[Sydrothcoathy]

The following news item from an RSS feed might be of interest to Monachos readers:

The position of Iraq's small but ancient Christian community is growing more tenuous, as militant Islamists attack churches and priests. Now some Iraqi Christians want to create a separate, autonomous enclave for their community on the Nineveh Plain of Northern Iraq.
This news item is from the NPR World News service.

Click here for fuller text...

[Bymnbypeten]

this is very true,

we have a lot of Christian Iraqi friends, they told us that a lot of Christians left Iraq because it's very dangerous to live their.

Christians where attacked in several places after the Pope's quotation about Muhammad and islam. In Iraq, Christians where not able to leave their homes or even open the windows of their houses. yes, it was that bad.


Lord, have mercy

[Srewxardsasv]

this is very true,

we have a lot of Christian Iraqi friends, they told us that a lot of Christians left Iraq because it's very dangerous to live their.

Christians where attacked in several places after the Pope's quotation about Muhammad and islam. In Iraq, Christians where not able to leave their homes or even open the windows of their houses. yes, it was that bad.


Lord, have mercy

Dear Nisreen,

May Christ have mercy upon those who are suffering in this way.

Leaving aside the rights and the wrongs of the American and British intervention in Iraq, which is a secular matter upon which we can all disagree, it is clear that it has had many bad effects, of which this is one, and we must hope and pray that the occupying forces can help to rid that most unfortunate country of the violence which daily costs so many lives.

In Christ,


John

[codespokerbonus]

Dear Nisreen,

May Christ have mercy upon those who are suffering in this way.

Leaving aside the rights and the wrongs of the American and British intervention in Iraq, which is a secular matter upon which we can all disagree, it is clear that it has had many bad effects, of which this is one, and we must hope and pray that the occupying forces can help to rid that most unfortunate country of the violence which daily costs so many lives. I agree many bad effects. One would think if the United States, a nation that is supposedly 80%+ Christian with a christian president was going to take action in Iraq they would at least work to protect the life, rights and property of Iraqi Christians rather then treating them like an insignificant minority and overlooking their interests in favor of muslim interests.

[Srewxardsasv]

I agree many bad effects. One would think if the United States, a nation that is supposedly 80%+ Christian with a christian president was going to take action in Iraq they would at least work to protect the life, rights and property of Iraqi Christians rather then treating them like an insignificant minority and overlooking their interests in favor of muslim interests.

Dear Scott,

So one would have thought, although it occurs to me that overt help for Iraqi Christians might actually make their situation worse since they would risk being seen as western pawns. That, of course, would not be to rule out covert assistance.

But I fear that we in the west do not have a distinguished record in helping our fellow Christians in this part of the world. In the 19th century we spent a lot of time trying to 'convert' them from their historic confessions, and in the 20th century we did positive harm to our fellow Christians in Turkey, where the international community did nothing to save either the Armenians or the Orthodox in communities like Smyrna in 1922/3. Our role in Palestine is not one which stands up to examination either, alas.The twenty-first century is not getting off to a more distinguished start, I fear.

In Christ,

John