ICC Note: The experience of Father Douglas Bazi, a Chaldean priest who endured nine days of torture in the Middle East has been highlighted in a new book called “After Saturday Comes Sunday.” The driving theme of the new book by Elizabeth Kendal explains the complexity and the tragedy that is the Middle East and how the West is blind to this reality. The author highlights Bazi’s opinion in his frustration with political Western elites focusing on economical liberalization as opposed to addressing the practical problem of fundamental Islam.
08/22/2016 Middle East (BosNewLife): One of the modern-day saints of the Middle East is Father Douglas Bazi, a Chaldean priest who endured nine days of captivity and torture after being kidnapped by the al-Qaida terror group. During my Skype interview with him last year, I was startled at how surprisingly cheerful and relaxed he appeared when recalling his harrowing experiences.
The priest is one of the heroes of a new book I highly recommend. It’s “After Saturday Comes Sunday,” by Elizabeth Kendal. The sub-title sums up its message: “Understanding the Christian Crisis in the Middle East.”
Some of the book’s stories tell the traumatic experiences of individuals such as Father Bazi.
Kendal writes: “Bazi is fed up with Western elites who insist that all the Middle East needs is political and economic liberalization. He is furious that despite having no understanding or practical experience of Islam, they will insist that Islam is inherently peaceful, arrogantly believing they know Islam better than he does.”
“’We are in pain,’ the priest says. ‘I am angry because I know Islam well. In Baghdad they blew up my church. I drove by three bombings, and twice my car was destroyed. I got shot in my leg by an AK-47 – by Islam, and they kidnapped me for nine days.’”
DRIVING THEME
This is a driving theme of the book – that the West does not truly understand the tragedy that is the Middle East. And I can think of few writers better able to explain the history of the crisis to us than Kendal, one of the finest commentators writing today about Christian persecution.
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