Synod, an opportunity to stop the Christian exodus from Iraq
Louis Sako ("AsiaNews," October 12, 2010)
Brussels, Belgium – “There is a danger of the extinction of the Christian
community in Iraq,” said Mgr Louis Sako, archbishop of Kirkuk, a few days
before the opening of the Synod of the Churches of the Middle East in Rome.
The Iraqi bishop hopes that the principles of equality and citizenship will
be recognised for Iraq’s ancient Christian community, strengthening
peaceful coexistence with the Muslim majority.
The synod, which will close on 24 October, is designed to boost the witness
and communion of Christians by strengthening ties among their Churches and
guaranteeing religious freedom, peace and justice in the Middle East. The
remarks that follow are those Mgr Louis Sako delivered to the International
Seminar on anti-Christian Persecution held in Brussels on 5 October.
1. The Beginning
Most of you probably do not know about Christians in Iraq. Christianity
entered Mesopotamia (Iraq) from the beginning of the Christian era. According
to the best-known and most widely disseminated version, the Apostle Thomas
was the first one to evangelize those regions through his travel to India.
At the time of the Muslim conquest in 637, about one-half of the population
of what is now Iraq and a great part of Iran was Christian. Iraq's
Christians are one of the world's oldest Christian communities. Their native
tongue is Aramaic, the language of Christ; they speak Arabic too. Obviously
few
Christians have suffered worse in recent years than these Iraqis.
2. Today Situation
For us our future is linked to the Muslims who are the majority, but at the
same time, we are worried about the growth of religious extremism and the
political Islam. Extremists are the big danger for the whole world. Their
strategy is to impose their rules and their ways even in the countries where
they are housed. There is no clarity on the future of the Islamic world
scene! Religion should be updated and integrated into the life of faithful
today.
The Christians in the Middle East were in the early twentieth century, 20%
of the population, but today, they account for less than 10%. In Iraq,
according to the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom,
there were approximately one million Christians in Iraq prior to the war.
Today, there are only about 500,000.
Whereas in recent years, there have been alarming numbers of religiously
motivated killings, abductions, beatings, rapes, threats, intimidation,
forced conversions, marriages, and displacement from homes and businesses, and
attacks on religious leaders, pilgrims, and holy sites. In Iraq, with the
smallest religious minorities having been among the most vulnerable, although
Iraqis from many religious communities, Muslim and non-Muslim alike, have
suffered in this violence. Whereas members of small religious minority
communities in Iraq do not have militia or tribal structures to defend them,
do
not receive adequate official protection, and are legally, politically,
and economically marginalized.
In Iraq, the number of Christians is continuing to diminish. Maybe they
will disappear under continued persecution, threats and violence carried out
by extremists who are leaving us no choice: conversion immediately to Islam
or to consign their property and leave the country or to pay a monetary
tribute to the Jihad if they want to avoid their death. Fifty-one churches
have been attacked (three churches in my diocese). One bishop and three
priests kidnapped and murdered and about 900 innocents Christians have been
killed since the United States-led invasion in 2003. Hundreds of thousands
have
fled their homes and are staying in neighbouring countries as refugees.
They are looking for a secure place to live and to educate their children to
the same levels they themselves achieved before the war. For six months,
Iraqi politicians are not able to form the new government.
3. What is to be done? Do not leave them alone
There is a danger of the extinction of the Christian community in Iraq and
other country". For these families, the war has been a disaster. Americans
are not only responsible for that tragedy, but they are responsible of a
stable and peaceful future. They should not leave them behind and pulling
their troops out of Iraq without caring.
In addition, the international assembly is responsible to keep religious
and ethnic minorities in their land to continue their presence and uphold
their heritage and witness. The lack of planning to stop the mortal exodus
that afflicts our community is worrying.
The future of Christians in Iraq, but also in M.E. has one of two ends:
Emigration, or to accept to live as a second-class citizen with many
difficulties and fears.
The question that requires an urgent and decisive response is, "How can
Iraqi Christians be helped?" We need a strong support from all, with a clear
"political" vision and precise plans not only for protecting and encouraging
Christians to stay home and to hope, but also for fostering reconciliation
among Iraqis, to promote human rights in that area and asking the
governments to respect the rules. Christians have been, and can continue to be
today, an instrument of dialogue, peaceful coexistence, and collaboration with
our Muslim brothers who are appreciating their qualifications, therefore
the migration of Christians from Middle East is a big loss for both.
The international community must take its responsibility and come up with
the local authorities to a common agreement to respect the dignity of the
human person and its rights based on equality and full citizenship, with
partnership commitments and protection. Therefore, it is necessary to make
real
modification on the Constitutions in order to guarantee the rights of all
citizens equally.
The strength of a state should be based on credibility in applying laws
equally to all citizens, without discrimination between Muslims and
non-Muslims, majority and minority. This is a shame. In The west Muslims
community
are enjoying full equality and they are not considered a minority or a
second-class citizens. In ME were are indigenous and not refugees!
The international community should try to help the migrants to come back
home and to facilitate and guarantee that but also to resettle particular
case of Iraqis who have no prospect for returning to Iraq or whose situations
are so perilous that life in Iraq is simply not possible, but without
encouraging and facilitating the migration. If the embassies give visas to
Christians, no one will remain. The International community can undertake to
finance some projects in the villages where Christians are living, for
instance, schools, dispensaries, roads, agricultural projects. We have to go
beyond survival to a stable life of future witness and presence. To resolve
the
problem of fundamentalism, new educational programs should be done namely
on religious instruction. Fighting them with weapons is increasing them. An
open-minded formation on human rights and religious positives values could
be more effecient1
We hope the next synod for the Middle East churches, which will be held fr
om 10th -24th October, will pay calls attention to our problems. It is an
opportunity to revise the whole situation for Christians in the Middle East;
because there are so many crucial issues to tackle, we hope this synod will
be highly productive.
Before concluding, I would like to thank the European Parliament, Namely,
the ECR and EPP and organizers of this meeting, Mr. Mario Mauro and Mr.
Konrad Szymanski. It is rendering a great help in supporting Minorities
especially Christians.
--
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