Monday, November 1, 2010

What Is A Life Without Sun?

"While I was trying to find my way out, in the dark, I walked over bodies. There are many bodies there." -Christian woman, a hostage of terror.
On Sunday, Halloween for the west, Our Lady of Salvation Church, one of the largest churches in Baghdad was attacked by bloodthirsty terrorists. The US and Iraqi security forces attempted a rescue after a standoff of hours, and 52 people were killed with 60 plus wounded, many of them women and children. The murdered victims included 2 priests and several Iraqi security forces.

2 Priests who killed in the attack (Pictures from Ankawa.com)

Pictures from Ankawa.com

Pictures from Ankawa.com

Pictures from Ankawa.com
You can read more about it from this link:

What message did these cowards want to deliver? What do they want from Christians? To kill them all, to force them to leave their own country? I will point out that Christians have lived in Iraq as far back as the 500's AD. is it just that Christians are easy targets? Because we don't have a militia, we don't have our private security force, that all we want is peace and love? These terrorists were Muslim, but I ask you-does such an attack really serve Allah? Does such a vicious crime reflect Islam?

Iraqi Christians want nothing more than to live side by side with Muslims, after all we're all just people.
In my community we have Muslim neighbors & we share their events, and they share ours, both the happy and sad, we exchange food at our holydays, or special occasions, each family helps to clean our street. We get along just fine. Variety is the spice of life, as they say, and the people are Iraq’s mosaic. But to live in fear is to live under darkness. What good is that? What is a life without the sun?

I heard a speech from the archbishop speaking to BBC Arabic a month ago, saying that “Middle East without Christians is like Middle East without sun” then he added “Or like a garden without flowers”!

He was answering about what will happen if all Christians leave the east, and I pray for not having that day ever, but if their holy places, their places for peaceful worship are targeted for attacks, how can the Christians stay? Can we blame them for wanting to leave? Flowers want to live, not be trampled upon. And I must confess, the sun shines much kinder in other places of the world for Christians than here in Iraq now. Better to leave on their own and set new roots than be ripped from the earth and tossed on the garbage heap. The end message of the Bishop's speech was one of love and peace, and I believe many people, many religions, all the colors of the world long for such things. Most of us want to just live our lives in peace and happiness. It is the poisonous weeds in the flowerbeds that are choking us to death.


Pope Benedict XVI denounced the "ferocious" attack on Monday and called for renewed international efforts to broker peace in the region.

I mourn for those people lost for no reason at all. I mourn for those sweet flowers, and I pray that we may come away with some good from such a horrific tragedy.

The sun still shines. But today I feel no warmth. None at all.

Jesus Christ said "Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you" Matthew 5:11 & 5:12

3 comments:

Dolly said...

Did they pay jizya

↑ It's a very important question

Iraqi Christians have to be extra careful these days because the 2003 aggressors from the United States were Christian also.

Freedom said...

Hello Dolly,

No, they didn't pay jizya.

Terrorists didn't ask for jizya, their conditions were to Iraqi government to release their groups from prisons, & as they said they wanted from Egypt's government to release muslim's women at monasteries (as they said).

They killed some Christians right away when the attacked the Church, no one say they asked Christians for "jizya" money.

Christians here are all angry & confused to what happen, & they are thinking to get out from Iraq.

It is massacre by all means, mother with her 2 sons were killed.

whole family ( father & mother with their son & daughter) were killed too.

father with his son were killed too & there are some under debris.

Dolly said...

Wow, nasty events. I am beginning to think Bush shouldn't have started that Crusade huh