Open Doors calls attention to Iraq

(Image courtesy U.S. Army via Wikimedia Commons)

Iraq (MNN) ― Today it seems most of the Middle East is in crisis mode: Lebanon, Syria, Egypt, Iran.

Jerry Dykstra of Open Doors USA adds one more to the list.

"Iraq is not getting much attention, but we need to keep the spotlight there," he states.

A series of bombings in the capital city of Baghdad yesterday killed at least 70 people and wounded far more. It's the latest in a wave of turmoil that's engulfed the nation since 2013 started.

Over 4,000 civilians have been killed and 10,000 wounded since the year began, the BBC states in a recent article. July saw the greatest number of Iraqi causalities since 2008.

"The total number of Iraqis killed during July was 1,057 and 2,326 wounded in acts of terrorism," Dykstra states. "That is a new record, and not obviously good news for the people of Iraq and not good news for Christians who've lived in Iraq."

Rising sectarian violence between Sunni and Shi'ite Muslims is to blame. Sunni militants say they're being ostracized by Iraq's Shi'ite government, which is holding the largest anti-insurgent campaign since 2011.

Conflict in Syria only serves to fan the flames.

The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, Iraq's al-Qaeda branch, has joined rebels in the quest to overthrow Syrian President Assad. In turn, Assad is backed by Hezbollah--one of the region's largest terror organizations, and Iran, both of which are affiliated with Shi'ite Islam.

According to Dykstra, Iraqi Christians are caught between a rock and a hard place.

"That seems to be almost 'par for the course' in the Middle East nowadays," he says, explaining that Christians are "not only victims of the random violence, but they're also specifically targeted by Muslim extremists.

"You have the Sunnis and Shi'ites…and they have their backers. But the Christians have nobody."

Open Doors is combatting the loneliness and anxiety experienced by many Iraqi Christians. Through micro-loans, translation projects, and the distribution of Christian literature and Scripture, they're encouraging and supporting the Persecuted Church in this volatile nation.

Click here to see how you can help.

"The Christians in Iraq are very discouraged and obviously need our support and our prayers," Dykstra states.

One of the biggest needs among Iraqi believers, he adds, is trauma counseling.

"There's a whole generation of kids who are now young adults, who've been brought up in [these] terrible wars and persecution," says Dykstra.

See where Iraq lands on the Open Doors World Watch List.

"There are only about 330,000 Christians left in Iraq," Dykstra says. "10 years ago, over a million Christians.

"We really need to put emphasis on reaching out to them, especially in prayer."

Pray for Open Doors trauma counselors working with children and families affected by persecution. Pray for encouragement and healing for war-weary Christians in Iraq.

Pray "that they get the healing they need, and I'm talking about healing not only physically, but also emotionally and spiritually," requests Dykstra.

Car Bomb in Northern Iraq Injures at least 20 People Outside Church Building

By Michael Ireland
Senior Correspondent, ASSIST News Service

BAGHDAD, IRAQ (ANS) -- A car bomb exploded outside a Catholic church in central Kirkuk, Iraq, early Tuesday, wounding at least 20 people, authorities said.

According to CNN, the attack took place in Kirkuk's Shatterlo neighborhood around 5:30 a.m. (10:30 p.m. Monday ET). The network cited a police official who spoke to CNN on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.

CNN said the wounded included staff from the Holy Family Church and people with homes nearby. The Interior Ministry stated 23 people were injured.

The CNN report said police told the network the explosion damaged the church and a number of nearby houses. Kirkuk is an ethnically-divided city located about 240 kilometers (150 miles) north of Baghdad.

In the past few years, extremists have carried out major attacks against churches. An October 31, 2010 attack on the Sayidat al-Nejat Cathedral, or Our Lady of Salvation Church, left 70 people dead and 75 wounded, including 51 congregants and two priests.

CNN said the Islamic State of Iraq, an umbrella group that includes a number of Sunni Muslim extremist organizations and has ties to al Qaeda in Iraq, claimed responsibility for the Baghdad church siege.

CNN expalined that religious minorities, such as Christians and Yazidis, make up less than 5 percent of Iraq's population, according to the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees. Since 2003, attacks against these minorities by insurgents and religious extremists have driven more than half of the minorities out of the country, according to UNHCR statistics.

Ivana Kvesic, reporting for the Christian Post at www.christianpost.com , said that in a coordinated effort to generate fear among Iraqi Christians, the attack occurred in the ethnically- and religiously-diverse city of Kirkuk outside a Syrian Catholic Church on Tuesday around 6 a.m.

In an online report, The Christian Post said at least 23 people were wounded in the attack, mostly from surrounding homes. The church's parish leader, Imad Yalda, was inside the church during the bombing and was also among the wounded.

Following the attack, two other car bombs were also found outside Kirkuk's Christian Anglican Church and the Mar Gourgis church.

The bombs were defused by security forces prior to their explosion, the website said.

Kirkuk's Deputy Police Chief, Torhan Abdulrahman said of the attack, "It was a coordinated attack to target churches at the same time."

The Rev. Haithem Akram, of one of the targeted churches in today's attacks said, "The terrorists want to make us flee Iraq, but they will fail. We are staying in our country."

According to the Christian Post, Iraqi's Christian minority, formally standing at around 1.4 million, has been significantly downsizing its presence in the country since the ousting of Saddam Hussein in 2003, with close to 1 million having fled to other regions in Iraq or leaving the country to seek refuge.

The website explained that Christians in Iraq are targeted predominately by Sunni extremists who find Christians in the country to be "non-believers." Christian pastors in Iraq have spoken out against Christian persecution in their country arguing for more government support and protection.

Canon Andrew White, who leads the St. George's Anglican Church in Baghdad, has spoken out against the violence, but has also argued that the violence has only served to strengthen Christian unity in the country.

Violence directed at Iraq's Christian minority hit an all-time high last October when 52 people were killed and dozens wounded in an attack on Baghdad's Our Lady of Salvation Catholic Church.

The website said an al-Qaida affiliated group claimed responsibility for the attacks that saw gunmen and suicide bombers storm the church and kill worshipers.

It was the most deadly attack on Christians in Iraq since the 2003 U.S. invasion of the country.

The wesite said that today's attacks come on the same day that a Baghdad court convicted three Iraqis to death for their role in last year's church siege.

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** Michael Ireland is Senior Correspondent for ANS. He is an international British freelance journalist who was formerly a reporter with a London (United Kingdom) newspaper and has been a frequent contributor to UCB UK, a British Christian radio station. While in the UK, Michael traveled to Canada and the United States, Albania,Yugoslavia, Holland, Germany,and Czechoslovakia. He has reported for ANS from Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Israel, Jordan, China,and Russia. Michael's volunteer involvement with ASSIST News Service is a sponsored ministry department -- 'Michael Ireland Media Missionary' (MIMM) -- of A.C.T. International of P.O.Box 1649, Brentwood, TN 37024-1649, at: Artists in Christian Testimony (A.C.T.) International where you can donate online to support his stated mission of 'Truth Through Christian Journalism.' Michael is a member in good standing of the National Writers Union, Society of Professional Journalists, Religion Ne wswriters Association, Evangelical Press Association and International Press Association. If you have a news or feature story idea for Michael, please contact him at: ANS Senior Reporter