Don’t forget the Iraqi Christians

"Have mercy on us — and ISIS." Shortly after the mass killing of Christians by that terrorist group in Iraq 10 years ago, a young woman born in a refugee camp led an arena of young people in prayer. She believed in God’s mercy enough that she even prayed for the Islamist militant group who had killed members of her family.

That’s been my experience with Iraqi Christians. They are forgiving.

In a recent documentary about Iraqi Christians who were forced to flee their homes, one woman said, "Thank God for ISIS". Yes, you read that right. And the reason she said it, she explained, is because she didn’t fully appreciate what her priorities were before the crisis came.

One of the killers asked her: "Do you renounce Christ?" She didn’t realize how much God meant to her until that point. It could have been easy to just give in. But not when she realized everything important in her life had to do with the grace of God.

There was another woman who rejoiced in the fact that her family was closer — physically and otherwise. The kids didn’t have a yard to play in anymore, so they were interacting more. They were living in what was essentially a storage unit and had only one bed to sleep in.

In these times of anxiety and loneliness in the West, the courageous example of people in other parts of the world is inspiring and instructive. If we pay attention.

In addition to the forgiveness and courage on display, what I was blown away by when I was covering the Iraqi Christians’ plight was the gratitude. Many Americans don’t even know there are Christians in Iraq. So, if you even acknowledge their existence, they tend to be thankful.

The Iraqi Christians right now are concerned that the war in Israel will expand, and they will suffer all over again. "In the miserable dysfunction of Iraq today, we are disappearing," Archbishop Warda of Erbil recently wrote. "Deeply ingrained, religiously motivated persecution against our people continues at the everyday level despite the stated concerns of leaders."

He continued: "Our diligently crafted proposals for international assistance to our hospitals and schools are now routinely set aside, not because of failures at these institutions, but simply because the eyes of the world have moved on. We find ourselves increasingly in the world’s rearview mirror, and quite soon we will be out of sight — permanently."

Don’t forget the Iraqi Christians. We will all be better for it. They give us personal and political perspective, and they need our prayers and support.

"Here in what remains of Christian Iraq, we persevere and hope," Warda wrote. "We are striving to bring along a new generation of leadership, fully inclusive of the role of women and supportive of the courageous young people who still, in faith, remain. We are working tirelessly to establish anchor institutions in the fields of education and health care that benefit all Iraqis and show to them and the world our witness to Christian service."

When I interviewed a priest during the genocide, he said something similar: "We are not angels ... but we have grace from God."

Have mercy. Say a prayer. Remember that our politics are about more than us. And don’t forget people suffering for what should be our greatest priorities.

klopez@nationalreview.com