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Al-Qaeda threats against Christians have led to Christmas gatherings being canceled in parts of northern Iraq, reports MNN.

There are concerns that the threats will take shape in the form of deadly attacks similar to those on October 31 in a Baghdad cathedral.

In that attack, 44 Christians, two priests, and seven security force personnel died. The Islamic State of Iraq (ISI) claimed responsibility and declared Christians everywhere "legitimate targets."

Over the last several weeks, at least 70 to 80 Christians have been killed by Muslim extremists in Iraq, mostly in Baghdad and in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul.

Open Doors USA President/CEO Dr. Carl Moeller describes the situation facing Christians at Christmas as "one of extreme vulnerability and fear. One of our coworkers said, ‘Christmas is coming, but peace does not exist in Iraq. Pray for us so that we can have a peaceful Christmas.'"

Religious leaders across various faiths joined together with Open Doors, a ministry that serves persecuted Christians around the world, to call attention to the systematic "extermination" of Iraqi Christians. Moeller says, "It's not genocide, it's ‘religiouscide;' that is, a systematic extermination of a certain religious group, and that would be Christians in Iraq."

Last week, Pope Benedict XVI said Christians are the most persecuted religious group in the world, especially believers in the Middle East. "It's a 2,000 year history that is being threatened right now, and it's a huge tragedy."

There are only about 600,000 Christians in Iraq now, down from about 1.2 million before the US-led invasion in 2003. As the violence drives them to flee their homeland, Moeller raises this concern: "If we let this go on, all that will be left of Christianity in the Middle East is a Christian museum--the empty buildings, empty communities, the names on streets that reflect Christian themes that no longer exist in any real, meaningful way."

What that means is a severe impact on the spread of the hope of Christ in a time when hope is a rare commodity. "Jesus gave the witness of His salvation to His church," says Moeller. "As the church is forcibly removed, there's no one left there to speak the words of Christ."

Moeller continues: "Right now, Christians in Baghdad and Mosul are gripped by terrorism. They are fleeing in droves. Their families are threatened. Even young children are being killed. Extremists want to eliminate Christians from Iraq.

If the pattern holds true, there likely will not be peace in Iraq this Christmas. The only answer is the Prince of Peace. "We need to pray for them," Moeller says. "But we also need to provide the very things that they're praying for: clothing, food, shelter, medical attention, training, and we need to provide trauma counseling for Christians there."

Open Doors, which conducted a writing and prayer campaign for Iraq, delivered approximately 1750 prayer and encouragement notes in a 250-page book which was sent to Baghdad. The Open Doors representative added that worship is continuing in some churches, despite the violence and threats.