Christian exodus from Iraq gathers pace | World news

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href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120603042543/http://www.guardian.co.uk/world">World news</a></span> </li> <li id="crumb3"> <span typeof="v:Breadcrumb"><a rel="v:url" property="v:title" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120603042543/http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/iraq">Iraq</a></span> </li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> <div id="box"> <div id="article-header"> <div id="main-article-info"> <h1 itemprop="name">Christian exodus from Iraq gathers pace</h1> <p itemprop="description" id="stand-first" class="stand-first-alone" data-component="comp : r2 : Article : standfirst_cta">Churches empty and Christmas decorations are put away after al-Qaida renews deadly threat</p> </div> <ul id="content-actions" class="share-links trackable-component" data-component="comp: r2: Share tools"> <li class="full-line facebook"> <span class="facebook-share"> <a class="facebook-share-btn" 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pubdate>Thursday 23 December 2010 15.04 GMT</time> </li> </ul> <div id="article-wrapper"> <div id="main-content-picture"> <img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20120603042543im_/http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/About/General/2010/12/23/1293114675216/A-shrine-for-Iraqi-Christ-007.jpg" width="460" height="276" alt="A shrine for Iraqi Christians who were k"/> <div class="caption">A shrine to Christians killed at the Our Lady of Salvation church in Baghdad in the autumn. Al-Qaida has renewed threats against Iraq's Christians. Photograph: Ali Al-Saadi/AFP/Getty Images</div> </div> <div id="article-body-blocks"> <p>Their cathedrals stand silent and their neighbourhoods are rapidly emptying. Now <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120603042543/http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/iraq" title="More from guardian.co.uk on Iraq">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>The latest exodus follows a <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120603042543/http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/nov/01/baghdad-church-siege-survivors-speak" title="al-Qa'ida-led massacre inside a Chaldean Catholic church">massacre led by al-Qaida at a Chaldean Catholic church</a> 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 <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120603042543/http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/christianity" title="More from guardian.co.uk on Christianity">Christianity</a>. 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 <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120603042543/http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/dec/17/iraq-christians-flee-baghdad-cathedral" title="United Nations High Commission for Refugees is reporting high numbers">United Nations High Commission for Refugees is reporting high numbers</a> 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 <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120603042543/http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/kurds" title="More from guardian.co.uk on Kurds">Kurds</a> 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><h2>Christianity in the Middle East</h2>Freedom of worship for Christians varies greatly across the Middle East.</p><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 <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120603042543/http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/religion" title="More from guardian.co.uk on Religion">religion</a> 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> </div> <span class="trackable-component component-wrapper six-col" data-component="comp: Floating Share Tools : floating tools"> <ul class="component trackable-component undocked-share share-links" data-component="Share Links"> <li class="full-line facebook" data-link-name="facebook"> <span class="facebook-share"> <a class="facebook-share-btn" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120603042543/http://www.facebook.com/dialog/feed?app_id=180444840287&link=http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/dec/23/iraq-christian-exodus-christmas& display=popup&redirect_uri=http://static-serve.appspot.com/static/facebook-share/callback.html&show_error=false" data-href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/dec/23/iraq-christian-exodus-christmas" data-link-name="Facebook Share"> <span class="facebook-share-icon"></span> <span class="facebook-share-label">Share</span> </a> </span> </li> <li 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article-history"> <a class="rollover history-link" href="#history-link-box" data-link-name="Article history">Article history</a> <div class="toolbox-popup" id="history-link-box"> <div class="send-inner"> <div class="share-top"> <h3>About this article</h3> <span class="js-show"><a class="close-toolbox" href="#history-link-box"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20120603042543im_/http://static.guim.co.uk/static/b05b48a62321634f4c0395bffea3cb2437e98040/common/images/close-popup.png" alt="Close this popup" title="Close this popup"/></a></span> </div> <div class="section"> <h1>Christian exodus from Iraq gathers pace</h1> This article was published on <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120603042543/http://www.guardian.co.uk/">guardian.co.uk</a> at <time datetime="2010-12-24T00:00GMT" pubdate>15.04 GMT on Thursday 23 December 2010</time>. A version appeared on p16 of the <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120603042543/http://www.guardian.co.uk/theguardian/2010/dec/24/mainsection">Main section</a> section of <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120603042543/http://www.guardian.co.uk/theguardian">the Guardian</a> on <time datetime="2010-12-24" pubdate><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120603042543/http://www.guardian.co.uk/theguardian/2010/dec/24">Friday 24 December 2010</a></time>. It was last modified at <time datetime="2010-12-24T00:01GMT">00.01 GMT on Friday 24 December 2010</time>. </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="related-keywords trackable-component" data-component="comp: related-keywords"> <h4 class="b4 t6"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120603042543/http://www.guardian.co.uk/world">World news</a></h4> <ul> <li> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120603042543/http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/iraq" rel="tag">Iraq</a> · </li> <li> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120603042543/http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/middleeast" rel="tag">Middle East and North Africa</a> · </li> <li> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120603042543/http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/kurds" rel="tag">Kurds</a> · </li> <li> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120603042543/http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/christianity" rel="tag">Christianity</a> · </li> <li> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120603042543/http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/catholicism" rel="tag">Catholicism</a> · </li> <li> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120603042543/http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/religion" rel="tag">Religion</a> </li> </ul> <p class="t6 b4"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120603042543/http://www.guardian.co.uk/tone/news">More news </a></p> </div> <div id="manual-trailblock" class="manual-trailblock package trackable-component" data-component="r2: manual-trailblock package"> <ul> <li class="first"> <h3>More on this story</h3> </li> <li class="picture"> <p class="thumbnail"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120603042543/http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/dec/23/egypt-coptic-christians-prejudice" data-link-name="anchor image" class="link-image "> <img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20120603042543im_/http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/About/General/2010/11/24/1290621462222/Coptic-Christian-youths-p-003.jpg" width="140" height="84" alt="Coptic Christian youths protest"/> </a> </p> <p> <a data-cpt="cpt-239" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120603042543/http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/dec/23/egypt-coptic-christians-prejudice" class="link-text"> Egypt's Coptic Christians struggle against institutionalised prejudice </a> </p> <p> Clashes with security forces, triggered when the building of a church was halted, makes the sect feel strangers in their own country </p> </li> <li> <p> <img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20120603042543im_/http://static.guim.co.uk/static/b05b48a62321634f4c0395bffea3cb2437e98040/common/images/icon_gallery.gif" alt="Gallery" class="trail-icon"/> <a data-cpt="cpt-239" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120603042543/http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/gallery/2010/dec/23/christians-middle-east" class="link-text"> Christians in Middle East </a> </p> </li> </ul> </div> </div> <ul class="share-links col-8 b3 trackable-component" data-component="Share Links"> <li class="full-line facebook"> <span class="facebook-share"> <a class="facebook-share-btn" 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</li> <li class="full-line google-plus" data-link-name="Google plus"> <div class="g-plusone" data-size="medium" data-callback="trackGPlus" data-annotation="none"></div> </li> <li class="full-line email" data-link-name="email this story"> <a class="rollover send-email" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120603042543/http://www.guardian.co.uk/email/1498269" title="Send to a friend"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20120603042543im_/http://static.guim.co.uk/static/b05b48a62321634f4c0395bffea3cb2437e98040/common/images/icon-email.png" alt="" class="trail-icon"/>Email</a> </li> </ul> <span class="trackable-component component-wrapper six-col" data-component="comp: Below fold ad slot : 3rd ad slot"> <div id="Middle2" class=" hide-on-popup"> <div id="ad-placeholder-Middle2"></div> </div> </span> <span class="trackable-component component-wrapper six-col" data-component="comp: Advertiser links for article page : Bottom article advertiserlinks"> <div id="advertiser-container"> <script 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twitter-container" data-fetch-url="http://resource.guim.co.uk/twitter/jsonlist/egypt.jsonp" data-latest-tweet="209134063607484418"> <div class="hd"> <h3>Middle East protest coverage on Twitter</h3> </div> <div class="bd"> <p class="l2">Follow events live with our correspondents and a network of selected Twitter users</p> <ul> <li class="l1 tweet"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120603042543/http://twitter.com/SherineT"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20120603042543im_/http://a0.twimg.com/profile_images/1709628451/image_normal.jpg" alt="SherineT" height="40" width="40"/></a> <p><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120603042543/http://twitter.com/SherineT"><strong>SherineT:</strong></a> Few hundred people in <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120603042543/http://search.twitter.com/search?q=%23Tahrir.">#Tahrir.</a> Cordons on the outskirts, no cars allowed through. <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120603042543/http://search.twitter.com/search?q=%23egypt">#egypt</a></p> <span><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120603042543/http://twitter.com/SherineT/statuses/209134063607484418">about 12 minutes ago</a></span> </li> <li class="l1 tweet"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120603042543/http://twitter.com/MazenMahdi"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20120603042543im_/http://a0.twimg.com/profile_images/465492428/n698161093_351255_9545_normal.jpg" alt="MazenMahdi" height="40" width="40"/></a> <p><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120603042543/http://twitter.com/MazenMahdi"><strong>MazenMahdi:</strong></a> I don't see why people are upset about the Al-Arabiya clip on Bahrain .. I counted 3 things that actually self discredit accuracy</p> <span><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120603042543/http://twitter.com/MazenMahdi/statuses/209105008791257089">about 2 hours, 8 minutes ago</a></span> </li> <li class="l1 tweet"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120603042543/http://twitter.com/MazenMahdi"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20120603042543im_/http://a0.twimg.com/profile_images/465492428/n698161093_351255_9545_normal.jpg" alt="MazenMahdi" height="40" width="40"/></a> <p><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120603042543/http://twitter.com/MazenMahdi"><strong>MazenMahdi:</strong></a> RT <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120603042543/http://twitter.com/MahazzaMedia:" target="_new">@MahazzaMedia:</a> العكر : قوّات المرتزقة قامت بمصادرة إحدى السيّارات في القرية " بيك آب " بعد كسر النافذة #Bahrain</p> <span><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120603042543/http://twitter.com/MazenMahdi/statuses/209097454996553729">about 2 hours, 38 minutes ago</a></span> </li> </ul> </div> <div class="ft">• <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120603042543/http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/interactive/2011/feb/11/guardian-twitter-arab-protests-interactive?intcmp=239">Twitter network of Arab and Middle East protests</a> <br>• <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120603042543/http://twitter.com/guardianworld/arab-protests/">Follow our protest network on a Twitter list</a></div> </div> </span> <span class="trackable-component component-wrapper four-col" data-component="microapp: rss-trailblock-aggregator : Rss trailblock aggregator promo : rsstraiblock aggregator promo"> <div class="promo-component rss-aggregator-promo"> <style type="text/css"> .promo-component.rss-aggregator-promo h3 { font-family:arial,sans-serif !important; font-size:12px !important; font-weight:bold !important; line-height:15px !important; } .rss-aggregator-promo .hd h3, .rss-aggregator-promo .hd h3 a { color: #CC3300 !important; font-size: 18px !important; line-height: 21px !important; font-family: georgia !important; font-weight: normal !important; } </style> <div class="hd"> <h3><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20120603042543im_/http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/contributor/2007/10/03/brian_whitaker_140x140.jpg" height="25" width="25"/>Brian Whitaker's best blogs and analysis from the Middle East</h3> </div> <div class="bd"> <ul> <li> <ul> <li class="rss-date">27 May 2012</li> <li><h3><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120603042543/http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/arabistdotnet/~3/UGJCDzQp_j0/its-time-for-politicking.html">It's time for politicking</a></h3></li> <li> <p>"You'll be late for the revolution!" - Some social science of the presidential elections: Morsy is now trying to mobilise the revolutionary vote for him, and some (like the novelist Alaa El Aswany)...</p> <div class="attribution"> <img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20120603042543im_/http://www.arabist.net/favicon.png" class="favicon-image" width="16" height="16" rel="x8"/> From The Arabist </div> </li> </ul> </li> <li> <ul> <li class="rss-date">26 May 2012</li> <li><h3><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120603042543/http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Syriacomment/~3/FUP3RgWXlhk/">Sanctions Stop Food Getting to Syria but Not Arms</a></h3></li> <li> <p>The United States is reportedly developing a plan to vet members of the Free Syrian Army before Arab nations transfer arms to them. It hopes to avoid arming muhahideen who turn against America should...</p> <div class="attribution"> <img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20120603042543im_/http://www.joshualandis.com/blog/favicon.ico" class="favicon-image" width="16" height="16" rel="x8"/> From Syria Comment </div> </li> </ul> </li> <li> <ul> <li class="rss-date">25 May 2012</li> <li><h3><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120603042543/http://saudiwoman.me/2012/05/25/the-immodesty-of-nail-polish/">The immodesty of nail polish</a></h3></li> <li> <p>Last Tuesday a Saudi woman in Riyadh was followed at a major mall by the Commission for Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice (CPVPV). They demanded that she leave the mall because she had nail...</p> <div class="attribution"> <img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20120603042543im_/http://s2.wp.com/i/favicon.ico?m=1317672423g" class="favicon-image" width="16" height="16" rel="x8"/> From Saudiwoman's Weblog </div> </li> </ul> </li> <li> <ul> <li class="rss-date">23 May 2012</li> <li><h3><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120603042543/http://saudijeans.org/2012/05/22/so-you-want-to-be-a-saudi-journalist/">So You Want to Be a Saudi Journalist?</a></h3></li> <li> <p>With government’s blessings or against its wishes, the margin for freedom of the press in Saudi Arabia has been gradually expanding over the last few years. Some topics that used to be taboo are now...</p> <div class="attribution"> <img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20120603042543im_/http://1.gravatar.com/blavatar/fa8e0b049864bbb9923b2cc682d38f1d?s=16" class="favicon-image" width="16" height="16" rel="x8"/> From Saudi Jeans </div> </li> </ul> </li> </ul> <p class="ft"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120603042543/http://www.google.com/reader/shared/user%2F05235022677739709044%2Fstate%2Fcom.google%2Fstarred">Latest from the blogs</a></p></div></div> </span> <span class="trackable-component component-wrapper four-col" data-component="microapp: zeitgeist : Most Viewed Old Promo : Most viewed by section - Zeitgeist"> <style> .m-zeitgeist .bd { float: left } /* for the IE6 lols */ .m-zeitgeist .hd { padding-bottom: 0px; margin-bottom: -12px} .m-zeitgeist .hd h2 { padding-bottom: 12px; } .m-zeitgeist #att-panes { background-color: #fff; float: left; } .m-zeitgeist .att-toggle-pane { min-width:280px; } .m-zeitgeist ol { padding: 0 5px; } .m-zeitgeist #most-zeitgeist ol { padding-left: 0; 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</script>  <div class="m-zeitgeist promo-component four-col attention-data"> <div class="hd"> <h3>On World news</h3> </div> <div class="bd"> <div id="att-toggle"> <ul class="tabs"> <li> <a class="active" href="#att-most-viewed">Most viewed</a> </li> <li> <a class="inactive" href="#most-zeitgeist">Zeitgeist</a> </li> <li> <a class="inactive" href="#att-latest">Latest</a> </li> </ul> <div id="att-panes"> <div class="att-tabs att-toggle-pane" id="att-most-viewed"> <p class="b2 zg-date">Last 24 hours</p> <ol> <li class="l1 thumb"> <img class="tinythumb" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20120603042543im_/http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2012/5/30/1338395448204/Everest-climbers-2012-003.jpg"/> <span class="rank">1. </span> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120603042543/http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/may/30/everest-mountaineer-crowding-hobby-tragedy">Everest mountaineer says crowding by 'hobby climbers' is path to tragedy</a> </li> <li class="l1"> <span class="rank">2. </span> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120603042543/http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/may/30/indiana-prosecuting-chinese-woman-suicide-foetus">Indiana prosecuting Chinese woman for suicide attempt that killed her foetus</a> </li> <li class="l1"> <span class="rank">3. </span> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120603042543/http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/may/30/bilderberg-2012-technocrats-are-rising">Bilderberg 2012: the technocrats are rising at this year's annual conference</a> </li> <li class="l1"> <span class="rank">4. </span> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120603042543/http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/may/29/miami-man-eating-face-lsd">Miami man shot dead eating a man's face may have been on LSD-like drug</a> </li> <li class="l1"> <span class="rank">5. </span> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120603042543/http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/may/31/court-rules-defense-marriage-unconstitutional">Federal court in Boston rules Defense of Marriage Act is unconstitutional</a> </li> <li class="more-most-viewed l1 footer"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120603042543/http://www.guardian.co.uk/most-viewed/world">More most viewed</a> </li> </ol> </div> <div class="att-tabs att-toggle-pane initially-off" id="most-zeitgeist"> <p class="b2 zg-date">Last 24 hours</p> <ol> <li class="l1 news fade-1"> <div class="zeit-link"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120603042543/http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/interactive/2012/may/31/european-students-statistics-interactive">European students by the numbers - interactive</a></div> </li> <li class="l1 news fade-2"> <div class="zeit-link"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120603042543/http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/interactive/2012/may/31/unemployment-europe-eu">Job security in Europe: How confident are you?</a></div> </li> <li class="l1 mobilenet fade-3"> <div class="zeit-link"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120603042543/http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/may/31/police-porn-actor-accused-canada">Police say former porn actor accused of dismemberment may have fled Canada</a></div> </li> <li class="l1 news fade-4"> <div class="zeit-link"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120603042543/http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/may/31/mitt-romney-massachusetts-record-live">John Edwards free after not guilty verdict and mistrial - US politics live</a></div> </li> <li class="l1 news fade-5"> <div class="zeit-link"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120603042543/http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/may/31/greece-austerity-failure-syriza-bailout">Troubled Greece: fears of 'first domino' to fall as austerity is counted a failure</a></div> </li> <li class="l1 footer about-zeit"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120603042543/http://www.guardian.co.uk/zeitgeist">More zeitgeist</a> <img class="what-is" alt="What is Zeigeist?" title="" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20120603042543im_/http://static.guim.co.uk/microapps/zeitgeist/about-zeitgeist.gif"/> <div id="zeit-popup" class="zeit-popup"> <strong>What is Zeitgeist?</strong> <p>Zeitgeist is an experiment in showing trending news, topics and articles from the Guardian. Find out more in <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120603042543/http://www.guardian.co.uk/help/insideguardian/2010/feb/03/zeitgeist">our blog post</a>.</p> </div> </li> </ol> </div> <div class="att-tabs att-toggle-pane initially-off" id="att-latest"> <p class="b2 zg-date">Last 24 hours</p> <ol> <li class="l1 thumb"> <img class="tinythumb" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20120603042543im_/http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2012/6/3/1338690778754/Police-cordon-off-the-Eat-003.jpg"/> <span class="rank">1. </span> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120603042543/http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/jun/03/deadly-shooting-toronto-shopping-mall">Deadly shooting at Toronto shopping mall</a> </li> <li class="l1"> <span class="rank">2. </span> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120603042543/http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/jun/03/spanish-graduates-come-to-uk">'Graduates who come to the UK will do anything to pay the rent'</a> </li> <li class="l1"> <span class="rank">3. </span> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120603042543/http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/jun/03/spain-euro-austerity-bailout">Bank bailout makes Spaniards question their future as euro agonies mount</a> </li> <li class="l1"> <span class="rank">4. </span> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120603042543/http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/jun/03/silvio-berlusconi-italy-euro-joke">Silvio Berlusconi says idea Italy should dump euro was 'a joke'</a> </li> <li class="l1"> <span class="rank">5. </span> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120603042543/http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/jun/02/euro-2012-antisemitic-football">Euro 2012: antisemitic echoes that threaten celebration of football</a> </li> <li class="more-latest l1 footer"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120603042543/http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/all">All today's stories</a> </li> </ol> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <script type="text/javascript"> function cleanUpExtraWeirdLinkCreatedBySomeOtherScriptThatOnlyExistsOnOnePageThatICantFineAwesomesauce() { try { jQ('.m-zeitgeist #att-toggle ul.tabs li a').each(function(i, el) { if (jQ(el).html().trim().length === 0) { jQ(el).remove() }}); } catch(er) { // Ignore } } cleanUpExtraWeirdLinkCreatedBySomeOtherScriptThatOnlyExistsOnOnePageThatICantFineAwesomesauce(); // And because we have no idea when the script runs that adds the extra <a> tag setTimeout("cleanUpExtraWeirdLinkCreatedBySomeOtherScriptThatOnlyExistsOnOnePageThatICantFineAwesomesauce()", 1000); setTimeout("cleanUpExtraWeirdLinkCreatedBySomeOtherScriptThatOnlyExistsOnOnePageThatICantFineAwesomesauce()", 2500); </script> </span> <span class="trackable-component component-wrapper four-col" data-component="microapp: guardian-bookshop : Bestsellers : bookshop"> <style> .m-guardianbookshop .rank { float: left; margin-left: -15px; } .m-guardianbookshop .thumb .rank { margin-left: 0; } .m-guardianbookshop h4 { border-top: none !important; font-weight: bold; margin-left: 5px !important; padding: 5px 0 8px 0 !important; } .m-guardianbookshop .bestsellers { background-color: #fff; padding-bottom: 17px;} .m-guardianbookshop ol { padding: 0 5px; } .m-guardianbookshop .l1 { clear: both; padding-left: 15px; } .m-guardianbookshop .thumb { padding-left: 0; } .m-guardianbookshop .thumb img { float: left; margin: 2px 10px 9px 0;} .m-guardianbookshop .price { display: inline; } .m-guardianbookshop .thumb .price { display: block; } .m-guardianbookshop .rank, .m-guardianbookshop .book-title { font-weight: bold; } .m-guardianbookshop input { border: 1px solid #999; width: 75%; min-height: 16px; margin-top: 8px; padding: 3px 2px;} </style> <div class="m-guardianbookshop promo-component"> <div class="hd"> <h3> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120603042543/http://www.guardianbookshop.co.uk/"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20120603042543im_/http://resource.guim.co.uk/global/static/proxy?url=http%3A%2F%2Fgu-books.appspot.com%2Fimg%2Flogo-guardian-bookshop.png" alt="Guardian Bookshop" title=""/></a> </h3> </div> <div class="bd"> <div class="bestsellers"> <h4>This week's bestsellers</h4> <ol> <li class="l1 thumb"> <img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20120603042543im_/http://resource.guim.co.uk/books/gubookshop/thumbnail/images.bertrams.com/ProductImages/services/GetImage?Source=BERT&Quality=WEB&EAN13=9781846144714&Component=FRONTCOVER" title="What Money Can't Buy"/> <span class="rank">1. </span> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120603042543/http://www.guardianbookshop.co.uk/BerteShopWeb/viewProduct.do?ISBN=9781846144714" class="book-title">What Money Can't Buy</a> <p> by Michael Sandel <span class="price">£13.00</span> </p> </li> <li class="l1"> <span class="rank">2. </span> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120603042543/http://www.guardianbookshop.co.uk/BerteShopWeb/viewProduct.do?ISBN=9781780660103" class="book-title">Kiss Me!</a> <p> by Carlos Ganzalez <span class="price">£7.99</span> </p> </li> <li class="l1"> <span class="rank">3. </span> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120603042543/http://www.guardianbookshop.co.uk/BerteShopWeb/viewProduct.do?ISBN=9780007315093" class="book-title">Bring Up the Bodies</a> <p> by Hilary Mantel <span class="price">£12.99</span> </p> </li> <li class="l1"> <span class="rank">4. </span> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120603042543/http://www.guardianbookshop.co.uk/BerteShopWeb/viewProduct.do?ISBN=9781408813942" class="book-title">Sarah Raven's Wild Flowers</a> <p> by Sarah Raven <span class="price">£29.00</span> </p> </li> <li class="l1"> <span class="rank">5. </span> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120603042543/http://www.guardianbookshop.co.uk/BerteShopWeb/viewProduct.do?ISBN=9780241143810" class="book-title">Old Ways</a> <p> by Robert Macfarlane <span class="price">£14.00</span> </p> </li> </ol> </div> <div class="search"> <p> Search the Guardian bookshop </p> <form method="POST" action="https://web.archive.org/web/20120603042543/http://www.guardianbookshop.co.uk/BerteShopWeb/search.do" name="QuickSearchForm"> <input type="text" class="searchBox" value="" name="keyword"> <button class="searchBtn" type="submit"> <span class="searchText">Search</span> </button> <input type="hidden" value="" name="author"> </form> </div> </div> </div> </span> <span class="trackable-component component-wrapper four-col" data-component="comp: Named trailblock : Reader offers"> <div class="named-trailblock promo-component four-col "> <div class="hd"> <h3> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120603042543/http://essentials.guardianoffers.co.uk/index_guardian_new.cfm" class="link-text">Bestsellers from the Guardian shop</a> </h3> </div> <div class="bd"> <ul> <li class="two-col image first"> <div class="pictureurl"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120603042543/http://essentials.guardianoffers.co.uk/buy.cfm/health/razorpit/41/yes/64116" class="link-image"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20120603042543im_/http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/red/blue_pics/2011/05/27/ShopRazorPit.jpg" width="130" height="78" alt="CommShopRazorpit"/></a> </div> <div class="trail-caption media-above"> <div class="linktext"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120603042543/http://essentials.guardianoffers.co.uk/buy.cfm/health/razorpit/41/yes/64116" class="link-text">The Razorpit</a> </div> <div class="trailtext"> Makes your razorblades last longer. Now available at a <strong>new low price: just £13.99</strong> </div> </div> </li> <li class="two-col image odd last"> <div class="pictureurl"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120603042543/http://essentials.guardianoffers.co.uk/buy.cfm/footwear/farah-socks/41/yes/64161" class="link-image"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20120603042543im_/http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/commercial/2012/04/23/CommPromoSocksNew.jpg" width="130" height="78" alt="CommPromoSocksNew"/></a> </div> <div class="trail-caption media-above"> <div class="linktext"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120603042543/http://essentials.guardianoffers.co.uk/buy.cfm/footwear/farah-socks/41/yes/64161" class="link-text">Farah loose top socks</a> </div> <div class="trailtext"> These socks will gently hold up without pinching. <strong>12 pairs of your choice for just £24.99</strong> </div> </div> </li> </ul> </div> </div> </span> <span class="trackable-component component-wrapper four-col" 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Christian exodus from Iraq gathers pace | World news | The Guardian