BAGHDAD: Christians in the Middle East prepared Friday to celebrate Christmas, some in fear of attacks against their community, as in Iraq, and others in the most discreet way possible, as in Saudi Arabia.
For Iraq’s battered Christian community, threats of attacks from Al-Qaeda and mourning for the victims of an October massacre at a Baghdad church have turned a normally festive season into one of fear and sadness. Many mass gatherings in Iraq were cancelled on Friday, and Saturday services will be held during the morning for safety reasons.
Security measures have been stepped up after Al-Qaeda threats against Christians, with protective walls put up around some churches and the number of soldiers and police guarding churches strengthened.
On October 31, militants laid siege to Baghdad’s Our Lady of Salvation church, leaving 44 worshippers, two priests and seven security forces personnel dead in an attack claimed by Al-Qaeda affiliate the Islamic State of Iraq. Ten days later a string of attacks targeted the homes of Christians in Baghdad, killing six people and wounding 33 others.
On Friday, Chaldean Catholic archbishop Monsignor Louis Sarko said in message from Kirkuk that Iraqi Christians must remain steadfast despite fears of attacks and sadness.
“Today we are living a painful experience in Iraq, which reached its peak with the massacre at Our Lady of Salvation, which touched both Christians and Muslims. But we must persevere in the face of disaster,” Sarko said. “We will not surrender to division and frustration,” he said. In Saudi Arabia, Christians will be as discreet as possible in their Christmas celebrations, as the Gulf kingdom forbids the overt practice of any religion but Islam.
Xmas joy mixed with threats for Mideast Christians
