Anti-Christian attacks in Baghdad press

BAGHDAD / IraqiNews.com: Iraqi newspapers gave prominence in their Tuesday issues to the recent attacks that targeted Iraqi Christians in Mosul city. The independent daily al-Dustour newspaper said in an article by its editor-in-chief, Bassem al-Sheikh, that the physical liquidation and forced displacement of Christians have hurt the feelings of all Iraqis, regardless of their religion or belief. “Christians in Iraq are good citizens. They have never asked for more than their rights or attacked anyone. They have never taken part in acts of violence or ethnic displacement or been part in a bloody clash…,” the author wrote. “This filthy game will not deter Iraqis, no matter their affiliation or color, from restoring their normal life and preserving the unity of their society…,” Sheikh added. On the same subject, al-Daawa newspaper, the daily mouthpiece of the Islamic Daawa Party-Iraq Organization, published an article entitled ‘Terrifying the innocent’ by Ali Hussein. The author accused unknown bodies of being behind the departure of Christians from Mosul city before the conduct of provincial council elections. Several Christian families have fled Mosul throughout the past few days, while an Iraqi security source said that four Christians were killed in two separate attacks in the city, signaling an increase in the wave of attacks against religious minorities in the northern volatile city. Mosul , the capital city of Ninewa , lies 405 km north of Baghdad . The original city of Mosul stands on the west bank of the Tigris River, opposite the ancient biblical city of Nineveh on the east bank, but the metropolitan area has now grown to encompass substantial areas on both banks, with five bridges linking the two sides. Despite having an amount of Kurdish population, it does not form part of the area controlled by the Kurdistan Regional Government Kurdistan RegionG). There are different communities in Mosul like Christians, Shiites and Kurds along with a Sunni majority. The fabric Muslin, long manufactured in Mosul , is named for this city. Another historically important product of the area is Mosul marble. The city is also a historic center for the Nestorian Christianity of the Assyrians, containing the tombs of several Old Testament prophets such as Jonah, Yunus in Arabic, and Nahum. SS (I) 1