Escalating Violence in Iraq Threatens Christian Population
09 October 2009
In the northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk, a Chaldean Christian man's body was found in a field outside of the city in early October. His family identified him as a local health worker who had been kidnapped a few days earlier. When his family told his kidnappers they could not pay the ransom, they killed him. This kidnapping and murder is the latest incident in a wave of violence in the area. The Kirkuk archbishop of the Chaldean Christian church said he believes these occurrences to be "religious driven terrorism." He believes that the gangs involved in these kidnappings are Islamic militants focused on frightening Christians into leaving the area. He has been trying to get the government and local officials to protect the Christian community, but says that the police have never caught or accused anyone of violence.
Christians began leaving the area in 1991 during the Gulf War. Over the past few weeks, at least 10 families have moved away. Kirkuk is located in the center of Iraq's northern oil-rich province in the Kirkuk Governorate. This area is inhabited by Kurds, Arabs and Turkomen struggling over political and cultural control of the area. The violence became so severe last year that the federal government prevented them from voting in the January 2009 provincial election.
Please pray for Christian families in and around Kirkuk. Pray for the Church leadership in the area, that they will have wisdom about how to lead their congregations and interact with the political situation there. Pray for peace among the different religious groups in Iraq, and pray that the rule of law and freedom of belief would be upheld for all Iraqi citizens.
Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091005/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_iraq_uneasy_christians_2
Last updated 09 October 2009