(Adapted from an article by Lee Jay Walker writing for the Modern Tokyo Times, originally appearing under the title "Assyrian Christian in Iraq: Sunni Islamists gouge his eyes out and torture him to death.")

Ashur Issa Jacob was butchered and mutilated by Sunni Islamic fanatics in Iraq and the Assyrian International News Agency (http://www.aina.org) and Ankawa (http://www.ankawa.com/english/) are working tirelessly in order to notify the outside world about the plight of religious minorities in Iraq.

It appears that Sunni Islamic operatives had demanded a huge ransom and in the mindset of these Sunni Islamic fanatics they will justify the slaughter of an innocent on the basis of jihad, jizya, and the House of War theory which can be found in the Koran and the Hadiths.

Arthur Issa Jacob was an Assyrian Christian construction worker and it is clear that he was tortured slowly before his death. Contrast his treatment with that of Osama bin Laden's Muslim burial, despite his activities as a global jihadist who gloated when thousands of innocent people were killed on September 11th.

However, for the followers of radical Sunni Islam all non-Muslim infidels are not worthy of any kindness and in their mindset they can kill humans in such bestial ways and somehow they still deem themselves to be holy warriors of Islam. Sunni Islamic fanatics in Iraq have massacred Shia Muslims, Christians, Shabaks, Yazidis, Mandaeans, moderate Sunni Muslims, and others; and in their world view they will meet many virgins in heaven after killing innocents in the name of Allah.

Sunni Islamic fanaticism is destroying the fabric of Iraqi society and many Shia Muslims have been killed during funerals, visiting religious holy places, while shopping and in their homes.

The Kurds in the north have military power in order to protect themselves because Sunni Islamic fanaticism is also tinged with Arab chauvinism. Christians and other smaller minorities have no militias to protect themselves from the evil of radical Sunni Islam. Multinational forces have been told by political elites to do nothing, therefore, the invasion of Iraq left minorities to the evil forces of Sunni Islamic jihadists. Political elites in the West have “turned a blind eye” and just like in Kosovo [ed.: emphasis created by HCS] the Christian community has been abandoned.

Assyrian International News Agency stated that “Ashur Issa Jacob, an Assyrian construction worker, was found dead today in Kirkuk, North Iraq. He was kidnapped on Saturday by Al-Qaeda operatives, it is believed, who made a $100,000 ransom demand. His body was mutilated. His head was nearly severed off. He was tortured before he was executed, according to the Kirkuk police. His eyes were gouged out, his ears were cut off and his faced was skinned. There also were signs of dog bites on the body. Mr. Jacob is survived by his wife and three children.”

Iraq’s future is being destroyed by religious fanatics whose only goal is to enforce a medieval system alongside Arabization and a Sunni Islamic state based on Islamic Sharia law.

America and other Western nations who invaded Iraq have a moral obligation to protect the citizens of Iraq, irrespective of religious faith, ethnicity or no faith. After all, the fleeing of so many Christians and other minorities began because of the forces which were unleashed after Iraq was invaded. If nothing is done to stem the tide of Arab Sunni Islamic fanaticism then Iraq will become a nation where non-Muslim minorities will no longer exist.