Abbreviating Christmas in Iraq for Christians

The New York Times this week printed an article on the plight of those Christians who remain in Iraq who have not fled. Please distribute links to the article which includes photos. The article appeared shortly before a bombing on Wednesday, December 23rd that killed more Christians in Iraq. Click here for NYT article.

Churches Destroyed in Iraq - November 29th, 2009

Shame on you George W. Bush ... Double shame on you Barack Obama ... Triple shame on the Main Stream Media for ignoring the mass murders of Christians while having so much concern for the well being of Nidar Hasan. Read about the latest attacks on Christians in Iraq at:

http://www.asianews.it/index.php?l=en&art=16972&size=A

NEW UPDATE ON RFC's IRAQI CHRISTIAN REFUGEE PROJECT

Our ministry partner in Amman, Jordan visited us in November here in Washington, DC. I can’t mention his name or the ministry in anything that is placed on the Internet because of security issues. While he was here I arranged a lunch for him with the regional leaders of Aglow International. Several congressional meetings were arranged. We also packed up tens of thousands of dollars of medical supplies for him to take back to Jordan.

It may seem a long time away, but I have already begun to plan for my next mission trip to the Middle East. The Christian children’s summer camp which we support in Jordan opens in June. I want to be there for the first week of the camp. I will also travel to Israel and visit the missionary ministry of David and Leah Ortiz, which RFC also helps support as well. I have visited the Ortiz family once visited once since their apartment was bombed and this time I hope to be able to take my wife Nancy with me as well. More on the bombing of their apartment can be read at: http://rfcnet.org/pdfs/pdf2009/0...

Donations given at our Facebook site are directly only to our Iraqi Christian refugee project. At this time of Thanksgiving please think about a small gift to help our brothers and sisters in Christ who are in desperate need.

MORE CHURCHES BOMBED IN BAGHDAD -

Since July 11th, at least seven churches have been bombed in Baghdad and at least 4 Christians killed and more than 30 injured. CNN reports six churches and my sources report as many as twelve. Congressman Frank Wolf of Virginia has written a strong letter to Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki concerning the lack of protection of Christians in Iraq. See Rep. Wolf letter

CHRISTIAN YOUTH CAMP IN JORDAN NEEDS WATER

There is a Christian camp for youth in Jordan, which is one of the few Middle Eastern nations that still has a sizable Christian population. I cannot name the camp on the Internet, or tell about its location. I can tell you that because of the nature of the geography of Jordan, water must be trucked in each day to the camp. Every week there is a new group of about 200 youths who come to the camp from various churches. During the course of the summer thousands of young
people from kindergarten through high school will attend Vacation Bible School at the camp. This summer the water will cost $5,000 to purchase and truck into the camp. All contributions
received at our Facebook site until July 10th will be directed to the purchase of water for the camp.

FINALLY THE MEDIA TELLS THE TRUTH -

For the last eight years the mass media, particularly in the United States, has refused to face the reality of the persecution of Christians in the Middle East. The media's failure to report the Christian exodus from Iraq has allowed American administrations to do nothing in the face of the persecution. Finally that is changing. Last week the Associated Press (AP) issued a long story to its member newspapers on the exodus of Christians from Iraq. See story. Network TV news is also beginning to report the persecution. However, the situation is even worse than what is now being reported. A five year old Christian boy was kidnapped and murdered just last week and Christians are fearful to talk to media about their persecution for fear of reprisals. Read more

ARCHBISHOP OF BAGHDAD SPEAKS OUT

This week I attended a small group round table discussion at the Hudson Institute with the Archbishop of Baghdad, Father Jean Benjamin Sleiman. The archbishop discussed the grim situation that exists for Christians in Iraq and made it clear that there was no true security to entice Christian families who had fled, to now return. He reaffirmed what we all already knew, that "...the laws of Sharia are not the same as the laws of democracy." He said that the government, not the church, must provide security for Christians. He explained that, "You can't eliminate the fear after your neighbors are killed". The United States provides no funds for religious minorities (that means Christians) in Iraq.

IRAQI CHRISTIANS NEED HELP - The Religious Freedom Coalition is receiving virtually no funds for our Iraqi Christian Refugee Project from Internet sources. Just a few hundred dollars have been generated at our Facebook page. Although thousands of people read the Internet version and Facebook verions of our update virtually all funding is coming from direct mail. Iraqi Christian refugees really do need our help!

New Pressure on Secretary Clinton

CONGRESSMAN TELLS CLINTON AGAIN THAT IRAQI CHRISTIANS NEED HELP - Congressman Frank Wolf (R-VA) has written a third and even stronger letter to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton concerning the conditions of Iraqi Christians. Clinton seems to have ignored the first two letters, which were responded to by a low ranking official at the State Department. Read Congressman Wolf's Letter.

HILLARY CLINTON PETITION DRIVE

The Religious Freedom Coalition has begun a petition drive asking Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to formulate a policy to stop the persecution of Christians in Iraq and to aid those Christians who have been forced to flee. More than 100,000 paper copies of the petition have been distributed, and an online version is now available. Click here to read petition!

Official petition site address: http://iraqichristianrefugees.org

Gov. David Beasley does national radio show for our cause!

Governor David Beasley (R-SC) did a great job talking about the plight of Iraqi Christians on a national radio show hosted by David Barton of Wallbuilders. This is a great show to share with others. Please listen to the show and then send the link to others. Click on link below:
http://www.wallbuilderslive.com/listen.asp?cs=high&mf=wma&fileName=WBLive2009-03-12

BROWNBACK TO CLINTON: IRAQI CHRISTIANS NEED HELP -

Former Senator Hillary Clinton, who is now Secretary of State, is receiving numerous letters from congressmen and Senators about her human rights policy. I previously reported on a letter to her by Congressman Wolf, and now Senator Sam Brownback has also written her a letter concerning Iraqi Christians. Apparently the Obama Administration has no interest in human rights, and has dispatched Hillary Clinton to China and the Middle East to borrow money for the President's agenda. You read that right: Hillary Clinton has asked the Chinese and the Saudis to please continue to buy U.S. Treasury bonds so Obama can spend and spend and spend. Meanwhile people in China and the "Muslim world" suffer repression, as Obama and Clinton look the other way. See Brownback letter.

Captiol Hill Action for Iraqi Christians

ACTION TO ASSIST IRAQI CHRISTIANS - This week former Governor David Beasley of South Carolina visited Washington to talk with congressional leaders about the plight of Iraqi Christians. Traveling with Governor Beasley was a representative of the Religious Freedom Coalition's ministry partner in Amman, Jordan. Together the two men made the case that the United States must have an official policy toward the religious minorities in Iraq, something that was not done under Secretary of State Rice during the Bush Administration. In addition to one-on-one meetings, Governor Beasley spoke at several meetings to leaders of social conservative organizations who may be able to assist Iraqi Christian refugees. Our ministry partner returned to Jordan with about $48,000 in contributed medical supplies. Please help!

FACEBOOK FOR IRAQI CHRISTIANS - The Religious Freedom Coalition also has a Facebook page to expose the crisis faced by Iraqi Christians. If you have a Facebook account, please become our friend at this link.

Help Iraqi Christians at Facebook

This week Isam Ghattas who operates various ministries in Amman, Jordan is the guest of the Religious Freedom Coalition in Washington, DC. He will speak at various events while in Washington on the condition of Iraqi Christian refugees in Jordan, Lebanon and Syria. His ministry partners with the Religious Freedom Coalition to assist Christian refugees who comprise 44% of all refugees from Iraq although representing only 4% of the overall population.

Our Iraqi Christian refugee cause also now has a Facebook page. If you have a Facebook account you can join our cause as a member. Click here to see our Facebook page. You can also contribute funds for new MAP medical kits which contain 700 treatments each for common ailments. The kits include antibiotics and other needed drugs. This past week we shipped two MAP kits to assist Iraqi Christians. Because the drugs are donated the cost per kit is only $250 for many thousands of dollars of materials. Click here to help.

Will Hillary Help Iraqi Refugees

Senator Hillary Clinton was confirmed this week as Secretary of State and has already moved into her new digs in Foggy Bottom. Before she could get out of her Senate office a delegation consisting of myself, my wife Nancy, and Father Keith Roderick delivered an Iraqi Christian Coalition letter to her, asking that she assist persecuted Iraqi Christians upon becoming Secretary of State. Photo is of Nancy Murray at Hillary Clinton's office.