August 31, 2023. Posted by Balkan Periscope - Hellas
Nightmare
of the Christian community
What the Christian community in Iraq faces can only be defined as intense hatred and hostility. Since 2003, Christians in central and southern Iraq have been subjected to killing, abuse, kidnapping, discrimination, and forced displacement.
Over a hundred of their churches have been attacked, and a dozen of their clergy members, including bishops, priests, and deacons, have been killed, kidnapped, and tortured. Around 1,350 Christian civilians lost their lives. Out of a Christian population of 2.1 million, a staggering 80 percent fled the country, seeking refuge abroad, while others were internally displaced to the Kurdistan Region, following the historic initiative by President Masoud Barzani in 2003, which aimed to provide sanctuary to all Iraqi religious minorities.
More than a Patriarch's struggle
The ongoing turmoil faced by Christians today mirrors the trials previously endured by Jews in Iraq. The emergence of militias intent on occupying Christian lands and properties in areas like the Nineveh Plains and other Iraqi cities encountered a significant obstacle in their path — Cardinal Louis Raphael Sako, Patriarch of the Chaldean Catholic Church.
As the spiritual leader of Iraq's largest church, representing approximately 80 percent of Iraqi Christians, Patriarch Sako opposed the creation of Christian militias. His beatitude consistently urged the Iraqi government to prevent the existence of such groups, as Christians inherently advocate for a robust and stable government, not a fragile one.
Influential
figures like the bishops of the (Nineveh Bishops Council) also opposed militia
formation and the acquisition of Christian political representation in the
Iraqi parliament through tens of thousands of votes outside of the Christian
house gathered by militias to support their proxies and impose them on
Christians , intended to consolidate the political power of these militias.
The resilience of Christians shocked the militias, prompting them to target the
head of the most powerful church, aiming to set an example that would
discourage others from opposing their expansionist policies in the Nineveh
Plains. This culminated in efforts to compel their allies to affect the
decision of the presidential institution of Iraq, by issuing a presidential
decree by the Iraqi president Abdul Latif Rashid, to withdraw the presidential
dated for more than 10 years ago, only concerning Patriarch Sako.
Suppressing the Christian voice
While numerous other decrees by the Iraqi presidency for various bishops and
churches leaders remain in place, exclusively targeting Patriarch Sako serves
the purpose of conveying a clear message: Christians must remain silent and
cooperative during the militias' efforts to alter the demographics of their
ancestral lands in the Nineveh Plains. This silence is also expected regarding
the multitude of human rights violations and abuses committed by these
militias.
Since July 2023, Patriarch Sako has sought refuge in Erbil, where he was warmly
welcomed by the government and the people. His choice signifies a protest
against the actions of the Iraqi president and the militias, with thousands of
Christians across Iraq, the Kurdistan Region, and elsewhere raising their
voices against these unjust decisions. Despite the protests, neither the Iraqi
government nor the presidency has taken steps to address this plight or end the
ongoing demographic changes in Christian territories within the Nineveh Plains.
Nineveh Plains held hostage by militias
On August 4th, 2023, the (Nineveh Bishops Council) organized a protest
demanding immediate action by the Iraqi government to stop the continuous
demographic alterations in the Nineveh Plains, threatening the Christian
community's presence. Additionally, the council sought the enactment of an
electoral law ensuring genuine Christian representation in the Iraqi
parliament. The bishops, and thousands of Christians in the protest were
shocked that the militias reacted by closing checkpoints and preventing
journalists, as well as Christians from other towns and villages, from joining
the protest.
What should Christians do?
Christians
and other minorities in Iraq need to unite efforts, and organize their movement
on both levels international, and local. Christian parties; Chaldean, Assyrian,
Syriac, and Armenian, with Ezidi, Kakaye, and Turkmens need to understand that
alone they lose, together they have a very strong chance to prevail, and
guarantee their existence in their historic ancestral homeland.
To be or not to be
It is
imperative for the United Nations and its Security Council to take steps to
safeguard the imperiled Christian community in Iraq, particularly in the
Nineveh Plains. Establishing an internationally protected and closely monitored
zone emerges as the most effective solution. Especially by the implementation
of Sinjar agreement. Failure to act risks the world losing one of its oldest
Christian communities. The international community must comprehend that
Christians in Iraq face profound danger, a continuous hushed Genocide!
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