Over 6,000 Assyrian Christians gathered in Belmore Park in Australia to raise awareness of the inhumane treatment Christians receive by the Islamic State (IS), formerly known as ISIS, in Syria and Iraq. The terrorist group is raging a war against Christians and Muslims in order to establish a worldwide caliphate ruled under extreme Sharia law.
The community leaders explained to the crowd exactly what their fellow Christians endure at the hands of the terrorists. IS told Christians in Mosul to convert to Islam, pay a protection tax, or die. The group marked Christian homes with the letter N for Nazarene. IS destroyed shrines held dear by Muslims and Christians. Mosul housed one of the largest Christian communities in the world, where they lived peacefully with Muslims. For the first time in over 2,000 years, there are no Christians in the city.
IS tortured or murdered people in front of their families. For example, one man was forced to witness the brutal rape of his wife and daughter because he could not pay the protection tax. The man committed suicide. IS robbed those on the way out of Iraq, including jewelry a woman wore.
The people waved “stop genocide against our Christians” and “Stop crimes against humanity” signs. Others wore #WeAreN shirts. All of them begged the international community to help the Christians. The United Nations is just now considering adding IS to their Syrian war crimes list. Kirsten Powers wrote in USA Today the Christians are asking the world for help, but no one is answering them. Catholic and Christian websites remind people what happened in 1939 to 1945. From Catholic.org:
Decades ago, the world watched as the Jews, and many others, including a large number of Catholics, were rounded up, persecuted by Nazis. Nobody outside of the European continent believed these people were being systematically killed on an industrial scale.
The world once solemnly promised to never allow another holocaust to happen again. Yet, we have witnessed episodes of ethnic cleansing and genocide repeatedly throughout history. Time and again, the world has stood silent as whole populations and tribes were exterminated, relocated, and forced into destitution.
Today, nobody is running toward the Christians to help them. These people are on their own and they have nothing. Over 400 families have checked into refugee camps in Kurdish controlled districts in northern Iraq. Hundreds more wander in the desert and the diaspora continues.
Andrew White, a vicar in Iraq’s only Anglican church, said the end of Christianity in Iraq is “very near.” He also claimed that while the world concentrated on Israel and Gaza, IS will take advantage of the silence and “kill at will.”
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