--Raymond Ibrahim
The Islamic State recently opened a market where it sells the possessions it robbed from Christian churches and homes in Mosul--in accordance with Islamic teachings that permit plunder, or ghanima. Aptly called, the "Spoils of the Nazarenes" (or Nasara, Islam's term for Christians), among other everyday items, the IS store sells televisions, refrigerators, microwave ovens, furniture and artwork.
The Arabic letter "n" (inside red circle) singling out the Nasra ("Nazarenes") on a Christian home in Mosul.
AINA has a useful timeline of Islamic State activities against the Assyrian Christians of Mosul, since June 10, when that city fell to IS:
ISIS captured the city of Mosul on June 10. Almost immediately thereafter it began to drive Assyrians out of Mosul and destroy Christian and non-Sunni institutions. It imposed a poll tax (jizya) on Assyrians, ordered unmarried women to 'Jihad by sex', destroyed the statue of the Virgin Mary at the Immaculate Church of the Highest in the neighborhood of AlShafa in Mosul, as well as the statue of Mullah Osman Al-Musali.
On June 26 Kurds clashed with ISIS near Baghdede, an Assyrian town east of Mosul, forcing nearly 50,000 Assyrians to flee.
On July 8 ISIS removed the Cross from St. Ephrem Cathedral in the Shoorta neighborhood in Mosul, one week after the church was seized on July 1.
On July 18 ISIS marked Christian homes with the Arabic letter "N" for the word Nasrani, which means Christian.
On July 19 ISIS plundered Assyrians as they fled Mosul.
On July 22 ISIS and Kurds clashed near the Assyrian town Tel Kepe; 2000 Assyrian families were driven from Mosul.
On July 29 ISIS destroyed or occupied all 45 Christian institutions in Mosul.
On August 2 ISIS looted 8 million dollars from Assyrian farms.
On August 21 ISIS looted Assyrian homes, vandalized churches in Mosul.
RAYMOND IBRAHIM (RaymondIbrahim.com) is a widely published author, public speaker, and Middle East and Islam expert. His books include Crucified Again: Exposing Islam’s New War on Christians (2013) and The Al Qaeda Reader (2007). His writings, translations, and observations have appeared in a variety of publications, including Fox News, Financial Times, Jerusalem Post, Los Angeles Times, New York Times Syndicate, United Press International, USA Today, Washington Post, Washington Times, and Weekly Standard; scholarly journals, including the Almanac of Islamism, Chronicle of Higher Education, Jane’s Islamic Affairs Analyst, Middle East Quarterly, and Middle East Review of International Affairs; and popular websites, such as American Thinker, the Blaze, Bloomberg, Christian Post, FrontPage Magazine, Gatestone Institute, the Inquisitr, Jihad Watch, NewsMax, National Review Online, PJ Media, VDH’s Private Papers, and World Magazine. He has contributed chapters to several anthologies and been translated into various languages.
