Christian Minorities in the Islamic Middle East
July 6th, 2007According to the Assyrian International News Agency:
Welcome to The Religion Report.
Stephen Crittenden: The plight of Christian minorities in the Islamic Middle East is one of the 20th century tragedies to which we pay least attention.
From the Copts in Egypt, to the Maronites, the Melkites in Lebanon, Orthodox and Chaldeans, the Christian population of the Middle East is a fraction of what it was, and more vulnerable than ever. Nowhere is the situation worse at the moment than in Iraq. And few groups are more vulnerable than the ancient Assyrian Christian community. In fact, this week the Italian journalist Sandro Magister, has warned of the end of Christianity in Iraq.
In early May in a heavily Christian suburb of Baghdad, a Sunni extremist group began broadcasting a fatwah over the loudspeakers of the neighbourhood mosque: the Assyrian Christian community had to convert to Islam or leave, or die. Their Muslim neighbours were to seize their property.
The men were told they had to pay the gizya – the protection money Jews and Christians traditionally had to pay to their Muslim overlords – and families were told they could only stay if they married one of their daughters to a Muslim.
More than 300 Assyrian families have fled, mostly to the north into the Kurdish region of Iraq where they are not welcome either They are sleeping in cemeteries, they have no food, more than 30 of their churches have been bombed, their children are being kidnapped and murdered.
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Firstly, I am very glad to see Muslim women holding that banner. It gives me hope that Christians within Iraq are not alone in this brutal and inhumane struggle. The more Muslims fight for religious minorities within their communities, the better and safer these minorities will be from oppression, and that is absolutely key for our progress.
Secondly, I cannot believe why Iraqis are doing this to themselves… what exactly do they gain from this shameful violence and terrorism?
I hope to see that banner more and more often in Iraq..
I wonder why the Arab and Muslim media aren’t really making us aware of the types of stories that you posted above. I mean, if it wasn’t for this article (and I know it’s republished, but from an equally non-mainstream media outlet) then I and many others wouldn’t know that this is even taking place!
May peace and strength be with our Christian brothers and sisters in Iraq, and with the terrorized Assyrian Christian minority.
I think you need to address the American Christians who have dropped bombs on Iraq, destroyed its infrastructure, killed thousands and used depleted uranium that has resulted in deformed babies and contaminated land. The United States had originally helped Saddam Hussein into power and supported him financially and strategically, when he was committing his worst atrocities. Thousands of Iraqis have been jailed without any justification. Agent provocateurs have fueled the violence in Iraq. The Iraqi people, regardless of religion, are paying the price for U.S. foreign policy.
Here in America, Christians and Jews cry crocodile tears for the persecuted Christians in other lands. The region where there has been the most number of deaths, the Congo and its surrounding countries, has Christians killing Christians. The United States fuels wars in Central Africa by selling weapons and providing training to both sides of the conflicts. While Africans are killing each other, Western countries exploit the natural resources of the continent.
While I commend the message conveyed by the photo, I must question its authenticity: it looks totally photoshopped.
Look at the American flag. It looks fake. Her hand positions look similar to the woman on the left, but her hand is also supposedly holding the little flag.
Then, the banner and the two women seem to be superimposed on an altogether different photo. The depth of field is totally wrong. The man on the extreme left is more out of focus than the shrubbery underneath the letters CHRIS, yet he is supposedly closer to the lens.
The feet of the woman on the left seem to be cropped off awkwardly, in relation to her height.
It may be that the organization wanted to blur the faces of innocent bystanders, but why not make a point of blurring just their faces? Why go to more elaborate lengths?
Faked photos are always a disappointment, whatever the cause.
Who knows if these women even carried a banner like that?
Finnpundit,
I agree with you you, the photo looks look it was compiled from other photographs.
Andre Slewa,
Where did you get that photograph? are the two women holding the banner in Iraq or another country?
Picture doesn’t look photoshoped to me.
Picture looks cropped, not photoshopped in my opinion, except for an image effect.
RandalJones,
Yes I agree with you, the U.S forces did contribute in many ways to the crimes caused in Iraq, but they are definitely not the sole ones we should blame. In fact the U.S’s presence, if anything, should only help unite the Iraqis against all forms of extremism. Instead the Iraqis had a choice… to unite for a better Iraq… or to fight for political and religious dominance, kill for the sake of revenge, and destroy their own country further… and it seems like there are several Iraqis who picked the latter. Hence why the situation is so much harder to analyze now. It’s a jungle.
RandallJones,
you can mix politics with religion, sure some Americans are Christians that are fighting in Iraq, but they are not fighting because there are Muslims living there, they are fighting because the U.S. government is telling them to. And, the army isn’t killing people at random, believe me, I am from there and they are attacking shaitan Al-Qaeda, not innocents civilions!
it’s not some religous war shabab! goodness!
Finnpundit & Randallones,
I am not sure if this photo is photoshoped or not, I found it in my friends album in facebook.com. The background looks wierd, but maybe the person who took this picture did that because they wanted the main focus to be on the people holding the poster.
RandallJones,
I ment you “can’t mix politics with religion,” sorry!
Esra’a,
Check http://www.ankawa.com for a daily coverage of what’s happening to the Iraqi Christians.
I also devoted a section of my blog to this subject, where you can find more news about kidnapping of priests, murdered priests and other news.
You can always check http://www.asianews.it for a daily coverage of the plight of Iraqi Christians.
The news is there. You just need to know where to find them.
Thanks Fayrouz. I come across most of your blog posts concerning Iraqi Christians because we cross-post your entries on MeFaith.com
[...] Mideast Youth – Thinking AheadArticle: Christian Minorities in the Islamic Middle EastOriginaly Posted On: 2007-07-07 [...]
Hmm, kinda agree with both sides here on the whole American Christian thing..while America certainly isn’t all Christians, the Bush Administration and supporters certainly represent that hawkish, nationalist strain of Christendom. As probably all of the posters here agree, it’s quite hard to convince people that one’s whole country isn’t a bunch of religious extremists when government policy is being dictated by them. As to the picture, it has been edited, but perhaps that was on the request of the other protesters who didn’t want to be identified…not a very safe thing in Iraq these days, I hear. However, the argument that we shouldn’t care about Christian minorities in Iraq becuase of American aggression sounds much like the North American justification for interning Japanese origin citizens during WWII, that the crimes of the Japanese were far worse, and so why should people care what happened to those in their midst?
Esra’a ,
You will not solve the problem of persecution of Christians if you do not stop the violence that the Americans started and are still perpetuating in the country.
notsnowbound,
I did not say to ignore the plight of Christians in Iraq, but you can not just to talk about the Christians and ignore what is happening to the whole country of Iraq. There are Muslims who are being, raped, killed, having their homes burned down, their mosques burned down, suffering from the effects of chemical weapons, etc. The occupation of Iraq has made the law enforcement and legal system corrupted and useless. Your comparison to the interment of the Japanese makes no sense. You can find Americans who talk all day and night about persecution of Christians in Iraq, but these same people will say nothing of the deaths and destruction of the whole country of Iraq. If you want to solve a problem you have to address all factors that contribute to it.
Last but not least, the Assyrian International News Agency that Andre Slewa has gotten the article from has commentary that talks about how Christians are more humane and morale than Muslims, so this is another reason why I wrote what I did in my previous comment.
Andre Slewa, you wrote, “And, the army isn’t killing people at random, believe me, I am from there and they are attacking shaitan Al-Qaeda, not innocents civilions!”
I am sure there are American soldiers who are doing their best to do the right thing. Butthe American governement and corporations have other goals: to gain control of the oil wealth.
During the Afghan-Russian war the United States recruited and trained Osama ben Laden and other Muslim extremists to fight its proxy war against the Russians. When the Russians were defeated this faclitated the collapse of the Soviet Union. THis made the United States the number one super power in the world. In the meanwhile, Afghanistan was left in ruins with millions dead.
There are agent provocateurs who are fueling the violence in Iraq in order to give the United States an excuse to continue occupying Iraq.
notsnowbound,
Yes, America is not all Christians. There are Jews and atheists who are part of the government and corporations who make decisions for the country. Nor is the foreign policy of the Untied Stated due only to Christian fundamentalists; this is a common claim made by the political left so that they do not have to accept their responsibility in the war crimes the government has committed.
Randall can’t say “Good morning” without adding “except for the millions murdered by racist/greedy/imperialistic/war-mongering Americans.”
He has good reason, though: Andre made reference to an article that comes from a website that has a comment that says something non-critical about Christians. That sort of nonsensical propaganda can’t be allowed to pass unchallenged!
Grumpy,
I question your sincerity to help the Chrisitans of Iraq, when you do not want to address the destruction and chaos that the United States has caused in Iraq.
WHen Esra’a had placed a blog posting about the network of Muslims trying to stop the persecution of the Baha’i in Egypt and other Middle Eastern countries, I did not object and I even commented this organization should also address the persecution of other religions, athiests, and Muslims who interpret Islam differently from the mainstream.
So if you are from there you know what’s going on? Come on… and you live in the US.
[I've posted this in another section, but thought it was important enough to post here. My apologies if you've already seen it.]
Last year author and activist, Rosie Malek-Yonan’s book, The Crimson Field, was brought to the attention of Congressman Christopher Smith’s office who chaired a House Committee on International Relations. The Crimson Field is a true story chronicling the author’s own family struggle to escape the Assyrian Genocide of WWI where 750,000 Assyrians were massacred by Ottoman Turks, Kurds and Persians. Consequently, on June 30, 2006, Ms. Malek-Yonan was invited to Capitol Hill to give a Congressional testimony about the plight of the Assyrian Christians in Iraq since the U.S. led invasion of Iraq in 2003. You can read the text of her testimony at http://www.thecrimsonfield.com/congressionalhea.html . Her testimony and the additional report she provided, prompted Congressman Christopher Smith to fly to Iraq to meet with the Assyrian community and to turn in Ms. Malek-Yonan’s report to U.S. officials in Iraq.
Now one year after Ms. Malek-Yonan’s passionate plea to the U.S. government, a Congressional appropriations subcommittee has voted to send $10 million to aid the Assyrian Christians in Iraq. However, but for this aid, nothing else has been done to help the Assyrians Christians of Iraq and the Assyrian refugees stranded in Syria and Jordan. Perhaps this financial aid will be a start, but it begs the question, who will receive the funds and how will they reach the Assyrian community and how much of the $10 million will actually find its way to the Christian community in Iraq that is in desperate need of assistance.
As Ms. Malek-Yonan had testified, monies were previously allocated to the minorities in Iraq, however, the Kurds were in charge of disbursements and Assyrians never saw their share. I hope that this time the Assyrian community in Iraq will receive a generous portion of these funds without being forced into Islamization, a practice running rampant in Iraq today.
Stephen Crittenden of TheReligionReport for ABC Radio National Australia recently interviewed Ms. Malek-Yonan in a program called “Christian Minorities in the Islamic Middle East: Rosie Malek-Yonan on the Assyrians.†This is where you can read the full transcript of this very enlightening interview: http://www.abc.net.au/rn/religionreport/stories/2007/1937124.htm
Stop spamming retard.
Stop being rude, Jina. You need to be educated on what American has done when it illegally went into Iraq and tore it to pieces without the slightest concern what that invasion would do to the indigenous Assyrian Christian population. Take your blinders off and hear from the people of that region. Only a closed mind behaves like a retard!
What the fuck does all this has to do with me telling you not to spam?
wow Trip Miller, that good you know of Rosie Malek-Yonan’s book!
:]
RandallJones
Of course I beleive you Randall, but I will not believe the same problem will occur in Iraq, as did in Afghanistan. The Iraqi political leaders are trying there best to control the terrorist attacks that are being fueled by hate and also are watching what “agent provocateurs” (or America) are doing, carefully. Also there is a lot of pride in the hearts of all the Iraqies, that pride will not allow Iraq to fall into ruin.
I am sure there are American soldiers who are doing their best to do the right thing. Butthe American governement and corporations have other goals: to gain control of the oil wealth.
During the Afghan-Russian war the United States recruited and trained Osama ben Laden and other Muslim extremists to fight its proxy war against the Russians. When the Russians were defeated this faclitated the collapse of the Soviet Union. THis made the United States the number one super power in the world. In the meanwhile, Afghanistan was left in ruins with millions dead.
There are agent provocateurs who are fueling the violence in Iraq in order to give the United States an excuse to continue occupying Iraq.
HOW CAN I DELETE MY LAST POST! I rewrote it.. XD
Wow Trip Miller, that good you know of Rosie Malek-Yonan’s book!
lol Jina, I don’t believe he is spamming, he trying to prove a point.
:]
RandallJones
I’m not saying I don’t believe you, but I will not believe the same problem will occur in Iraq, as did in Afghanistan. The Iraqi political leaders are trying there best to control the terrorist attacks that are being fueled by hate and also are watching what “agent provocateurs†(or America) are doing, carefully. Also there is a lot of pride in the hearts of all the Iraqies, that pride will not allow Iraq to fall into ruin.
Spam = copy and pasting the same shit on multiple posts, like he did. What part of it is making a point? Don’t get it.
Jina,
Well shabab he did say this in the very beginning “[I’ve posted this in another section, but thought it was important enough to post here. My apologies if you’ve already seen it.]” So don’t see it as a spam, unless he just copy and pasted without informing us that he posted it before then I would declare it a spam.
hmm his point, by the looks of it, is to try to inform people of Rosie Malek-Yonan’s book, The Crimson Field, which tells people the conflict happening with Assyrians in Iraq and Rosies plea to the U.S. government to notice it..
:]
Hey, Jina, lighten up!!
Yes, Andre Slewa (Assyrian), I know her book well and I respect people like Rosie Malek-Yonan who actually go out on a limb to make a positive difference.
Sunday Reading List, 7/08/07…
The world survived 7/7/07 and all the predictions of doom and gloom. You can sit back, have a cup of tea or your favorite beverage, and read some great articles. If you must choose only one article, let it be…
I will be happy to address that issue, Randall: can you point me to the article discussing it? I prefer not to do it here since that isn’t the topic of Andre’s article
By the way, Randall, I “question your sincerity to help the Christians of Iraq” since the first thing you had to say in response to an article about their churches being bombed, their kids kidnapped, etc., was:
Could you at least say something — anything — even vaguely sympathetic about the Assyrian Christian community?
Grumpy,
I am sympathetic to all Iraqis, regardless of religious beliefs who have been affected by the invasion of Iraq.
I am sympatheric to all American soldiers who have been duped into fighting a war that was not necessarry. The mainstream media did not not do enough to educate the public about the long relationship betweem Iraq and the U.S nor did they do enough to question the honesty of the U.S. governnment’s reasons for wanting to invade Iraq.
It’s the first time I’m seeing the above photo (of 2 Muslim women holding the banner).
Although wanting to believe/hope in the varacity of Muslims rallying in support of other minorities…, I know for a FACT that, for the most part, their VAST majority could/would NOT dare do so, in public, for FEAR of mainstream’s violent reaction against them (KILLING them!!!).
Therefore, based on that, but-most importantly in the photo-based on the DELIBERATELY-FADED background (the man sitting “behind” the banner & the sign he’s carrying or, the people on the left-hand side of it are all BLURRED) my question is-if such an already non-mainstream/controversial or confrontational act (of the 2 women in the photo) is already taking place (revealing “truth” as it is-without covering their identities, for fear for their lives, through retribution of opponents) AUTHENTICALLY then, WHY COVER the identities of the OTHER people in the photo? Also, WHY cover the WRITING in the banner that the sitting man is carrying (although his face is already covered by the banner)?
Above all; bottom line: I DISPISE the abuse of advances of technology (photo DOCTORING) by UNSCRUPULOUS people working on propagating LIES & promoting their own PERSONAL AGENDAS…!!! If you are a TRUTH-teller, having NOTHING to lose/hide: show it as IT IS (UNmodified!)-& let the viewer be the judge of it (if you are already posting something publicly)!!!
And here’s MY lesson in CAUTION: BEWARE of ANYTHING you see/watch! As we “progress” in technoglogy-apparently, so does human’s ability to counterfeit to a point of “pefection” (where one cannot tell the difference between the original & fake anymore! Not the case with this photo here, though…)!
OVERALL, I would empathize with all human suffering & hoping & praying for more acceptance, compasssion, love toward the other (the different-whether religiusly, ethnically, sexually, etc…).
Yet, as a Jew, I can forgive but cannot/would not forget the fact that the Assyrian Empire was one of the empires to have EXILED the Jews off their lands (in Biblical times)! So, before speaking of being understood/acceptedd-one has to learn how to do same for/on one’s OWN, in the spirit of: “clean one own’s backyard before asking others to clean theirs”…(goes for world politics, ethnic relkations, etc…as much today as in past-or actually, becasue & in light of past/hostory)!!!
Yet, as a Jew, I can forgive but cannot/would not forget the fact that the Assyrian Empire was one of the empires to have EXILED the Jews off their lands (in Biblical times)!
Firstly does the Assyrians today have anything to do with a political entity thousands of years ago, do they carry the blood stained hands of their Leaders before? So if some Assyrian is whinging is it relevant for you to mention this, does it have any significance?
The first of us, our father Prophet Adam, he sinned then repented, yet are we to blame, no,… because no soul shall carry the burden of anothers.
Christian Minorities in the Islamic Middle East
Andre Slewa (Assyrian)
July 6th, 2007
According to the Assyrian International News Agency:
Can anyone verify this plight? Where is the solid evidence?
This is pretty late, but if anyone is still interested and wants a more “neutral” source:
http://www.minorityrights.org/admin/Download/pdf/MRGIraqReport.pdf
sorry here:
http://www.minorityrights.org/?lid=2805
IT IS NOT CHRISTIANS WHO KILL ABBES IN IRACQUE,IT IS AWFUL,THEY ALSO BOMBED ME IN MY TOWN WITH DEPLETED URANIUM.AMERICANS ARE UNBELIVERS,A CHRISTIAN WOULD NEVER HURT INNOCENT PEOPLE,NOR WOULD REAL MUSLIM.I AM OFFICIALLY CHRISTIAN BUT I THINK THAT ISLAM IS THE BEST RELIGION,TGOSE WHO KILL CHRISTIANS AND ANY PEOPLE FOR REVENGE WILL BURN IN HELL,ALLAH DIDN’T SAY THAT,TO KILL INNOCENTS,NEVER,WE ARE ALL PEOPLE,ALL THE SAME,KILLING FOR SUCH IDIOTIC REASONS IS WORSE THAN BEING ANIMAL