Wednesday 18 March 2015

Iraqi Christians and ISIS: Forgiveness Overcomes Hatred

Image courtesy of SAT-7.




Joel Kontinen

Forgiving one’s enemies is not an easy thing to do, especially if they are trying to kill you. However, some Iraqi Christians have done exactly that.

Last July, hundreds of thousands of Christians had to flee from Mosul, leaving their homes and possession behind. Some of them found a safe haven in Irbil in Kurdistan.

One of the refugees is Myriam, who is ten years old. Interviewed on SAT-7, a Christian TV broadcaster, she says of the men who hate her and would want to kill not only her but also her friends and her family: “I will only ask God to forgive them.”

Over a million people have already heard her testimony.

Christianity is much more than a religion. It is a living relationship with the One who prayed for those who crucified Him:

Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing” (Luke 23:34, NIV).



Source:

Casper, Jayson. 2015. Forgiving ISIS: Christian ‘Resistance’ Videos Go Viral in Arab World. Christianity Today (17 March).