Written question asked by Keith Simpson (Conservative) on Monday, 20 October 2008, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 22 October 2008. It was answered by Bill Rammell (Labour) on Monday, 10 November 2008 on behalf of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Iraq: Christianity

Question: (2) what reports he has received on the number of Christian churches in Mosul which have been attacked since September 2008; and if he will make a statement.

Answer: The Iraqi Ministry of Displacement and Migration has reported that 1,424 Christian families have been displaced from Mosul since September 2008. There are recent media reports that a small number of these families are now returning to their homes following intervention by the Iraqi Security Forces. We have no authoritative figures on the number of churches which have been attacked.We welcome the swift action taken by the Iraqi Government to ensure security in Mosul following the recent attacks by extremist groups against Christians and other minorities. We welcome too the condemnation of these attacks by Iraq's religious and political leaders. These cowardly acts underline, once again, how little the extremists have to offer the Iraqi people.

Secondary information