abigail frymannrouch

She follows the Becket Way, an archbishop whose martyrdom in the face of state tyranny shaped the English character & constitution. It’s the kind of thing, if we really care about Christianity in Britain, we should talk more about. Cultural literacy rather than culture war.

2 downed drones hit our Chaldean convent & apartment building in our Christian quarter of Anakwa. The latter was funded by Knights of Columbus to house the displaced by ISIS. 12 years later more displacement/collateral damage. The cycle of violence becomes shorter & shorter.

I lived through the eight-year war with Iran. I endured the first and second Gulf wars. I witnessed the violence, displacement, and bombings that shook Iraq after 2003. These are not distant chapters in a history book for myself and my people ; they are our living memories we carry every day.

Twenty years ago we invaded Iraq. The war killed many innocent Iraqis and Americans. It destroyed the oldest Christian populations in the world. It cost over $1 trillion, and turned Iraq into a satellite of Iran. It was an unforced disaster, and I pray that we learn its lessons.