Iraq (MNN) — Christian Persecution in Iraq is much worse than most people think, according to a report from the Christian Post.
Reverend Canon Andrew White presented the situation to the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom last Wednesday. The commission is a bi-partisan group created to monitor religious freedom around the world.
"The situation is more than desperate," said White, pastor of 1,300-member St. George's Anglican Church in Baghdad. White's firsthand account of the plight of Christians on the ground included a report that 36 members of his own church were kidnapped. Only one has been released so far since the church found enough money to pay his ransom.
White and others also reported that Dora, Iraq has seen many incredibly violent acts against Christians in the last few months. Almost all the churches have been bombed and burned. Almost all Christians have been forced to leave their homes after receiving death threats.
"Violence against all Christians increases all the time," White said.
All this, White believes, is due to the fact that they are not Muslim, and their religion is considered Western.
"Nothing has been provided as far as I have known," said White. "None of the Christians I have seen has ever received any help. We have huge needs."
During White's presentation, he asked that the world provide Christians and other minorities with safety and food and water. He also asked that they be given the privilege to worship.
