Seven Churches Bombed in Iraq

As Orthodox Christians were beginning to celebrate their New Year's Eve service, seven churches were bombed. This took place although Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki had vowed to protect and support Iraq’s Christian community back in October.

Some Christians are unwilling to let these bombers ruin their worship services. They refuse to stop worshipping in their churches because they feel they will wipe them anyway, if that is what they want. One man said he had rather die proud.

Christians in Iraq, composed mostly of Chaldeans, accounts for less than three percent of the country’s population. Today there are about 600,000 Iraqi Christians – down from 1.2 million before the 2003 U.S.-led offensive.

Many Christians in Iraq and abroad, as well as religious freedom advocates, have expressed concern of the extinction of Christians in Iraq – either through death or forced emigration – if more is not done to protect the powerless minority group.

Linked at Conservative Cat

Technorati Tags: Iraq, Christians, Chaldeans, Minority