A man was released after being tortured by the so-called Islamic State (IS), and here shared his story of the horrible attack along with other stories of Christians experiencing unspeakable suffering.
IS jihadists hung Karlus, a 29-year-old cook, from the ceiling of the jail he was held in, by a rope attached to his left foot. As blood poured from his foot, they beat and kicked him, rubbing salt into his wounds. He was sexually abused in prison by three women wearing niqabs. He was told he would be shot dead, but for reasons he still does not understand, on the day his execution was due to take place, he was released.
Options for people of the book
When IS seized control of Iraqi territory in the summer of 2014, they gave Christians, as ‘People of the Book’, four options: leave, convert to Islam, pay a protection tax (jiyza) or be killed. The vast majority fled – an estimated 120,000 in a few short weeks that summer. But those left behind were subjected to torture, forced conversion, sexual slavery and even crucifixion, according to testimonies collected from Iraqi refugees in Jordan.
