The Islamic State terror group posted flyers throughout Mosul announcing in a decree that the Syrian Orthodox Church of St. Ephraim is reopening as the “mosque of the mujahideen” or jihad fighters. Christian symbols and relics have already been scrubbed and demolished from the ancient church.
It’s believed that all Christians have either been executed or have evacuated the city since Islamic militants overran the area last year. Christians were told to flee or face execution.
“They (ISIS) take everything from us, but they cannot take the God from our hearts, they cannot,” said Nicodemus Sharaf, archbishop of the Syriac Orthodox Church in Mosul, who’s now a refugee.
The BBC reported Tuesday that homes belonging to Christians and other religious minorities have been confiscated or marked for demolition. A man calling himself Hisham said that many Muslims no longer go to the mosques because they have become so radicalized.
“The group has even replaced the imams in the mosques with pro-IS people,” said Hisham to the BBC. “Many of us have stopped going to the mosques because those attending are asked to give an oath of allegiance and we hate that.”
The Islamic State terror group posted flyers throughout Mosul announcing in a decree that the Syrian Orthodox Church of St. Ephraim is reopening as the “mosque of the mujahideen” or jihad fighters. Christian symbols and relics have already been scrubbed and demolished from the ancient church.
It’s believed that all Christians have either been executed or have evacuated the city since Islamic militants overran the area last year. Christians were told to flee or face execution.
“They (ISIS) take everything from us, but they cannot take the God from our hearts, they cannot,” said Nicodemus Sharaf, archbishop of the Syriac Orthodox Church in Mosul, who’s now a refugee.
The BBC reported Tuesday that homes belonging to Christians and other religious minorities have been confiscated or marked for demolition. A man calling himself Hisham said that many Muslims no longer go to the mosques because they have become so radicalized.
“The group has even replaced the imams in the mosques with pro-IS people,” said Hisham to the BBC. “Many of us have stopped going to the mosques because those attending are asked to give an oath of allegiance and we hate that.”
Source: Christian Post
