The last systematic collection was by the Ottomans (Turks), which came to an end only in 1918, when the Ottoman empire was defeated and partitioned in World War One.

Posted by Robert

Time to divide Iraq. American post-war politics in Iraq makie absolutely no sense. They had no problem dividing Germany, Vietnam and Kora.

Are the Arabs better than these 3?

A division of Iraq makes long-term sense.

And it creates a Kurdish State - one that will occupy Turkey and Iran's attention for time to come :-)

C'mon you NeoCONS.. give me some REALPOLITIK for ONCE!!!

Posted by: Allahfanculo at March 19, 2007 12:37 AM

Just one more piece of evidence proving how the US and Britian's invasion of Iraq was! All this persecution of the Christians is happening right under the noses of the American and British troops. This is Bush and Blair's idea of democracy for Iraq.

None of this ever happened when Saddam was in power. In fact, under the Saddam dictatorship, Christians were favoured for government posts. Now they have all been driven from government service and are being driven from the country, proving how the neo-Cons are traitors to America and to Western Civilization.

Yes, Iraq should be partitioned but into FOUR countries. It is past time that Christian Assyria receive its long-overdue independence, even if Tarik Aziz becomes Assyria's first president. After this, like Haman in the Book of Esther, justice demands that current Iraqi Prime Minister Jawad al Maliki be hanged from the same gallows on which he murdered Saddam. After that, perhaps Bush's Muslim former satrap of Iraq Zalmay Khalilzad can also be executed as a war-criminal for causing all this to happen in the first place.

Posted by: Provoslavni at March 19, 2007 12:54 AM

Robert, you know I love you, but don't kid around about this! Please.

Posted by: Elizabeth Garrison at March 19, 2007 1:14 AM

All this persecution of the Christians is happening right under the noses of the American and British troops.

The sad thing is probably at some level higher up in the civilian and military leadership the policy makers know this is going on. I bet it is some insane decision not to further "anger" or "alienate" the muslims.

Its the same thing with that clueless "catch and release" policy we had of letting captured iranian agents in iraq go, only to go on and kill more US and british soldiers.

These are the reasons I finally turned against the war. Not some pie in the sky liberal reasoning, but because of the total failure of our government to force the iraqs to grant religious freedom to the religious minorities. Hence presecution of the few Christians remaining. And the fact that we are not fighting this war to succeed, if such a thing were even possible.

Posted by: adobe at March 19, 2007 10:06 AM

I think it would be prudent for all US and British readers to forward this to your members of Congress including both Senators and the British MPs. Perhaps copies to news organizations as well would be helpful.

Another instance of where wider distribution is crucial.

Posted by: eve_anne_gelical at March 19, 2007 10:33 AM

Disgusting.

Posted by: bonncaruso at March 19, 2007 3:23 PM

Why are we in Iraq, again? To help Muslims enslave Christians? That seems to be the case here. This is simply disgusting.

Posted by: Jonas Salk at March 19, 2007 5:36 PM

hey, the west pay the Jizya 'Protection Tax,' all the time.
America, Australia, Britian, Canada, etc all send money to these people... We are saying please, please, please dont attack, we will give you money to make sure that you wont terrorise us.
They make trillions out of their oil, and they seem to spend it on their leaders or weapons, because the people sure dont seem to benifit from it...and we give them more... Come on, if they cant make it with the trillions that they get from the west in oil and Jizya tax then they will never make it... Israel who doesnt have oil to sell to the world, has turned their country into paradise so why cant the Arabs...
I can tell you why,
Allah does not like agriculture; He prefers jihad and plunder… (Sahih Bukhari, 3.39.514)

Sahih Bukhari, Volume iii, Book 39, Number 514:

Narrated Abu Umama al-Bahili:

I saw some agricultural equipments (sic) and said: "I heard the Prophet saying: "There is no house in which these equipment enters except that Allah will cause humiliation to enter it."

Commenting on the above hadith, Dr Muhammad Muhsin Khan, the translator of Sahih Bukhari writes:

This Hadith indicates that the profession of cultivation is often of oppressive humiliation especially under the feudal system. By indulging in this work, one may neglect Jihad in Allah’s Cause and other important Allah’s obligation. It is also said that this Hadith is concerned with those living near the enemies. If they got busy in agriculture and left Jihad , the enemies might overcome and humiliate them. Of course, the Hadith is not to be taken literally. Farming is not undesirable itself but we should beware the results of indulging too much in it (Fath Al–Bari, Vol 5, Page 402) (al-Zubaidi, 1994, p. 505).

Let us now read a few ahadith which say unmistakably that Allah prefers that the Muslims engage in raid and plunder as their principal means of livelihood. Muhammad did this and so it is almost compulsory for all Muslims.

That, the major means of livelihood for the Muslims in Medina was from the proceeds of plunder and the forced Jizya tax on non-Muslims, can be confirmed from the following Hadith in Sahih Bukhari:

Volume 4, Book 53, Number 388:

Narrated Juwairiya bin Qudama At-Tamimi:

We said to 'Umar bin Al-Khattab, O Chief of the believers! Advise us." He said, "I advise you to fulfil Allah's Convention (made with the Dhimmis) as it is the convention of your Prophet and the source of the livelihood of your dependents (i.e. the taxes from the Dhimmis.)."

[Please note that this Hadith has been removed by the compiler from the summarised Translated (by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan) version of Sahih Al-Bukhari. However this Hadith is available in the Internet version of Translation of Sahih Al-Bukhari]

How did Muhammad earn his living in Medina? What job did he do? In what occupation was he employed? What business was he involved in? All these questions remain unanswered. Except for the following Hadith from Sahih Bukhari, all the Sunna, the Sahih Ahadith, the Sirah (biography) never mention of any form of acceptable and/or dignified profession/occupation that Muhammad engaged in to support himself and his retinue of ever increasing number of wives and concubines: Here is that incredible Hadith:

Posted by: Gaye at March 20, 2007 3:31 AM

I gather that Mohammad enjoyed killing the non muslims, but then realised that a dead infidel was no good to him money wise, so allah was all merciful and would allow them to live as long as they paid the protection tax ... in other words as long as the infidel would keep Mohammad in the style in which he had become accustomed to when his rich wife was alive???

Posted by: Gaye at March 20, 2007 3:38 AM