War tensions tough on Christians in Iraq / Exodus tilting secular state toward Islam

SF Gate ^ | February 20, 2002 | Hadani Ditmars, Chronicle Foreign Service

[SteamshipTime]

Baghdad, Iraq -- At St. Teresa's Church, a woman kneels to pray. Making the sign of the cross, she offers up silent benedictions as the priest leads a prayer for the peace and prosperity of his congregation, their country and their president, Saddam Hussein.

[conserv13]

Interesting perspective.

It is a shame that Saddam has destroyed that country.

[medusa]

As a matter of fact, Saddam's Iraq had been an outstanding example of religious freedom in the mideast, exerting much energy in keeping the militant muslims in check. One reason why the US supported him during the Iran Iraq war. But this is widely unknown, because the US has tried valiantly to paint this man as an animal. It doesn't square, does it?

[Stavka2]

Saddam, actually, is a communist...he was well trained by the KGB and is fluent in Russian...doesn't make him less of a mass murderer, but considering that every single leader there in the ME is one, including the US allies in Saudi and Kuwait...he's at least liberal as opposed to what the US arabs stand for.

[Tokhtamish]

Its the same situation in Syria.

Baathism, which was created by a Lebanese Christian Michel Aflaq, is aimed at a secular nationalism which will hopefully transcend differences in creed and ethnicity. To bind together Druze, Sunni, Shiite, and Maronite. That means that the natural enemy of Baathism is Islamic fundamentalism and the natural ally in both Syria and Iraq is the Christian tenth of the population.