December 20, 2013
The end of the year looms. Iraq Body Count notes 9100 violent deaths in Iraq so far this year with, through Thursday, 660 for the month thus far. That's more than the violent deaths in 2009 and nearly double the violent deaths in 2010, in 2011 and in 2012.
And the violence continues as does the month, as does the year.
National Iraqi News Agency reports 1 person was shot dead outside his Baquba home, and a Falluja attack left 1 person dead and three injured (two were police officers), All Iraq News adds that 2 Tuz Khurmatu bombings left 6 people dead and twenty-five injured. Alsumaria explains one of the bombings -- the one that left 5 people dead -- targeted mourners in a cemetery. Earlier this week, Alsumaria noted that placing bombs in cemeteries had become the "killing technique of the month" and quoted Salim al-Hiyali ("security expert) stating, "Planting bombs in graves is a new phenomenon that surged in the security scene in Diyala during December after two such incidents took place: the first in a graveyard near Al Wajihiyah (25 km north-east of Baaqubah) leading to the death of about 60 civilians and the second took place near a cemetery in Abu Idris (3 km south of Baaqubah). 30 civilians were injured and died as a result."
Alsumaria reports other violence today includes a Mosul roadside bombing left Col Mohammed Ibrahim and his assistant injured, a Juachik vomving left 2 people dead, 2 people were shot dead in Tal Afar, a Mosul roadside bombing claimed the life of 1 police officer and left another injured, 1 taxi driver was shot dead in Mosul, 1 telecom company employee was shot dead in Mosul,
Check my math, that's 15 reported dead and 31 injured so far. On Fridays, for seven years now, violence reports trickle out slowly so those numbers may rise.
It's December 20th. In a few days, Christians around the world will be celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ. For the record, an e-mail came in asking why we're noting "Jesus Christ" this year? Even those two words? Good question. We note all the Muslim pilgrimages and carry various details on the martyrs, etc. It makes sense for us to do the same with the Christian holiday of Christmas. (Many people around the world celebrate Christmas as a day to share and/or a time of Santa and do so without any religious overtones.)
As The Voice of Russia notes (link is audio and text), Prince Charles of England spoke out against the violent persecution of Christians this week:
On a visit to the Egyptian Coptic Church centre in
Stevenage and the Syriac Orthodox cathedral in London, the Prince of
Wales heard accounts of Christians being murdered and families forced to
leave their homes in countries in the Middle East.
Violence
against Christians in Syria, Egypt and Iraq is increasing. According to
Britain’s Foreign Office, religious minorities in the Middle East and
North Africa are suffering as a result of instability linked to the Arab
Spring.
Those who don't die in the violence live in fear. Amjad Salah (Alsumaria) reported Wednesday on the findings of Patriarch Louis Ralphael Sako who declared that approximately six Christian families are now leaving Iraq each day. Families, not individuals. Today, Scottish Catholic Observer reports:
At a speech in Rome last Friday, the patriarch made clear he was not
asking for a mobilisation 'to protect Christians,’ but rather Western
efforts to support 'harmonious societies for all human beings,’ based on
'a civil state in which the only criterion is citizenship grounded in
full equality under the law.’
The patriarch said that at the moment, the actions of nations such as
the UK and the US seem to be based purely on self-interest.
"All they do is create problems, sell weapons and take oil," he said. "This is a sin."
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