The Turkish invasion of Syria and growing protests in Baghdad could drive even more Christians out of the country, believes Jamal Liddawi, a partner of Release International, which provides aid to persecuted Christians.
There has been trouble in Iraq this week as at least three people were shot dead when protesters attacked the Iranian consulate in the Iraqi holy city of Karbala on Sunday night.
The protesters, who demanded that Iran stop interfering in Iraq’s internal affairs, climbed the consulate’s walls.
Only around 300,000 Christians remain in Iraq from a peak of 1.8 million in the year 2000. They’ve been driven out by conflict and insecurity. Many more are now anxious to leave, says Liddawi: “Most of the Christians have lost hope. Many of them are applying to leave the country, and if they can, they will.”
Jamal Liddawi is working with Release International to support refugees in Erbil, the principal city of Kurdistan, in northern Iraq.
The recent Turkish invasion of neighbouring Syria is threatening to drive a new wave of refugees into the region.
“The Kurdistan government are preparing for between 100,000 and 200,000 refugees,” says Jamal. “They’re preparing for a big number to come.”
The Release partner says the Kurdish people in northern Iraq were shocked by the American decision to pull their troops out of Syria, which precipitated the Turkish…
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