2004 church bombings in Baghdad and Mosul
| Church bombings in Baghdad and Mosul | |
|---|---|
| Part of Iraqi insurgency (2003–2006) | |
| Location | Baghdad and Mosul, Iraq |
| Date | 1 August 2004[1] ~18:30 – ~19:00 (UTC+4) |
| Target | Baghdad:[1]
Mosul:[1]
|
Attack type | Car bombings |
| Deaths | at least 12 |
| Injured | at least 71 |
| Perpetrators | Jama'at al-Tawhid wal-Jihad |
| Motive | Anti-Christian sentiment |
On August 1, 2004, a series of car bomb attacks took place during the Sunday evening Mass in churches of two Iraqi cities, Baghdad and Mosul. The six attacks killed at least 12 people and wounded at least 71. No one claimed responsibility for the attacks, but Iraq's national security adviser, Mowaffaq al-Rubaie, blamed the attacks on Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.[2] The bombings marked the first major attack against the Christian community since the 2003 invasion of Iraq.[3]
Attacks
[edit ]
The attacks happened within a few minutes of each another.[4] The rigged cars were parked outside churches and detonated when parishioners were leaving services. Only one of the bombings is believed to have been a suicide attack. The witnesses reported that "body parts were scattered across the area".[5] Of the six bombs, one did not explode and the police was able to remove it safely.[2]
In Mosul, hospitals reported two persons killed and 15 wounded.[6]
One of the bombed churches the Our Lady of Salvation Syriac Catholic cathedral was the same church that was attacked with hostages taken and killed on October 31, 2010.[7]
Responsibility
[edit ]Al-Qaeda in Iraq claimed responsibility for the attacks on an Islamic website.[2] Iraq's national security adviser, Mowaffaq al-Rubaie, blamed the attacks on Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.[2]
Reaction
[edit ]A Vatican spokesman, Rev. Ciro Benedettini, called the attacks "terrible and worrisome".[3] The Pope "firmly deplored the unjust aggressions against those whose only aim is to collaborate for peace and reconciliation in the country".[2] The Russian Orthodox Church issued a statement saying "the attacks were an attempt to spark a religious conflict."[2]
Muslims around the country condemned the attacks. In a statement to Al-Jazeera television, a spokesman for Muqtada al-Sadr said: "This is a cowardly act and targets all Iraqis".[3] Ali al-Sistani issued a statement in which he wrote: "We stress the need to respect the rights of Christians in Iraq and those of other religious faiths and their right to live in their home, Iraq, peacefully."[2]
Although only comprising about three percent of the population, Iraqi Christians make up 20% of Iraqis leaving the country as refugees.[4] [8] After 2004 churches bombing, which was the worst act of violence against Christian minority by that time, a member of Christian community, Layla Isitfan, in her interview with Time correspondents said: "If I can't go to church because I'm scared, if I can't dress how I want, if I can't drink because it's against Islam, what kind of freedom is that?"[8]
See also
[edit ]References
[edit ]- ^ a b c "Church Bombings in Iraq Since 2004" (PDF). The Tribune. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2012年10月08日. Retrieved 2010年11月15日.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Leaders condemn Iraq church bombs". BBC News. 2004年08月02日. Archived from the original on January 5, 2007. Retrieved 3 January 2015.
- ^ a b c [dead link ]OMAR SINAN (2004年08月01日). "Blast Hits Churches Across Iraq, 11 dead". christiansofiraq.com. Archived from the original on 2010年11月20日. Retrieved 2010年11月15日.
- ^ a b Preti Taneja (2007). "Assimilation, Exodus, Eradication: Iraq's minority communities since 2003" (PDF). www.christiansofiraq.com. ISBN 978-1-904584-60-5. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2010年11月20日. Retrieved 2010年11月15日.
- ^ "Attacks on Iraq churches, 12 killed". The Tribune. 2004年08月01日. Archived from the original on 2010年09月23日. Retrieved 2010年11月15日.
- ^ "Church bombs: Top insurgent blamed". CNN. 2004年08月02日. Archived from the original on 2012年10月01日. Retrieved 2010年11月15日.
- ^ "Church Bombings in Iraq Since 2004 (June 2004 - July 2009)" (PDF). Assyrian Int'l News Agency, pdf file. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2012年10月08日. Retrieved 2010年11月17日.
- ^ a b Christopher Allbritton; Samantha Appleton (Sep 27, 2004). "Holy War: Iraq's Persecuted Christians". Time . Archived from the original on March 9, 2008. Retrieved 2010年11月15日.
External links
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- Bombings in the Iraqi insurgency (2003–2011)
- 2004 in Baghdad
- Mosul in the Iraq War
- 2004 murders in Iraq
- Church bombings in Iraq
- Terrorist incidents in Iraq in 2004
- Terrorist incidents in Baghdad in the 2000s
- Christianity in Baghdad
- Christianity in Mosul
- Church bombings by Islamists
- Islamic terrorist incidents in 2004
- Mass murder in 2004
- 21st-century mass murder in Baghdad
- Attacks by Jama'at al-Tawhid wal-Jihad
- Mass murder in Mosul
- Improvised explosive device bombings in Mosul
- August 2004 crimes in Asia
- August 2004 in Iraq
- 2004 building bombings
- Building bombings in Baghdad
- Car and truck bombings in 2004
- 2004 in Christianity
- Car and truck bombings in Baghdad