Christmas
services canceled by fearful Iraqi Christians
December 20, 2004
Iraqi Christians have canceled
Christmas services for fear of attacks, a leading Christian politician
said yesterday.
Yonadam Kanna, a member
of the Iraqi Interim National Council, said the Christian community
in Iraq would thereby show its solidarity with the victims of
recent attacks on churches and
monasteries.
In recent months extremists
in Mosul and Baghdad have attacked several churches with car
bombs and rockets, killing and injuring dozens of Christians.
Celebrations to mark the
New Year were also canceled.
Courtesy of DPA
Christmas
isn't very merry for Iraqi Christians
By Edmund Sanders,
Los Angeles Times
Christian leaders estimate
that 50,000 of Iraq (news - web sites)'s nearly 800,000 Christians
have fled the country since last year, mostly to Jordan and Syria.
And after a year of church bombings, death threats and assassinations,
the Christians who remain have all but canceled Christmas.
The only thing
missing? Customers.
"Officially, we are
not celebrating this year," said Rev. Peter Haddad, head
of Fearing insurgent attacks, Christian bishops across predominantly
Muslim Iraq recently announced the would call off the usual Christmas
celebrations. Some churches will forgo Christmas Eve mass, unheard
of even during the Saddam Hussein (news - web sites) regime.
More than 700 people once
packed Haddad's church during the holidays. Last Sunday, 27 worshipers
showed up.
Christians have lived in
Iraq for hundreds of years, enjoying peaceful relations with
Muslims for most of that time. But after the U.S.-led invasion,
insurgents began targeting the community, accusing Christians
of cooperating with American "infidels" by working
as translators, house cleaners and merchants. Harassment became
so bad that many Christian women began wearing a hijab,
"We are the agents
of no one, and we don't accept being linked to the occupiers
because of our religion," Louis Sako, the Chaldean Catholic
archbishop of Kirkuk, recently told parishioners as he announced
the cancellation of Christmas celebrations in that northern city.
"Blowing up our churches and frightening our sons will not
solve the problems of Iraq."
In the past, George Goryal,
50, a father of four, celebrated Christmas by taking his family
on a picnic. This year they are staying indoors. Attacks feared
The family hopes to attend Christmas Eve mass, but Goryal says
he is so worried about attacks he has developed a strategy to
reduce his exposure.
"We will go to the
church only two at a time," Goryal said. "When the
first two come back, then two more can go. It's safer this way."
Some churches have resorted
to armed guards. At the Assyrian Our Lady of Salvation Church,
men with assault rifles and pistols stood guard during a recent
funeral for a parishioner who was shot dead on his way to work
as a bartender for a Baghdad social club.
Some church leaders said
they are loath to use metal detectors and body searches or have
U.S. troops stand guard during the Christmas holiday, and would
rather cancel events.
"Christian families
are going to suffice with celebrating with friends and relatives
at their houses," said Sameer Khoori, vice chairman of the
Hindiya Traditionally, Christians in Iraq mark the holiday with
lavish parties at restaurants, outings to amusement parks and
large family gatherings. As in the United States, families usually
decorate homes with colorful lights and pine wreaths.
But Christians say there's
little point in hanging Christmas lights when electricity outages
mean they have just four hours of power a day. Gas shortages
have cut into plans to visit relatives in other cities.
Keeping The Faith
Despite the problems, many
Iraqis said they are determined to keep a Christmas spirit.
"Our beliefs will
never fade," said Hazim Jameel, 47, a taxi driver who was
buying a Christmas tree on his day off. "It's vital that
people live their normal lives." His wife, Fadia Issa, 31,
said the family would prepare a traditional Christmas dinner
and give gifts to their three young children. "It's important
for the children," she said. Haddad, who will keep his Baghdad
church doors open for Christmas services, said the hard times
would encourage Christians to reflect on the religious significance
of the holiday, rather than on gifts and parties. His Christmas
Eve sermon will draw parallels between the U.S. occupation of
Iraq and the Roman occupation of Jerusalem during the time of
Jesus Christ, a message he said he hopes will inspire worshipers.
"These are very bad
days," he said, "but they will pass."
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