Tags

Iraq

• Peace Activists' Kidnappers Give ''Last Chance''

  I In November 2005, four Christian peace activists were kidnapped by a previously unknown militant group in Iraq.  The group, "Swords of Righteousness Brigade," demanded the release of all Iraqi prisoners or the four would be killed (click here for more details).

  Late last week, Al-Jazeera broadcast a tape dated January 21, showing the four prisoners and warning that this was the "last chance" to comply with their demands or the hostages will be killed.  No deadline was given. Families and friends are relieved to see their loved ones still alive but the situation remains delicate.

• Four Christian Peace Activists Kidnapped

  Tom Fox	Norman Kember
  James Loney	Harmeet Singh Sooden
  Pictures from Christian Peacemaker Teams

  A previously unknown group, calling themselves the "Swords of Righteousness Brigade" has kidnapped four Christian peace activists in Baghdad.  The four were members of Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT), an organization dedicated to offering "an organized, nonviolent alternative to war and other forms of lethal inter-group conflict."  A video of the captives was broadcast on Al-Jazeera television on November 29 where they were accused of being spies.  Those kidnapped are two Canadians, Jim Loney (41) and Harmeet Singh Sooden (32), a Briton, Norman Kember (74) and an American, Tim Fox (54).

  Pray that the men will be allowed to safely return home. Pray for their protection while they are in captivity. Pray also that they will clearly display the love of Christ to their captors.

  For more information on persecution of Christians in Iraq,click here.
  (Source: Christian Peacemaker Teams)

• Christians Facing Increasing Violence as Elections Approach

  KDP President Masoud Barzani

  As the January 30 elections in Iraq approach, violence appears to be on the rise.  Christians have increasingly been the focus of the attacks from various factions fighting for power in Iraq.  A January 17 report by the Assyrian International News Agency detailed violence facing Assyrians in northern Iraq from Kurdish paramilitaries tied to Kurdish warlord Masoud Barzani's Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP).  This included attacks during church worship services, beatings of Assyrian Christians and threats of violence. According to the report, the KDP is becoming increasingly bold in their attacks.

  Arch-bishop Basile Georges Casmoussa

  In recent months, the Persecution and Prayer Alert has reported on various incidents of violence against churches, particularly in the Mosul area of northern Iraq.  On January 17, the Assyrian arch-bishop, Basile Georges Casmoussa, was kidnapped in Mosul.  Thankfully he was released unharmed less than a day later.  While the Vatican officially does not consider this act as "anti-Christian," Christians in Iraq have faced continued threats.  It is believed that as many as 60,000 Christians have fled Iraq for Jordan, Syria and Lebanon.

  Pray for peace in Iraq and the establishment of a government willing to accept the religious freedoms of all people.  Pray that the authorities will be able to bring the violence plaguing the country under control.

  For more information on the persecution of Christians in Iraq, go toclick here.

• Church Buildings Damaged by Explosions

  Al-Tahira Chaldean Church, believed to have been originally built in the seventh century, was the target of a bomb attack in Mosul, Iraq

  Buildings belonging to two churches in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul suffered extensive damage from explosions on November 7.  The churches attacked were an Armenian church and one of the oldest Chaldean churches in the city.  Exact details are confused at the present time as to the extent of the damage and the number of injuries.  Middle Eastern Concern reported this morning that, in both incidents, armed men entered the property and forced everyone out before placing and detonating explosives.  The attackers have not yet been identified.

  Pray for Christians in Iraq facing danger from militant Islamic groups because of their faith in Christ.  Pray also for peaceful elections in Iraq and that law and order will soon be achieved throughout the country.

  VOM's sister mission in the UK , Release International, has released a video report on Iraq .  This seven-minute report is now available in the video section of VOM's multimedia website, PersecutionTV.  Registration is required, but membership is free.

  For more information on persecution of Christians in Iraq ,click here.

• Church Bombings Kill Three

  Picture from aljazeera.net

  At least three people are reported dead and forty injured after coordinated car bombs detonated outside two Iraqi churches.  Around 6:30 p.m. on November 8, a car bomb exploded outside St. George's Catholic Church in southern Baghdad .  Minutes later, another car bomb damaged St. Matthew's Church.  There were no services at the churches at the time, and the casualties are reported to be residents of nearby houses.  The attack is seen as a terrorist attack aimed at Iraq 's Christian community.  Five churches were also attacked on October 16. There were no deaths in those attacks (click here for details).

  Continue to pray for Christians in Iraq , as they face violence from militant groups in Iraq .  Pray for the message of Christ's peace to spread throughout the country.

  Release International, VOM's sister mission in the United Kingdom, has released a seven-minute video news report from Iraq, which is available in the video section of our multimedia website, https://www.vomcanada.com/. 

  For more information on persecution facing Christians in Iraq ,click here.

• Churches Bombed But No Injuries

  Iraqis assess damage after church bombing.   Photo from Assist News

  In the early morning of Saturday, October 16, homemade bombs exploded in five separate churches in Baghdad. Because of the early hour, there were no injuries, but the coordinated attack was clearly aimed at intimidating Iraq's Christian community.

  All five buildings suffered exterior damage, some extensive. The churches attacked were St. Joseph Church in the Nafaq Al-Shurta area, St. Jacob's Church and St. George's Church in the Doura neighborhood, the Church of Rome in the Karrada neighborhood and St.Thomas Church in the Mansour area.

  This is only the latest attack on Iraqi Christians, who have been fleeing the country in increasing numbers. Some report that 45,000 Christians have left Iraq in the past few months.

  Praise God that no one was injured in the blasts. Pray for emotional strength for Iraqi Christians facing intimidation and threats from militant Islamic groups. Pray for rebuilding efforts in Iraq, that peace and stability will come to this devastated nation.

  For more information on persecution facing Christians in Iraq,click here.

• Family Claims Canadian Killed For His Faith

  Munir Toma

  Two Canadians were chased down last week, beaten and shot in Baghdad because of their Christian faith, according to family members in Iraq and Canada. Official accounts initially believed the deaths of Canadians Andrew Shmakov and Munir Toma were the results of a car bombing on September 14 which killed forty-seven people. However, relatives of Toma in Baghdad gave quite a different account, saying that Toma had been shot seventeen times. It has been reported that Toma's wife, Baydah, and six-year-old daughter Rita are in hiding in Iraq, fearing for their lives.

  Toma and Shmakov had established a construction company as part of the reconstruction of Iraq. According to family members in Iraq, as they left their office, gunmen attacked them. They escaped in their car, but four other cars followed, ambushed them and killed them.

  While violence is a part of life in Iraq in recent months, Christians have frequently been targeted by militant Muslims because of their faith. Pray for peace of mind and spirit for Christians throughout Iraq during this time of upheaval. Pray also for safety of Baydah and Rita. Pray for the Toma family as they mourn their loss.

  For more information on troubles facing the Iraqi Church,click here.

• Church Compound Faces a Mortar Attack

  According to an August 9 report from BosNewsLife, an Assyrian Christian compound in Baghdad came under mortar attack on August 9, continuing the violence which exploded on August 1 when at least eleven people were killed in a coordinated attack on five churches. The compound houses a clinic, a women's centre and a computer centre, providing humanitarian relief, and serving as the nerve centre for Iraq's Assyrian Christians. At last report, there was no word of casualties.

  In response to these and other attacks, since the fall of Saddam Hussein's regime, it is reported that hundreds of Christians are fleeing to neighbouring countries. The Daily Telegraph quoted Father Faris Toma, pastor of one of the churches destroyed on August 1, saying, "We cannot understand why or how they could do something like this. All we can do is ask God to give them forgiveness and grant us peace."

  Assyrian Christians have been brutally persecuted for many years in Iraq. Since the fall of Hussein, reports of the persecution they faced in northern Iraq by both government forces and the Kurdistan Regional Government have come to light. Click here for a link to a report from Assyrian Christian News.

  Join with the Iraqi Christians in praying for inner peace in the midst of these challenges. Pray that those responsible for the attacks will see the grace of God demonstrated in the lives of Iraqi Christians and that they will come to faith in Christ.

  For more information on persecution facing Christians in Iraq,click here.

• At Least Eleven Killed in Coordinated Church Bombings

  Motives are unknown and many details are still sketchy in a coordinated attack on Iraqi Christians during evening services on August 1. At least five churches were attacked in Baghdad and Mosul. News agencies are reporting at least eleven people killed and dozens injured.

  The first blast occurred outside an Armenian church in Baghdad as evening services were beginning. Stained glass windows were blown out as a car bomb exploded. Another bomb exploded minutes later outside a Syrian Catholic church about four hundred metres away, followed shortly by explosions at two other churches in the Iraqi capital. The most deadly attack was against a Chaldean church in the southern Baghdad neighbourhood of Doura where at least eight people are reported killed.

  In the northern city of Mosul, a Catholic church was also attacked just as people were leaving the church. Again, a car bomb was used, but there are reports that rocket-powered hand grenades were also fired at the building.

  Violent attacks have been common in Iraq since the occupation by the US-led coalition, but few of the attacks have been specifically targeted at Iraq's Christian community, described by an interior ministry spokesman as one of Iraq's most respected groups. A month ago, one Christian was injured when a grenade was thrown at a church in Mosul (click here for more details). There have also been isolated attacks against shops and Christian individuals.

  Please pray for those injured and the families of those killed. Pray that these types of attacks will not escalate in Iraq. Pray for Iraqi Christians, that they will experience peace in the midst of this terrible storm. Pray that Iraq will soon find the peace for which the majority of people are longing.

  For more information on persecution facing Christians in Iraq,click here.

• Grenade Thrown at Church Injuring One

  A Catholic church in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul is in shock after a grenade was thrown at a church, injuring one person. According to Aid to the Church in Need, two individuals threw the grenade from their car at the Holy Spirit Chaldean Catholic Church on the morning of June 26. The sister of Father Ragheed, the parish priest, has been taken to hospital with unknown injuries.

  According to Catholic leaders in Iraq, attacks against Christians have been increasing recently. About a dozen Iraqi Christians have been killed in the past year by the "Al-Wahabe" militant movement. The Al-Wahabe movement held significant power in the former Iraqi government and has been causing problems for Christians for years. There is hope that the violence may decrease as Iraq's new administration takes control, but this is by no means a certainty.

  Pray for healing for the injured woman. Pray that Iraq's new administration will be able to restore order and will allow freedom of religion for all people in Iraq.

  For more information on the persecution of Christians in Iraq,click here.