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July 20, 2011 Special Dispatch No. 4015

Iraqi Daily Alleges that Jewish Gangs in Diplomatic Cars and Carrying Iraqi Identity Cards Forcing Christians to Convert to Judaism or Leave Iraq

July 20, 2011
Iraq | Special Dispatch No. 4015

According to an article in the Iraqi daily Al-Mustaqbal, groups of Jews are persecuting Iraqi Christians, and forcing them to convert or flee.

The following are excerpts:[1]

"Iraqi Christians have revealed the presence of Jewish groups which specialize in operations for killing or expelling Christians from Iraq unless they convert to the Jewish religion. One Christian family said that Jewish groups are pressing toward converting Christian families to the Jewish religion in return for getting support and protection from the dangers that that the Christian minority has been exposed to, for not a short while.

"[The Christian family] made it clear that Jewish groups move and travel regularly under official cover that allows them to move around in areas and residential quarters where majority of Christians are found. Half of the members of that [said] family have emigrated to Turkey and a few are left behind. One of its members said: 'The pressures to which they are subjected to convert from Christianity to Judaism are enormous.'

"In light of what the Christian family has said, Iraqi national security agencies such as mukhabarat [intelligence service] and national security are making a swift pursuit in search of the Jews who spread out in Iraq under multiple covers and identities such as organizations of civil society and [commercial] companies. The source [not identified] has revealed that some Jews carry Kurdish identity cards issued by the Kurdish region. He said they follow various methods with the Christian families to convert some of them to the Jewish religion while those Iraqi Christians who have refused to cooperate with the Jews were killed, kidnapped, or expelled.

"According to the same source, some of the Jewish elements travelled in the past in American military vehicles but now they move in civilian vehicles some carrying the tags 'C.D' - diplomatic corps - and others move around in the capacity of private guards, security companies or investors. The source, who has refused to reveal his identity, said he was awaiting resettlement in one of the European countries [with the help of] Turkey that facilitates the resettlement of Iraqi Christians against large payments amounting to $20,000 per person.

"The source said that he would be meeting with the UN Office for Human Rights in Turkey in the next few weeks. After he receives approval for his resettlement he will reveal the names and characteristics [of those] that bargained with him and his family and other Christian families that he either knows or are relatives of his who reside in Baghdad.

"It is worth noting that the UN Human Rights Office in Turkey is headed by a Jewish employee."


[1] Al-Mustaqbal (Iraq), July 18, 2011. It should be noted that of the 150,000 vibrant Jewish community that lived in Iraq for 2500 years there remain about 7 elderly individuals.

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