**story contains some graphic details**Iraq (MNN)–The security situation in Iraq remains grim. Islamic militants beheaded and dismembered a Syrian Orthodox priest in Mosul, Iraq.
The body of 59-year old Fr. Boulous Iskander was found Oct 11, days after his abduction. Kidnappers telephoned Iskander’s family and demanded that they pay a ransom of $350,000.
According to Voice of the Martyrs-Canada, after a series of negotiations with the family, the ransom amount was reduced to $40,000. However, they also then demanded that Iskander’s church publicly renounce the remarks that Pope Benedict XVI made about Islam last month.
After the demands were met, all contact with the kidnappers ceased. Days later, Fr. Iskander’s body was discovered in the remote Tahir city distinct of Mosul. His arms and legs had been severed and arranged around his head, which rested on his chest.
Iskander’s murder is symbolic of the rise of violence against Christians. The grisly nature of the murder is the latest in a series of recent attacks against religious minorities.
Voice of the Martyrs Canada’s Glenn Penner said, “The Christians are viewed as being linked to the West, even though there have been Christians in Iraq for many, many years. These Muslim militants, because of their hatred for the West for anything that they perceive as being ‘West’, have increasingly taken out violence against Christians throughout Iraq.”
Penner says the violent pattern now has driven many believers out of the country. There are a few workers, but, “The number of Christians in Iraq has significantly declined since the Western intervention in the country, particularly for those who are seeking to do evangelistic work in the country, it’s dangerous. Those who are caught can be attacked or even killed.”
Fr. Iskander is survived by his wife, Azhar, sons Fadi and Yohamma and daughters Fadiyeh and Mariam. Pray for the protection of Christians throughout Iraq. If you want to help the family, click here.
source Mission Network News
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Gaza (MNN) — A senior Hamas militant is suspected of torturing and killing the manager of a Christian bookstore in the Gaza Strip who was found dead last month. That’s an alarming development, says Open Doors USA’s Carl Moeller, because Hamas has previously provided a certain degree of protection for the Christian community. “The most disappointing aspect of this discovery is that not only is this a Hamas person who committed this crime, apparently, but also that despite the assurances right after the murder that they had nothing to do with it, they haven’t distanced themselves from him and in fact have sent him on a pilgrimage to Mecca.” Moeller says Christians are asking prayer for boldness. “Believers who continue to promote their faith evangelistically, despite their commitment to the general welfare of Gaza, and their commitment to the people of Gaza to serve them, that there will be increasing threat against their existence in Gaza as a result of this.”