Fled ISIS to Live, Murdered in Europe for Believing
The death of a man who escaped persecution to find refuge in Europe has become a stark symbol of the West's ongoing crisis. The West often embraces refugee stories, but rarely those of Christians fleeing the East only to die for their faith in the West.
Ashur Sarnaya, a 45-year-old Iraqi Christian from the Assyrian-Chaldean community, returned one evening to his apartment in Lyon, a quiet neighborhood blending public housing, student campuses, offices, and shops. Disabled from birth and confined to a wheelchair, Ashur was known for his faith and kindness.
That evening, Ashur began a usual livestream on TikTok, speaking in Arabic or Aramaic about his beliefs. During the broadcast, he was brutally attacked and his throat was slit, dying in his wheelchair. His greatest joy was sharing his faith on TikTok and walking peacefully through the neighborhood, where he was well-liked.
“For this, he was martyred with machete blows by a coward. He read the Bible and recited Hebrew Psalms—something unthinkable for radical Islamists.”
Sabri B., an Algerian linked to ISIS and suspected of Ashur's murder, turned off his phone shortly after the attack and fled Lyon that same night. His escape took him through Milan and Rome before reaching Puglia. Ten days later, he was found in a house in Andria, hosted by another Algerian.
Summary
Ashur Sarnaya’s tragic death highlights the peril faced by refugees whose faith makes them targets, exposing deep tensions in European societies about identity and tolerance.
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