Reports out of Istanbul in early December detail attacks against Assyrian businesses in Northern Iraq. These attacks were reported to be the first widespread violence against Christians in the once-safe Kurdish region. As the number of Christians inside Iraq continues to dwindle, the support for those who remain in Iraq becomes increasingly more important. Pray that God would bind the plots and schemes of those who intend to harm Christians and other minorities, and ask Him to protect those Christians who remain in the country. Pray that God will unite the Christians of Iraq and keep their focus on Him and His Kingdom. (AsiaLink - March 2012)

Mohsen Al, a 22 year old former student at the University of Arak, was recently denied citizenship to Iran, his home country and place of birth. Born to an Iranian mother and exiled father from Iraq, Mohsen was denied a birth certificate by Iranian officials and has been told he must report ‘back’ to Iraq, although he’s never lived anywhere other than Iran. As a result, his marriage is now null and void and he has no opportunity for appeal. In his desperate attempt to find a solution he came across Luke 6:29 and found salvation through this lesson of love. Mohsen now blogs on Christian persecution and the rising problem and mistreatment of refugees in the Middle East. He asks for prayer for fellow Christians who are mistreated and persecuted for their faith in Christ. He also asks for prayer to support misplaced refugees who are denied a right to the only life they’ve ever known. (AsiaLink - July 2011)

Rev Mukhlis Shasha urged his congregation at the Church of Our Lady of Salvation in Baghdad to stand firm in the aftermath of the attack on 31st October in which 53 Christians were killed, including two priests, when gunmen who had taken them hostage fought with security forces. “We may have sadness, but we will not give up,” Rev Shasha told The Washington Post. “If we all leave the country, who will remember this massacre? Who will witness the resurrection of this church again?” Pray God's perfect peace over Iraqi Christians, especially those who have been personally affected by recent violence. Pray also that the Iraqi authorities will do more to protect vulnerable Christians. (Release International - December 2010)

Kurds make up around 17 percent of Iraq's population, forming the majority in at least three provinces in northern Iraq which are together known as Iraqi Kurdistan. There is a Kurdish saying that says “The Kurd has no friends” and this has summed up their experience in recent years. The Kurds have fought for survival and a national identity for over 70 years. Nation after nation has made promises to them and they are all broken. Since 1985 nearly 4,000 villages and towns have been destroyed, countless fields mined, 500,000 have been deported to distant camps and up to 250,000 killed. Following the fall of Saddam Hussein the situation has improved and Kurdish people were formally recognised in Iraq’s new constitution, ratified in 2005. Pray for the future of the Kurdish people in Iraq and the work of Christian organisations seeking to witness to them. (World in Need - November 2010)

Despite continuing bomb attacks in other cities, particularly Mosul, The Voice of the Martyrs (VOM) Australia reports that some Christians who fled Baghdad after the fall of Saddam Hussein are now returning home, encouraged by what they see as improved security in the city. However, VOM also noted that many of the Christian families returning to Baghdad have little money left and are forced to share small houses with other families. Ask God to fill His people in Iraq with His peace. (Release International - March 2010)

Six churches in the city were bombed in a single weekend in July. In the worst attack, a car bomb exploded near a church on Palestine Street in eastern Baghdad on Sunday, 12th July, just as people were leaving after an evening service. Four were killed and 21 others were injured, according to the BBC. Bombs were detonated in four other churches in the city on the same day, injuring at least ten other people. On the same day, a senior provincial government official was shot dead in Kirkuk in northern Iraq. It is not yet known if the murder of Aziz Rizqo Nisan, a Christian, was religiously motivated or not. Auxiliary Bishop of Baghdad, Shlemon Warduni, said he has asked Christians in the city to “take courage” but also added that there was a feeling of “powerlessness and despair” in the Christian community that could lead to another mass exodus of believers. (Release International - September 2009)

The situation for many Christians in Iraq, since the fall of Saddam Hussein has worsened. Prior to 2003, Christians were free to worship and to build churches. That has all changed and it is now probably more difficult than at any point in history. Christians leaders are being kidnapped and killed. A Christian leader in the church there says “Our people are increasingly going hungry and relying on the church for everything – food, water, medicine and rent money. Relief work through the church has radically increased; however supplying the needs of the people involves huge risks.” Pray for those pastors who face death in their efforts to spread the gospel message and for the families of those who have lost loved ones in the recent wave of persecution. (AsiaLink - May 2009)