Baghdad (
AsiaNews) - Baghdad's local government
has decided to show its solidarity with the Christians and try to stem the
exodus of the minority from the country with a Christmas tree on the banks of
the Tigris River. The
initiative was announced by Salah Abdel Razzaq , Head of the Cultural Committee
of the provincial council in Baghdad.
The
5 meter tall tree will be erected in the coming days in the neighborhood of
Karrada , on the eastern side of theTigris River tigers, where Christians and
Muslims, Shiites and Sunnis, live together peacefully.
After
the U.S. invasion in 2003 , Islamic extremists have targeted the Christian
minority , killing hundreds of people, including priests , businessmen ,
doctors, and politicians. This
situation has prompted thousands of Christians to flee Iraq, the number has
dropped over the past 10 years from over 2 million to less than 300 thousand .