http://www.theage.com.au/news/world/faced-deadly-threats-with-courage/2008/04/01/1206850909580.html
PAULOS FARAJ RAHHO — ARCHBISHOP
20-11-1942 — found dead 13-3-2008
THE death of kidnapped Archbishop Paulos Faraj Rahho, leader of the Chaldean Catholic church in northern Iraq, will only deepen the insecurity felt by Iraq's Christian community, who increasingly see no future in the country........
Even before the US-led invasion in 2003, Christians in Iraq were becoming anxious about the rise of radical Islamic tendencies in both the Shiite and Sunni communities. In 2006, Rahho expressed disquiet at the inclusion of aspects of sharia law in the new constitution.
The targeting of Christian intellectuals, professionals and priests — and the bombing of churches — has been seen as an attempt to destabilise the community and encourage its exodus from Iraq.......
It is estimated that since the 2003 invasion, the percentage of Christians in Iraq has declined from about 7% (1.2 million) to less than 3% (perhaps less than 500,000) today........
Should Christianity disappear from Iraq, it would mean the end of the Syriac language (close to that spoken by Jesus) and a heritage of customs, rites and culture dating back to the first century AD
