Thanks mainly to regime change in Washington D.C., we’re finally seeing some encouraging developments in the Middle East. After the committed military offensive carried out by U.S. forces and our allies over the last couple of years, ISIS is essentially running on fumes in Syria and Iraq. Refugees – Christian and other non-Muslims – are slowly returning to the towns they were forced to flee during fighting and occupation by the jihadists.
There has long been a significant Christian presence in these lands; actually, going all the way back to the first century or two after Jesus’ resurrection. Before the Islamist persecution began in earnest nearly a decade ago, there were approximately 2 million Christians each in Syria and Iraq. Today, according to Open Doors, those numbers are down by 43% in Syria, and 87%(!) in Iraq ~
[From Open Doors “Presence” publication, Winter 2019/ Vol.4.1 – by Christopher Summers] ~
Christian communities have existed in these places since the time of Jesus. I’ll never forget when I heard a preacher talk about Iraq’s Nineveh Plain, and then he asked, “You of course, remember the name “Nineveh?” And I realized, the people in this area can trace their faith to the days of Jonah.
(I)n the last five years that community of believers has been chased out, violently oppressed and threatened with extermination. ISIS attacked Christians in Syria and Iraq with a horrifying intensity that seemed unbelievable. Christians were driven out of their homes, out of their towns and villages where they have lived for millennia.
But now – they’re coming home. And the U.S. is helping them start over.
Last year, the Trump Administration met with Open Doors and 11 other organizations to discuss the most productive way to spend the $55 million that the U.S. and U.N had committed to help rebuild lives, homes and communities devastated by ISIS’ violence. The State Dept. visited Iraq in June/July ’18 to assess the progress, after which they pledged an additional $178 million in aid.
In December President Trump signed into law the Iraq and Syria Genocide Relief and Accountability Act, which will direct humanitarian and rebuilding assistance to Christians and other religious minorities in Iraq and Syria.
Further, as Open Doors reports ~
Our field partners in Iraq are working with the local church to establish a legal center to help Christians develop a better understanding of their legal rights, to assist local lawyers in defending Christians’ rights, to provide a way to document incidents and violations against Christians and to help present the evidence of their persecution. Our partners hope that gathering this evidence and information like this will result in being able to provide great evidence in court cases, and to help explain persecution and pressure felt by Christians in Iraq.
No one believes that restoring homes, communities and lives will be an easy task. ISIS devastated these areas. But day by day, with help from the U.S., and non-profit faith-based organizations like Open Doors, the future is looking better and brighter.
“Like Christ rose from the dead, this community is rising from the ashes.”
This potent Easter quote from Father George Jahola actually says it all, as we speak with him in the Mar Behnam Church in the center of Qaraqosh. During ISIS’ occupation, the church building was used as a training ground to train new terrorists. Now, its halls are once again welcoming the believers who once worshiped there three years ago.
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Related:
ISIS Militants Evacuate Last Stronghold in Syria to Government
Iraq Says Its War Against ISIS Has Ended (Dec. 2017)
Iraqi Christians Celebrate First Christmas After ISIS Defeat (Dec. 2017)
The Radical Survival Story of Christianity in Iraq and Syria ~
Through ISIS, Satan threatened to wipe out the entire Christian population in this region known as the birthplace of Christianity. The defeat of ISIS in the Middle East is a tangible expression of a God who has carried His people since day one, a Savior who has already defeated our arch enemy and is more powerful than any group or ruler known to man at any time and place in the world.
Trump Signs Bill Aimed at Assisting ISIS Genocide Victims in Iraq and Syria ~ Measure will help Christian, Yazidi, other minority communities rebuild
U.S. Has Taken Great Strides to Help Iraqi Christians, But Much More Remains to be Done
Beauty Is More Than Skin Deep for the Displaced of Iraq ~ Samaritan’s Purse is helping provide a fresh start for displaced Yazidi women ~
At Northern Iraq Community Center’s salon, Samaritan’s Purse provides internally displaced women a place to retreat, celebrate beauty, and get their hair and makeup done for weddings in a proper Iraqi way—including big hairstyles, bold eyebrows, thick eyeliner, and fun lip colors […]
In addition to serving wedding parties, the Samaritan’s Purse’s salon provides Yazidi women with training through beautician classes. Students attend a six-week course that equips them to properly do hair and makeup while also bringing a meaningful diversion from the long days in displacement camps.
