Plight of Christians Assyrians in Iraq described to Madison church

Plight of Christians Assyrians in Iraq described to Madison church

Torture, murder has driven desperate survivors underground

Mar 15, 2009

he Presbyterian Church of Madison will host a compelling educational program, “Save the Flickering Light of Christianity in Iraq,” at 11:30 a.m. Sunday, March 22, in its Fellowship Hall at 19 Green Ave.

Juliana Taimoorazy, president of the Chicago-based Iraqi Christian Relief (ICR) Council, will describe the rampant religious cleansing afflicting Iraqi Christians in their war-torn homeland.

The program is free, but due to limited space, reservations are required by Monday, March 16. To reserve, e-mail office@Presbyterian-madison.org or call (973) 377-1600.

According to the ICR Council, modern-day Iraqi Christians are Assyrians, Chaldeans, and Syriacs that trace their ancestry back to the great Assyrian and Babylonian empires cited in the Old Testament. They practice Christian Orthodox, Catholic, and Presbyterian Reformed faiths.

Prior to 2004, Christians in Iraq numbered 1.4 million. Today, the ICR Council noted, daily violent persecution has slashed their population to about 700,000. The remaining Christians are forced to worship underground, and the extensive violence against them - extortion, kidnapping, torture and murder, church bombings, and the beheadings of Christian leaders – has left the refugees with basic everyday needs.

“With no home, food, work, school, or medical care,” said Taimoorazy, “the need is great to help these poor indigenous people. Their hope within is slowly diminishing and it now lies with allies outside Iraq.”

Witnesses To Tragedy

Two of the March 22 program’s presenters know this despair, and hope, firsthand.

Randa Danka is a war survivor who was born and raised in Baghdad. She and her husband lived in Mosul until he fell victim to persecution and she was left to mourn his violent death. Danka and her daughter fled to Syria and then moved to Chicago, Ill., a year and a half ago.

Violet Khamoo is one of the original volunteers for the ICR Council. On a recent visit to northern Iraq, she personally witnessed the horrific living conditions of the Christians there. Khamoo is from Kirkuk, Iraq, and currently resides in Chicago.

The ICR Council is a volunteer, 501c(3)-pending organization founded in Chicago in 2007 by Taimoorazy. Born and raised in Tehran, she survived eight years of war and bombings, the loss of loved ones, and persecution. She lived as a refugee in two different countries before arriving in the U.S. 18 years ago. Once here, Taimoorazy put herself through school while working part-time and adapting to a new language and culture.

Often cited as a “warrior against discrimination,” she is personally and professionally dedicated to those in her community who are less fortunate, helping them to build a better life.

Her commitment fueled the formation of the ICR Council. As an affiliate with the Assyrian Aid Society, a 501c(3) organization, the ICR Council’s mission is to raise awareness and funds for Christians in Iraq and provide them with food, shelter, and medicine. The Web site www.iraqichristianrelief.org provides information on the council’s work, which includes radio show appearances and the recent completion of a documentary film.

Said Benjamin Ostrom, Madison Presbyterian Church Elder and Mission and Outreach Committee member, “Through the years of the war in Iraq, these long-standing, small, native communities were thrust into a maelstrom, similar to that witnessed for minorities in Sudan, Bosnia, and even Rwanda. Yet, little has been heard of their unique suffering. Even relative peace in Iraq does not cease their plight, and urgent action is needed.”

Donations to the ICR Council will be accepted prior to and during the event.

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