Iraq: Christians under fire
19 May 2010Christians in Iraq face possible martyrdom as an ever present reality. The campaign of violence against Christians is one of the most under-reported stories of Iraq since the 2003 invasion and could fundamentally change the country's character. By the time the dust finally settles on the chaotic current chapter of Iraq's history, the Christian community may have disappeared altogether after 2,000 years as a significant presence. About 200,000 Iraqi Christians have already fled the country. They once made up three per cent of its population but now account for half of its refugees. Erbil in northern Iraq has become a safe haven for Christian refugees who are too poor to leave or do not want to abandon their country. It is the seat of the Kurdish Regional Government which treats the Christians well and there is an established Christian community to welcome them. Refugees also gravitate towards the traditionally Christian suburb of Ainkawa. (See also Prayer Alert 0110 & 0610)
Pray: for more of God’s protection and provision for our brothers and sisters in Christ living and working in Iraq. (Ps.5:11)
More: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/religion/7550048/Iraqi-Christians-under-fire.html
Iraq: Christians targeted in Mosul blasts
18 May 2010Buses transporting mainly Christian university students from Hamdaniya to Mosul were the target of two bomb blasts earlier this week. The Mayor of Hamdaniya said, ‘All of the passengers were Christian students. They go in buses like that to Mosul's University after the troubled times when Christians were targeted in the past.’ A doctor at the hospital said at least 17 were critically injured. About 750,000 of Iraq's 30 million population are Christians. The US-based National Council of Churches have sent a letter to Hillary Clinton asking her to urge Iraqi officials to do more to protect Iraq's Christian community. ‘Our concern is now particularly acute because it is possible that tensions will increase as various political forces continue to vie for power following the recent elections. We fear that a growing climate of ,mistrust and animosity will further threaten the fragile Christian community’ the letter said. Attacks remain common, especially in Baghdad and Mosul.
Pray: for God’s people continually to experience an awe-inspiring sense of His presence in every circumstance. (Ps.18:16-17)
More: http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2010/05/201052113858638936.html
Iraq: Christians have requested our prayers
09 Nov 2010
Middle East Concern have forwarded a prayer request for Iraqi Christians following a major incident at the Syrian Catholic Church of Our Lady of Salvation Church in Baghdad Sunday. Claims of responsibility have appeared on websites used by extremists. Christian leaders in Iraq are concerned that this attack might prompt further internal displacement of Christians within Iraq. Iraqi Christians request our prayers that: a. The bereaved will know the peace, presence and comfort of Jesus. b.The wounded and traumatised will know the healing touch of Jesus. c. Those involved in providing pastoral care will know the Spirit's grace and gentleness. d. Christians across Iraq will know the Father's protection. e. The security situation in Baghdad will improve. f. Any Christians that feel obliged to leave Baghdad will find places of safety and be able to return soon. g. Church leaders in Baghdad will know the Spirit's guidance in all things, especially concerning services. Pray: that God would use every situation to draw people to Himself and strengthen the believers in Iraq. (Jn.8:36)
Iraq: Christians flee after 14 car bombs
30 Dec 2011A series of strategically placed car bombs claimed the lives of 63 people in Baghdad, leaving many wondering about the security of the nation. With American troops now out of Iraq, many fear sectarian violence could erupt into civil war. Greg Mussleman with Voice of the Martyrs, Canada recently returned from Iraq where he met with Christians. ‘Their fear was that this was going to happen,' he shares. ‘They were just waiting for the American troops to leave.’ While many reports indicate things are better in Iraq, Mussleman doesn't expect that to be the case in Baghdad, Mosul, and Basra. Many Christians left these cities for safer areas.
Pray: against civil war in Iraq and for God’s provision and purposes for Iraq at this time, pray for believers to know God’s protection and may He give them courage. (Is.31:1-3)
More: http://www.openheaven.com/forums/forum_posts.asp?TID=38592&PN=1&TPN=1
Iraq: Christians determination to stay
19 Nov 2010
The massacre at the Church of Sayyidat al-Najat is one of the most savage attacks inflicted on Christians of Iraq since 2003. Christians have been kidnapped, tortured, raped, evicted from their homes and threatened to convert to Islam or leave or die. Over sixty houses of worship have been destroyed, 17 Christian leaders kidnapped, some tortured and five killed including the bishop of Mosul and a Protestant pastor. Despite all efforts to drive Christianity from its Middle East heartland there is still a large number of the faithful who are determined to stay - come what may, saying this is their country in which their ancestors lived for thousands of years. On Sunday they gathered in the damaged church still stained with the blood of its martyrs and Muslims who were indignant at what happened showed their solidarity with the Christian community by joining them. Pray: though afflicted may they not be crushed, though perplexed may they not despair, though persecuted they will never be forsaken, and when struck down may they rebuild. (2Cor 4:8-10) More: http://www.christiantoday.com/article/christians.in.iraq.the.determination.to.stay/27065.htm
Iraq: Christian man held to ransom then killed
20 May 2011
Ashur Issa Yaqub, a 29-year-old Chaldean Christian construction worker was abducted by gunmen in the northern city of Kirkuk, held to ransom over the weekend for $100,000, but then his body was found Tuesday in Kirkuk with signs of torture and his head almost completely cut off. A source told the Aswat al-Iraq news agency that the abductors killed Yaqub when the ransom was not paid. The killing was blamed on Al-Qaeda insurgents.Christians continue to endure hardship and discrimination in Iraq, where human rights organisations warn that Islamic extremists are trying to drive them out of the country.
Pray: for God to hide his people from spiritual attack, protect them from physical attack and empower them to stand against opposition. (1Cor:15:58)
The murder of another Iraqi Christian from Mosul has renewed fears in that city, where the Christian minority has been the focus of a series of targeted killings. Louyaé Behnam was abducted last week from his home in Karkosh, a town in the Nineveh district. Ironically, his family had moved to Karkosh to escape the violence in his native Mosul. The Islamic group that kidnapped him demanded ransom. His family paid $15,000 - only to have his dead body returned. This latest in a series of murderous assaults is particularly significant for two reasons. First, it comes almost immediately after the withdrawal of US combat troops from Iraq, as the country’s residents worry about their prospects for future security. Second, the victim was abducted from the Nineveh Plains region, which has been suggested as a safe refuge for the country’s Christian minority. Pray: for the Christians in Iraq that they would be protected at this time in the nation's history. (Ps.3:8) More: http://www.catholicculture.org/news/headlines/index.cfm?storyid=7380
Iraq: Christian areas targeted
18 Nov 2010
A series of bombings and mortar attacks targeting six districts with strong Christian majorities in Baghdad injured at least 24 people. The attacks come days after more than 40 people died when Islamist militants seized a Catholic cathedral. (See also last weeks Prayer Alert and INSIGHT article on Christian Minorities in Iraq.) The violence came before the talks to resolve the country's political crisis ended yesterday with Iraq's main parties agreeing to form a government. Christian communities are agonising over whether to stay in Iraq or to try to leave. Since 2003 the Christian population has dwindled to roughly half following a number of bomb attacks on churches and abductions or killings of priests and other Christians. Pray: for God to give more protection to Iraqi Christians so that migration ends and refugees return. (Ge.28:15)