Italy offers aid to Christians under threat in Iraq

[News_Editor]

Italy offers aid to Christians under threat in Iraq

2011-06-09 08:37:49 GMT+7 (ICT)

BAGHDAD (BNO NEWS) -- Italy said on Wednesday that it will offer aid to Christians under threat in Iraq to help them stay in the country, ANSA news agency reported.

Foreign Minister Franco Frattini said on an official visit to Baghdad after meeting with Christian leaders at the Italian embassy that Christians were fleeing their homeland primarily because they were under threat.

"The situation of Christians in Iraq is unsatisfactory, not only because of their security but their difficulty in being part of the social fabric," Frattini said.

"They are isolated in the workplace, in access to schools and in their search for a home. Because of this I have proposed (Catholic charity) Caritas look at projects where Italian co-operation could help works aimed at the Christian minority, like lodging and schools."

In January, Frattini called for concerted action from the European Union after an exodus of besieged Christians from Iraq and other Middle Eastern countries and the New Year's Eve bombing in the Egyptian city of Alexandria. At least 23 Coptic Christians were killed after a Coptic church was bombed. Ten days later, a gunman killed a Christian man and wounded five others on a train in Egypt

Frattini has condemned attacks on Christians in the Middle East and elsewhere saying violence or threats against religious minorities were unacceptable.

-- © BNO News All rights reserved 2011-06-09

[Steely Dan]

And so it continues, after making the middle east Judenfrei the new whipping boys are the indigenous Christians. In this case I applaud Italy for giving the Iraqi Christians a refuge from persecution as they are the victims of a cultural jihad as oppose to the perpetrators of one.

[Scott]

I lived in Iraq for several years. There were very few problems between the Christian and Muslims at that time.

[Ulysses G.]

First they drove the Jews out and now it seems to be the Christians turn.

[JUDAS]

I lived in Iraq for several years. There were very few problems between the Christian and Muslims at that time.

I'd be interested to know how long ago that was Scott?

[Steely Dan]

I lived in Iraq for several years. There were very few problems between the Christian and Muslims at that time.

It is deeply troubling what is going on in the world Henderson's Clash of civilisations paper seems to be hauntingly accurate. Whether this is due to western policy, or something internal within Islam I can't say, though violence in India, Southern Thailand, Russia and sub-Saharan Africa incline me to believe the latter. There certainly do appear to be many flare-ups of violence at the moment that's for sure.

[Scott]

I'm bad with dates, including years, but it was shortly after the first Gulf War. The No-fly zone was in place but Saddam was still firmly in control of the country--although a bit impotent.

It was an interesting country. It was a Republic and rather liberal, by standards in that part of the world. Alcohol was available. Women were not covered, unless they choose to be and where I lived most were not. People were not particularly religious and fundamentalism was no where to be found.

The Christians lived in their own area. A number of churches, but no special security for them. The young Muslim men who worked for me, liked to go down to the Christian area on Fridays and look at the girls. Christian girls dressed quite conservatively by our standards, but the figures could be seen and dresses were shorter etc.

There was not much interaction between the two groups, but there was very little if any animosity or aggression. In the work environment the Christians and Muslims seemed to get along well.

In the villages there was occasionally problems between the two groups. There were a few Christian villages and occasionally there were fights with the Muslim villages nearby. Usually this was land disputes etc. It didn't seem to be religious.

The divide in the social groups was primarily tribal in nature and not religious. There were Shia and Sunnis, but if a clash broke out the alignment was not by religion, but by tribal and family affiliation.

My experience was mostly with the Kurds in the norther portion of the Country.