Saturday, August 22, 2015

Islamic State’s Attack on Christians Reminiscent of Nazi Persecution of Jews

The Islamic State is the great world threat of our time. It is growing unchecked, expanding its reach to all nations and forming a quiet solidarity within its secret ranks. We see what is happening in the Middle East. We fear what could happen in the western world. Still, we do next to nothing.

This happened before. Jan Karski, a member of the Polish Catholic underground, went to President Franklin D. Roosevelt and Supreme Court Justice Felix Frankfurter in 1943 to convince them that the atrocities being perpetrated by the Nazis against the Jews were so horrific that the United States needed to push deeper into Europe. His first-hand accounts were so gruesome that Frankfurter told Karski he couldn’t believe it because the horror was unfathomable.

Today, we’re making the same mistakes. It’s impossible to think that the Islamic State is systematically targeting Christians and other religious groups as they press their jihad into broader regions of the Middle East. It’s inconceivable that the Islamic State is recruiting people from around the world through a mixture of truth and lies that is driving many, especially the young, to join their cause and put their lives as well as the lives of others in grave danger. It is unimaginable that the Islamic State would sell women and children as sex slaves or that they would reward their warriors with “wives” that are teens or pre-teens.

The difference between 1943 and today is that we have concrete proof of the atrocities. Everyone does. They’re broadcast around the world, confirmed by independent sources, and relayed through both eyewitness and video accounts. The difference between the US complacency towards Nazi atrocities and the same complacency towards Islamic State atrocities is that our modern sensibilities seem to be more accepting of it all as someone else’s problem.

As we sit back and debate whether Caitlyn/Bruce Jenner should have a reality show or not, ancient buildings are being bulldozed. While we cheer for Bernie Sanders or Donald Trump to swoop in and make our lives easier, women and children are being repeatedly raped. In between fantasy football draft picks, another Christian is beheaded because he’s a Christian.

There’s really nothing for the American people to do, right? We’re not at war and we can’t fight unless we’re drone pilots trying to make a difference with airstrikes. The governments in the Middle East will eventually grow tired of the Islamic State and they’ll take care of it, right?

The answer to all of those is, “no.” We can do something, even if it’s as basic as sending an email to our Congressman or signing a petition calling for action. Young men with the means and the calling who want to fight can do so. Finally, no, the governments of the Middle East will not be able to unite to do this on their own. Most are already trying and failing miserably.

It’s easy to sit at a computer and complain that we’re not doing enough. My guilt is as strong as others who feel like we should be doing more. I wish I had the courage to leave my family and fight. I wish I had the courage to put my business endeavors aside in order to raise money and awareness to help those wanting to flee from the Islamic State. I am aware which makes me more guilty than those of you reading this right now.

Complacency and comfort have turned Americans into ostriches willingly sticking our heads in the ground while intolerable acts are being done by a group that wants to destroy us. We’ve gone to war for far less. To believe that an unchecked Islamic State will never be able to perform their atrocities in the United States is not only selfish but naive as well. We finally went to war and stopped the Nazis, but by the time we did it 6 million Jews were dead. How many Christian deaths will it take until we act?

First and foremost, it’s time to pray for our leaders to do the right thing, for all troops today and in the future who will fight against this evil, and especially for those being persecuted because of their faith. This is a much bigger issue than the media, the government, or the people are acknowledging. Sooner or later, we’re going to have to get more involved. If we don’t bring the war to them, they will eventually bring the war to us.



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