The persecution of Christians in Middle East intensified when Iraqi President Saddam Hussein was removed from power. According to the World Watch List, Iraq is the second most dangerous place for Christians due to ISIS jihadists (Open Doors 1). On March 19, 2003, the U.S., along with U.K. forces, invaded Iraq to prevent a mass destruction by Saddam Hussein. However, the War on Iraq resulted in violence against “ethnic and religious minorities” (Doran 1). Under Hussein’s dictatorship, …show more content…
Hussein was a Sunni Muslim, which at the time was a religious minority. Since Christians were also a minority in Iraq, they were “much more protected under the Hussein Regime than they are currently,” says Brian Katulis of the Center for American Progress. (Tobia 1). Christians were not favored under Hussein, yet they were not harmed. According to Adeed Dawisha, Professor of Political Science at Miami University, “[Under Hussein’s rule] It was understood that if you don’t interfere in politics, then you are provided with a good life.” After Hussein was captured by American forces, his regime fell and a religious civil war broke out, against all religious minorities, including Christians, that spread across the Middle East. Women and children are major targets of persecution and are usually raped, beaten, kidnapped, and sexually abused because of their faith. “ Islamic extremism is the primary driving force behind the expansion of persecution. It’s no longer just a Christian problem, it’s a global problem that must be addressed,” says …show more content…
“In many places in the world [women] face a double vulnerability: the disadvantage and repression prompted by their gender is overlaid by the hostility and persecution that comes from their minority Christian faith” ( Sherwood 1). In January 2016, three Christian girls, Kiran (17), Shamroza(18), and Sumble (20), were abused by Muslim men. The three girls were on their way home from work in Begowala, Pakistan, when four intoxicated men drove up beside of them and told them to get in their car. The women proceeded to walk away when the drunken men shouted things such as, “Come on for a ride and have some fun.” After refusing to get into the car, the three girls began to run in a panic. The men angrily yelled “How dare you run away from us, Christian girls are only meant for one thing, the pleasure of Muslim men.” They then drove their car into the three girls, injuring Shamroza and Sumble, and killing Kiran. The girls’ families are seeking justice, but the police forced them to “pay a bribe” in order to file a report. The men are from wealthy families, which makes it unlikely for the men to face any criminal charges. From similar cases in the past, evidence is “misplaced’ and witnesses are threatened, and the case is usually forgotten. (Spencer 1