www.byzcath.org Forums News & Events Church News purge of Assyrian Christians from Iraq

Well under Sadaam they accepted a fair amount of people both Muslim and Christian to the America but since the war they pretty much stopped all immigration to the US. Unfortunatly a large number of anti-immigration forces in the Republican Party is for this and they make no disctinction between people leaving a country because of threat of Religious Persecution and those leaving for merely econcomic opportunity. Uhh yes they are zenophobe idiots not all middle easterneres are Islamist but I guess the evangelical in the Bush admin can't tell the difference. This is a legitmate reason to increase Visas and we have to spread the word to our US Representaives and Senate since the Prez ain't listening or those in his inner circles have bewitched him.
A good source of information on the Iraq exodus of Christians is
http://www.christiansofiraq.com/
Many Many stories of people who leave the country legally and illegally to escape religious persecution. If these poeple were Jews or Southern Baptist I wonder if the response would be different? The country has taken some covert operation guys mainly translators for visas and such but no one for religious persecution. Unless your working for the US Governemnt and that number is few and tapped out, your not going to get a visa to practiced your faith in peace.

A Chaldean, who is a father of 8 children and arrived in Jordan last year, said, "The American embassy has severally rejected my application for joining two of my children there. My savings are almost over and I do not know what I shall do then or how I would support my family." Requesting animosity, he added, "I have fled from Baghdad with the members of my family for fear of death. My store in Al Dawra has been exposed to bombardment three times. It was not safe for us to stay there."

Dereid, 28 years, who arrived in Amman 8 months ago, said, "I married an American girl, whom I have known through the internet, several months ago. I applied for immigration to the United States, hoping to join her there." Dereid mainly relies on the money transfers sent on behalf of his family in the United States, where there is the biggest Iraqi Chaldean community abroad.

Read the whole article here http://www.christiansofiraq.com/jordan10125.html
Also read the many many stories of american visas being rejected for Chaldean Catholics who have family in the United States.

Rick Santorum was one of the few who ever spoke up for Christians in areas where they were persecuted. He was, of course, turned out of office.

Sine the US Bishops don't seem to be saying much about it, this falls to us.