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http://www.assistnews.net/Stories/2007/s07040078.htm

ASSIST News Service (ANS) - PO Box 609, Lake Forest, CA 92609-0609 USA
Visit our web site at: www.assistnews.net — E-mail: danjuma1@aol.com

Tuesday, April 17, 2007

Muslims Forcing Christian Assyrians in Baghdad to Pay ’Protection Tax’

By Michael Ireland
Chief Correspondent, ASSIST News Service

BAGHDAD, IRAQ (ANS) — Evidence has emerged that Muslims are forcing the Christian Assyrians in the Dora Neighborhood of Baghdad to pay the jizya, the ‘Protection Tax’ demanded from Christians and Jews by Islamic law.

AINA, the Assyrian International News Agency, has obtained testimony from two residents of Dora and an observer in Iraq about the required payment of the tax. The names of those who gave information to AINA have been withheld to protect the safety of the individuals concerned.
An observer in Baghdad told AINA that elements of Al-Qaeda have moved into Dora from Anbar. “No security forces are to be seen there, it seems to be abandoned by both Iraqi and Coalition.”

The observer said that in Hay Al-Mechaneek (which is in Dora across the bridge) people have been warned by these insurgents to uninstall the satellite dishes “since this is ‘Haram’ (forbidden) in Islam.

“In Dora where Christians live in Hay Al-Mualimeen [Teachers quarter] and Hay Al-Athorieen [Assyrian quarter] is where they are telling people to convert, leave, (and) pay ‘Jizya’ taxation.”

An e-mail from a resident in Dora says the practice of demanding the jizya has been going on for the past week, and started even before Easter.

“We talked to many people within the American Embassy and Iraqi Government, but it seems no body really cares, because they have done nothing, or sometimes I wonder if they care at all,” the e-mail says.

It adds: “Neither the Iraqi nor the US army have any activity there, and they have delivered Dora to insurgents; and above all the US army went and put a camp in the Chaldean church (Babylon Theology College) to raise the hate among those Muslims toward Christians, as they are seeing them (as) allies for Americans, and that worsen things more.”

A refugee in Syria, who formerly lived in Dora, stated: “Yes it is true, today a family [name withheld] arrived from Dora/Mualimeen street, and they said some terrorists knocked on their door, and when they opened the door they were told to either pay money (jizya) to support the insurgents or convert to Islam, or leave the house within 24 hours or else be killed.”

** Michael Ireland is an international British freelance journalist. A former reporter with a London newspaper, Michael is the Chief Correspondent for ASSIST News Service of Lake Forest, California. Michael immigrated to the United States in 1982 and became a US citizen in September, 1995. He is married with two children. Michael has also been a frequent contributor to UCB Europe, a British Christian radio station.

** You may republish this story with proper attribution.