Iraqi Christians leave their country en masse after deadly church attacks

[NNN0LHI]

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/afp/20040815/wl_mideast_afp/iraq_christians_emigrate&cid=1514&ncid=1473

DUBAI (AFP) - Forty thousand Iraqi Christians have left Iraq (news - web sites) since a wave of church bombings killed at least 10 people two weeks ago, Iraq's displacement and migration minister said in press remarks.


"The number of Christians who have left Iraq has reached 40,000, according to the latest statistics," Pascale Isho Warda was quoted as saying in Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper.


This emigration "is due to insecurity and the attacks on the churches in Baghdad and Mosul two weeks ago," said Warda, the only Christian member of Iraq's interim government.


The minister expressed concern for "the serious rise in numbers of Iraqi emigrants because of the multiplication of terrorist operations and insecurity which threatens all Iraqi communities, and includes the Christians."

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[Barrett808]

1. Instant ethnic cleansing

Thanks, George.

[thebigidea]

2. paging Salem Chalabi...

[daleo]

3. This seems very unlikely, as in "Where did they go?"

"The Saudi-owned pan-Arab daily did not provide details on where the Iraqi emigrants were moving."

I am sure that if 40,000 Iraqi Christians had fled Iraq, we in Canada would have been aware of it, if only because many would seek to immigrate here. There may be a lot of internal displacement within Iraq, however.

[SOS]

6. Most are fleeing to Syria

where "we can live in peace and freedom"*

* quote from a Christian Iraqi now in Damascus.

On edit:

Quote from article -

THE REACH OF WAR: EXODUS; Many Christians Flee Iraq, With Syria the Haven of Choice

By KATHERINE ZOEPF (NYT)

Archived after only 10 days. Still available for purchase.

[daleo]

9. Good, then Bush can strike Syria off the invasion list.

After all, they are providing peace and freedom to Christians. That should move them from "axis of evil" (I know they aren't on the A team, but they still get some mentions) to "axis of virtue".

[burrowowl]

12. They are Catholic

Christians, so to Bu$h and Fundies they aren't Christian. A friend across the street was friends with my mother and her Fundie daughter-in-law got mad at her for talking to my mother, Catholic, because she wasn't Christian.

[madrchsod]

4. gee- where are they going?

hmmm,Syria,Jordan,Lebanon,and is the inn full in israel ?

[aquart]

5. Lebanon has Christians. Egypt has some.

Israel doesn't have room for a shoe. But those other nations you mentioned are quite large. Or don't you look at maps?

[ContraBass Black]

7. Let Us Save Those Heathen Muslims!

</bitter, enraged sarcasm]

[LeftistGorilla]

8. Islamic Revolution....

Here we come!

[Charlie Brown]

10. I truly sympathize

Shaking the hands of the last worshippers to leave the Cathedral, Father John could only shake his head at the dwindling number of parishioners coming to Mass each week. He said that while Saddam Hussein dragged the country through "war after war," Christians felt safer when he was in charge.

"We have no future in Iraq now," he said.

The Christian Right used these parishoners as a justification for the War. Now, they'll turn their backs on them to avoid criticizing the current Shiite-backed Allawi government. A Living, Breathing example that almost all wars are usually unjust.

[rfkrocks]

11. for centuries Iraq has had Christians

but no more-the US has made a government which will seek accomadation with fudies and the minority religion will be purged-what a great plan Bushie!

[Justice]

13. Irony is Tragic

Bush, a supposedly Christian man fights to bring Christianity to Iraq -- and ends up driving out the Christians and uniting the Muslims.

[AmandaRuth]

14. i guess this is what you can expect when you have pundits

running around saying we must invade their countries, kill their leaders and convert them to Christianity. i am not saying that this is right, of course it is not, but if i was a Muslim i would be extremely unhappy with statements like this.

[Just Me]

15. Yup,...he divided rather than united,...

,...which is evidenced in every vein whether it be spiritual, intellectual, national, racial, gender or economic.

He has spread adversity while simultaneously diminishing the pricelessness of diversity.

What an ass.

[Yupster]

16. I'm going to condemn the terrorists

who bombed the churches. It seems someone should.

[QC]

17. Yeah, funny how no one ever gets around to that.

In a similar thread a couple of weeks ago, someone excused the church bombings on the grounds that the "insurgents" simply wanted to remove the missionaries from the country, apparently not knowing that Christians like these have been in Iraq since the very beginning of Christianity, long before Islam existed.

[thebigidea]

18. I never quite understood that "condemnation" thing

I mean, it kind of goes without saying.

Its not like anyone here is a big booster of bombing Iraqi churches.

I thought Salem Chalabi was linked to the Mosul bombing... it should be interesting to find out who the real terrorists are.

Now, if you'll excuse me - I'm going to go condemn starvation, child molestation, and traffic on the NJ turnpike.

[NNN0LHI]

20. Pretty good post tbi

As usual. :bounce:

Don

[Rose Siding]

19. They practiced safely under Saddam

Tariq Aziz is a Christian. He's still in prison.

[lottie244]

21. Like Sadr said: Iraqi government worse than Saddam.

The US has helped tear up another beautiful country.
Iraq goes the way of Lebanon.