Assyrian Christians Persecuted Daily in Iraq

Then there is a face — Raymond Shamoun. The 23-year-old is asked by a voice off-screen to defend himself against the accusations. He’s been accused of betraying Iraq, his country, where he, “the Christian swine,” has cooperated with the US-led Coalition.

Raymond counters that what is said is false. He has not betrayed anyone. He’s only employed at the US military base. However, the voice off-screen continues, saying Raymond has committed treason. Chants continue. Raymond’s face turns to terror. He hears that Allah is the only true God. A knife flashes forth, cutting Raymond’s throat. His head is cut off, but slowly for the knife is dull. His body is hung upside down, blood running to the floor, similar to Muslims slaughtering animals.

Raymond, Assyrian, is in the video presented to Yildiz, Assyrian. The video has been sent to Assyrians worldwide. Muslims who made the video want to scare Assyrians to flee Iraq. The Assyrians there are Christians, accused of being friends with the Americans, especially American Christians.

Every day there is some report of Assyrian Christians being kidnapped, Christian churches desecrated, and the raping of Christian women. Christian students are prohibited from attending university classes. The females are forced to wear the Islamic veil. Assyrians are forced to protect their holy sites and themselves from Islamic murderers.

“Four days after Raymond was beheaded, his father, 66 year-old Farouk walked through the doors of one of Mosul’s hospitals. He knew to head to the hospital yard where unidentified bodies are usually dumped.

“He searches through the corpses and finds a body without a head. He opens the sheet in which the body is been wrapped and recognizes, by the clothes, that is his only son. He embraces the headless corpse screams in despair. Something rolls out from under the sheet. It is the head. He picks it up, kisses the forehead and closes the eyelids.

“Tearing off a piece of the sheet he carefully binds the head to the breast of the corpse and carries it to a waiting car. Many look on. No one helps. It is known that those who help someone murdered by the Islamists may themselves be considered as collaborators.

“Assyrians are amongst the earliest converts to Christianity and Aramaic, the native language of Jesus Christ, can still be heard in Assyrian villages and cities. Descendents of the great Mesopotamian civilization, they still celebrate through art and memory their roots in what is commonly referred to as the cradle of civilization. Today there are little under 1 million Assyrians left in Iraq. Fifteen years ago there were over one and half million. Hundreds of thousands have fled to neighboring countries like Syria and Jordan to escape the persecution and seek a better life, any life, elsewhere.”

Pray for the Assyrian Christians.

Joseph Grant Swank, Jr., Pastor, New Hope Church

Graduate of accredited college (BA) and seminary (M Div) with graduate work at Harvard Divinity School.

Married for 44 years with 3 adult children.

Author of 5 books and thousands of articles in various Protestant and Catholic magazines, journals and newspapers. Web site columns appear on MichNews.com, BushCountry.org, TheConservativeVoice.com,  RaptureAlert.com, Republican and Proud, FaithFreedom.org, Conservative Posts, Common Conservative, Out2.com, MensNewsDaily.com, Magic City Morning Star, Right Wing Conservative, Mullenax News, Religious News Online, among others.