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Iraq Christians on Edge As Cartoon Row Escalates
February 3, 06
Aref Mohammed in Kirkuk.
BAGHDAD (Reuters) -- Iraq's Christians are bracing for attacks
on their ancient community, fearful that deadly bombings of their
churches last month were linked to Muslim fury over cartoons
of the Prophet Mohammad published in Europe.
"The church blasts were a reaction to the cartoons published
in European papers. But Christians are not responsible for what
is published in Europe," Louis Sako, the Chaldean archbishop
of Kirkuk, told Reuters in the northern city.
"Innocent people were killed because of these cartoons
... this is terror," he said, referring to car bombings
at several churches last month that killed three people and wounded
17.
The caricatures of Mohammad published in European newspapers
have enraged Muslims worldwide, including Iraq, where al Qaeda
and other militant groups have been launching spectacular suicide
bombs since the U.S.-led invasion in 2003.
Sako and ordinary Iraqi Christians provide no proof that the
cartoons were connected with the church blasts, but their suspicions
are enough to put them on edge.
Christians have inhabited the region that is now Iraq for
about 2,000 years but started leaving the country after attacks
on churches began in 2004.
Tracing their ancestry to ancient Mesopotamia, Christians
are deeply attached to Iraq but worry that the rage over the
cartoons will only bring them more violence.
Newspapers in France, Germany, Spain, Switzerland and Hungary,
expressing support for freedom of the press, have reprinted caricatures
originally published in Denmark, or photos of publications that
printed them. One original cartoon was of Mohammad wearing a
turban shaped like a bomb.
Muslims consider any images of Mohammad to be blasphemous.
FALLING POPULATIONS
Christians used to make up 3 percent of Iraq's population,
numbering about 1 million. But that figure has fallen to below
800,000.
Under Saddam's secular regime, some Christians like then-Deputy
Prime Minister Tareq Aziz climbed to the top. He was the public
face of Iraq.
Anti-Christian violence was rare. Those days are long gone.
In August of 2004, Iraq's government blamed al Qaeda ally
Abu Musab al-Zarqawi for a series of church bombings that killed
at least 11 people, saying the aim was to spark religious strife
and drive Christians out of the country.
"Caricatures offensive to Muslims gave a pretext for
terrorists to blow up churches and kill innocents," said
50- year-old teacher Ashur Yalda in Kirkuk.
"Today I'm afraid to walk the streets, because I'm Christian."
In the mostly Sunni Arab city of Falluja, mosque preacher
Abu Abdullah of the militant group Mohammad's Army had one thing
on his mind.
"We will take revenge for publishing offensive cartoons,"
he told Reuters.
Falluja residents said they were preparing for protests after
Friday prayers. And in the southern city of Basra, Shi'ite militants
torched the Danish flag.
"The sect of infidelity (Christianity) is only one and
there is no difference between a Danish infidel and a French
or British one," said Khaled Khateeb, a mosque preacher
in Falluja.
That is the kind of talk that has made Iraqi Christians fear
for their lives.
By Ahmed Rasheed
Additional reporting by Aref Mohammed in Kirkuk.
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