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Read about: Persecution of Christians in Iraq grows
Persecution in Iraq
Pre March 2003
A diverse traditional Christian community has existed for many years comprising Orthodox, Catholic and Protestant
Churches. Estimates of the size of these communities vary from 250,000 to
over one million, though 500,000 (approximately 2% of the total population
of about 25 million) seems reasonable. They are not evenly distributed
across the country, with many churches in Baghdad and Mosul but only one
in Basra
[1].
Saddam Hussein’s government recognised only three Protestant denominations, the Anglicans, the Presbyterian and
the Seventh Day Adventists. Others had to either register under the
umbrella of one of these or operate in an underground and unregistered manner.
The immediate post invasion situation
The church was free to organise as it wished. Across Baghdad churches emerged from underground and new churches
were established. New places of worship were opened.
However the same tolerance was not seen everywhere. Attacks occurred on Christian owned businesses in Basra and
Mosul with alcohol and video stores the first targets.
In 2004 there were several attacks on Western Christians in Iraq, two of which resulted in fatalities. It is
debatable whether these individuals were attacked because they were
overtly Christian or because they were Westerners. However, it was clear
that Western Christians seeking to assist national Christians could not
operate openly. Subsequently there were attacks against non-Western
Christians. Those seeking to support the Iraqi church would have to
operate from outside the country or the safety of the Green Zone.
Attacks on Iraqi churches were occurring in the second half of 2004: bomb attacks outside buildings. At least half
the casualties were people living nearby. Consequently many new churches
removed their signs at the request of their neighbours.
A step change
On 22nd February 2006 a bomb attack severely damaged the historic Shi’a al-Askari mosque in Samarra, a
predominantly Sunni area. As the burial site of the tenth and eleventh
Imams, this is an important site within Shi’a Islam. Prior to the bomb
attack most Shi’ites heeded the call of Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani to
refrain from retaliating against the Sunnis, but subsequently calls for
vengeance by Muqtada as-Sadr and others gained much stronger support and
the level of violence rose significantly.
The current situation – summer 2007
Many Christians are leaving their homes and either emigrating or moving to safer areas within Iraq.
In Baghdad, churches of several traditions
and denominations report that half their congregations have left the city.
Many Christians have fled to northern Iraq, Jordan or Syria.
Two examples
of the reasons for this follow:
● In the Dora district of
Baghdad there has been a systematic campaign forcing Christians to leave.
They have received either a letter or a visit from armed men urging them
to convert to Islam, leave or pay with their lives. Some have been given
only a few hours to pack. Typically the homes are quickly occupied by
others, almost certainly those who have themselves been displaced.
● The only Catholic seminary in the country relocated from Baghdad to Irbil in the Kurdish areas in
January 2007 owing to threats and the kidnapping of one of the staff.
In Mosul:
● In October 2006 Father Boulos Iskandar of the Syrian Orthodox Church was kidnapped and murdered.
● On 3rd June 2007 Father Ragheed Ganni and three aides were shot dead as they left the
Church of the Holy Spirit after celebrating mass.
In many places a process of homogenisation or ethnic cleansing is underway, i.e. the majority are
forcing those from the minority to leave. This is true for mixed Sunni and
Shia areas (e.g. in much of Baghdad), mixed Arab and Kurd (e.g. Mosul), as
well as mixed Christian and other communities. The minorities are most at
risk, whoever the minority is within its local context.
Pray that:
● The bereaved, injured and traumatised will know the deep healing of the Lord Jesus
● Christians who have been displaced will be able to worship in their new abodes
● Those who remain in dangerous areas will know daily wisdom
● A faithful Christian witness will remain across Iraq
● Violence will cease
Note:
Religious persecution is defined as the violation of human rights for religious reasons. Therefore, there is little, if any, religious persecution in Iraq since the suffering is as a
result of economic, social and political motivations, even if in some cases there is a religious veneer.
This academic point does not nullify the fact that Iraqi Christians are suffering and need our prayers.
Christians are vulnerable because they are a minority that does not typically turn to violence, has no large group
acting as a protector and is perceived to have links to the West and hence
access to large amounts of money. Therefore they appear an easy target for
those seeking to extort money by kidnapping or demanding “protection
money”, or acquire property by forced eviction of lawful owners.
[1] Baghdad, Basra and Mosul are the three largest cities
Middle East Concern: www.meconcern.org
Version:................ 1.0
Date:..................... 20th August
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