By Chaldean PatriarchateChristians are native people of Iraq; they have opened their monasteries, schools and other facilities, to accommodate Muslims who arrived from the Arabian Peninsula. Moreover, Iraqi Christians have shared their rich heritage with Muslims and taught them in the fields of education, medicine, management, agriculture and translation.
Today, is not enough for ISIS to expel 120,000 Christians from Mosul and Nineveh Plain, who have been living in tents and caravans for 18 months, the terrorists are erasing their Memory.
In Baghdad, there are groups and individuals who are occupying Christians’ houses and properties by using falsified documents, because their culture allows them to own a non-Muslim property. We would like also to mention here the painful and humiliating abuse for Iraqi Christians upon the legislation of the Unified National Card (article 26/2) stating that underage Christians have to convert to Islam, if one of their parents did that for whatever reason.
We have met with the Government Officials and visited some of the Muslim religious authorities to discuss what we have in common, in terms of our faith and as human living together on this land. During these meetings, we assured our loyalty to Iraq as our homeland and we never sought revenge but rather to live in peace with all Iraqis. None of their promises comes to reality. Instead, it keeps going in ousting Christians and pushing them to emigrate.
One more time, we are forced to cry out to the conscience of Government Officials and religious authorities (of both Shia and Sunni) to take a serious step toward safeguarding the life, dignity and properties of our people, as they are all human beings and Iraqi citizens. It is also not acceptable at all to threaten their life, freedom and properties in any way; especially that such behaviour is far away from religious concept and is considered as another form of Genocide.
We sincerely hope that those who care will hear this appeal.