There is a “hidden
reality of persecution” against Iraq’s Christians,
including daily threats, kidnappings, discrimination
and at its worst bomb attacks, such as last Sunday’s
series of car bombings against Christian places of
worship in the Kurdish city Kirkuk and Iraqi city of
Baghdad. The aim: to feed internal divisions and the
ongoing political instability, but also to “drive
the Christian community out of Iraq”.
This is how the local Chaldean Church explains the
January 29th attacks to the newspaper AsiaNews which
revoke “the nightmare of violence of 2004” for
Iraq’s Christians, when explosions against 4
churches in Baghdad and 3 in Mosul left 12 people
dead and dozens injured. Sunday’s death toll was 3
dead, one catholic and two Muslims, with 9 injured.
Responsibility for the blasts has yet to be claimed.
Among the local population the theory is that the
bombings were in answer to the deeply contested
caricatures of Mohammad published by a Danish
newspaper. But according to Msgr. Rabban Al Qas,
Chaldean bishop of Amadiyah and Erbil (Kurdistan),
there are very different motives behind the
violence. “It was a well studied plan e – he
declares – perhaps from weeks before, car bombs are
not built in a matter of days”. |
By Vladimir van Wilgenburg
Journalist - Netherlands |
|
The prelate hypothesizes that behind this most
recent violence there are “forces intent on
destabilising the and dividing the country”.
“Moreover – he adds – the continuing attempt by Arab
fanatic’s to push the Christians out of Iraq”. The
bishop relays that in a meeting held on January 28th
last between prelates from the Orthodox, Syrian rite
Catholic and Chaldean churches in the northern
diocese, the urgency of “the general situation for
danger facing the community” was highlighted.
“Categorically” leaving aside the possibility that a
future Iraqi government could drift towards
fundamentalism, some local seminarians tell us that
Christians are “more or less used to being
discriminated against”. “On the streets, in the
city, they always throw the same accusations at us:
‘infidels of the cross’. Even with Muslims with whom
we are on good terms we always feel the weight of
this condemnation”.
But the Kurdish government is protecting Christians.
The President of South Kurdistan, Massoud Barzani,
said they will welcome all Christians seeking refuge
from the critical security situation in other areas
of Iraq who want to stay definitively or temporarily
in the region.
At a meeting of religious leaders and members of the
Christian community in Kurdistan, Barzani said: "We
welcome any Christian brothers who choose to come
and live in Kurdistan, whether temporarily or more
permanently. This is their country and we will not
prevent any of them from taking refuge."
"You are the owners of this land, you are the
protectors of its ancient history, therefore no one
can prevent you from living here," the leader of the
Kurdistan Democratic Party said, inviting Christians
to "send letters to your relatives and your brothers
in Baghdad, Basra or any other Iraqi city, or even
abroad, to come and reside in Kurdistan, whether
definitively or until the security conditions in the
country improve."
"I can assure you," he continued, "that we will
not allow anyone to oppress you, you are free to
accept this fraternal co-inhabitance and to help in
the building of your country."
The Christian organisation Open Doors fears that
Christians will flee to Kurdistan or abroad. Their
representative Jenö Ebök said:”The chance is big,
that they flee to the Kurdish part of Iraq. There
the government has built thirty villages, for
Christian immigrants. But they could also flee
abroad.
The Chaldean archbishop, Louis Sasko of the Kurdish
city Kirkuk said:”Western people must stand still of
the destiny of Christians in these regions, when
they speak up. They shouldn’t spread wild ideas.
Everybody can attack us”.
A lot of Christians think the attacks were the
result of the caricatures of the Prophet of Islam in
Danish newspapers in December.
In the Christian-dominated district of Ainkawa in
the city of Irbil, there are even relatively high
number of foreign companies and organizations. For
Christians Kurdistan is safe.
Read more about the
German restaurant in Ainkawa here (PFD file).
Sources: Asiatimes.it, Reformatorisch Dagblad, AKI,
Azady
http://vladimirkurdistan.blogspot.com/
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