“At least 30 percent of Iraqis have stopped visiting mosques during Ramadan,” Sheikh Ibrahim Abdel-Rahman, a mosque leader from Baghdad’s Mansour district and one of the campaigners, told IslamOnline.net.

“Those people have faith and are good Muslims but they stopped visiting the mosques for being scared from the continued violence in Iraq.”

In Ramadan, which started on Saturday, August 22, for both Sunnis and Shiites, adult Muslims, save the sick and those travelling, abstain from food, drink, smoking and sex between dawn and sunset.

Many Muslims dedicate their time to become closer to Allah through prayer and attending special Ramadan night prayer.

Muslim scholars and religious leaders are trying to lure back worshipers to their deserted mosques.

“Ramadan is a very special and unique time for Muslims. It is when peace should win any other kind of threat,” says Sheikh Abdel-Rahman.

Campaigners, who also include many Iraqi faithful, visit homes and speak to fearful residents face to face to urge them to visit the mosque during the holy month.

They have intensified their efforts in the capital and neighbouring provinces, worst hit by violence.

The campaign also target women who in some areas have practically stopped attending prayers at the mosque.

“The more we keep hiding and leaving our faith behind, the more unprotected we will be,” insists Sheikh Abdel-Rahman.

• Fearful

Hatim Muthi, a Baghdad shopkeeper, was recently visited by a neighbour who is taking part in the back-to-mosque campaign.

“I have promised my neighbour to pay frequent visits to the mosque during Ramadan but will go alone and if I find it safe, I hope to take my family with me back again,” Muthi, a father of four, told IOL.

Muthi, a very religious man himself, laments that he had to stay away from mosques over the past two years.

This started after his son got injured with second degree burns during an attack near the main entrance of a Khadimiyah mosque.

“I’m a devoted Muslim…but as a way to protect my family I asked them to stay at home and leave only when it is really necessary after all our sufferings with my son’s burns.

“I have an obligation to protect my loved ones.”

Just on Wednesday, more than 95 people were killed and some 560 injured a series of deadly bombings in many areas across Baghdad.

Laila Abdel-Majid, 32, used to walk with her husband every Friday to a local mosque and to visit the mosque nearly everyday during Ramadan.

But when sectarian violence spread all over Iraq after the Samarra bombing in February 2006, they opted to prayer at home.

“We saw many attacks, people being killed or kidnapped,” she recalled.

“We found that at anytime we could become victims of sectarian violence.”

A couple of days ago, a friend visited Abdel-Majid and tried to convince the couple to return to the mosque, especially during Ramadan.

“She said that hiding at home will just show attackers that we are scared.”

Abdel-Majid spoke with her husband who refused the idea at the beginning but promised to think about it.