Awards
- Winner of Catholic Press Association Book Award: Faithful Citizenship/Religious Freedom 2018 (United States)
- Winner of Catholic Press Association Book Award: Faithful Citizenship/Religious Freedom, First Place 2018 (United States)
- Winner of Foreword INDIES Book of the Year Award: Religion 2017 (United States)
- Winner of Foreword Reviews' INDIES Book of the Year Award, Religion 2017 (United States)
- Winner of Foreword Reviews' INDIES Book of the Year Award, Religion 2017 (United States)
Overview
How do we respond in the face of evil, especially to those who inflict grave evil upon us? Abducted in Iraq is Bishop Saad Sirop Hanna's firsthand account of his abduction in 2006 by a militant group associated with al-Qaeda. As a young parish priest and visiting lecturer on philosophy at Babel College near Baghdad, Fr. Hanna was kidnapped after celebrating Mass on August 15 and released on September 11. Hanna's plight attracted international attention after Pope Benedict XVI requested prayers for the safe return of the young priest. The book charts Hanna's twenty-eight days in captivity as he struggles through threats, torture, and the unknown to piece together what little information he has in a bid for survival. Throughout this time, he questions what a post-Saddam Hussein Iraq means for the future, as well as the events that lead the country on that path. Through extreme hardship, the young priest gains a greater knowledge both of his faith and of remaining true to himself. This riveting narrative reflects the experience of persecuted Christians all over the world today, especially the plight of Iraqi Christians who continue to live and hold their faith against tremendous odds, and it sheds light on the complex political and spiritual situation that Catholics face in predominantly non-Christian nations. More than just a personal story, Abducted in Iraq is also Hanna's portrayal of what has happened to the ancient churches of one of the oldest Christian communities and how the West's reaction and inaction have affected Iraqi Christians. More than just a story of one man, it is also the story of a suffering and persecuted people. As such, this book will be of great interest to those wanting to learn more about the violence in the Middle East and the threats facing Christians there, as well all those seeking to strengthen their own faith.
Full Product Details
Author: Saad Sirop Hanna ,
Edward S. Aris
Publisher: University of Notre Dame Press
Imprint: University of Notre Dame Press
Dimensions:
Width: 14.00cm
, Height: 1.40cm
, Length: 21.60cm
Weight: 0.386kg
ISBN: 9780268102937
ISBN 10: 0268102937
Pages: 184
Publication Date: 30 September 2017
Audience:
General/trade
,
General
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active
Availability: In Print
This item will be ordered in for you from one of our suppliers. Upon receipt, we will promptly dispatch it out to you. For in store availability, please contact us.
Reviews
-It is a fact of journalism that distant tragedies are not taken seriously unless a face, a personal experience, makes it real. This is such a personal story, and told perhaps better than any trained journalist might.- --Carl Anderson, Supreme Knight, Knights of Columbus
Bishop Hanna's testimony and story deserve 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 Rights-born 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 emeritus, John Moore's University, Independent Life Peer of the British House of Lords It is a fact of journalism that distant tragedies are not taken seriously unless a face, a personal experience, makes it real. This is such a personal story, and told perhaps better than any trained journalist might. - Carl Anderson, Supreme Knight, Knights of Columbus
Author Information
Saad Sirop Hanna is the Apostolic Visitor for Chaldeans Residing in Europe, the auxiliary bishop of the Chaldean Patriarchate of Baghdad, Iraq, and a recurring visitor at the Medieval Institute of the University of Notre Dame.
