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n MIDDLE EAST n MIDDLE EAST n MIDDLE EAST n MIDDLE EAST n MIDDLE EAST n MIDDLE BWA Sends Aid to Displaced Iraqi Christians

he Baptist World Alliance sent an initial sum of US$20,000 to assist with Christians displaced inside Iraq. Funds given by the BWA were used to help provide food and other

urgent relief supplies to approximately 500 Iraqi Christian families who fled Mosul and Karakosh to Irbil city in Kurdistan state. Christians fled in haste without their possessions, including clothing.

Money, jewelry and other valuables were stolen or confiscated. A sum of US$90 is needed for mattresses, blankets and a two-week food supply for an average family of six persons. Baptists and other Christian groups providing assistance expect the need to last through several months. Mosul, Iraq’s second largest metropolitan area after Baghdad, is an

ancient city in Northern Iraq that has had a significant Christian presence going back almost 2,000 years. Karakosh is in close proximity to Mosul. Problems faced by Iraqi Christians escalated in June this year with the Northern Iraq offensive, when the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), sometimes referred to as the Islamic State, and aligned forces, began a major offensive in Northern Iraq against the Iraqi government. The same protagonists attacked Kurdish-held territory in Northern Iraq in August.

Christians and other minority religious groups have been specially

targeted by ISIL. A decree was issued in July that all Christians in the area under ISIL control, including Mosul and Karakosh, must pay a special tax of approximately US$470 per family, convert to Islam, or leave. It was later announced that all Christians needed to leave or be killed. Many Christians have fled to Kurdistan.

Christians have been leaving Iraq in droves after the 2003 United States invasion of Iraq. Violence against Christians by radical Islamist groups rose dramatically, including abductions, torture, bombings and killings. Christians were pressured to convert to Islam under threat of death or expulsion, and women were ordered to wear Islamic dress. By 2007, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for

Refugees estimated that 2.2 million Iraqis were displaced to neighboring countries such as Lebanon, Jordan and Syria, with a large majority being Christian. Another two million were displaced internally.

Middle Eastern Baptists Continued end of the 19th

in the country. Given that no new denominations were allowed until 2003, the

church he pastors is only 10 years old and most in the church are first generation in the faith. “Since we don’t have a long heritage, many people don’t see

the difference between Baptists and other evangelicals,” Badalian stated.

He noted social and cultural challenges – including to the

historic church traditions that date back to the first century in Iraq – that can cause problems with marriages and other legal tasks. He said Baptists enjoy good relations with other evangelicals. Badalian, who is an Armenian who was born in Baghdad,

explained that most evangelical churches are primarily made up of a single ethnic group. In addition to the main worship services, Badalian’s church also started home groups that “reach out to people who cannot

Our fear is that no Christians will remain . . . Our hope is in Christ’s word, against which no man can stand.”

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get easily to church,” saying it is easier for Christians to get to a house gathering.

century but remain a minority among Christians Badalian said that even after someone converts, that individual

might not want to be baptized because that can create problems with families or neighbors. Thus, he stresses that communion is for those who believe and not just baptized into the membership. Explaining the challenges facing Baptists and other Christians

in Iraq, Badalian reminded those present of the flight of many Christians since 2003. Christians numbered about 1.5 million in Iraq prior to the

United States invasion. That count has fallen to less than 500,000 today.

Badalian expressed his hope that a Christian presence will remain in his nation even amid war and other challenges. Hamati of Syria echoed a similar fear about the Christian witness in his nation in the near future. “Our fear is that there’s no Christians that will remain,” he stated before adding, “Our hope is in Christ’s word, against which no man can stand.”

Brian Kaylor is a member of the BWA Communications Advisory Committee and contributing editor for EthicsDaily.com

Mosul has had a significant Christian presence going back almost

2,000 years

Christians have been leaving Iraq in droves after the 2003 United States invasion of Iraq. Violence against Christians by radical Islamist groups rose dramatically . . .