ISIS Onslaught Engulfs Assyrian Christians as Militants Destroy Ancient Art
ISTANBUL — The reports are like something out of a distant era of ancient conquests: entire villages emptied, with hundreds taken prisoner, others kept as slaves; the destruction of irreplaceable works of art; a tax on religious minorities, payable in gold.
A rampage reminiscent of Tamerlane or Genghis Khan, perhaps, but in reality, according to reports by residents, activist groups and the assailants themselves, a description of the modus operandi of the Islamic State’s self-declared caliphate this week. The militants have prosecuted a relentless campaign in Iraq and Syria against what have historically been religiously and ethnically diverse areas with traces of civilizations dating to ancient Mesopotamia.
The latest to face the militants’ onslaught are the Assyrian Christians of northeastern Syria, one of the world’s oldest Christian communities, some speaking a modern version of Aramaic, the language of Jesus.
The
New York Times reporter need not have gone to so distant a past to find parallels to the plight of the Assyrians, as this is merely a repeat of what happened only
a hundred years ago.
13 comments:
Also, probably not all that different from what the indo-europeans did to old europe, fresh off the steppe.
Now we all speak their languages.
If only they were literate, maybe we would have had some ancient book that would be the equivalent of the quran, but in PIE.
OH Lord be with your people, protect those who Love your Name and those who love what you love!
Mat 25:40
And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.
The destruction of ancient statues has two functions:
1. To show off how serious they take the ethnic, cultural and religious genocide (killing even "gods" of extinct religions)
2. To advertise the clearance sales of antiques in Mosul ("you buy it or we destroy it").
Obviously, they realized that they have only little time left in Mosul and they are running out of money.
The best way how to determine if a group is failing or winning is by looking at what they have created so far.
Since there existence they have not created anything and destroyed a lot.
I suppose they're just carrying on an ancient tradition. The ancient Assyrians were noted for their cruelty to opponents and a leopard doesn't change its spots, as they say. The same can be said of Israel just carrying on the work Moses started under God's instructions all those years ago.
Murdering folk for their religion, official reintroduction of slavery, selling women as "concubines", beheadings, getting your own little kids to hold heads, torture and mutilation. Destruction of irreplaceable items of history and art? It is not like anyone was still worshipping them, they were in a museum! This is just vandalism.
Why does anyone want to join in with this group? Especially women. Their lives will be miserable, one tier up from slaves, if they are lucky. A movement based on hatred of others and destruction.
We all know what really motivates this. Assyrians were western European haplogroup R types, just like Tiu-tan-khamyn and their prophet Moehamet. They did not resemble the majority of modern day Levantines. This is real deep seated beta monkey rage against a superior civilization. They cannot create a civilization of their own so they have to destroy others past and present. The ultimate loser's deed.
Commonalities then and now: Nation-states in the region weakened and in disarray; foreign invasions by Europeans (which was actually good for the Assyrians, as the British thankfully tried to save them in an unusual show of humanity); and the Persian populace showed no antagonism towards the Assyrians, trying to save them from the Ottoman "soldiers." Why is it that Iran has been so relatively comfortable with pluralism, and so other nations in the region have not? Perhaps the fact that Iran has had a long tradition of cultural and linguistic diversity.
It hurts me to know that my tax payed for part of this.
"I suppose they're just carrying on an ancient tradition."
and who's traditions were these men following ?
http://img.gawkerassets.com/img/182h4jpdfjpaijpg/original.jpg
I guarantee that kind of stuff is a lot older than moses. I bet these couldn't even spell moses or God either. but no doubt they were in rebellion to anything they thought of as being from a " God" .
Man created death and death follows mankind everywhere mankind goes , death is mankind's very oldest 'traditions". and that tradition has nothing to do with God claiming a postage stamp size piece of land as his own in hopes of creating s place of peace safe from mankind oldest traditions..
at best it is profoundly naive for you to think without Israel islam would be peaceful..
it was the first Jihad that and it's burning and murdering it way into Europe the first time.. that caused the
"crusades" that Catholicism/Romanism got involved in a war about to start with ! with it the war mongers on both sides then had excuses to war monger, they could be traditional . and that had not one thing to do with Israel, God or Moses! war is mankind's traditions long before Moses nad inspite of God and his laws, his hopes and his desire!
my new favorite saying is from Brad Pit in Fury "ideals are peaceful, history is violent" I don't know who wrote it , but the writer surely understood mankind's real and most favorite and oldest traditions , hate and ignorance and death .
Sir TerryT,
On the way from Rehovoth to the Ben-Gurion airport I used to drive by the Assyrian Church in Ramleh.
Are you aware of any oppression of its parishioners by the State of Israel?
Then again, what was your post about?
"I guarantee that kind of stuff is a lot older than moses".
But the Old Testament tells us that Moses was a fairly dedicated practitioner.
"Are you aware of any oppression of its parishioners by the State of Israel?"
There certainly appears to be oppression of neighbouring people.
And now are they destroying the Parthian history in Iraq. What do you expect from a bunch of people who have no connection what so ever to these ancient cultures and are obviously jealous of i, so why respect the heritage of other people?
https://scontent-fra.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xfp1/v/t1.0-9/10422493_10204065504104202_5167758587865428901_n.jpg?oh=1f0bbb227c0e2cedfdc2f95c99e7359a&oe=557FEB0F
Be it the Iraqi army or the ISIS Bedouins stay Bedouins.
spagetiMeatball
I am not so sure about that. If polish research will go further it will be probably other way around. Conquest of Asia, Iran and North India came from East/Central Europe. Not only recent genetic development will prove that but also language connections between Baltic & Slavic languages and old Avestan & Sanskrit language. Similarities go too far but probably you don't know anything about that. Remember that most migrations took place from NORTH TO SOUTH, not opposite. People were moving to warmer climate.
Post a Comment