Is this the Justice that the world is enforcing on Iraqi Christians? What a shame (see the horrible pictures)
Assyrians Demonstrate Around the World Against Baghdad Church Massacre
http://www.aina.org/news/20101110011240.htm
Posted GMT 11-10-2010 7:12:40
(AINA) -- Assyrians held demonstrations across the world today to call attention to the Baghdad church massacre which occurred on October 31, when the Islamic State of Iraq, an Al-Qaeda affiliated group, stormed Our Lady of Deliverance Syrian Catholic Church and killed 58 parishioners and wounded 75. Protesters demanded an end to the low-grade genocide of Assyrians (also known as Chaldeans and Syriacs) which began on June 26, 2004, when the first church was bombed. Since that time, 66 churches have been bombed, 15 priests and bishops and hundreds of Assyrians have been killed and nearly half have fled to Syria and Jordan.
Rallies were held in Detroit, Phoenix, Chicago, Hartford, Modesto, San Jose, San Diego, Los Angeles, New York, Las Vegas, Hamilton, Toronto, Sydney, London, Sweden, Holland and Germany.
The names of the victims were read in most of the rallies. The following list contains the names of 43 of the 58 Assyrians who were killed.
Father Tha'ir Saadallah Abalhad Abdal
Father Wasim Sabih Joseph al-Qas
George Ayyub Tubiyya
Nabil Ilyas Sam'an Saqat
Saham Adnan Sado
Thamir Kamil Awsi
Nida Hamid Estefan
Umar Thamir Kamil Awsi
Aziz al-Maysi
Jonah George al-Sa'ur
John Jonah George al-Sa'ur
Rita Matthew George Zura
Sandro John Jonah al-Sa'ur [child]
Maha Nasif Banno
Salam Adib
Wisam Adib
Faiz Wadallah Qazzazi
Uday Zuhayr Mardina Arab
Adam Uday Zuhayr Arab
Bahnam Mansur Bulus Mumika
Ayyub Adnan Ayyub Burjo
Sabah Matthew Hamami
Saad Edward al-Sa'ati
Faris Najib Phillip Hannawi
Vivian Nasir Maro
Nathir Abd al-Ahad Anani
Fadi Bahuda
Mazin Fathil Salim Ilyas
Abdullah Haddad
Wamiq Haddad
Raghda Wafi Bishara
Nizar Jamil Matlub
Milad Nizar Jamil Matlub
Bassam Adnan Jamil al-Khury
Adnan Jamil al-Khury
Bahnam Michael Kafilmawt
Salah George Abd al-Ahad Qaqo
Christine Nabil Tubiya Katnawi
Ra'id Saadallah Abalhad Abdal
Fadi Samir Habib Amso
Ethel Najib Abbudi
Nizar Hazim Abdurrahim al-Sayigh
Suhayla Rofail Jani

Sfeir: new government could solve crisis
By Elias Sakr
Daily Star staff
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Interview
BKIRKI: Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Butros Sfeir said Tuesday the formation of a new Cabinet could be the solution to the current political impasse but added that Prime Minister Saad Hariri was still the right man to lead any government.
“There is talk about a new government, which could be the solution [for the current political impasse.] However, harmony should reign among government members if they are to govern,” Sfeir told The Daily Star in an interview held in Bkirki, the seat of the Maronite Patriarchate overlooking the bay of Jounieh.
Asked to comment on the possibility of forming a new Cabinet headed by someone other than Hariri, the softly spoken Sfeir said, “I do not know but Hariri is the most prominent man who imposed himself under the current circumstances.”
At the Maronite patriarch’s grand hall, Sfeir elaborated on the latest political developments.
“There should be interaction among government members to be capable of governing, whereas if every group pulls the rope to its side, then the Cabinet will fail to move forward,” he added, reiterating his earlier statements, questioning the competence of a Cabinet comprising both the opposition and the majority.
“Lack of mutual understanding reigns and differences exist over most topics,” he said.
Sfeir said he was “unaware of new developments” in the Saudi-Syrian efforts to put an end to the political deadlock. The regional contacts are aimed at buying time to avoid a rupture in dialogue and consequently tension among the Lebanese.
“Nevertheless, efforts continue in favor of uniting the Lebanese,” he added.
Asked whether French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner discussed with him during his visit to Lebanon regional contacts that might lead to the amendment of the Taif Accord, Sfeir said no party brought up the subject before him.
“We do not mind an amendment to the Taif equation if it is for the better but if it is for the worse of course we will reject it,” he added.
Sfeir, who was visited earlier in the day by Saudi Ambassador Ali Awad Osseiri, said Riyadh “is keen to preserve security in Lebanon and to bring the Lebanese closer to each other.”
The patriarch described as politically motivated news reports concerning scenarios that might follow the issuance of the indictment by the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, which Hizbullah says is set to implicate members of the party.
“This is political activity and everyone through such endeavors is insisting on his point of view for the purpose of achieving personal gains,” he said.
Sfeir said media reports that the opposition would attempt a coup might be aimed only to intimidate.
Recent reports by the pro-Hizbullah daily Al-Akhbar said the party was planning to besiege a number of security institutions and Hariri’s residence if the STL indictment involves some its members. Hizbullah neither confirmed nor denied the reports.
However, when asked whether he was concerned that such scenarios would take place, Sfeir said “I cannot answer that question but some might have hidden intentions to launch a coup. However, such claims could have no valid basis.”
As for Hizbullah’s escalatory stances in condemnation of the STL, Sfeir said “the tribunal was established and exists as investigations are being carried out, while Hizbullah certainly wants to refute the accusation against it and this is a way to do so.”
“We want the government and the tribunal along with stability,” Sfeir said when asked whether he endorsed Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea’s position that he would choose to keep the tribunal over the Cabinet if facing a choice between the two.
Touching on the issue of US support for Lebanon’s stability, Sfeir said the United States had not conveyed to him any guarantees in that regard.
“I am not aware of any guarantees but they say that they support an independent Lebanon where calm and tranquility reign,” he said. Asked whether he trusted such pronouncements, Sfeir, laughing, said “it is better than opposite [statements].”
Asked about MP Walid Jumblatt’s recent positions, Sfeir said politicians shift stances in line with changing circumstances in order to fulfill their objective.
“I do not believe he is helpless but he follows his political compass, which determines his course of action,” he added when asked whether Jumblatt was forced to shift positions and move closer to the March 8 coalition.
On another note, Sfeir denied that the patriarchate called for Monday’s March 14 Christian parties’ gathering at Bkirki but said it was rather March 14 parties that asked to visit the patriarchate “whose doors are open for all.”
“We welcome whoever comes to us; March 14 personalities came, so we received them and if others want to come, we will do the same,” Sfeir said.
Asked whether the gathering aimed to strengthen the role of March 14 Christian groups within the March 14 alliance to ensure that their ally, the Future Movement, would not adopt unilateral decisions, Sfeir said the patriarchate lacked knowledge of any intentions behind the visit.

3 Killed, 26 Wounded in Attacks on Baghdad Christians
Naharnet
http://www.naharnet.com/domino/tn/NewsDesk.nsf/getstory?openform&E5A1065E382E9B8CC22577D70025AF45
A spate of early morning bomb and mortar attacks on homes of Christians in Baghdad Wednesday left at least three people dead and 26 wounded, an interior ministry official said.
"Two mortar shells and 10 homemade bombs targeted the homes of Christians in different neighborhoods of Baghdad between 6:00 am and 8:00 am (0300 and 0500 GMT)," the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
"The toll is three dead and 26 wounded."
The attacks come 10 days after 44 Christian worshippers, two priests and seven security forces personnel died during the seizure of a Baghdad cathedral by Islamist militants and the ensuing shootout when it was stormed by troops.
On Tuesday, three homes in the Mansur district of western Baghdad belonging to Christians were firebombed without causing any casualties, an interior ministry source said.
On November 3, Al-Qaeda claimed responsibility for the Baghdad cathedral bloodbath and warned it would further step up attacks on Christians.
The extremists said they had carried out the church attack to force the release of converts to Islam allegedly being detained by the Coptic Church in Egypt. Days afterwards it declared Christians everywhere "legitimate targets."
A senior Iraqi clergyman said at the weekend Iraq's Christians should leave the country or face being killed at the hands of Al-Qaeda. "If they stay they will be finished, one by one," Archbishop Athanasios Dawood told the BBC.
Iraq's premier however on Tuesday cautioned other countries not to encourage Christians to abandon their homeland, after France took in dozens of people wounded in the October 31 cathedral attack.
On his first visit to the church targeted on October 31, Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki said that at a meeting with Pope Benedict XVI in 2008 he had asked the pontiff "not to let the east be emptied of Christians, nor the West of Muslims."
"The countries that have welcomed the victims ... of this attack (on the church) have done a noble thing, but that should not encourage emigration," he said on a visit to the Syriac Catholic cathedral where the massacre occurred.
Thirty-four Iraqi Christians and a Muslim guard wounded in the incident flew in to France on Monday for admission to hospitals for treatment.
French Immigration Minister Eric Besson has said this fitted France's "tradition of asylum" to take them in, and that asylum would be "handed out generously" to those who seek it.
France plans a second evacuation flight in the coming weeks to bring out a further 93 Christians.
Besson said that 1,300 Iraqi Christians had been granted asylum in France since autumn 2007, an acceptance rate of 85 percent for asylum-seekers from among the community.
An estimated 800,000 Christians lived in Iraq before the US-led invasion of 2003 but that number has since shrunk to around 500,000 in the face of repeated attacks against their community and churches.
Christians in Baghdad have now dwindled to around 150,000, a third of their former population in the capital.(AFP)(AP photo shows Iraqi Christians with red ink on their shirts, protest the Oct. 31 attack on Iraqi Christians in Baghdad during a rally in Chicago)
Beirut, 10 Nov 10, 08:51

March 14 Commits to Christian-Islamic Equality: March 8 Forces Insist on Violating Lebanon's Pledges on STL
Naharnet/The March 14 General Secretariat stressed on Wednesday its commitment to Christian-Islamic equality as it is the strongest guarantee for maintaining coexistence in light of the internal and regional disputes. It rejected in its weekly meeting subjecting Lebanon to armed powers following political and factional agendas. In addition, it criticized the March 8 forces' "lack of the minimum amount of sense of responsibility" due to its insistence on making the government take a position that contradicts the Lebanese state's pledges over the Special Tribunal for Lebanon. Furthermore, it said that their position "should they succeed, will only lead to Lebanon being labeled as a failed state, which will not in any way affect the course of international justice." Beirut, 10 Nov 10, 15:15

French Sources: Israel Ready for Lebanon War
A French official warned that Israel was ready for war on Lebanon.
Naharnet/As-Safir newspaper on Wednesday quoted a French official, who has returned from a tour of the region that included north of Palestine, as saying that "Israel is ready for war against Lebanon." The official said the Israelis told him that they have completed in recent months their military and civil preparations and that the infrastructure and shelters in the north of Palestine, especially the settlements adjacent to the border with Lebanon, were now ready to confront the prospect of war at any moment. He said the Israelis have completed a series of exercises aimed at testing the ability of staff and new army units in the Northern Corps, which has been rebuilt, on the implementation of plans prepared against Hizbullah as soon as possible. The French source said the maneuvers, latest of which was carried out in February, was based on confronting a series of networks of advanced missiles and the intensity of firepower that could threaten Israel's security, in addition to long-range missiles and air defense systems. Beirut, 10 Nov 10, 10:02

Two injured in Dahiyeh gunfire
November 10, 2010 /A gun battle broke out between members of the Amhaz and Moqdad families in Beirut’s southern suburb of Dahiyeh on Wednesday, in which two people were injured, NOW Lebanon’s correspondent reported. The clash took place on Hadi Nasrallah’s Highway in Dahiyeh, and escalated to the use of arms, the correspondent said.
He also said that the injured were transported to a nearby hospital, adding that the Lebanese army is chasing the perpetrators. -NOW Lebanon

STL Appeals Chamber affirms court’s jurisdiction over Sayyed’s application
November 10, 2010 /The Appeals Chamber of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) issued a unanimous opinion Wednesday rejecting the Prosecutor’s appeal of the recent decision by the Pre-Trial Judge, Daniel Fransen, relating to the request by former General Security chief Jamil al-Sayyed for access to documents about his detention by the Lebanese authorities.
According to an STL press release, “the Appeals Chamber also found that the STL has jurisdiction to consider Sayyed’s request and determined that Sayyed has legal grounds to bring this application before the Tribunal. ““The Pre-Trial Judge will now decide on the merits of Sayyed’s application, specifically whether Sayyed should have access to the documents that he believes are held by the Tribunal’s Prosecutor,” the statement said. STL President Antonio Cassese rejected Sayyed’s motion last Friday to disqualify Judges Ralph Riachi and Afif Shamseddine from the hearing on STL Prosecutor Daniel Bellemare’s appeal. Sayyed was arrested in 2005 on suspicion of involvement in former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri’s assassination and was released in 2009 due to lack of evidence. In March 2010, he requested that the tribunal give him access to his investigation files so that he could take legal action against witnesses he says gave false testimony against him.-NOW Lebanon

Ofeish notes ongoing efforts to tackle “false witnesses” issue
November 10, 2010 /Minister of State Mona Ofeish- who represents President Michel Sleiman- said on Wednesday that contact is ongoing with all parties in order to reach consensus regarding the “false witnesses” issue. She told Future News that the parties will reach an agreement regarding the matter. Ministers are expected to discuss on Wednesday the issue of witnesses who gave unreliable testimonies to the investigation of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri’s 2005 assassination. March 8 politicians have called for the cabinet to task the Justice Council with investigating the issue of “false witnesses.”  However, March 14 figures have said that the regular judiciary should handle the matter. -NOW Lebanon

Nasrallah’s got important things to share
November 10, 2010
Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah will voice a significant position during his Thursday speech, an unnamed Hezbollah source told NOW Lebanon on Wednesday.
The source said that Nasrallah will address the latest visits made by US and French officials to Lebanon, referring to US Senator John Kerry’s visit to Beirut Monday and French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner’s trip last week. “Lebanon is in trouble and we are on the doorstep of a problem,” the source said, adding that “the situation in the Middle East is not reassuring.” Tension is high in Lebanon after unconfirmed reports said that the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) would soon issue its indictment for the 2005 assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. March 8 parties are calling for the abolition of the tribunal. Last month, Nasrallah called for boycotting the STL and ending cooperation with its investigators.
-NOW Lebanon

STL: No such thing as “false witnesses”
Matt Nash, November 10, 2010
Now Lebanon
The question came up over and over and over again.
“What about the ‘false witnesses?’”
By the end, the answer came couched in exasperation.
“You need to understand, the STL is not the triple ‘IC,’” Refik Hodzic, a Bosnian journalist who has worked as a consultant with the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, said passionately, seemingly at the edge of frustration, referring to the court and the UN International Independent Investigation Committee which preceded it.
“Judge the credibility of the STL based on the indictment” and the evidence on which it’s based, Hodzic implored a crowd of Beirut-based journalists.
Over the course of three days last week, the STL and the Foreign Press Association in the Netherlands hosted the 18 – mostly Lebanese – reporters to introduce them to the STL and other international courts. At points during the three-day event, several of the journalists and court staff seemed to be speaking an entirely different language, both literally and figuratively.
Part of the opposition’s strategy to undermine the international court involves “false witnesses,” and Lebanese journalists visiting the STL as part of a media forum it helped organize last week pressed court officials on how the tribunal will – and how the Lebanese judiciary should – deal with these individuals.
The court was not keen to answer. At one point, a question about what Lebanon should do about the “false witnesses” prompted a representative from the court – speaking during sessions that were supposed to be off-the-record – to reply, “I hope you don’t seriously expect me to answer that.” The tribunal is not interested in Lebanese political and judicial maneuvers, we were told.
According to the STL, there is not yet even an issue to discuss. Until a trial starts – which can only happen once the indictment is written and approved by a pre-trial judge – the STL argues there are no witnesses yet. A witness is someone who testifies before the court and, as opposed to being “true” or “false,” the tribunal prefers to speak of those testifying being either reliable or unreliable.
In Beirut, the “false witnesses” every politician is talking about are people who lied to both Lebanese investigators and the UN IIIC in the first few years after the 2005 assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri and 22 others. Their argument is that the STL will base its indictment on these unreliable testimonies and therefore should be viewed as illegitimate.
Representatives of the Office of the Prosecutor (OTP) – who are currently investigating murders and are getting closer and closer to issuing an indictment – were clearly trying hard to dispel this notion without directly commenting on the investigation or the upcoming indictment.
Whether or not they’ll succeed, the OTP seems to be looking for a slam dunk. An OTP staffer said they want an indictment that presents “reasonable grounds for conviction” and revealed that the indictment will be submitted to a pre-trial judge for review in the “not too-far-away future.”
“The OTP will not rely on any evidence, regardless of origin or source, that it does not find to be reliable and credible,” the OTP told NOW Lebanon in an e-mail message after the media forum.
While some in Lebanon may view them as flunkies in some US/Zionist conspiracy to undermine Lebanon, the people working at the STL take themselves and their work seriously. As is common international practice, staffers in the Office of the Prosecutor simply refused to answer questions about the ongoing investigation.
What was in the briefcase stolen late last month from STL investigators, and are you worried if what was inside becomes public, the investigation could be compromised? No comment.
Has the court put Mohammad Zuhair Siddiq – who allegedly lied to the UN IIIC, which had him detained in October 2005 – into its witness protection program, a claim he himself has made? No comment.
Did the STL get secret intelligence information from Israel? No comment.
On that last question, a journalist from an opposition media outlet was vexed by the STL’s silence. Why, he later asked me over a cigarette, would the court not flatly deny it was taking intelligence from the Jewish state? It would help the court’s credibility in Lebanon to debunk Hezbollah’s other argument that an indictment will likely also include doctored evidence from Israel, he said.
Be that as it may, the court would not play ball.
“As with any criminal investigation, be it international or domestic, it is essential to preserve the confidentiality of the investigation to allow the investigators to work free from any interference. The principle of confidentiality is fundamental to the rule of law and is intended to ensure the effectiveness of the investigation and to protect the rights of all concerned individuals, including witnesses and suspects,” the OTP told NOW Lebanon in an e-mail message.
On the last day of the media forum, Kerstin Schweighofer, a veteran reporter who’s covered several tribunals and who is president of the Foreign Press Association in the Netherlands, spoke of journalists’ frustrations as the investigation continues.
“You just don’t get anything from the prosecutor until there’s an indictment,” she said. “You learn you just have to sit and wait.”

Ahmadinejad insists West climb down from “ivory towers”
November 10, 2010 /Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad reiterated on Wednesday that Tehran refuses to negotiate on its rights and urged the West to climb down "from its ivory towers" if it wants to hold nuclear talks. "We have said several times that the Iranians will not negotiate with anyone over their basic rights," the Iranian president said in a speech in the northern city of Qazvin broadcast live on state television. Ahmadinejad said the new round of talks must be held on an "equal footing" and aimed at solving global issues.
"We have said that the talks be based on justice and respect. That means you have to climb down from your ivory towers and arrogance," he said in a remark directed at the West.
"Any hand which is extended with honesty will be shaken by Iranians, but if that hand is extended with deception and conspiracy, Iranians will cut it off like always," he said to a cheering crowd shouting "Death to America!" His latest salvo comes ahead of expected talks between Iran and the six world powers -- Britain, China, France, Russia, the United States and Germany -- over Tehran's controversial nuclear program. On Tuesday, Iran informed the six powers that it was ready for talks with them on November 23 or December 5 in Istanbul.
The European Union foreign affairs chief Catherine Ashton, who represents the six powers, had last month proposed that the talks be held on November 15 in Vienna where the UN nuclear watchdog is based.-AFP/NOW Lebanon

Kahwaji, Asarta discuss empowering LAF
November 10, 2010 /Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) Commander General Jean Kahwaji met with UNIFIL Commander General Alberto Asarta Cuevas on Wednesday to discuss ways to sharpen LAF skills. LAF and UNIFIL officers held a general meeting following Kahwaji and Asarta’s sit-down, the National News Agency (NNA) reported.-NOW Lebanon

Marada members will not attack anyone, Saadeh says
November 10, 2010 /Marada Movement members will not attack anyone with their weapons, Minister of State Youssef Saadeh said on Wednesday. March 8 Christian parties stand with Hezbollah politically, but are not about to use their weapons, he said in an interview published in Al-Hawadith newspaper. He also voiced his hope that Christian areas will be neutral in “any struggle if there is a conflict in the country.” However, Saadeh said he is worried that the Lebanese Forces will undertake “an adventure to show a regional or international side that they are a strong partner.” He also said that March 8 is not demanding Prime Minister Saad Hariri’s resignation, adding that it is still possible for the cabinet to live up to expectations.
March 8 has no information about the timing of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon’s (STL) indictment and it is unacceptable to wait for an indictment before investigating “false witnesses” because those behind the false witnesses “will not wait for us,” he added. Ministers are expected to discuss on Wednesday the issue of witnesses who gave unreliable testimonies to the investigation of former PM Rafik Hariri’s 2005 assassination. March 8 politicians have called for the cabinet to task the Justice Council with investigating the issue of “false witnesses.” However, March 14 figures have said that the regular judiciary should handle the matter. Tension is high in Lebanon after unconfirmed reports said that the STL will soon issue its indictment in the Rafik Hariri murder case. There are fears that should the court indict Hezbollah members, it could lead to clashes similar to those of the 2008 May Events – when gunmen led by the Resistance took over half of Beirut.-NOW Lebanon

Canadian film explores 'regular guys' in Afghan war
By Juliet O'Neill, Postmedia News November 9,
http://www.vancouversun.com/entertainment/movieguide/Canadian+film+explores+regular+guys+Afghan/3802818/story.html
Brendon Culliton, the director of a documentary film about the death of one of them, 22-year-old Lebanese-Canadian trooper Marc Diab, is equally young.
Culliton, 23, and co-director Dan Heald, 22, both of London, Ont., say the making of the film, If I Should Fall, took them on an educational journey about life and death and the military.
"They're our age, they're regular guys," Culliton said. "If those guys weren't overseas doing their thing these would be the same guys I'd be hanging out with on a Friday night playing video games, playing hockey over the weekend."
They spoke in an interview Tuesday before the premiere of the film in Ottawa. Culliton said he hopes the film inspires people to live life to the fullest and to show love to those you care about. And he's sure it speaks to young people.
"Marc showed that you can make a difference," Culliton said. "But, you know, you don't have to be a soldier to make a difference in other people's lives. The military is just an example as to how you can make a difference."
The guest list for the premiere included Canada's top military brass, Lebanese community leaders, Diab's immigrant family, fiance Mary and her father Charbel Barakat, a retired Lebanese army commander.
Diab, believed to be the first Lebanese-Canadian armed forces member to die in combat since the Second World War, is "a hero" to the Lebanese community, Marlon Oneid, chairman of the Ottawa chapter of the Canadian Lebanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said in an interview. "We're proud the film has the ethnicity part of it. It shows off the contributions of many ethnic communities in the Canadian Armed Forces."
During his 18 years in the military, Barakat recounts in the film how it wasn't easy, how he lost 600 soldiers over the years, how "death would come every day."
A mentor to Marc, Barakat wasn't afraid for him when Diab went to Afghanistan with D squadron, Royal Canadian Dragoons, based in Petawawa, Ont. Marc was brave and death only "runs after you" if you're afraid of it, he says.
The day he died, blown up by an IED in the first vehicle on a patrol, Diab's fellow soldiers, looking back, tell how he seemed eerily out of sorts, tired, wanting to just get the job done and go home — back to base.
It was March 8, 2009 in Shah Wali Kot district, Kandahar province, a couple of weeks before he was due home with his family in Mississauga, Ont., where he was going to formally propose marriage to his childhood sweetheart.
He was the 112th Canadian soldier to die. The total now is 152 members of the armed forces, including 95 under age 30. One diplomat, two aid workers and one journalist are also among Canadians who have died in Afghanistan.
The film combines footage from the field by Combat Camera, a Defence Department film service, powerful close-up interviews with family and comrades, and home video.
Some of the video is from Diab himself, a montage called See You Tomorrow for his loved ones in case he didn't come home alive and the inspiration for the title of the film, If I Should Fall.
"He prepared that video to provide comfort for his family, for Mary, for the community, and the message in the video is 'don't cry because I'll see you tomorrow,' Culliton said.
"That's his reflection of life beyond death. The title, If I Should Fall, reflects on any soldiers having to deal with his own mortality. . . . What is left behind?"
Co-director Heald said the educational value of making the film was immense.
"I have a lot more respect for the guys who are over there and the type of war that they're fighting," he said. "It's a really psychological war, knowing that any minute, despite all their best efforts, something can go wrong."
Culliton considered going into the military a few years ago but decided to finish school instead. He and Heald graduated last spring from Fanshawe College's TV broadcasting program.
The idea for the film sprang from a plan to try to make a pilot for TV called Afghan Diaries. That plan involved Culliton's father Paul, producer of the film, and their friend, Michael Roberts, a police officer who is the executive producer of the film.
Retired Maj.-Gen. Lewis MacKenzie, who explains in the film that Canada went to Afghanistan to fight terrorism in the wake of the 9/11 attacks, said youth is a compelling element of the film. "One of the most painful things as a leader in the military is you're always attending funerals of very young people, whereas most Canadians are used to attending funerals of older people in the natural course of events," he said in an interview. "This film has that extra tremendous grabbing characteristic of a young lad coming out of a war-torn country and the first thing he wants to do is join the military."
In the early 1990s MacKenzie said he was supposed to encourage ethnic communities to join the military "and most of them said 'Just give us a generation; we left our country to get away from police and the military. Our kids will probably join. Our generation will not."
© Copyright (c) Postmedia News

The Plight of the Iraqi Christians -- An Update Following the Attack on the Baghdad Church
GMT 11-10-2010 2:18:24
Assyrian International News Agency
"The Plight of Iraqi Christians" was the title of a MEMRI document published over five years ago. The document was published during a period of intense sectarian violence that affected many sectors in Iraqi society, but, as we stressed at the time, the Christians "have been specifically targeted by Islamists, who either accuse them of collaborating with the 'invading crusading army' or label them as infidels. As Islamist pressures mounted in Iraq... Christian businesses were destroyed, Christian university students were harassed and Christian women were forced to wear the veil." In the same document, a Christian was quoted as saying: "Some of the Muslims consider us infidels. We are being targeted. They will eat us alive."^[1] His premonition has proven to be tragically accurate.
The Attack on the Baghdad Church and the Massacre of Its Parishioners
On the last Sunday of October 2010, a group of terrorists who identified themselves as members of the Al-Qaeda-affiliated organization Islamic State of Iraq (ISI) mounted a murderous attack on the Our Lady of the Deliverance Church in the Karrada neighborhood in Baghdad, one of the most heavily guarded areas in the capital. About 140 parishioners were in the church at the time, preparing to start their Sunday Mass.
Iraq's special counterterrorism unit, proudly called "the Golden Forces" (al-quwwat al-dhahabiyya), was ordered to free the hostages. In the mêlée that followed, 52 parishioners were killed, including two priests, and 75 others were wounded -- which left 80 percent of the parish either injured or dead.
The terrorist unit that stormed the church reportedly consisted of 10 gunmen, some of whom were disguised as policemen. Two were killed by sharpshooters and three blew themselves up; the remaining five, all of them reportedly non-Iraqi Arabs, were arrested.^[2] According to one report, among the terrorists killed was the son-in-law of Osama bin Laden, but there has been no official confirmation of this report.^[3]
Survivors told harrowing stories about the murderous violence of the attackers: they shot a pregnant woman after her gravely wounded husband tried to protect her and the unborn child. Another young man was ordered to convert to Islam because he was going to die anyway, and then was shot in the head. ; After one priest, Tha'ir Sa'd, was shot to death, a second priest, Wasim Sabih, asked the terrorists why they had shot a peaceful man of God. One of the terrorists answered, "What did you expect us to do?" and proceeded to shoot the second priest to death as well. Most of the parishioners who were killed died when three of the terrorists blew themselves up during the raid by the Iraqi forces. Critics have argued that the members of the special force were not properly trained, and that if they had been more prudent, the high number of casualties could have been avoided.
During the attack on the church, Al-Qaeda delivered an ultimatum to the Coptic Church in Egypt: it gave this church 48 hours to free two Coptic women who allegedly converted to Islam and are being held captive by the Coptic Church -- otherwise, the mujahideen would retaliate against Christians in Iraq and elsewhere.^[4] Commenting on this demand, columnist Mustafa Zein pointed out that it is somewhat ironic, because, for Al-Qaeda, a woman, Muslim or not, "is not a human being with feelings, emotions, ambitions, and rights. She is a vagina to be covered." Zein suggested that the ultimatum may indicate an intention on the part of Al-Qaeda to launch jihad operations in Egypt. "The Islamists," he stressed, "have erased the Christians from the annals of history, and now they are trying to wipe them off the map."
The Al-Qaeda communiqué issued during the attack described the church as "a corrupt den of polytheism" that has "long been used by the Christians of Iraq as a headquarters of the battle against Islam."
Despite the high death toll, Iraqi Defense Minister 'Abd Al-Qadir Muhammad Al-'Obeidi declared the rescue operation "a great success." ; He added that the terrorist were "Arabs" and that they spoke to the hostages in Classical Arabic rather than in the Iraqi dialect -- indicating they were not Iraqis.^[5] He said further that, in response to intelligence that armed groups were planning to target Muslim and Christian places of worship across the country, the security forces had been ordered to protect the churches on Sundays and the mosques on Fridays. The chief of security in Karrada district was arrested by order of the prime minister for dereliction of duty.^[6]
Worldwide Condemnation of the Attack
The massacre at the Baghdad church sparked condemnation worldwide, including by the Pope, the U.N. Secretary-General, the Sheikh of Al-Azhar, and the political and religious establishment in Iraq.^[7] ; But perhaps even more significant was the reaction of a number of leading Arab liberals, who not only condemned the attack but sought to link it to what they described as the Muslims' systematic maltreatment of minorities throughout the ages, from the beginnings of Islam. Below are excerpts from some of their writings.
Islam's Treatment of Minorities throughout the Ages
Liberal writer Dr. 'Abd Al-Khaliq Hussein wrote about the suffering of Christians in the Middle East, placing it in the broader context of Islam's treatment of minorities, particularly Christians and Jews, since the time of Muhammad. ;
Hussein points out that, while Arab writers frequently boast about the tolerant treatment of Christians, Jews, and Sabians in the Muslim world, the reality is actually very different. He shows that while some parts of the Koran and the Hadith advocate tolerance towards non-Muslims, others do not. For example, Koran 3:85 states that "whoever desires a religion other than Islam, it shall not be accepted from him, and in the hereafter he shall be one of the losers."
Dr. Hussein points out further that, throughout Arab and Islamic history, the relationship between Muslims and non-Muslims has not been as warm as some claim; in fact, it has often been tragic. Muhammad is recorded as saying that no two religions shall live side by side in the Arabian Peninsula, and the Second Caliph, 'Omar, ordered Christians and Jews to be treated harshly and expelled from the Arabian Peninsula. Prominent medieval scholar Ibn Taymiyya, revered by today's Wahhabis, described churches as polytheist temples, and said that only mosques are houses of Allah. This historical background, says Dr. Hussein, has been exploited by the Wahhabi clerics of Saudi Arabia to persecute non-Muslims, and Al-Qaeda's description of the Baghdad church as "a corrupt den of polytheism" echoes Ibn Taymiyya's teachings.
Dr. Hussein reminds his readers that the massacre in the Baghdad church was not the first attack on Christians in Iraq, and not even the worst. He mentions the 1936 attack by the Iraqi army on the Assyrian Christians, in which at least 3,000 people were killed. He also mentions the infamous "farhoud" of 1941, a murderous attack on the Jews of Iraq in which hundreds were killed or wounded, and which eventually led to the emigration of the Iraqi Jewish community, that had predated Islam by at least 1,000 years. Dr. Hussein maintains that the terrorists, aided by Saudi Arabia, Syria and Iran, are seeking to empty Iraq of its Christians. ^[8]
In 2003, Christians constituted 3 percent of the Iraqi population (numbering 1.25-1.5 million). Since then, their numbers have continued to dwindle, and according to one Iraqi source, Christian clerics now estimate their number at no more than 400,000.^[9]
The Middle East Is in Danger of Losing Its Christians
Another Iraqi commentator, 'Aziz Al-Hajj, argues that the experience of the Iraqi Christians is no different from that of other Christians in the Middle East, who all suffer blunt discrimination, aggression, ; abuse of rights, and pressure to emigrate. He points out that since 2003, over 50 churches have been burned or destroyed in Iraq; a cardinal was kidnapped, three priests were murdered, and about 800 Christians have been killed. ; The emigration of Christians is driven by their realization that if they stay behind, they will at best be second-class citizens. According to Al-Hajj, the number of Palestinian Christians is dwindling too: no more than 50,000 remain in the occupied territories, only 1000 of them in Gaza. Even in Bethlehem, the birthplace of Christ, the majority of the population is now Muslim.
The Truth about Islamophobia
Al-Hajj points to the difference between the Muslims' reaction to Islamophobia and their reaction to discrimination against non-Muslims in their own countries: When a Western politician makes an Islamophobic remark, or when a Western newspaper publishes what is viewed as offensive cartoons of the Prophet, Muslims scream blue murder. Yet very few raise their voice in defense of Christian Arabs, or call for the equal treatment of Christians and other non-Muslims minorities in Muslim lands.
The article also points out that, in covering the recent Catholic Synod of Eastern Churches, the Arab press focused on one point -- the Israeli occupation -- but ignored others, such the Synod's call for religious freedom and equality before the law. Al-Hajj mentions that even writers in the London-based daily Al-Hayat, which is considered liberal and fair compared to many other Arab papers, have described the deteriorating status of Middle East Christians as part of an overall problem afflicting both Muslims and Christians in the region. And some writers simply describe Christians and Muslims alike as "victims of Israel."
Al-Hajj highlights the difference between the state of religious minorities in the West and in the Arab countries. In the West, he says, Muslims practice their religion in freedom, and maintain thousands of mosques. Moreover, they are free to spread their religion, and openly celebrate each new convert. In contrast, Christians in the Muslim world are arrested for allegedly trying to spread Christianity, and a Muslim who converts to Christianity may face the death penalty. In the Gulf, Christians are forced to conduct prayers clandestinely at home, in hotels, or in the homes of diplomats, and even this entails a great risk.^[10]
The Emigration of Minorities as Reflecting the Intolerance of Middle East Societies
Writing in Al-Hayat, columnist Houssam Itani described the crimes committed against Iraq's Christians as part of a broader problem in Arab society, which is becoming increasingly monolithic in religion and ethnicity, destroying the last vestiges of cultural diversity.
Itani says that, if one considers Al-Qaeda's threats against the Egyptian Copts, the Islamist pressure on the Lebanese Christians to make bitter and dangerous choices, and the aggression against the Christians in Iraq, the only possible way for Christians to escape this "dark environment" is to emigrate .
Itani extrapolates from the plight of the Christians to the plight of all peoples in the region. He maintains that, as a matter of fact, the Christians face a brighter future than the Muslim majority -- for the latter can expect a rapid diminishing of political, ethnic, and religious tolerance and openness to the opinion of others. The destruction of the Buddhist statutes in Bamyan, Afghanistan, is a striking example of the kind of religious and cultural intolerance that awaits them, he says.^[11]
Itani points out that the emigration of Christians in recent years, and of "other minorities" who left the Middle East in the past century (the reference is most likely to Jews) has coincided with the emigration of many educated and professional Muslims -- which is another indication of the rejection of pluralism in the Arab and Muslim world.^[12]
The Need to Protect Middle East Christians
A number of columnists and officials underscored the need to protect the Christians in Iraq and throughout the Middle East. Al-Hayat columnist Renda Taqi Al-Din wrote that, while the condemnation of the attack by Muslim clerics in Saudi Arabia and Lebanon was positive and necessary, there is need for clear policies to protect the lives of Christians in the region. She added that the forced emigration of Christians to the west is a troubling phenomenon, because these emigrants are "children of this region, and their presence... is essential to the stability of their homelands." She concluded by saying that "sectarianism is a killer for the future of any country. It is frightening and undermines security... because it opens the doors to blind extremism for the children [of that country], enabling them to become human bombs with greater ease."^[13]
In the same vein, the editor of the daily Al-Sharq Al-Awsat, Tariq Alhomayed, wrote an editorial titled "Protect Iraq's Christians," in which he stated: "It is imperative for all Iraqis, and not just the government, to protect Iraq's Christians from killing, deportation and all the other kinds of persecution they are experiencing -- particularly considering that they have never take part in anti-Iraqi alliances..." Alhomayed laments the failure of the Iraqi government to protect Iraq's Christians in 2003, 2008, and today, and warns that the targeting of minorities "will fragment Iraq and destroy its cultural and political fabric." As a Saudi, Alhomayed is clearly concerned for the safety of the large Sunni minority in Iraq.^[14]
The Najaf Marja'iya Joins the Call
The leaders of the Najaf Marja'iya, the world's greatest center of Shi'a scholarship, including ayatollahs 'Ali Al-Sistani, Bashir Al-Najafi, Sayyed Sadeq Al-Husseini Al-Shirazi and Sayyed Muhammad Taqi Al-Muddarasi, likewise called on the Iraqi government to protect the Christian community in Iraq.^[15]
Even Muqtada Al-Sadr, whose militia, Jaysh Al-Mahdi, was heavily involved in the 2006-2007 sectarian war in Iraq, including in the targeting of Christians, has called on the Iraqi government to establish special forces to protect places of worship, starting with churches and monasteries.^[16]
France Calls a Meeting of the UN Security Council
France took the initiative of calling a meeting of the UN Security Council, scheduled for Tuesday, November 9, to discuss the provision of international protection to the Iraqi Christians.
In response, Cardinal Emanuel Dali, head of the Chaldean Catholic Church in Iraq, lamented years of neglect, particularly by the big powers, which have ignored the situation of the Iraqi Christians and the attacks to which they have been subjected.^[17]
Conclusion
The Iraqi Christians are in a state of panic.^[18] Archbishop Shlaymon Wardani, assistant to Cardinal Dali, has expressed doubts whether Al-Qaeda alone should be held responsible for the attack on the Baghdad church, and has predicted that Christians will flee -- not just to the north of the country, where Christians have historically maintained their largest community, but out of the country. He added, "Every time we find a sense of hope, worse things happen that cause us to slide into despair again."^[19]
Columnist Jaber Habib Jaber wrote that the Baghdad attack was "not just another Baghdad tragedy, but a warning bell to alert us to [the campaign] brewing in the region to empty Iraq of its Christians. Such a development would mean turning Iraq into something else -- religiously homogenous but with a high degree of fanaticism and readiness for more bloodshed."^[20]
By Dr. Nimrod Raphaeli
www.memri.org
* Dr. Nimrod Raphaeli is a senior analyst at MEMRI.
Endnotes