Book Reviews		Christianity in Iraq. Suha Rassam, Gracewing Publishing, 2005.				Mark Merlino - Home page
Suha Rassam's "Christianity in Iraq" is a very comprehensive study on the history of Christianity in Mesopotamia and Iraq from the early Church to the modern day. In this book, she very clearly describes the distinctive histories of the various Christian groups found in modern Iraq - most notably the Church of the East, the Syriac Orthodox Church, The Chaldean Church, the Syrian Catholic Church, the Armenian Apostolic and Catholic Churches and the Greek Orthodox and Catholic Churches, among others. Reading this book, you will get a very clear picture of when Christianity came to Iraq, why there are so many different Christian groups in this land, and how these groups differ. As well, Rassam has clearly explained how Christians fared under Arab Muslim, Persian and Ottoman rule. In this she give a solid history of the causes and consequences of the Islamization of Iraq. As well, Rassam provides a fascinating glimpse into the role of Iraqi Christians in contemporary Iraqi history, from the British Mandate to the Monarchy, Saddam and the current War in Iraq. As well, the book provides a very handy bibliography of English language works related to this topic for those interested in learning more. This is an excellent book. If you are interested in learning about Iraqi Christians and the history of Christianity in Iraq, I would highly recommend this book to you.
				SEE Book on Publishers Website