Newsweek

ISIS Almost Crushed, Christians Refuse to Return

People fear that the militant group—or others like it—will rise again.
A picture of Jesus defaced by Islamic State militants lies on the floor of a church in Qaraqosh, the largest predominantly Christian city in Iraq. During its two-year occupation the group tried to erase all symbols of Christianity.
07_07_IraqiChristians_01

Three years ago, as darkness fell over the northern Iraqi town of Qaraqosh, Sabah Petrus Shema helped his extended family pile into a pickup truck and leave town. When they were gone, he grabbed two Kalashnikovs and waited as the sound of mortar fire drew near.

Miles down the road, the Islamic State militant group (ISIS) was advancing. By early the next morning, nearly all of the town’s residents were gone, and a stream of panicked soldiers began to pass

You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.

More from Newsweek

Newsweek1 min read
The Archives
“Fewer than 14 percent of AIDS victims have survived more than three years after being diagnosed, and no victim has recovered fully,” Newsweek reported during the epidemic. AIDS, caused by severe HIV, has no official cure. However, today’s treatment
Newsweek7 min readWorld
Resurgence of Global Mayhem
WITH MUCH OF INTERNATIONAL ATTENTION gripped by the ongoing war in the Gaza Strip, the Islamic State militant group has been steadily ramping up operations across continents and setting the stage for a resurgence of global mayhem. This latent threat
Newsweek1 min read
Living On The Edge
An 18th-century cottage clings to the precipice following a dramatic cliff fall in the coastal village of Trimingham on April 8. The homeowner, who bought the property in 2019 for around $165,000, will now see the structure demolished as the saturate

Related Books & Audiobooks