Source: Ankawa Online
Basrawi Christians and Muslims attend the funeral of Maysoon, 42, and Osama, 45, Fareed At Mar Afram Chaldean Church in Basra, Iraq. The two siblings were killed by members of the Shia Militias on Sunday, Dec. 9, 2007.
By Queen Amidala
Basra, Iraq
Dear all,
With great sorrow, I bring sad news. The militias struck again. This time, they killed a brother and sister. The militias kidnapped them, killed them and then dumped their bodies away from their residence.
If it wasn't for the people who witnessed the murder and then collected the corpses, the dogs might have feasted on their bodies.
The victims names are Mayson and Osmam Fareed. They lived in our neighborhood and attended our church.
Neither one had any connections to the Brits. Mayson worked at a local clinic. Osama was a maintenance worker. They lived in a rented house owned by a Sunni family, who fled Basra. The militias wanted to evict them from the house. The siblings refused to submit to the militias' harrasment. People say the Shia militias wanted the house for a Shia family that was displaced from another part of the country.
The murder of Mayson and Osama hit the Basrawi Christian community very hard. Fr. Emmad, who collected their bodies and presided over the funeral, asked us to cancel any Christmas celebrations this year. In light of Mayson and Osama's death, we all agreed.
There is more disturbing news. Female university students who don't cover their heads are being threatened by students, who are members of the Shia militias.
My family, including myself, decided to flee the country as soon as possible. There's no safe place in Basra anymore.
Pray for us. I know you always do.
Regards,
Queen Amidala
Basra, Iraq
Related Links:
إلغاء احتفالات الميلاد في البصرة بعد خطف شابين مسيحيين وتصفيتهما
استشهاد شقيقين من أبناء الطائفة المسيحة في البصرة
مسيحين في البصرة يلاحقون من قبل المليشيات
9 comments:
Hi Fay,
Merry Christmas to you, and Merry Christmas to Queen Amidala, the bravest blogger in all of Iraq.
I hope her family and she can find a safe place to celebrate Christmas this year.
I'm always rooting for Queen Amidala and glad she is finally escaping her nightmare.
Hopefully the US will allow Iraqi minorities, like the Queen and her fellow Chaldeans/Assyrians/Mandaeans, facing religious persecution in Iraq, to emigrate to our country.
I can understand why the US has
limited the number of Iraqi refugees they've taken in, because they are worried about terrorism...
and can you imagine the backlash Fay, if any of the Iraqi refugees let into the US commit an act of terrorism... but the Iraqi Christians are not going to suffer from Sudden Jihad Syndrome and endanger us... Sudden Love Thy Neighbor Syndrome maybe, LOL. So it would be nice if the US government
helps a persecuted people.
Any ways, during the last sixty years, the Iraqis have chased out the Jews, the Assyrian and Chaldean Christians, the Mandaeans/Sabeans, the Armenians, the Palestinians, the Bahai, Jehovah Witnesses, Gays and Lesbians... and the Yezidis likely need one more village bombed before they pack up and head for Iran/Syria/Turkey.
So, what can you say really?
Just that, may it be a Happy New Year for the Queen...
Hi Fay,
You may have seen this already at AINA, but an Iraqi Assyrian Professor was stabbed to death in Sweden.
"Dr. Fuat Deniz, a renowned lecturer and Ph.D researcher in the field of sociology at Örebro University" was scheduled to appear at an Assyrian Genocide Conference. He left behind a three-year old daughter.
I know Sweden has a large Iraqi immigrant community, since they've been the most accomodating to Iraqi refugees, so it's possible his death was something that carried over from Iraq.
Though my suspicions center around either the Turks or Kurds, since they have the most to lose from the Assyrian genocide being publicized.
Any ways, it seems that it's always difficult for Iraqis to escape violence, no matter where they are.
Hi MG,
Merry Christmas to you and your family.
I hope Queen Amidala don't change her mind and really leave the country ASAP. There's definitely no safe place in Basra. But, don't tell Michael Yon readers. The story may burst their bubble.
I read about Dr. Deniz murder on Ankawa online. His murder certainly has something to do with his writings and activism.
Have you read the book "Snow"? You need to read it in case you didn't.
Hi Fay,
I just read that the Iraqis are making Christmas a national
holiday. 90 percent of the Iraqi Christians have fled the country and they are just now getting around to making Christmas a holiday. Ha Ha Ha. Fay, you have to laugh at the situation and the Iraqi government.
Snow. I don't want to see any more snow, lol, as we received a foot-and-a-half of the stuff last week. There I was out in my ratty,
falling-apart sneakers with no stockings snowblowing the driveway and sidewalks.
But Snow the book, surely someone will buy the film rights and make a movie out of the novel. And you must be excited about the Kite Runner movie, which just premiered?
I don't know if I will have a chance to read Snow though. Here are the Iraqi books I have from the library, that I must read before their due:
- Beyond The Green Zone, Dahr Jamail
- Mother of the Pound: Memoirs on the Life and History of Iraqi Jews
- Over There: From the Bronx to Baghdad
- A Fist In The Hornet's Nest: On The Ground in Baghdad
- Rule Number Two: Lessons I Learned in a Combat Hospital
- Chasing Ghosts, Paul Rieckoff
I tried to read the Pamuk book, but I couldn't get into it, I don't know if it was the effect of the translator's hand or what, plus the dialogue with the Islamists reminded me of this godawful Turkish movie I'd seen a little while back.
I have roots in Diyarbekir but I'm completely fed up with Turkish nationalism. They can believe whatever ridiculous thing they want about their history but they have to stop trying to shut up everyone that doesn't buy it.
Merry Christmas to you ,i read your biography and it is nice to know about you , good luck in your life ,i am honored to invite you to my blogging page..
Hi everyone,
Sorry it took me too long to publish your comments. I've been sooooooooooo busy with work this month.
My 12 days of Christmas holiday starts tomorrow. I will reply back to your comments after I get some res today.
Nadia, MG,
The position of the State Department in regard to accepting Iraqi Christians hasn't changed much from its position before 2003.
the States rejected many Iraqi Christians applicants during the 90s. Countries like Australia, New Zealand and Canada opended their doors to the Iraqi immigrants. Someone's loss became someone else's gain.
Nadia,
I admit Snow is hard to read compared to The Kite Runner. I can't read more than 10 pages of thr book at a time.
Abdelmoaty,
Thank you for visiting my blog. Hope you enjoy the posts.
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