Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2010-01-19-Speech-2-133"
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"en.20100119.7.2-133"2
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"Madam President, High Representative, on Christmas night, 2009 – while we were on our Christmas recess, in other words – a number of churches in Iraq, Mesopotamia, were closed. Threats of bombings led to this sad situation, just as they had last year. In any case, the churches often remain empty, with or without such threats, as more and more Christians are leaving the country. The violence against them just goes on increasing, despite their shrinking numbers. Before Christmas, there were three deadly attacks in Mosul. Moreover, the Christians in the previously relatively safe city of Kirkuk, too, have, for several months, faced a simply unrelenting series of kidnappings and killings, resulting in the flight of hundreds of Christian families.
While there were around 1.5 million Christians in Iraq in 2003, more than half of them have now sought safety from religious cleansing in flight, religious cleansing that is being performed by Islamic extremists. Is the European Council, are the 27 Member States of the European Union, just watching on meekly as this Afghanisation of Iraq takes place, an Iraqi Christian has asked. I would appreciate hearing your position on this, High Representative. Whatever it may be, a Mesopotamia without its ancient Christian community will not face a more tolerant future, nor will that be good for Europe’s security in the long term."@en1
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