Iraqis celebrate first Christmas near Mosul after Islamic State pushed out. Pope pays tribute to Iraqi Christians persecuted by Islamic State. My time with ISIS-fleeing Christians. Text smaller Text bigger Dozens of skeletons of large multi-story buildings rising above the streets in Ankawa and Erbil, Iraq, are now home to Christians fleeing the Islamic State.
Not so long ago construction was booming in the Erbil area, which was declared the No. 1 tourist destination in the Middle East in 2014. Then suddenly, the Islamic State captured Mosul to the west and advanced to within 35 kilometers (15 miles) of Erbil. Construction immediately stopped on a dozen five-star hotels, as all international flights into the huge airport were suspended. The shells of those unfinished hotels are now centers for Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs). The stairs are bare, rough cement, and of course there are no elevators for those living there. Life on hold for Iraqi Christian refugees in Jordan. Amman - A few blocks from Amman's cosmopolitan Rainbow Street, the banquet hall of St Joseph Catholic Church swells with the sounds of families.
But instead of a holiday party or wedding reception, the space is a makeshift home to 72 Iraqi Christian refugees who have lived together for the past year after fleeing violence from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). Fourteen different churches across Jordan opened their doors in August 2014 to roughly 1,000 Christian Iraqis, the majority from Mosul and Qaraqosh in the north. After one year, most are still in these improvised living quarters. Their rooms are typically divided by particle board, while Caritas, an international Catholic charity, helps to care for them. King Abdullah II extended an invitation last year to Christian refugees from Iraq as their numbers multiplied. The New Exodus: Christians Flee ISIS in the Middle East. Before jihadists overran this mountain town in 2013, Maaloula was one of the oldest Christian communities in Syria, where Western Aramaic--the language of Jesus Christ--is still spoken.
It was also a place of profound peace, where Sunni and Shiite Muslim residents, along with their Christian neighbors, forged a pact early in the war to avoid the sectarian conflict ripping their country apart. "We decided that even if the mountains around us were exploding with fighting, we would not go to war," Mahmoud Diab, a Sunni imam, told Newsweek in 2012. "It's a sectarian war, but the fact is, there is no war here in Maaloula. In this town, we are not defined by religion. We all know each other. Church Congregations Wear Orange to Raise Awareness for Persecuted Christians in Middle East. (Photo: Screenshot/Fox News) Church congregants across the U.S. are donning orange clothes during Sunday services as a symbol of awareness and remembrance of Christians who are being persecuted in the Middle East by Islamic State militants.
Several churches in the U.S. have organized the #OrangeJumpsuit campaign for members to attend Sunday services wearing orange clothes or an orange ribbon. Many Christians who have been murdered by the Islamic State, such as the 21 Coptic Christians from Libya, wore orange jumpsuits in the propaganda videos released by the militant group. According to Fox News, Catholic writer Rey Flores wrote an article "Orange is the New Color of Martyrdom" last month, which set the trend for this new campaign. The article was inspired after Pope Francis delivered a message calling out the modern-day persecution of Christians that has been taking place around the world.
The #OrangeJumpsuit project is headed by the Rev. Hereditary martyrs: the Christian victims of ISIS’s massacres. Woody Allen once joked that sterility is hereditary: If you don’t have any children, you won’t have grandchildren either.
In my family, we pass down a different condition: martyrdom. My great-grandfather and my great-uncle both were murdered for their religion in 1915. Decades later, my own immediate family had to flee Islamist harassment in Iran. My colleagues’ cousins even now are hiding from ISIS in isolated villages and on mountaintops. 10 Facts About Syria Christians From History to Everyday Life. Syria is a country in the midst of a bitter civil war.
Christians in Syria have long lived under a tolerant regime and prospered in their daily lives. Though known as a Muslim country, Christians in Syria can trace their roots on the land back to Biblical times. SPECIAL: Prayer Changes Your Brain in 4 Amazing Ways Here are 10 facts on Christians in Syria: 1. 2. Despite ISIS Threat, Christian Monks Refuse to Abandon St. Matthew's Monastery in Iraq. By Mary Chastain28 May 201574 “We can see the battles and the airstrikes from here in front of us, especially at night,” said head monk Yousif Ibrahim.
“The sky lights up at night, but we of course are not scared. God protects us.” The three remaining monks, along with students, live in Iraq’s oldest monastery, which sits on Mount Al-Faf. SYRIA Msgr. Zenari: prayers in Beirut and Damascus for kidnapped bishops and priests. Fears for their fate. » 04/20/2015SYRIAMsgr.
Zenari: prayers in Beirut and Damascus for kidnapped bishops and priests. Fears for their fateThe apostolic nuncio in Syria confirms that "over time fears mount” for the fate of the Orthodox Bishops and Fr. Dall'Oglio. After two years in captivity, there is no news of them. Christians in peril – because of Western foreign policy — RT Op-Edge. Published time: April 13, 2015 04:52 Ibrahim al-Khalil church in Jaramana, eastern Damascus (Reuters / Omar Sanadik) Easter should be a time of celebration for Christians, but for those of the faith living in the Middle East, there hasn’t been too much to celebrate in recent years.
‘Kill the Christians‘ is the title of a new BBC documentary, to be broadcast this week. In it, veteran reporter Jane Corbin travels ‘across the Middle East, to examine why Christianity is facing the greatest threat to its existence. She finds hundreds of thousands of Christians are fleeing Islamic extremists, conflict and persecution’. It’s a grim story, but for the reason why Christians are so threatened today, we need to look at Western foreign policy. Pope Francis Urges World Leaders Not to ‘Turn a Blind Eye’ to Persecuted Christians. The world must not “sit by mute and inactive in the face of this intolerable crime,” said Francis to the large crowds gathered in Saint Peter’s Square, while he called the persecution “a distressing violation of the most basic human rights.”
In a thinly veiled criticism of the world response to the crimes of the Islamic State, Francis appealed to the international community not to “turn a blind eye” to the suffering of Christians. Reports around Italy Tuesday spoke of a veritable “about face” in the Vatican position toward ISIS and Christian persecution, with both papal statements and official Vatican addresses becoming more and more explicit in their condemnation of the Islamic State. In two separate addresses before the UN Human Rights Council, Vatican representative Archbishop Silvano M. Al-Shabab Gunmen Attack Garissa University In Kenya, Killing Dozens. GARISSA, Kenya (AP) -- Al-Shabab gunmen rampaged through a university in northeastern Kenya at dawn Thursday, killing 147 people in the group's deadliest attack in the East African country.
Four militants were slain by security forces to end the siege just after dusk. The masked attackers -- strapped with explosives and armed with AK-47s -- singled out non-Muslim students at Garissa University College and then gunned them down without mercy, survivors said. Others ran for their lives with bullets whistling through the air. Amid the massacre, the men took dozens of hostages in a dormitory as they battled troops and police before the operation ended after about 13 hours, witnesses said. A worshipper prays during Good Friday Mass in Islamabad, Pakistan. A worshipper prays during Good Friday Mass in Islamabad, Pakistan. Muhammed Muheisen/AP hide caption itoggle caption Muhammed Muheisen/AP It's Good Friday, one of the holiest days of the Christian year, when tradition holds that Jesus was crucified and died. Pope Francis is marking the day at the Vatican by reciting the story of the hours before Jesus' death, says CNN.
In Jerusalem's Old City today, Christian pilgrims traced Jesus' steps, pausing to pray at 14 stops and concluding their walk at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. Displaced Assyrians take part in a prayer at the Ibrahim-al Khalil Melkite Greek Catholic church in the Jaramana district on the outskirts of Damascus. Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) group jihadists on Sunday freed 19 of the 220 Assyrian Christians they took hostage in Syria last week, after a ransom was paid for their release, activists said. "Nineteen Assyrian hostages arrived on Sunday at the Church of Our Lady in Hasaka after they were released by ISIS," said Osama Edward, the director of the Assyrian Network for Human Rights.
"They arrived on two buses from Shaddadeh," the ISIS stronghold in the northeastern province of Hasaka where they had been detained, he told AFP. Edward said an ISIS religious court decided on Saturday to release the Christians in exchange for a sum of money for each family that ISIS considers as jizya, or tax, paid by non-Muslims. Jihad vs. Crusade - Holy Wars in Comparative Perspective. Pope Francis wants you to pray to end Christian persecution. But will Catholics answer him? Your prayers are greatly needed, please pray to end Christian persecution! With the mass kidnapping of over 100 Christians in Syria, it has become painfully clear that the Islamic State thinks nothing of targeting innocent civilians and children, threatening, enslaving and murdering anyone whose faith is different. We need now, more than ever, to strike back using the full force of prayer to end this terrible scourge.
Christians face more than the Islamic State. Destitute, they lack sanitation, privacy, food and water, and their spiritual end educational needs aren't being met. A tremendous effort will be needed to restore these people. Highlights By Catholic Online (NEWS CONSORTIUM) VATICAN Pope: Christians are persecuted and the world tries to hide it. » 03/15/2015VATICANPope: Christians are persecuted and the world tries to hide itDuring the Angelus, Francis prayed for the victims of today's church massacres in Pakistan.
Before the Marian prayer, he said that God "loves us, really love us, and loves us very much! This is simplest expression that sums up the whole Gospel, faith, and theology. God loves us freely and boundlessly. " The pontiff also spoke about typhoon victims in Vanuatu. Pope to Visit Turkey As Region's Christians Flee Islamic State Persecution. Pope Francis calls for solidarity with persecuted Christians in Middle East. Refugees share their stories with Pope Francis. Refugees share their stories with Pope Francis September 11, 2013. Christians, Jews unite to fight Islamic persecution - Mission Network News.
(Photo courtesy Voice of the Martyrs Australia) Christian Leaders Unhappy with Lack of Action on Nineveh Plain. [Reported by noted author Ken Timmerman who just returned from a fact-finding mission to northern Iraq supported by the Religious Freedom Coalition, where he met with secular and Christian leaders. His just-released book, St. How Should Christians Respond to ISIS? March 17, 2015|1:56 pm Johnnie Moore is the author of a new book about Jesus called Dirty God (#DirtyGod). He spent a dozen years at Liberty University where he was its senior vice president and campus pastor as well as a professor of religion. The world's most ancient Christian communities are being destroyed — and no one cares. Why don't we hear about persecuted Christians? - The Drum. Updated The media often gets it wrong when covering (or not) the global persecution of Christians, but this reveals our religious blind spots rather than a conspiracy of silence, writes Natasha Moore.
A minority group has their homes painted with an ominous symbol. They are told to leave or be killed; their belongings are confiscated at outgoing checkpoints; they are raped or shot even as they try to flee. Ancient cultural sites are blown up. Those who object, even those belonging to the majority group, face harassment and even execution. Feature Articles - CHRISTIANS - THE MOST PERSECUTED PEOPLE GROUP ON EARTH. 2004 Martyrs « 21st Century Christian Martyrs. IRAQ "Adopt a Christian from Mosul" to respond directly to Iraq's emergency. » 08/08/2014ITALY - IRAQ"Adopt a Christian from Mosul" to respond directly to Iraq's emergencyAsiaNews is launching a fundraiser to support Christians targeted by the Islamic State, thus responding to a request by the Patriarch of Baghdad and Pope Francis's urgent appeal "to guarantee all necessary assistance - especially the most urgently needed aid - to the great multitude of people who have been driven from their homes, whose fate depends entirely on the solidarity of others.
" More than 100,000 people have been forced to flee their homes leaving everything behind and now have nothing to live on. To help them, five euros a day are enough. The funds raised will be sent to the Patriarchate of Baghdad, which will distribute them according to the needs of each family. Crisis in the Middle East · Aid to the Church in Need. Foundation for Relief and Reconciliation in the Middle East. Take Action and Get Involved for Persecuted Christians. Ecommerce - Open Doors USA. News of persecuted church. Aid for Christians suffering persecution.
Let's join Roma Downey, Mark Burnett and help Middle East Christians. Write to Persecuted Christians. Serving Persecuted Christians Worldwide - World Watch List - Open Doors UK & Ireland. CommissionStories - Eurasia. Timeline of Assyrian History. Christians in Iraq. Who are the Assyrian Christians under attack from Islamic State? Indigenous People in Distress. Christians in Iraq by Glen Chancy.
Assyrian Persecution. The forgotten victims of the Iraqi conflict. « Philippe Brault – Documentary photography & film. Assyrian christians (1024 × 683 pixels) IRAQ - Letter from Archbishop of Mosul: Thank you for supporting the plight of refugees. Syria and Iraq – Repression: Disappearing Christians of the Middle East. War-torn Iraq facing massive refugee crisis. In Syria, an Iraqi Refugee Hopes for the Best. Ethnic dimension of Iraqi Assyrians often ignored. How 500,000 Iraqi Refugees Are Surviving Under the Shadow of ISIS.
What does the Future Hold for Christians in Iraq? IRAQ: CALL FOR CHRISTIANS TO HAVE AN AUTONOMOUS PROVINCE OF THEIR OWN. Christen Assyrians face Oppression and Murder in Iraq with the Rise of Islamists and Kurdish Power. I have a new friend: an Iraqi Chaldean priest. Chaldean Priest Father Douglas Al Bazi Missing Since Sunday. How an Iraqi Christian school became 82 percent Muslim. Father Douglas Bazi: Our future is in our children. Let's save them! The Persecution of Christians in Iraq Is Untold Story. Iraq 2013: a year of carnage. #WeAreN, But Are We Really? On Hashtags and the Harvests of War in Iraq. Church Bombings in Iraq Since 2004. 伊拉克５座教堂遭爆炸袭击伤亡逾百人. 伊拉克5座基督教堂被炸 死伤人数不断攀升. ISIS bombs historic Christian monastery in Iraq - Christian News. Iraq-says-322-tribe-members-killed.
Iraqis will be seen like early Christian martyrs, priest predicts. Somber Easter for Syria's Christians. How Syria's ancient treasures are being smashed. Syrian Christians: 'Help us to stay - stop arming terrorists' Syrian patriarch says third of Christians are now refugees. Pope Francis urges end to Syrian war as he begins Middle East tour. SYRIA Nuncio to Syria has no news about abducted Christians, but is "confident" in a positive outcome. URGENT Video: Peter Kassig beheaded by ISIS with 16 Syrians. “The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) is… : Global Brief. Local Church scrambles to find a way - Aid to the Church in Need. What Can Christians Do About ISIS? ISIS Kidnaps 100 Christians in Syria: Prisoner Swap, or Libya-Style Propaganda? Islamic State in Syria abducts at least 150 Christians.
ISIS kidnapped 220 Assyrian Christians from villages in Syria. ISIS now controls 10 Christian villages in Syria. SYRIA Nuncio to Syria has no news about abducted Christians, but is "confident" in a positive outcome. Fate of 220 Assyrian Christians Abducted by ISIS Remains Unknown. ISIS Orders Assyrian Christian Hostages to Convert to Islam, but All Boldly Refuse to Deny Jesus Christ. SYRIA - ISLAM Islamic State group frees 19 Syrian Christians in Syria after a ransom is paid.
ISIS Releases 19 Kidnapped Assyrians. Reports of 'blanket' release of Assyrians dashed. 罕見沒斬首處決！ ISIS釋放19名基督徒. Christian leaders call for help in face of ISIS onslaught in Syria.