The Iraqi city of Mosul that was quickly taken by ISIS terrorists is now free of Christians for the first time in history after they were warned to either convert, pay the al-Jizya tax that non-Muslims pay to live under their rule, or “face the sword.”
Christians were fleeing Iraq’s jihadist-held city of Mosul en masse Friday after mosques relayed an ultimatum giving them a few hours to leave, the country’s Chaldean patriarch and witnesses said.
“Christian families are on their way to Dohuk and Arbil,” in the neighboring autonomous region of Kurdistan, Patriarch Louis Sako told AFP. “For the first time in the history of Iraq, Mosul is now empty of Christians.”
Witnesses said messages telling Christians to leave the city by Saturday were blared through loudspeakers from the city’s mosques Friday.
A statement dated from last week and purportedly issued by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) jihadist group that took over the city and large swathes of Iraq during a sweeping offensive last month warned Mosul’s Christians they should convert, pay a special tax, leave or face death.
“We were shocked by the distribution of a statement by the Islamic State calling on Christians to convert to Islam, or to pay unspecified tribute, or to leave their city and their homes taking only their clothes and no luggage, and that their homes would then belong to the Islamic State,” Sako said.
Here is the flyer that was passed out to warn Christians:
Al-Baghdadi to #Mosul Christians: "Choose one of these: Islam, the sword, al-Jiziya (tax) or till Saturday to flee" pic.twitter.com/eJD4xy3WhB
— Zaid Benjamin (@zaidbenjamin) July 18, 2014
Recently Christian homes were tagged with the letter N for “Nassarah,” in reference to the word used in the Koran to refer to Christians. Twitchy documented some of the ominous labeling of Christian houses:
RT @rmshava More pics of ISIS marking #Mosul Assyrian homes with the "n" for #Christian pejorative, "Nasrani." Eerie. http://t.co/onmqOw4p79
— Hayder al-Khoei (@Hayder_alKhoei) July 18, 2014
@Shayne_afc @Hayder_alKhoei: ISIS marking houses that belong to Arab Christians, to be taken "care" of later. That's what I understood.
— Anil Jo Thomas (@aniljothomas) July 18, 2014
Unfortunately, Obama is much too busy fundraising and attending campaign speeches touting his own greatness among his mindless followers to do anything about the religious persecution caused by his pulling out of Iraq.
May God protect them.