Iraq

In this photo taken Tuesday, Dec. 22, 2009, 11-year-old Nasek Kareem shops for a Christmas dress in Sulaimaniyah, 260 kilometers (160 miles) northeast of Baghdad, Iraq. Many Iraqi Christians are taking Christmas underground this year. One reason is fear of violence — a bombing hit a 1,200-year-old church Wednesday, Dec. 23, 2009 killing two. Another is a quirk of the calendar: This year the holiday falls during Shiite Muslims' most solemn mourning period, and some Christians feel they should tone down celebrations in respect of the sect that now dominates the country.