A group of Republicans and Democrats are urging President Obama to help prevent the death of more Iraqi Christians. In their public letter to President Obama, the group warned that that unless something is done the situation “promises more innocent Christian blood in Iraq, more turmoil in that country, and more shame for America.

The Hill wrote that since 2004, 40 Christian churches and institutions have been bombed, according to the Chaldean Assyrian Syriac Council of America, seven on the eve of Orthodox Christmas alone in 2007.

Before the ouster of Saddam Hussein, there were about 1.4 million Christians in Iraq. Today, through a mass exodus and violence that has included a dozen members of the clergy killed or kidnapped, about 400,000 remain.

We can sometimes forget that in many parts of the world how brave it is to be a Christian. We must remember that in many parts of the world just being a Christian is punishable by imprisonment or death. To hear that many Catholics showed up at Christmas Mass in Iraq despite the threat of death is awe inspiring to me. I pray that I would have such courage.

America can still do something about it in Iraq though while we still have influence. Rep. Frank Wolf said: “What you’re seeing is the eradication of the Christian community,…The world has pretty much turned away.”

My hopes are not high as it seems that standing by while wagging our finger is the fallback position for Western civilization in the face of genocide.

Note:Thanks to Weasel Zippers Weasel Zippers for the heads up on this story.