Compass Direct News (CDN)


'First widespread violence against Christians in once-safe Kurdish region.


ISTANBUL, December 6 (CDN) — Attacks against Christian Assyrian businesses in northern Iraq over the weekend, which local sources said were organized by a pro-Islamic political party, marked the first such destruction of Christian establishments in the Kurdish region.

The rampage threatens the frail security of Iraq’s dwindling Christian population, sources said.

After mullah Mala Ismail Osman Sindi’s sermon claiming there was moral corruption in massage parlors in the northern town of Zakho on Friday (Dec. 2), a group of young men attacked and burned shops in the town, most of them Christian-owned. The businesses included liquor stores, hotels, a beauty salon and a massage parlor, according to Ankawa News.


… … … …. … … … …. … … … ….


Thousands of Christians had fled to the Kurdish region since the U.S.-led military intervention in Iraq in 2003.


… … … …. … … … …. … … … ….


The motives of the mobs in Zakho were not purely religious, according to General Secretary of the Chaldo-Assyrian Student and Youth Union Kaldo Oghanna. Some of the young men may have attacked the mostly Christian establishments out of religious motives, but Oghanna said many of them joined the attacks only out of frustration toward the government. Others probably joined for personal benefit, as some members of the mob stole money and even liquor from the shops they destroyed, he said.

Most importantly, however, the attacks reflect the attitude of intolerance and discrimination that threaten the stability, safety and democratic process of the Kurdish region, Oghanna said. '

Full article: http://www.compassdirect.org/english...le_124228.html


[Original source: Barnabus Fund on Twitter]


Please pray for the strengthening our brother and sisters in northern Iraq in the face of persecution, and for the resources they need to rebuild their businesses.


Thank you,