100 Christians abducted by ISIS in Syria. Yahoo/AP

ISIS fighters in Mosul, Iraq. Yahoo/AP

ISIS has abducted at least 100 Christians in Syria. Yahoo/AP. They attacked a number of villages near the Khabur River, abducting mostly women and children while causing thousands of others fled. It is unclear what the fate of the captives is, but ISIS has a long history of attacking and killing Christians. Recently ISIS in Libya beheaded 21 Coptic Christians. It is possible that the new captives will be used as a bargaining chip for a potential prisoner swap with the Kurds in Syria. The new raids come on the heels of heavy fighting between ISIS and the Kurds in the area. American airstrikes have increased in the area as well.

My Comment:

Here is hoping that these hostages get released. The idea that they will be used as a bargaining chip isn't without merit, but that is the best case scenario. The worst case scenario is that the women are enslaved and the men executed. In theory, ISIS allows Christians to live without being killed if they pay a tax, but in practice they do no such thing. Though the treatment of Christians hasn't been quite as bad as the treatment of the Yezidi, who ISIS treats as devil worshipers, they are still killed and enslaved. It is very possible that the men captured in this raid will be executed like the 21 Coptic Christians that were executed in Libya. 

It is good that these stories are getting some coverage. The persecution of Christians in the Middle East, and across the world, is one of the most criminally under-reported stories in the 21st century. ISIS is by no means the only group to be attacking Christians, but they are much worse then most of the other groups. The only rival that comes close is Boko Haram, which has its own genocidal campaign against Christians in Nigeria. Both groups have a very similar ideology so it is not surprising. 

It seems as though there is a very good chance of there being very few Christians and other religious minorities in Iraq and Syria, and indeed the entire Middle East after this whole thing is over. Not only are ISIS and other groups killing a large number of Christians (and everyone else for that matter), they are causing tens of thousands to flee. These Christians have spread out across the globe including Europe and America. This will be destructive to their culture, as they will be assimilated to their new cultures. 

Finally, the genocide against Christians, Yezidi, Druze, and Shia Muslims, is one of the largest crimes that ISIS is guilty of. They need to be held accountable for their crimes.