Christians in Iraq Living in Fear of 'Pogrom' After Bomb Attacks

The Guardian (UK) ^ | 11/12/10 | Martin Chulov and Enas Ibrahim

[marshmallow]

'It is hard to find a Christian who wants to stay in Iraq,' says senior religious figure as many seek asylum abroad

For the second time in four years, Linda Jalal and her family are on the run inside their own country. On Tuesday afternoon, they abruptly packed their meagre belongings and abandoned their house in east Baghdad.

The family had been fixing the shattered windows from a bomb placed next to their car when dawned – the attack was not random; it was one of many that day targeting Christian families. "I am scared," she said from a relative's lounge. "How could this happen to us again?"

For Jalal and her mother, Iyada Marouky, the past week has been the worst of their lives. Worse than the grim months of 2003 when they fled their first home in the south Baghdad suburb of Dora after armed men came to their doorstep with a warning. Worse, too, than the initial days of anarchy after the ousting of Saddam Hussein. For all his atrocities, the dictator left the Christians well alone.

"We didn't suffer under him," said Jalal. "But now I am terrified to live in this society. We are being slaughtered like sheep. Yet we are civilians and this is our country."

Jalal's house was one of at least a dozen Christian homes attacked on Wednesday morning. Three more were bombed on Tuesday night. The bombings were the first co-ordinated attack on the city's Christians following almost eight years of civil strife. And for what remains of Iraq's Christian communities, it is starting to look like a pogrom.

The attacks came nine days after al-Qaida stormed one of Baghdad's most prominent cathedrals, slaughtering more than 40 worshippers who had just arrived for mass and horrifying a city that is no stranger...........

[Slyfox]

Any word on Bibi from Pakistan the Christian mother of five who is to be hanged for defending her faith?

[marshmallow]

Still under the death sentence, as far as I’ve heard.

[foreshadowed at waco]

These religious zealots are just like the Nazis...paging Rachel Maddow, Chris Matthews, Keith Olberman...man up and report the news!

[foreshadowed at waco]

These religious zealots are just like the Nazis...paging Rachel Maddow, Chris Matthews, Keith Olberman...man up and report the news!

[foreshadowed at waco]

These religious zealots are just like the Nazis...paging Rachel Maddow, Chris Matthews, Keith Olberman...man up and report the news!

[MasterGunner01]

Someone please tell me why we aren’t bringing Christan victims of Muslim intolerance?

Instead we’re bringing in MUSLIMS who want to practice Jihad here and deny immigration of these same Christian victims.

[red irish]

time for us all to start making phone calls so that we can be the voices for these people who are not being heard. Let these Christians who are being ran out of their homes come here!!!!