Arab Christians Rally for Persecuted Christians in the Middle East

Gary Fouse
fousesquawk
http://garyfouse.blogspot.com

The symbol on the t-shirt is that which ISIS has posted on Christian homes in Mosul, which is used to denote Christian.


On Saturday several hundred Arab Christians came together at the Federal Building in Los Angeles (Westwood) to demonstrate for their persecuted brethren in the Middle East. The rally was organized by an organization called A Demand for Action. They were mostly Assyrians and Chaldeans, many of whom were from Iraq and Syria. I attended, filmed much of it, and spoke to several of the participants. Their recurring message was why is the world not paying attention to what is happening to Christians in the Middle East, especially Iraq and Syria? Where is President Obama? Where is the news media?

There were several speakers including Arab ministers and two young Iranian Muslim girls who spoke in solidarity with the Christians. The speakers told of the suffering and the forced conversions by the forces of ISIS. Again and again, they asked why the world, the media, and President Obama were ignoring their plight. 

I can't tell you how refreshing this was not just that finally people in this country were standing up and speaking out, but that it was coming from Arab Americans who painted a picture much different from that Americans are exposed to from the likes of CAIR and other like organizations.

Here is an interview I did with one of the event organizers.

Indeed, I did not see the media at the event although they showed up to cover the pro-Palestinian protest that began at 1 pm, after the Christian protest was over.

I think it behooves us all to learn more about the Arab Christian communities here in America and learn their stories. Given what is going on in the Middle East, I hope America will welcome as many of them as possible should they choose to leave the horror they are experiencing. First and foremost there must be international pressure on the UN to act on behalf of the Christians still trapped in the Middle East to provide a safe zone for them.