AL JaZEERA: Iraq Christians get Islamic States warning Islamic - TopicsExpress

AL JaZEERA: Iraq Christians get Islamic States warning Islamic State group tells Christian community in Mosul they face death if they do not embrace Islam or Leave Iraq today. Imran Khan Last updated: 19 Jul 2014 18:58 After Killing 1,000 or more Christians ,ISiS, the Islamic State group has threatened Christians in the Iraqi city of Mosul with death if they do not convert to Islam or pay a tax, Al Jazeera has learned. The Sunni rebel group issued the orders in a letter after Friday prayers. The document, obtained by Al Jazeera, states that the order was issued after Christian leaders failed to attend a meeting called by the group. In response, the group says in the letter that Christians must either convert to Islam, pay a tax on non-Muslims known as jiziya, or give up their possessions and leave the city. Failure to do so would result in a death penalty. Mosul, Iraqs second largest city, was overrun by the Islamic State group and allied rebel groups last month. Check out our complete coverage of the crisis in Iraq @ ALJazeera Before the attack, Mosuls Christian community was estimated at 3,000. Many are believed to have already fled the city as part of an exodus of up to one-third of the population. Those who fled reported that churches and Christian-owned shops in the city were smashed. The Islamic States leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, held a sermon in Mosuls grand mosque two weeks ago, calling on all Muslims to unite behind his group. The Islamic State, formerly known as ISIL, has issued similar demands in areas it control in Syria, and has posted pictures of Christians being crucified for disobeying orders. Nickolay Mladenov, the head of the UN assistance mission In Iraq, condemned the order. Any persecution of minorities constitutes a crime against humanity and we urge all sides to protect civilians. We have produced a report listing attacks on civilians and have brought this up at the highest levels of the Iraqi government.Persecution watchdog group Open Doors has released its top 10 list of countries where Christians face the most violent attacks for their faith. Nigeria tops the list, followed by Syria, Egypt, Central African Republic (CAR), Mexico, Pakistan, Colombia, India, Kenya and Iraq. North Korea was not included because of the difficulty of getting accurate statistics. Between 1 Nov. 2012, and 21 March 2014, Nigeria saw 2,073 Christians martyred; Syria had 1,479 and the CAR, 1,115. In addition, in all countries where Christians are persecuted, there were 3,641 churches and Christian properties destroyed and 13,120 other forms of violence against Christians such as beatings, abductions, rapes, arrests and forced marriages !!! General Abu Bakr alBaghdadi:CONVERT To ISLAM OR DIE BY The SWORD