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Summary

Raymond Ibrahim discusses a Croatian Eurovision performance by the band Let 3, which he says referred to the Ottoman conquest of the Balkans and the suffering and resistance of Croatian Christians. He describes the cross tattoos shown by the performers as a historical practice Croats used to preserve their Christian identity and help identify people abducted during raids.

Ibrahim argues that criticism of the performance reflects a double standard: in his view, other communities can publicly remember historical persecution, while Christians and Europeans are discouraged from discussing their own.

He compares the Croatian tattoos with Coptic Christians’ practice of tattooing crosses on children, which he says began after the Arab-Islamic conquest of Egypt and continues as a marker of identity and defiance. He also notes that visible crosses have made Copts targets of violence.

Ibrahim concludes by praising the band for raising awareness of Christian suffering under Ottoman rule.

Presenter: Raymond Ibrahim