Iraq - 'A Christian holocaust'

In a CNN interview with Jonathan Mann, Mark Arabo, says:
"Christianity in Mosul is dead, and a Christian holocaust is in our midst . . . children are being beheaded, mothers are being raped and killed, and fathers are being hung. Right now, three thousand Christians are in Iraq fleeing to neighbouring cities,'

Mann responds with, 'You're startling me with the severity of what you're describing - You said they are --- beheading children?"

Arabo, calling on the international community to, like France, offer these people asylum continues with, 'They are systematically beheading children, and mothers and fathers. The world hasn't seen an evil like this for generations. There's actually a park in Mosul where they actually beheaded children and put their heads on a stick... this is crimes against humanity. They are doing the most horrendous, the most heart-breaking crimes that you can think of."

Mann asks the question over the ISIS letter telling Christians in Mosul to convert to Islam, pay a fine or be put to 'death by the sword', 'It's clear that they are killing people, but are Christians managing to escape by paying a fine?' To which Arabo responds: 'After Christians pay the fine, the fighters take the Christian wives and children and make them their wives - so it's really convert, or die.'

Those who have escaped the fighters by fleeing to the mountains, have died from lack of food and water there: "A quick scan of Youtube shows the truth of what Arabo is saying - there are gruesome videos of heads on spikes, and many of live beheadings (one poor Christian is forced to say the Shahada 'there is no God but Allah and Muhammad is his Prophet' and then beheaded anyway.)",

Warning: don't google these things unless you have a strong stomach.

They are absolutely killing every Christian they see - This is genocide in every sense of the word. They want everyone to convert, and they want sharia law to be the law of the land.'

Please pray

Please support those in Iraq practically

Please talk about this with others (for generally all I keep hearing about is Gaza)

Please ask your politicians questions about Iraq and your nation's response (and be a pain)


You can see the whole interview below:

Qaraqosh: A place to be concerned and praying for

Reports are flooding in regarding the conquest and expulsion of the residents of the  'entirely Christian town' of Qaraqosh (located between Mosul and Arbil) by IS and associated forces.

The town (population c.50,000) is testimony to the sad reality that the Iraqi government is unable to protect those members of minority communities (Christians, Yezidi and Shabak) and highlights the ethnic cleansing and other war crimes that are taking place (and yet whilst HAMAS and Israel dominate the news, this is allowed to slip almost quietly by).

The Christian nationals are being eradicated (by death or forced exile) and are part of an extremely grave humanitarian crisis.

Chaldean Archbishop of Kirkuk and Sulaimaniyah, Joseph Thomas, is quoted by AFP (Agence France-Presse) sources as saying, 'I now know that the towns of Qaraqosh, Tal Kayf, Bartella and Karamlesh have been emptied of their original population and are now under the control of the militants.'

Please pray

Please support those under threat (all faiths)

Please contact your political representative (wherever you live) and ask them what they are doing about this.

Mosul - An issue of ethic cleansing?

I've been asked whether the title to this blog should have the word 'ethnic' rather than 'ethic' and I have to respond that the use of the word 'ethic' is both right and fitting.

The noise generated by Israel and the Palestinian conflict and the downing of MH17 in Ukraine have conspired to assist the governments of the world, and us the punters, to put aside what should have been a measure of outrage at this obvious breach of human rights.

I would have expected people to engage in thinking ethically and defending what is right stand up and denounce that which is clearly wrong - and yet what do I see?

 Not a lot!

Ethic cleansing at its very best :-(

Take a look at this piece from the Assyrian International News Agency and tell me whether you're still sitting comfortably after it:

The last Christian reportedly left Iraq’s second largest city of Mosul at 12:00pm on Saturday, ending over 6,000 years of Assyrian history in the city.

Assyrians have lived in Mosul for over 6,000 years, converting to Christianity over 2,000 years ago. This all came to an end on Saturday, when the last Assyrian Christian left the city. On Thursday, July 17th, the Islamic State (IS) – formerly the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) – released a statement demanding the Christians in Mosul either to convert to Islam, paying the jizya (tax on non-Muslims), leave the city, or be killed.

The threat was to be implemented on Saturday. It is being reported locally that by noon yesterday, every Christian had chosen to leave.

 Here in Erbil, about an hour an half [sic] away from Mosul by car, I have spoken with families who were forced to flee. They describe how ISIS invaded their homes, taking whatever they wanted, and threatening to kill them.

The estimates are that over 500,000 refugees have fled Mosul after Islamists took control on June 10th, and the few remaining Christians left yesterday.

Everyone I have spoken with has expressed their frustration with the international community’s lack of response to the crisis facing the people of Iraq (I'd call this a failure in ethics - wouldn't you?)

They blamed the United States for creating the current situation and for leaving the country so quickly and so creating the vacuum for IS to exploit. 

Many also think that it was a serious mistake for the U.S. to “give Iraq to Iran,” allowing Tehran to have a major influence in the Iraqi Parliament.

Another local told me he thought it was strange and nonsensical that the U.S. and European countries were opposed to IS in Iraq, but supporting IS groups in Syria and other violent groups against local governments. They warned of the danger such groups pose to the West. “These jihadists will eventually go home to their countries, to Canada, England and the U.S.” said one.

Please pass this information on and contact the press, the politicians and as many church members (and leaders) as you can. This needs to be noted, prayed about and acted upon politically too!

Emphasis in bold is mine

Pax