ISIS reportedly
selling Christian artifacts, turning churches into torture chambers
Published December 20, 2014
A woman walks inside a damaged church in
Maaloula. The Christian town was attacked last spring by extremist forces. (REUTERS/Omar
Sanadiki)
The
Islamic State is turning Christian churches in Iraq and Syria into dungeons and
torture chambers after stripping them of priceless artifacts to sell on the
black market, according to reports.
Ancient
relics and even entire murals are being torn from the houses of worship and
smuggled out through the same routes previously established for moving oil and
weapons in and out of the so-called caliphate, a vast region the jihadist army
has claimed as sovereign under Sharia law.
"ISIS
has a stated goal to wipe out Christianity,” Jay Sekulow, of the American
Center for Law and Justice and the author of "Rise of ISIS: A Threat We
Can't Ignore," told FoxNews.com. “This why they are crucifying Christians
-- including children -- destroying churches and selling artifacts. The fact
is, this group will stop at nothing to raise funds for its terrorist mission.”
It’s
not clear what items have been stolen, but the terrorist group has sought to
destroy religious groups that don't embrace its twisted and violent
interpretation of Islam, and has already blown up several revered Christian
sites and monuments.
“In short, ISIS is
composed of religiously motivated psychopaths."
- Jay Sekulow,
American Center for Law and Justice
Last
July, ISIS militants used sledgehammers to destroy the tomb of Jonah in Mosul.
Around the same time, they were destroying Sunni shrines and mosques in the
northern province of Ninevah, including the Shia Saad bin Aqeel Husseiniya
shrine in the city of Tal Afar and the al-Qubba Husseiniya, as well as
Christian churches in Syria. The group follows a strict interpretation of the
Sunni faith which is against idolatry of anything other than God. ISIS has also
threatened to destroy the holy sight of Mecca in Saudi Arabia.
Christianity,
like Judaism and Islam, have powerful historical ties to the region, and some
of its most treasured sites and relics are in Iraq and Syria, according to
experts. Their destruction or dispersal is tragic, said Shaul Gabbay, senior
scholar at the University of Denver’s Josef Korbel School of International
Studies.
“The
Middle East is where the three monotheistic religions begun and anything that
can inform us about the history and chronology of the development of religion
is of unparalleled significance to the core identity of anyone who is
Christian,” Gabbay told FoxNews.com. “This is where Abraham, the forefather of
the three monotheistic religions, came from, where Moses led the Hebrews to the
Promised Land and where Jesus Christ was born, walked, died and was resurrected.
“Anything
physical part that exists from the past including more modern artifacts is of
extreme value to Christianity both at the informative and educational level as
well as the spiritual/faith level,” he said.
Experts
believe Islamic State's trafficking in religious artifacts is both to make
money and to culturally cleanse the region. The Islamic militants have
converted churches in Qaraqosh and other Iraqi cities into torture chambers,
according to the Sunday Times. One priest from the
region, who gave his name as Abu Aasi from Mosul, told the newspaper earlier
this month that prisoners were being held in the Bahnam Wa Sara and Al Kiama
churches.
“These
two churches are being used as prisons and for torture,” he said while in
hiding. “Most inside are Christians and they are being forced to convert to
Islam. Isis has been breaking all the crosses and statues of Mary.”
Christianity
is believed to be practiced by just three percent of the population of Iraq.
They lived in relative religious freedom while under Saddam Hussein's rule, but
have faced persecution from Islamic State in the last two years. In particular,
the Yazidi, a Kurdish Christian people, have been hounded and murdered by the
extremist group, leaving many of them becoming refugees trying to escape the
region.
“We
know that ISIS considers several groups -- including Christians -- as 'infidels
without human rights,'" Sekulow said. "ISIS jihadists commit violence
against fellow Muslims in violation of Islamic law. They routinely commit war
crimes and engage in torture in violation of international law; and they also
kill and threaten Christian, Jewish, and other religious communities.”
“In
short, ISIS is composed of religiously motivated psychopaths," he said.
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