ISIS says 'If You Love Jesus, You Will Die Like Jesus' as they force Christian family to watch crucifixion

Many Iraqi Christians were able to escape to Erbil when ISIS took over Northern Iraq in 2014 but some who were not able to flee the city had to suffer brutal torture at the hands of the terror group.

Esam, who hails from Qaraqosh, said that his relatives were among those who suffered persecution under ISIS.

"My wife's brother was crucified by Daesh," Esam told World Watch Monitor, referring to the Arabic acronym for ISIS.

"He was crucified and tortured in front of his wife and children, who were forced to watch. They told him that if he loved Jesus that much, he would die like Jesus," he added.

He said that his brother-in-law was tortured for five hours until the terrorists cut his stomach open and shot him.

Esam said that the surviving members of the family are now living in Sweden with the help of a Swedish aid organization.

He revealed that one of his wife's relatives was also abducted by the terror group and is currently living with an ISIS amir or leader.

There have been reports that ISIS is targeting Yazidi women as sex slaves but Christians may have been included as well.

"We heard of 12 Christian girls who are with Daesh. They may be more. Our bishop told people not to tell if they lose their girls: it is a shame on the family," said Esam.

Karlus, a 29-year-old cook, was looking after his disabled father in the village of Batnaya, just outside Mosul, when ISIS took over the region. The terror group raided his house and destroyed a cross and a picture of Jesus.

"They even destroyed a piece from the Quran that was given to me by a friend," he said.

When Karlus tried to fight back, one of the jihadists hit him in the face. He endured seven weeks of persecution at the hands of the terror group but he eventually escaped to Kurdistan. His father was able to go to Baghdad but he died there in August 2015.

Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) International is documenting the testimonies of ISIS victims who are now in Jordan. Although Jordan allowed the Iraqi Christians into the country, they are treated as visitors, not refugees. Iraqis have to pay for their own food and shelter but they are not allowed to earn money.

"We are all hoping to be granted refugee status soon to leave the Middle East and continue on to Canada or Australia," said Salam, a young Christian from Qaraqosh.

The Iraqi Christians want to leave Jordan but they do not want to go back to Iraq because they no longer trust their neighbors. One Christian said that he witnessed some of his friends welcome ISIS into Mosul.