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| Iraq-Jordan |
| Bombs ignite fear among Iraqi Christians |
| 2004-10-17 |
| Explosions that damaged five churches in Baghdad have prompted some Christians to wonder whether it's time to leave their ancient homeland. "If they don't want us in Iraq, let them say it and we will leave," said Samir Hermiz, 40, standing next to a church that was reduced to ashes on Saturday. "I'm really thinking of leaving Iraq." "It was horrible," said Odet Abdul, 48, who attends one of the bombed churches and lives around the block from it, adding that she thought she was about to die when she heard the blast. "They want us to leave Iraq, that is the message," she said. Thousands of Christians have already left the country since the fall of Saddam's regime and Saturday's bombings were unwelcome news to the remaining Christians, about 3 per cent of Iraq's population. The series of explosions caused no casualties but they further unnerved Christians already shaken by co-ordinated church bombings that killed 11 people in Baghdad and the northern city of Mosul in August. There was no immediate word on the identity or motives of the assailants who struck the five churches, including a Roman Catholic church in Karrada that was gutted in the attack. Iraq's Christians had little power under Saddam Hussein but they did not feel threatened by sectarian violence. Now they feel they have no protection in a country where the interim Government is struggling to quell the chaos of suicide bombings, shootings and kidnappings. Like others in his community, storekeeper Nabil Khawam believes "Christians are the true Iraqis", but he fears they can no longer risk staying. "We are a minority and we have no power. We are peaceful people. If attacks continue, our numbers will decline," he said. The US military has accused Jordanian militant Abu Musab al-Zarqawi of masterminding sectarian attacks designed to spark civil war in Iraq. Iraq's 650,000 Christians have always kept a low profile, hoping to avoid the tensions among Sunnis, Shiites and Kurds. Now the mostly Chaldeans, Assyrians and Catholics can wonder only when the next bomb explodes. "They are infidels . . . They have no faith," labourer Kamil Shabo, 40, said of the bombers. "It is a religious sanctuary, how could they attack a religious place?" |
| Posted by:Mark Espinola |
| #3 Told us...didn't they! We "twinkle Toed" around the muslim mosques during our insurgent crackdown, now should they burn or bomb the christian churches,that will give us reason for regrets! |
| Posted by: smn 2004-10-17 10:23:32 PM |
| #2 Ok, there are 650,000 Christians in Iraq. There are 300 MILLION people in the United States, only a small portion of them Muslim. I've got five people in a house designed and built for 3, but I'll take one. Why not? We took in the Vietnamese boat people, didn't we? We've taken in millions of other refugees, some with far more dubious needs. If the Government can get them here, I'm sure there are enough people to offer them the necessities until they can become independent. They will probably be like 99.999% of the immigrants to this nation - an asset to us, and a dead loss to their losing country. Let the Exodus begin. |
| Posted by: Old Patriot 2004-10-17 8:33:01 PM |
| #1 "They are infidels . . . They have no faith," labourer Kamil Shabo, 40, said of the bombers. "It is a religious sanctuary, how could they attack a religious place?" Wait a minute aren't the Christians supposed to be the Infidels. |
| Posted by: Cheaderhead 2004-10-17 2:45:47 PM |