Iraq: Young Christian woman murdered by suspected Muslim relatives

A 20-year old woman who converted from Islam to Christianity in northern Iraq was murdered on March 7, in what appears to be an honor killing by Muslim relatives, International Christian Concern (ICC) reports. The daughter of a Muslim cleric, Iman Sami was found murdered after she posted a Tik Tok video of herself singing Christian songs.

...continue reading this story

Iraqi Kurdistan: Christians flee their homes under Turkish airstrikes

Christian villages in Iraqi Kurdistan have been “emptied” in the last year as Turkey’s air force continues to bomb Kurdish forces connected to the PKK movement, Asia News reports. Christians have also fled from the cities of Zakho, Dohuk, Erbil, only to return because of airstrikes on the areas they escaped to.

...continue reading this story

Iraq Persecution: Christians wary of outsiders arriving their community

Traumatized by the invasion of ISIS in 2014, Christians in Iraq remain nervous of outsiders, International Christian Concern reports. Constituting one of the oldest believing communities in the world, the Christians of Bartella near Mosul are reportedly wary of the influx of new arrivals to their district.

...continue reading this story

Iraqi Christian community under threat of extinction

An international humanitarian aid organization has said Christians living in the formerly ISIS-controlled Nineveh Plains of Iraq are now in danger of extinction, the Christian Post reports. Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) published a report this week in which it states that political and sectarian tensions are driving Christians out of the area.

...continue reading this story

Four Christian aid workers kidnapped in Iraq have been released

It is confirmed that four French Christian aid workers have been freed after they were kidnapped in Iraq in January. A statement from President Marcron’s office on March 27 informed that the Élysée Palace had made 'every effort to reach this outcome.' The statement thanked Iraqi authorities for their cooperation but gave no details or information about any conditions of the workers’ release.

...continue reading this story

Christian Family Stabbed at Home by Armed Group in Baghdad

International Christian Concern (ICC) has learned that on March 9, 2018, a Christian family of three living in Baghdad was found dead in their home. An investigation showed that they had been stabbed to death the previous day by an armed group and their valuables were stolen. The victims are Dr. Hisham Shafiq al-Maskuni, his wife Shaza Malik, and his elderly mother Khairiya Dawood.

...continue reading this story

Trump Designates $55 Million to Help Christians, Religious Minorities Rebuild in Iraq

In the wake of Vice President Mike Pence's announcement last October that the United States government would provide direct aid to persecuted Iraqi Christians struggling to rebuild following the liberation of the Nineveh Plains, the Trump administration has taken concrete steps to follow through on its promises.

...continue reading this story