title: Abducted in Iraq: A Priest in Baghdad
author: Saad Sirop Hanna
description: "The nearly month-long ordeal in 2006 of Bishop Saad Sirop Hanna, as he was brutalized by jihadists and was confronted with the constant threat of being killed, prefigured the plight of many thousands of the bishops fellow Chaldean faithful and members of other ancient Christian communities as ISIS conquered northern Iraq in the summer of 2014. The bishops suffering, survival, and ultimately enduring faith make for a heartrending read; it is also a call to action for the world community to ensure that, in the post-ISIS world, Iraqs Christiansand Christians throughout the Middle Eastwill be afforded full religious freedom and security." (George J. Marlin, author of <i>Christian Persecutions in the Middle East: A 21st Century Tragedy</i>)<br /><br />"Bishop Hanna varies the pace well between the rapid, intrusive violence and long periods of isolation and reflection, in which his deep spirituality comes to the fore. His recollections are philosophical, elegantly expressed, and colored not with bitterness but with incomprehension and an unselfconscious courage. He humanizes his captors as much as he can manage." (<i>Sight Magazine</i>)<br /><br />Bishop Hannas testimony and story deserves to be read by anyone who has ever wondered how they would react if they were kidnapped, tortured, told to abjure their faith, and faced likely death. It should be read by anyone with even a passing interest in the violence and hatred that has disfigured Iraq and that now disfigures Syria. It should be read by anyone interested in the widely dishonoured Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rightsborn in the ashes of Auschwitz, and which asserts our right to freedom of religion or belief. And it should be read by anyone who feels they need to be better informed about the ancient churches of the Middle East and the existential threat that these Christians face. (David Alton, Professor the Lord Alton of Liverpool. Independent Crossbench Member of the British House of Lords)<br /><br />". . . a gripping account by Father Saad Sirop Hanna, now auxiliary bishop of the Chaldean Patriarchate of Baghdad, of his 27-day abduction in 2006 by jihadi militants. . . . this riveting memoir is an ideal book to read during the Knights of Columbus co-sponsored Week of Awareness for Persecuted Christians, Nov. 26Dec. 2." (<i>Columbia Magazine</i>)<br /><br />"Writing with journalist Aris, Catholic priest Hanna opens up about the 27 days he was held captive in Baghdad, Iraq, in 2006. His first-person account begins with being waylaid while driving down a Baghdad street. He was quickly blindfolded, handcuffed, and taken captive while his abductors negotiated a ransom and tried, sometimes with violent beatings, to convert him to Islam. His plight garnered international attention when Pope Benedict XVI publicly appealed for his release. . . . The book is poignant in describing and lamenting the destruction of Iraqi culture." (Publishers Weekly)<br /><br />"Father Hannas gripping and gut-wrenching descent into the terrors of violent Islamic extremism is masterfully crafted, spell-binding, and deeply disturbing. Confronted with intense pressure to abandon his faith, this courageous young Iraqi priest not only refuses to do so but also refuses to succumb to hatred of his oppressors. Above all else, this is an inspirational witness to the power of Christian hope and love in the face of unspeakable evil." (Kent R. Hill, executive director, Religious Freedom Institute)<br /><br />"<i>Abducted in Iraq</i> is Saad Hannas riveting account of his captivity in Iraq among Muslim extremists. The story Hanna tells will leave readers breathless. He recounts how his captors seized him from his car in Baghdad, tortured him, and repeatedly demanded that he convert to Islam. Through it all Hanna held courageously to his Christian faith and refused stubbornly to hate his captors. By the end of <i>Abducted in Iraq</i> readers will not only be inspired, they will also gain a new sense of compassion for those who suffer from religious violence." (Gabriel Said Reynolds, author of <i>The Emergence of Islam: Classical Traditions in Contemporary Perspective</i>)<br /><br />"Bishop Hanna's story is one of self-discovery, deepening faith, and an eye-opening reality to the plight of numerous Christians in the Middle East. . . . the situation of these Christians is often ignored and marginalized for political reasons. We are attesting to the potential end of one of the most ancient populations and religious traditions in the world. The Apostolic tradition of the Church of the East, Chaldean and Assyrian tradition, and its theological and spiritual richness is at risk. The world needs to see and to listen to the voice of this suffering church." (Word on Fire Blog)<br /><br />"Bishop Saad Sirop Hanna, head of the Chaldean Christian community in Baghdad, was abducted by Muslim extremists in 2006, and held and tortured for 28 days. He is a philosopher, and this memoir clearly reflects that aspect of a man who grew up living side-by-side with Muslims, when nobody thought that that was anything other than normal. So the destruction of Iraq and the decimation of the Christian community grieves him utterly. . . . He urges looking beyond ethnicity, creed, culture, and religion; connecting on the level of shared humanity. (<i>Church Times</i>)<br /><br />'Kafir! Kafir!' That was the word, meaning infidel or believer, the Muslim extremists shouted as they repeatedly beat Father Hanna in a futile attempt to force him to convert to their faith. In his memoir,Abducted in Iraq,Father Hanna provides a moving account of his treatment in captivity by this group from August 15, 2006, to his release on September 11. . . . As he refused to relent under ever more torturous treatment, Hanna became convinced that his ordeal could end only with his death." (Catholic Library World)
zlib_text:  
   
  J.G. Bennett & Abdullah Daghestani 
  Damascus, 1951 
   
  We did not reach Cyprus till evening, and had barely time to transfer 
  to a plane for Beirut. We were met by friends, Ronimund von Bissing 
  and his wife. They told me that a Turkish dervish had been waiting all 
  day to give me a message. I spoke to the young man, who asked me to 
  visit his Murshid, Sheikh Abdullah Daghestani, who lived in the 
  Kurdish quarter of Damascus. I said that it would not be possible, as 
  we were to leave early in the morning for Baghdad. He did not insist, 
  but said that the sheikh would expect to see me. Hiring a taxi at the 
  airport in Beirut, we went straight to Damascus, by the route I had 
  several times travelled when I was last in Syria. On arrival in 
  Damascus, we found that the Nairn coach was not leaving until the 
  next day. I therefore decided to visit Sheikh Abdullah. 
   
  Elizabeth came with me as far as the tomb of Muhiddin Ibn Arabi. As 
  Emin Chikhou had firmly refused to speak with women, I