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</div> </form> </div> </div> <hr/> <div id="content" class="span-13 append-1"> <div class="post clearfix" id="post-12741"> <div class="postmetadata"><span class="comments"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/2011/03/15/syrian-archbishop-iraqi-refugees-renewed-our-church/#respond" title="Comment on Syrian Archbishop: Iraqi Refugees Renewed Our Church">No Comments</a></span> Posted on March 15th, 2011 by Mohammed Ibn Laith</div> <h3><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/2011/03/15/syrian-archbishop-iraqi-refugees-renewed-our-church/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent Link to Syrian Archbishop: Iraqi Refugees Renewed Our Church">Syrian Archbishop: Iraqi Refugees Renewed Our Church</a></h3> <p class="postmetadata">Category: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/category/english-articles/" title="View all posts in English Language Articles" rel="category tag">English Language Articles</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/category/religion/" title="View all posts in Religion" rel="category tag">Religion</a>, Tags: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/australia/" rel="tag">Australia</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/canada/" rel="tag">Canada</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/catholic-church/" rel="tag">Catholic Church</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/catholics/" rel="tag">Catholics</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/chaldean/" rel="tag">chaldean</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/chaldean-catholic-church/" rel="tag">chaldean catholic church</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/christians/" rel="tag">Christians</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/damascus/" rel="tag">Damascus</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/ethnic-cleansing-of-christians/" rel="tag">Ethnic cleansing of Christians</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/iraqi-refugees/" rel="tag">iraqi refugees</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/poverty/" rel="tag">Poverty</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/refugees/" rel="tag">Refugees</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/syria/" rel="tag">Syria</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/syrian-catholic-church/" rel="tag">syrian catholic church</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/un/" rel="tag">U.N.</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/violence/" rel="tag">violence</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/%d8%a8%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%85%d8%b3%d9%8a%d8%ad%d9%8a%d9%8a%d9%86/" rel="tag">بالمسيحيين</a></p> <div class="entry" dir="rtl" align="right"> <div style="border-right: black 1px solid; padding-right: 5px; border-top: black 1px solid; padding-left: 5px; float: right; padding-bottom: 5px; margin: 5px 0px 5px 15px; border-left: black 1px solid; width: 300px; padding-top: 5px; border-bottom: black 1px solid"> <p><strong>Letter of Maronite Archbishop Nassar of Damascus</strong></p> <p>DAMASCUS, Syria, MARCH 14, 2011 (<a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://www.zenit.org/" class="external" target="_blank">Zenit.org</a>).- Here is a translation of the letter written by Maronite Archbishop Samir Nassar of Damascus, titled "Thanks to the Iraqi Refugees." [Translation by ZENIT]</p> </p></div> <p>Syria has facilitated the reception of Iraqi refugees. Thousands of them have come, above all to Damascus, and hundreds of them continue to come to flee from death and the violence they have suffered since 2003. U.N. agencies organize their exodus to other more clement skies. While waiting for their visas, these refugees stay in Damascus, at times for two or three years and sometimes more.</p> <p>These well-formed Christians, fervent and practicing, take refuge in Christian faith and hope. They fill our churches, invigorate our parishes and reinforce the Christian faith in Syria, offering new encouragement to our parishes.</p> <p>Iraqi refugees take part assiduously in daily Mass despite the fact they come from far away, on foot or public transport.</p> <p>On asking for confession before receiving Communion, these refugees have accelerated the return to the confessional which now has waiting queues.</p> <p>Their devotion to the saints and veneration of the Virgin has relaunched the production of candles and the niches of the saints both within and outside the churches are illuminated day and night.</p> <p>Their children are numerous in the catechism and first Communion classes. Young people are involved in the choirs and liturgies of different churches.</p> <p>The war spread information technology rapidly in Iraq. These refugees who have arrived in Damascus are very familiar with the Internet and the Web. They have put their knowledge in a generous way at the service of parishes and communities. In this way, thanks to them, our parishes have been equipped with Web sites, vanguard instrument at the service of evangelization at a universal scale.</p> <p>Moved by profound piety, they come together in dozens, two or three times a week, to do the great cleaning of the cathedral and the Square of the Church until they receive their visas. Before traveling, they ensure the take over in this activity.</p> <p>They take part in prayer vigils, eucharistic adoration, pilgrimages and processions on the streets of Damascus during Holy Week and especially in the month of May. Their spiritual dynamism attracts other communities, one of our priests gives a helping hand in the Chaldean parish.</p> <p>Despite their poverty and precarious condition of life, they are generous and know how to share. Suffice it to see them as they leave Mass giving help with joy, a smile and tears.</p> <p>They live their more intimate moments in silence before the Most Blessed Sacrament, face-to-face with the Lord. For hours, they mourn the death of their loved ones and wonder about the future. And they try to understand the reason why.</p> <p>They arrive in great numbers at the archbishopric every week to say good-bye before traveling to the unknown, and at times separated: parents to Australia, children to Canada. Even in exile they cannot live as a family, an even more painful wrench.</p> <p>These Iraqi refugees passing though Damascus are itinerant missionaries who have left their imprint on the Church in Syria, which sees them pass by and wonders about its own future.</p> <p>The synod of Christians of the East was an opportunity and a hope which, however, has been unable to halt the exodus. These missionary refugees scattered in the four corners of the world are united only by prayer and the Internet, as their roots have been torn and they live the twilight of their Church. Will these Iraqi refugees, with their religious vitality, offer a new encouragement to the Churches of the East that receive them?</p> <p>[Translation by ZENIT]</p> <p><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://www.zenit.org/article-32018?l=english" class="external" target="_blank">ZENIT – Syrian Archbishop: Iraqi Refugees Renewed Our Church</a></p> </div> </div> <hr/> <div class="post clearfix" id="post-11986"> <div class="postmetadata"><span class="comments"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/2010/12/24/christian-exodus-from-iraq-gathers-pace/#respond" title="Comment on Christian exodus from Iraq gathers pace">No Comments</a></span> Posted on December 24th, 2010 by Nur Hussein Ghazali</div> <h3><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/2010/12/24/christian-exodus-from-iraq-gathers-pace/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent Link to Christian exodus from Iraq gathers pace">Christian exodus from Iraq gathers pace</a></h3> <p class="postmetadata">Category: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/category/english-articles/" title="View all posts in English Language Articles" rel="category tag">English Language Articles</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/category/human-rights/" title="View all posts in Human Rights" rel="category tag">Human Rights</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/category/religion/" title="View all posts in Religion" rel="category tag">Religion</a>, Tags: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/apostasy/" rel="tag">apostasy</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/baghdad/" rel="tag">Baghdad</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/cathedrals/" rel="tag">cathedrals</a>, <a 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href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/%d9%83%d9%86%d9%8a%d8%b3%d8%a9-%d8%b3%d9%8a%d8%af%d8%a9-%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%86%d8%ac%d8%a7%d8%a9/" rel="tag">كنيسة سيدة النجاة</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/violence/" rel="tag">violence</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/visas/" rel="tag">visas</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%a5%d8%b3%d9%84%d8%a7%d9%85%e2%80%8e/" rel="tag">الإسلام‎</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/%d8%a8%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%85%d8%b3%d9%8a%d8%ad%d9%8a%d9%8a%d9%86/" rel="tag">بالمسيحيين</a></p> <div class="entry" dir="rtl" align="right"> <p>Their cathedrals stand silent and their neighbourhoods are rapidly emptying. Now <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/iraq" class="external" target="_blank">Iraq</a>’s Christians face two further unthinkable realities: that Christmas this year is all but cancelled, and that few among them will stay around to celebrate future holy days.</p> <p>It has been the worst of years for the country’s Christians, with thousands fleeing in the past month and more leaving the country during 2010 than at any time since the invasion nearly eight years ago. Christian leaders say there have been few more defining years in their 2,000-year history in central Arabia.</p> <p> <a title="20102412_captioned_memorial_murdered_christians by Gorillas Guides, on Flickr" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://www.flickr.com/photos/gorillasguides/5287899085/" class="external" target="_blank"><img style="display: block; float: none; margin: 0px auto 5px" height="276" alt="20102412_captioned_memorial_murdered_christians" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010im_/http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5245/5287899085_689e1097d8_o.jpg" width="460"/></a> <p>The latest exodus follows a massacre led by al-Qaida at a Chaldean Catholic church in central Baghdad on 31 October, which left about 60 people dead, almost 100 maimed and an already apprehensive community terrified. Since then, the terrorist group has targeted Christians in their homes, including family members of those who survived the attack.</p> <p>In Baghdad, as well as the northern cities of Mosul and Kirkuk, Christmas services have been cancelled for fear of further violence. Church leaders said they would not put up Christmas decorations or celebrate midnight mass. They told families not to decorate their homes, for fear of attack after al-Qaida reiterated its threat to target Christians earlier this week.</p> <p>"Now more than 80% of Christians are not going to the churches," said the head of Iraq’s Christian Endowment group, Abdullah al-Noufali. "There is no more sunday school, no school for teaching Christianity. Yesterday we had a discussion about what we would do for Christmas. We took a decision just to do one mass. In years before we had many masses."</p> <p>Noufali’s church was closed and barricaded in 2005 when violence was consuming Baghdad. Many others had stayed open since then. Until now. In the wake of the attack on the Our Lady of Salvation church, at least 10 churches are believed to have been closed. At others, congregations are down to a handful.</p> <p>Iraq’s Christian population has halved since the ousting of Saddam Hussein. But in the past two months, the rate of departure has soared. The United Nations High Commission for Refugees is reporting high numbers of registrations by Christians in Syria, Jordan and Lebanon. And in Iraq’s Kurdish north, the number of refugees is overwhelming.</p> <p>Christians have been arriving since the president of the Kurdish regional government, Massoud Barazani, offered them protection and refuge days after the massacre.</p> <p>Kurdish officials say at least 1,000 families have taken up the offer. Noufali believes the number is far higher. He says the Kurds have been warm and welcoming, but fears that moving there does not offer his community a long-term solution.</p> <p>"We have seen in Kurdistan that they have no ability to accept the Kurdish students in the universities," he said. "There are not enough chairs in the university for them. They must have opportunity to learn and work. The problem is not just security."</p> <p>In Lebanon, the plight of Iraq’s Christians is being carefully scrutinised. Father Yusef Muwaness, of the Council of Catholic Churches in the Middle East, said: "We understand the shock [the Iraqis] are enduring. We want them to know that they won’t be left alone.</p> <p>"There are ancient issues at work. These people [al-Qaida] are killing because of a fatwa. There has not been a mufti who has stood up and said this is wrong."</p> <p>Lebanon’s Christians once held a demographic majority. Emigration and a brutal civil war has whittled numbers away. Amin Gemayel, a former Lebanese president and now patriarch of many of the country’s remaining Christians, believes far more could be done by Muslim leaders to ensure that the exodus is not total.</p> <p>"The Christians were very nationalistic," he said. "They are part of the foundations of this area. We can’t understand such extremity then passivity from the leaders. When the region is completely cleansed of other religions (apart from Islam) it will be a surrender to the fundamentalists."</p> <p>In the Chaldean archdiocese in Baabda, above Beirut, Father Hanna has been receiving Iraqi families fleeing their homeland. "I would go back there to give a service in front of one person, if I had to," he said. "But even that may not be possible now. Since 1 November, we have seen 450 families register here. Many more have gone to the UN."</p> <p>Among those who have stayed in Iraq and tried to build a new life in the north, there are mixed feelings. "Three days after the church attack I left my house (in Baghdad) and came to the KRG," said Georges Qudah, 30, a pharmacy assistant. "At the main checkpoint I said we are a Christian family, and they said we are welcome to stay as long as we want. I feel safe and comfortable here, but the problem is how to live. The council here has given us blankets and beds, but housing is very expensive."</p> <p>In Baghdad, there are few signs of the joy of Christmas.</p> <p>"There is no hope here anymore," says Noufali. "No one can believe they [the Christians] will stay. Christmas came with two messages, peace in the world and hope for the people and we need these two things for our life in Iraq. If there are no more Christians here, I am certain Iraq will become a more dangerous country."</p> <h3>Christianity in the Middle East</h3> <p> Freedom of worship for Christians varies greatly across the Middle East. <p>In Lebanon, where about half the population are Christian, believers are allowed to practise their faith without fear of persecution. The Maronite Church is the largest, most politically active and influential denomination, holding 34 of the 64 Christian seats in the Lebanese parliament.</p> <p>In Jordan, Christians are free to profess their faith, build churches, schools, hospitals and universities. They attend mass and there are public celebrations of religious festivals and ceremonies. They experience less discrimination and more freedom than fellow believers in Egypt and Iraq. There is a similar portrait of stability and freedom in Syria, where Christians comprise up to 10% of the population.</p> <p>Evangelising bvy Protestants in Jordan has prompted a crackdown on churches, visas and summer camps. Attempting to convert Muslims is illegal, but there is no law against proselytising to other Christians and some Catholic and Orthodox groups have complained of energetic wooing from Protestants. It is this evangelising that has offended authorities, keen to avoid religious zealotry of any sort.</p> <p>What Saudi Arabia lacks in violent persecution it makes up for in outright intolerance. There is no religious freedom in Saudi Arabia, which counts a million Catholics in its population. The country allows Christians to enter for work purposes but severely restricts the practise of their faith.</p> <p>Christians worship in private homes and there are bans on religious articles including Bibles, crucifixes, statues, carvings and items bearing religious symbols. The religious police bar the practice of any religion other than Islam. Conversion of a Muslim to another religion is considered apostasy and carries a death sentence if the accused does not recant. Still, Christians in Saudi Arabia are positively blessed compared with those of Iraq. <strong>Riazat Butt</strong></p> <p><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/dec/23/iraq-christian-exodus-christmas" class="external" target="_blank">Christian exodus from Iraq gathers pace</a> | by Martin Chulov in Baghdad |  <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://www.guardian.co.uk/" target="_blank" class="external">The Guardian</a></p> </div> </div> <hr/> <div class="post clearfix" id="post-11700"> <div class="postmetadata"><span class="comments"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/2010/10/26/exodus/#respond" title="Comment on Exodus">No Comments</a></span> Posted on October 26th, 2010 by Ali</div> <h3><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/2010/10/26/exodus/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent Link to Exodus">Exodus</a></h3> <p class="postmetadata">Category: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/category/english-articles/" title="View all posts in English Language Articles" rel="category tag">English Language Articles</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/category/human-rights/" title="View all posts in Human Rights" rel="category tag">Human Rights</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/category/religion/" title="View all posts in Religion" rel="category tag">Religion</a>, Tags: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/al-amin/" rel="tag">al-Amin</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/america/" rel="tag">America</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/arabs/" rel="tag">Arabs</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/arbil/" rel="tag">Arbil</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/archbishop-paul-faraj-kidnapping-and-murder-of/" rel="tag">Archbishop Paul Faraj - 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Anwar</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/saudi-arabia/" rel="tag">Saudi Arabia</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/vatican/" rel="tag">Vatican</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/violence/" rel="tag">violence</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/west-bank/" rel="tag">West Bank</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%a5%d8%b3%d9%84%d8%a7%d9%85%e2%80%8e/" rel="tag">الإسلام‎</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/%d8%a8%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%85%d8%b3%d9%8a%d8%ad%d9%8a%d9%8a%d9%86/" rel="tag">بالمسيحيين</a></p> <div class="entry" dir="rtl" align="right"> <div style="padding-right: 5px; padding-left: 5px; float: right; padding-bottom: 5px; margin: 5px 0px 5px 15px; width: 360px; padding-top: 0px"> <div class="container"> <div class="shadow"> <div class="frame"> <strong>From Israel to Iraq, a Christian flight of Biblical proportions has begun.</strong> <p><a title="20100913_cross_with_lights_Arbil by Gorillas Guides, on Flickr" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://www.flickr.com/photos/27086036@N02/5117481728/" class="external" target="_blank"><img height="238" alt="20100913_cross_with_lights_Arbil" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010im_/http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1189/5117481728_113dc0d2e6_o.jpg" width="350"/></a></p> </p></div> </p></div> </p></div> </p></div> <p>In the centre of the rebuilt Beirut, the massive old Maronite Cathedral of St George stands beside the even larger mass of the new Mohammad al-Amin mosque. The mosque’s minarets tower over the cathedral, but the Maronites were built a spanking new archbishop’s house between the two buildings as compensation. Yet every day, the two calls to prayer – the clanging of church bells and the wailing of the muezzin – beat an infernal percussion across the city. Both bells and wails are tape recordings, but they have been turned up to the highest decibel pitch to outdo each other, louder than an aircraft’s roar, almost as crazed as the nightclub music from Gemmayzeh across the square. But the Christians are leaving.</p> <p>Across the Middle East, it is the same story of despairing – sometimes frightened – Christian minorities, and of an exodus that reaches almost Biblical proportions. Almost half of Iraq’s Christians have fled their country since the first Gulf War in 1991, most of them after the 2004 invasion – a weird tribute to the self-proclaimed Christian faith of the two Bush presidents who went to war with Iraq – and stand now at 550,000, scarcely 3 per cent of the population. More than half of Lebanon’s Christians now live outside their country. Once a majority, the nation’s one and a half million Christians, most of them Maronite Catholics, comprise perhaps 35 per cent of the Lebanese. Egypt’s Coptic Christians – there are at most around eight million – now represent less than 10 per cent of the population.</p> <p>This is, however, not so much a flight of fear, more a chronicle of a death foretold. Christians are being outbred by the majority Muslim populations in their countries and they are almost hopelessly divided. In Jerusalem, there are 13 different Christian churches and three patriarchs. A Muslim holds the keys to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre to prevent Armenian and Orthodox priests fighting each other at Easter. </p> <p>When more than 200 members of 14 different churches – some of them divided – gathered in Rome last week for a papal synod on the loss of Christian populations in the lands where Christianity began, it was greeted with boredom or ignored altogether by most of the West’s press.</p> <p>Yet nowhere is the Christian fate sadder than in the territories around Jerusalem. As Monsignor Fouad Twal, the ninth Latin patriarch of Jerusalem and the second to be an Arab, put it bleakly, "the Israelis regard us as 100 per cent Palestinian Arabs and we are oppressed in the same way as the Muslims. But Muslim fundamentalists identify us with the Christian West – which is not always true – and want us to pay the price." With Christian Palestinians in Bethlehem cut off from Jerusalem by the same Israeli wall which imprisons their Muslim brothers, there is now, Twal says, "a young generation of Christians who do not know or visit the Holy Sepulchre".</p> <p>The Jordanian royal family have always protected their Christian population – at 350,000, it is around 6 per cent of the population – but this is perhaps the only flame of hope in the region. The divisions within Christianity proved even more dangerous to their community than the great Sunni-Shia divide did to the Muslims of the Middle East. Even the Crusaders were divided in their 100-year occupation of Palestine, or "Outremer", as they called it. The Lebanese journalist Fady Noun, a Christian, wrote a profound article from Rome last week in which he spoke of the Christian loss as "a great wound haemorrhaging blood", and bemoaned both Christian division and "egoism" for what he saw as a spiritual as well as a physical emigration. "There are those Christians who reach a kind of indifference… in Western countries who, swayed by the culture of these countries and the media, persuade eastern Christians to forget their identity," he wrote.</p> <p>Pope Benedict, whose mournful visit to the Holy Land last year prompted him to call the special synod which ended in the Vatican at the weekend, has adopted his usual perspective – that, despite their difficulties, Christians of the "Holy Land" must reinvigorate their feelings as "living stones" of the Middle Eastern Church. "To live in dignity in your own nation is before everything a fundamental human right," he said. "That is why you must support conditions of peace and justice, which are indispensable for the harmonious development of all the inhabitants of the region." But the Pope’s words sometimes suggested that real peace and justice lay in salvation rather than historical renewal.</p> <p>Patriarch Twal believes that the Pope understood during his trip to Israel and the West Bank last year "the disastrous consequences of the conflict between Jews and Palestinian Arabs" and has stated openly that one of the principal causes of Christian emigration is "the Israeli occupation, the Christians’ lack of freedom of movement, and the economic circumstances in which they live". But he does not see the total disappearance of the Christian faith in the Middle East. "We must have the courage to accept that we are Arabs and Christians and be faithful to this identity. Our wonderful mission is to be a bridge between East and West."</p> <p>One anonymous prelate at the Rome synod, quoted in one of the synod’s working papers, took a more pragmatic view. "Let’s stop saying there is no problem with Muslims; this isn’t true," he said. "The problem doesn’t only come from fundamentalists, but from constitutions. In all the countries of the region except Lebanon, Christians are second-class citizens." If religious freedom is guaranteed in these countries, "it is limited by specific laws and practices". In Egypt, this has certainly been the case since President Sadat referred to himself as "the Muslim president of a Muslim country".</p> <p>The Lebanese Maronite Church – its priests, by the way, can marry – understands all too well how Christians can become aligned with political groups. The Lebanese writer Sami Khalife wrote last week in the French-language newspaper L’Orient-Le Jour – the francophone voice of Lebanon’s Christians – that a loss of moral authority had turned churches in his country into "political actors" which were beginning to sound like political parties. An open letter to the Iranian president, Mahmoud Ahmedinejad, warning him to try to turn Lebanon into a "front line" against Israel, was signed by 250 Lebanese. Most of them were from the minority Christian community.</p> <p>Nor can the church ignore Saudi Arabia, where Christianity is banned as a religion just as much as the building of churches. Christians cannot visit the Islamic holy cities of Mecca or Medina – the doors of the Vatican and Canterbury Cathedral are at least open to Muslims – and 12 Filipinos and a priest were arrested in Saudi Arabia only this month for "proselytism" for holding a secret mass. There is, perhaps, a certain irony in the fact that the only balance to Christian emigration has been the arrival in the Middle East of perhaps a quarter of a million Christian Filipino guest workers – especially in the Gulf region – while Patriarch Twal reckons that around 40,000 of them now work and live in Israel and "Palestine".</p> <p>Needless to say, it is violence against Christians that occupies the West, a phenomenon nowhere better, or more bloodily, illustrated than by al-Qa’ida’s kidnapping of Archbishop Faraj Rahho in Mosul – an incident recorded in the US military archives revealed on Saturday – and his subsequent murder. When the Iraqi authorities later passed death sentences on two men for the killing, the church asked for them to be reprieved. In Egypt, there has been a gloomy increase in Christian-Muslim violence, especially in ancient villages in the far south of the country; in Cairo, Christian churches are now cordoned off by day-and-night police checkpoints.</p> <p>And while Western Christians routinely deplore the falling Christian populations of the Middle East, their visits to the region tend to concentrate on pilgrimages to Biblical sites rather than meetings with their Christian opposite numbers. </p> <p>Americans, so obsessed by the myths of East-West "clashes of civilisation" since 11 September 2001, often seem to regard Christianity as a "Western" rather than an Eastern religion, neatly separating the Middle East roots of their own religion from the lands of Islam. That in itself is a loss of faith.</p> <p><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/fisk/robert-fisk-exodus-the-changing-map-of-the-middle-east-2116463.html" class="external" target="_blank">Robert Fisk: Exodus. The changing map of the Middle East – Robert Fisk, Commentators – The Independent</a></p> </div> </div> <hr/> <div class="post clearfix" id="post-11577"> <div class="postmetadata"><span class="comments"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/2010/10/09/association-with-occupying-powers-makes-christians-targets/#respond" title="Comment on Association with occupying powers makes Christians targets">No Comments</a></span> Posted on October 9th, 2010 by Mohammed Al-Hamadani</div> <h3><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/2010/10/09/association-with-occupying-powers-makes-christians-targets/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent Link to Association with occupying powers makes Christians targets">Association with occupying powers makes Christians targets</a></h3> <p class="postmetadata">Category: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/category/english-articles/" title="View all posts in English Language Articles" rel="category tag">English Language Articles</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/category/human-rights/" title="View all posts in Human Rights" rel="category tag">Human Rights</a>, Tags: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/arabs/" rel="tag">Arabs</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/armenians/" rel="tag">Armenians</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/assassination/" rel="tag">assassination</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/assassination-attempts/" rel="tag">Assassination attempts</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/assyria/" rel="tag">Assyria</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/assyrian/" rel="tag">Assyrian</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/assyrians/" rel="tag">Assyrians</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/basra/" rel="tag">Basra</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/bombings/" rel="tag">Bombings</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/catholic-church/" rel="tag">Catholic Church</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/catholics/" rel="tag">Catholics</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/chaldean-catholic/" rel="tag">chaldean catholic</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/chaldean-church/" rel="tag">chaldean church</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/chaldeans/" rel="tag">Chaldeans</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/christian-minority/" rel="tag">christian minority</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/christian-population/" rel="tag">christian population</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/christians/" rel="tag">Christians</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/christians-killing-of/" rel="tag">Christians - 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Their businesses are targeted by extremists. Their leaders are kidnapped and assassinated. The Christian minority in Iraq, once a community left in peace to prosper, continues to be under threat from a campaign of persecution which has forced as many as 500,000 Christians to flee the country.</p> <p>During the reign of Saddam Hussein, the estimated 1.4 million Christians – many of them Chaldean-Assyrians and Armenians, with small numbers of Roman Catholics – were generally left alone if they didn’t oppose the government and they lived in relative peace with the country’s Sunnis and Shiites. </p> <p>Some, such as Tariq Aziz, Saddam’s foreign minister and deputy prime minister, rose to the highest levels of power.</p> <p>Things changed after the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq toppled Saddam’s regime. Christians became a target of violence when Islamist groups and ordinary Muslims angered by the military action began seeing them as the enemy, associating with them with the "crusaders" – the invading armies of the United States and Britain.</p> <p>Tensions over their religious ties with the West and their differing beliefs to the strict Islamic majority, which had been simmering for years, spilled over as the occupying forces dug in.</p> <p>"Iraqi Christians became caught up in the overlapping violence and multiple conflicts unleashed after 2003," Dr. Kristian Ulrichsen, an Iraq expert at the London School of Economics and Political Science, told Deutsche Welle. "They became exposed to the similar patterns of kidnappings, extortion, beheadings, rape and forced taxation that affected all other communities as the erosion of central government control left a security vacuum that was exploited by organised and opportunistic criminality and anti-occupation resistance groups." </p> <p>"In addition to this, Christians specifically were targeted by Church bombings and assassination attempts owing to a perceived association with the aims and intentions of the occupying forces."</p> <h3>Association with occupying powers makes Christians targets</h3> <p>In 2004, insurgents launched a coordinated bombing campaign targeted churches in Baghdad. In 2007, after Pope Benedict XVI made comments perceived to be anti-Islam, nationwide attacks on churches hit an all-time high and a priest in the northern city of Mosul was kidnapped and later found beheaded. In January 2009, 40 Iraqi Christians were killed and approximately 12,000 fled their homes.</p> <p>In February this year, at least 10 Iraqi Christians were killed by unknown gunmen in Mosul as the country was preparing for the March 7 elections. The escalating violence ahead of the ballot led to hundreds of Iraqi Christians taking to the streets in a number of protests, chanting slogans such as "Stop the killing of Christians."</p> <p>During the years since the invasion, life for the Christian minority has become beset by danger. The waves of violent attacks against churches, businesses and homes have forced more than half of the Christian population to flee for their lives, according to statistcs from the UN High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR). Those churches which remain standing are mostly empty, their congregations long gone or too afraid to attend.</p> <p>"The Christian minority in Iraq has been reduced to a shadow of its former self," said Ulrichsen. "Up to two-thirds of the pre-war community has been displaced or forced to flee the country. Although conditions in Iraq have improved somewhat since 2007, the security situation remains intensely fragile and prone to reversal, and the return of refugees and displaced persons to their homes has been very slow and halting."</p> <p>"There’s a real possibility that 2,000 years of settlement by Christian communities in Iraq is in danger of near-total extinction." </p> <h3>US withdrawal leave Christians’ fate in Iraqi hands</h3> <p>As the United States steps up its military withdrawal from Iraq, the Christian minority is forced to look at the Iraqi security structure for protection. However, the prospect of being protecetd by the Iraqi police and armed forces fails to instill any confidence in the Christian minority.</p> <p>"The greatest concern about a US pullout is that extremists will exploit any lapses in security and attack vulnerable groups, including Christians," Samer Muscati, an Iraq expert from the Middle East division at Human Rights Watch, told Deutsche Welle. </p> <p>"Although the Iraqi government publicly condemns violence against Christians and other minority groups, it has not taken measures to bolster security in areas where minorities are particularly vulnerable to attacks, and it has not thoroughly investigated attacks," he added. "Iraqi security forces rarely apprehend, prosecute and punish perpetrators of such attacks, which has created a climate of impunity."</p> <h3>Christians search for ways to protect themselves </h3> <p>One muted proposal to protect the Christian minority involves the creation of an autonomous province on a neglected area of land located to the north and west of Mosul, called Ninawah Plain, which would act as a sanctuary.</p> <p>While advocates of the idea say it wouldn’t stop the violence against Christians in the large, high-risk cities of Mosul, Baghdad, and Al-Basrah, it would give the Christians a place where their needs could be met, their beliefs supported and their security guaranteed.</p> <p>The proposals suggest that Ninaweh Plain would an autonomous administrative region in which the Christian minority could govern themselves and would be free to participate in the federalist system which is developing in Iraq.</p> <h3>Creation of autonomous region plagued by problems </h3> <p>However, the idea of an autonomous region for the Christian minority in reality looks unviable. </p> <p>"The image of a real autonomy is unrealistic," Nizar Hanna, director of the Assyrian Democratic Movement’s Baghdad office, told Deutsche Welle. "Up to now, there are no concrete plans which show how this would work. Even in the Kurdish constitution, they have the right to autonomy in the areas where they are the majority but nowhere is this the case. Besides, there are no areas in which only Christians live. Shabak, Yazidis, Kurds and Arabs also live there." </p> <p>"To an extent a safe haven for Christians exists in Iraqi Kurdistan," Kristian Ulrichsen said. "Thousands of internally displaced Iraqi Christians have moved there. Although viable on humanitarian grounds, the creation of a specific region for Christians would be a short-term measure that does not offer a longer-term solution to the reconstruction of Iraqi society and the reintegration of its communities."</p> <p> </p> <p><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,6052335,00.html?maca=en-rss-en-world-4025-rdf" class="external" target="_blank">Iraqi Christians fear escalating persecution as US forces withdraw | World | Deutsche Welle | 09.10.2010</a></p> </div> </div> <hr/> <div class="post clearfix" id="post-11568"> <div class="postmetadata"><span class="comments"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/2010/10/07/vatican-synod-mulls-middle-east-christian-exodus-reuters/#respond" title="Comment on Vatican synod mulls Middle East Christian exodus | Reuters">No Comments</a></span> Posted on October 7th, 2010 by Mohammed Al-Hamadani</div> <h3><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/2010/10/07/vatican-synod-mulls-middle-east-christian-exodus-reuters/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent Link to Vatican synod mulls Middle East Christian exodus | Reuters">Vatican synod mulls Middle East Christian exodus | Reuters</a></h3> <p class="postmetadata">Category: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/category/english-articles/" title="View all posts in English Language Articles" rel="category tag">English Language Articles</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/category/human-rights/" title="View all posts in Human Rights" rel="category tag">Human Rights</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/category/religion/" title="View all posts in Religion" rel="category tag">Religion</a>, Tags: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/arab-society/" rel="tag">arab society</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/catholic-church/" rel="tag">Catholic Church</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/catholics/" rel="tag">Catholics</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/christian-churches/" rel="tag">christian churches</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/christian-exodus/" rel="tag">christian exodus</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/christianity/" rel="tag">Christianity</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/christianity-in-the-middle-east/" rel="tag">christianity in the middle east</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/christians/" rel="tag">Christians</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/christians-persecution-of/" rel="tag">Christians - 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Christians made up around 20 percent of the region’s population a century ago, but now account for about five percent and falling.</p> <p>"If this phenomenon continues, Christianity in the Middle East will disappear," said Rev. Samir Khalil Samir, a Beirut-based Egyptian Jesuit who helped draw up the working documents for the October 10-24 synod at the Vatican.</p> <p>"This is not an unreal hypothesis — Turkey went from 20 percent Christian in the early 20th century to 0.2 percent now," he told journalists in Paris. The Christian exodus since the U.S.-led 2003 invasion "could bleed the Church in Iraq dry."</p> <h3>CALL FOR CHANGE</h3> <p>Instead of simply appealing for more aid to Catholics in the region, the experts who prepared the synod call for sweeping social changes to bring forth democratic secular states, interfaith cooperation and a rollback of advancing Islamism.</p> <p>"At issue is the renewal of Arab society," said Samir, who stressed most Christians and Muslims there are fellow Arabs.</p> <p>Challenged by western-style modernity, many Middle Eastern societies have fused their Arab and Muslim identities, he said, narrowing religious freedom for non-Muslim minorities.</p> <p>The working document stated: "Catholics, along with other Christian citizens and Muslim thinkers and reformers, ought to be able to support initiatives at examining thoroughly the concept of the ‘positive laicity’ of the state.</p> <p>"This could help eliminate the theocratic character of government and allow for greater equality among citizens of different religions, thereby fostering the promotion of a sound democracy, positively secular in nature."</p> <p>The document pins most of the blame for the Christian exodus on political tensions in the region: "Today, emigration is particularly prevalent because of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the resulting instability throughout the region."</p> <p>It cited the "menacing social situation in Iraq," where about half the estimated 850,000 Christians there in 2003 have since fled sectarian violence and persecution, and "political instability of Lebanon" as further factors driving them out.</p> <p>The rise of political Islam since the 1970s, especially its violent variations, menaces the whole region, it added, saying: "These extremist currents, clearly a threat to everyone, Christians and Muslims alike, require joint action."</p> <h3>CHRISTIAN COOPERATION</h3> <p>The region’s Christians have also been weakened by age-old splits. The Catholics are divided into Latin Catholic, Coptic, Maronite, Chaldean, Armenian, Syrian and Greek Melkite churches — and they are outnumbered by various Orthodox churches.</p> <p>Protestants are also present, in older communities founded by colonial missionaries or in newer evangelical groups whose aggressive proselytising — often backed by conservative U.S. churches — has provoked a backlash from Muslim authorities.</p> <p>The synod document urges the sometimes competing Catholic churches to work with each other and with other Christians to make their voice heard in Middle Eastern society.</p> <p>Its advice to open up to other churches and faiths, simplify their ancient liturgies and introduce more Arabic into their services echoes the Second Vatican Council reforms that worldwide Roman Catholicism launched back in the 1960s.</p> <p>Highlighting this openness, the synod has invited an Iranian ayatollah, a Lebanese Muslim and a rabbi from Jerusalem to attend the proceedings and address the 250 participants.</p> <p>"I don’t think people in the West appreciate to what extent the thematics of the synod are totally new to so much of the Church in the Middle East," said Rev. David Jaeger, a Franciscan and leading Roman Catholic expert on the Middle East.</p> <p>"The whole discussion of the civic duty of the Christian … is totally new for the region as a whole. For 13 centuries, Christians in the Middle East have been made to live in a kind of socio-economic ghetto," he told Reuters Television in Rome.</p> <p>As Samir summed it up: "If we can do something with other Christians, it is better than doing it alone. If we Christians can do something with the Muslims, that is even better."</p> <p><strong>Source: </strong><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://af.reuters.com/article/egyptNews/idAFLDE6952EJ20101007?rpc=401&feedType=RSS&feedName=egyptNews&rpc=401&sp=true" class="external" target="_blank">Vatican synod mulls Middle East Christian exodus | News by Country | Reuters</a></p> </div> </div> <hr/> <div class="post clearfix" id="post-11442"> <div class="postmetadata"><span class="comments"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/2010/09/11/iraq-kirkuk-burn-the-koran-campaign-strengthens-friendship-between-christians-and-muslims-asia-news/#respond" title="Comment on IRAQ Kirkuk: "Burn the Koran" campaign strengthens friendship between Christians and Muslims – Asia News">No Comments</a></span> Posted on September 11th, 2010 by Mohammed Ibn Laith</div> <h3><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/2010/09/11/iraq-kirkuk-burn-the-koran-campaign-strengthens-friendship-between-christians-and-muslims-asia-news/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent Link to IRAQ Kirkuk: "Burn the Koran" campaign strengthens friendship between Christians and Muslims – Asia News">IRAQ Kirkuk: "Burn the Koran" campaign strengthens friendship between Christians and Muslims – Asia News</a></h3> <p class="postmetadata">Category: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/category/english-articles/" title="View all posts in English Language Articles" rel="category tag">English Language Articles</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/category/religion/" title="View all posts in Religion" rel="category tag">Religion</a>, Tags: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/al-hadida/" rel="tag">Al Hadida</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/archbishop-louis-sako/" rel="tag">Archbishop Louis Sako</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/asia-news/" rel="tag">Asia News</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/catholics/" rel="tag">Catholics</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/christians/" rel="tag">Christians</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/christians-and-muslims/" rel="tag">Christians and Muslims</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/eid/" rel="tag">Eid</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/eid-al-fitr/" rel="tag">Eid al-Fitr</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/holy-quran/" rel="tag">Holy Qur'an</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/islam/" rel="tag">Islam</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/kirkuk/" rel="tag">Kirkuk</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/photos/" rel="tag">Photos</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/quran/" rel="tag">Qur'an</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/quran-desecration-by-americans/" rel="tag">Qur'an - desecration by Americans</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/ramadan/" rel="tag">Ramadan</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/religion/" rel="tag">Religion</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/sheikh-ismail-al-hadida/" rel="tag">Sheikh Ismail Al Hadida</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/solidarity/" rel="tag">Solidarity</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/terry-jones/" rel="tag">terry jones</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/vatican/" rel="tag">Vatican</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%a5%d8%b3%d9%84%d8%a7%d9%85%e2%80%8e/" rel="tag">الإسلام‎</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/%d8%a8%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%85%d8%b3%d9%8a%d8%ad%d9%8a%d9%8a%d9%86/" rel="tag">بالمسيحيين</a></p> <div class="entry" dir="rtl" align="right"> <div style="border-right: lightgrey 1px solid; padding-right: 5px; border-top: lightgrey 1px solid; padding-left: 5px; float: right; padding-bottom: 5px; margin: 5px 0px 5px 15px; border-left: lightgrey 1px solid; width: 304px; padding-top: 5px; border-bottom: lightgrey 1px solid; text-align: justify"> <p style="font-weight: bold; color: #808080">Archbishop Louis Sako’s message read in the mosques, condemning the burning of the Koran during the homily for the Eid. For Islamic leaders Pastor Jones is not Christian. </p> <p style="font-weight: bold; color: #808080">Imam of Kirkuk: "Our Christian brothers are always ready to show their solidarity."</p> <p> <a title="Archbishop_Sako_condemn_burnin_holy_quran by Gorillas Guides, on Flickr" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://www.flickr.com/photos/27086036@N02/4979508928/" class="external" target="_blank"><img style="display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto" height="337" alt="Archbishop_Sako_condemn_burnin_holy_quran" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010im_/http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4105/4979508928_b0560c7f3c_o.jpg" width="300"/></a> </div> <p>Kirkuk (<a title="AsiaNews" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://www.asianews.it/news-en/Kirkuk:-Burn-the-Koran-campaign-strengthens-friendship-between-Christians-and-Muslims-19434.html" class="external" target="_blank">AsiaNews</a>) – In Kirkuk, the swift condemnation of Catholics of the proposed burning of the Koran, has brought Christians and Muslims closer. According to local sources local Imam’s read the message of Msgr. Louis Sako, archbishop of Kirkuk, in the mosques during celebrations for Eid al-Fitr. Together with a delegation of pastors, the bishop visited the local Muslim leaders to celebrate the end of Ramadan.</p> <p>In his homily, held yesterday in the town mosque, Imam Ahmad said: "Our Christian brothers are always ready to show their solidarity. Their condemnation has reassured us. "</p> <p>Another religious leader, Foad Al – Rifai, stressed that "the American clergyman [Terry Jones] is not the Christian." "We know the position of Christians in Kirkuk – he said – with the visit of the archbishop and his message. So we thank them for their fraternity and respect their presence. "</p> <p>The proximity of Christians has been appreciated by the mayor and the civil authorities. Many have heard and praised the positions of the Vatican, broadcasting them on television. Yesterday, Sheikh Ismail Al Hadida in front of the Cathedral of Kirkuk called on all Muslims to protect Christians and the Archbishop.</p> <p>Despite these words of reassurance Christians are still afraid. If Pastor Jones goes back on his decision, to burn the Koran there will be a backlash on the streets of Kirkuk that no religious leader or civil authority will be able to control.</p> <p><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://www.asianews.it/news-en/Kirkuk:-Burn-the-Koran-campaign-strengthens-friendship-between-Christians-and-Muslims-19434.html" class="external" target="_blank">IRAQ Kirkuk: "Burn the Koran" campaign strengthens friendship between Christians and Muslims – Asia News</a></p> </div> </div> <hr/> <div class="post clearfix" id="post-8981"> <div class="postmetadata"><span class="comments"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/2010/03/06/%d9%85%d8%b7%d8%b1%d8%a7%d9%86-%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%85%d9%88%d8%b5%d9%84-%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%85%d8%b3%d9%8a%d8%ad%d9%8a%d9%88%d9%86-%d9%8a%d9%85%d8%a7%d8%b1%d8%b3%d9%88%d9%86-%d8%ad%d9%82%d9%87%d9%85-%d8%a7/#respond" title="Comment on مطران الموصل: المسيحيون يمارسون حقهم الشرعي بمنح أصواتهم لمن يرونه مستحقا">No Comments</a></span> Posted on March 6th, 2010 by Diya al din</div> <h3><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/2010/03/06/%d9%85%d8%b7%d8%b1%d8%a7%d9%86-%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%85%d9%88%d8%b5%d9%84-%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%85%d8%b3%d9%8a%d8%ad%d9%8a%d9%88%d9%86-%d9%8a%d9%85%d8%a7%d8%b1%d8%b3%d9%88%d9%86-%d8%ad%d9%82%d9%87%d9%85-%d8%a7/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent Link to مطران الموصل: المسيحيون يمارسون حقهم الشرعي بمنح أصواتهم لمن يرونه مستحقا">مطران الموصل: المسيحيون يمارسون حقهم الشرعي بمنح أصواتهم لمن يرونه مستحقا</a></h3> <p class="postmetadata">Category: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/category/human-rights/" title="View all posts in Human Rights" rel="category tag">Human Rights</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/category/iraq/" title="View all posts in News" rel="category tag">News</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/category/religion/" title="View all posts in Religion" rel="category tag">Religion</a>, Tags: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/aki/" rel="tag">AKI</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/bishop-of-mosul/" rel="tag">Bishop of Mosul</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/catholics/" rel="tag">Catholics</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/chaldean-catholic/" rel="tag">chaldean catholic</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/chaldean-church/" rel="tag">chaldean church</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/chaldeans/" rel="tag">Chaldeans</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/christian-flight-from-mosul/" rel="tag">Christian flight from Mosul</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/election-day-violence/" rel="tag">Election day violence</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/ethnic-cleansing-of-christians/" rel="tag">Ethnic cleansing of Christians</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/mosul/" rel="tag">Mosul</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/mosul-ethnic-tensions/" rel="tag">Mosul - ethnic tensions</a></p> <div class="entry" dir="rtl" align="right"> <p dir="rtl" align="right">قال رئيس أساقفة الموصل المطران أميل شمعون نونا، إن الكنيسة لا تمتلك أي توجه سياسي معين أو تفضيل لشخصية أو قائمة ما، بل أن جل ما يهمها هو خير البلاد بشكل عام، وفق تعبيره . <br/>وأضاف مطران الموصل في مقابلة أجرتها معه وكالة (آكي) الايطالية للأنباء الجمعة أن المسيحيين شأنهم شأن بقية أطياف المجتمع، يمارسون حقهم الشرعي بمنح أصواتهم لمن يرونه مستحقا لهذا، بحرية تامة وبدون أي توجيه أو ضغط من قبل أية جهة كانت، حسب قوله . <br/>أما بشأن الجو العام للانتخابات والتوقعات المستقبلية فقد أشار المطران نونا إلى أنه يصعب كثيرا التكهن بالنتائج لتعدد الجهات المتنافسة وتميزها ، لكن الشعب العراقي بأسره يعول على هذه الانتخابات، آملا أن تؤدي إلى تحسن أوضاعه.</p> <p dir="rtl" align="right"><strong>روابط ذات علاقة: <span dir="ltr" align="left"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/2010/03/05/iraq-bishop-welcomes-greater-security-ahead-of-poll/">Iraq: Bishop welcomes greater security ahead of poll | Gorilla’s Guides</a></span></strong></p> </div> </div> <hr/> <div class="post clearfix" id="post-8959"> <div class="postmetadata"><span class="comments"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/2010/03/05/iraq-bishop-welcomes-greater-security-ahead-of-poll/#respond" title="Comment on Iraq: Bishop welcomes greater security ahead of poll">No Comments</a></span> Posted on March 5th, 2010 by Mohammed Ibn Laith</div> <h3><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/2010/03/05/iraq-bishop-welcomes-greater-security-ahead-of-poll/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent Link to Iraq: Bishop welcomes greater security ahead of poll">Iraq: Bishop welcomes greater security ahead of poll</a></h3> <p class="postmetadata">Category: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/category/english-articles/" title="View all posts in English Language Articles" rel="category tag">English Language Articles</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/category/human-rights/" title="View all posts in Human Rights" rel="category tag">Human Rights</a>, Tags: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/aki/" rel="tag">AKI</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/bishop-of-mosul/" rel="tag">Bishop of Mosul</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/catholics/" rel="tag">Catholics</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/chaldean-catholic/" rel="tag">chaldean catholic</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/chaldean-church/" rel="tag">chaldean church</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/chaldeans/" rel="tag">Chaldeans</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/christian-flight-from-mosul/" rel="tag">Christian flight from Mosul</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/election-day-violence/" rel="tag">Election day violence</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/ethnic-cleansing-of-christians/" rel="tag">Ethnic cleansing of Christians</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/mosul/" rel="tag">Mosul</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/mosul-ethnic-tensions/" rel="tag">Mosul - ethnic tensions</a></p> <div class="entry" dir="rtl" align="right"> <p>Mosul, 5 March (<a title="AKI" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://www.adnkronos.com/AKI/English/Religion/?id=3.1.82235436" class="external" target="_blank">AKI</a>) – As Iraqis prepared to vote in nationwide elections at the weekend, the head of the Chaldean church in the northern city of Mosul welcomed increased security for Christians ahead of the polls. Monsignor Emil Shimoun Nona, told Adnkronos International (AKI) that there had been a "net improvement in security in the past few days" due to a curfew introduced for the election and other security measures. </p> <p>Pope Benedict XVI recently expressed his concern about violent attacks on Christians by extremists in Iraq. </p> <p>Three Christians were killed in Mosul last week and two women were raped. The victims included a father and son who were killed in their home. At least eight Christians have been murdered since mid-February. </p> <p>"Now the army and the police are knocking on our doors from time to time to be sure that we are doing well," the bishop told AKI. </p> <p>Nona said the church did not have any preference about the election outcome but looked forward to an improvement in the quality of life in Iraq. </p> <p>"The church has no particular political orientation or any preference for a given person or list (of candidates), " he said. </p> <p>"The only thing that interests us is the general well-being of the country. Christians like other members of our society are exercising their right to vote for whoever they believe deserves it, in total freedom and without any directive or pressure from anyone." </p> <p>The Mosul bishop said it was difficult to predict the outcome of the vote. </p> <p>"The Iraqi people are counting on this election and hoping for an improvement," he told AKI. "The situation has become extremely complex and people have had enough of the tension." </p> <p>He said following recent attacks, 800 Christian families had fled from Mosul to surrounding villages and most of them were waiting until after the election before they returned home. </p> <p>"This election will help to bring about a return to normality in the country, so that people can return to their daily life and the church can go forward with its mission." </p> <p>Last week’s brutal killings were the latest in a spate of murders targetting Christians ahead of Sunday’s election, which is being seen as crucial test of democracy in a country wracked by sectarian strife. </p> <p>It is not clear if the spikebis in attacks against Christians is an attempt at voter intimidation by factions involved in a violent territorial and power struggle between Kurds and Arabs in Mosul or another attempt by Al-Qaeda to derail the election. </p> <p>Christians number around 250,000 to 300,000 in Nineveh province, of which Mosul is capital. </p> <p><strong>Source:</strong> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://www.adnkronos.com/AKI/English/Religion/?id=3.1.82235436" class="external" target="_blank">Iraq: Bishop welcomes greater security ahead of poll – Adnkronos Religion</a></p> </div> </div> <hr/> <div class="post clearfix" id="post-8812"> <div class="postmetadata"><span class="comments"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/2010/02/24/%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%85%d9%88%d9%86%d8%b3%d9%86%d9%8a%d9%88%d8%b1-%d9%86%d8%ac%d9%85-%d8%ae%d8%b7%d8%a9-%d9%85%d8%aa%d8%b7%d8%b1%d9%81%d8%a9-%d9%84%d8%b7%d8%b1%d8%af-%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%85%d8%b3%d9%8a%d8%ad/#respond" title="Comment on المونسنيور نجم: خطة متطرفة لطرد المسيحيين من العراق">No Comments</a></span> Posted on February 24th, 2010 by Khalil Ibn Hussein</div> <h3><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/2010/02/24/%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%85%d9%88%d9%86%d8%b3%d9%86%d9%8a%d9%88%d8%b1-%d9%86%d8%ac%d9%85-%d8%ae%d8%b7%d8%a9-%d9%85%d8%aa%d8%b7%d8%b1%d9%81%d8%a9-%d9%84%d8%b7%d8%b1%d8%af-%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%85%d8%b3%d9%8a%d8%ad/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent Link to المونسنيور نجم: خطة متطرفة لطرد المسيحيين من العراق">المونسنيور نجم: خطة متطرفة لطرد المسيحيين من العراق</a></h3> <p class="postmetadata">Category: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/category/human-rights/" title="View all posts in Human Rights" rel="category tag">Human Rights</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/category/iraq/" title="View all posts in News" rel="category tag">News</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/category/religion/" title="View all posts in Religion" rel="category tag">Religion</a>, Tags: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/bishop-georges-camoussa/" rel="tag">Bishop Georges Camoussa</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/bishop-of-mosul/" rel="tag">Bishop of Mosul</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/catholics/" rel="tag">Catholics</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/chaldean-catholic/" rel="tag">chaldean catholic</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/chaldeans/" rel="tag">Chaldeans</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/christians/" rel="tag">Christians</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/christians-killing-of/" rel="tag">Christians - killing of</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/ethnic-cleansing/" rel="tag">Ethnic Cleansing</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/ethnic-cleansing-of-christians/" rel="tag">Ethnic cleansing of Christians</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/franco-frattini/" rel="tag">Franco Frattini</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/human-rights/" rel="tag">Human Rights</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/italian-foreign-minister/" rel="tag">Italian Foreign Minister</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/italy/" rel="tag">Italy</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/monsignor-philip-najim/" rel="tag">Monsignor. Philip Najim</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/mosul/" rel="tag">Mosul</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/mosul-ethnic-composition/" rel="tag">Mosul - ethnic composition</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/murder/" rel="tag">murder</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/northern-iraq/" rel="tag">northern iraq</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/pope/" rel="tag">Pope</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/pope-benedict-xvi/" rel="tag">pope benedict xvi</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/religion/" rel="tag">Religion</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/religious-freedom/" rel="tag">religious freedom</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/religious-minorities/" rel="tag">Religious minorities</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/vatican/" rel="tag">Vatican</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/%d8%a8%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%85%d8%b3%d9%8a%d8%ad%d9%8a%d9%8a%d9%86/" rel="tag">بالمسيحيين</a></p> <div class="entry" dir="rtl" align="right"> <div dir="rtl" align="right"> <blockquote> <p>الفاتيكان (24 شباط/فبراير) وكالة (آكي) الايطالية للأنباء – قال القاصد الرسولي للكلدان في أوروبا المونسنيور فيليب نجم بشأن أحداث العنف الأخيرة ضد المسيحيين في العراق، إن "ثمة خطة وضعت من قبل القوى الأصولية والمتطرفة الإسلامية لطرد جميع المسيحيين من هذا البلد"، وفي "هذا الاتجاه تسير الهجمات التي لا تحصى على الطوائف المسيحية في العراق" وفق تعبيره .  <br/>وفي تصريحات له لوكالة (آكي) الايطالية للأنباء اليوم الأربعاء، أشار المونسنيور نجم إلى أن "الكنيسة في العراق لا حول لها ولا قوة تجاه ما يحدث، ولا يسع الأساقفة إلا أن يدعو المؤمنين للمشاركة في الحياة العامة في البلاد والانتخابات، مقدمين شهادة لإيمانهم"، ولكن "المسيحيون جزء من تاريخ العراق، ساهموا في بنائه، ويمتلكون علاقات وثيقة مع المسلمين"، وعلاوة على ذلك فإن "العديد من أعمال العنف موجهة ضد السنة والشيعة أيضا، والهدف الأساسي منها شيوع الفوضى، ومن ثم بناء دولة ذات أغلبية واحدة، لكن العراق مكون من أعراق وثقافات متعددة" حسب قوله .  <br/>ولفت القاصد الرسولي الكلداني إلى أنه "من الضروري أن يتدخل المجتمع الدولي، فالعالم بأسره ينتظر نتائج الانتخابات العراقية المقبلة"، لكن "إن لم تُحترم حقوق الإنسان وسلامته، فلا يمكن للعملية السياسية أن تُبنى"، وختم بالدعوة إلى أنه "من المهم أن يكسر المجتمع الدولي حاجز الصمت الذي يلف بالمذبحة التي تتعرض لها الأقليات المسيحية" في العراق .</p> </blockquote> <p><strong>المصدر : </strong>  <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://www.akhbaar.org/wesima_articles/index-20100224-85674.html" class="external" target="_blank">المونسنيور نجم: خطة متطرفة لطرد المسيحيين من العراق – akhbaar.org موقع الأخبار</a></p> </p></div> </div> </div> <hr/> <div class="post clearfix" id="post-8806"> <div class="postmetadata"><span class="comments"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/2010/02/24/iraq-vatican-voices-concern-at-christian-attacks/#respond" title="Comment on Iraq: Vatican voices concern at Christian attacks">No Comments</a></span> Posted on February 24th, 2010 by Mohammed Ibn Laith</div> <h3><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/2010/02/24/iraq-vatican-voices-concern-at-christian-attacks/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent Link to Iraq: Vatican voices concern at Christian attacks">Iraq: Vatican voices concern at Christian attacks</a></h3> <p class="postmetadata">Category: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/category/english-articles/" title="View all posts in English Language Articles" rel="category tag">English Language Articles</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/category/human-rights/" title="View all posts in Human Rights" rel="category tag">Human Rights</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/category/religion/" title="View all posts in Religion" rel="category tag">Religion</a>, Tags: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/bishop-georges-camoussa/" rel="tag">Bishop Georges Camoussa</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/bishop-of-mosul/" rel="tag">Bishop of Mosul</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/catholics/" rel="tag">Catholics</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/chaldean-catholic/" rel="tag">chaldean catholic</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/chaldeans/" rel="tag">Chaldeans</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/christians/" rel="tag">Christians</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/christians-killing-of/" rel="tag">Christians - killing of</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/ethnic-cleansing/" rel="tag">Ethnic Cleansing</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/ethnic-cleansing-of-christians/" rel="tag">Ethnic cleansing of Christians</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/franco-frattini/" rel="tag">Franco Frattini</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/human-rights/" rel="tag">Human Rights</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/italian-foreign-minister/" rel="tag">Italian Foreign Minister</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/italy/" rel="tag">Italy</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/monsignor-philip-najim/" rel="tag">Monsignor. Philip Najim</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/mosul/" rel="tag">Mosul</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/mosul-ethnic-composition/" rel="tag">Mosul - ethnic composition</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/murder/" rel="tag">murder</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/northern-iraq/" rel="tag">northern iraq</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/pope/" rel="tag">Pope</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/pope-benedict-xvi/" rel="tag">pope benedict xvi</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/religion/" rel="tag">Religion</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/religious-freedom/" rel="tag">religious freedom</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/religious-minorities/" rel="tag">Religious minorities</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/vatican/" rel="tag">Vatican</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/%d8%a8%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%85%d8%b3%d9%8a%d8%ad%d9%8a%d9%8a%d9%86/" rel="tag">بالمسيحيين</a></p> <div class="entry" dir="rtl" align="right"> <p>Rome, 24 Feb. (<a title="AKI" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://www.adnkronos.com/AKI/English/Religion/?id=3.1.51991497" class="external" target="_blank">AKI</a>) – Pope Benedict XVI and the entire Vatican are deeply concerned about the continuing attacks on Christians in Iraq, a Catholic cleric told Adnkronos International on Wednesday. Mons. Philip Najim, the Vatican’s representative for Chaldean Christians in Europe, said the attacks are being organised by extremists and are aimed at driving out Christians. </p> <p>"The Pope is very worried about the plight of Christians in Iraq and he has said so many times and has repeated that the rights of this community must be respected," said Najim. </p> <p>"These are well organised acts by extremist groups and Islamists aimed at driving Christians out of Iraq." </p> <p>His comments came as the funerals of three Christians killed in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul took place, including those of a father and son who were killed at their home. </p> <p>The Bishop of Mosul, Georges Camoussa, said it was the first time such a "vile act" had been committed against Christians in their own homes. </p> <p>The killings were the latest in a spate of murders of Christians ahead of Iraq’s key general election on 7 March, which is being seen as crucial test of democracy in a country wracked by sectarian strife. </p> <p>It is not clear if the spike in attacks against Christians is an attempt at voter intimidation by factions involved in a violent territorial and power struggle between Kurds and Arabs in Mosul or another attempt by Al-Qaeda to derail the election. </p> <p>Christians number around 250,000 to 300,000 in Nineveh province, of which Mosul is capital. </p> <p>Najim called on nations to intervene to protect Christians in Iraq. </p> <p>"This is important. The world is waiting for the results of the election. But if human rights and personal safety are not ensured, there can be no political progress. </p> <p>"So I appeal to the international community to break its complete silence on the massacre of Christians," he said. </p> <p>Earlier on Wednesday, Italy’s foreign minister Franco Frattini said a ‘manual’ will be issued in the next two months to all European Union ambassadors to give guidance on ’sensitive’ countries’ treatment of religious minorities, especially Christians. </p> <p>"There is a risk of persecution. We are obliged to act, not just make declarations," Frattini told Catholic daily Avvenir</p> <p>He said he was planning to hold an international conference on religious freedom in Italy "this year".</p> <blockquote></blockquote> <p><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://www.adnkronos.com/AKI/English/Religion/?id=3.1.51991497" class="external" target="_blank">Iraq: Vatican voices concern at Christian attacks – Adnkronos Religion</a></p> </div> </div> <hr/> <div class="navigation"> <div class="alignleft"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130126120010/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/catholics/page/2/">« Previous Entries</a></div> <div class="alignright"></div> </div> </div> <div id="sidebar" class="span-10 last"> <div class="span-10" id="tabs"> <ul> <li class="ui-tabs-nav-item"><a href="#featured-articles">Featured Articles</a></li> <li class="ui-tabs-nav-item"><a href="#latest-articles">Latest Articles</a></li> </ul> <div id="featured-articles" class="widget"> <ul> 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