By Dan Wooding, Founder of ASSIST and ASSIST News Service
MOSUL, IRAQ (ANS) -- "So Jonah arose, and went unto Nineveh, according to the word of the LORD. Now Nineveh was an exceeding great city, of three days' journey." (Jonah 3:3)
Militants from Islamic State (IS), also known as ISIS, have threatened to destroy the walls of the ancient Assyrian city of Nineveh, reports Assyrian website http://www.ankawa.com/. According to residents of the Bab Nergal area of Mosul, Iraq, militants told them they would destroy the walls if the Iraqi army attacks.
In a story, Ahuva Balofsky wrote in www.breakingisraelnews.com, that the Christian Assyrian minority group has
suffered greatly at the hands of ISIS invaders. They consider
themselves the descendants of the once-great Empire, of which Nineveh
was the capital."At one time, Nineveh was the largest city in the world, with a population of 150,000 in 700 BCE. Although the city itself is now in ruins, it is surrounded by a 7.5 mile brick rampart, most of which remains intact," she said.
"ISIS (IS) has been aggressively wiping out the Christian presence in Mosul, where Assyrians are the only indigenous people. Among their acts of destruction and desecration have been the demolition of the Tomb of Jonah the Prophet and the black-market sale of Christian artefacts. Adherents have been tortured and killed, with churches reportedly being used as torture chambers."
The Assyrian International News Agency reported that in the last month Islamic State has seized the content of the cultural museum in Mosul as well as destroyed Assyrian monuments in the city, which the group claims "distort Islam."
According to the news agency, Assyrians have a history in Iraq dating back to 4750 BCE, and in 2003 numbered some 1.5 million. Following the US war on Saddam Hussein, that number has dwindled to a mere 500,000. Some 200,000 were forced to flee their homes when ISIS invaded Mosul in July. Many are living now as refugees in the Dohuk and Arbel regions.
The UK Daily Mail reported that Iraqi Defense Minister Khaled al-Obeidi stressed the importance of Mosul when he vowed the country would retake areas captured by ISIS in Iraq's northern provinces.
"We will liberate it with the hard efforts of our armed forces, volunteers and with the aid of our allies," he said.
Bio: Ahuva Balofsky grew up in Toronto, Canada and obtained her B.A. Hons. and B.Ed. at York University. She taught Tanach, Rabbinics and English at the Community Hebrew Academy of Toronto. After making Aliyah in 2004 with her family, she completed a Master's degree in Tanach at Bar Ilan University, and currently teaches Bible studies and English.
Photo caption: The Adad Gate, one of the fitteen gateways of ancient Nineveh (Photo: Redarch/Wiki Commons)
January 15 2015
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