Topic
Iraq
The land between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, considered by many scholars to be the site of the Garden of Eden, forms the central passage of modern Iraq. Dominated by imperialism until its independence in 1932, the West Asian nation became known in the latter half of the 20th century for bloody ethnic clashes between its Sunni and Shiite Muslims. While a small number of Christians have inhabited the region for over 2,000 years, conflicts under Saddam Hussein—the Iran-Iraq war of 1979, the invasion of Kuwait in 1990, and international tensions over the purported stockpiling of weapons of mass destruction—have resulted in their displacement and emigration. In 2004, the country was reestablished as a democratic republic after U.S.-led forces deposed Hussein. Humanitarian and missions efforts have slowly resumed, but Christians continue to leave the country amid threats, persecution, and economic hardship.
Iraq's Good Samaritans
"This past summer, pundits predicted that Iraqis would resent Franklin Graham's ministry. What really happened when the workers showed up?"
November 1, 2003
Bush's 'Theological Perspective'
U. S. presence in Iraq is 'allowing for the inevitable to happen.'
August 28, 2007
More on Iraq
Mixing Medicine and Mercy in the Streets of Iraq
I used to think Christian mission was only about evangelism. Until we met Seema.
February 21, 2013
Fighting to Die: Confusion About the Purpose of Martyrdom
Logan Mehl-Laituri dreamt of pacifist martyrdom in Iraq, but his reasons for seeking this fate are troubling.
July 6, 2012
How Heather Mercer's Hostage Stint Turned into Global Hope
After 9/11, the missionary's ten-year journey leads from the Taliban to Iraqi Kurdistan.
September 12, 2011
Loving Muslims One at a Time
The 'Vicar of Baghdad' says the key to Muslim-Christian relations is very personal.
September 9, 2011
Joy in the Midst of Terror
How Andrew White's Baghdad congregation brings God's love to a war-torn land.
July 28, 2011
Exit Visa: Iraqi Christians Look for Safe Haven
Iraqis struggle to find refuge in Europe.
April 4, 2011
'Religicide' in Iraq
Fatal attacks trigger exodus of Christians from major cities.
February 16, 2011
The United States Needs an Ambassador for Religious Freedom Now
The Obama administration must send a clear signal to Egypt and the Middle East that they must embrace religious freedom in full.
February 8, 2011
How the Iraq War Has Affected Women
The country now faces a large population of unmarried women, many of them widows. Are government-doled incentives for marrying widows a good economic strategy?
September 15, 2010
When the War Never Ends
Many vets are ambushed by post-traumatic stress disorder. But some churches are coming to their defense.
July 2, 2009
Recovering Church History: Exile from Babylon
The Iraqi Christian community, now nearly gone, was the church's center for a millennium.
December 31, 2008
Sins and Sorrows Grow in Mosul
For Iraq's Christians, a fearful Christmas amid shootings and a worsening humanitarian crisis.
December 15, 2008
The New Refugees
As the U.S. opens to Iraqis and Burmese, refugee ministries must adjust.
October 7, 2008
Q&A: Frank Wolf 
Wolf recently formed the House of Representatives' Caucus on Religious Minorities in the Middle East with Anna Eshoo.
June 18, 2008
Kidnappers Demand Huge Ransom for Iraqi Bishop
Armed men seeking to intimidate Christian community had threatened church leader.
March 3, 2008
Suffocating the Faithful
Will the last Mideast church leader be sure to turn off the lights?
December 17, 2007
Iraq Ministry Surge
Three groups find embattled Christians reaching out to each other and an oasis in the country's north.
September 27, 2007
Our Teachable Moment
The Iraq war calls for some serious rethinking by Christians.
September 26, 2007
Bush's 'Theological Perspective'
U. S. presence in Iraq is 'allowing for the inevitable to happen.'
August 28, 2007
Bush Discusses Iraq and AIDS With Pope in First Meeting
At Easter message, Benedict XVI had lamented, "nothing positive comes out of Iraq."
June 11, 2007
From Protesting Abortion Clinics to Protesting the War
Evangelical Christian couple who founded Believers Against the War have a son in Iraq.
March 16, 2007
Love Your Muslim as Yourself
We remain woefully ignorant about the world's second-largest religion.
March 16, 2007
What Iraq's Christians Need
Two strategies to build up the church in the war-weary nation.
January 22, 2007
Christian Leaders Mostly Condemn Hussein Execution
Plus: Remembering Gerald Ford and Harald Bredesen, D. James Kennedy suffers heart attack, Colorado Springs loses evangelical luster, and other stories from online sources around the world.
January 2, 2007
Fleeing Nineveh
Threatened by persistent violence, Assyrian Christians in Iraq want to govern themselves.
December 18, 2006
On the Record: Rick Santorum
On Islamofascism, Iraq, pro-life Democrats, and other issues.
October 30, 2006
What Was CPT Doing in Iraq?
The original vision of a peacemaker force from the man who started it.
March 28, 2006
Remaining Christian Peacemaker Hostages Rescued
Plus: U.S. suspects Christian's faith phony but will offer another chance at asylum, the latest on the Afghan convert case, and other stories from online sources around the world.
March 24, 2006
Kidnapped Quaker Activist Tortured, Killed in Iraq
Plus: Who pushed Boston's Catholic Charities out of adoptions? NYTMag on "wrongful birth" and conditional love, and other stories from online sources around the world.
March 16, 2006
Iraq Churches Attacked Again
Threats renewed against Christian Peacemaker Teams workers.
January 31, 2006
Exiled Iraqi Christians Vote with Concern About Their Future
Chaldo-Assyrians seek representation in their homeland.
December 16, 2005
Iraq's Worrisome Constitution
A future government will have to untangle the threads of a document that claims to be both Islamic and democratic.
August 30, 2005
Ruins a memento of Iraqi Christians' glorious past
A hundred meters (yards) or so from taxiing airliners, Iraqi archaeologist Ali al-Fatli is showing a visitor around the delicately carved remains of a church that may date back some 1,700 years to early Christianity. Scholars think this may be Hira, a legendary Arab Christian center. (AP)
Proposed Blasphemy Law and Kurdistan’s Religious Diversity
Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani proposed the introduction of a blasphemy law that would “prevent any further offensive acts against any religion” -- Islam or Christianity. (WWRN)
Iraq Christian heritage sites lie neglected
"[Hira] has historical importance, because it is rich in antiquities, including especially the remains of churches, abbeys and palaces," said Shakir Abdulzahra Jabari, who led excavations there in 2007, 2009 and 2010. "But now, the antiquities have been neglected for a year, and they do not receive any attention, despite the fact that many Western countries are interested in Hira's history as the main gateway of Christianity into Iraq." (AFP)
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