Oh I know there are Jews in Iraq. It's really none of our business, but no one has come up with a name, or any info on this uncle. If in fact he is Muslim, any non Muslim would be strongly encouraged to convert. It's in the handbook.
I didn't read or hear about this particular instance, but I do know the level of burning hatred there is for Jews.
The info has been out for a while. Michael's now deceased sister was married to an Iraqi named Mudafer who lives in or near Baghdad. Mudafer's brother, Moffak Mustaffa, lives in Mosul. Nick hooked Moffak up with the internet. A friend in the Baghdad hotel told reporters the visit with Moffak was the only time Nick showed any sign of being concerned. Moffak tried to explain to him the dangers to himself and to Moffak. But, Nick once again poo-poo'ed the warnings.
Michael Berg also told AP that Nicholas' paternal aunt, now deceased, married an Iraqi man named Mudhaffar, who became close to Nicholas. In one of the emails, Nicholas Berg describes going to the northern city of Mosul, where he had met Mudhaffar's brother, identified as Muwaffaq Mustafa.
"We got along splendidly," Berg wrote. "We spent a few hours and I helped him establish an email account."
Berg notes that "my presence ... made him more concerned (about his own safety and probably mine too) than I've been the entire time I've been here."