An Anglican clergyman in Baghdad, who has seen his flock murdered and forced into exile by Muslim extremists, says Christians there are worse off now than under Saddam’s rule and are probably suffering more than any time in history.
The Rev. Canon Andrew White, an Anglican priest known as the “Vicar of Baghdad,” speaks to 60 Minutes’ Scott Pelley for a segment on the persecution of Christians in Iraq to be broadcast this Sunday, Dec. 2, at 7 p.m. ET/PT.
“There’s no comparison between Iraq now and [under Saddam],” says White. “Things are the most difficult they have ever been for Christians – probably ever in history,” he tells Pelley, referring to the nearly 2,000 years of Christian history in the area. That’s because White estimates that 90 percent of Iraq’s Christians, once thought to number over a million, have either fled or have been murdered by Islamic extremists during the religious civil war.
Just saw the 60 Minutes report.
It confirmed the worst of my concerns regarding the lack of compassion and the totally anti-ecumenic attitude of Muslims that is exhibited when they have the freedom to impose their murderous religious beliefs upon non-Muslims.
Can we deal with these people?
The old adage “they are either at your feet or at your throat” comes to mind.
I would rather have murderous Muslims “at my feet” than “at my throat.”
I say this realizing that there is a need for serious dialogue between the Muslim world and the rest of the world. But, meaningful and results-effective dialogue requires sincere and humble overtures from the leadership of both sides.
I see no sincere nor humble overtures coming from leadership Muslims who have the capability to make strong and even coercive attempts to control the murderous extremists within the Muslim world.
I, too, just saw this report. What is truly sad is the message that Fr. White conveyed (that is NOT conveyed in the written report here) that Christianity is just as bad–or perhaps he said “has been just as bad”–as Islam! I realize that is theology coming from a man who has MS and is caring for persecuted Christians in secret sites: I pray for this man especially that God will delver him from depression.
Moreover, we ALL need to be praying for Fr. White and his congregation. They are truly persecuted Christians, brothers (although most of the men have been killed or kidnapped) and sisters, children and adults, loved of God and members of the Body of Christ–and hurting terribly.
It looks as if any attempt at helping them–short of allowing them into countries where they can practice their faith–will be thwarted by the resident Muslims.
Please don’t tell me Islam is a religion of peace!
May God have mercy on them. And mey
May God bless the Christian martyrs of Iraq. And special blessings on Canon White — it seems that he’s the only cleric who hasn’t packed it in and run away!
I thought his point was well-presented. He’s right — violence and killing in the name of religion is religion gone wrong. I loved his final thoughts, when he said he told his people that “God is with you and God is with me and I’m with you.”
Christians in Muslim lands need prayer; and the Muslims too, that they may be delivered from evil and receive the Light.
I too saw the report and was greatly saddened by what has happened to the Christian populace of Iraq. I feel for those living in fear and am deeply disturbed by the assasinations of Christian men (especially). It will be a great tragedy if the Christian presence in Iraq cannot be restored when this conflict finally comes to an end.
But let’s not tar all Muslims with the same brush. The people who are perseculating the Christian population, as the temendously courageous Canon White pointed out, are the extremist Islamists. These Christians had lived, many in mixed neighborhoods, for centuries at peace with their Muslim neighbors. Most Muslims in Iraq are also victims of the intersectarian violence that has arisen in the chaos that followed our invasion; that is clear from the fact that the majority of Iraqis who have fled the country, like the family my wife and I met last summer in Istanbul, are Muslim and are in exile with their Christian countrymen.
When there is a war, the populace look for easy enemies. When there is prosperity, there is tolerance. When Iraq was doing well economically, Christians did well. The same is in Iran.
When the US invades other countries, one risk is that Christians will be seen as fifth columnists, part of the invading force, sympathetic to the US. Even if Iraqi Christians were not supportive of the invasion, they will be blamed for the sins of the US. They are useful scapegoats, since its hard to attack Americans directly.
Sad.