(Photo courtesy of AsiaNews)
Iraq (MNN) ― Between July 11 and July 13, seven Christian churches were bombed in Baghdad and Mosul. At least four people died, and about 30 received injuries, Voice of the Martyrs-Canada reports.
Two bombs exploded at Baghdad's St. Joseph Church on July 11, and more bombs struck five different churches in the city the following day. A car bomb went off near Our Lady of Fatima Church in Mosul on July 13.
VOM Canada's Adelle Konyndyk said the violence is nothing new for Iraqi Christians.
"For quite some time now Christians have been under fire from Islamic militants in such violent attacks seeking to drive them from the country or to force them to convert to Islam," she explained.
It's not clear why churches are being targeted, she added.
"Some sources speculate that it could be connected to some of the new security measures in place, and that insurgents are probing and challenging and sort of testing those measures," Konyndyk said. "But it really is hard to say what has exactly caused these specific, orchestrated attacks on Christians."
While many believers have been leaving the country to escape persecution, others stay. Some go underground, but others continue worshipping God publicly, in buildings such as the ones that were bombed. Christians fear the attacks on churches could escalate and intensify.
VOM Canada is working to support the believers, Konyndyk said. "We accurately share with the media and with the public what is going on here, and why Christians specifically are facing such violence." VOM also prays for the believers and encourages others to do the same.
"People can pray specifically in this situation for those who have lost loved ones [and for] those who witnessed these attacks and were affected by them," Konyndyk said, "that they will not be driven out by fear, that they will just continue to serve boldly. Just continue to pray also for the church in Iraq as a whole, that they will be strong and that they will in fact find new opportunities to minister even in this time of violence."
