The Islamic State continues to purge any sign or symbol of Christianity from one of the oldest Christian regions, the Ninevah plains of Iraq and adjoining city of Mosul.

Recent acts of wanton hate and destruction at the hands of Islamic State members include the destruction of the cross of the St. John Church in the Hamdaniya district and the ransacking of the church; and the destruction of the cross of the Church of the Hour in Mosul.

Similarly, the large copper encased statue of St. George statue was stolen from the monastery of the same name in Mosul. Other Christian symbols and icons — including the Virgin Mary statue in the monastery's courtyard — were smashed to pieces.

Yesterday I appeared on Ave Maria Radio’s “Kresta in the Afternoon.” Topics discussed included the slaughter of 21 Copts in Libya, Egypt's response, and Saudi Arabia's "great wall." The 12-minute interview can be heard by clicking here.

Speaking of the Crusades (as Obama recently did ), Dr. Bill Warner of the Center for the Study of Political Islam has created a nifty video (below) that maps out the location and amount of jihads throughout the centuries versus the location and amount of crusades throughout the centuries. The sheer volume and ubiquity of jihads radically dwarfs the much more maligned crusades — placing in context the significance, or need, for the latter, which as discussed here, were "in every way defensive wars."