HOLY CITY OF NAJAF, Iraq: Bishop of the Catholic Chaldean Church of Baghdad Shlimon Warduni, head of the Mandaein ethnic group Sattar Haider and director of the Christian endowment Abdullah al Noufali met with Al-Marje Al-Aala Grand Ayatullah Sayed Ali Al-Husseini As-Sistani seeking his influence to secure their rights.

The meeting, which held this week at the Ayatullah’s office in the holy city of Najaf, came as the deportation of Iraqi Christians from their homes in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul in continuation after several were murdered.

Over the past two weeks, at least 12 Christians have been killed in Mosul and thousands have fled the city after recent threats scared them and forced them to leave their homes and jobs.

In a statement prior to the meeting, the Ayatullah strongly condemned and regretted the migration operation being faced by the Christian community. He demanded from the government to take practical steps to curb the aggression and make Christians return their homes safely.