source:
http://www.catholic.org/printer_friendly.php?id=3D28551§ion=3DC=
athcom
Senior research fellow, Brian J. Grim, paints a harrowing picture of
the ongoing persecution of Iraqi Christians.
The research expert on religion and world affairs with the Pew Forum
on Religion & Public Life in Wa****ngton, D.C. re****ts that the
situation for Christians in Iraq is worsening.
=93It is no small irony, of course, that the ****ite majority that's now
a leading force in Iraq was brutalized and suppressed under Saddam,
who extensively curbed the ****ites' religious freedoms. A State
Department re****t in 2002 said Saddam's government =91severely restricts
or bans outright many ****ite religious practices.=92 One might think
that those fresh memories would be enough to ensure liberties for
Iraq's religious minorities today. Yet that appears not to be the
case,=94 writes Grim in his re****t.
Iraqi Christians are part of historic indigenous communities that have
been in what is now Iraq nearly since the time of Christ, several
centuries before Islam came to the region. The majority of them are
Chaldean Christians, an ancient religious group affiliated with the
Roman Catholic Church.
Grim points out what's particularly devastating for Iraq's religious
minorities is the lack of clear legal protections for religious
freedom. Although Article 2 of the Iraqi Constitution guarantees
religious freedom, it also contains what some have termed a
"repugnancy clause," which states, "No law that contradicts the
established provisions of Islam may be established."
Because the clause does not explicitly state what the "established
provisions of Islam" encompass or exclude, this opens the door for the
state and the courts to become theological arbiters. As such, there
are no formal avenues for religious minorities to participate in the
process.
Furthermore, Article 89 of the constitution stipulates that the Iraqi
Federal Supreme Court include experts in Islamic jurisprudence, which
means that the provision in Article 2 will be sup****ted by a court
system with people specifically employed to interpret Islamic law.
These people can be appointed without having civil law training.
The nature and extent of the violations of religious freedom were not
only severe, they also were tolerated by the government and, in some
cases, committed by forces within the government.
As such, a bipartisan U.S. Commission on International Religious
Freedom included Iraq on a "watch list" of countries where religious
liberty is severely threatened.
Religious leaders have made numerous attempts to broker resolutions.
In 2007, American president George W. Bush recounted, the pontiff "
was concerned that the society that was evolving (in Iraq) would not
tolerate the Christian religion."
Indeed, Iraqi Christians have continued to find themselves in the
cross hairs of faith-inspired violence. The worst episodes have
occurred in regions with diverse ethnic and religious groups, such as
Baghdad and Mosul, where the majority of Iraq's Christians live.
The State Department re****ted last year that Muslim extremists "warned
Christians living in Baghdad's Dora district to convert, leave or be
killed."
Commission representatives recently visited Iraq. Among other things,
they are *****sing whether religious freedom is threatened due to
possible collusion between ****ite militias and Iraqi government
ministries, and whether the country's smallest religious minorities
are being marginalized by government officials and parastate
militias.
If Iraqi government's culpability in violations of religious freedom
continues, Iraq would join the likes of Burma, Iran, North Korea and
Sudan.
The political and social consequences of this oppression will need to
be addressed by the new U.S. administration, whichever party wins the
White House in November. An Iraq that truly honors and protects
religious freedom would be a benchmark of success that all Americans =97
and no doubt both parties =97 would applaud.
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