Christians still persecuted in Iraq.
By Paul J Cella Posted in dhimma | Iraq | Iraqi Christians | Islam | War — Comments (13) / Email this page » / Leave a comment »
The situation in Iraq is improving, alright, but we should never forget the persecution suffered by Iraqi Christians. This New York Times article details at length the re-reappearance of the jizya, the ancient method of extortion reserved for Christians and Jews under Islam’s celebrated system of tolerance for People of the Book. It appears that a refusal to pay the jizya is what cost Archbishop Paulos Faraj Rahho, the leader of the Chaldean Catholics in Mosul, his freedom and then his life.
Meanwhile, a Canadian parliamentary committee has uncovered some horrifying details of the unspeakable campaign against Christians in Iraq:
Muslim militants are crucifying children to terrorize their Christian parents into fleeing Iraq, a parliamentary committee studying the persecution of religious minorities heard yesterday.
Since the war began in 2003, about 12 children, many as young as 10, have been kidnapped and killed, then nailed to makeshift crosses near their homes to terrify and torment their parents.
One infant was snatched, decapitated, burned and left on his mother's doorstep, the committee was told.
May our Lord give them strength, comfort, and that peace which passes all understanding. May His justice find their persecutors swiftly. And may the religion of fire and sword which enjoins this persecution be discredited and banished from the world of men.
Christians still persecuted in Iraq. 13 Comments (0 topical, 13 editorial, 0 hidden) Post a comment »
Whether its Egypt, Lebanon, Sudan---the Christian minority in the Muslim world is a largely forgotten people. To face the fact that religious cleansing is and has been hapenning on a rather massive scale is a very difficult thing to do, so it is far easier to ignore it.
Given the overarching trend, it is amazing to me how many converts/apostates there are.
For a good article on Copts in Egypt, and how there appears to be "open season" on Christians, see http://memri.org/bin/latestnews.cgi?ID=SD195508
Paul,
It is hardly surprising that Christians haven't been spared from the faith-based violence that festers in this failing state. Perhaps you'll include in your prayers the Shiite, Sunni and Kurdish families whose loved ones were murdered, likewise, for no reason other than their religious affiliation.
So Kurds, Sunnis, and Shiites are NOT payers of jizya as they are all Muslims.
Buddhists, Hindus, and other believers of other faiths are not "people of the Book" and thus they don't get the opportunity to pay the jizya.
First, Kurds are an ethnic group. They are not Arabs, which is why they are the recipients of much violence as they are in the minority. Most Kurds are Sunni.
Second, Christians and Jews percentage wise, are more likely to be subjected to violence in Iraq. There are no Christian or Jewish militias in Iraq.
are you familiar with Lamsa?
The Aramaic Bible Society was located in Covington, Georgia for a while and I was in touch with the director at that time. I haven't really followed up on them lately but I think the current office is in Evans, outside of Augusta.
I thought of this because Lamsa recalled how the Kurds were basically the highway bandits in the WWI years. Not saying that in judgment, just as another example of their historical disenfranchisement and conflicts with immediate neighbors.
I believe the Kurds are the largest ethnicity in the world without their own country. Arab supremacism has not been kind to them, even though the Sunni faith dominates all Muslim countries in the ME besides two (Iraq and Iran). Interesting how so many Kurds were in Iraq, but that is a tale for another day.
Kurds are Sunni. They are despised because they are not Arab.
Further, Iraqi Christians might want to look to what their brethern in Lebanon have done: become armed to the teeth and ready to use any means necessary to slay their tormentors. It has been somewhat effective, to say the least.
particularly when it has massive forces in Iraq and Kosovo. The animals who commit these atrocities are not our "friends," no matter what the fools and swine in our State Department may think.
Given the implicit policy of not intervening in ethnic and religious persecution in Kosovo (or condemning the same in Egypt and other places), it should not be much of a surprise. Obviously the United States military doesn't like having to look on as such atrocities happen, but State doesn't care as long as the WaPo approves.
Afghanistan. Kosovo involved bombing, and then standing in between parties who were no longer fighting each other.
If we are going to build a nation from the ground up, building the right foundation is critical in my view. Otherwise, when we hear about apostates being sentenced to death by the new governments, it really makes it hard to sustain support for the effort.
The West has all but made Kosovo an independent nation. I seriously doubt its constitution, once that status attains, will protect freedoms for religious and ethnic minorities, either. I hope to be proved wrong, but that has been the pattern.
Amen.
"Stand up, and let's acquit ourselves like men."