All posts tagged: Iraq

Saint Elijah's Monastery in Mosul, Iraq. Dated to the sixth century, it is the oldest monastery in Iraq. Photo: Doug/Wikipedia/Creative Commons

Forgiving through the fire

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  Earlier this month, Islamic extremists burned a 12-year old Christian girl to death. She was living in Mosul, Iraq with her family when ISIS terrorists showed up at their home demanding the Coptic Christian family pay jizya. The jizya is a tax that over the centuries Muslims have forced Christians and Jews living in their territory to pay. The Muslim Qur’an mentions jizya , but does not specify how much the tax should be. Traditionally, it has been looked upon as a tax non-Muslims pay to practice their faith in Muslim countries. If paid, it is supposed to protect Christians from Muslim attacks.  It also indicates that the people being taxed are in submission to their Muslim rulers. Some Muslim Imams (teachers) even consider it a form of punishment for not being Muslim. Most Muslim nations do not impose the jizya, but it has made an appearance recently in areas controlled by ISIS and the Taliban. According to the British Newspaper The Express, when the jihadists showed up they demanded the family pay the …

Flying sand and dense mist leads to a water baptism in Iraq

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It’s a stirring account of an unusual water baptism that took place in the Euphrates River on January 21, 2006 in Iraq. On this day, the unit’s chaplain baptized an American soldier stationed at Rawa, Anbar province, in Northern Iraq. He was dressed in his typical sea-foam green camouflaged uniform. It was a dangerous time in that country. After the defeat of Iraq in 2003, militants were starting to re-assert themselves throughout the country. ISIS reportedly now controls this territory. The soldier was baptized in the Euphrates, an ancient river mentioned in the last book of the Bible — Revelation. In his vision of the end-times, the Apostle John saw the great river was completely dried up (Revelation 16:12) allowing a massive army from the East easy access to the area. We don’t know if John intended this passage to be interpreted literally or spiritually. You can tell from the video it is a massive river. One of the reasons the baptism could take place that day was due to the high wind that whipped …

What kind of loser are you?

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[by Sandy McIntosh] World leaders seem paralyzed by the Islamic State. The most recent news is that IS is bulldozing ancient ruins. Apparently they are destroying the historical heritage of the entire human race, with the attitude, we don’t need a past, we just need their future. Future generations have lost part of their heritage forever. The problem is us, not them. The world has no solution to this horrible problem. I believe the failure comes from our western bias, we believe in our own success but we are confronted by a victorious enemy. World news is grim. The Islamic State in Iraq and Syria continues to shock the world and no-one can stop them. Thousands of Russian soldiers are in another country, Ukraine and they won’t leave. Iran seems close to building a nuclear bomb, and Saudi Arabia has responded by planning to build its own.

More British Muslims fighing for Islamic extremists than the British Army

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According to Khalid Mahmood, a British MP from Birmingham, England, there are more British Muslims fighting for Islamic State (IS) extremists in the Middle East than there are serving in the British army. The IS — which goes by various acronyms including ISIS (Islamic State in Syria) — is attempting to set up an Islamic Caliphate in the Middle East. The British army says there are 600 Muslims serving in the British army. MP Khalid Mahmood believes over the last three years 1,500 British Muslims have joined the IS in its fight in the Middle East.