Posted on 06/09/2004 7:42:31 AM PDT by A. Pole
The long-predicted exodus of Christians from Iraq has begun.
Facing a June 30 deadline for transfer of power, a temporary constitution that reads, in Article 7, that Islam is the "Official Religion of the State," and the most recent humiliation for the community -- the failure to receive even one position on the Executive Council and only one ministry post, the Ministry of Emigration -- the Christians of Iraq are voting with their feet.
"On a recent night the church had to spend more time on filling out baptismal forms needed for leaving the country than they did on the [worship] service," says Amir, a deacon at a local church who does not want his full name published. "We have been flooded with parishioners desperate to leave the country, and as they cannot get an exit permit without a baptismal certificate from the church we have been swamped with requests. ... In recent days nearly 400 families as far as we can tell have filled out baptismal forms to leave the country. Our community is being decimated."
Most of the Christians in Iraq are Assyrians -- people who claim to be the original inhabitants of Iraq. The Assyrians were the people of Nineveh -- present-day Mosul -- the city to which God sent the biblical Jonah.
Because they are Christians and seen as allies of the West, the Assyrians have long been subject to persecution. The Assyrian Church, known officially as the Assyrian Church of the East, is the oldest continually existing church in the world. Assyrians are the only people in the world who still speak Aramaic, the language spoken by Christ.
During the Assyrian genocide, in the waning days of the Ottoman Empire, it is estimated that nearly two-thirds of the Assyrian people were slaughtered.
According to figures from the previous regime, there were 2.5 million Assyrian Christians in the country with an estimated 3.5 million outside the country for a worldwide total of as many as 6 million, many of whom would return to Iraq if they had a future.
"We thought the Americans were going to bring us freedom and democracy," said 31-year-old Robert. "Instead, they are promoting Islam. We do not understand it. ... We love the Americans! We are so grateful for them removing Saddam and giving us back our freedom. We do not want their effort to be a failure if the dictatorship of Saddam is replaced by the dictatorship of Islam."
Robert continued: "The American-funded TV station, Al Iraqia, broadcasts Muslim programs four times every day and for two hours each Friday but nothing for the other religions. The recent inauguration of the new government was opened by a Muslim mullah reciting a long passage and a prayer from the Koran, but none of our priests were invited. Why do they do this? Why do the Americans promote Muslims? They need to promote equality and democracy and freedom, not Muslim dictatorship."
He lamented: "What happened to the American promise to help [Iraq] become a democracy that would be a place for all to live? This is our homeland! We are the original people of Iraq! We should not have to leave."
The community is working on two projects -- one to establish a 24-hour nationwide hotline to provide security for daily acts of intimidation that is much of the cause for the panic among the Iraqi Christians. The other is a nationwide network of "safe houses" to take care of the community, when -- as they believe -- following the handover of sovereignty to Iraq, the country will descend into chaos and civil war.
"We are having to take care of daily cases of harassment of Assyrians by Muslims," says one priest. "I just got back form helping one of our parishioners who was falsely accused by a neighbor and was about to be arrested. I had to go and sort it all out. ... Our women are accosted on the street and intimidated to start dressing according to Islamic tradition, our businesses are being burned, and the constant harassment is because of the attitude of appeasement toward Muslims."
In addition, a proposal for an Assyrian Regional Government based on Article 54 of the Transitional Administrative Law is being circulated in Iraq and in Washington in a last-ditch effort to persuade the community to stay.
"We want to stay. This is our homeland," the priest said. "But if we do not have a place where we can go, if we will be persecuted daily by Muslims again we cannot stay. We are appealing to the world to help us -- to guarantee us an area where we can be protected, where we can live in peace and where we can worship in freedom."
Ken Joseph Jr. is an Assyrian and directs Assyrianchristians.com. He is writing a book on his experience in Iraq entitled I Was Wrong. United Press International's "Outside View" commentaries are written by outside contributors who specialize in a variety of important issues. The views expressed do not necessarily reflect those of UPI, a sister news organization of Insight.
No. Christians are second class in Israel and are not very welcomed (unless they come as tourists)
From website http://www.atour.com/State_of_Assyria.html
"The Assyrians of today are the indigenous Aramaic-speaking descendants of the ancient Assyrian people, one of the earliest civilizations emerging in the Middle East, and have a history spanning over 6750 years. Assyrians are not Arabian, we are not Kurdish, our religion is not Islam. The Assyrians are Christian, with our own unique language, culture and heritage. Although the Assyrian empire ended in 612 B.C., history is replete with recorded details of the continuous presence of the Assyrian people till the present"
"We thought the Americans were going to bring us freedom and democracy," said 31-year-old Robert. "Instead, they are promoting Islam. We do not understand it. ... We love the Americans! We are so grateful for them removing Saddam and giving us back our freedom. We do not want their effort to be a failure if the dictatorship of Saddam is replaced by the dictatorship of Islam."
In the end, it's up to the people of Iraq to secure freedom and democracy. Like Dr. Condi Rice said, "We've taken the citizens of Iraq as far as we can take them. now it's up to them to take themselves the rest of the way."
That is just as true here in the USA. Freedom isn't given. Freedom is earned.
You have to be joking. Syria? Christians are and always will be second class citizens in any Moselem country. Islamic law dictates it.
Well said.
You are displaying willful ignorance. Syria is not under Islamic law yet. It is ruled by a secular Baath party which is based on pan-Arabic national ideas (BTW, this party was founded by a Christian - Michael Aflaq). The ruling family belongs to the minority sect of Alawites. Syrian Christians make about 12% and they are doing fine!
But when Syria is "liberated" Christians will have to flee and Islamic rule will be introduced.
Oh, please. It's simply unarguable that we're going to be leaving Iraq better than we found it. But if the Iraqis aren't interested in making the best of their newfound freedom then there is only so much we can do about it. It would be a bit hypocritical to give them freedom only to impose our unbendable will to their governmental structure.
So I guess what you're saying is that it would have been better for Iraq for Saddam Hussein to continue his oppressive regime, because at least at least Saddam's terror didn't discriminate on the basis of religion?
BTTT
Wow! They're getting persecuted because they follow Jesus Christ. Yahoo . . . I mean HALLELUJAH!
So I suppose that you know how to preserve liberty without democracy? What are you smoking? What would you have us do, impose liberty on them? ha ha!
No, just that there's a good likelihood that only either a thugocracy or a theocracy can govern Iraqis. I hope I'm wrong.
In the meanwhile I would welcome those Iraqi Christians to a new home here in the States. If they would have us, that is.
I understand, but I thought our objective was to create something of a representative republic over there, not a theocracy.
It will indeed be a sad footnote to our campaign over there if as a result conditions are made worse for even a small segment of the population, especially an innocent one.
Interesting, I did not know that.
Thanks for the correction.
Liberty and democracy are two different things. Only in the magical dreamy P.C. worldview the "good things" like tolerance, democracy, freedom, diversity, peace, justice, prosperity etc ... they "must" go together by nature.
Democracy/republic is about popular participation in government. Freedom is the ability to act freely, especially to live virtuous life (as opposed to licence).
You can have popular democracy making a lot of opressive laws and regulations or you can have a monarchy with very limited government and people living as they wish.
You have been smoking something. While of course this is true in theory, in practice do you honestly beleive that it a benevolent monarchy can be sustained?
There is no doubt that democractic societies are capable of oppression, but there is no superior way to achieve liberty when you take into account the realities of human sin. Constitutional protections help but they will only take you so far, particularly in a society with such an overwhelming majority (Islamic) like in Iraq.
NO political system can be sustained. As Heraclitus said "Nothing endures but change."
And as a matter of historical facts, benevolent monarchies can last as long as benevolent republics, if not longer.
BUMP!
"So there's like 1,000 of them and they want their own seat on the governing council?"
Well if they just had 40 kids each like the Mooooslims...
"I hope we can give asylum to all of them. I know a few Christian Arabs and they are good, hardworking people."
Maybe Israel can trade some terrorists for these Assyrians who would live in peace in Bethlehem or somewhere like that.
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