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 Arabic Version

Baghdad, February 28, 2002 – In a series of racist and anti-Christian rulings, the Iraqi government of Mr. Saddam Hussein has recently introduced decrees that are intended to marginalize and render ineffective the Christian churches of Iraq as well as continue its aggressive Arabization campaign against Iraq’s non-Arab population of Chaldeans (including Assyrians and Syriacs), Kurds, and Turkomans.

In its first anti-Christian ruling the Iraqi government has decreed that all Christian priests and churches of Iraq (whether Church of the East (in its two branches Chaldean and Assyrian), Syriac (Orthodox and Catholic), Armenian, and others) be put under the full control of Ministry of Islamic Property (known in Arabic as “Awqaf”). The ruling is intended to put an end to the 2000 years of uninterrupted independence of the Church of the East (has more than 90% of Iraq’s Christians). It’s also intended to lay the hands of Iraqi government on all the Christian churches’ properties and financial assets in Iraq.

Currently, a petition signed by the Bishops of all the different Christian churches in Iraq has been presented to the Iraqi government requesting the abolishment of this anti-Christians ruling. In response, and to blatantly show its disrespect for the Bishops’ move, the Iraqi government has asked them to choose between either having Christian churches properties be fully confiscated or have it be put under the management of Ministry of Islamic Property. In either case, the Christian churches of Iraq would lose their independence and be put under the jurisdiction and administration of Muslims who would have the final say in how Christianity is taught, preached, or even practiced.

In another ruling with the same anti-Christians agenda, the Iraqi government has decreed that Christian religion classes (currently taught in few public schools with Christian majority) be only taught by individuals with either a Masters or Ph.D. degrees. A move intended to effectively close down those classes, since there are few individuals with such degrees whom the Chaldean church would entrust to teach a fundamental subject as teaching Christianity itself.

The above two rulings followed another repressive one last year which expanded the provisions of an age-old ruling that forcefully convert Christians married to Muslims to Islam. That old ruling allowed the children of a forced convert from a previous Christian marriage to postpone their forced conversion into Islam till they reach 18 years of an age. That provision has been overturned and today, children of a Christian marriage (regardless of their age or will) are forced into Islam the moment one of their parents ends up marrying a Muslim.

To further its new anti-Christians policies, “Babil” newspaper of Uday Saddam Hussein (the elder son of Mr. Hussein) has been running several anonymously written anti-Christianity articles. Writings that attack the essence of Christianity and its beliefs and are intended to show the superiority of Islam over Christianity.

In another exercise that shows the contempt of the rulers of Iraq to Christianity, was their forcing the Catholic Chaldean Patriarchy of Babylon (as well as other Christian churches) to include in their Year 2002 religious calendars sayings of Saddam Hussein side-by-side to those of Jesus Christ.

Also, in another racist ruling, the Iraqi government has decreed that the parents of newly born Iraqi babies will no longer be allowed to name their children but Arabic and Islamic names only. Christian, Chaldean, Kurdish, or Turkish names are no longer allowed to be used in Iraq. This decree that was signed by Saddam Hussein himself was put into effect immediately and sent directly to Iraqi hospitals for implementation. That is bypassing church leaders and without even bothering to inform them of this anti-Christians as well as racist ruling that’s directed against all the non-Arab ethnic groups of Iraq which make up close to 25% of the total population of the country.

Those repressive rulings come on a background of Iraqi Chaldean Patriarch Mar Raphael BeDaweed working diligently to galvanize the Chaldean Diaspora to rally behind the lifting of the sanctions against Iraq. An activity that subjected him to strong criticism by Chaldean nationalists who felt that his actions were tainting the Chaldean community negatively by presenting it as closely associated with a long sought out demand of the Iraqi regime.

This latest series of anti-Iraqi Christians rulings would sure result in further pressures by Chaldean nationalists on Patriarch BeDaweed to steer him away from his close association with the current regime in Baghdad. A regime that not only has shown disrespect and ungratefulness to his activities (as he was warned previously by Chaldean nationalists), but has rewarded his Christian church and Chaldean people with further repressive measures.

Several activities are planned by Chaldean nationalists in the Diaspora to protest those racist anti-Chaldeans and anti-Christians rulings by the Iraqi authorities.

Chaldean News Agency
cnews@chaldeansonline.org

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