From an historical account of the time:
Icon of the Georgian Martyrs
... A river of blood flowed through the city. The Turkmen castrated young children, raped women, and stabbed mothers to death over their children's lifeless bodies. The whole city shuddered at the sound of wailing and lamentation. The river and streets of the city were filled with death.
The sultan ordered that the cupola of Sioni Cathedral be taken down and replaced by his vile throne. And at his command the icons of the Theotokos [the Virgin Mary] and our Savior were carried out of Sioni Cathedral and placed at the center of the bridge across the Mtkvari River. The invaders goaded the people to the bridge, ordering them to cross it and spit on the holy icons. Those who betrayed the Christian Faith and mocked the icons were spared their lives, while the Orthodox confessors were beheaded.
One hundred thousand Georgians sacrificed their lives to venerate the holy icons. One hundred thousand severed heads and headless bodies were carried by the bloody current down the Mtkvari River.
from Lives of the Georgian Saints, by Archpriest Zakaria Machitadze, St Herman of Alaska Press, Platina CA, 2006, pp 403-404.
'Soon there will be time of beheading you' - Video address to Georgians released on behalf of Islamic State
Georgian Journal (via Pravoslavie), November 24, 2015:
A video address to the Georgian people on behalf of the Islamic State has been released on the internet. Fighters speaking Georgian address the Muslims living in Georgia, calling on them to support the ‘Islamic Caliphate’ and threatening to establish a ‘Caliphate’ in Georgia.
“I would like to address the faithless people living in Georgia that have been fighting Islam for a long time. Everybody who has acted against Islam, no matter in Iraq or Afghanistan, will be judged by God’s law.
God is very strict; therefore we call on you to stop persecuting Muslims. Your actions against Muslims will not go unanswered. Everybody will be held accountable for it.
Soon there will come the time of your beheading...
You consider yourselves very far from the Caliphate, thinking we cannot reach Georgia but I would like to remind you of the period when the Caliphate was established in Georgia. The Georgian people were much more courageous then than the enemies of Islam governing Georgia now. The time will come very soon, thanks to God,” one of the fighters declares.
Another fighter threatens Muslim Khojas and Muftis living in Adjara, accusing them of misleading people. “You are not Muslims yourselves. You follow Tahuti and the people also follow your path. Are not you afraid of Allah who has created you by a drop of blood? You will die and appear before Allah. You will pay for what you have done. Be afraid of Allah but not the dirty leaders. Don’t be afraid of their orders you fulfill without hesitation,” the fighters say.
The video was published by Furat Media and can be found on sendvid.com.
Edited by OrthoChristian.com
