Iraq’s Christian exodus could be repeated in Syria

ICC Note: Syria’s Christians and their places of worship have been increasingly targeted by terrorist attacks since the outbreak of civil war, similar to what was seen in Iraq’s war which resulted in more than half the Christian population leaving the country following the US-led invasion in 2003. “I know that many people in Syria are suffering, but Christians are seeing a repetition of the situation in Iraq, that they are largely wiped out between the opposing fronts, and once their survivors are driven out, they seldom have the opportunity to return,” said a spokesman for the World Evangelical Alliance. There were some 60,000 Christians living in the city of Homs before the way, but today only 1,000 remain, Christian Today reports.
4/1/2013 Syria (Christian Today) – The World Evangelical Alliance’s human rights ambassador has warned that Christians are being “chased from their homes” in Syria.
Dr Thomas Schirrmacher warned of a mass exodus of Christians from Syria similar to that experienced in Iraq following the 2003 US-led invasion.
A decade ago, there were an estimated 1.5 million Christians in Iraq. Since then, around half the Christian population has left the country due to hardship and persecution. Today, there are reportedly fewer than 60 churches left in the country.
Dr Schirrmacher said: “I know that many people in Syria are suffering, but Christians are seeing a repetition of the situation in Iraq, that they are largely wiped out between the opposing fronts, and once their survivors are driven out, they seldom have the opportunity to return.”
Of the previous 60,000 Christians in Homs, one of the areas worst affected by the Syrian conflict, less than 1,000 remain.
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