Bookmark this site

  Christians of Iraq
Contact

Links

Historical articles

 Historical pictures

 Photos of Bombed Churches

Home  Only this link has access to all News articles

Updated list of Opression and Murders of the Assyrians in Iraq Not reported by the International Press

Translation From English
<

----

Christians are vacating land of Christ

By Steve Gushee
Palm Beach Post
October 06, 2006

The forgotten faith of the Middle East may be headed for extinction in the region. Caught in the midst of Islam's internecine struggle and the politics of the great powers, Christians are voting with their feet and leaving in droves. No one seems to care.

The Iraq war is one reason for the exodus. The Israeli-Hezbollah spat is another. Many Christians in the West Bank's occupied territories have long since departed. Unless that trend is reversed, virtually no Christians will remain in the land of Christ's birth.

Since the invasion of Iraq in 2003, more than 600,000 Iraqi Christians, half the prewar Christian population, have emigrated, according to a sad report in America, the Jesuit weekly magazine. There have been Christians in Iraq since the second century. The new Iraqi constitution demands religious tolerance, but chaos and Muslim infighting have nullified that promise.

In Lebanon, an obviously unintended consequence of the Israeli incursion has been to enhance the popularity and authority of Hezbollah, the militant Shiite Muslim shadow government in that ancient country.

Hezbollah's dream of making Lebanon a militant Islamic state endangers the country's modest experiment in religious toleration among Christians, Muslims and Druze, according to America. Druze is an offshoot of Islam influenced in the 10th century by Greek philosophy and Christianity. The tradition is an officially recognized religion in Lebanon.

There are an estimated 10 million to 14 million Christians in the region, although the numbers are notoriously unreliable. Most Christians, between 6 million and 10 million, live in Egypt as Coptic Christians under duress from the Muslim majority.

Lebanon may have a million and a half Christians, nearly a third of the population. Christianity's demise there will be catastrophic. Other states in the area, including the Holy Land, have only token Christian communities.

An Arab Christian is almost an oxymoron to many in the West since Arab and Muslim have become erroneously interchangeable in the media and in politics. Arabs, however, were present at Pentecost 50 days after the resurrection of Jesus and were among the very first followers of the risen Christ, according to the book of Acts (Acts 2).

The editors of America suggest several optimistic remedies to the crisis, but all depend on peace in the area. That is unlikely. The result may be that Christianity is doomed in the place of its birth.

 

 

 

 

      

Who are the Christians of Iraq?

Tishrin 1 = October

Christians are vacating land of Christ Oct. 15, 06

Threats force Iraqi Christians to flee to Syria Oct. 15, 06

Turkey starts to admit it has an ‘Armenian Question Oct. 15, 06

Some Turks change religion as way to West Oct. 14, 06

Beleaguered Yazidi find peace high in Iraq's northern mountains Oct. 14, 06

Beheading of Iraqi priest latest attack on minorities Oct. 14, 06

Kurdish Militia Attacks Assyrian TV Station in North Iraq Oct. 13, 06

Iraq priest 'killed over pope's speech' Oct. 13, 06

More than 35,000 Christians have fled violence in Iraq Oct. 13, 06

Prominent Assyrian Priest Beheaded Oct. 12, 06

Father Paulos Iskandar Killed by Terrorist Abductors Oct. 12, 06

Who Will Remember the Assyrian Genocide? Oct. 11, 06

Abducted and raped, young Christian women and girls are driven to suicide in Iraq Oct. 11, 06

Was the genocide of the Ottoman Empire in1915 only against the Armenians, or included Assyrians also? Oct. 10, 06

Traditional Assyrian Costumes Oct. 9, 06

Organisation and Substitutionism Oct. 8, 06

A Nation Without a Country Oct. 8, 06

Swedish authorities honor Malfono Gabriel Afram Oct. 7, 06

Christian husband and wife converts from Islam released Oct. 7, 06

Terror campaign targets Christians of Iraq Oct. 6, 06

In 20 years, there will be no more Christians in Iraq' Oct. 5, 06

\FIRST-PERSON: Assyrian haircut Oct. 5, 06

The Assyrians: Ignored Among Fears of an Iraqi Civil War Oct. 4, 06

Two Iranian Christians arrested in Mashad. Oct. 4, 06

Car Bombs at the Christian Assyrian shopping district in Baghdad killed 16, injured 87 Oct. 4, 06

30 Christian families receive threats to leave Mosul - Iraq Oct. 2, 06

Mr. Sarkis Aghajan, the Finance Minister of the Kurdistan regional Government Asks
for more rights for the Assyrians
Oct. 2, 06

Ealool = September

National Council of Churches Ignores Christian Suffering Sept. 29, 06

Violence Against Christians Grows in Iraq Sept. 29, 06

EP Report Drops Genocide Clause, Calls for Investigation Sept. 28, 06

Nenveh Essa, 21, studied accounting, Dies in Car Accident Sept. 27, 06

Kurds and Arabs Vie for Control of Mosul Sept. 26, 06

Iraq ensnared in quest to escape Arab politics Sept. 25, 06

Two Assyrian churches attacked in Mosul and Baghdad Sept. 25, 06

Turkey invites Assyrian and Armenian dignitaries to meal that breaks daily Muslim fast. Sep. 25, 06

Dutch Lawmaker May Remove Assyrian Genocide Reference in Report on Turkey Sept. 25, 06

Tense Time for Christians in Iraq Sep. 24, 06

Assyrian Church Bombed in Baghdad; 2 Dead, 17 Injured Sept. 24, 06

Assyrian Police Officer Murdered in Mosul Sept. 24, 06

Assyrian-Swedish journalist investigates the arrest of the Assyrian-Georgian General Sept. 21, 06

Muslims react to the speech of Pope Benedict XVI Sept. 20, 06

Iraq: International Religious Freedom Report 2006 Sept. 19, 06

Fear Strikes Iraq's Christians Over Pope Words Sept. 19, 06

Assyrian Cultural Day Sept. 19, 06

When Iraqi Christians Vanish, Locals Pay the Price Sept. 18, 06

Dozens Dead in Kirkuk Bombings Sept. 17, 06

Book Exhibit in Baghdeda Iraq Sept. 17, 06

Second Assyrian Christian Killed in Retaliation for Pope's Remarks Sept. 17, 06

The Hellenic, Armenian and Assyrian Communities in the Late Ottoman Empire and Modern Turkey Sept. 16, 06

'I Felt God Was With Me,' Says Released Assyrian Priest' Sept. 15, 06

Two Assyrians Killed in Separate Terrorist Attacks Sept. 15, 06

Rosie Malek - Yonan Documentary, My Assyrian Nation on the Edge Sept. 14, 06

Two Assyrians Killed in Separate Terrorist Attacks Sept. 14, 06

Kirkuk: The potential spark for civil war Sept. 14, 06

Sabri Atman in Sweden Sept. 14, 06

Assyrian Candidate Gains Republican Endorsement Sept. 13, 06

Priest Abducted in Baghdad Was Threatened and Tortured Sept. 13, 06

Assyrians Accuse Kurdish Authorities of Discrimination Sept. 12, 06

Priest Kidnapped in Baghdad Released Sept. 12, 06

Turkey's refusal to acknowledge the Assyrian, Armenian genocide Sept. 10, 06

Rosie Malek - Younan; The Assyrian Woman of the Year Sept. 10, 06

Lebanese Bishops Chastise Hizbullah, Back Siniora Sept. 6, 06

A Feast Awaits At Annual Assyrian Festival Sept. 6, 06

Prominent Assyrian Christian Leaves Iraq. Says Work Situation 'Intolerable' Sept. 5, 06

Turkey's terror against Christians in Midyat Sept. 4, 06

Syria; Sanctuary for Iraq's Displaced Christians Sept. 3, 06

August = Tubbakh

Assyrians honour the Lt General Sir Stanley Savige KBE CB DSO MC ED August 31,06

Assyrian archaeologist resigns amid threats by the fundamentalists August 31, 06

Assyrians: from Bebar Khan to Saddam Hussein (a new book) August 28, 06

Donny George of Iraq's State Board of Antiquity, Heritage Flees to Syria August 28, 06

A New Film by Lina Yakubova August 27, 06

PM Maliki urges tribal unity in Iraq August 27, 06

Lebanese Bishops Appeal for a Stop to the Christian Exodus August 24, 06

Iraqi Christians Caught in the Crossfire August 23, 06

Assyrian Universal Alliance, Australian Chapter Meeting in Canberra August 23, 06

Iraqi Christians on Edge After Priest's Kidnapping August 23, 06

The Secrets Of Mustafa Barzani In KGB Archives August 23, 06

Pope urges release of priest in Iraq August 20, 06

Heading Toward an (Inevitable) War in Kirkuk August 20, 06

TWO CHALDEAN PRIESTS KIDNAPPED IN BAGHDAD August 18, 06

Confiscation of the Assyrian villages by the Kurds August 18, 06

The Kurdish Democratic Experiment: an Assyrian Tragedy August 17, 06

Assyrians Experience Slow Cultural Revival In Southeastern Turkey August 17, 06

Lebanese Bishops Call for Single National Leadership August 16, 06

Lebanese Cardinal Concerned About Christian Exodus August 16, 06

In Turkey non Muslims are listed as Foreigners August 14, 06

Murdered Assyrians in Iraq in August August 14, 06

Why Can't A Christian Be More Like A Muslim? Revisited August 13, 06

Peter W. Galbraith's 'The End of Iraq' August 12, 06

Babylon the Great lives August 12, 06

We Don't Want a Proxy War in Lebanon:' Cardinal Sfeir August 10, 06

Go-ahead for dam that will drown history August 9, 06

750,000 Christians Caught in Middle East Crossfire August 8, 06

Arabist Indoctrination At Middlebury College August 8, 06

Middle-Eastern conference: from worship to ‘reunion’ August 8, 06

Hezbollah Uses Christian Villages As Shields in Missile Attacks August 7, 06

Family Pays Ransom in Iraqi Kidnapping August 7, 06

Johanns meets with Iraqi leaders to help rebuild agriculture August 6, 06

Half of all Christians have fled Iraq since 2003, says Baghdad bishop August 4, 06

Christian Persecution Groups Express Concerns for Mideast Believers August 3, 06

Assyrians and Australians will honour Captain Savige for his world war one help August 3, 06

Nuri Kino Wins Swedish Award of: good role model for the youth Aug 1, 06

 

Archives

June, July 06
March April May 06

January- February 06