By Kurdistan 24
A lack of security is preventing displaced Christians in Iraq from
returning to their areas, the leader of the Syriac Orthodox Church
Patriarch Ignatius Aphrem II said on Sunday.
“The most important reason that prevents [displaced Christians] from
returning to their areas is that they do not feel safe and secure,” the
Patriarch said during a press conference following his arrival in the
Kurdistan Region capital.
Members of the Christian faith are estimated to make up about two
percent of the Kurdistan Region’s roughly 5.9 million population.
Christians, just like other minority groups in the country, have long suffered persecution in Iraq.
In 2014, when the so-called Islamic State emerged in northern,
western, and central Iraq, tens of thousands of Christians were forced
to flee their homes, with many seeking refuge in the autonomous Kurdish
region.
Patriarch Aphrem called on the central government in Baghdad and the
regional government in Erbil to do more to protect and provide a
peaceful environment for displaced peoples who return to their areas.
In late January, the Patriarch visited the Kurdistan Region and met
with senior officials to discuss the situation of displaced people in
the region.
The religious leader is in Erbil again and is among senior figures,
officials, and diplomats who will attend Nechirvan Barzani’s
presidential inauguration on Monday.
Aphrem said he hoped the era of the future
president would be as prosperous as that of former Kurdistan Region
president Masoud Barzani.
Editing by Karzan Sulaivany
Editing by Karzan Sulaivany