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A little more than a week ago, news surfaced of the systematic purging by
the jihadist terror organization the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) of
all remnants of the Christian community in Mosul, Iraq's second-largest city.
First, the Sunni Muslim extremist group that operates in Syria and Iraq began
denying food rations to Christians and Shi'ite Muslims in the city. Shopkeepers
were warned that providing food and supplies to Christians was punishable by
death.Then ISIS issued Christians in Mosul an ultimatum: convert to Sunni Islam, pay a hefty religious "head-tax," give up all property and possessions and leave the city with just the clothes on their backs in less than 24 hours, or "face the sword."
In an atmosphere eerily reminiscent of the Nazi Germany ghettoes when Jewish shops, homes and persons were marked with the Star of David as a precursor to destruction or confiscation of property and atrocities committed against entire populations, Christian homes in Mosul were spray-painted with the words: "Property of the Islamic State of Iraq," along with the letter "N" for "Nasrani," labeling the residents followers of Jesus the Nazarene.
On Monday a photo of one such vandalized home went viral on Twitter with a noticeable alteration of the red "N" ISIS had sprayed on the wall: Someone had interposed the sentiment "We are all Christians." Such brave actions are reminiscent of similar acts of solidarity in various European nations during the Nazi era; for example, an underground Dutch newspaper printed 300,000 stars of David inscribed with the phrase "Jews and non-Jews are one and the same" for non-Jews in Holland to wear as a symbol of their unity with their Jewish countrymen.
In addition, ISIS in Mosul destroyed a statue of the Virgin Mary, demolished the tomb of Jonah and torched an 1,800-year-old church. The militants also removed the cross from St. Ephrem's Cathedral, which had been the seat of the Syriac Catholic Archdiocese, and replaced it with the black ISIS flag. Ghazwan Ilyas, once the director of the Chaldean Culture Society in Mosul, said, "They did not destroy the churches, but they killed us when they removed the cross; this is death for us." Many Iraqi Christians from Mosul mourned that the sound of church bells mingled with Muslim calls to prayer, the ultimate symbol of Mosul’s tolerance for diversity, would likely never be heard again.
When Iraqi ruler Saddam Hussein was removed from power in 2003, Mosul had over 30,000 Christians; now, presumably there are none left after ISIS captured the city on the banks of the Tigris River across from ancient Nineveh in early June. Nearly 6,000 civilians have been killed since the beginning of the year, according to United Nations records. Over 1.2 million Iraqis are displaced inside the nation's borders.
"We have lived in this city and we have had a civilization for thousands of years, and suddenly some strangers came and expelled us from our homes," said a woman in her 60s who fled last Friday for a nearby town controlled by Kurdish security forces.
The Syrian (Syriac) Catholic Patriarch of Antioch, Ignace Joseph III Younan, pleaded with the international community to advocate for "human rights, religious freedom, freedom of conscience. We are present in Iraq, in Syria, in Lebanon: Christians were not imported. We have been here for millennia, and so we have the right to be treated like human beings and citizens of these nations!"
More on this story can be found at these links:
'We Are All Christians': Anti-ISIS Graffiti Appears in Mosul After Terrorists Expel Christians. breitbart.com
ISIS Forces Last Iraqi Christians to Flee Mosul. New York Times
Ancient Christian Population of Mosul Flees Islamic State. Reuters
Genocide. Wikipedia
The Big Questions
1. If you were among the Christians who fled Mosul for their very lives this week, how do you think you would read Matthew 10:14-39?
2. Awareness of the suffering of Christians for their faith can help us understand and deplore similar mistreatment of other groups (such as Native Americans, African Americans, Jews in Nazi Germany, Muslims attacked by Crusaders), perhaps by our own ancestors or people of our ethnicity. Why is developing such understanding and empathy important to Christians seeking to share Christ with members of such groups?
3. Can you imagine such a thing happening to us today in the United States? How hard is it to put yourself in the shoes of Iraqi Christians? What makes it difficult or easy to relate to them? How can you overcome the sense that their suffering is unrelated to you?
4. Do you consider the persecuted Christians of Mosul as your brothers and sisters in Christ? Why or why not? Why do Christians in the west seem to know so little about Christians elsewhere who are in danger of genocide? Where is our collective outrage over the way they are being treated? What will stir our hearts to care for them?
5. What can we do about this persecution or for the persecuted?
Confronting the News With Scripture and Hope
Here are some Bible verses to guide your discussion:
Acts 8:1-4
And Saul approved of their killing him. That day a severe persecution began against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout the countryside of Judea and Samaria. Devout men buried Stephen and made loud lamentation over him. But Saul was ravaging the church by entering house after house; dragging off both men and women, he committed them to prison. Now those who were scattered went from place to place, proclaiming the word. (No context needed; see also 9:1-2.)
Determined to annihilate members of what he considered a blasphemous sect, Saul, a Jew, pursued followers of Jesus with the same vehement zeal that characterizes the jihadists today.
Questions: What do you think Stephen and Paul said to each other when they met for the first time in heaven? What is perhaps surprising about the way the believers reacted when they were scattered?
Acts 9:15-17, 20
But the Lord said to [Ananias], "Go, for he is an instrument whom I have chosen to bring my name before Gentiles and kings and before the people of Israel; I myself will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name." So Ananias went and entered the house. He laid his hands on Saul and said, "Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on your way here, has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit." … and immediately [Saul] began to proclaim Jesus in the synagogues, saying, "He is the Son of God." (For context, read 9:10-22.)
After Jesus interrupted Saul's murderous rampage against his followers and sent him, blind, to Damascus, he told Ananias, a disciple, to go see him and heal him. Ananias protested that Saul's violent reputation had preceded him, but Jesus reiterated his command that he should go visit him anyway.
Questions: What needed to happen in Ananias' heart for him to obey the Lord's command? What did Jesus say that convinced Ananias to go see the arch-enemy of the church? What is the significance of the way Ananias addressed Saul? Why doesn't God intervene in the expulsion of Christians from Mosul as he intervened in Saul's rampage?
1 Thessalonians 5:15-18
See that none of you repays evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to all. Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. (No context needed; see also Romans 12:17-21.)
1 Peter 3:9
Do not repay evil for evil or abuse for abuse; but, on the contrary, repay with a blessing. It is for this that you were called -- that you might inherit a blessing. (No context needed.)
The apostles Paul and Peter, who wrote these words, were no strangers to suffering. When they urged suffering believers to refrain from taking revenge, they did not do so in a vacuum, from ivory towers far removed from anguish or persecution. Yet they still spoke in the manner of Christ who prayed for his murderers, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing" (Luke 23:34) and Stephen who cried out to God on behalf of those who were stoning him, "Lord, do not hold this sin against them" (Acts 7:60).
Questions: What happens when we "repay evil with evil"? How should the worldwide Christian Church -- and the Christians from Mosul -- respond to the radical Muslims who have committed evil against them? How can you in your own life repay evil and abuse with a blessing? What blessing would you like to inherit for acting this way?
Matthew 5:43-45
You have heard that it was said, "You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy." But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous. (For context, read 5:43-48.)
Jesus instructs his disciples to model their attitude and behavior toward enemies on God their Father's example, which runs counter to common human practice. It seems counter-intuitive to us to love our enemies and pray for our persecutors, but Jesus says loving and praying for them proves that we really are children of our Father in heaven, who "proves his love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us ... while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son" (Romans 5:8, 10).
Questions: What do rain and sunshine teach us about God's character? How can you love and pray for those who seem determined to eradicate all Christ-followers from the earth?
For Further Discussion
1. Presbyterian missionary Ralph Winter wrote that throughout scripture and Christian history God moves his redemption plan forward in four ways: voluntary going, involuntary going, voluntary coming, and involuntary coming.
• The first, voluntary going, is when believers choose to go to another land with God's message of salvation.
• The second, involuntary going, occurs when believers are initially forced to go to another land or culture due to persecution, slavery or some other cause, but spread their faith in the new culture.
• The third, voluntary coming, happens when people voluntarily migrate into places occupied by believers who influence them by their faith.
• The fourth, involuntary coming, takes place when people are coerced to migrate to areas where believers live and are subsequently influenced by the believers' faith.
(Source: World Christians Info)
Where would you place Abraham in this paradigm? His great-grandson Joseph? The prophet Jonah? Queen Esther? The prophet Daniel? The Queen of Sheba, who came to Solomon's court? The Hebrew slavegirl in Naaman's household? Naaman, the Syrian leper who came to the prophet Elisha? The magi? Jesus in Samaria (John 4)? Greeks who sought Jesus out (John 12:20-26)? The centurion who came to Jesus? Peter who went to Cornelius' house (Acts 10)? Cornelius, who sent for Peter? Paul and his companions on their missionary journeys? Believers in the early church who scattered due to persecution?
Give an example from history for each way the gospel has spread.
Which of these have been in evidence in your own family, church community, or personal life?
What encouragement do you receive from the knowledge that God's salvation plan continues moving forward through these various ways even in times of persecution and trauma?
2. Ghazwan Ilyas, once the director of the Chaldean Culture Society in Mosul, said, "They did not destroy the churches, but they killed us when they removed the cross; this is death for us." What do you think he meant? Is the sign of the cross that important to you? What is the significance of the cross in your life?
3. A TWW contributor wrote: "A member of a church I attend is from Mosul; his family had already fled to Baghdad. I myself am only one generation removed from a similar fate; my father was on a list to be arrested for his Christian identity and ministry before he fled his homeland." Do you have ancestors who came to the United States to escape enemies intent on their obliteration? How does awareness of your own story help you empathize with others experiencing similar upheaval?
Responding to the News
1. Consider wearing the Arabic letter Nasrani as a show of solidarity with your Iraqi brothers and sisters who have suffered great loss and are in great danger.
2. Every time you hear or see a weather report this week, pause to remember what rain and sunshine teach us about the mercy of God, and pray for your enemies.
3. Consider taking the Pledge Against Genocide.
4. Check with your denominational headquarters to see if there are any direct aid initiatives being undertaken for these persecuted Christians. Find out how you can participate.
Closing Prayer
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