Iraq: a statue of the virgin Mary removed in Basra A statue of the Virgin Mary, which was to be inaugurated on Tuesday in Iraq’s Basra, was removed overnight at the request of the episcopate over fears that it might incite sectarian tensions. The white statue, financed partly by the Armenian Organization of Basra for Rescue and Development, had been set up in a downtown garden. IMAGES AND SOUNDBITES before the removal of the statue