June 2015 Persecution Magazine (2 of 4)

FailedChristians flee crumbling nationsStates

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Aregion in chaos is one label to describe the Middle East of the past five years.

While conflict and war is nothing new for the region, even still there are seismic shifts underway that may radically alter the region for many years to come.

In the midst of this, Christianity is under threat and, in many cases, seems to be vanishing from its very birthplace. Yet, as has been the case throughout history, the blood of the martyrs — and there have been many in recent months — has become the seed of the church.

Though the church may be shrinking in numbers as Christians have had to flee for safety, many are finding a deeper relationship with God.

“When you’ve lost every-thing but God, you cling to him more tightly,” an Iraqi woman told ICC after she and her family were forced to flee for their lives in the middle of the night.

As turmoil swirls around, Christians, who represent just a small fraction of the region’s population, are more under threat than ever.

Political ChaosWhen Mohamed Bouazizi,

a Tunisian fruit vendor, set himself aflame in December 2010, no one could have anticipated the series of events that would follow. Protesting unemployment, government corruption and human rights abuses, crowds took to the streets across Tunisia, then spread to Egypt, Libya, Yemen and nearly every country across the Middle East.

While many of the voic-es initially were calling for greater rights and freedoms, the aftermath of political upheaval was first capitalized on by Islamist groups and then by jihadist extremists.

A number of long-ruling authoritarian leaders were forced from office — Zine El Abidine Ben Ali in Tunisia, Hosni Mubarak in Egypt, Muammar Gaddafi in Libya and Ali Abdullah Saleh in Yemen. Even those who survived the protests were forced to make changes.

In Egypt, the revolution forced Mubarak from office, but after a military-led tran-

sitional government, the Muslim Brotherhood took power and the situation for all but those who were part of their inner circle worsened. After just one year in office, Egyptians were in the streets in even greater numbers than in 2011 and forced the Muslim Brotherhood presi-dent, Mohammed Morsi, to resign. In the aftermath, Egypt witnessed the most intense period of attacks on Christians in recent memory. As dozens of churches and hundreds of homes and busi-nesses were destroyed, many Christians were left to won-der if there remained a place for them in Egypt.

In Syria and Iraq, they are asking the same questions.

Wave upon Wave of Displacement

In Damascus, the regime of Bashar al-Assad is still clinging on to power after more than four years of fight-ing. The opposition groups seeking to remove him from office in 2011 were very quickly overrun by Islamic jihadists. The conflict in Syria has created the larg-est humanitarian crisis since World War II — more than 12.2 million people in need, (4.2 million refugees who

have left, 7.6 million displaced still in Syria). In 2014, the Syria conflict spilled over into

Iraq as ISIS claimed large portions of the country, driving 2.6 million people from their homes. In both countries, Christians left fear-ful of the future. Many of them see no hope of ever returning home.

“When your choice is these butchers from ISIS or anyone else, you will choose anything else,” a Christian in Lebanon told ICC.

Not long ago, Syria was one of the better places in the region for Christians, but now more than 500,000 of the estimated 1.5 mil-lion have left the country.

In neighboring Iraq in the early 2000s, there were also about 1.5 million Christians, but now that number has decreased to 350,000. When ISIS swept through the Christian heart-lands of central Iraq in 2014, about 200,000 Christians fled their homes and are now living in the Kurdistan region.

Rise of ISIS, et al. In the chaos of the region, the groups gain-

ing the fastest are Islamic jihadists. Al Qaeda

PhotosTop ISIS releases video on social media as propaganda announcing

their arrival in Yemen.

Bottom Coptic Christians march in Washington, D.C., in protest of the

martyrdom of the 21 Christians beheaded by ISIS in Libya.

Photo by AINA

‘When your choice is these butchers from ISIS or anyone else, you will choose anything else.’ – A CHRISTIAN IN LEBANON WHO FLED HIS HOME TO ESCAPE ISIS

FAILED STATES & FLEEING CHRISTIANS

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remains active carrying out operations in Yemen, across North Africa, and playing a significant role Syria.

In 2014, the world awoke to the group now known as ISIS, or the so-called Islamic State. They emerged from extremists in Iraq, but then expanded through their fighting in Syria and now have gained affiliates across the globe. ISIS has gripped interna-tional headlines through its savvy use of social media to broadcast highly-produced videos of their most brutal exploits to the world. Serving as one part propaganda and one part recruiting material, they have declared a war on Christianity. Christians have been given the choice to convert, pay a tax or face the sword. As a result, Christians have fled by the hundreds of thousands, watching as their churches and homes are demolished behind them.

As chaos continues to overwhelm the region, Christians in the Middle East need the Church to help them survive.

Timeline of Terror

2011Dec. 17 (2010): Tunisian fruit vendor, Mohamed Bouazizi, sets himself aflame, sparking protests Jan. 14: Tunisian President Zine el Abidine flees to Saudi ArabiaJan. 25: Egyptians fill Tahrir Square, force Hosni Mubarak to resignMarch 15: Syrian protests start in Damascus and Allepo, calling for reform by Assad governmentOct. 20: Muammar Gaddafi is killed and Libya is declared liberated three days laterDec. 18: Last of U.S. troops leave Iraq after 2003 invasion

2012Jan. 24: Jabhat al-Nusra, an Al Qaeda-linked group, is created in Syria, leads jihadists to fight a civil warFeb. 27: Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh resigns after protestsJune 24: Muslim Brotherhood candidate Mohammed Morsi wins presi-dential election in EgyptSept. 11: U.S. Embassy in Benghazi, Libya, is attacked, Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans are killed

2013July 3: As millions of Egyptians march in the streets, Mohammed Morsi is forced out of officeAug. 14-15: Muslims torch more than 70 churches across Egypt after military disperses sit-in protests in Cairo Aug. 21: Nearly 1,500 are killed by a chemical attack by Assad regime in a Damascus suburb Sept. 3: Number of Syrian refugees reaches 2 million, more than 450,000 Christians are among those who have fled

2014June 10: Mosul, Iraq’s second largest city, falls to ISIS militants, 500,000 flee the cityJune 29: ISIS declares it has re-established the Islamic CaliphateJuly 4: ISIS “Caliph” Abu-Bakr al-Baghdadi delivers speech at Great Mosque in Mosul, IraqAug. 8: U.S. launches airstrikes to halt ISIS advance in IraqAug. 14: Iraqi PM Nouri al-Maliki resigns as ISIS continues to gain ground in IraqNov. 18: ISIS takes control of Derna, Libya, population: 100,000Dec. 31: Total Iraqis displaced exceeds 2 million, more than 150,000 Christians counted among the displaced

2015Feb 6: Iranian-backed Shi’a rebels take control of Yemen’s capitalFeb. 15: ISIS releases video showing the beheading of 21 Christian captives in LibyaFeb. 24: ISIS abducts more than 250 Christians from SyriaApril 19: ISIS releases video showing execution of 30 Ethiopian and Eritrean migrants in Libya

A five-year chronology of events that have led to the advance of Islam and crumbling of Middle Eastern nations.


A REGION IN TURMOIL

Libya

After the fall of long-time dictator Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, Libya has become a training ground and safe haven for militant Islamic extremists. Groups like Ansr al-Sharia and now ISIS have a stronghold in Libya and have been abducting and executing Christians across the country.

The Spread of ISIS

Tunisia

The beginning of the Arab Spring in 2011, Tunisia has since become one of the largest suppliers of for-eign fighters for ISIS, with at least 3,000 Tunisians fighting alongside the jihadists in Iraq and Syria. A March 18 ISIS attack killed 21.

Egypt

Since 2011, Egypt has had five governments and two revolutions. The radical Muslim Brotherhood took power for one year. In June 2013, the people removed them from office, sparking the largest and most violent wave of attacks on Christians in 1,400 years.

Attack on Christians

Refugees

ISIS Presence

Legend

Syria

Iraq

ISIS Control

Al Qaeda Presence

Capital


Iraq

Modern Iraq was created after World War I by the British. It encom-passes a Kurdish north, Sunni middle and Shia south. These groups could cause the country to split apart, as it is ungovernable except by a strongman. Since 2003, more than one million Christians have fled Iraq. In June 2014, ISIS militants overran Mosul and the Christian heartland. Overnight, 200,000 Christians fled to the Kurdistan region. ISIS continues to hold much of Iraq and is seeking to erase the history of Iraq’s Christian community. Although the Christians are temporar-ily safe in Kurdish regions, the rumor on the Kurdish street is that they will attack the Christians once they gain statehood.

Somalia

This war-torn country is the home of the Al Qaeda-linked Al Shabaab. The jihadist group has carried out numerous attacks throughout Africa, targeting Christians and Westerners. They were implicated in the 2013 attack on Nairobi’s Westgate Mall that killed 67, and they killed 148 at Garissa University on April 2. In both attacks, the militants specifically targeted Christians.

Syria

In its fifth year, the Syrian conflict has devastated the Christian com-munity that once lived in relative peace. An opposition made up largely of Islamic extremists is battling the regime of Bashar al-Assad. More than 450,000 Christians have fled the country, and hundreds of thousands more are in hiding. Clergy members and believers have been abducted, executed or held for ransom.

Yemen

An Al Qaeda stronghold center of the Sunni/Shia (Saudi/Iran) proxy war. Iranian-backed rebels seized control of government institutions, sparking a reaction from Sunni states and ISIS-affiliated groups.

Saudi arabia

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has for decades used its vast oil wealth to fi-nance the spread of fundamental/violent Islam around the world. Much of the growth of Islamic extremism has been fueled by Saudi money, but many of the extremist groups now threaten Saudi’s leaders as corrupted Sunni Saudi Arabia is locked in a power struggle with Shi’a Iran for influence in the region.

ISIS Annual Revenue (Billions)

Oil/Gas Kidnap Concrete Chemicals Tithes Extortion Agriculture 0Total $3BB / Year

ISIS

“Remaining and expanding” is the official slogan of the Islamic jihadist group that claims to have established the caliphate and seeks to restore the Islamic kingdom in preparation for the end times.

In the midst of political instability, ISIS has captured a stronghold in large parts of Syria and Iraq. The group’s military gains have allowed it to swell its ranks with more than 20,000 foreign fighters. ISIS has received pledges of loyalty from more than 30 Islamic jihadist groups across the region, giving it a large base of opera-tions. They have also inspired attacks across the world — from Sydney and Paris to Ontario and New York City.

1.6 0.120.30.050.500.360.2

Christian Population % in Middle East

Christian Exodus By Country

US 100 Tunisia 5,000 Europe 4,000 Saudi 7,000 Fmr USSR 3,000 N. Africa 5,300

Source of ISIS Fighters

Jordan 0.6MM Lebanon 1.1MM Turkey 1.7MM Iraq 2.7MM Disp Syria 7.6MM Disp

ISIS Refugees

1900 Present

5%

10% 1MM

Iraq: last 12 years

450K

100K

Syria: last 5 years

Egypt: last 5 years

66%of

Pop. 45%of

Pop.

2.5%


I hope you know your government is arming the wrong type of rebels in Syria. These rebels are not freedom fighters, but rather Sunni jihadists with an extremist agenda.”

The words of my Kurdish colleague floored me as I sat with him in his office in Duhok,

Iraq, during the winter of 2012. Little did I know, then, how deadly accurate his state-ments were.

Syria UnravelsIn the spring of 2011, as the spirit of Arab

political uprising made its way into Syria, young Syrians erupted in rage against the beating and torture of teenage boys by the Assad regime. Concurrently, Islamist fight-ers were quietly making their way into the country from every corner of the world and waiting for a spark that they could use to inflame Syria.

The streets of Damascus began to trem-ble with anti-government uprisings as bat-tle-hardened Islamist insurgents from Iraq flowed into Syria, disguising themselves as freedom fighters and humanitarians seeking to redeem Syrians from the Assad regime. As local uprisings grew into nationwide violence, Syria’s Christian community was caught in between a rock and a hard place. On one side, violent jihadis intent on overthrowing Assad and establishing an Islamic state, and on the other, the Assad regime that had trusted and empowered Syria’s Christians from Islamic fundamentalists.

In the West, the Arab Spring movement was upheld by a naïve press as a great democratic uprising, and the man on the street looked on with awe as a new democratic dawn arose in the Middle East. During this time, ICC’s newsletters and press releases decried the

Arab Spring and repeatedly told those who would listen that it was the coming of an Arab Winter.

In Syria, attacks and counterattacks increased, and the country began to become unglued. The Muslim calls to prayer from the mosques were frequently spiced with fatwas, death sentences and announcements of expul-sions.

Rather than the brightening of a democratic dawn, Christians awoke to a nightmare where large swathes of their country were ruled by Islamic extremists who had placed a bull’s-

eye squarely on their backs. In October 2013, a Syrian pastor told ICC,

“The majority of the rebels aren’t Syrian. They behead people and are especially focused on killing Christians and making us leave the country. It’s a terrible situation.”

In the country where the apostle Paul launched his ministry, persecution, crucifix-ions and beheadings made it abundantly clear that truly the seasons had changed and it was an Arab Winter.

Nearly five years since the beginning of the Arab Spring, most of the world has yet to understand that the movement was never about democracy or social justice. On the contrary, the Arab “awakening” that began in December 2010 was about recapturing an old ideal, one that began 1,400 years earlier with Muhammad, the founder of Islam.

The unraveling of the Middle East and the attempted rise of a caliphate (an Islamic super state ruled by the laws of Muhammad) goes beyond the Arab Spring or the United States’ incursion into Iraq.

A free and democratic Arab world, envi-sioned by the Western world, is nonexistent and, in fact, was never a reality. The Arab Winter has been in place for 1,400 years, and Syria’s plight is merely the latest chapter in the long and deadly history of asphyxiation of the Arab world by Islam.

Iraq’s Descent into ChaosThe rise of ISIS in Syria and the establish-

ment of the “caliphate” in Mosul have served to make clear that 2,000 years of Christian history in the city are gone forever. Mosul, once the heart of the Syriac Orthodox Church, is now a jihadist playground. The very same jihadists who recently marched for freedom and stability now roam the streets of Raqqa and Mosul, chanting hatred and extremism.

“Allahu akbar” (God is great) can be heard

“Most of the world has yet to understand that the Arab Spring was about recapturing an old ideal, one that began 1,400 years earlier with the founder of Islam,Muhammad.”

A Desert MirageThe Unraveling of Syria and Iraq Reveal the True Colors of the Middle East’s “Arab Spring”By Rosalie Thompson


from almost every corner of Syria and north-ern Iraq as they wield their swords in the faces of Christians. Ancient Christian monasteries that still recited the Scriptures in Aramaic, the language of Christ, now lay in shambles.

Most people have no idea that discrimination and attacks against Iraqi Christians predate the 2003 U.S. invasion and the rise of ISIS. During the 14th century, the Turco-Mongol warlord, Tamerlane, beheaded 70,000 Iraqi Christians. In 1988, Christians were targeted in the al Anfal campaign, headed by Saddam Hussein. Two thousand Iraqi Christians were cleansed from their towns and villages.

Somehow, Christianity had always endured and held on in Iraq, but that changed overnight in July 2014, when Mosul and the Nineveh plains were emptied of Christians for the first time in history.

For me, watching the fall of Mosul from the U.S. was not a surprise. I had lived in northern Iraq for two years and had heard firsthand from the Iraqis how the jihadis had infiltrated Syria and Iraq, but after 10 years of war, I wanted to believe that Iraq was headed toward a brighter future.

A 1,400-Year ProblemThe problem was that, in reality, the fall of

Syria and Iraq were in the making 1,400 years before the Arab Spring. True, the Western world played our part in the deconstructing of the Arab world with our incursion into Iraq, but we compounded our mistake by telling the lie of the Arab Spring. We were selling a des-ert mirage that gave an army of jihadis room to grow and eventually destroy what little was left of civilization and human dignity in Iraq and Syria.

I remember very well an Iraqi Christian telling me that the Middle East was a ticking bomb waiting to detonate.

“It’s just a matter of when,” he said, refer-ring to the 1,400-year religious war that Islam was continually fighting internally (Sunni/Shia) and externally (Islam’s eternal quest to bring territory into submission [Islam means submission] to Muhammad’s and Allah’s commands).

This is the curse that keeps the Middle East from ever achieving peace and stability. For a while, I was caught up in the myth of a free and stable Iraq. Now, I see that what I saw in the distance was merely a desert mirage.

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June 2015 Persecution Magazine (2 of 4)

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