While the West— the largely Christian West— is busy condemning Israel for protecting its citizens from a constant barrage of terror from a brutal regime that uses its own children as bait for bombings— another tragedy is taking place under our nose.
Iraqi Christians are begging for help from the civilized world after Mosul, the northern city where they have lived and worshiped for 2,000 years, was purged of non-Muslims by ISIS, the jihadist terror group that claims to have established its own nation in the region.
Assyrian Christians, including Chaldean and Syriac Catholics, Syriac Orthodox and followers of the Assyrian Church of the East have roots in the region of present day Iraq, Turkey, Syria and Iran that stretch back to the time of Jesus Christ.
While they have long been a minority and have faced persecution in the past, they had never been driven completely from their homes. The terror group ordered all to convert to Islam, pay a religious tax or face execution, many chose another option: they fled.
“By 12 noon on Saturday, the Christians — all of them — left the city,” Yousif Habash, an Iraqi-born bishop of the Syriac Catholic Church, told FoxNews.com in an interview.
Mosul, Iraq’s second-largest city had 60,000 Christian residents in 2003. By last month, the number had dwindled to just 35,000. It now stands at zero, according to Ignatius Yousef Younan III, patriarch of the Syrian Catholic Church.
Habash has roundly criticized the Obama administration and the United Nations, specifically, for what he called their “careless absence” in taking action against the militants.
“Where is the conscience of the world? Where is the United Nations? Where is the American administration to protect peace and justice?” Habash said in an interview.
This is a tragedy of— excuse the pun, Biblical proportions, and the world’s Christian leaders are silent— literally, including Pope Francis, who held a moment of silence at the Vatican to pray for the end of the violence.
Mosul, Iraq’s second-largest city, is the “first cradle of Christianity in Iraq,” Habash said. But after Islamic militants seized the city on June 10, Arabic letters with a chilling ultimatum were left at the homes of Iraqi Christians.
“The letter said that if you don’t convert or if you don’t pay, there is a sword between you and us, meaning execution,” Habash said.
Dr. Sallama Al Khafaji, a member of the Iraq High Commission for Human Rights, reportedly told a local news agency that ISIS militants forced their way into the home of an Assyrian family in Mosul, demanding a “jizya” or poll tax. When the family said they could not produce the money, three jihadist militants raped the mother and daughter in front of the husband and father, who later committed suicide.
It’s 2014— not 1800s in the Ottoman Empire when these kinds of violent conversions were commonplace— and these kinds of atrocities are happening. And we’re silent. The big, Bible thumping Baptist Churches, the multi-million dollar Evangelical Christian mega churches, the powerful Protestants who run America— and of course, the Greek Orthodox Church, which boasts access and regular meetings with the President of the United States.
Where is the outrage? Where is the mobilization of our communities by our leaders to support these people and these ancient communities? Where are the letter writing campaigns to encourage our elected officials to say something, to do something?
Just this past Sunday, Islamic militants seized the 1,800-year old Mar Behnam Monastery— a jewel of Christianity and one of the oldest functioning Christian religious centers in the world, about 15 miles south of Mosul. The resident clergymen fled for their lives to the nearby city of Qaraqoush, according to local residents.
And while all of this is happening, we just continue bashing on Israel.
19 comments
what a choice of words! "bashing Israel"! Israel is bashing children, who are used as "bait"–your choice of word, too! Are you mad?
"Bash Israel"? What an ignorant and awful way to frame the loss of life there.
Ignorant article. An occupying army that has brutalized a people for fifty years. Apartheid, genocide but no, we're bashing Israel. Way to go Pappas post.
The US MSM doesn't care about the middle easts indigenous Christians. Only FOX News is covering this tragedy. There will be mass genocide of Christians, just as there was in Turkey in the early 20th century, before the media pay any attention to this. On their consciences-if they have any-be it!
Thank you Greg for taking the obviously unpopular side. Can’t believe I just said that considering what’s going on in the middle east and the obvious atrocities once again committed against Christians. It seems as though the brutal placement of innocent children in the eye of the storm is working, but those blinded by their ideals can’t see who is the monster here. The stories handed down by my grandparents who were refugees from Smyrna are still vivid, and their message to their children; “be forever vigilant as they will do this over and over again until they succeed, while the world just watches” Indeed, where is the outrage?
This article has completely changed my view of the pappas post. Sadly an occupied land and occupied people are actually being terrorized and to believe anything less is deplorable. It is a war crime to attack I defended civilians as is being done in Palestine.
Bash Israel ??????
The only ones doing a hole lotta bashing is Israel on Gaza civilians
Israelis have been bashing Christians since its foundation. Christianity was a major segment of the population until forced out by the Israelis. No one hears of Kosovo where the Christians were forced out or killed. In Indonesia a village of 400 Catholics men,women and children we massacred because they would not convert. The branch manager of my bank is Syriac. Her best friends fiance was beheaded because he was wearing a cross. Christians are getting bashed world wide.
Eye opening article. Btw, Christians now only constitue 5% of the population of the middle east, down from 20% at the beginning of the 20th century!!!
And for those commentators that like to use totally inappropriate words (e.g. apartheid) re: Israel, note that Christians in israel are one of the very few Christian groups in the middle east whose population is growing (115,000 in 1990, and more than 160,000 now)!!! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christianity_in_Israel
Soon the Islamic government is going to manage your county. I can assure you that you'll face the same Iraqi faith. Meanwhile enjoy the last minutes of freedom.
Soon the Islamic government is going to manage your county. I can assure you that you'll face the same Iraqi faith. Meanwhile enjoy the last minutes of freedom.
Soon the Islamic government is going to manage your county. I can assure you that you'll face the same Iraqi faith. Meanwhile enjoy the last minutes of freedom.
Soon the Islamic government is going to manage your county. I can assure you that you'll face the same Iraqi faith. Meanwhile enjoy the last minutes of freedom.
Soon the Islamic government is going to manage your county. I can assure you that you'll face the same Iraqi faith. Meanwhile enjoy the last minutes of freedom.
Soon the Islamic government is going to manage your county. I can assure you that you'll face the same Iraqi faith. Meanwhile enjoy the last minutes of freedom.
Ilan Ben Ari Love the copy and paste comment. You're saying the solution is to exterminate then? Is that what you're getting at?
I'm saying that soon you will meet the faith of the Iraqis. Your friends ISIS, Hamas, Arabs, etc. will start with Europe. They will be the majority in your country, win the elections and then give you the Iraqi/Hamas style democracy. I think that you really want to exterminate Israel and you're really sad that it does not happen. If you are so worried about people suffering why don't you mention the 200000 people that were killed by your friends in Syria. What about your friends in Iraq and Afganistan? Why don't you mention them? The reason for that is that they were killed by muslems, and this is in the family…In Gaza Jews are fighting against Islamic terror and that makes you really sad. The Jews simply refuse to die like in the old days. How sad. Well what can we do we enjoy living and refuse to die for you.
Ilan Ben Ari LOL ok
300,000 african muslems are killed by arabs in Darfur Sudan – SILENCE
200,000 Chechnens killed by Russia – YAWN
170,000 dead Syrians – ZZZZZZ