Friday, August 8, 2014

Assyrians in Iraq Demand A Safe Haven

Safe haven

"The Assyrians need a permanent safe haven in the Middle East itself: the birthplace of Christianity and where our legacy of seven thousand years as Assyrians rests, the land of our faith and our forefathers. This is where the Assyrians belong." –Nuri Kino

Nuri Kino a Swedish-Assyrian (Christian) journalist outlines the urgent conditions of Christians in Iraq and Syria, as the terrorist group Islamic State (IS), formerly ISIS, forces them to leave or be killed.
Kino has founded a campaign to protect the Christians of Iraq and Syria, called #DemandForAction, and is seeking a response of help from the international community.

Says Kino in his piece titled, "What Would Jesus Say?"...

"Not only do Assyrian Christians lay claim to some of the oldest literary, architectural, and geographical artefacts of Christianity, they also speak the language of Jesus. All of this history—along with the lives of thousands of families—is on the verge of destruction. Christianity is facing extinction in the places where it first emerged.
"The Assyrians want to live in harmony and understanding with other faiths and ethnicities of all kinds, as they always have. They just want a small area where they will be protected and not ruled by those who will force them to give up their faith or ethnicity or risk death.
"France has announced its intention to grant asylum to the Christians forced out of Mosul. Thank you, France, for hearing our cry for help. Thank you for recognizing the immediate and disastrous situation facing Christian Assyrians in Iraq, and for offering to act. Hundreds of thousands are grateful for this announcement of possible asylum.
"But as much as we would love to see all the Christians of the Middle East find a safe haven in, say, Marseille, we know that it is not a tenable solution. The Assyrians need a permanent safe haven in the Middle East itself: the birthplace of Christianity and where our legacy of seven thousand years as Assyrians rests, the land of our faith and our forefathers. This is where the Assyrians belong."


Kino notes that the UN, which has made a statement regarding the situation—albeit a weak one—could come together and establish an "internationally administered safe haven in Iraq" but that it would take a member of the UN security council to "introduce Article 70" for a vote.(Photo by Fred Nile) 

Nuri Kino calls on the members of the UN security council to act, and for Christian Believers everywhere to cry out on behalf of their brothers and sisters in Iraq and Syria.

Adds Kino: "All the major Assyrian-American organizations came together in Washington DC last week to raise their voices and demand action, but they cannot do it alone. Americans of all backgrounds: if you are God-fearing and freedom-loving, please support Christians of Iraq and Syria!"

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