A 12-year-old Iraqi Christian boy whose home was destroyed by the Islamic State met with Vice President Mike Pence on Wednesday and presented him with a gift.
Photo-ops and stories in the mass media of anyone reaching out to the vast population of forgotten, innocent Christians who have been violently persecuted by Muslims are scarce. The truth is that jihadists are tallying up an exorbitant number of innocent victims (and not only Christians) globally, all the while, their counterpart stealth jihadists are screaming “islamophobia” everywhere.
Despite the destruction, Noeh and his family plan to rebuild in their hometown.
I am not afraid to live here again,” Noeh was quoted as saying. “[B]ecause the Holy Spirit makes me strong.”
This is the kind of peace, hope and love that is rarely captured in reports about the suffering, persecuted Christians of the world.
“Mike Pence Meets 12-Y-O Iraqi Christian Boy Whose House Was Burned Down by ISIS”, by Samuel Smith, Christian Post, December 14, 2017:
A 12-year-old Iraqi Christian boy whose home was destroyed by the Islamic State met with Vice President Mike Pence on Wednesday and presented him with a gift.
On Wednesday evening, Pence tweeted out a photo showing him meeting with a Noeh, who recently returned to to his home village in the Nineveh Plains after he and his family lived as internally displaced persons in Erbil for over three years during the rise of IS (also known as ISIS, ISIL or Daesh), only to find nothing but destruction.
“ISIS destroyed his home & he fled leaving everything behind,” Pence wrote in the tweet. “When they returned, their town was burnt to the ground. The plight of Noeh & thousands of others like him is why @POTUS ordered us to directly aid the persecuted. Help is on the way!”
Noeh was joined by a couple of Christian pastors from Iraq and representatives of the charity and global persecution watchdog Open Doors USA in his meeting with Pence.
According to Open Doors USA Director of Advocacy Kristin Wright, Noeh shared a “special moment” with Pence when the child offered the former Indiana governor some of his only remaining toys left from his burned out home.
“There was a very special moment where Noeh was able to give him marbles from his burned out home in the Nineveh Plain,” Wright said in a Facebook video after the meeting. “He was able to give them to Vice President Pence as a gift and the vice president received them and it was just a really special moment.”
Open Doors USA CEO David Curry said in the video that because of the area’s full liberation from IS, this will be the first Christmas that Noeh and his family will be able to spend back in their hometown.
“It was a great opportunity to meet with Vice President Pence who has been so vocal on this issue of persecution of Christians and other religious minorities,” Wright added.
According to Open Doors USA, Noeh and his father and Iraqi priests named Father Behnam and Father Thabet traveled to the United States this week to not only meet with Pence but to also meet with various United Nations and government officials.
On Tuesday, the Christians from Iraq presented the Hope for the Middle East petition to the office of the U.N. secretary general.
The petition is signed by over 800,000 people from 143 countries and calls on government and U.N. officials to protect the rights of Iraqi Christians and religious minorities to equal citizenship, dignified living conditions and a seat at the table when it comes to decisions on rebuilding Iraq post IS.
Open Doors USA reported that Noeh also presented Kyoko Shiotani, chief of office at the office of the under-secretary general, and her team with disfigured marbles from his burned home.
“This is probably the nicest Christmas gift we’ll receive this year because it’s from your heart and your home,” Shiotani was quoted as saying.
In November, Open Doors USA shared what it was like for Noeh to return to his home only to find the charred remains.
Despite the destruction, Noeh and his family plan to rebuild in their hometown.
“I am not afraid to live here again,” Noeh was quoted as saying. “[B]ecause the Holy Spirit makes me strong.”
Iraqi Christians and human rights activists have expressed concern that Iraqi Christian communities and other religious minorities are not receiving much help from the United Nations and foreign governments in terms of humanitarian aid and assistance rebuilding their home villages.
They rejoiced when Pence announced in late October that the United States will amend its humanitarian aid policy so that aid can be provided directly to groups that aid rebuilding Iraqi Christian communities without having to go through the U.N.
But as of late last month, there were still many displaced Christians in Iraq waiting on assistance to arrive…..
jewdog says
Stories like this are ignored for the same reason that the reality of the Islamic texts are ignored: it detracts from the victimhood narrative so vital to much of the media’s worldview. Reality still has a way of getting through, and it’s good to see that VP Pence is aware of it.
Phil Copson says
Good move – the Christians, Jews (if any…), Yazidi, Zoroastrians etc, will be the very last people that the UN will direct assistance to, just as nominally “Christian” countries turn away genuine Christian refugees (those that survive the journey…) in favour of non-refugee economic migrants.
Far from “the muslims being the new Jews”, it is blindingly obvious that the “muslims are the muslims” the “Jews are still the Jews” and “the Christians are the new Jews.”
Michael Copeland says
“….the United States will amend its humanitarian aid policy so that aid can be provided directly …..
without having to go through the U.N.”
The sooner the better.
Ciudadano says
It is ironic that christian and yazidi refugees who have endured the worst persecution are willing to go back home and rebuild their towns while muslims from perfectly safe countries flock to the west
Angry Aussie says
I have a lovely Assyrian Christian friend. In 2013 Muslims in black (ISIS) smashed into her family home and held a gun to her mother’s head. They said they would take her, or kill my friend and her siblings. Their mother has not been seen since.
The Muslims in black also told them to leave Baghdad and never return or they would all be killed. They fled to Turkey and sat in a UNHCR refugee camp for three years before being able to come to Australia on Humanitarian Visas. Muslims were fast-tracked, and my friend tells mw thw UNHCR camps are full of ISIS.
My lovely friend and her father and siblings are now living in Sydney, and complaining about the number of Muslims in Australia.
We already know that the Australian Embassy in Cairo is being run by the Muslim Brotherhood. They are not processing visas for Coptic Christians, but are flooding Australia with Muslims through our insane offshore visa processing.
As much as Trump can be obnoxious, the world needs him to continue to inject a bit truth and common sense back into it.
G Money says
Australia’s intake of 12,000 from Iraq and Syria had a large proportion of Christians:
https://www.sbs.com.au/news/persecuted-minorities-pledge-delivers-christian-refugee-boom
When the Australian government announced they would take in an additional 12,000 from Iraq and Syria, they said they would focus on persecuted minorities. It would appear they have been true to their word. So there is some hope for now, until we, in all likelihood based on current projections, change to a more left leaning government in a couple of years.
gravenimage says
I’m so sorry about your friend’s mother–what a horrible story. I’m glad the family is safe in Australia–except, as you note, no one is safe with the growing Muslim invasion there.
Linde Barrera says
Thank you for this wonderful article. It is a rare bit of good news about surviving Christians in an Islamic hell-hole like Iraq. I am grateful to Open Doors and VP Mike Pence.
Tim says
The Christians in that town are very strong.
Ewha1 says
He’s too young to know but Iraqi Christians were given preferential treatment under Saddam. Now they’re dog meat.
David says
To say they had “preferential treatment” is not quite true … Indeed they were protected, but still did not enjoy full freedom of conscience, yet their places of worship were protected by the rule of law etc..
I have heard/read that Saddam had many “Christians” working for him, because he knew they could be trusted not to try and assassinate him …
gravenimage says
Christians were still oppressed under Saddam, but things were not as bad as they are now–especially the places where ISIS has gained control.
CM says
What a sweet boy to give his few remaining toys to Mr. Pence. I truly hope he and his family are well cared for and protected. It will be tough to go back to Iraq and rebuild. I heard some churches are closing because of too few people, since they were driven out of Bagdad.
gravenimage says
Christians in Iraq have been facing genocide even before ISIS came on the scene.
gravenimage says
Mike Pence meets 12-year-old Iraqi Christian boy whose house was burned down by the Islamic State
…………………….
Good for the Vice President for meeting with this boy and his family!