Solid Journalism about Iraqi Christian Plight

Here is an article in the New York Times about the plight of Iraqi Christians, titled, “Iraq’s Christians Flee as Extremist Threat Worsens,” written by Wisam H. Habeeb and Khalid al-Ansary in Mosul, Iraq.

It is a well-written and compelling story about how Iraqi Christians are suffering attacks because of ill-fated comments of Pop Benedict’s XVI’s regarding Muslim extremism.

Habeeb and al-Ansary write:

…
“After the pope’s statement, people began to fear much more than before,” said the Rev. Zayya Edward Khossaba, the pastor of the Church of the Virgin Mary. “The actions by fanatics have increased against Christians.”

Christianity took root here near the dawn of the faith 2,000 years ago, making Iraq home to one of the world’s oldest Christian communities. The country is rich in biblical significance: scholars believe the Garden of Eden described in Genesis was in Iraq; Abraham came from Ur of the Chaldees, a city in Iraq; the city of Nineveh that the prophet Jonah visited after being spit out by a giant fish was in Iraq.

Both Chaldean Catholics and Assyrian Christians, the country’s largest Christian sects, still pray in Aramaic, the language of Jesus.
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Although it lacks an identifiable quotation of scripture to qualify for the Amy Writing Awards, the piece shares the significance, faith, and struggle of Christians in Iraq and makes the larger world aware of the suffering of Iraqi’s religious minority, a fact we see overlooked and rarely considered in public discourse.

Great job, Wisam and Khalid.

Submitted by,
Bruce Umpstead