certain interpretations of Islamic law are fundamentally incompatible with Western values is not stereotyping. It is acknowledging reality.

The guide employs the term “Islamophobia” as a blunt instrument to silence legitimate criticism. It treats any recognition of Islam’s theological problems as equivalent to “bearing false witness against one’s neighbor.” Catholics are instructed to “examine their consciences for potential bias” and reflect on what stereotypes they might hold “despite their best intentions.”

This represents a dangerous inversion of priorities. The USCCB urges Catholics to engage in self-flagellation over supposed anti-Muslim bias while Christians worldwide face actual persecution and death at the hands of Islamic extremists. The guide references Pope Paul VI’s 1965 advice to “hold Muslims in high esteem” while conveniently ignoring the contemporary reality of Islamic terrorism.

The document is steeped in what can only be described as suicidal empathy. It instructs Catholics to “remind others of our own history of being scapegoated,” drawing a false equivalence between historical Catholic persecution and legitimate concerns about Islamic violence today.

Here is what the USCCB refuses to acknowledge. Islam’s understanding of human rights differs fundamentally from Western conceptions. Sharia law, as practiced in numerous Muslim-majority countries, is incompatible with basic freedoms Americans take for granted. These are not stereotypes. These are documented facts about legal systems and theological principles.

The Catholic Church has every right to promote interfaith dialogue. However, dialogue built on denial of reality serves no one. When Christian communities face systematic violence while Catholic leadership prioritizes sensitivity training about Islamophobia, something has gone profoundly wrong.

The USCCB would serve its faithful better by acknowledging both the theological differences that exist and the very real persecution Christians face globally. Truth-telling is not bigotry. It is the foundation of any meaningful dialogue.