http://english.pravda.ru/world/25-12-2009/111419-iraqchristianswishes-0
25.12.2009
Iraqi Christians Receive Seasonal Wishes from UN Envoy
The top United Nations envoy to Iraq today issued seasonal wishes to the
country's Christians and to all Iraqis amid fears of a surge in violence
targeting the country's Christian population. In a statement coinciding with
Christmas Eve, the Secretary-General's Special Representative for Iraq Ad
Melkert wished all Iraqis, and in particular Iraqi Christians, a very Merry
Christmas and a Happy New Year.
Iraq had a secular government under Sadaam Hussein. Christians and
Muslims lived side by side in peace and harmony. Christians even had high
positions in the Iraqi government, as well as small ones. They didn't have to
fear for their lives or being the target of violence. Iraq's Christians have
historically played an important role in maintaining the country's unique and
rich societal fabric, and they continue to contribute to preserving national
unity in the face of much adversity.
There are no specific statistics about the total population of Christians
in Iraq now because of current instability. The Christian population before the
U.S. invasion of the country, in 2003, was estimated to have been about one
million, but since then because of bombing of their churches, killing,
kidnapping and other terrorist attacks against members of the community by
Islamic fanatics, more than half of the community has been forced to abandon
their homeland and seek refuge in Syria, Jordan, Iran, Lebanon and other
moderate countries.
This is the kind of government the US and the Israelis seem to have a
major problem with. You have Iraq, Iran, Lebanon, Syria, Palestine...all of
these countries have shown tolerance and friendship to their Christian
minorities and have appreciated their contributions to their respective
societies. However, you have places like Saudi Arabia, Azerbaijan and Turkey
where Christians have been subjected to all kinds of abuses and genocide and
guess what? The US and Israel are their best friends.
The modern militant form of Islam in the Middle East, even if it were not
a bastard child of the Western neocolonial strategists, certainly has brought
devastation to the region. Western interests have seen Nasser's pan-Arabism
(Ben-Bela, Burgiba, Saddam Hussein, King Hassan) as a major obstacle to their
economic and geopolitical interests. They believe that sacrificing the
Christians in Iraq has been a price well worth paying even though it was not
theirs to pay.
Christian churches in Baghdad, Kirkuk, and Mosul have been bombed
throughout the war. Now, priests and others in Nineveh Plain say they pay large
sums of money to Al Qaeda-linked militants in Mosul, the provincial capital, in
exchange for protection for themselves and their churches. Christian churches
are surrounded by barbed wire and fences where none were needed before.
The extortion has not kept Christians safe. Nearly every one has had a
heart-wrenching story to tell about kidnapping, extortion, and displacement at
the hands of Islamic extremists intent on driving Christians from the region.
"I had a choice: Convert to Islam, pay the tax, or give away one of my
daughters," says a man originally from Baghdad, who was kidnapped two years ago
and released only after his family paid a hefty ransom. Now, he's trying to
leave Iraq for good.
The US-led invasion of March 2003 sent thousands of Armenian Christians
fleeing to Armenia, Syria and Lebanon. Others have resettled in the United
States, Sweden and Holland. Much different than in Saddam's Iraq, when special
classes were allowed in Armenian language and religious studies.
At least 45 Armenians have been killed in the post-Saddam years of
rampant insurgency, sectarian warfare and often unbridled crime, while another
32 people have been kidnapped for ransom, two of whom are still missing. On
December 7, 2004, assailants firebombed a new church in the northern city of
Mosul, an Al-Qaeda bastion, just days before it was to be inaugurated.
Like all Iraqis, Armenian Christians have also been caught up in car
bombings, killed during robberies or in cases of mistaken shootings by the US
military and private security firm Blackwater. Speaking of Iraq's hospitality
and kindness after the Armenian Genocide, an Armenian Christian family
declared, "We are indebted to the Arabs. They did everything to welcome us.
They allowed us to live and to rise in society, after Armenian survivors, many
of them orphans, had arrived bare-footed from death marches across the desert."
The Iraqi army said its forces were put on alert in areas with
significant Christian populations because of intelligence reports that they
could be once again be subjected to attack as they have been continually since
the American invasion set loose the elements of intolerance, fanaticism,
criminality and fascism. For that, Iraqi Christians must be truly grateful to
the Americans.
In the last month, there has been an increase in deadly attacks against
Christians in Mosul, Iraq's second largest city. In October last year, more
than 12,000 Christians fled Mosul following an upsurge in attacks, threats and
intimidation. Some later returned.
Lisa KARPOVA and Timothy BANCROFT-HINCHEY
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