Video of Muslims burning Christians is a fraud, Salesians confirm

Madrid, Spain, Apr 14, 2011 / 12:57 pm

A video allegedly showing Christians being burned alive by Muslims in Ivory Coast is a fraud, the Salesians recently confirmed.

“The Salesians working in Ivory Coast wish to make it clear that these acts have not occurred in any Salesian mission in the African country.  It is absolutely false that there have been attacks on anybody at Salesian missions, and they have no knowledge of any cases of religious persecution. 

“It is not true that people have been killed at the Salesian mission in Duekoue,” the congregation said.

The video, which spread around the internet earlier this week, falsely reported that the footage was of Muslims burning Christians alive at a Salesian mission in Duekoue, Ivory Coast.

The Salesians urged the public to be cautious about online reports. They noted while the people in Ivory Coast are experiencing “dramatic situations of violence,” there is “no religious motivation behind the conflict.”

However, they called for “urgent action by international agencies to provide aid to the many people living in deplorable conditions at the Duekoue mission. The current amount of aid is “not enough to meet the needs of the thousands of refugees,” they said.

“The Salesian Congregation, despite the difficulties being experienced in a country at war, continues to reach out to the young people most in need through its missions in Duekoue, Korhogo and Abidjan,” they concluded.