St George’s Appeal 2024 - Mosaic Middle East

Ten Years On, and Persecution of Christians in Iraq is on the Rise Again

Please Help St. George's to continue to be a beacon of God's love in Baghdad

Life has worsened for Christians in Iraq right now.

According to the Rev'd Canon Faiz Jirjees MBE, of St. George's Anglican Church in Baghdad

The last decade has been disastrous for the ethnic and religious diversity of Iraq. Today, it is estimated that only 150,000 Christians are living in Iraq (compared to 1.5 million in the 1990s), which represents 0.35% of the country's 43.2 million population. For a country that has the most biblical history outside of Israel, and is home to the oldest practising body of Christians in the world, that is a worrying trend.

Life, according to the Rev'd Canon Faiz Jirjees MBE, is much harder for Christians right now and that they are at the "Bottom of the bottom of society." Christians are persecuted on account of their faith and face multiple daily restrictions, loss of freedoms and many are in desperate poverty. Persecution is sadly on the rise, with Iraq now rated as the 16th worst country for extreme violence to Christians (Open Doors).

Since the war in Gaza outward displays of Christianity, such as the wearing of symbols like the cross, can lead to harassment or mistreatment at checkpoints, workplaces, or when accessing government support. Women are at heightened risk, as their faith is clearly visible. As a result, some Christian women and girls wear a headscarf now for their own safety.

Jan-Youssef-2 — Jan relies, as do many in the congregation, on St. George's for help with food and medical aid. She dedicates her time to helping other women in the church, and in maintaining the library of religious literature. "*The Church has helped my disabled son, Joseph, and also paid for his schooling and transport." said Jan Youssef*.

Ways We Can Help the Congregation of St. George's:

Provision of Church Resources

Support with purchasing communion wafers and wine, candles, service sheets, discipleship notes, bibles, Sunday School class activity sheets, etc.

Food parcels

St. George's gives out food parcels to ensure the congregation has enough food to feed their families.

Armed Security Guards

St. George's Church requires 24/7 armed security to protect the clergy and congregation from attacks amid rising hatred and persecution. Armed guards have been shot at in the past, so the threat to Christians worshiping in Baghdad is real.

Prayers

The most powerful way we can help right now is to pray for the persecuted Christians in Iraq.

Your donations can offer practical support to St. George's right now

£43 could provide Church resources for a week

£108 could provide food relief packs for the congregation for one week

£255 could pay for armed security guards to protect St. George's Church for one week

Please Donate Today

Thank you.

Donate Now

Mosaic Meal

Why not host a Mosaic Meal and raise funds to support the work of St. George's.

Simply invite your church, friends or colleagues to a meal, where they can bring a dish to share and make a donation too. As you're the host, the meal can be as simple or as authentically middle eastern as you wish. We've also created a poster and invitation templates that you could use.

Easy meal ideals could include a hearty lentil soup with flatbreads. Or a platter of middle eastern bites like: hummus, olives, falafels, stuffed vine leaves, tasty nibbles in filo pastry, lamb kebabs, pizza slices, salads and a nice tipple of choice.

However if you're feeling adventurous, why not try some traditional Iraqi recipes from Philip Juma. (Philip runs Juma Kitchen in Borough Market and writes a regular food column for The Evening Standard.)