As al-Qaeda's grip eases, Christians flock home

The Sydney Morning Herald reports that hundreds of Christians have returned home to the Doura neighborhood, known as the "Vatican of Iraq" in Baghdad.

Iraqi Christians who fled a district of Baghdad that declared itself an al-Qaeda caliphate have returned home to celebrate their first Christmas in two years.... But now al-Qaeda has been rooted out of Doura and the hundreds of Christian families who left the area are returning.... On Christmas Day they will congregate in the battle-scarred St Mary's Church, where part of the crucifix on its tower is still missing after being shot at.

Prior to 2004, Doura was home to 4000 followers of the Chaldean Catholic and Assyrian Orthodox churches, but many left in 2004 when Doura became an Al Qaeda in Iraq stronghold and they begin to persecute Christians by kidnapping them, making them pay monthly tithes to mosques, and killing them. However, since Al Qaeda's ouster, Muslims are welcoming back their long time neighbors.

"What is more important is that the Muslim tribal leaders are openly showing support for their Christian neighbours,"

Abu Firas, a Christian father of three who had taken his family to Syria, arrived in Doura on Friday after a call from Father Shamoon to come back to Iraq. While in Syria, his house had been used by Al Qaeda and was riddled with bullets; however, Abu Firas stated,

"I can fix the doors and the windows, that is easy. The most important thing is that I came back home to live among my people."

After receiving a hug from one of his Muslim neighbors.

But The Surge is not working and the only reason for the dramatic drop in violence is that neighborhoods are now divided according to the MSM.

It appears to this reader that Al Qaeda in Iraq no longer enjoys support from the population which is death to an insurgency.

Merry Christmas to the families returning to Doura who will be able to celebrate the birth of Christ in St. Mary's Church after two long years of not being able to celebrate his birth.

Let us not forget the 3897 US Military and 307 Coalition Soldiers who gave the ultimate sacrifice during this war to ensure that Abu Firas could come back to celebrate Mass at St. Mary's with Father Shamoon.

Let us not forget the 26 million Iraqis who now are beginning to experience the same three rights our Founding Fathers told us our Creator endowed us with; life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

Abu Firas stated it correctly. Windows and doors can easily be fixed. These over 4000 casualties has allowed him to come home, to be at peace with his family, among friends of different religious ideologies, and celebrate freely in Doura, the "Vatican of Iraq".

Merry Christmas to all Iraqis and to all Iraqis, a good night.