Baghdad: some Christians reduced to dhimmitude
December 12, 2011
The Latin Rite archbishop of Baghdad says that some Christians have been reduced to dhimmitude ['subjection' under Islamic law] and are being forced to pay the jizya, a special tax that permits them to practice their faith.
Christians are "helplessly witnessing crime, mafia, or militia," says Archbishop Jean Benjamin Sleiman, who told Aid to the Church in Need that Christmas Mass will be "celebrated during the day, for safety reasons. It will be a Christmas between fear and sturdy faith."
The prelate called upon the international community to support Iraq's government "so that Iraq once again becomes a [place of] rule of law."
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