In utter disregard for the Quranic injunction to protect churches (22:40-41), and in contempt of Muhammad’s peaceful message of honoring the property of other faiths, Al-Qaeda (recently) murdered nearly 60 worshippers assembled at Our Lady of Salvation Church in Iraq. As an American belonging to the peaceful Ahmadiyya Muslim community, I unequivocally condemn these heinous acts. For the perpetrators of this brutal crime against humanity I hope for swift justice. For the family and friends of the murdered and injured I pray for peace.
Atif M. Malik, M.D., Gilbert
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Dale Whiting posted at 11:27 am on Sat, Dec 4, 2010.
Dr. Malik,
Thank you for speaking up. I know from first hand experience that Turkish Sunnis are very accommodating of Christianity.
Things are not as simple and as straightforward as Accuracy believes. But as brutal as Saddam was against his majority Shiia citzens and his Kurdish minority citizens, the Bush sponsored 2003 invasion has not solved problems but has created more problems. We now see some of the pursecuted doing the persecuting.
What is your opinion? Can a unified Iraq stand? Or would it be better to divide it into three n early autonomous segments, a Kurdish dominated Northeast, a Shiia/Copitic Christian dominated south and a mixed but mostly Sunni middle and west? After all, the current borders were established by default along the lines of reconquest after the Ottoman Empire fell following WW 1. And when Bush 41 was advised to not envade Iraq by the Saudis, didn't they know what would happen to "peace and unity" if the strong man was deposed?
Accuracy posted at 10:43 am on Sat, Dec 4, 2010.
Iraq Christian Killings: The Islamic State of Iraq, an al-Qaida group, took credit for the massacre at Our Lady of Salvation, a Syrian Catholic church in Baghdad. The attack was the deadliest against Iraq's Christian community where Christians and Muslims have lived side by side for centuries.
With spate of bombings and killings that followed, Islamic militants in Iraq are still keeping their attacks on Christians as they demands the establishment of harsh Islamic law. The Islamic State of Iraq says all Iraqi Christians are targets for jihad.
As a result, many Iraqi Christians are facing the decision of whether to flee with their families or stay and likely face severe persecution.
Since Ruhollah Khomeini came to power in Iran, and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as president, Christians and the religious minorities are feeling increasingly marginalized in Iran and Iraq. Iran is seeking to empty Iraq of its Christians.
No politician, no state and nobody else can protect Christians in Iraq and Iran. Pray, as only God can protect them, stated Father Mukhlis, the priest at Syrian Catholic church in Baghdad.