Look at the bright side: No throats were cut and no one was shot, as happens all too often when that sentiment in Arabic is loudly proclaimed.
The chant, bellowed through a bullhorn by a passenger in a passing car, did disrupt the service at St. Andrew Orthodox Church in Riverside, Calif., according to Fox News. Parishioners felt threatened by what many described as the menacing manner in which the message was delivered, prompting Father Josiah Trenham to send out an email urging calm:
[K]eep a special vigilance over the property and our children while we are at church. Pray that these provocative young men might repent of their intimidation and be saved.
Ryan Mauro, a professor of homeland security at Liberty University and national security analyst for the Clarion Project, told Fox that this type of intrusion is part of a growing trend, adding:
Will this presidential election be the most important in American history?
Many churches are now hiring self-defense instructors for classes or security guards that include off-duty police. If you are an Islamist terrorist seeking self-glory, executing a priest will bring you more attention than executing an average civilian.
Noting that no lethal terror attacks have occurred inside a U.S. church so far, Fox quotes Jeff King, president of International Christian Concern, who said:
I’m pretty sure there will be attacks in the future. Until [radical Islam is defeated], we can expect Christians, including in the West, to rationally tighten security measures and try to protect themselves from attack.
