IRAQ – Growing insecurity in Iraq and on its border could lead to a fresh exodus of Christians from the country, warns Jamal Liddawi, a partner of Release International, which is supporting refugees in the country.

The Turkish invasion of Syria and growing protests in Baghdad could drive even more Christians out of the country, believes Jamal, which provides aid to persecuted Christians.

Only around 300,000 Christians remain in Iraq from a peak of 1.8 million in the year 2000. They’ve been forced out by conflict and insecurity. And many more are now anxious to leave, says Release International Partner Jamal Liddawi, who is helping persecuted Christians in Kurdistan.

“The Christians have no voice in Iraq and no power there. I think the Christians, they always suffer, no matter what is going on.”

Jamal explains how they are helping to restore countless broken lives there..

“We need to provide for them. This is why we try to help them to fix their homes, we try to help them to fix their lives and also to provide them with some training, they make them to do some work, and to make some income to keep them stable so they don’t need to depend on any other people’s support.”

About Release International

Release International is an international organization for monitoring and reporting persecution of Christians around the world and helping the victims of that persecution. It is considered one of the “leading persecution watchdogs”, which serves Christians in more than 30 countries. Release International was originally established by the Romanian minister Richard Wurmbrand under the name Christian Mission to the Communist World, after he was released from imprisonment in Romania in the 1960s.

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