Christians continue to be persecuted by Islamic militants in Syria, as reports recently surfaced that a Christian man had his head brutally hacked off after being forced to deny his faith and salute Mohammed as "the messenger of God".
The incident was videotaped and released to the media along with a warning directed to "everyone like him".
In the video, which was posted to YouTube with translated captions, the man is surrounded Islamist extremists wearing masks. He is heard helplessly reciting, "There is no God but God and I testify that Mohammed is the messenger of God."
One of the militants is heard ordering the group, "No one will shoot him now, do you understand? He will not be killed by shooting because it is merciful for him."
"He will be beheaded because he is Kaffir, non-Muslim, sided [with] the government and was not praying at all. Everyone like him will have the same end, beheading," said the militant.
In a gruesome manner, a militant holding a machete then grabs the man by the hair and slowly begins sawing his head from his body as the group chants, "Allahu Akbar...there is no God but God."
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According to the 2014 report from the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, Syria is among several countries where being a Christians are severely persecuted by Muslims.
"Extremist groups and terrorist organizations, including al-Qaida and ISIL, also are perpetrating egregious religious freedom violations. They espouse violence and the creation of an Islamic state with no space for diversity, and have carried out religiously-motivated attacks and massacres against Alwaite, Shi'a, and Christian civilians," explained the group.
"NGO's report that several different anti-regime opposition groups have established Shari'ah courts in areas they control. Recently ISIL, a terrorist organization not aligned with the internationally-recognized opposition, announced that the approximately 3,000 Christians in Raqqa province must either face death, convert to Islam, or be treated as dhimmis (non-Muslim citizens of an Islamic state) who must pay a tax for their 'protection' and obey serious restrictions on their religious practices," it continued.
Hundreds of Christians have been forced to flee the country as Islamic militants continue to rape, torture and kill those who profess Christ.
Global Research, a center for research on globalization, reports:
"The Christian communities of Syria, which constitute at least 10% of the Syrian population, have been systematically targeted; their churches have been attached and desecrated; their priests, monks, and nuns murdered; and generally discriminated against by the anti-government forces that the US, UK, France, Israel, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Turkey, and their allies support. The objectives of establishing this exodus are reflected by the anti-government chants: "Alawites to the ground and Christians to Lebanon!" What this chant means is that Syria is no longer a place where either Alawis or Christians can live."
