Arabs for Christ - Missionary Information: Iraq<title> <body background="fishbg.jpg" bgproperties="fixed"> <MAP NAME="Iraq"> <AREA SHAPE="CIRCLE" COORDS="318,86,17" HREF="#irbil" TITLE="Irbil"> <AREA SHAPE="CIRCLE" COORDS="331,120,15" HREF="#kirkuk" TITLE="Kirkuk"> <AREA SHAPE="CIRCLE" COORDS="263,44,13" HREF="#dahook" TITLE="Dahuk"> <AREA SHAPE="CIRCLE" COORDS="342,264,17" HREF="#baghdad" TITLE="Baghdad"> <AREA SHAPE="RECT" COORDS="302,289,535,449" HREF="#shia" TITLE="Shia Zones"> <AREA SHAPE="RECT" COORDS="169,164,338,243" HREF="#sunni" TITLE="Sunni Zones"> <AREA SHAPE="CIRCLE" COORDS="271,79,17" HREF="#mosul" TITLE="Mosul"> <AREA SHAPE="RECT" COORDS="28,256,71,346" HREF="#jborder" TITLE="Jordanian Border"> <AREA SHAPE="RECT" COORDS="250,2,356,30" HREF="#tborder" TITLE="Turkey Border"> </MAP> <IMG SRC="iraq.jpg" USEMAP="#Iraq" BORDER="0"> <hr><a name=irbil></a>Irbil or ArbilIrbil is the center of the Kurdish people. It is their "capital." The Kurds do not have a nation but in Iraq they have a very independent state. There Kurds have complete control over their lands, the Iraqi Arab army must ask permission before entering into their territory. This area has some evangelism efforts going on, however most of the Church thrives underground. There was a Church that had, at one time total legality - however due to some kind of internal conflict the Church decided they would rather be underground that under the leadership that the Church had, at that time. Kurds in this city that are believers are very active in sharing their faith, for the most part. There was a Christian bookstore here, but it has since closed due to troubles that it had while running. Getting tracts here is not difficult, however getting materials and resources in Kurdish can sometimes be difficult. This area is very secure there are not many problems here. There is a working airport here. It is possible for Americans and other nationalities to fly into the airport here. Visa issued at the airport is only good for 10 days. <a href="#top">Back to Top</a> <hr> <a name=kirkuk></a> Kirkuk This area is inhabited by both Arab and Kurd. This area is a hot spot for violence. There was much evangelism here before the 2003 invasion of American troops. Most of the believers from this town have either left the country or fled into different Kurdish towns; such as Irbil, or Dahuk. The main conflict in this city is due to the Arab Sunni's wishing to have more access and more profit from the vast amount of oil in this area. There have been many accounts of abduction in this city. <a href="#top">Back to Top</a> <hr><a name=dahook></a>DahukThis city is a Kurdish city, however you will find many refugees from Baghdad residing here. Evangelism here seems pretty open. It is possible to do street evangelism here in the streets. It would be really wise to have material ready in Sorani Kurdish and in Arabic for the occasional refugee. This city is home to many believers that "just couldn't leave Iraq behind." There are a few groups of believers that meet regularly here. There is also a Christian book store. <a href="#top">Back to Top</a> <hr> <a name=baghdad></a>Baghdad Once home to many believers, this city now seems to be like a giant prison. It is very difficult for those who are there now to escape its horrors. "In some parts of the world one might die of hunger, or disease, or violence, here in Baghdad one can choose his death." There are a few believers still there, however evangelism is severely limited due to the large amount of violence that occurs here on a daily basis. One pastor in Baghdad said this when called and asked when he would "escape to the north" "I will leave once things get dangerous." We must continue to pray for the believers that are still stuck in Baghdad. <a href="#top">Back to Top</a> <hr>Sunni Zones<a name=sunni></a> Sunni cities are dominated by many forces. Al Qaeda in these areas have arrived fresh after 2003 in order to try and keep the Shia from gaining control of the government. Since they were not able to keep the Shia out of government a lot of the Sunni fled to Jordan, Syria etc. Now Al Qaeda is no longer the professional force that they were when they entered. They are now a grassroots movement, a group that anyone can join without exception. They have gone from being known for their extreme training to anyone with a gun. There are many other militias that are Sunni that also dominate various towns. They have different names and different alliances, they have even been known to clash with each other. Most of them have 2 things in common a vow to kill 2 Christians for every Muslim killed as a result of the war, and a mutual hatred of Shia Muslims. <a href="#top">Back to Top</a> <hr>Shia Zones<a name=shia></a> Throughout Iraq Shia cities are very happy to hear that the days of Sadaam are gone. They have changed Iraq from being a country controlled by Sunni's to being a Shia state. They have effectively been able to win the majority of the elections. The Shia areas are generally seen as being more safe than the Sunni zones. There is quite a bit of evangelism going on in these different cities. There are even some foreign American missionaries working safely inside of these ares. The majority of the Shia are very pro government. However, they too have their own militias. In Iraq there have been many sightings of Hezb Allah forces. They are a group that are from Lebanon but are funded and trained in Iran. These groups are heavily trained. They are there in Iraq to try and prevent Al Qaeda from taking power. Hezb Allah and Al Qaeda hate each other with a passion. These two groups fight each other very often in Iraq. Hezb Allah gets its funding from Iran and Syria. They do have quite a few Lebanese and Palestinian volunteers. Shia are generally seen to be more receptive to the Gospel as a whole, as compared to the Sunni.<a href="#top">Back to Top</a><hr> Turkey Border<a name=tborder></a> It is possible for Americans and Europeans to enter Iraq through this border. It is very safe, but will take a long time to enter. Generally there have been no instances of abuse or difficulties for believers traveling through carrying bibles etc. <a href="#top">Back to Top</a> <hr>Jordanian Border<a name=jborder></a> It doesn't seem likely that foreigners will be aloud to use this land border for quite some time. It is known, and the Syrian one as being very dangerous. There have been many reports of deaths on the way to and from the crossing. There have been many stories of believers being killed after being seen carrying bibles or other resources from the border. Caution is extremely advised <a href="#top">Back to Top</a> <hr>Mosul<a name=mosul></a> There are many believers that had lived in this city, but have since left due to pressures of the war. This city is often the hot seat of fighting. It is very similar to Kirkuk in their situation. There is a Christian bookstore established somewhere downtown. <a href="#top">Back to Top</a>