Armenian church behind barbed wire, Baghdad, Iraq (Shutterstock)
Ishtartv.com
- catholicherald.co.uk
Christine
Rousselle/CNA, 4 January, 2020
Christian communities in the
Middle East are likely to suffer renewed persecution in any instability
following recent U.S. airstrikes, experts have warned.
On Thursday evening Qasem
Soleimani, the head of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards’ Quds Force, was killed
in an airstrike in Baghdad International Airport, ordered by President Donald
Trump. Also killed in the strike was Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, the leader of the
Popular Mobilization Forces, and Iraqi militia which has fought against ISIS.
The airstrike followed an attack
on the U.S. embassy in Baghdad, and U.S. officials claim that Soleimani had
planned additional attacks against Americans.
Christian groups say that in the
face of escalating conflict and instability in the country and region, focus
must be maintained on the marginalized religious populations in the country.
“General Soleimani and his Quds
Force wreaked havoc on Christians and others in Iraq, Iran, Lebanon, and Syria
for decades. We pray his passing will mark the end of an era of terrorism and
instability,” said Peter Burns, director of government relations and policy at
In Defense of Christians.
But, Burns added, there are
concerns that the region will become unstable, which could have “increased probability
of counterattacks on religious minorities.”
“IDC is closely monitoring the
situation to ensure that such attacks do not happen,” he said.
His organization is calling for
the governments of Iraq and Syria to work to “ensure the safety of protesters
who have already been targeted by Iran-aligned thugs,” and, Burns noted,
Christians in these countries have protested alongside Muslims while seeking
political and economic reforms.
“Their right to gather and call
for change should not be threatened by Iranian retaliation violence,” said
Burns.
While it is unclear what the
fallout of the January 2 strike will be, many are wanring that Christian
populations may be put at an increased risk of terrorism and other attacks.
“Whatever happens next in Iraq,
it is important that we not lose sight of the plight of the Christians in that
country who have historically been disproportionately affected–and often
directly targeted–in situations and upheaval and violence,” said Andrew
Walther, Vice President of Communications and Strategic Planning of the Knights
of Columbus in a statement to CNA.
“The safety and survival of these
communities, which were just recently decimated by ISIS’ campaign of genocide,
must remain a priority,” said Walther.
The Knights of Columbus has spent
more than $25 million over the last five years to assist the plight of
Christians in the Middle East, particularly in Iraq and Syria.
Fr. Luis Montes, an Argentinian
priest of the Institute of the Incarnate Word and a missionary in Iraq, told
ACI Prensa that the attack is “quite serious,” but explained that there has not
yet been anything “directly against Christians in this regard.”
Montes told ACI Prensa, CNA’s
sister agency, that he was more concerned with the threat of instability in
Iraq, which will “make life harder for Christians.”
“The war affects us Christians
more than others because there are fewer of us, we’re more unprotected” from
the “the insecurity and violence,” he said. Most Christians have left the
region, which further erodes efforts to help stabilize the country.
“All this instability and
violence is the perfect opportunity for violent people, for the terrorists, for
interests outside the country interested in the country’s resources, and this
is adverse to the population,” said Montes.
Edward Clancy of Aid to the
Church in Need also expressed concern about how the new instability would harm
the Christian population. Clancy, who works as the group’s outreach director,
told CNA that his initial reaction to hearing about the airstrike was “‘Oh no,’
but also hopeful at the same time.”
“Terrorist activity will
disproportionately affect the Christians. Not necessarily in the numbers
killed, but in the numbers that remain. People will leave, because of lack of
safety,” he said.
“So right now, it is of utmost
importance, whoever can provide it, give to the Christian community [a sense
of] security,” said Clancy.
Clancy especially highlighted the
the Nineveh region, traditionally home to some of the world’s oldest Christian
communities, where there is a lack of infrastructure and communication
networks, and Christians are left “high and dry” in a “very difficult
situation.”
The community there is “very
vulnerable right now,” Clancy said.
“We just have to be really,
really vigilant about praying for these people, and we also have to put
pressure on people in charge to make sure [the Christian community] is not
forgotten.”
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