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By
Bar Daisan, 2017-03-13
Munich
-- The future of Christians in the Middle East was the subject of a
panel discussion at the Munich Security Conference, held on 17-19 of February.
Organized by the Hanns-Seidel Foundation, the panel was titled "What
future do Christians have in the Middle East?" and focused on the
situation of the churches in Syria and Iraq.
The
panel was chaired by Professor Ursula Männle, Minister of State (ret.).
Speakers included Patriarch Ignatius Aphrem II of Syriac-Orthodox Church, Dr.
H.C. Heiner Bielefeldt, formerly UN Special Rapporteur on Religious Freedom and
Belief, Dr. Franz-Josef Jung, Commissioner for Churches and Religious Issues of
the CDU/CSU Parliamentary Group and former Defense Minister, Nicodemus Daoud
Sharaf, Archbishop of Mosul, and Archimandrite Emanuel Youkhana, Chairman of
Christian Aid Program Northern Iraq (CAPNI) of the Assyrian Church of the East.
Professor
Männle said that the humanitarian catastrophe in the Middle East is the largest
we face since World War II and Christians are particularly targeted; they are
at the verge of losing not only their homeland but also their identity. She
pointed to statistics of people impacted in both Syria and Iraq. "We must
not make ourselves complicit in the ongoing Christocide by abstaining; we
cannot and will not allow Eastern Christianity to be extinguished. To cope with
the crisis in the Middle East and thus improve the situation for the Christians
in the Middle East, it needs the influence of all European countries in close
relationship with the USA."
The
session was moderated by H.E. Dr. Heinrich Kreft, Ambassador of the Federal
Republic of Germany to the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg.
Prof.
Heiner Bielefeldt noted that human rights are nowhere violated as dramatically
as in Syria and Iraq, and asked for the public "outcry instead of a
private anxiety." Dr. Franz-Josef Jung saw a duty of the West in the fact
as its Christian cultural imprint demands more European commitment in the
region. Archbishop of Mosul, Nicodemus Sharaf, described the catastrophic
situation on the ground and placed a particular focus on the hopeless situation
of the refugees in northern Iraq while blaming the West for failing to create a
"save zone" for the Assyrians in the Nineveh Plains. Archimandrite
Youkhana pleaded to give hope to Christians in the Middle East so that they
could stay in their homeland. "Christian presence is needed in the Middle
East,", he said. Everywhere walls are built, while the Christians built
bridges between the various groups. They were often helpless, but never
hopeless. With the event. "the Hanns-Seidel Foundation has once again
given voice to the persecuted Christians in the Middle East in the circle of
world leaders."
In
his speech, Patriarch Aphrem II issued an urgent call for support of the
Christians in Syria and Iraq. He stressed that they need to stay in their
homeland to secure Christian identity and presence in a country where
Christianity emerged while they need support and require protection from an
ongoing genocide, which aims to erase the Christian presence in the Middle
East.
The
Patriarch described the current situation and living conditions of the
Christians in Iraq and Syria. The hopeless situation, as he said, is reason for
many Christians to migrate. Hence, the Christians presence is dwindling.
Below
are excerpts of the Patriarch's remarks (transcribed by Sarah Abed).
Shlomo,
this means peace in Aramaic and that is how we greet each other and that is
what we are missing in our life these days. Thank you for the Hanns-Seidel
Stifung for the opportunity to raise our voice; we have been ignored for some
time as Christians in the Middle East and we welcome every opportunity to be
heard. We are here because there is always peace to be sought and to be
achieved. The Syrian conflict should be settled in a peaceful manner. Violence
only brings on more violence, as Pope Francis said.
The
war in Syria is not a civil war. What we suffer from in Syria and Iraq cannot
be called a civil war. However, it is [a conflict] due to religious fanaticism
and extremism. This is sweeping over the entire region and extending out of the
borders of the Middle East. Crossing into Europe and the entire world.
About
a 100 years ago we suffered horrible genocide in the Middle East; though it
didn't stop in 1915 or 1918; it continues to this day.
Not
only Christians are dying, but what is happening is not short of genocide.
Populations are being uprooted, forced to leave their home, Churches are being
destroyed, clergy is killed and bishops are being kidnapped. Both Orthodox
archbishops from Aleppo were kidnapped by ISIS on April 22nd, 2013. Not much is
known about them since then.
What's
happening in the Middle East are not cases [of violence] against individuals
but is an organized effort to wipe out Christianity from the Middle East. This
will happen if we do not stand up and demand an end to this.
Statistics
are very alarming in Syria, Iraq, but also in Turkey and in the Holy Land.
Christians are leaving the region at an alarming rate. We want you to help us
stop that, we appreciate Germany's generosity to help the refugees but we want
you to help us keep Christians in the Middle East. We lived there for 2000
years as Christians and many millennia before that as indigenous people of the
region. We are not guests there, we received many people into our homeland
[Mesopotamia and Syria], and we lived with others, interacted peacefully with
them, and learned how to make them accept us.
Now,
ideologies of extremism, like Wahhabism and Muslim Brotherhood have made living
conditions very difficult for Christians, have destroyed the peaceful living of
various religious groups in the Middle East and Syria -- along with the
international attempt to enforce "regime change" in Syria. We are
scared if the secular governments were to be overturned and Muslim Brotherhood
or Wahhabism takes over.
The
Syrian Regime is not the best, has its shortcomings. The legitimate secular
Syrian Government treats us based on our humanity and citizenship - not our
religion. If a religious regime is established in Syria that will be the end of
Christianity! What we need from the international community is to help us to
stay in the Middle East.
We
need good relations with our neighbors. We need a strong government and
security. We need to be able to continue living with our millennia old
traditions and be able to practice our religion freely. We want to be heard,
having support and prayers is important but we also want to have groups that
advocate for us. People need to feel secure about returning to their homes.
Humanitarian
Aid
Churches
are overwhelmed with the humanitarian services they are providing to locals in
the northeast region of Syria: food, settlement for displaced families,
education, health services and even major surgeries. [Generally] in the field
of humanitarian aid, Churches are taking a government role, providing help,
education, food, health care, housing and settlements for the displaced, all in
government controlled areas.
There
are many people who are helping us, but very little of the 2.5 Billion Euro
provided by Germany reaches Christians. Here we are again discriminated. Why we
are being discriminated against?
As
an exception, the German Ministry for Development has cooperated with us, is
helping people through the churches. [Western] Governments should not feel
reluctant to help Christians. The churches in Syria, in Damascus and other
parts of the country help everyone, not just Christians. Many organizations and
governments feel to separate state and religion when providing aid and charity,
but that shouldn't be the case here. Majority of those that the churches are
helping are Muslim people. This is part of our Christian mission.
Iraq
Our
people [Assyrians/Chaldeans/Syriacs] lived mostly in northern Iraq, in Mosul
and in the Nineveh Plains. Baghdad had [prior to the war] 60,000
Syriac-Orthodox believers. This number is down to 6,000 now.
People
need to feel secure before they can return to their homes. We need security and
I would like to propose a step further: We believe there is an opportunity for
the Christians can settle in a designated area as "safe haven" with
international support, at least initially until they can protect themselves.
Iraqi government discussed this matter and it was suggested that the Nineveh
[Plains] region should be designated as Christian region. Even the former
president Jalal Talabani supported the idea. This is not against the unity of Iraq;
the latter is not there unfortunately. This will give our people some security
and identity. It will give those who live abroad the feeling that they can go
back to their ancestral roots.
Syria
What
we need is Syria is a strong government; we need respect to all groups in the
country. Christians are [often] accused of being loyal to the regime -- yes we
are loyal to the legitimate regime. This derives from our religion. We are
loyal to our country, to our ancestral homeland and the legitimate Syrian government
but not loyal to a person.
I
heard some remarks that Christians are fleeing because of the persecution by
the regime. I want to correct this. Christians are not fleeing because the
regime; Herewith I am not defending the regime. Our people left Raqqa,
Deyr-al-Zor, Hasaka to come to areas controlled by the regime. Christians
cannot go to areas controlled by Al-Nusra, Daesh (IS) and other [extremist]
groups. If they do, they are held hostages, kept as dhimmis and pay taxes for
protection.
Final
Thoughts
Two
years ago we were meeting with President Obama in the White House, together
five Patriarchs [from the Middle East]. With respect to Syria, Obama said
"You Christians are protected by the regime". Talking further, Obama
said also that "there is nothing called moderate opposition", this is
a fantasy. Now we are told again, that there is "moderate opposition"
in Syria.
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