Mistaken for Muslims, Iraqi Christians Find the Same Hate in the U.S.

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by Gary Nguyen
Iraqi Christians can’t seem to find peace, even in Christian-majority America. Contrary to popular belief, it’s not just Muslims who are immigrating to America, but persecuted Christians as well. Christians from Iraq have double the problems due to their faith. Fleeing from a country that was out to wipe them out, they now find themselves in a nation that discriminates against them due to their similarity to the Iraqi Muslims. With similar sounding names, ethnicity and cultural background, Christians from Iraq have to face a lot of odds if they must find a life that is peaceful and free from troubles. Mistaken for Muslims, Iraqi Christians Find the Same Hate in the U.S. Tweet This This group of Christians trace themselves to the ancient Babylonians. The community identifies itself as ‘Chaldeans’, rather than as Iraqi. Besides, rather than speaking Arabic like their fellow Iraqis do, the Chaldeans speak a form of modern day Aramaic. The community is affiliated with the Roman Catholic Church, under the Eastern Rite headed by the Patriarch of Babylon. The Chaldeans are proud of a rich and ancient heritage, boosted by the fact that they speak the same tongue as was spoken by Jesus himself. The Chaldeans have traditionally been farmers and shepherds, dwelling in mountainous regions from much before the times of Christ. However, the rise of fanaticism in Iraq, in the name of ISIS, has driven these Christians to the point of despair. A large number are now steadily making their way into America, where they are facing the ripples of Islamophobic crimes due to the poor knowledge people have about who they are and how they differ from Iraqi Muslims. Chaldeans have been coming to America for a very long time, however. Religious freedom has always been a major issue the Chaldeans have faced. With this as the key factor behind their immigration to the U.S., now almost 200,000 Chaldeans are living in various states. Detroit has that largest of this number with 120,000 Chaldean residents. The brutal persecution in Iraq is now causing a steady rise in these figures.

Read more at World Religion News: “Mistaken for Muslims, Iraqi Christians Find the Same Hate in the U.S.” http://www.worldreligionnews.com/?p=31342