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Father Pius Affas (60) and Father Mzen Ishoa (35), two priests who were kidnapped by unidentified assailants in the city of Mosul on October 13 (click here for more details), were released on the morning of October 22. Both are reportedly in good health.
For more information on the persecution of Christians in Iraq, go to the Iraq Country Report.
VOMC is partnering to teach and equip persecuted Christian women sewing skills so that they can provide a sustainable source of income for their families and give them the opportunity to be witnesses for Christ through their new businesses. VOMC partners to provide biblical training on discipleship and the theology of persecution to Muslim Background Believers.
Project Funds: Women’s Ministry, Equipping the Saints, Underground Church
Population
41,266,109 (2023 est.)
Ethnicity (%)
Arab (75-80), Kurdish (15-20), other (5)
Religion (%)
Islam (95-98), Christianity (1), other (1-4)
Leader
President Latif Rashid (2022)
Government type
Federal parliamentary republic
Legal system
Mixed legal system of civil and Islamic law
Source: CIA World Factbook
Pray for the protection of the remaining believers in Iraq during this time of upheaval and danger. May many churches and Christian relief organizations seize the opportunity to provide greatly needed assistance and ministry to the numerous suffering people of this war-torn nation. As God’s work of healing, provision and restoration takes place, pray that a stable democratic government will be established.
A Christian woman is presently facing a difficult ruling after being ordered by an Iraqi court to convert to Islam. The decision is based on the 1959 Personal Status Law, which mandates that children must adopt Islam if one of their parents converts to the Muslim faith.
Bahzad Mziri, the bishop of an Anabaptist church in the Kurdistan city of Duhok, is facing threats of blasphemy charges after social media comments were published. Considered by some Iraqi Facebook recipients to be offensive to Islam, the post comparing Jesus to the Islamic prophet Mohammed was made in response to insulting statements published online earlier by a Muslim leader. The post on the bishop's Facebook account was reposted on February 16th by Muslims intent on inciting anger.
A recent report from the American Foundation for Relief and Reconciliation in the Middle East highlights the desperate circumstances facing many Iraqi Christians – both those residing in their country as well as those living as refugees. Over the past two decades, 80 percent of the nation's Christians, which amounts to over one million people, have left the country and chosen not to return.
On January 20th, four humanitarian aid workers from the French organization, SOS Chretiens d'Orient, went missing while in Baghdad. Details were limited, providing no information on those responsible nor the reasons behind the disappearance. For a previously posted report on this situation, go to this report.
