Perilous
Times
Iraqi churches cancel Christmas festivities
By YAHYA BARZANJI and SAMEER N. YACOUB
The Associated Press
Wednesday, December 22, 2010; 11:40 AM
KIRKUK, Iraq -- Iraqi Christians on Wednesday called off Christmas
festivities across the country as al-Qaida insurgents threatened
more attacks on a beleaguered community still terrified from a
bloody siege at a Baghdad church two months earlier.
A council representing Christian denominations across Iraq advised
its followers to cancel public Christmas celebrations out of
concern over new terror attacks and as a show of mourning for the
victims of the church siege and other violence.
Church officials in the northern cities of Kirkuk and Mosul, the
southern city of Basra and in the capital confirmed they will not
put up Christmas decorations or hold evening Mass and have urged
worshippers to refrain from decorating their homes. Even an
appearance by Santa Claus was called off.
"Nobody can ignore the threats of al-Qaida against Iraqi
Christians," said Chaldean Archbishop Louis Sako in Kirkuk. "We
cannot find a single source of joy that makes us celebrate. The
situation of the Christians is bleak."
Christians across Iraq have been living in fear since a Baghdad
church attack in October that left 68 people dead. Days later
insurgents targeted Christian homes and neighborhoods across the
capital with a series of bombs.
An al-Qaida front group that claimed responsibility for the church
siege vowed at the time to carry out a reign of terror against
Christians.
The Islamic State of Iraq renewed its threats in a message posted
late Tuesday on a website frequented by Islamic extremists. The
group said it wants the release of two women it claims are being
held captive by Egypt's Coptic Church.
Muslim extremists in Egypt say the church has detained the women
for allegedly converting to Islam. The church denies the
allegations but extremists in Iraq have latched onto the issue.
The message Tuesday was addressed to Iraq's Christian community
and said it was designed to "pressure" Egypt.
Sunni Muslim extremists that make up groups like al-Qaida perceive
Christians to be nonbelievers aligned with Western countries such
as the U.S.
Few reliable statistics exist on the number of Christians in this
nation of 29 million. A recent State Department report says
Christian leaders estimate 400,000 to 600,000 remain, down from a
prewar level as high as 1.4 million by some estimates.
Since the deadly church siege, the U.N. estimates some 1,000
Christian families have fled to the Kurdish region in northern
Iraq which is generally much safer.
For those who remain, this Christmas will be a somber affair.
In the northern city of Kirkuk, 180 miles (290 kilometers) north
of Baghdad, Sako said church officials will not put up Christmas
decorations outside the church and urged worshippers to refrain
from decorating their homes.
A traditional Santa Claus appearance outside one of the city's
churches has also been called off, he said. Money usually used on
celebrations or gifts will instead go to help Christian refugees,
he said.
Ashour Binyamin, a 55-year-old Christian from Kirkuk said he and
his family would not go to church on Christmas but instead would
celebrate at home.
At Baghdad's Our Lady of Salvation church where more than 120
parishioners were held hostage by gunmen on Oct. 31, there will be
no Christmas tree and Mass on both Christmas Eve and Christmas day
has been canceled. Only a modest manger display representing the
birth of Jesus Christ will mark the occasion.
"We have canceled all celebrations in the church," said Father
Mukhlis. "We are still in deep sorrow over the innocent victims
who fell during the evil attack."
In the Karradah neighborhood, where many of the city's remaining
Christians live, a number of churches were guarded by security
forces Wednesday and surrounded by razor wire. Shop owners in the
neighborhood said few people were buying the Christmas trees and
Santa Claus toys on sale.
One Christian woman vowed to go to church on Christmas Day,
despite what she described as the failure of the government to
protect her small minority. But she would not be visiting any
friends during the holiday season because all of them have already
fled the city.
"We did not put any decorations inside or outside our house this
year," said Ikhlas Bahnam. "We see no reason to celebrate."
In Mosul, 225 miles (360 kilometers) northwest of Baghdad, Syrian
Orthodox priest Faiz Wadee said there will be no public Christmas
celebrations either.
Christians in Iraq's second-largest city of Basra, 340 miles (550
kilometers) southeast of Baghdad decided to cancel all
celebrations as well. Saad Matti, a Christian legislator on the
Basra provincial council, said the decision was made out of
respect for the victims of the church siege and because of the
al-Qaida threats.
"There will be only a small Mass in one church in Basra without
any signs of joy or decoration and under the protection of Iraqi
security forces," he said. "We are fully aware of al-Qaida
threats."
Matti said Christians would also tone down their celebrations out
of respect for a Shiite holiday going on at the same time. The
majority of Iraqis are Shiite Muslims, especially in the south.
Even among Iraqi Christians who've managed to escape the violence
here, the mood was subdued.
Maher Murqous, an Iraqi Christian from Mosul who fled to
neighboring Syria after being threatened by militants, said his
relatives are still at risk in Iraq. Since they cannot celebrate,
neither will he.
"We will pray for the sake of Iraq. That's all we can do," he
said.
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Yacoub reported from Amman, Jordan; Associated Press writers Sinan
Salaheddin and Rebecca Santana in Baghdad and Albert Aji in
Damascus, Syria contributed to this report.