Roj Bash Kurdistan

Islamic groups in Baghdad: “Get rid of the cross or we will burn your Churches”.
18/04/2007 AsiaNews
In the Dora quarter threats continue to be made against Christians. In the last two months Christian parishes have been forced to give in to extremist pressure, only the Church of Sts Peter and Paul has withstood so far. A fatwa forbids the practice of Christian ritual gestures. The US army occupies Babel College, property of the Chaldean Patriarchate.

Baghdad (AsiaNews): 'Get rid of the cross or we will burn your Churches'. This is the threat aimed at the Chaldean Church of Sts Peter and Paul, located in the ancient Christian quarter of Baghdad, Dora. Local sources say an unknown armed Islamic group is behind the threats which are inseminating terror in the capital. The Arab website Ankawa.com and Aina news agency speak of a campaign of persecution in act in the area. Even Mosul, a Sunni stronghold, the Christian presence is being gravely threatened.

Msgr. Shlemon Warduni, Chaldean auxiliary bishop of Baghdad, tells AsiaNews “in the last 2 months many Churches have been forced to remove their crosses from their domes”. In the case of the Church of St. George, assira, Muslim extremists took the situation into their own hands: they climbed onto the roof and ripped out the cross. In the Chaldean Church of St John, in Dora, which has been without a pastor for months now, the parishioners themselves decided to move the cross to a safer place following repeated threats.

The same threats which have arrived at the Church of Sts Peter and Paul, which has so far however withstood intimidation: the cross hasn’t been removed but the threats continue. “The Iraqi people are tired – says Warduni – we have been suffering for far too long the situation has become unsustainable; we ask God to give us peace. The Christians, just like the Muslims, want to rebuild Iraq, we don’t want to be forced to flee, because this is where we were born, this is where we have lived our lives”.

The Islamic group active in Dora seems to have delivered an ultimatum to the Christian community there: convert to Islam or die; moreover reports say that they have delivered a Fatwa forbidding Christians to wear the cross or make any religious gesture. It also permits the confiscation of goods and properties belonging to the Christian families who find themselves forced to flee their homes for safety at short notice.

Baghdad’s Christian community’s worries have been added to by the US military’s decision to forcibly occupy Babel College, property of the Chaldean Church. The Babel, the only faculty of theology in the country, houses on of the most ancient religious libraries in the region, full of priceless manuscripts. Because of the increased insecurity in the city and continual abductions of religious the faculty had transferred to Ankawa, in Kurdistan January last, leaving the building empty. The US military are now using it as an observation outpost. The building is located at a strategic crossroads: within a Sunni enclave, in front of a Shiite district. Leaders from the local Church are discussing the issue with military representatives. Apparently they have promised to abandon the structure in the coming weeks.

What would make Islam work more better is if it would adopt libertarian principles and I mean in the way that no political party nor government business nor secular group has any dominion over the faith.

Individual muslims are in charge of their own faith. It would probably be the thing that would end all violence from any so called muslim.

It is sad to say but its coming true day after day, Islam is not compatible with modernity and understanding. And day after day radical Islam is taking rout in countries like Iraq. Islamist are now branding every one non-Muslim an infidel and crusader! (which is a green light to be killed). I mean historically it’s wrong, when did the Eastern Christians become crusaders? And crusaders were European who fought few battles and lost, but the problem is the Arab countries still teach their children about this ancient battle as if it happened yesterday.
Unfortunately every one will pay, the Copitc Christians of Egypt will be killed if the islamist get control of Egypt. Lebanon Christians will face the same future and the Armenians and Assyrians already disappeared from turkey too. Future is very dark for humanity in the middle east.

Islam is maybe the most compitable religion with modernity and understanding if you ask me, the problem lies in those who missunderstand the religion and use it as a tool.

Balci wrote:Islam is maybe the most compitable religion with modernity and understanding if you ask me, the problem lies in those who missunderstand the religion and use it as a tool.

Simply having the faith away from individualism is the key problem. Muslims should be muslim on their own individual level of faith that makes them a muslim.

Balci wrote:Islam is maybe the most compitable religion with modernity and understanding if you ask me, the problem lies in those who missunderstand the religion and use it as a tool.

Yes, that’s the problem, you see Islam has so many (war) tools, that it is easy for mad people to use them against humanity at large.
Historically too many battles have been fought under the flag of Islam and that’s in the time of the prophet in middle east and north Africa, and many battles were led by himself, If I remember correct he fought in at least 50 battles. Also including the Beheading of 600 Jews belonging to a tribe which lived in Suadi-Arabia at that time when he was standing and watching which included the beheading of under age children too.

You are speaking of a time when Arabs used to leave their girl-children in the desert to die or behead them - because girls were less worth than boys...

But then came Islam - and murder of infant girls became forbidden...

Do you see how revolutionizing that was for them???


Christianity is built on a lot of battles itself... Read "The Dead Sea Scrolls" (or something like that) - by Michael Baigent and another author...

I agree with Balci - Islam is very easily compatible with modernity and any society you may think of... Because Islam has 5 laws of which 2 is mandatory to be a Muslim (Shahada & Zakat) - and 3 which you may follow by choice (Ramadan, Haj, Prayer) to enhance your faith...

Islam in my daily life is minimal in practice - I may pray maybe once in a while when I have a need for it, and I fast during Ramadan - and give Zakat once a year to the poor... I wish to go to Haj one day - when I'm old perhaps - and I don't eat pork, but other than this, Islam is not evident in much of my life... I live the life of a moderate/traditional faithful Muslim...

My sister and mother - my sister in-laws etc. none of the women in my family, relatives or tribe wear a hijab...

Anyway... Just thought this detailed explanation of my own life would explain to you once and for all: don't just assume there is something "wrong" with Islam...

It's the PEOPLE who ABUSE it, whom bare the mistake and fault... The religion itself - as any other religion, is pure and simple: Love...

I live in Indonesia and sadly radical Islam is destroying this nation. It used to be peaceful with many different religions and peoples, but now it is just becoming a hellhole like a lot of Arab countries. Lots of women wear hijab now and terrorist attacks happen at least once a year. There are radical Muslim groups like the Islamic Defenders Front who attack and rob bars and destroy churches. From 1998 to 2000, 800 churches were burned in this country by Islamic radicals. Then on Christmas day in 2000 over 20 churches were bombed in my city (Jakarta), killing many Christians. Last week Islamic Defenders Front attacked a church, harassed and beat the pastor's wife.

I don't know why this is happening all over the world now. I guess lots of oil money is coming from Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, and UAE to encourage people to become wahabis. All I know is that moderate Muslims must stand up or we the minorities will start to stand up.