Christmas in Iraq

Many churches closed their doors in Iraq for midnight Mass this year amid fears of sectarian and anti-Christian violence. "We don't have the Christmas spirit like we did before," George Judo, whose family lives in Baghdad, told the Los Angeles Times. "We hoped to do more than this but the explosions, assassinations and bad security prevent us from having a normal everyday life and celebrating Christmas in a normal way." Judo skipped services this year and his fears appeared to be realized around the country—one Christian was killed in Mosul while 27 were killed in an attack on Shiite pilgrims en route to Karbala for a separate Muslim holy day. "As a Christian, I don't feel safe," one Mosul resident said. "I put the scarf on my head when I go to work, so no one will know that I am Christian."