A hundred and fifty Iraqi Christians have arrived in France where they have been granted political asylum because of the threat from ISIL extremists.<br /><br />They are the lucky ones: one support group says some 10,000 have applied for visas to the French consulate in Iraqi Kurdistan after being driven from their homes.<br /><br />In Paris the French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius met the refugees, who have relatives in France or links to the country.<br /><br />They had been flown from Irbil on board a French government plane which had brought humanitarian aid on its outward journey.<br /><br />Many say Christians and Muslims can no longer live together in Iraq.<br /><br />“We cannot trust anyone. We cannot trust anyone because they have betrayed us as a Christian people, many times. So why to stay here? We want to find our future, we want to build a new life, for me, for my husband, for my kids in the future,” said Sara, sitting next to her husband at Irbil airport as they waited to board their flight.<br /><br />“Leaving our country is the only choice we have to survive,” another woman added.<br /><br />French Muslim groups have denounced ISIL’s persecution of minorities in Iraq and Syria.<br /><br />The refugees are the second group of Iraqi Christians to be allowed to enter France since the summer.
