by Brother John M.
Samaha, S.M.
We are lulled
into thinking that a disaster like the Holocaust will never again happen. But that is not the reality. Since 1940 there have been a number of
genocides. And one is happening at this
very moment.
In the Middle
East Christians are being eliminated wholesale.
In 2003 Christians were one of the largest minorities in Iraq numbering
about 1.5 million. By 2014 that number
had diminished to about a half million because many fled violence or were
forced to leave. ISIS targeted
them. Now only 200,000 remain in Iraq,
one of the oldest Christian communities in the world. That means about 87 per cent have gone in
only 13 years.
However, the
Iraqi Christians are not the only people suffering persecution. In Iran more than 550 Christians have been
arrested and detained arbitrarily since
2010. In Syria
churches are being closed or destroyed by ISIS.
Christians are attacked and kidnapped.
In Turkey Christians continue to struggle against inequality.
What is being
done to correct this shameful abuse of our brothers and sisters in the
faith? Seemingly very little. Today mention of the Middle East brings to
mind war and constant conflict, inequality, and cities reduced to rubble.
The Middle
East is the cradle of Christianity. It
is home to a devout Christian faith that is long-standing, that has nurtured
many beautiful churches and loving communities, and that has undergone many
trials.
Just because
this holocaust is not front page news does not mean it is not happening. It is time to raise our voices and to martial
forces to correct this crisis; to pray, to appeal to our legislators and
government officials to take action.
