The martyrdom of Ashour Sernaya in France; a crime committed by extremist Islamists against the voice of Christians
The murder of Ashour Sernaya in Lyon, France, once again showed that radical Islamists cannot silence the faith of Christians by silencing their voices.
The Christian community around the world is in deep sorrow and shock. “Ashur Sarnaya,” a 45-year-old Assyrian-Syriac-Chaldean man who, despite his physical disability, was a powerful voice for faith and freedom, was martyred on the evening of Wednesday, September 10, 2025, in front of his home in Lyon, France, by unknown assailants whose motives, many believe, are directly linked to radical Islamists.
Three masked men fatally shot him in the neck while he was live-streaming on social media and then fled immediately. Their official identities have not yet been determined, but evidence and records suggest that the hostility of Islamic extremists towards Assyrian activities is the most likely reason for this bloody crime.
Originally from the city of Ankawa in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, Ashur Sarnaya fled the clutches of ISIS with her family and came to France seeking peace and security. But the same threat that had driven her from her home eventually followed her to the heart of Europe.
She spoke out against Islamist groups on TikTok, boldly proclaimed her Christian faith, and repeatedly received death threats. Sarnaya knew it was a dangerous path, but she believed that truth and faith were worth dying for.
French authorities have condemned the crime, but Christians around the world know that this is not just an individual murder, but a symbol of a continuing wave of persecution and hatred against believers. Just as Sloane Momica was targeted by extremists in Sweden earlier this year,
The blood of Assyria Sarnaya is now a global cry; a cry that shows that radical Islamists can silence bodies, but they will never be able to silence the voice of Christian faith.
