EU Politician Issues Call to Stop Christian Genocide in Middle East

Veronica Neffinger | iBelieve Contributor | Updated: Nov 30, 2015

EU Politician Issues Call to Stop Christian Genocide in Middle East

The world must wake up to the reality of the Christian genocide occurring in the Middle East, says a European Parliamentarian.

The Christian Post reports that Lars Adaktusson, a Eurpean Parliamentarian and member of the Christian Democrats party in Sweden wrote an opinion piece on the genocide of Christians which was published in the Swedish newspaper, Svenska Dagbladet.

In the article, Adaktusson writes: “Just like their fellow Christians in Syria, the inhabitants of Mosul fled from the Islamic State's brutal and deadly rampage. When faced with the demand from the terrorists murder patrol to choose between a high penalty tax, converting to Islam or a beheading, an uprooting and dramatic escape was the only way out.”

Adaktusson added that with the Christian genocide brought about by the Islamic State’s atrocities, a valuable cultural heritage is being lost along with its people.

“With Mosul’s churches were emptied, there was no more church services and for the first time in 1,700 years the church bells silenced. The people fleeing left their homes, their possessions and their Christian traditions, but also an invaluable cultural heritage.”

In an article for Salon entitled “Dead Temples vs. Living Churches: ISIS is Obliterating Christian Communities--Why Aren’t We Paying Attention?” Philip Jenkins echoes Adaktusson’s claims, calling attention to the loss of lives, as well as loss of cultural heritage.

After detailing the destruction perpetrated by the Islamic State against Christian communities, Jenkins goes on to remind readers that even Muslim culture and traditions have been heavily influenced by Middle Eastern Christianity.

“The stern Christian Lent became the Muslim Ramadan,” says Jenkins, “and the monastic habit of prostration during worship established the pattern that all Muslims observe today. In its layout, a typical modern mosque is a good facsimile of the typical churches that early Muslims would have found in Syria and Palestine.”

According to the Christian Post, the U.S. government recently released a report stating that the Yazidis, a minority group in the Middle East, will be officially recognized as genocide victims; however, Christians were left out of the report.

Many are calling for the world to wake up and recognize the genocide of Christians for what it is.

As Jenkins states, “Do dead temples really matter more than living churches?”

Publication date: November 30, 2015



EU Politician Issues Call to Stop Christian Genocide in Middle East