Iraqi Christians Targeted for Death, Media Silent

(Mosul, Iraq) The relentless and largely unreported killings of Iraqi Christians continues.

On Saturday, a 40-year-old Christian believer and clothing store owner, Hazim Thomaso Youssif, was gunned down by suspected Islamic fundamentalists in front of his store. On the same day, a 15-year-old Christian boy, Ivan Nuwya, was shot to death in front of his home, also by suspected Islamic fundamentalists.

The media are being criticized for showing indifference to the murders of Christians, which numbered 47 in 2007 with 13 in Mosul, and indifference to attacks on Christian property. They "do not even report the crimes that are committed," said one source.

Speaking of the situation in Mosul, the source emphasizes that the city "has become the holocaust of the Christians," and that there is no sign of improvement despite the efforts in the war on terror.

Being silent only promotes the evil, however, the media are often equally at risk of being targeted if they do report the atrocities of suspected Islamic fundamentalists.