Was the Iraq war worth it? 2000 Christians murdered, 70 Churches attacked, 900,000 flee
So, the end of the Iraq war has been announced.
In the years since the operation began to ‘liberate’ Iraq an estimated 2,000 Christians have been murdered. Examples include:
3-year-old Adam murdered in a church
A 2 month old infant kidnapped, beheaded, roasted and returned to its parents on a bed of rice
14 year old Ayad Tariq decapitated because he is a “dirty Christian sinner”
A 14 year old boy crucified in his own village in Mosul
Dozens massacred in a Mass service celebrated in the Syrian Catholic Church of Our Lady of Deliverance in Baghdad
70 churches have been attacked or bombed since June, 2004: 43 in Baghdad, 19 in Mosul, 7 in Kirkuk and 1 in Ramadi.
The UN reports that although Christians comprise less than 5% of Iraq’s population, they make up nearly 40% of the refugees fleeing Iraq. More than 50% of Iraqi Christians have already left the country. In 1987, the last Iraqi census counted 1.4 million Christians, but as the war radicalized Islamic sensibilities, Christian numbers have slumped to around 500,000.
Was it worth it?
Tags: Christian Persecution
December 15th, 2011 at 7:05 pm
I’m no fan of the Iraq war, but how were Christians treated under Saddam?
December 15th, 2011 at 7:11 pm
Well it has never been fantastic, but it was more secure under Saddam.
As an example, for the years 1995-2002 there were 19 murders, averaging 2.37 per year. We now have an estimated (definitive figures are hard to come by and seem to vary quite a bit) 2,000 murders in 9 years.
So, quite a jump since the invasion.
December 15th, 2011 at 7:21 pm
I think that life under a dictatorship is likely to be much more predictable than the hostile-to-Christianity anarchy I imagine is there now, but for a real view of the risk you have to include government executions, since running afoul of the government was your biggest risk.
Again, not a fan of the war, but I think comparisons can be misleading.
December 15th, 2011 at 7:27 pm
No it was a dumb move, Blair’s vanity and Bush jr. finishing the business of Bush snr.
December 15th, 2011 at 10:50 pm
I’ve been doing some calculations based on readily available data. The percentage of all Christians in Iraq who were killed as a result of violence 2003-11 is almost exactly the same as the percentage of all non-Christians killed. The killing has affected everybody in equal shares.
Regarding emigration during the same period, the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) estimates that over 2 million fled to neighbouring states during the same period, so if the Christian figure is 40% then that would account for the 900,000, which is indeed a very sad indictment.
It is also worth noting that the Jewish population of Iraq underwent a far greater forced emigration in the early 20th century as a result of anti Jewish fervour. There was a programme on Radio 4 about it recently.
And I’m in total agreement with you Goy!
December 15th, 2011 at 11:08 pm
I have seen some stats that separate the deliberate targeting of Christians from the general violence. I’ll try and dig that out tomorrow Simian if I can find it.
And you’re absolutely right to pick up on the Jews of Iraq, I don’t think there are any left.
I agree with Goy also.
December 16th, 2011 at 1:38 pm
Cannot agree with Simian’s figures at all. One million Iraqis died, two thousand Christians. That means, if my calculations are correct, about twenty three times more Iraqis died in percentage terms, the huge majority Muslims. That means the loss of Christian life would have to be about forty six thousand, for the proportion to be equal. If true, they would appear to have got off lightly. There is too much tunnel vision here on this appalling issue.
December 16th, 2011 at 2:53 pm
We appear to have different sources HP. But I think your comment further reinforces the point I was trying to make – that Christians suffered no greater percentage of deaths than the population as a whole. If your figures are right then that makes the point even stronger. Maybe the huge exodus and lower %age of deaths just reflects the fact that for whatever reason they were the ones who got out in time.