Mosul's Christian community extinguished after 1,600 years, thanks to ISIS

[Indy Texas]

The Iraqi city's Christian residents were told to either pay the jizya - a tax on non-Muslims - convert to Islam, move out of the city or be killed. The first option was subsequently withdrawn and virtually all of the city's mainly Catholic Christians opted to leave.

Once the expulsion was complete, the Islamic State burned down an 1,800 year old church in the city.

Edit: The burning of the church appears to have been a hoax.

[politicus]

Hopefully they can return at some point. At least it seems they are (relatively) safe.

The destruction of the church is horrible. So much of the worlds cultural heritage is lost at the moment.
Its a shame modern Muslim fundamentalists are never satisfied to convert churches to mosques as Muslim conquerors traditionally did, but are hellbent on destroying them.

[MaxQue]

All of that because Bush bombed the bad city.

Baghdad shouldn't have been bombed, Riyadh should have.

[Hash]

Baghdad shouldn't have been bombed, Riyadh should have.

Thanks, I would really enjoy being a dead corpse right now.

[MaxQue]

Baghdad shouldn't have been bombed, Riyadh should have.

Thanks, I would really enjoy being a dead corpse right now.

Well, most likely, you would have left before.

[Nhoj]

Said Church doesn't exist. Saw this elsewhere. In fact it wouldn't surprise me if half the things claimed about ISIS are made up.

[○∙◄☻¥tπ[╪AV┼cVê└]

Wahabis are completely crazy.

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

And this is why America should not play with the Middle East.

[Gustaf]

Obviously an Islamist takeover could never have happened without American intervention...

[PiMp DaDdy FitzGerald]

This is something that Saddam would do too.

[🦀🎂🦀🎂]

This is something that Saddam would do too.

But I guess it must have slipped his mind, after all, he only had about quarter of a century to carry out his obvious nefarious plans upon Mosul's Christian minority.

(Not a Saddam apologist btw, if it sounds like that)

[TDAS04]

This is something that Saddam would do too.

No.  Tariq Aziz, who served as Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister in Saddam's government, is a Christian.

Saddam was unquestionably evil, but he wasn't a religious fanatic. 

[politicus]

Said Church doesn't exist. Saw this elsewhere. In fact it wouldn't surprise me if half the things claimed about ISIS are made up.

Well, it doesn't exist now anyway... What is your source it never existed?

[Nhoj]

Said Church doesn't exist. Saw this elsewhere. In fact it wouldn't surprise me if half the things claimed about ISIS are made up.

Well, it doesn't exist now anyway... What is your source it ever existed?

Well for one the article Indy tx linked now has an update saying basically that and linking to this.
http://conflictantiquities.wordpress.com/2014/07/20/syria-iraq-mosul-burned-syriac-catholic-cathedral-propaganda/
And what I mean didnt exist is that there is no church that is 1600 years old in mosul.

[DC Al Fine]

This is something that Saddam would do too.

But I guess it must have slipped his mind, after all, he only had about quarter of a century to carry out his obvious nefarious plans upon Mosul's Christian minority.

(Not a Saddam apologist btw, if it sounds like that)

Indeed. The only Iraqi Christians I know sound like Saddam apologists. i.e. "At least he kept the Islamists in line..." etc.

[○∙◄☻¥tπ[╪AV┼cVê└]

This is something that Saddam would do too.

But I guess it must have slipped his mind, after all, he only had about quarter of a century to carry out his obvious nefarious plans upon Mosul's Christian minority.

(Not a Saddam apologist btw, if it sounds like that)

The idea that Saddam was going to start burning down all the Christian churches is completely idiotic. His foreign minster, Tariq Aziz, was a Christian.

[Famous Mortimer]

Saddam actually allowed Christians to come to Iraq and try to convert people. Including Fred Phelps.

[○∙◄☻¥tπ[╪AV┼cVê└]

[Mr. Morden]

I've read other reports suggesting that ISIS isn't even really in control anymore in Mosul:

link

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[dead0man]

He's still WAY ahead of ISIS in numbers murdered, but I wouldn't let facts stand in the way of a good joke either.  Too bad this isn't a good joke.

[The Mikado]

You could have a far more effective version of the Miss Me Yet if it were King Faisal II in the picture.

[Хahar 🤔]

He's still WAY ahead of ISIS in numbers murdered, but I wouldn't let facts stand in the way of a good joke either.  Too bad this isn't a good joke.

The tendency for Saddam Hussein apologism on this forum is incredibly distasteful.

[○∙◄☻¥tπ[╪AV┼cVê└]

He's still WAY ahead of ISIS in numbers murdered, but I wouldn't let facts stand in the way of a good joke either.  Too bad this isn't a good joke.

The tendency for Saddam Hussein apologism on this forum is incredibly distasteful.

LOL, there's a difference between apologizing for Saddam and saying that he's better than ISIS.

[Chunk Yogurt for President!]

Christians need to stop voting for neoconservatives.

[Lurker]

You could have a far more effective version of the Miss Me Yet if it were King Faisal II in the picture.

It would have been more effective to post a picture of a man that wouldn't be recognized by 99,9% of Americans? 1958 (?) is  pretty long time ago.