Well, here's what it's all about...
NRO: There is a mass exodus of Christians from the Iraqi city of Mosul, the second largest city in Iraq. The Muslim fanatics who have taken over the city, calling themselves the Islamic State, issued an ultimatum to the city’s Christians earlier this month, saying that if they did not leave by Saturday, July 19, they “must convert to Islam, pay a fine, or face ‘death by the sword.’” As of Tuesday, most of the city’s estimated 3,000 Christians had fled.There's also a hashtag campaign...
Further, the Islamic State, formerly known as ISIS, had marked homes and businesses owned by Christians with a red, painted ن (pronounced “noon”), the 14th letter of the Arabic alphabet and the equivalent to the Roman letter N. The ن stands for Nasara or Nazarenes, a pejorative Arabic word for Christians.
The ن is now being shared on social media as a symbol of solidarity with the Iraqi Christians forced to flee their homes.
CP: People around the world are uniting with persecuted Christians in Iraq through the Twitter hashtag "WeAreN," meant to reference the "N" painted on the doors of Christians in Iraq that make them a target for militant Islamists.Here are the genuine refugees! These are a people being displaced not by their own devices, but by an invading force; not seeking a new state of welfarism, not overrunning another land, not attacking another people, but desiring a peaceful life in their homeland to worship God Almighty. To a mainstream liberal media, who bombards us with illegal children pouring over our borders, as well as those used by Hamas as human shields, in both cases to misdirect their blame towards political rivals: What about these children? In our hyper-political world, I think it's important to draw these distinctions.
Supporters have either changed their Twitter photo to an image of the Arabic letter ن or "N", which stands for "Nazarene" or "Christian" in Arabic. Members of the jihadist militant group Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS) have invaded towns, including Mosul, demanding Christians either convert to Islam, pay a tax, or be killed. To identify the Christians in the town, members of the ISIS have painted the "N" on their front doors.
The Church of England changed its profile to the Arabic letter for "N," writing: "We are changing our picture to stand with those showing solidarity for those Christians being persecuted in Mosul #WeAreN."
The ISIS invasion of Mosul has forced reportedly 10,000 Christians to flee to more secure areas in northern Iraq that are controlled by Kurdish forces. Mosul is the country's second largest city and has a 6,000-year-old Assyrian history. Assyrians are a semitic peoples distinct from Arabs and Jews and are Christians.
Whether it's the secularism of the West dealt with daily or the bursts of physical annihilation by Eastern radicalism, don't you think it's time for all of Christendom to set aside the timidity, speak honestly against these evils, and stand up for the righteousness of our Christian brethren, especially those who know and live a severity of persecution that I pray would never befall us? In your circle of friends, this little Arabic letter might provide that opening.
In the meantime, while the international community remains immobile thus far, continue to pray for these persecuted, while raising awareness about the fate of Mosul's Christians.
Related links: #ن: How an Arabic letter was reclaimed to support Iraq’s persecuted Christians
A mark of solidarity with Mosul Christians
Mosul Christians: And Then There Were Nun
Iraq jihadists blow up 'Jonah's tomb' in Mosul: official
'They are savages,' say Christians forced to flee Mosul by Isis
