There are approximately 700,000 to 800,000 Christians in Iraq, and in recent weeks, the violence against this religious community has intensified. Some reports say that "it is the work of Al Qaeda." However, a senior Iraqi Interior Ministry official has said, "there are no indications that Al Qaeda is involved in forcing Christians to flee." The area where the violence has been concentrated is Mosul and Nineveh province. Between 1,000 and 1,500 Christians have fled their homes and at least twelve Christians have been killed since the end of August. Earlier this week, CNN reported that the attacks against Christians may have been caused by "Christian demonstrations ahead of provincial elections, which are to be held by the end of January." The Christian community is hoping to have greater representation on provincial councils. Interestingly, some reports say that the violence is concentrated in areas "where the Kurdish militias exercise almost full control." Some Christian activists are demanding a semiautonomous province governed by Christians. The New York Times has reported that a "panel led by President Jalal Talabani approved the provincial elections law but urged the Parliament to reconsider the issue of representation for minorities." An earlier article by the Times reminds readers that the pre-war Christian population was approximately 1.3 million. Another CNN article reported that "in response to the attacks, Iraqi Defense Minister Abdul Qader al-Obaidi ordered more checkpoints in Christian neighborhoods, additional security patrols, and more aerial surveillance of Christian areas."
On Tuesday, the Secretary General of the Organization of the Islamic Conference condemned the targeting of Christians in northern Iraq and said that the acts were unprecedented crimes in the history of Iraq. He stated, "As we have consistently demanded that the rights of Muslim minorities be respected all over the world, we do emphasize the need to respect the rights of all minorities across the Islamic world out of our firm position at the OIC inspired by the teachings of Islam." As for this religious side – a reverend from a church in Mosul has also said quite strikingly, "We respect the Islamic religion and the Muslim clerics. We don't know under what religious pretexts these terrorists work."
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[...] Most of you have probably heard the reports of Christian-targeted violence in Iraq in recent weeks. Religious minorities face many uphill battles, some higher and harsher than others, in most societies. Just this last week we heard people, though on a very marginal scale, at McCain rallies shouting derogatory Muslim references toward Barack Obama. It is in this light that I came across these two pieces regarding Christianity and its spread in Central Asia: Pope Benedict’s meeting with CA Catholic Bishops and leaders and observations from a group of American Southern Baptists who recently completed a missionary trip to the region. [...]
[...] This map Religions and Ethnicities in Iraq was published yesterday as part of an article titled, “Christians on the Run in Iraq.” It discusses the contradiction of Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s “promise of security for everyone” with the continued persecution of Christians. In July, Maliki assured German Chancellor Angela Merkel that Christians were safe in Iraq, which “led the German government to temporarily halt the process of accepting a refugee contingent of religious minorities.” The rest of the article looks at the life of Iraqi refugees in Germany and the possibility that there will be a new resettlement solution.This blog also discussed the security crisis for Iraqi Christians on October 16. [...]