Christianity in Iraq is finished, says Canon Andrew White …
He is one of the worlds most prominent priests, but Canon Andrew White known as the Vicar of Baghdad has reached a painstaking conclusion: Christianity is all but over in the land where it all began.
The time has come where it is over, no Christians will be left. Some stay Christians should stay to maintain the historical presence, but it has become very difficult. The future for the community is very limited, White told Fox News this week. The Christians coming out of Iraq and ISIS areas in the Middle East all say the same thing, there is no way they are ever going back. They have had enough.
Thirty years ago, there were approximately 1.4 million Christians in Iraq. The number dwindled to around 1 million after the fall of Saddam Hussein in 2003, and a year ago it was estimated that there were less than 250,000 left. Numbers have continued to decline as families flee, and today even approximate figures are difficult to obtain.
A LOOK INSIDE THE WALLS OF A PRISON IN IRAQ, AND INTO THE TORTURED MINDS OF FEMALE ISIS MILITANTS HELD THERE
If there is anything I can tell Americans it is that your fellow brothers and sisters are suffering, they are desperate for help, he said. And it is not just a matter of praying for peace. They need a lot food, resources, clothes, everything. They need everything.
For decades, Christians endured persecution in Iraq by hardline extremists as infidel people of the book but their fate became significantly more dire in 2014 after ISIS overran Mosul and the many ancient Christian villages surrounding the city. Thousands of families overnight were forced to flee their home, and while some have sought refuge in the northern Kurdish region, many have left the country altogether.
ISIS MURDERING COPTIC CHRISTIANS ON EGYPT'S SINAI PENINSULA OVER FAITH
White earned his moniker serving as the vicar of St. Georges Church, Baghdad the only remaining Anglican Church in the Iraqi capital until November, 2014 when he was ordered by the Archbishop of Canterbury to leave for securitys sake as the ISIS threat burgeoned.
Much of ministry over the years centered on humanitarian endeavors yet his do-good desires have come with controversy.
Last June, White came under criticism and was suspended by the board of trustees as president of the Foundation for Relief and Reconciliation (FRRME), the charity he founded in 2005 to bridge sectarian divisions and provide emergency relief to those affected by war. The suspension came after he made a Facebook post about freeing Yazidi sex slaves from ISIS, raising questions as to how that was achieved and if the terrorists were paid off.
The post also prompted an investigation of the foundation by the Charity Commission, the official charity regulator in England. As a registered UK charity, the organization is not permitted to engage in hostage release negotiations and it is against the law to pay ransoms to designated terrorist groups.
Nothing has come of the enquiry and White denied any wrongdoing publicly assuring that at no time did we pay money to any terrorists. He has not let the controversy stop him from continuing to help those fleeing ISIS atrocities in the Middle East. He has sincefounded two neworganizations, the Canon Andrew White Reconciliation Ministries in Amman, Jordan and Jerusalem Merit in Israel.
Whites ministry work in the Jordanian capital includes running a school and clinic for refugees and serving as a pastor to Christian families that have fled ISIS persecution. In Jerusalem, he is focused on relief and reconciliation amid the long-running Israel/Palestine conflict and he works directly with an array of religious groups, from Hasidic Jews and Samaritans to Christians and Muslims.
White has also been a vocal supporter of the new U.S. president. He praised Trumps commitment to helping persecuted Christians and for modifying his original travel ban to ensure Iraqis can still travel to the U.S. viewing that as acknowledgment that the two countries maintain positive ties. However, he hopes to foster dialogue with the administration and offer some suggestions to dealing with the Islamic community.
Many have this feeling that America is against them, and they need to show that America is not against Islam, America is against terrorism, White said, adding that by no means is he one of those people who thinks Islam is all about peace. We have got to have good relations, and the U.S is in a unique and powerful position to be a force for good.
Beyond humanitarian efforts, the central tenet of Whites work has for years been devoted to cultivating communications between Shia and Sunni leaders and even ISIS jihadists themselves in Iraq. Despite the constant terrorist threat, he continues to travel to Baghdad to continue his work in anti-extremism dialogue and to undergo stem cell treatment for Multiple Sclerosis, a diagnosis he received at age 33.
A lot of these guys I have known before they were ISIS, when they were part of militias like Sons of Iraq, he said. They operate in secret cells all over Baghdad, and the harder the Iraqi Army attacks Mosul, the more they attack Baghdad.
And, White stressed, there simply isnt a safe way to work with them.
It is important to find ways to engage with them, to look into their philosophies. I tried to invite some of the ISIS jihadists to dinner once, he added. They told me they would come, but that they would chop my head off afterwards. I didnt think it would be a nice way to end a dinner party.
Hollie McKay has been a FoxNews.com staff reporter since 2007. She has reported extensively from the Middle East on the rise and fall of terrorist groups such as ISIS in Iraq. Follow her on twitter at @holliesmckay
See the original post:
Christianity in Iraq is finished, says Canon Andrew White ...
- The Real Military History Behind the New Iraq War Film 'Warfare' - Military.com - April 1st, 2025 [April 1st, 2025]
- One Photo from Abu Ghraib Lost the Iraq War. Kristi Noem Continues the Tradition - Rolling Stone - April 1st, 2025 [April 1st, 2025]
- Iraq agrees to supply Lebanon with fuel for six months - Reuters - April 1st, 2025 [April 1st, 2025]
- Iran Joins Russia, Mexico, Venezuela, Ukraine, North Korea, Belarus, Myanmar, and Iraq as US Issues New Do Not Travel Alert: What You Need to Know -... - April 1st, 2025 [April 1st, 2025]
- Activation of TIR system in Iraq to boost connectivity and trade across Central Asia, Middle East and Europe - UNECE - April 1st, 2025 [April 1st, 2025]
- Crafting Warfare: Inside the intense, star-studded film about an Iraq War battle and the Navy SEALs who lived it - Entertainment Weekly - April 1st, 2025 [April 1st, 2025]
- UN-Habitat and the Government of Japan Expand Efforts to Support Returnees in Northern Iraq [EN/AR] - ReliefWeb - April 1st, 2025 [April 1st, 2025]
- Iraq joins TIR transit system - Heavy Lift & Project Forwarding International - April 1st, 2025 [April 1st, 2025]
- Trkiyes Development Road Project advances toward Iraq and Syria - Trkiye Today - April 1st, 2025 [April 1st, 2025]
- Iraq Officially Announces Sunday as First Day of Eid Al Fitr - Morocco World News - April 1st, 2025 [April 1st, 2025]
- Iraq agrees to supply Lebanon with fuel for six months - The New Arab - April 1st, 2025 [April 1st, 2025]
- Iran committed to implementing agreements with Iraq - - April 1st, 2025 [April 1st, 2025]
- The Iraq War lasted nearly 9 years, claiming the lives of almost 4,500 Americans. Hampton Roads ships, planes and troops played important roles. -... - April 1st, 2025 [April 1st, 2025]
- PM: Iraq rejects the threats facing the Islamic Republic of Iran - ina.iq - April 1st, 2025 [April 1st, 2025]
- Palestine keep hopes of first World Cup alive with dramatic Iraq turnaround - Al Jazeera - April 1st, 2025 [April 1st, 2025]
- Hakim ccalls for Iraq's exemption from sanctions on Iranian gas and electricity imports - Tehran Times - April 1st, 2025 [April 1st, 2025]
- 'I know what I'm doing next fall': Disabled Iraq veteran in Star honored with big game hunting tags - KIVI-TV - April 1st, 2025 [April 1st, 2025]
- Iranian Ambassador To Iraq, Mohammad Kazem Al-Sadegh: If Trump Is Willing To Return To Nuclear Talks We Are Prepared To Do So Following The P5+1... - April 1st, 2025 [April 1st, 2025]
- KFC expands in Iraq with tenth location in Baghdad - Iraqi News - April 1st, 2025 [April 1st, 2025]
- Boosting ties with Iraq help counter enemy plots: Pezeshkian - Tabnak - April 1st, 2025 [April 1st, 2025]
- Iran's MOIS-Linked APT34 Spies on Allies Iraq & Yemen - Dark Reading - March 28th, 2025 [March 28th, 2025]
- Warfare Review: Alex Garlands Iraq War Film Is Full Of Bombastic Aestheticism That Leaves You Feeling Empty - Deadline - March 28th, 2025 [March 28th, 2025]
- Warfare Review: Ray Mendoza and Alex Garlands Harrowing Retelling of an Iraq War Mission - slantmagazine - March 28th, 2025 [March 28th, 2025]
- Alex Garland and Ray Mendozas brutal Iraq film Warfare offers only violence to its detriment - The Independent - March 28th, 2025 [March 28th, 2025]
- Kurds ponder future in Turkey, Syria and Iraq with guarded optimism - South China Morning Post - March 28th, 2025 [March 28th, 2025]
- Will Iran derail the Development Road set to run through Iraq? - Amwaj.media - March 28th, 2025 [March 28th, 2025]
- Warfare Review: Alex Garland and Ray Mendozas Hyper-Intense Iraq War Simulator Is Realistic to a Fault - IndieWire - March 28th, 2025 [March 28th, 2025]
- Iraqi Tribal Leader Adnan Al-Danbous: The Arabs and Muslims Invaded Iraq and Drove Out the Chaldeans, Babylonians, Jews, and Christians Who Used to... - March 28th, 2025 [March 28th, 2025]
- On This Night in 2003, the Fifth Night of the Iraq War, We Won the Oscar. - Michael Moore | Substack - March 28th, 2025 [March 28th, 2025]
- ICRC: water, life and the fight against climate impacts in Iraq - Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Centre - March 28th, 2025 [March 28th, 2025]
- Iraq war veteran brings battlefield to big screen with 'Warfare' film - KEYE TV CBS Austin - March 28th, 2025 [March 28th, 2025]
- After Serving Together for 4 Years in Iraq, Dog and Army Handler Are Reunited to Live the Couch Life in Texas - Good News Network - March 28th, 2025 [March 28th, 2025]
- Iraq in Talks Over Floating Gas Terminals to Bridge Power Gap - Bloomberg - March 28th, 2025 [March 28th, 2025]
- Iraq religious gathering falsely portrayed as pro-Duterte rally - Yahoo - March 28th, 2025 [March 28th, 2025]
- Vets Who Fought in Iraq Honored on 22nd Anniversary of Invasion - Movieguide - March 28th, 2025 [March 28th, 2025]
- Iraq discusses Al-Faw Grand Ports operation with KBR - Iraqi News - March 28th, 2025 [March 28th, 2025]
- After 45 years, will the Kurdish-Turkish conflict in Iraq come to an end? - Ynetnews - March 28th, 2025 [March 28th, 2025]
- TIR goes live in Iraq in breakthrough for Middle East trade and development - IRU - March 28th, 2025 [March 28th, 2025]
- Iraq seizes more than one tonne of captagon pills shipped from Syria - Reuters - March 18th, 2025 [March 18th, 2025]
- Iraq Joins India, Brazil, Turkey, Australia, Kenya, Sri Lanka in Replacing Visa on Arrival and Making Electronic Visa the New Norm of Travel - Travel... - March 18th, 2025 [March 18th, 2025]
- Iraq Is Building a $17 Billion Trade Corridor to Bypass the Suez Canal - The Wall Street Journal - March 18th, 2025 [March 18th, 2025]
- CENTCOM Forces Kill ISIS Chief of Global Operations Who Also Served as ISIS #2 On March 13, U.S. Central Command forces, in cooperation with Iraqi... - March 18th, 2025 [March 18th, 2025]
- The Kurdification of Northern Iraq (Assyria) | Opinion - Newsweek - March 18th, 2025 [March 18th, 2025]
- ISIS' chief of global operations killed in precision airstrike in Iraq: CENTCOM - ABC News - March 18th, 2025 [March 18th, 2025]
- Iraq Is Building a $17 Billion Trade Corridor to Bypass the Suez Canal - MSN - March 18th, 2025 [March 18th, 2025]
- Leader of ISIS in Iraq and Syria killed in military operation, Pentagon says - CBS News - March 18th, 2025 [March 18th, 2025]
- Iraq set to double electricity imports from Turkey to address shortages - The Arab Weekly - March 18th, 2025 [March 18th, 2025]
- Iraq And Turkey Strengthen Cooperation On Energy And Water - Evrim Aac - March 18th, 2025 [March 18th, 2025]
- The Invasion of Iraq and St. Patrick's Day: Picturing This Week in History March 17 23 | Photos | U.S. News - U.S. News & World Report - March 18th, 2025 [March 18th, 2025]
- 'Fugitive' leader of ISIS 'relentlessly hunted down' and killed in Iraq, Trump says - CNYcentral.com - March 18th, 2025 [March 18th, 2025]
- Whats behind the demand to divide Iraq? - Middle East Monitor - March 18th, 2025 [March 18th, 2025]
- Ooredoo Group and ITPC partner to land FIG subsea cable in Iraq - w.media - March 18th, 2025 [March 18th, 2025]
- Spreadsheets of empire: red tape goes back 4,000 years, say scientists after Iraq finds - The Guardian - March 15th, 2025 [March 15th, 2025]
- Head of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria has been killed, Iraqi prime minister says - The Associated Press - March 15th, 2025 [March 15th, 2025]
- Putting ISIS on the ropes: Did the US dent terrorism in Iraq? - analysis - The Jerusalem Post - March 15th, 2025 [March 15th, 2025]
- Head of IS in Iraq, Syria has been killed, PM says - - March 15th, 2025 [March 15th, 2025]
- Maliki Warns of Attempts to Divide Iraq, Calls on Youth to Defend National Unity - Kurdistan24 - March 15th, 2025 [March 15th, 2025]
- 'His miserable life was terminated' says Trump after airstrike kills head of Islamic State in Iraq and Syria - Sky News - March 15th, 2025 [March 15th, 2025]
- Trump administration ends Iraq's waiver to buy Iranian electricity - Reuters - March 15th, 2025 [March 15th, 2025]
- 'Fugitive' leader of ISIS 'relentlessly hunted down' and killed in Iraq, Trump says - FOX 29 - March 15th, 2025 [March 15th, 2025]
- Trump, Aiming at Iran, Puts a Squeeze on Iraq - The Wall Street Journal - March 15th, 2025 [March 15th, 2025]
- Iraq Seeks Its First-Ever LNG Cargoes as Supply Concerns Loom - Bloomberg - March 15th, 2025 [March 15th, 2025]
- Trumps hostage envoy visited Iraq to push for release of Israeli captive sources - The Times of Israel - March 15th, 2025 [March 15th, 2025]
- Trump admin ends waiver allowing Iraq to buy Iranian electricity as part of 'maximum pressure' campaign - Fox News - March 15th, 2025 [March 15th, 2025]
- Sheffield father of Iraq soldier calls on Vance to resign - BBC.com - March 7th, 2025 [March 7th, 2025]
- Iraq veteran MP condemns JD Vance over claim Britain hasnt fought a war in 40 years - The Independent - March 7th, 2025 [March 7th, 2025]
- Iran spooked by Turkeys overtures to Kurds, rising role in Syria, Iraq - Al-Monitor - March 7th, 2025 [March 7th, 2025]
- After 2 years, Iraq claims to be searching for kidnapped researcher Elizabeth Tsurkov - Long War Journal - March 7th, 2025 [March 7th, 2025]
- New Warfare trailer reveals the true story behind the upcoming Iraq War drama - Task & Purpose - March 7th, 2025 [March 7th, 2025]
- Preserving Assyria explores the preservation of cultural heritage in post-conflict Iraq - ABC7 Los Angeles - March 7th, 2025 [March 7th, 2025]
- Iraq and the new Syria: Navigating ties in the post-Assad era - The New Arab - March 7th, 2025 [March 7th, 2025]
- Turkey Wants the PKK to DisarmBut Will It Actually Leave Iraq? - Foreign Policy In Focus - March 7th, 2025 [March 7th, 2025]
- RAF offensive operations against Daesh in Iraq and Syria continue - European Security & Defence - March 7th, 2025 [March 7th, 2025]
- Iraq in negotiations with Halliburton to develop Nahr Bin Umar oilfield - Iraqi News - March 7th, 2025 [March 7th, 2025]
- Stepped-up repatriation of IS families presents opportunities, risks for Iraq - Amwaj.media - March 7th, 2025 [March 7th, 2025]
- Iraq, foreign oil firms make conflicting statements on Kurdish exports resumption - Reuters.com - March 1st, 2025 [March 1st, 2025]
- Turkey seeks dissolution of PKK-linked groups in Syria and Iraq, following leader's peace plea - The Associated Press - March 1st, 2025 [March 1st, 2025]
- Hometown Heroes: Andy Weyker survived biggest tank battle in Iraq, succumbed to ALS - WeAreGreenBay.com - March 1st, 2025 [March 1st, 2025]
- Iraq Calls for Meeting with IOCs, KRG Ministry to Discuss Oil Contracts - Kurdistan24 - March 1st, 2025 [March 1st, 2025]
- Iraq to Announce Resumption of Kurdistan Oil Exports in the Coming Hours, Confirms Oil Minister - Kurdistan24 - March 1st, 2025 [March 1st, 2025]