The Shameful Treatment of Iraqs Christians!

Baghdad, Iraq

There is nothing worse than to be a Christian in Iraq.

In spite of being the original people of the country – the Arabs came much later to the country emigrating from present Saudi Arabia, Yemen and other areas – they are second class citizens in their own homeland.

Within one week six were killed – in one home stabbed over fifty times.

Iraq was originally the nation of Assyria. The Assyrians were the first people to accept Christianity in the first century and were the nation that sent Missionaries throughout the world, taking Christianity to China, India, Japan and most of Europe.

Today they are a beleaguered minority in their own land.

They have been treated the worst by the US and the UN.

Afraid of any offence to Islam, the Americans from the very beginning of their entrance into Baghdad in April of 2003 have gone out of their way to favor what they call the "majority".

A classic example is the words of a Christian Chaplain on his role in the country.

"My role is to engage the majority. The minority is not in my scope of concern." – translated, "I help Moslems – I don’t have time to help Christians."

The Assyrian Christians who numbered 2.5 million or nearly ten percent of the country according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 2003 find themselves without anyone to support them.

Ironically they have only one seat in the countries Parliament while Moslem mullahs have ten percent – the seats they should have taken by those who would deny them their freedom.

One former Government official says "It is shameful that the Assyrian Christians who are the original people of the country and should have at least 25 seats in the Parliament have only one seat. Is this democracy? The international community has an obligation to demand that there be proper representation for the original people of the country and to support this."

Along with other Assyrian leaders they hopes for an increase in Assyrian candidates for the upcoming election.

An even more shameful example is the assistance provided for the Christian community.

"The last help we had from the Americans were some computers donated to one of our Women's Centers in 2004" one exasperated Christian representative says. "No help in spite of many requests since"

One US Advisor put it bluntly. "If you want help you better change the title from Assyrian and make it "all Iraqis".

The same Advisor was seen days later meeting with the leader of a major Islamic Party, the double standard clearly visible.

Repeated requests for assistance ranging from help for small shops to youth and women's center to help for farming and security for the Christian community have all been rejected.

A check of one major US Government agency could produce only $400,000 in help for the original people of the country.

The fear of any offence to "moslems" colors the assistance to Iraq's original people.

"They don’t care about us. We made a big mistake. We thought that they would help us, support us and care for us. We were wrong. They love the Moslems. They are more "Moslem" than the Iraqi's themselves" says Amir George, echoing a sentiment expressed often by Iraqis, puzzled as to why the Americans and EU do not support Christians.

"The Moslems have many who support them from throughout the moslem world. It is very strange that the Americans and the EU do not help the Christians. They are the ones that need it the most" says Ahmed Hussein

The Christians are treated the worst by the United Nations which has a long history of discrimination against Christians.

"When the United Nations opened their office in Baghdad in 2003 we went to introduce ourselves" says a Christian representative.

"When we walked into the office of the director of the Human Rights office he stood up and said "You are Christians, aren’t you?". We replied "yes". He said "I have only one word for you. This is a Moslem country. You should leave."

With that kind of shameful treatment from those they expected to be there friends it is no surprise that the Christians have left the country in large numbers.

"We are not afraid of the bombs. That is something we can handle. What we will not do is to be treated this way in our own homeland."

The fact that the people who most of all supported the US and its allies in the liberation of the country and the people most needed to see progress in Iraq have been treated so shamefully by the very people they thought would help them is a telling sign as Iraq sinks into what many Iraqis term "colonization by Iran".

A quick look at Parliament says it all. The Parliament is headed by a Moslem mulla named Halid Al –Ateaa and while the Christians have only one representative what should be their numbers are held by mullahs who fill over 10% of the Iraqi Parliament, roaming around the Parliament building like Mafia dons followed by an encourage of ten to twenty "toughs".

"If this is democracy" says Amir George "We want no part of it. The way they have treated us as human beings, let alone as being Christians is shameful. There is nothing we can do, but we believe God in His time and in His way will bring justice for us. There is only one word for it – Shameful!"