ISIS Ransacks Culture in the Middle East by Ruth Kramer Mission Network News |
"In the press to expand the borders of the ISIS caliphate, fighters issue the following ultimatum: convert to Islam, pay a tax to remain in the area, abandon your home permanently, or be killed.
"More than 250,000 Christians have fled Northern Iraq amid ISIS persecution. These were the last Christians residing in the region. Greg Musselman, a spokesman for the Voice of the Martyrs Canada, describes what’s happening this way: “It looks like Christianity is going to be extinct. You’ve heard it in Syria, we heard the stories from Israel [and] Egypt. All through that region, Christianity is just under such vicious attack.” He goes on to say, “People had homes, lives, and good jobs in some of these communities where ISIS came in. And yet, there still is joy. ‘At least we have our family. Yes, we’ve lost all our possessions, but they can’t take Jesus from us...'”