Release International report on the current situation in Iraq.
'War has sown the seeds of religious violence for a generation. The
future looks bleak for Christians in Iraq, as the Shia-Sunni sectarian
conflict spreads across the Middle East.'
The Iraq war has
been a tragedy for Christians in Iraq and the Middle East, believes
Release International, leading to a massive exodus of historic
communities from the lands of the Bible.
Iraq once
boasted one of the most established Christian minorities in the
region, dating back to the birth of the faith. But Christians have
left in their droves since the war against Saddam Hussein in 2003.
'Christians have lost their trust in the land and the
future,' Chaldean Archbishop Bashar M Warda told the UK-based Release
International. 'The attack on Christians has been immense. Pray for
their safety in this chaotic situation.'
As the
haemorrhage from Iraq continues, observers say just a quarter of a
million Christians remain - while upwards of four-fifths have fled the
country.
Iraq is now considered one of the most dangerous
places in the world to be a Christian, ranking close to the top of the
persecution watch lists. The exodus gathered pace when law and order
broke down after the invasion of Iraq.
Today the
Christian presence itself is now dwindling, not only in Iraq, but in
the surrounding nations. Christians have been driven out by extremists
who have flourished in the power vacuum created by the toppling of
Saddam Hussein.
'In our visits to help persecuted
Christians, many ordinary Iraqis told us that things had been better
for believers under Saddam Hussein,' says Release Chief Executive,
Paul Robinson.
'Few had fond words for the dictator, who
kept the church under tight surveillance and imprisoned some
evangelicals, but the constant refrain was that Iraq had been safer
under Saddam.'
When the allies removed Saddam and
dismantled his army and system of government they kicked open a door
to chaos, extremism and religious cleansing. Significant numbers of
Iraqi children have been traumatised by conflict and are considered
easy prey for radicalisation.
'The war has sown the seeds
of religious violence for a generation,' says Paul Robinson, looking
back on the Chilcott Report into the Iraq war.
Even though
the Iraqi army has been gaining ground, large swathes of the country
remain under the control of Islamic State, the terror group that
sprang from al-Qaeda.
IS has demolished churches and
confiscated Christian property. Their fighters have abducted Christian
and Yazidi women as sex slaves.
The collapse of
government in Syria and insurgency in Iraq have allowed IS to extend
its so-called caliphate from Syria to Iraq.
IS militants
have given Christians the ultimatum: convert, submit, or die.
Thousands have been stripped of their belongings and forced from their
homes to trek through the desert to Kurdistan.
And
religious conservatism and intolerance is spreading to areas beyond IS
control.
In Basra, which was formerly under British
control, Christian women have been threatened in the workplace and
forced to wear headscarves. Many have been driven out.
Lena told Release: 'People were threatening us. My daughter received
a letter with a bullet in it.' Another daughter, Dahlia added: The
extremists said we had to leave or we will shoot you. We were very
scared.'
Lena said: 'We had no choice. We left.' They,
too, headed for Kurdistan.
Much the same has been
happening in Baghdad, where many of the remaining Christian women have
been forced to wear headscarves and up to two thirds of the homes
belonging to Christians have been taken.
So what about
areas of Iraq under government control? Reports persist of low-level
persecution against Christians under the government and its
Shia-dominated army.
Another threat to Christians is
lawlessness. Kidnapping is now commonplace.
'The future
looks bleak for Christians in Iraq,' says Paul Robinson of Release,
'as the Shia-Sunni sectarian conflict spreads across the Middle East.
Christians, as ever, are caught in the crossfire.'
Shia
areas of Baghdad are frequently targeted by IS suicide bombers, who
killed more than 280 in a single attack last weekend. And Sunni
Kurdistan is constantly on the alert against infiltration from Shia
Iran on its border.
Baghdad once had a thriving Christian
community. Now most have left. The'ar and his family fled Baghdad
after extremists bombed their church, killing 58, including two
members of their family.
They headed north to the
Christian village of Qaraqosh in the hope of finding safety. But they
had to flee again when it was captured by Islamic State.
'There is no hope,' The'ar told Release. 'Since [the invasion in]
2003, we have all this bombing and fighting. We have no future. Our
prayer is to leave this country, just to be human and to raise our
kids with dignity.'
Despite the turmoil, there are some
rays of light. One is the semi-autonomous region of Kurdistan, which
has declared itself a safe haven for Christian refugees. It is one of
the few areas of the Middle East where churches for Muslim-background
believers are flourishing. In other areas dominated by extremists,
Muslim converts are killed as heretics.
However, some
Christians in Kurdistan complain that their lands and houses are being
seized, and Kurds, who are Sunni, fear being caught up in a sectarian
conflict with neighbouring Iran, which is Shia.
'Kurdistan
is a place of relative safety for Christians - please pray for them,'
says Paul Robinson of Release. 'Another encouraging sign is that
Muslims, sickened by the violence being carried out in the name of
religion, are coming to faith in Christ across the Middle East.
'So please pray that that Christian faith both survives and
thrives in this region. Pray also that Christian refugees are afforded
the same aid and treatment as others.'
Release is working
in Iraq to support Christian refugees by providing relief aid and
training.