Members of the Islamic State hacked an Australian church website, posting videos of executions and threatening a war against infidels until “Rome” is conquered.
The militants, who targeted Our Lady of Mercy Syriac Catholic Church in Sydney, posted videos of Islamic State terrorists beheading, shooting and burning victims alive, The Christian Post reported.
“Whatever happens, our churches remain holy and we will always remain faithful praying on our knees,” the church posted on its Facebook page.
The church believes it was targeted because its members are mostly people from Iraq and Syria and it has been involved in providing shelter for Iraqi and Syrian refugees who have fled the violence in the region.
“Hacked by the Islamic State,” the militants posted on olom.org.au. “Now our fighting has come! We don’t negotiate except with cannon, we don’t have dialogues except with gun, we will not talk except strength. And we will not stop the fighting until we make Athan and pray in Rome by Allah’s will in a conquest, as a promise from Allah, and Allah does not break his promise.”
Parish priest Rahal Dergham told the Daily Mail Australia that his congregation was shocked at first followed by “a big wave of anger and hurt.”
“We have our families still under the threat of ISIS and the majority has been hurt, displaced or raped,” Parish Dergham said. “I don’t think at this stage we have any fear. We’ve lost everything. They (the church members) feel a big loss has happened. We’re always hoping that at one stage ISIS would be defeated and we would be back to our towns and churches and monasteries and villages and properties, and business as usual.”
Parish Dergham said the church reported the incident to Australian authorities.
“The Islamic State is not happy enough to kill and send the Christians out of their countries but now they want to deny them the help needed to survive once they arrive to this beautiful place we all call home,” he said.
The Islamic State has targeted “Rome” since last year when Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi became the first Caliph since the Ottoman empire.
“Rush O Muslims to your state. It is your state. Syria is not for Syrians and Iraq is not for Iraqis. The land is for the Muslims, all Muslims. … This is my advice to you. If you hold to it you will conquer Rome and own the world, if Allah wills,” the terror leader said in a message released in July 2014.
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