Christians in Iraq did not celebrate Christmas this year as they did last year, as they cancelled the midnight mass early Saturday, main feature of the celebrations, due to curfew.

"Christmas is not only a tree and decoration, but it is an occasion through which we emphasize the importance of restoring security in Iraq and staying unified in spite of different religions and ethnic groups," said one of Christian.

Christians and churches were attacked many times amidst chaos and instability that prevailed in the war-torn country since the US-led war on Iraq in March 2003, while extremists claim that they are fighting against US troops and whoever is cooperating with them, and also accuse the United States of launching a Crusade on Muslims.

The armed attacks led to the exodus of thousands of Christmas to Syria and Jordan.

Religious minorities in Iraq, especially Christians, account for3 percent of the population of 25 million, most of them Shiites and Sunnis.

Freedom of religion is stipulated in the interim constitution adopted last March and applied until a permanent one next year.

The constitution of 1970, adopted by former regime, guarantees freedom of religion and prohibits any religious discrimination.

In 1972, the administration of Baath, the ruling party at that time, declared officially that other nationalities are Assyrian, Chaldean and Syrian.

Iraq has Syrian Catholics and Orthodox and Armenian Catholics and Orthodox, and recently, after the British mandate, protestants, and Catholics of the Latin Church.

Christians hold only one portfolio in the interim government of Iyad Allawi. Poverty and consecutive wars let many Christians leave Iraq.

When Sanctions were imposed on Iraq in 1990 due to Iraq's invasion of Kuwait, many Christians, who were living in perfect harmony with Muslims, left the country to join their relatives in the West. Most of Christians in Iraq are in Baghdad and northern cities.

Although Christians represent only 3 percent of the Iraqi population, some of them are elite of cultured and professional experts who are very much respected by the people.

According to opinion of some of Islamist trends, Islam is attached to Arabism and this had driven Christians out of the Arab nationality, which created an identity crisis to them.

The danger in this overlapping between political and religious concepts is that it would always have a religious explanation for every political difference, which is a time bomb in an eastern society of multiple religions and sects.

Source: Xinhua