Friday, September 29, 2006

Three more attacks on Iraqi churches in Baghdad and Mosul
Anti-Christian attacks largely go unreported by Western media

 

By Michael Ireland
Special Correspondent, ASSIST News Service
http://www.assistnews.net/Stories/s06090133.htm

 

IRAQ (ANS) -- The latest anti-Christian violence in Iraq saw a car bomb outside a cathedral in Baghdad, which killed 2 and injured at least 17 others, and two attacks on a church in Mosul.

Largely unreported in the Western media, attacks on Christians in Iraq have been occurring frequently. As a small minority Iraqi Christians are very vulnerable. They do not have militias to protect them like other ethnic and religious groups in Iraq, says a report from the Barnabas Fund.

According to the Barnabas Fund, which works to support Christian communities around the world where they are facing poverty and persecution, a cathedral of the Ancient Church of the East suffered a double attack apparently designed to maximize casualties, on the morning of Sunday, September 24.

A Barnabas Fund report states: "First, there was a small explosion under the car of the church minister as worshippers were leaving the church. Shortly after this, a much larger car bomb exploded on the other side of the narrow street seemingly intended to target the crowd who had gathered to help with the casualties caused by the first attack.

These two explosions resulted in two people being killed, one a security guard for the church and the other a child. There were also at least 17 injured, of whom 9 were members of the church. Two of these remain in a critical condition. The cathedral itself was badly damaged."

Barnabas Fund also says that on the same day at 11.15 a.m. in Mosul a church was attacked when armed men fired around 80 shots.

"There was no service in progress at the time and no one was killed or injured. Some damage was done to the eastern part of the church building and some windows were broken. Christians courageously went to the church for an evening service later in the day. Two days later on Tuesday, September 26 the same church was attacked with rockets and an explosive device detonated outside a door. There were no casualties," Barnabas Fund said.

The violence may be linked to the uproar in response to the Pope’s speech on the September 12, which was followed by a bomb attack on a church in Basra in Iraq on Friday, September 15 (see: www.barnabasfund.org/archivenews/article.php?ID_news_items=223#1)

Terrorist groups in Iraq also made threats to Christians following the Pope’s speech. (See: www.barnabasfund.org/archivenews/article.php?ID_news_items=225#1)

Barnabas Fund states: "It should also be noted that the latest three attacks have fallen with the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, which began last Sunday. Ramadan is often a time when Christians experience greater hostility from Muslims. Some Islamists in Iraq have called for more violence during Ramadan.

Barnabas Fund’s International Director, Dr Patrick Sookhdeo commented: “The attacks in Mosul and Baghdad came just days after an attack on a church in Basra. Whether in the north, the center or the south of their country, Iraqi Christians are facing hostility and violence. This is an ongoing situation, made worse by the anti-Christian threats issued by some Islamist groups in Iraq after the Pope’s speech on September 12. For example Al-Qaeda in Iraq said, “We will destroy the cross…then all that will be accepted will be conversion or the sword (death). May God enable us to slit their throats…” The fact that we are now in Ramadan is also exacerbating the situation. We need to pray for the protection of Iraqi Christians, particularly on Fridays and Sundays, the two most dangerous days of the week for Christian minorities.”

Barnabas Fund requests that concerned Christians to pray for the families of those who have been killed and for those who were injured in this attack. Thank the Lord for the courage of the Iraqi Christians continuing to gather for worship despite these attacks.  Pray also that both Muslim religious and political leaders in Iraq and also Western governments will work to protect Iraq’s Christian minority. Finally, pray that there will be no other attacks on Iraqi Christians.

Barnabas Fund’s e-mail news service provides the media and its supporters with urgent news briefs concerning suffering Christians around the world. If you would like to receive news briefs from the Barnabas Fund please contact them with your name, postal and e-mail addresses.