Andreas Knapp, a
German priest, traveled to Iraq to accompany a friend to his father’s
funeral. He brought back the stories of the suffering of Christians
and Muslims under IS (ISIS), as they have been driven out of their
homelands and are flooding the western countries as refugees.
There are many
heart-wrenching stories of the devastation and destruction of homes
and historic churches. He wrote of his experience with children
living and playing as if nothing has happened, a 75 year-old man
learning a new language, and some horrible frightening abuses. The
culture of both the Christians and Muslims of this area is difficult
for a westerner to understand. The women and children are left behind
as the men escape. In one case the author was going to be taken to a
dangerous area and the women and children were taken along so that
the men traveling together wouldn’t be suspicious.
This is very much a
political opinion book. There are criticisms of the United States
based on “investigations” that go without names, explanation or
footnotes. His conclusion is that there should be no borders, no
borders, or fences and countries should accept anyone, Christian and
Muslim. The insinuation that the United States is not doing enough is
insulting to someone who is living in an area that was flooded with
hundreds of thousands of Muslim refugees that have to be given food,
housing, and medical care.
