A Muslim businessman has decided to do something quite stunning in honor of Iraqi Christians, erecting the tallest Christmas tree in the city of Baghdad — an effort he hopes will help ease the pains so many in Iraq have endured in recent years.
As hundreds of thousands of Iraqi Christians have fled from their homes and are now living as refugees or displaced persons due to fear of persecution by IS (also known as ISIS or ISIL), Saad explained that the point of the Christmas tree initiative at the theme park is for Muslims and others to join “our Christian brothers in their holiday celebrations.”
There were over 1.5 million Christians in Iraq before conflict began in 2003, today, many human rights and religious freedom activists are concerned that Christianity in Iraq could one day soon go extinct if concrete actions aren’t taken to stop IS and protect vulnerable Christians from future persecution at the hands of Muslim neighbors.
Locals see the tree as an inspirational show of unity, as Saba Ismael, a teacher who took students to see it, told the Associated Press she believes it sends a positive message.
“This tree represents love and peace,” Ismael said.”I wish all Iraqi Christians could return to Iraq and live normal and peaceful lives.”
Yassir Saad says this 85-foot-tall tree — which has a diameter of 33 feet — cost him a whopping $24,000; it’s currently standing in the center of a local amusement park, the Hindustan Times reported.
Though he’s presumably not an observer of Christmas, Saad said he wanted to join in solidarity with the Christians “in their holiday celebrations,” while also “helping Iraqis forget their anguish, especially the war in Mosul.”
It’s no secret that Iraq’s Christian community has been decimated in recent years, with extremists targeting Bible-believers and driving them out of their homes, specifically after the Islamic State started dominating areas of the region in 2014.
(H/T: Associated Press)
