BAGHDAD, Oct. 11, 2008
Thousands Of Christians Flee Mosul
Families Leave Iraq's 3rd Largest City To Escape What Local Official Calls "A Killing Campaign"
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Photo
Christians in Mosul, Iraq, Sept. 28, 2008, protesting a new provincial elections law they say denies minorities their rights. In recent days there has been an exodus of hundreds of Iraqi Christians fleeing violence in Mosul. (AP Photo)
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Some 3,000 Christians have fled the city over the past week alone in a "major displacement," said Duraid Mohammed Kashmoula, the governor of northern Iraq's Ninevah province. He said most have left for churches, monasteries and the homes of relatives in nearby Christian villages and towns.
"The Christians were subjected to abduction attempts and paid ransom, but now they are subjected to a killing campaign," Kashmoula said, adding he believed "al Qaeda" elements were to blame and called for a renewed drive to root them out.
Political and religious leaders interviewed said the change in tactics may reflect a desire on the part of extremists to forcibly evict all Christians from Iraq's third largest city.
Earlier this week, Chaldean Archbishop Louis Sako said he was worried about what he termed a "campaign of killings and deportations against the Christian citizens in Mosul."
Mosul police have reported finding the bullet-riddled bodies of seven Christians in separate attacks so far this month, the latest a day laborer found on Wednesday. On Saturday, militants blew up three abandoned Christian homes in eastern Mosul, police said.
Father Bolis Jacob of Mosul's Mar Afram Church said he was at a loss to understand the violence. "We respect the Islamic religion and the Muslim clerics," he said. "We don't know under what religion's pretexts these terrorists work."
The violence in Mosul occurs despite U.S.-Iraqi operations launched over the summer aimed at routing al Qaeda in Iraq and other insurgents from remaining strongholds north of the capital.
The killings come as Christian leaders are lobbying parliament to pass a law setting aside a number of seats for minorities, such as Christians, in upcoming provincial elections, fearing they could be further marginalized in the predominantly Muslim country.
Iraq's Christian community has been estimated at 3 percent of Iraq's 26 million people, or about 800,000, and has a significant presence in the northern Ninevah province.
In Mosul, where Christians have lived for some 1,800 years, a number of centuries-old churches still stand.
Joseph Jacob, a professor at Mosul University, said there were nearly 20,000 Christians in the city before the 2003 U.S. invasion. But over half have since left for neighboring towns, or new countries, he said.
Islamic extremists have frequently targeted Christians since the invasion, forcing tens of thousands to flee Iraq. Attacks had tapered off amid a drastic decline in overall violence nationwide, but that appears to be changing with the deaths this month.
On Saturday, Bashir Azoz, a 45-year-old carpenter, said he was forced to flee his home in the city's eastern Noor area after gunmen warned a neighbor the day before to leave or face death.
"Where is the government and its security forces as these crimes take place every day?" asked Azoz, who is now staying with his wife and three children in a monastery in the Christian-majority town of Qarqoush, east of Mosul.
Separately on Saturday, a U.S. soldier died when a bomb exploded near his vehicle outside Amarah, southeast of Baghdad. The U.S. military said it was withholding soldier's name until it notified next of kin.
By Associated Press Writer Bradley S. Klapper
© MMVIII The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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Is it working yet?
EXCELLENT! give em what they gave everyone else long ago in their ghastly "crusades"
Is it working yet?
Posted by cyberDJs4 at 04:57 PM : Oct 11, 2008
Faith is not just for when the times are good. True faith is most often recognized when times are harsh and beliefs are tested.
that one day the christian''''s will become
HUMAN BEING''''s
Posted by PythonCharly at 06:56 PM : Oct 11, 2008
Who are you praying to,and whats your definition of a human being?
Are you as stupid as your postings?
Posted by andrew_693 at 07:30 PM : Oct 11, 2008
Actually, its the extermination of Islamic fundamentalists that the GOP calls progress.
Gee, could it be because their Quran specifically SAYS THIS:
Sura (5:51) - "O you who believe! do not take the Jews and the Christians for friends; they are friends of each other; and whoever amongst you takes them for a friend, then surely he is one of them; surely Allah does not guide the unjust people."
EXCELLENT! give em what they gave everyone else long ago in their ghastly "crusades"
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Posted by newster1 at 06:14 PM : Oct 11, 2008
So how''s Lucifer these days newster? You 2 go a long way back. How are things down under?
Posted by guadalcanal3 at 07:23 PM : Oct 11, 2008
Al Qaeda did not exist under Saddam. It was after Bush started his Choice Conflict that al Qaeda showed up. Even Boosh acknowledges that fact...
Posted by StopSocialis at 07:49 PM : Oct 11, 2008
Roman Catholics are not Christians ??
Sura (3:151) - "Soon shall We cast terror into the hearts of the Unbelievers, for that they joined companions with Allah, for which He had sent no authority". This speaks directly of killing Christians, since they believe in the Trinity (ie. what Muhammad incorrectly believed to be ''joining companions to Allah'').
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Posted by IOWEIGN at 07:51 PM : Oct 11, 2008
No they are Roman Catholics. Not worth explaining to you. But if you can find me a spot in the Bible where it says to worship and pray to Mary, where it says to sprinkle babies, where it says there''s a "purgatory", and where it says anything about "Popes", then you may have a case to say Catholicism equals Christianity. But if you can''t, then it''s not worth it...
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Matt 27.25: ''In reply all the [Jewish] people said, ''Let his blood be on us and on our children!'' ''
-Again, if you can find a spot in the Bible, not "wikipedia" that claims that Catholicism = Christianity, then you may have a case.
Wikipedia was founded by an atheist. Atheists have no understanding of the difference between being a Christian and a Catholic. Even when they are shown the difference, their arrogant pride disallows them from admitting they are wrong, kind of like you.
Now if you would, can you find me a spot in the Bible in which purgatory is spoken of, praying to and worshipping Mary, Popes,and sprinkling babies?
Can you find that for me. If you can you have a case, if you can''t, your case is lost.
So what do you have to say about these wicked Muslims killing Christians in Iraq just because they are Christians?
not a peep about the article huh?
Posted by ubrew12 at 07:56 PM : Oct 11, 2008
Nowhere does this say anything about striking terror into the hearts of unbelievers and killing. So guess what psycho. Your comparsions of the True Word of God (the Bible) to the wicked, demented Quran aren''t going to fly.
You''re either an atheist, or a Muslim. The 2 of you think the same. THis is no coincidence since both of your gods are inventions of satan himself.
Matthew 5:44
But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,
Muhammed:
Sura (3:151) - "Soon shall We cast terror into the hearts of the Unbelievers, for that they joined companions with Allah, for which He had sent no authority".
Nuff said.
Blah, blah, blah. The passage I posted is relevant since it was used to justify the extermination of Jews by Christians throughout history. Actions speak louder than words. You''ll find plenty in the Bible to justify horror, but those who perform horror in Gods name celebrate neither God nor man.
Likewise the Koran...
1 Thess 2.14-15: ''the Jews, who killed both the Lord Jesus and the prophets and persecuted us severely. [Jews] are displeasing to God and are opposed to all people%u2026''
Do Muslim countries in the Middle East have the freedoms and liberties that we have in America? Yes or NO? Do they have freedom of religion over there like we do? NO. USE YOUR BRAIN.
Jesus:
Matthew 5:44
But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,
Muhammed:
Sura (3:151) - "Soon shall We cast terror into the hearts of the Unbelievers, for that they joined companions with Allah, for which He had sent no authority".
Who would you rather follow?
Posted by ubrew12 at 08:03 PM : Oct 11, 2008
Why don''t you read the rest of the Scripture instead of picking and choosing. It''s TALKING ABOUT THE PHARISEES, the ONES WHO REJECTED CHRIST.
But NOT ALL JEWS rejected Christ. So your trickery of picking and choosing the Scripture is EASILY refuted. You don''t even want to go there, because you''ll lose EVERY TIME.
The very first Christians were ALL JEWS. Jesus CHRIST was A JEW when He was here on earth, in fact He proclaimed Himself to be the King of the Jews.
So since you want to play the picking and choosing Scripture game, try this one on for size:
Romans 1:16
I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile.
Likewise the Koran...
Posted by ubrew12 at 08:02 PM : Oct 11, 2008
You apparently have NEVER read the New Testament and don''t know who Jesus Christ indeed is.
Look whose talking.
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Posted by ubrew12 at 08:11 PM : Oct 11, 2008
Your argument has already been lost. I showed you the Scripture to refute your silly picking and choosing, and you cannot admit it. Typical tactic.
Again, what faith is dominant in this country? Do Muslim countries have as much freedom and liberty as we do?
Do Muslim countries in the Middle East have the freedoms and liberties that we have in America? Yes or NO? Do they have freedom of religion over there like we do? NO. USE YOUR BRAIN.
Jesus:
Matthew 5:44
But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,
Muhammed:
Sura (3:151) - "Soon shall We cast terror into the hearts of the Unbelievers, for that they joined companions with Allah, for which He had sent no authority".
Who would you rather follow?
Find a verse in the Quran where Muhammed says "love your enemies" and "pray for those who persecute you", would ya?
-We know each other. You know who I am. God bless you my friend. Keep up the fight. The Spiritual fight for Truth, John 14:6
Despite his message I daresay his followers have done more mischief to their fellow man in his name than the followers of Allah. We are judged by our actions, not our words.
Significant to the founding of this country, in the 17th century German Protestants started hacking away at German Catholics and by the time the smoke cleared a third of the German population was dead. Drawing from that experience, the American founders wanted to put a healthy distance between the nations business and ANY religion, Christian or otherwise. If we are better than the Islamic countries, is to the degree that we divorce ourselves from ANY religious influence in the conduct of our nation, and yes, that goes for Christianity as well as any other religion.
Still waiting on you to provide a verse from the Quran that tells you to love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.
I''ll keep waiting....
You''ve already lost your other argument, and you aren''t going to twist and article about maniac Muslims killing Christians into a tyrade of your deceiptful hatred towards Christians and Jews.
So I''ll ask you again:
Find me one verse that your "prophet" Muhammed wrote in the Quran that tells you to love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.
just one.
I''ll keep waiting...
"It cannot be emphasized too strongly or too often that this great nation was founded, not by religionists but by Christians, not on religions, but on the gospel of Jesus Christ." - Patrick Henry
"It is impossible to rightly govern the world without God and the Bible"
-George Washington
Again ubrew, I''m still waiting on you to provide a verse from your Quran that tells you to love one another and pray for those who persecute you, and pray for your enemies.
Still waiting....
Christians in Spain, during the Spanish Inquisition, twisted Jesus'' words into justifying the torture of ''nonbelievers''. I suppose his words are of some comfort to the Americans holding prisoners in Guantanamo and Abu Graib: for myself I don''t find what they DO there comforting at all.
Do you think the Muslim radicals that are killing Christians in Mosul and terrifying them are justified in doing so, or will you admit that this is pure evil being conducted by them?
Do you think it''s evil what these Muslims are doing to these Christians simply because they aren''t Muslims?
Posted by StopSocialis at 08:15 PM : Oct 11, 2008
Yes I know who you are, always glad to see you on these boards standing for the truth.God bless you also.
You had not problem capatilizing "Allah", a pagan crescent moon god, so don''t give me that garbage.
So I''ll wait again, for you to provide one verse from the Quran that states Muslims are to love their enemies and pray for those who persecute them.
Just one. Use that modern technology there pal. You had no problem doing it bringing up a Bible verse now did ya buddy.
No tricks, no gimmicks, just go find me that verse....
I''m patiently waiting...
What I think is that this wouldn''t have happened under Saddam Hussein. Where''s a good dictator when you need one??
Every one of your arguments is easily debunked.
So again ubrew, instead of trying to change the subject, be a man and give an honest answer:
Do you think the Muslim radicals that are killing Christians in Mosul and terrifying them are justified in doing so, or will you admit that this is pure evil being conducted by them?
Do you think it''''s evil what these Muslims are doing to these Christians simply because they aren''''t Muslims?
Posted by ubrew12 at 08:27 PM : Oct 11, 2008
Changing the subject again. So are you now going to claim that Saddam Hussein didn''t kill thousands of innocent kurds and thousands of people who disagreed with his dictatorship?
What book was he carrying to his execution and did he carry in his possession during his whole trial? Why don''t you tell us, would you?
Do you think it''s evil what these Muslims are doing to these Christians simply because they aren''t Muslims?
YES OR NO?
Still waiting. You had no problem bringing up a Bible verse, so let''s see one from the Quran that tells Muslims to love their enemies.
Just one