December 24, 2014
To mark the birth of Jesus Christ and the New Year, we express our deepest congratulations and best wishes to our Christian brothers in Iraq and around the world, wishing them security, stability and prosperity for the coming year, and hoping that Christians and all Iraqis enjoy security and freedom among their families and fellow countrymen.
The celebrations this year come in light of a decisive confrontation with Daesh terrorists who have targeted all the Iraqi people from different religions, ethnicities and sects. Throughout this confrontation, which is not limited to Iraq alone, the Christian communities in Iraq have proven that they are loyal sons of our country, in spite of the aggression and displacement they have ensured at the hands of criminal terrorist gangs that seek to destroy our social fabric and undermine peaceful co-existence in the land of Mesopotamia, a civilization that was build on religious pluralism and intellectual and cultural diversity throughout its history.
As we affirm our determination to ensure that Christians remain our brothers and partners in the rebuilding of Iraq, we pledge to them our utmost efforts to achieve this goal and to cleanse all Iraqi towns from Daesh so that all displaced people can return to their homes in dignity and with their constitutional rights and freedoms intact.
On this occasion, we note that the criminal gangs of Daesh have distorted the image of Islam and Muslims and the principles of our sacred religion that is based on love, tolerance and compassion.
We renew our best wishes to our Christian brothers and to all the Iraqi people.