Freedom: Officially Brought to Iraq

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seems kinda.....not too bright but then again, i never thought of cnn as being especially intelligent....that's normally reserved for the guardian.

Being PC today is choosing when or when not to be controversial, especially when you're liberal.

it's most certainly being politically correct with middle america.

...But the tranquil life of Mar Matti's black-robed monks has been shattered by the arrival of hundreds of Christians fleeing a campaign of persecution in Mosul, just 20 miles away.

Their homes raided, their priests attacked and their relatives murdered, Assyrian and Chaldean Christians have become the latest victims of violence in the city, once the most cosmopolitan in Iraq...

It is very good to see how Iraq is improving. We now need to work on two things, in this exact order.

1)Repatriating everyone who left Iraq in the past several years, if they so choose. and
2)Leave.

This show to some extent that Christians and Muslims CAN get along. It just requires a little work, and not having demogagues appeal to our lesser instincts.

Dec. 24, 05

Baghdad (DPA) -- The Shiite Moslem-dominated Iraqi government offered its good wishes to Iraqi Christians for Christmas on Saturday, seemingly to calm their fears of a possible theological state.

Al-Iraqiya television, which reflects the government's views, has politicized the occasion by allocating air time for Moslem Iraqis to greet their Christian countrymen.

On Christmas Eve, a programme named Khali Nsolf (Let's chat) featured telephone calls from inside and outside Iraq, congratulating the minority which shares the same faith with most of the western world.

The television programme also showed postcards sent in to wish Iraqis a happy Christmas.

'I wish Christians in Iraq a happy Christmas,' an Iraqi Moslem living in the United States told the programme via telephone.

Al-Iraqiya also filled intervals with the song, 'We wish you a merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.' The song was played with the background of a big Christmas tree and falling snow.

The programme also covered an hour-long mass from inside Baghdad's St. Joseph's Chaldean church.

The programme also featured greetings from top Iraqi officials to Christians at home. President Jalal Talabani, Vice-President Ghazi al-Yawer and Shiite Interior Minister Bayan Jaber Solagh were among the well-wishers.

'We congratulate the Iraqi people and Christians on Christmas and the New Year,' Solagh said.

The government has seized upon the occasion to send a message to Iraq's minorities that their role in the country's political future would be maintained under a Shiite-dominated government.

Some Christians feared that the constitution voted for earlier this year could undermine their rights in society. The wording of the constitution named Islam as the state religion.

Many of the items in the constitution, however, are to be amended by the next parliament to take over following December 15 elections.

Attacks on a number of churches last year and the security situation in the country prompted some Christians to take refuge outside Iraq.

Christians make up about 3 to 5 per cent of the Iraqi population of 27 million. There are two main Christian groups in Iraq: the majority Catholic Chaldeans and Assyrians. There are also few non- Catholic sects.

The approximately 750,000 Christians live mainly in Baghdad, the Mosul region, Kurdistan in the north and Basra in the south.

http://www.christiansofiraq.com/fire12255.html