Marked as Nazarene
Abu had no chance to get his mother out that day because he would be going against the surge of frantic people escaping the city. Both women were allowed to stay with a Muslim neighbour for the night, but the ISIS soldier confiscated their house, pulled a can of spray paint from a bag, and tagged the front of the house with an Arabic n for “Nazarene”) Christians live here, property of the Islamic State. Unable to go to his mother and sister, Abu arranged for a Muslim friend to drive the women to him. Once they arrived, Abu and the women could flee from there; and, so, like the almost forty thousand others who fled the purge in Mosul and the surrounding area(s), they crammed the few possessions they could fit into the car and headed east for relative safety in the city of Erbil, which was sixty miles away.
The Checkpoint of Decision
Soon, Abu and his family arrived at the first checkpoint. Cars weighed down to their struts with people and their possessions inched forward in dozens of lines. Exhaust stained the air. ISIS guards stood with firearms and swords. Abu had prayed about this moment; he had asked for courage to stand for his beliefs. “Who are you?”a guard asked. “We are Christians leaving Mosul, because we are not permitted to stay in this Muslim land,”Abu replied. The guard, now joined by others, refused to let the family pass; instead, they placed a call to superiors.
Convert or Die
Thirty minutes later, two shiny SUVs arrived; and, young men brandishing new, expensive firearms stepped out and began peppering the family with questions. Abu answered honestly: “Yes, we are Christians. “Leaving is no longer an option for you and the rest of your infidel family, “said the leader. “Convert to Islam or be killed. It is that simple, an easy choice, no? “Abu pleaded with the men to let his family proceed. He referred to passages in the Quran that allow Christians to live if they pay the jizya (Islamic tax). For ninety agonizing minutes, the discussion continued as if a bomb was ticking and destined to go off any second. As they talked, an ISIS fighter wielding a sword circled Abu, ready to strike if he tried to run. “Enough, “declared the leader. He grabbed Abu by the arm and led him away as his wife, mother, and sister wept, pleaded, and prayed. “Prepare to die,” he said, pushing Abu to his knees. “Last chance. Will you convert to Islam?”
Date: 9th November 2024
Martyr: Abu Fadi
Location: Iraq
Source: Tortured for Christ (The voice of the martyr)
Author: Richard Wurmbrand
Suffering Saturday 116
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