Three separate bombs were detonated in the Christian neighborhood of Baghdad leaving 37 dead and dozens wounded.

Associated Press:

Militants in Iraq targeted Christians in three separate Christmas Day bombings in Baghdad, killing at least 37 people, officials said Wednesday.

In one attack, a car bomb went off near a church in the capital's southern Dora neighborhood, killing at least 26 people and wounding 38, a police officer said.

Earlier, two bombs ripped through a nearby outdoor market simultaneously in the Christian section of Athorien, killing 11 people and wounding 21, the officer said.

The Iraq-based leader of the Chaldean Catholic Church, Louis Sako, said the parked car bomb exploded after Christmas Mass and that none of the worshippers were hurt. Sako said he didn't believe the church was the target.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attacks, but Iraq's dwindling Christian community, which is estimated to number about 400,000 to 600,000 people, often has been targeted by al-Qaida and other insurgents who see the Christians as heretics.

The U.S. Embassy in Baghdad condemned the attacks in a statement.

"The Christian community in Iraq has suffered deliberate and senseless targeting by terrorists for many years, as have many other innocent Iraqis," the statement read. "The United States abhors all such attacks and is committed to its partnership with the government of Iraq to combat the scourge of terrorism."

Along with Christians, other targets include civilians in restaurants, cafes or crowded public areas, as well as Shiites and members of the Iraqi security forces, attacked in an attempt to undermine confidence in the Shiite-led government and stir up Iraq's already simmering sectarian tensions.

A medical official confirmed the casualty figures. Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to talk to the media.

Churches are routinely targeted and not just by al-Qaeda. Local clergy whip the population into an anti-Christian frenzy and attacks are carried out by ordinary people.

All across the Middle East - from Syria, to Lebanon, to Egypt, to Iraq, Tunisia, and Algeria, Christians are literally under the gun. Authorities refuse to do the things necessary to protect Christian populations from terrorism and the west stands mute as the faithful flee the region for more tolerant countries.

Will there be any Chirstians at all in the Middle East in 10 years?