The Hassekeh province from which the
hostages were taken on Monday, is inhabited predominantly by Assyrians, an
indigenous Christian people who trace their roots to ancient Mesopotamians.
Everyone in Syria knows this. These people have lived here for centuries. Up
to150 Assyrian Christians were captured and abducted on Monday. Today is
Wednesday here, and the expectation is that IS (ISIS) will release a video
threatening the lives of these hostages, unless the U.S. led coalition halts
airstrikes and withdraws combatants.
At least 3,000 Assyrians escaped to cities
of refuge, but they lack necessities of life. In fact, 600 families are staying
in St. Mary's Cathedral in al-Hasakah, Syria. The call has now
come from activist groups to people all over the world to protect these
Assyrians in Syria.
There is always more to a story than news
stories in the West relate in a few paragraphs. Kurdish militias have
controlled the northeastern region of Syria and the villages had for a long
time been left alone. Lately however, the Islamic State fighters began to exert
power. In early February, Islamic State fighters had demanded that crosses be
removed from churches. Some Christians, not wanting to be victimized like
northern Iraq’s Christians and other minority sects like the Yazidis who were singled out by the Islamic
State, decided to take a more assertive role by fighting alongside Kurdish and
other militias. For that reason in recent weeks, many villages changed hands as
the Kurdish groups, some Arab Muslim factions and a Christian group called the
Syriac Military Council joined forces against the Islamic State. When jihadists
raided the village of Tel Hermez, driving out a local group called the
Guardians of Khabur, who were protecting churches, Kurdish militias together
with fighters from the Syriac Military Council entered the town, filming themselves
retaking the area and leading away bound men they said were Islamic State
members. This seizure of hostages appears to be retaliation by IS, yet it has a
distinctly religious motivation.
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