Tag: ISIS

16Apr

Persecution of Iraqi Christians

This is a story that deserves a wider hearing.

According to the reporter:

There are few places on earth where Christianity is as old as it is in Iraq. Christians there trace their history to the first century apostles. But today, their existence has been threatened by the terrorist group that calls itself Islamic State. More than 125,000 Christians — men, women and children — have been forced from their homes over the last 10 months.

Read more here: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/iraq-christians-persecuted-by-isis-60-minutes/

One part I found especially sad is the cultural losses:

Archbishop Nicodemus Sharaf: “I think they burn all the books. And we have books from the first century of the Christianity.”

Lara Logan: “You had from the first century..”

Archbishop Nicodemus Sharaf: “Yes, of the Christianity. When I remember this, I cannot …”(crying) “from the beginning the Christianity, this is the first time we cannot pray in our churches.”

You just can’t get back centuries old manuscripts that are burned. Some things are irreplaceable.

28Mar

21 Martyrs of Egypt

isisdeathsIn case you missed it, 21 mostly Coptic Christians from Egypt, who were working in Libya, were kidnapped, tortured, and killed by Islamic Extremists.  They were offered the chance to recant their faith but refused to do so.  They died praising the name of Jesus.

Now they are being essentially canonized by the Coptic Church.  You can read about this in Christianity Today:

The deaths of 21 Christians to ISIS will not be in vain as they will be declared martyrs by the Coptic Orthodox Church, the equivalent of canonisation in the Catholic Church.

In a statement, Pope Tawadros II, the head of the Coptic Orthodox Church affirmed that the martyrdom of the 21 will be commemorated every 8th Amshir of the Coptic Calendar, the feast day of the Presentation of Jesus at the Temple.

…Despite their impending death, the Christian men could be heard continuously chanting the words “Lord Jesus Christ”, while some even screamed the name of Yeshua in their final moments.

While the intention of ISIS was to sow fear among those who do not share their beliefs, the courage of the Christians has inspired many to further profess their faith.

Beshir Kamel, whose brothers Bishoy and Samuel were among the martyrs slain by the group, said that his siblings’ martyrdom serves as a “badge of honour to Christianity.”

“ISIS gave us more than we asked when they didn’t edit out the part where they declared their faith and called upon Jesus Christ. ISIS helped us strengthen our faith,” he said in an interview with SAT-7 Arabic.

A new icon has been created by a Coptic American artist, Tony Rezk, and appears on the webpage of the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria, Diocese of Los Angeles, Southern California, and Hawaii.

Coptic-MartyrsYou can find more about this work here: here.  Mr. Rezk gave an interview to the National Review:

“My ultimate purpose was to honor them and the sacrifice that they made. Tertullian, a Christian apologist from the third century, before he joined a non-Orthodox Christian sect, said, “The blood of martyrs is the seed of the Church.” We believe that their martyrdom will help the Church grow stronger. My other purpose was to take out my frustrations on something, as I find that the process of making any kind of art is a relaxing experience.”

Read more at: http://www.nationalreview.com/article/414400/what-martyrdom-looks-interview