Christians Persecution And Hate Campaign In Mosul, Iraq

A few hundreds Christians families have fled Mosul in the wake of a string of killings that appear to be singling out Christians, the minority group in the northern Iraqi city and threats by Muslim extremists ordering them to convert to Islam or face possible death.

Many of those Christian families had taken refuge from persecution and hate campaign in other parts of the country. In Mosul, where Christians have lived for some 1,800 years, a number of centuries-old churches still stand. But over half have since left for neighboring towns, or new countries, he said. Islamic extremists have frequently targeted Christians since the U.S. invasion, forcing tens of thousands to flee Iraq. Attacks had tapered off amid a drastic decline in overall violence nationwide, but concerns are rising about the deaths this month.

Louis Sako, the archbishop of the Chaldean Catholic Church in Kirkuk, said Friday that the killings were an example of “a campaign of cleansing, killing and threatening” that Christians faced in Iraq.

Although the motivation for the sudden increase in violence in Mosul is not known, several Iraqi Christian leaders said Friday that it could be tied to the protests and to the demands for an autonomous province.

Khisroo Koran, deputy governor of Nineveh Province said that flyers had appeared on the streets in Mosul threatening Christians and telling them to leave the city. He blamed insurgents and "nationalist extremists" for the killings.

In response to the violence, Iraqi Defense Minister Abdul Qader al-Obaidi visited Mosul on Saturday morning, conducting meetings with local authorities and military commanders.

His spokesman, Mohammed al-Askari, said that in addition to ordering more checkpoints in Christian neighborhoods, al-Obaidi ordered more troops deployed, additional security patrols and an increase in aerial surveillance of Christian areas.

Al-Obaidi also ordered more guards for Christian clerics, al-Askari said.

Related posts:
* Persecution And Hate Campaign In Orissa, India
* NY Times: Violence in Mosul Forces Iraqi Christians to Flee
* CNN: Christians flee Iraqi city after killings, threats, officials say
* International Herald Tribune: Christians fleeing Mosul after targeted killings
* PR Inside: 3,000 Christians flee Mosul 'killing campaign'

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