The Islamic State group is reportedly turning Christian churches in Syria and Iraq into torture chambers, particularly in the northern town of Qaraqosh, where Iraq’s largest Christian community once resided.
The Sunni radical group is also selling artifacts from the churches on the black market, The Jerusalem Post reported Tuesday.
“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 Fox News on Tuesday, using an acronym for the Islamic State group. “This [is] 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,” he added.
The Islamic State group took over Iraq’s second-largest city, Mosul, in June, which was also home to a large Christian population. The terrorist organization promptly destroyed the tomb of Jonah.
“We had to go through an area where they had set up a checkpoint,” refugee Zaid Qreqosh Ishaq, 27, told The Associated Press July 22. Members of the Islamic State group “asked us to get out of the car. We got out. They took … our things, our bags, our money, everything we had on us,” he added.
• Douglas Ernst can be reached at dernst@washingtontimes.com.
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