In the Face of ISIS Brutality, Faith Holds by Lindsay Steele Mission Network News |
"When ISIS overran the city of Mosul in July, Christians were given the ultimatum: convert to Islam, pay the jizya tax (a humiliating sign of submission by religious minorities in conquered Islamic territory), leave, or “face the sword.” With only the possessions that could be carried, thousands fled by car, truck, or even by foot across the mountains to the relative safety of the region of Kurdistan.
"In September, a SAT-7 film crew traveled to Kurdistan to gather information from the refugees and the churches sheltering them.
"Bridges presenter, Dr. Ehab El Kharrat, said what he witnessed in Kurdistan was beyond belief. “We saw thousands of people sleeping in churches, courtyards, parking lots, and even in chicken sheds. A young boy wept on my shoulders because his father was beheaded in front of him. A woman wept because her daughter was taken: she knows women, once taken, are sold as sex slaves. Another woman shared how her 3-year-old was taken away: it seems that pedophilia is in the cards. It’s horrendous...'”