Having captured Mosul and emptied it of Christians, the Islamic State is now driving Christians out of the surrounding areas as well. But Israel cannot be blamed and no Muslims are suffering from outbreaks of “Islamophobia,” so the international community takes little to no notice.
“Islamic State now aggressively pursuing Christians in Nineveh Plain,” Catholic Online, July 24, 2014:
LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) – The militia of the self-proclaimed Islamic Caliphate having successfully driven all the Christians and Shiites from the city of Mosul in Iraq, has stepped up their campaign on ruthless persecution.
“The attack started from a village controlled by jihadists,” Father Paul Thabit Mekko, a Chaldean priest told the Fides news agency, “but was rejected by the Kurdish Peshmerga troops.
“In the night, panic had driven dozens of Christian families to flee to Dohuk, but the Kurdish soldiers who were controlling a checkpoint told them that the situation was under control and could return home.”
Both towns lie north of Mosul. It was at this besieged Iraqi city that an ultimatum from the Islamic State last week . to either convert to Islam or die, left the ancient city devoid of Christians. The Peshmerga are known to be fierce troops, fighting for a Kurdish independence movement in the north of Iraq.
As the Fides news agency outs it, on the one hand, the attack represents proof that the militia of the Islamic Caliphate are not content with controlling Mosul and would like to extend control over the Nineveh Plain. The reaction of the Peshmerga, notes Father Thabit Mekko, confirms that the Kurds are determined to protect this area from jihadist militants.
“Here, now, there are only Kurdish military forces that ensure the safety of the population,” he said.
There are very real concerns about the possible genocide of Christians in the region. Christians in the country cannot wait for help from the international community.
Senior U.S. officials and lawmakers butted heads Wednesday over the American response to Iraq’s expanding Sunni insurgency. Republicans say that drone strikes should have been authorized months ago and even Democrats questioning the Obama administration’s commitment to holding the fractured country together, AP reported today.
Testifying before the House Foreign Affairs Committee, the State Department’s Brett McGurk and Defense Department’s Elissa Slotkin said the administration was focused on improving U.S. intelligence, securing American personnel and property, guiding Iraq toward a new, more inclusive government and helping its forces strike back against the al-Qaida offshoot that has seized much of the country.
To this end the U.S. is now conducting about 50 intelligence sorties over Iraq a day. Both the U.S. and the U.N. stressed they saw no military solution to patching up Iraq’s political and ethnic divisions or to peeling off moderate Sunnis from the Islamic State.
Alarmed Pig Farmer says
It is remarkable, and remarkably ugly, to see how the Christians in the West at the same time blame the Jews in Israel for being subjected to attempted mass murder and ignore the same against Christians in the Levant.
Disgusting. The cultural platform on which our mass discourse is conducted is badly wired.
Jay Boo says
Alarmed Pig Farmer
“the Christians in the West at the same time blame the Jews in Israel for being subjected to attempted mass murder”
—————–
That is a very broad statement of all Christians
Very provocative attention getter
My guess is you are a hard core atheist with a dual agenda
Silvia says
AND NO ONE IS PROTESTING FOR THEM!!!! No human rights council. No media bemoaning crimes against humanity. Israel is the one killing “poor Palestinian babies”.
I wish Israel would declare it accepts at least some of these people as refugees.
I have no trust in humanity anymore.
Candie says
Sadly, I am afraid to say that most, not all, but many Christians in the Arab world hate Jews and Israel nearly as much as their Muslim “friends.” While Israel would probably accept them, they would not want to go there.
AnneM says
…..Well now that ISIS has driven the Christians OUT, they may have begun to sing a very different tune!
Silvia says
I know. I thought about that. I’m not naive. And yet, it’s obvious they are experiencing a GENOCIDE in the millions!!!! I’m appalled watching the world not giving a damn! It’s EXACTLY what they did to the Jews in WWII as far as world apathy and indifference is concerned. I’m also convinced there’s bigotry involved in this indifference – they are not “White Christian” in the “usual” sense. The same applies to African Christians.
I can’t get that baby pic in Syria (looking up with 3 murderous muslims pointing rifles at him) out of my head since I saw it. It doesn’t leave my mind along with a few other horrors from that hell.
Mirren10 says
”I’m also convinced there’s bigotry involved in this indifference – they are not “White Christian” in the “usual” sense. The same applies to African Christians”
Exactly, Silvia. They’re simply not pretty enough.
Silvia says
@Mirren10 Unfortunately I think that the west somehow feels they are “lesser Christians” or “not REAL Christians” so why bother? But then, why should that make any difference??? They are people experiencing genocide and that should be enough, you know? There’s practically complete silence about it!
Jay Boo says
Mirren10
What shallow hypocrisy of you to speak of racial bigotry after your recent horrendous comments just a few short days ago.
Now, you just could not resist taking a cheap passive aggressive jab at Christianity just as you did against people of color on your other post.
Very disingenuous
Such shameless hypocrisy — only this time it is in the spirit of secular humanist theology agenda.
Tradewinds says
Don’t believe a word you say, Candie. The Jews aren’t killing Christians – the Muslims are. The Christians know that.
Richie says
Christianity is not popular with leftists- The left somehow frames the narrative in media, hence Muslims always being painted as victims. Many leftists react with delight that Christianity might be wiped out. Every leftist Io know is an atheist or agnostic, and have no sympathy for Christians
AnneM says
…..Yet to the chargrin of the lefties, the Christain faith is growing in Africa and and in Asia.
Jay Boo says
“Every leftist I know is an atheist or agnostic, and have no sympathy for Christians”
——————-
Totally agree Richie
Mackykam says
Why should Israel take them in? These same Christians openly stood by when the Jews had to flee Iraq for their lives after the establishment of the State of Israel. Much like Christian Europe stood by when Jews were loaded onto trains for the gas chambers. It is enough the Christian arabs in Israel live in peace and are able to worship as they will. Yet they all attack Israel at every opportunity.
They openly participated in both intifadas against the Jewish state. Screw them!
Let them sample the fare they’ve dished out to Jews.
dumbledoresarmy says
So you regard the Assyrian Christians, every last one of them, many of whom would not even have been *born* at the time of the Farhud and the expulsion of Jews from Iraq by Muslims, as collectively guilty, and requiring to be punished for it, by being exterminated down to the last man, woman and infant child, by the horrors of Islamic Jihad?
Question: what would have happened to them, as a hopelessly-outnumbered and cowed dhimmi minority, had they tried to help the Jews, in the 1930s (when they themselves were massacred en masse, btw), in the 1940s, or in the 1950s? *Would* they have been able to save any Jews from being killed or expelled? Or would they not, rather, have been simply butchered, just like the Armenians a few decades before?
You underestimate, too, the power of centuries of mind-warping subjection to the dhimma.
And are you really content for the total number of Infidels in the world to be whittled down to the tune of hundreds of thousands, by the massacre of the Christians of Iraq and Syria??
The Camp of the Infidels cannot afford to lose so many people all at once; people who, *I* am convinced, are *not* necessarily fixed in their ways; who *could*, given a chance, learn better.
The Christians within Israel are *not* universally antisemitic. There are quite a few, these days, who are *not*; who are shucking off dhimmitude and *refusing* to toe the Arab Muslim line.
So why should not the Assyrian Christians – if they were rescued and brought to the West (you observe I don’t think they should be unloaded on Israel, it is the majority-Christian countries that should very properly take responsibility for them and help them, emulating what Israel did for the *Jews* of Iraq, Yemen, Syria, Lebanon, Egypt, etc) – *also* change, for the better?
Can you not pray for their deliverance and *transformation*, rather than eagerly anticipate their rape and slaughter by Muslims?
Thomas Wells says
There were a hell of a lot of Christians that hit Omaha beach. Dachua was not liberated by muslims.
Daniel Triplett says
I guess John Kerry’s too busy harassing Israelis to lay down their arms to have anything to say in Christians’ defense.
That worthless traitor needs to be fired, and just go back to spending his wife’s dead husband’s money. The wrong man in any time, but especially now.
Alarmed Pig Farmer says
That worthless traitor needs to be fired…
Worthless? The gigolo first married a woman worth $160 million and then dumped her in favor of a new one worth billions. He needs to be fired *and* prosecuted for treason. Does the statute of limitations apply to treason? Trying the guy who left Vietnam after less than 90 days, uninjured, would also require unsealing his Naval record, which was quietly sealed by his buddy the globo-socialist then President Carter.
Daniel Triplett says
Agreed. He does know how to marry up, we have to give him credit for that. I’d like to have such skill.
I just looked it up; treason is one of six crimes with no Statute of Limitations. Let’s fry, I mean try the bastard, and stack the jury with Vietnam Vets. Any Vet will do though, since he’s universally hated by all (including this one).
While we’re at it, let’s give Jane Fonda the long overdue payback she has coming. Jane Fonda urinal targets still grace men’s rooms in every US Military Base Worldwide.
Mary_Gonzales says
And where is the puppet Ban Ki Moon and Navi Pillay ? Maybe they only recognize Palestinian as a human being. Palestine-Israel clash is about 1 month, Iraqi and Syria war already years and everybody blinded over it.
Ahh..even the west is busy for supporting Hamas and blame Israel.
Thomas Wells says
Obama is flying “refugee ” children out of Central America. How about using American planes to fly real endangered pre-genocide victims out of the evil clutches of the murderous Jihadists in Iraq/Syria?
Angemon says
It’s not jews killing arabs. The usual suspects (leftist loonies and PC MC MSM) won’t give a damn.
Richie says
The genocide of Christians continues to expand in scope and size, and the west remains silent. I think we are witnessing the beginning of another Christian holocaust, like the Armenian genocide (you know, the one liberals pretend never happened)
Jan Fourowls says
Re: possible parallels to Armenian genocide instigated by Islamic terrorists — Stay away from train tracks and depots if there are troop boots on the ground, even if the boots look like they’re what we used to consider our own guys! Obama is working on recasting the U.S. armed forces as if an arm of the IS and/or south-of-the-border drug cartel mafia/gangs by who will be in the revamped pro-terrorist military and to whom (Islam by birth or conversion) they’ll have loyalty. (Details in some comments a couple of days ago but you can probably still find the research online.) Flynn was saying inane things re: Hamas and Israel within the past couple of days as if speaking for the U.S. military and Obama, so the pro-terrorist betrayal continues.
Jerry says
Interestingly, the US was happy to bomb Christian Serbs in defense of Jihadi Muslim Bosnians, but is not prepared to lift a finger to protect Iraqi and Syrian
Christians from genocidal Jihadi Muslims.
Arjay says
And once again… Islam destroys an ancient civilization/culture, and the world’s leftists don’t seem to care.
CogitoErgoSum says
What will happen when there is no place left to run? The Israelis know. The new Nazis will eventually come to the same conclusion that Hitler did…….. there is only one final solution. There are those who deny the Holocaust ever happened but sufficient evidence exists to prove that it did. It happened and will happen again…. if we allow it. I have a link below to a video on YouTube consisting of official Nazi concentration camp film. There are five parts but the link is to only the first. Many may not make it even to the end of this first segment… but those who want to watch all of it to the end may find the other segments themselves. Caution: nothing is hidden or censored. As always, the truth takes courage to accept. I support you Israel. We Christians and others in the west will come to our senses……. but it may take a few more years. I pray by then it is not too late.
somehistory says
Jesus said, “When they persecute you in one city, flee to another (Matt.10:23).” And when there are no more cities to which to flee? He said Christians would not “complete the circuit of the cities,” until He (the Son of man) arrives. He also said, when speaking of the “great tribulation” (Matt.24:21) that would come (has it begun?), “In fact, unless those days were cut short, no flesh would be saved, but on account of the chosen ones those days will be cut short (Matt. 24:22).”
Judge Jenine (sp?) (on FOX) had a *special* on her program last evening (Saturday) about Christians being killed and persecuted in various parts of the world by muslims and the *silence* on the part of the governments and the media (and she spoke about the Pope), and she included guests speaking about the fight that Israel is in with hamas and other muslims.
Unfortunately, there is still the idea that “most muslims” are peaceful and are against such things as persecution and slaughter of those who don’t share their beliefs. When the media does speak of it, they focus on the *crimes* of the *few* radicals such as ISIS and the other *terrorist* groups. However, everywhere muslims are in control of the governments, such as Sudan, Iran, SA, Pakistan, etc., hands are cut off, Christians are imprisoned or killed, or burned for eating during the ramadan month of excesses, and forced to live as sub-human creatures at the whim of the authorities.
And when muslims have the opportunity to leave these lands for those governed by non-muslims, they take their ideas of *right and wrong and morally acceptable*, (such as burqas, niqabs, honor killing, mutilation, and cutting off of hands for theft) along and try to enforce these just as if they were still in the muslim land. If the *vast majority* of muslims are *against* such treatment, then why do they take them along to places where the authorities will not force them to obey sharia?
These are questions that bounce around in my head each time there is a story or news account where it is stated that *most* or the *majority* of muslims don’t want the laws of sharia or that they are against the idea that non-muslims are not as equal as they (the muslims) are or that they wouldn’t approve of the persecution of Christians.
There may be some muslims who don’t feel this way, but it seems they are the *small minority* of believers. At least, that is the view from the evidence available to this reader.
Jan Fourowls says
@ “somehistory” — Always good to see a fellow Christian commenting on JW. You state solid points about the evil of Islamic violence (history and practice) with which the majority of JW readers would agree. I appreciate reading how others articulate their views.
For anybody curious about the Bible from reading the comments here, a couple of clarifications to what you’ve written.
First, the instructions of Jesus to flee into another city when persecuted were given to the twelve Jewish disciples Jesus initially selected to mentor as traveling missionaries. The rest of the verse you didn’t quote specifies that the cities referred to are “the cities of Israel” not cities of the world in general because these instructions were for the Jewish twelve about their missionary travels through Israel’s cities. Matthew 10: 5, 23.
In the Lukan description of the Olivet discourse by Jesus to discuss signs of the end, applicable to all Christians not in Jerusalem and Judea would be this guidance from Jesus:
“Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these thing that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man.” Luke 21:36; also 21:21.
Some translators (see, e.g., NIV and NLT) from the Koine Greek of ancient new testament manuscripts think “this generation” — by which Jesus seemed to direct end-times guidance only to those alive during His earthly ministry — can be better translated into English as “this age,” “this race,” or “this nation.”
Some biblical commentary suggests that we’ve been in a protracted end times since Jesus walked among humanity even before the second temple’s destruction in Jerusalem in 70 AD/CE. Many Christians believe Jewish (old testament) prophecy that already came true at a local level (the first temple being destroyed in 586 BC/BCE, rebuilt, destroyed again in 70 AD/CE) will be out-pictured again at the very end by the temple being rebuilt one more time in Jerusalem by human hands (even before God brings down the New Jerusalem as Revelation prophesies and remakes heaven and earth at the very end after God’s sifting of humanity, e.g., wheat from chaff). That kind of end-times analysis can be fun to study and to sort through, but none of it is an essential of the Christian faith because theological theory about it is conjecture based on taking symbol-rich scriptures from different centuries and various writers and proof-texting them into eschatology. Pastors whose flocks donate more generously if taught there’s biblical certainty on non-essentials, for example, tend to pitch the pre-tribulation instead of the post-tribulation rapture. (Also a Hollywood movie, this fall, starring Nicholas Cage. That alone tells me the rapture’s more likely to be post-trib.)
Fleeing one city for another might be God’s guidance to us as Christians in violent and genocidal Islamic times, or it might not. God might guide us after prayer to escape (and for protection) to hide in a root cellar while He makes the enemy’s heat-seeking body-count censors malfunction. (I’ve had stranger things occur in tight spots where prayer was my best defense.)
As info to log away in the gray matter for Christians in America, if the persecution ratchets way up as it has gone with IS exiling and otherwise engaging hostilities against Christians in Mosul, here’s something potentially helpful I found online.
Re: demographics of Muslim population in the U.S., http://rcms2010.org/ and http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/06/27/most-and-least-muslim-states_n_1626144.html, the concentrations of Islamic populations tend to be on or near major interstate or other transport (as in troop transport) arteries, some of them small towns or sparsely populated areas. For instance, small-town Cartersville, GA on the I-75 between Atlanta and Chattanooga. National-forested largely rural Shasta County, CA, on the I-5 S-N route from Los Angeles. By analogy to what terrorists are doing elsewhere, this placement of potential Islamic soldier-citizens inside America could be significant. (Hamas as terrorist organization on the U.S. State Dept.’s list since 1997 is using its so-called civilians as soldier-citizens and shooting rockets from “civilian” areas near mosques, hospitals, schools and private homes in Gaza. Very different geography than the U.S. but the principle of using so-called “citizens” as Muslim terrorist soldier-citizens who can be mobilized along transportation arteries could be applied here, too.)
The rapidly growing IS (Islamic State) army — yes, army — is being joined by 10,000 “Americans” with passports and thousands of jihadists-in-training from the UK and other parts of Europe who have visa waivers allowing them U.S. access on their return. Obama has cut our land armed forces in the U.S. by about 30,000. He’s sold off Navy ships to be moved out of the San Diego base harbor while the southern U.S. borders are operating like a sieve by his actions and omissions. Obama’s done an $11 billion arms deal with missiles (including EMP defense the U.S. may not even have) to terrorist-funnel Qatar which arms and funds Hamas and other Islamic terrorists like Al-Qaeda. Obama’s brother Malik has strong Islamic terrorist connections. Across the blue-red state divide, I hope Christians and other non-Muslims in the U.S. will become more aware of our common cause of self-protection before the 3,000 dead of terrorist attack on 9/11 and the 260 maimed (3 dead) of the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing looks like a day we wish we still had.
somehistory says
Jan,
I appreciate your comments, and analysis. I left out the “cities of Israel” on purpose for two reasons. I didn’t want to imply that the Jews are persecuting Christians, and I know from extensive study that just about every prophecy in the Bible has more than one application.
When Jesus instructed the original 12, and the other disciples who followed him on a regular basis, he was also instructing those who would come after and who would put faith in the things heard and recorded by the faithful, such as Matthew, Mark (not one of the 12), Luke (also not of the 12), and John.
Sometimes, it is best to “flee” an area of trouble, such as Jesus instructed. Other times, it can be best to stay inside and wait, as in the days when the Medes and Persians attacked Babylon and told the Jews inside the city to “go into your interior rooms and shut your doors behind you and you will not be harmed.” (See Isaiah 26:20 where this instruction is also given) The Jews who listened were spared and later allowed to return to Jerusalem.
The main purpose of my comment was to show that Jesus said Christians would be persecuted, and also that the days of the “great tribulation” that would affect all of mankind, would be “cut short” so some could be saved from death. It has begun to look like that tribulation may have begun. He said we should learn from what Daniel wrote and that it applies to the “time of the end.” (See Matt. 24:15 and Daniel 11)
Many times in Scripture, God said to His people, “Stand still and see the salvation of the Lord (Exodus 14, and 2 Chronicles 20 are two examples).”
Jesus promised that He would never leave his followers, but He also said Christians would be persecuted and many put to death for following Him.
The devil sees his time is short and is in all-out war mode to bring as much death and destruction, as much pain and heartache as possible before he is abyssed. We must all endure to the end and pray that our faith can remain. My heart hurts for those who are being persecuted whether they are in the ME or Africa, or wherever else on earth they are. There is no reason to think that Christians in the U.S. will not have some of the same happen. Knowing what to do will most likely depend on prayer for guidance.
Mirren10 says
@ Silvia.
Hi, Silvia.
You said:
” Unfortunately I think that the west somehow feels they are “lesser Christians” or “not REAL Christians” so why bother? But then, why should that make any difference??? They are people experiencing genocide and that should be enough, you know? There’s practically complete silence about it!
I agree. It’s very odd, when one considers the magnificent worldwide condemnation of Sudan’s machinations against the super courageous Meriam Wani.
Why the outrage **there**, and yet, as you say, almost complete silence about the Christians of Iraq, in their **thousands**.
I don’t have the answer, although my husband suggested it might be because, human nature being what it is, Meriam was an **individual**, whereas these poor people in Iraq number in the thousands, and one individual case is a tragedy, while *thousands* is a statistic.
What infuriates me, is the almost total lack of outrage on the part of some of the **leaders** of the Church, Pope, Archbishop of Canterbury et al, not to mention the egregious Obama, who is busy strongarming Israel into accepting a totally unfair ‘settlement’, but has not one word to say ( that I’ve heard) about these poor Christians in Iraq.
Long live Israel ! And may the Christians of Iraq find a voice to help them.
Mirren10 says
About the Christians of Iraq;
There is the Barnabas Fund, which is publicising this. You can find them at the link below:
http://barnabasfund.org/