Since the rise of the so-called “Islamic State” (IS), many gruesome stories have surfaced depicting the barbarity of this terrorist organization. Its horrific acts of violence have included: summary executions, beheadings, even crucifixion of their opponents.
Their behavior finally received the international attention and condemnation it deserves following the videotaped decapitations of three Western hostages, including American journalists James Foley and Steven Sotloff.
Unfortunately, the plight of one minority being set upon – in particular, but not exclusively, by the Islamic State – has yet to become the subject of appropriate outrage around the world: Christians are being rounded up, raped, robbed and murdered by these and other jihadists across much of the Middle East. The Islamic State has even killed Christian children, just because of their faith.
Typically, when IS jihadists conquer an area, they target Christian minorities by labeling their homes with the Arabic letter ن (pronounced “nun”), shorthand for the Arabic word Nasrani, which means Nazarene – a believer in Jesus of Nazareth and, therefore, a Christian. Once marked in this fashion, they are singled out for persecution, and given the simple choice – convert, submit or die.
In the lands controlled by the Islamic State, the Arabic letter ن is the modern day version of the Star of David that Jews were forced to wear in Nazi Germany and the lands it conquered.
For more than a decade, the Center for Security Policy has taken a stand against all forms of Islamic extremism and the imposition of shariah – the supremacist Islamic doctrine for world-wide conquest that governs the actions of not just the Islamic State, but all the other global jihadists. The Islamic State is the latest and most dangerous manifestation of this threat since 9/11.