A TRAGEDY OF THE CHRISTIANS AND WORLD KEEPING SILENT
ANNA PRZEWOŹNIK
– We treated the work on the film and photos as a good retreat. We were not afraid but not because we are very brave, but because we set off for this journey with pure hearts, having asked God for help – says Witold Gadowski
As a documentary filmmaker assures , the film makers felt this help in every moment. They might have been killed in an explosion three times, as in the places where they were bombs went off. They were late for a meeting with Kurdish fighters thanks to which they saved their lives – if they had been on time, they would have been killed with 38 Kurds. Divine Providence guarded them all the time.
A film with mission
‘Insha Allah. The martyrs’ blood’ is a film about the so-called Islamic State and its victims. It is a work of three documentary filmmakers: Witold Gadowski, Maciej Grabys and Michał Król. Its production lasted for the whole year 2015. He was being made during three journeys to Turkey, Syria, Iraq and Kurdistan. The film shows a dramatic situation of the Christians in Iraq and Syria: rapes, murders, kidnappings of the persecuted by fighters of the so-called Islamic state (IS).
- The film assembly lasted very long. It was hard work. We brought hundreds of recordings. We spent over 25 thousand zlotys on the very translations in 6 languages. The film lasts 93 minutes. Its producer is the Salesian Mission Voluntary Service – The Young of the World, known for many actions for mission and persecuted Christians – says Witold Gadowski.
The premiere of the film, with participation of archbishop Wacław Depo took place in Częstochowa, in the Coins and Medals Museum of John Paul II, during the III Review of Documentaries Improperly Realistic. Witold Gadowski was its honourable guest.
- We made this film to change something. It is beginning to exist, is starting its route all over the world, and is going to be presented in the European Parliament, in UNO, and its premiere will be in Kurdistan during the international festivals. We hope that the film will be watched by thousands of people, as it makes one reflect and ask oneself questions – says Gadowski.
According to the author the international public opinion is still hardly aware of the situation in Syria, Iraq, Nigeria, Pakistan and many other places. One can lose one’s life for only going to church there. In the opinion of the filmmaker, the so-called Islamic State is a creation which should not have been established in XXI century. It is palpable, alive barbarism, but it is not the Islamic State which is a sin – it is the result of a sin. The sin is the policy of big powerful countries which allowed for establishing this organization and today tolerates its existence as it does a lot of business.
A time bomb
The film presents a young refugee from Al-Kamiszli. For a few hundred dollars which he had paid smugglers, he got to Turkey. He says that this country supports the jihads in various ways, it smuggles them to Syria for free, and does not even hide it. And although Europe opened the door to refugees, it looks at the Muslims with more approval than at the Christians. – Letting in the Islamists, it places a time bomb on its area – says the Syrian man.
Why doesn’t Europe help real victims of the war? Every Islamist, even the most radical one, can get to Europe, whereas Christian refugees are suffering in camps for refugees and are not allowed into Europe.
- I can see much injustice in what is happening in Europe as real victims of the war are in camps in the Iraq Kurdystan, in the southern Turkey and Lebanon at the moment – says Witold Gadowski. – They have been there for over a year. The Shiites, the Yazdans and the Christians. These are real victims of the war. They are applying for visas to European countries in vain. Whereas, those who are getting into Europe by force, are mostly young men, not known from where. Those people neglect all rules and are getting into areas of Europe in a criminal way and are immediately presented as refugees. They take places of real victims of war. Among them there are very few Christians, very few Yazdans and very few Kurds who are suffering from the so-called Islamic State. 90 per cent of people are transported to Europe in a criminal way by mafias: the Turkish, Alban and Russian ones.
In whose interest?
‘Insha Allah. Blood of the martyrs’ is a difficult and real film, so politically incorrect. It clearly shows that a real intention of the Islamic State is conquering the whole world for Islam. The Shiites are murdered at once. Yazdian women are raped, Yazdan children are sold on slavery markets, and men are killed. Yazdan women speak about captivity in the IS. – Nobody is helping us, the Iraq government is doing nothing – Christ’s followers say in the film.
The Jihads mark houses (N= Nazarene) of the Christians who have a choice: either they will convert into Islam and then they will be at grace or disgrace of people from the so-called Islamic State, or they will maintain their faith and then they will be murdered or burdened with jizya tax whose amount is freely decided. In the film we hear testimonies of the Christians expelled from Mosul or Karakosz. We are witnesses of talks with generals of Iraq Kurds, representatives of the Syrian opposition, government of Syria in exile, with imprisoned members of the Islamic State, and also with bishop Nikodemus, who was a patriarch of Mosul and also had to run away. The hierarch says that religion is treated like in the Bolshevik revolution there. Churches are robbed and desecrated.
- All borders of the Islamic State are controlled by the so-called border armies commanded by the commander the emir al-Turk. The attempt of escape is punished by crucifixion – says Witold Gadowski.
A war of civilization?
Victims of the war have been in camps for over a year, therefore, they had to escape from their cities. During 24 hours 100 thousand Christians had to leave their homes in Mosul. They left their property and now live in camps in Iraq Kurdystan. They cannot see any perspectives for returning to their places occupied by their ancestors for hundreds of years. Karakosz city in Niniva valley also became deserted – 60 thousand Christians had to escape from the so-called Islamic State during one day.
Gadowski shows how the Islamic State recruits its soldiers: first there is observation, later 40 days of training of physical fitness and using weapon. Being prepared so, candidates also get under care of priests who teach them rules of radical Islam. After their successful maintaining training time, they get to regular armed forces or special services AMNI. Radical Mulisms are pursuing bloody fights in Syria or in Iraq and are exporting the Jihad to the Old Continent.
The film ‘Insha Allah. Blood of the martyrs’ is mainly an accusation of big powerful countries of cheating and creating a monster which is the so-called Islamic State. It is an insane ideology which cannot be called only Islam, Islamism – it is a kind of Islam-fascism. This is an ideology which will never come true, but can do a lot of evil and does it. These people are tolerated more than the Christians. It is a scandal, it is a thing which calls for revenge and we must speak about it publicly.
- Europe being Christian for centuries renounced its faith, and Islam did not resign from violent conquer. It only changed methods. It enters by force for something as if it had right for it. Moreover, it is very popular with the most important prime ministers, chancellors, ministers and presidents of the Old Continent. The world is doing too little to stop this tragedy. There is no agreement in the supreme posts of the authority – warns Gadowski.
At present about 150 million Christians in the world are experiencing persecutions and various pressures. About 100 thousand of them lose their lives because of their faith.
Witold Gadowski wrote about the premiere of his film in Częstochowa on Facebook: ‘It was a moving evening for me. (…) Archbishop Depo, a wise, brave priest and excellent audience. This unusual silence after the film presentation. It is worth working in order to experience such moments. I thank organizers for the medal which the Archbishop gave to me. In such moments I feel the sense of real journalism. In loneliness, facing up difficulties, near fashionable pubs or salons. I thank Michał Król and Maciek Grabyś – it is a pity you were not then. You would have seen the great success of your film. The premiere in Częstochowa at the feet of the Our Lady from Jasna Góra and this excellent crowd of moved grateful viewers’.
AA
„Niedziela” 14/2016