Fear overshadows Christmas joy in Baghdad
Fri Dec 23, 2005 9:59 AM ET
By Omar al-Ibadi
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - The biggest celebration of the year for Christians is only a day away, yet the Virgin Mary Church in Baghdad wears a deserted, almost forlorn look.
The festive lights and glittery decorations of years past are nowhere to be seen.
A small, unshapely tree with silver and purple ornaments stands near the pulpit -- a poor substitute for a traditional giant Christmas tree that, in years past, was decorated to the sounds of young men and women singing hymns.
Just six women came to evening prayers a few days ahead of Christmas, leaving rows of pews empty in the dimly lit church.
It wasn't always this way.
"We used to celebrate this occasion by praying, and hundreds of believers would gather and wish each other well in the church lobby," said Father Boutros Haddad, the priest at the church in Baghdad's predominantly Christian neighborhood. "But we've stopped this because of the security situation."
Yet another somber Christmas is rolling by for Iraq's roughly 600,000 Christians, who enjoyed relative freedom under Saddam, but now live in fear of attacks from increasingly powerful Islamist groups and militias.
Since Saddam's downfall, churches have been bombed, Christian-run liquor stores attacked and many more in the small community killed or kidnapped.
CHAINED TO SADNESS
Many have already abandoned Iraq for less dangerous pastures like Jordan and Syria. Others do not dare venture out to church.
"We left Iraq for Syria last year because of the tough times we've been through, we couldn't take it any longer," said 26-year-old Rana Noah, in Baghdad briefly for a funeral before she heads back to Syria.
For those left in Iraq, the festive season bears little resemblance to the celebrations of years past. Shops in Baghdad that sell Christmas trees and ornaments still display their wares, but business is far from thriving.
"I didn't see any of my regular customers this year because many of them left Iraq after the bombing of churches last year," said 43-year old Sajid Rasool Shakir, who has been selling Christmas trees in Baghdad every year for years.
At least 20 people were killed in attacks on churches in Baghdad and Mosul in the latter half of 2004.
Gone is all sense of joy.
In years gone by, churchgoers would arrive at mass at 9:00 p.m. on Christmas Eve and spill out onto the streets after midnight, hugging and wishing each other, recalls Mohammad Hikmat, a tutor at the Virgin Mary church.
For the third year in a row, Baghdad's night-time curfew will make such celebrations impossible.
"We pray for peace in Iraq this year, but we do it out of duty and not joy," said Hikmat. "We are chained to sadness, we need peace more than ever."
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