Posted on 01/03/2007 5:27:19 AM PST by marshmallow
It was Christmas in Iraq as well as America, but there were fewer celebrations than in the past. Iraq has become a particularly dangerous place for Christians: it is safer to stay home than attend services, and even better to seek refuge in Kurdish territory or leave Iraq entirely.
Washington is filled with talk of new directions in Iraq. President George W. Bush has largely dismissed the Iraq Study Group report and apparently plans on modestly upping U.S. occupation forces. However, a temporary surge isn't likely to have much permanent effect. The future of Iraq almost certainly is in the hands of Iraqis. The number of optimists who expect to see a liberal, Western-oriented, united Iraq are dwindling fast.
Virtually invisible, alas, has been the status of Iraq's Christians. To raise awareness of their plight the group Christians for Assyrians of Iraq held a rally outside the White House in early December. Christianity predates Islam in Iraq, and believers survived centuries of persecution. Although a brute, Hussein did not target Christians, who were largely free to work and worship.
Then Hussein's ouster seemed to open the country to evangelism. Jim Jacobson, president of Christian Freedom International (CFI), told the American Conservative: "A lot of Iraqis were seeing Christianity for the first time," resulting in an "explosion of conversions" and "underground, nondenominational churches."
(Excerpt) Read more at spectator.org ...
Looks like a Christian malitia is needed as well.
Thank you for this excellent article.I have many Christian friends in the Middle East. Best regards,
This is so horrible.
And--- forcing my fingers to type, here goes --- this is just what Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict (when he was Cardinal Ratzinger) feared would happen, when they strongly, urgently advised the US not to invade Iraq back in 2003.
I don't know what's to be done now. This article has a few ideas. Urge that these poor landless, luckless, friendless Iraqi Christians be allowed into the US, anyway. That, or --- I fear --- extinction in Syria.
bttt
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.