Iraq: Najim (Procuratore caldeo Santa Sede) "Rischio sharia per i non musulmani"

Fonte: SIR

La recente introduzione, nella città santa di Najaf e nella sua provincia, di norme che vietano, anche a chi non è musulmano, di bere o vendere alcolici, poiché incompatibili con l’Islam, rischia di far cadere l’Iraq nell’applicazione della sharia, la legge islamica. “Si tratta di un rischio – commenta al SIR padre Philip Najim, procuratore caldeo presso la Santa Sede – che allontanerebbe l’Iraq dal cammino verso una democrazia solida, laica, rispettosa dei diritti di tutti, anche quelli delle minoranze. La religione, sia essa musulmana o cristiana, deve contribuire a riconciliare il Paese e la sua gente. I politici devono comprendere che la fede è un valore aggiunto dell’Iraq e della sua voglia di rinascere”. “Credo – aggiunge Najim - che l’Iraq non abbia bisogno dell’introduzione di tali norme ma piuttosto di decisioni concrete che portino alla costruzione di strade, scuole, ospedali, al rilancio dell’economia per creare posti di lavoro e quindi un benessere per tutti”. Tuttavia, riconosce il procuratore caldeo, “la Costituzione irachena è in qualche misura ambigua dal momento che garantisce il rispetto della libertà religiosa, ma nello stesso tempo afferma che non si possono promulgare leggi contrarie alla religione musulmana”.

Iraq: Najim (Chaldean Procurator to the Holy See) "Non-muslims fear sharia"

Source: SIR

Iraq is heading towards the imposition of Sharia, the Muslim law, after the recent introduction into the holy city of Najaf and into its provinces of laws prohibiting alcohol sales and consumption, applying even to non-Muslim people, as this practice is incompatible with Islam. Commenting on this decision in an interview with the SIR, Father Philip Najim, Chaldean procurator to the Holy See, said “there is the risk that Iraq may stray from the path leading to a solid and lay democracy which is respectful of the rights of everyone, included those of minorities. Religion, whether Christian or Muslim, should contribute to reconciling the country and its people. Politicians have to understand that faith is a value added for Iraq and its desire of recovery”. “I believe – added Najim – that Iraq does not need the introduction of such laws but rather concrete measures promoting the construction of roads, schools and hospitals in order to re-launch the economy and create new jobs for the good of everyone”. However, said the Chaldean procurator, “the Iraqi Constitution is ambiguous to some extent for it stipulates that religious freedom must be respected while, at the same time, prohibiting the promulgation of laws at odds with the Muslim religion”.

Campagna di solidarietà per i profughi iracheni

Fonte: Radiovaticana

La guerra in Iraq ha provocato uno dei più grandi esodi del Medio Oriente. Le agenzie delle Nazioni Unite parlano di quasi 2 milioni e mezzo di iracheni fuggiti nei Paesi vicini: Siria, Giordania, Libano, Egitto e Turchia. Altri 2 milioni di iracheni sono sfollati all’interno del Paese. Un movimento enorme e incessante, di cui poco si parla.

È in questo contesto che nasce la campagna per la raccolta fondi di "Un Ponte Per...", dal titolo “Emergenza profughi iracheni”, con l’obiettivo di portare assistenza sanitaria e psicologica alla comunità di rifugiati iracheni in Giordania.

Salvatore Sabatino ne ha parlato con Paola Gasparoli, dell’Ufficio comunicazione di “Un Ponte Per…”:

Attualmente, la situazione rimane drammatica ed anche con conseguenze politiche importanti per i Paesi che hanno subìto l’arrivo dei rifugiati iracheni, anche perché le loro economie sono già deboli. Pensiamo alla Giordania, ma anche alla Siria. Internamente, l’esodo di oltre 2 milioni di persone ha portato ad ulteriori sfasamenti politici all’interno del territorio. Per quanto riguarda i rifugiati esterni, il grosso problema è che non sono riconosciuti come rifugiati, ma sono considerati ospiti dalla Siria, dalla Giordania, dal Libano, dall’Egitto, e sono pochissimi, se non inesistenti, le strutture per dargli un appoggio e un aiuto. La stragrande maggioranza di loro non ha accesso alle strutture sanitarie, non ha accesso alla scuola.

Tra questi due milioni e mezzo di iracheni fuggiti nei Paesi vicini ovviamente ci sono anche centinaia di migliaia di cristiani, che vivevano soprattutto nel nord dell’Iraq. Qual è la loro condizione?

Personalmente ho incontrato molti dei profughi cristiani, soprattutto nel nord del Paese, nell’area del Kurdistan iracheno e in Siria, e la loro situazione è una situazione molto spaesata. Lì ho incontrato cristiani che arrivavano da zone come Baghdad, per esempio, e che abitavano in zone anche ricche culturalmente. La loro situazione è decisamente di tristezza, di frustrazione, per un Paese nel quale prima vivevano serenamente, dove sentivano un contatto religioso. Parlando, per esempio, con il vescovo di Kirkuk, Louis Sako, diceva: “Noi eravamo distribuiti sul territorio. Questa nostra condizione adesso può diventare un pericolo futuro per il dialogo e il rapporto tra di noi”. Quindi, è veramente una condizione psicologica, umanitaria e anche per loro sanitaria, che implica spesse volte un lavoro molto forte.

In questo contesto davvero drammatico nasce la campagna di "Un Ponte Per...", intitolata “Emergenza profughi iracheni”. Come è possibile aiutare queste persone?

E’ partito un progetto di assistenza sanitaria sia con unità mobili sia con degli ambulatori. L’assistenza sarà sia sanitaria, di pronto soccorso e distribuzione di medicinali, sia socio-psicologica per i bambini e per le donne. Come si può aiutare? Si può aiutare fino al 30 ottobre, mandando un messaggio sms al 48587. E tutta la campagna, il progetto, le testimonianze dei profughi e dei rifugiati possono essere lette sul sito del Ponte, www.unponteper.it.

Sinodo. Il vescovo del Cairo: rilanciare l'evangelizzazione per non ridurre le Chiese nordafricane a monumenti di archeologia cristiana

Fonte: Radiovaticana

Lavori a porte chiuse, oggi, al Sinodo dei Vescovi per l’Africa, in corso in Vaticano sui temi di riconciliazione, giustizia e pace. Questa mattina i Padri sinodali si sono riuniti nella nona sessione dei Circoli minori per la preparazione degli emendamenti alle Proposizioni finali, che ieri sono state presentate in forma provvisoria. I testi saranno nel pomeriggio esaminati dal relatore generale, dai segretari speciali e dai relatori dei circoli minori.

Intanto, dal vescovo caldeo del Cairo, in Egitto, mons. Yussef Ibrahim Sarraf, è giunto il forte appello a non permettere che le Chiese orientali e dell’Africa del Nord siano ridotte a “monumenti di archeologia cristiana”. Il presule chiede che sia proseguita con coraggio, anche oggi, l’opera di evangelizzazione iniziata da San Marco in Egitto.

“Dobbiamo fare un grande mea maxima culpa” ha ammonito mons. Sarraf. Paolo Ondarza lo ha intervistato:

L’evangelizzazione è iniziata dall’Egitto – la prima evangelizzazione – attraverso San Marco; e poi, giù fino alla Nubia, e lì si è fermata. Ecco perché dico il “mea maxima culpa” – nostra colpa – è che ci siamo fermati là: per motivi antropologici, storici e via dicendo.

… e oggi è troppo tardi?

Non è mai troppo tardi! Bisogna essere missionari, cioè andare a evangelizzare. E’ quello il mandato che abbiamo ricevuto dal Signore. Ci ha detto di andare a evangelizzare tutto il mondo: non una regione, ma tutto il mondo, fino alla fine dei tempi. E’ quello che dovrebbero fare le Chiese orientali cattoliche – ovviamente, secondo me.

Andare ad evangelizzare oggi, soprattutto in determinate aree, richiede oltre ad una grande preparazione, un grande coraggio …

Il coraggio non mancherebbe. Più che coraggio, io lo chiamerei “i doni dello Spirito”: lo Spirito Santo che accompagna, come gli Apostoli, che all'inizio non sapevano parlare altre lingue, non sapevano niente, eppure hanno predicato in tutto il mondo. Perciò, questo ci incoraggia: non dobbiamo parlare noi, come uomini, ma è Dio che parla attraverso l’uomo per annunciare Gesù Cristo.

Lei ha fatto un richiamo alla Chiesa universale, cioè non dovrebbe interessarsi all’Africa solo la Chiesa africana ma l’intera Chiesa. E’ un richiamo alla cattolicità della Chiesa?

Esatto. Mi sono domandato quanti abbiano letto “Ecclesia in Africa”. Prima di tutto, in Africa e poi, figuriamoci!, fuori dall’Africa …

Come vive la Chiesa cattolica in Egitto?

La Chiesa cattolica in Egitto è una minoranza, una minoranza della minoranza. La popolazione egiziana è di circa 85 milioni: circa 10-12 milioni sono cristiani copti ortodossi. Di questi cristiani, forse 200-250 mila sono cattolici: siamo veramente una minoranza della minoranza; divisi in sette riti – sempre cattolici; però abbiamo le scuole – 166 scuole cattoliche, alcune scuole hanno fino a 3 mila alunni, una cosa grande, e tutti sanno e rispettano molto le nostre scuole; abbiamo ospedali, dispensari, ambulatori … Questo è il lavoro della Chiesa cattolica. Ovviamente, la Chiesa cattolica è molto rispettata perché rispetta gli altri e cerca di dialogare con gli altri e vive in comunione: sette riti, ma viviamo in un’assemblea sola, prendiamo insieme decisioni che ci riguardano tutti. I cattolici, purtroppo, 30-40 anni fa hanno abbandonato l’Egitto e sono emigrati principalmente negli Stati Uniti, in Canada, in Australia: questo ha avuto grande peso, perché era anche l’intellighenzia, e ne risentiamo ancora. Molti anche oggi pensano di poter trovare una vita migliore fuori: io consiglierei di rimanere in Egitto, anche per dare un contributo al Paese. Anche noi siamo co-responsabili della vita dell’Egitto, non solo gli “altri”, i musulmani o gli ortodossi: anche noi siamo cittadini dell’Egitto a pieno titolo!

Avanza la sharia a Najaf e Bassora, anche per i non musulmani

Fonte: Asianews

di Layla Yousif Rahema

Da dieci giorni a Najaf non si possono più bere e commerciare alcolici. La decisione delle autorità locali è solo l’ultimo di una serie di episodi che fanno temere la possibilità di un lento scivolare dell’Iraq nell’imposizione della sharia anche ai non musulmani.
Najaf è considerata una città santa perché vi è sepolto il primo imam sciita e il quarto califfo dell’islam, Ali b. Abi Talib.
Il Consiglio provinciale ha deciso all’unanimità che il carattere particolare della città santa sciita rende inopportuno “bere, vendere e far transitare alcol di qualunque tipo, a prescindere dalla quantità”. Il motivo: si tratta di attività incompatibili con l’islam. Chi violerà il divieto, anche se fedele di un’altra religione, dovrà risponderne in tribunale. Il provvedimento si applica a Najaf e a tutta la provincia di cui è capitale, e comprende il divieto di fare pubblicità alle bevande alcoliche.
Si tratta di una decisione “contro la democrazia, le libertà civili e i diritti umani”, commenta mons. Louis Sako, arcivescovo caldeo di Kirkuk. Che aggiunge: “In questo modo, inoltre, si incoraggia il traffico illegale d’alcol, perché la gente continuerà a bere ma dovrà farlo di nascosto”.
Mons. Sako avverte della preoccupante deriva verso la legge islamica, che si sta verificando in alcune città irachene. Da agosto scorso, il Consiglio provinciale di Bassora, la seconda città del Paese, ha proibito la vendita di alcolici su richiesta dei partiti sciiti, dominanti nell’area meridionale. Anche allora, il vice governatore della provincia, Ahmad al Sulaiti - un esponente religioso eletto con il Consiglio Supremo islamico iracheno (ex Sciri) - aveva motivato il divieto di consumare alcolici con il fatto che la Costituzione irachena “proibisce qualunque cosa vìoli i principi dell’islam”.
Il problema, infatti, è interno alla stessa Costituzione. Fin dal varo della nuova Carta, le minoranze religiose e in particolare i cristiani, ne avevano denunciato l’ambiguità. “Essa – spiega l’arcivescovo di Kirkuk – garantisce il rispetto della libertà religiosa, ma allo stesso tempo all’art. 6 stabilisce che non si possono promulgare leggi contrarie alla religione musulmana. Era chiaro fin dall’inizio che questo punto avrebbe creato gravi problemi alle minoranze”.
Il mercato degli alcolici è storicamente in gran parte in mano alla comunità cristiana, per la quale rappresenta un’importante fonte di sostentamento. In questi anni il terrorismo e gli attentati dei fondamentalisti ai negozi di bevande alcoliche avevano costretto molti a chiudere. Ora con le nuovi leggi locali i commercianti si aspettano un duro colpo alle loro già magre finanze.
Per mons. Sako, l’Iraq ha bisogno di una leadership “più realistica, più aperta e intenzionata veramente a far maturare la popolazione”. La Costituzione, ad esempio, “non pensa in concreto a garantire l’uguaglianza fra donna e uomo, a regolare la poligamia o la libertà di convertirsi, cosa vietata dall’islam ma che rientra nelle libertà di coscienza”. Il rischio, conclude il presule, è che “l’Iraq torni indietro di secoli, quando la sharia era imposta a tutta la popolazione”.

Sharia slowly advancing in Najaf and Basra, for non-Muslims too

Source: Asianews

by Layla Yousif Rahema

For the past ten days, no one has been able to drink or buy alcoholic beverages in Najaf because of a bylaw adopted by local authorities. The decision comes as the latest in a series, suggesting that Sharia is being slowly implemented in Iraq, and that it also applies to non-Muslims.
Najaf is considered a holy city for Shia Muslims because the first Shia imam and fourth caliph, Ali ibn Abi Talib, is buried there. Because of the city’s special nature as a Shia holy city, the provincial council ruled unanimously that “drinking, selling or transporting alcohol of any kind in whatever quantity” was inappropriate since such activities are incompatible with Islam. Violators, even if they belong to another religion, face the possibility of being sued before a court. The ruling applies to the city of Najaf and its province and includes a ban on advertising.

It is a decision “against democracy, civil liberties and human rights,” said Mgr Louis Sako, Chaldean archbishop of Kirkuk. “It will just encourage trade in bootleg alcohol because people will continue to drink, but in secret.”
More importantly, the new rule is a sign that Islamic law is creeping into some Iraqi cities, Mgr Sako warns.
Last August for example, the Basra Provincial Council, which rules over Iraq’s second largest city, banned the sale of alcoholic beverages following a request by Shia parties, which dominate this southern region.
Ahmad al Sulaiti, deputy governor of the province and a religious leader elected with the Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq (previously known as the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq or SCIRI), motivated the ban on alcoholic beverages on the ground that Iraq’s constitution “bans everything that violates the principles of Islam.”
The problem lies with constitution itself. When the new charter was adopted, religious minorities, especially Christians, had pointed out its ambiguities.
“It guarantees respect for religious freedoms, but at the same time in Article 6 establishes that no law can be adopted that is contrary to the Muslim religion,” Mgr Sako said. “It was clear from the start that this would create serious problems for minorities.”
For historical reasons, the sale of alcoholic beverages is in the hands of the Christian community and represents an important source of income for Christians. However, terrorism and attacks by Muslim fundamentalists against stores selling alcoholic products have forced many businesses to close. Now, many of those who still sell such products expect the new bylaw to hit their already half-empty pockets even harder.
According to Mgr Sako, Iraq needs leaders who are “more realistic, open and truly willing to help people mature.” The constitution, for example, “does not envisage in any concrete way how to guarantee equality between men and women, regulate polygamy or the right to convert, something which is banned by Islam but which pertains to the realm of freedom of conscience.”
For the prelate, there is a risk that “Iraq will fall back a few centuries, when Sharia was imposed on the entire population.”

Assyrian Church keeps the faith after fire

Source: Daily News

By Dana Bartholomew and Susan Abram, Staff Writers

TARZANA - They had survived a millennium of religious persecution and the exodus from the Middle East.
But on the first Sunday after a raging fire tore through the Tarzana sanctuary that many considered their second home, members of the San Fernando Valley's largest Assyrian church said they will do as they have always done: stand strong in their faith.
"We lost all of it - but we did not lose our hope," said Ramona Youhanna, 25, of Northridge, one of hundreds who celebrated Mass on Sunday in a makeshift sanctuary at St. Mary's Holy Apostolic Catholic Assyrian Church of the East.
"We are going to start from zero, but we will make it better than it was. This is God's house, Jesus' house."
The church caught fire at 6:35p.m. Friday at 5955 Lindley Ave., sending flames 150-feet from its soaring stained glass windows into the darkening sky.
Although some parishioners were attending Bible and Aramaic study classes that evening, and worshippers had been arriving for services, no one was injured in the blaze, firefighters said.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
On Sunday, hundreds of parishioners filed past what had been their church - its white brick facade now a gaping black hole; its pews, velvet drapes, vestments and choir robes now ash and charred remains.
Many wiped away tears as they entered the incense-filled banquet hall to recite ancient chants, pray and hear words of comfort by the Rev. George Bet-Rasho, the pastor of St. Mary's Parish.
"We have faith," said Helen Bet-Rasho, the pastor's wife. "As Assyrian people, we are used to things like this. They kill our people, we come out stronger. They burn our churches, we rebuild them better."
In recent years, St. Mary's has seen more members come from war-torn Iraq, as Christians from their ancestral homeland continue to escape heightened insurgency that has destroyed their churches.
"It is heartbreaking," Helen Bet-Rasho added. "But we really believe when one door closes, another great door opens. We're looking forward to seeing what's behind the new one. God is good."
Before the service, a dozen Los Angeles firefighters from Tarzana Station 93 chopped holes in the scarred church roof to inspect the remains.
One firefighter said that, despite the potential for arson, investigators had yet to find evidence of foul play.
But a spokesman with the Fire Department said the House of Worship Task Force continues to investigate, and may know the cause of the blaze, as well as cost of the damage, in the next few days.
The task force was formed in 1996 after several houses of worship in the Southeast part of the nation burned as a result of arson. Concerned about the trend, the Fire Department's arson investigation section launched a task force in Los Angeles with various law enforcement agencies.
Some Assyrian church members were incredulous that anyone in America would want to harm their church.
"We were raised in the church since childhood. I felt like my mother was on fire," said Benyamin Khamis, 63, of Encino, a native of Iraq.
"If there is somebody who did this, it's for no rhyme or reason."
Assyrians are the indigenous people of Mesopotamia, presently Iraq, where the last and largest concentration of Aramaic-speaking people in the world have lived for thousands of years. Those who follow the Church of the East trace their origins to 33 A.D. when it was founded by Saint Thomas the Apostle as well as Saint Mari and Saint Addai.
Since the Valley congregation moved to its Tarzana location from North Hollywood 12 years ago, the church has served hundreds of Assyrians and was the first to open a school and host the Valley's first Assyrian festival.
For the community, the church also helps to preserve the Assyrian language and culture that some worry could become extinct.
What's important is not the fire that destroyed their sanctuary, St. Mary's Parish members said. It's the unity of the church.
"Sadness and happiness, because we are all gathered together, we will all stand together," said Gladis Barko, 62, of Granada Hills, a choir member.
"It is very emotional, seeing our God's house burning. But to have faith - we are the church."

Church Fire's Cause Under Investigation

By Baghdadhope

Source: myFOXla.com

Text Story by: CNS
Reporter: Cristy Fajardo
Posted by: Tony Spearman, Scott Coppersmith

A fire damaged St. Mary Holy Apostolic Catholic Assyrian Church of the East in Tarzana and, while hundreds of parishioners were at the scene, none was injured, a Los Angeles Fire Department spokesman said today. It was unclear how the roughly 6:35 p.m. blaze at 5955 N. Lindley Ave. started, but firefighters had it out in about 25 minutes, Devin Gales of the Los Angeles Fire Department said. Arriving firefighters reported smoke coming from stained-glass window at the front of the church, where a big eucalyptus tree also caught fire, he said. Most of the damage appeared to be to the front of the building, but firefighters also cut holes in the roof. All together, 95 firefighters were assigned to the blaze. The fire will be investigated by the House of Worship Task Force, which was set up years ago to examine a string of fires in predominately black churches. The task force includes members of the Los Angeles Fire Department, FBI, Los Angeles Police Department and the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, according to Devin Gales of the Los Angeles Fire Department. "We are still the lead agency because the fire was inside L.A. city limits, but the task force will make the final determination regarding the cause of the blaze and whether arson was involved," Gales said.

Watch the video by myFOXla.com by clicking here

Read the prayer for St. Mary church in PDF by clicking here

First visit of the new Syriac Catholic Patriarch to Iraq

By Baghdadhope

Source: Zowaa.org

It started on last Thursday the first visit of the new Patriarch of the Syria Catholic church in Iraq. His Beatitude Mar Ignatius Joseph Younan III arrived in Baghdad accompanied by Msgr. Rabula Antoine Beylouni, Archbishop Emeritus of Alep of the Syriacs and Titular Archbishop of Mardin of the Syriacs and by Msgr. Jules Mikhail Al-Jamil, Titular Archbishop of Takrit of the Syriacs, Auxiliary Bishop Emeritus of the Syriac Catholic Patriarchate (Lebanon) and Procurator of the Syriac Catholic Church to the Holy See. The Patriarch was welcomed in Baghdad by Msgr. Athanase Matti Shaba Matoka, archbishop of Baghdad and Msgr. George Alqas Musa Archbishop of Mosul of the Syriacs. The same afternoon of the arrival of the delegation a solemn ceremony was held in the church of Our Lady of Deliverance in Baghdad. It was followed the following day by a celebration in the church of Mar Benham and by a lunch attended by several Christian politicians, by Mar Addai II, Patriarch of the Ancient Church of the East and by Msgr. Jean Benjamin Sleiman, Latin bishop of Baghdad. The visit of His Beatitude Mar Ignatius III Joseph Younan in Iraq will continue in the coming days.

Prima visita del neo patriarca siro cattolico in Iraq

By Baghdadhope
Fonte: Zowaa.org

E' iniziata lo scorso giovedì la prima visita del nuovo Patriarca della chiesa siro cattolica in Iraq.

Sua Beatitudine Mar Ignatius III Joseph Younan è arrivato a Baghdad accompagnato da Mons. Rabula Antoine Beylouni, arcivescovo emerito di Aleppo dei siri ed arcivescovo titolare di Mardin dei siri e da Mons. Jules Mikhail Al-Jamil, arcivescovo titolare di Takrit dei siri, vescovo ausiliare emerito del Patriarcato siro cattolico (Libano) e procuratore della chiesa siro cattolica presso la Santa Sede. Ad accoglierlo c'erano Mons. Mar Athanase Matti Shaba Matoka, arcivescovo di Baghdad dei siri e Mons. Mar Basilius George Alqas Musa, Arcivescovo di Mosul dei siri. Lo stesso pomeriggio dell'arrivo della delegazione una cerimonia solenne è stata celebrata nella chiesa di Our Lady of Deliverance a Baghdad.

Ad essa è seguita il giorno dopo una celebrazione nella chiesa di Mar Benham ed un pranzo cui hanno partecipato diversi esponenti politici cristiani, Mar Addai II, patriarca della Antica Chiesa dell'Est e Mons. Jean Benjamin Sleiman, vescovo latino di Baghdad.

La visita di Sua Beatitudine Mar Ignatius III Joseph Younan in Iraq proseguirà nei prossimi giorni.

Protests as asylum-seekers are returned to Iraq

Source: The Indipendent

By Robert Verkaik, Home Affairs Editor

Friday, 16 October 2009
A Government-chartered flight carrying 44 Iraqi asylum-seekers touched down in Baghdad yesterday amid claims that deportations to the Middle East trouble spot were a flagrant breach of international law.
The Air Italy-operated aircraft is thought to have left Stansted airport in Essex early yesterday morning after the Iraqi detainees were transferred from two short-term holding centres in southern England.
It is now known that up to six Iraqis set for deporation won last minute reprieves after the courts declared the terms of their removal to be unlawful.
The asylum flight to Baghdad is the first since the start of the war six years ago. Caroline Slocock, chief executive of the charity, Refugee and Migrant Justice, said the resumption of removals to southern Iraq exposed the Government’s “cavalier attitude” towards the law.
She said that in June the Court of Appeal ruled that the Government was in breach of its obligations under Article 15(c) of the EU Qualification Directive because it failed to grant protection to people fleeing indiscriminate violence.
The Foreign Office advises the public against all travel to Baghdad and the surrounding areas. Its guidance states: “The situation remains highly dangerous with a continuing high threat of terrorism throughout the country. This includes violence and kidnapping.” Many of the Iraqi asylum seekers on baord yesterdays’ plane say they fear retribution and persecution in Baghdad.
Ms Slocock said: “The Government should have waited. The injunction we received last night said this secrecy was unlawful. Clearly the flight should not have proceeded.”
Her concerns were echoed by Sandy Buchan, chief executive of Refugee Action: “If Baghdad is now deemed to be safe then where on earth is deemed dangerous?”In the first six months of 2009, 1,891 civilians were reported to have died due to violence in Iraq. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees has said that no Iraqis from the five central provinces – including Baghdad – should be forcibly returned.
All the Iraqis deported under the Home Office’s Operation Ringat have had had their asylum applications rejected by the Home Office.
Yesterday’s removals are in advance of an Iraq “country guidance” case before the Asylum and Immigration Tribunal is to be heard in January. Mr Buchan added: “We urge the Government to listen to its own advice and that of the UN Refugee Agency and halt forced removals now until we can guarantee the safety of returnees in an humane and dignified manner.”
Witnesses who watched the deportations said G4S security guards were employed to carry out the forced removals of the detainees who were bussed to the airport on a vehicle owned by W&H Tours which advertise themselves offering “coach tours, excursions and short breaks to UK and Europe”.
A spokesman for the company said was “unable to talk about” his company’s role in the transport of the Iraqis.
One Iraqi, who was taken to the airport but was not put on the flight, told the International Federation of Iraq Refugees: “They took people one by one from the buses to the plane. When my friends started shouting [that] they couldn’t go back, these big security guards handcuffed them and strong-armed them out of the bus [and] onto the plane.”
He added: “They were treated like prisoners: it was like watching the footage from Guantanamo. I don’t know why they even took me on the coaches: my ticket was cancelled yesterday. It’s wrong to treat people like this.”
The Home Office declined to comment on the flight.

Read also BBC's article: Iraq sends back UK asylum flight by clicking here

Interventi per la decima Congregazione generale la mattina del 10 ottobre

Fonte: ZENIT

Pubblichiamo di seguito gli interventi pronunciati sabato mattina nella decima Congregazione generale del Sinodo dei Vescovi sull'Africa.

S. E. R. Mons. Youssef Ibrahim SARRAF, Vescovo di Le Caire dei Caldei (EGITTO)Le Chiese Orientali e le Chiese dell'Africa del Nord e anche dell'Etiopia che hanno vissuto la prima fase dell'Evangelizzazione dell'Africa rendono ancora oggi testimonianza alla vitalità cristiana che attingono dalle loro radici apostoliche, come per esempio in Egitto e in Etiopia e, fino al XVII secolo, in Nubia. Dobbiamo fare una grande "mea maxima culpa" perché, per ragioni antropologiche e storiche, l'Evangelizzazione dell'Africa si è fermata alla Nubia, all'Etiopia e all'Africa del Nord. Queste Chiese dell'Africa del Nord e Orientali oggi non hanno forse un ruolo da svolgere nell'Evangelizzazione e nella missione della Chiesa e anche a servizio della riconciliazione, della giustizia e della pace in Africa, come gli stati politici? Sarebbe opportuno parlare della presenza e del ruolo delle Chiese Orientali e di quelle dell'Africa del Nord perché si sviluppino nella comunione ecclesiale e non siano ridotte solo a dei "Monumenta Archeologiae Christianae".Ogni Chiesa universale - Famiglia di Dio - dovrebbe interessarsi all'Africa e non solo le Chiese che si trovano in Africa. Si tratta infatti del Sinodo dei Vescovi della Chiesa Universale. Mi chiedo: quanti al di fuori del continente africano hanno letto l'"Ecclesia in Africa"?Si parla spesso di conflitti di civiltà, di culture o di religioni. Perché non parlare piuttosto di incontro di civiltà, di culture e di religioni per una migliore comprensione e collaborazione attraverso il dialogo?

Interventions From Synod's 10th Congregation

Source: ZENIT

Here are the English-language summaries provided by the Vatican press office of the interventions given Saturday at the Tenth General Congregation of the Second Special Assembly for Africa of the Synod of Bishops.

H. Exc. Mons. Youssef Ibrahim SARRAF, Bishop of Cairo of Chaldean Rite (EGYPT)The Oriental Churches and the Churches of North Africa and even of Ethiopia who have lived through the First Phase of Evangelization in Africa today, bear witness to the Christian vitality that they draw from their apostolic roots, especially in Egypt and Ethiopia and until the XVII Century in Nubia. We must say a long mea maxima culpa because for anthropological and historical reasons the evangelization of Africa ended in Nubia, Ethiopia and in North Africa. These North African and Oriental Churches, do they not have a role to play in the evangelization and missionary activity of the Church and also at the service of reconciliation, justice and peace in Africa as done by the political States?

It would be proper to mention the presence and the role of the Oriental Churches and those of North Africa for them to bloom in ecclesial communion and not be diminished to only “Monumenta Archeologiae Christianae”.

The entire Church-Family of God should be interested in Africa and not only the Churches that are in Africa... This is in effect a Synod of Bishops of the Universal Church... I ask how many, apart from Africa, have read “Ecclesia in Africa”? We often speak about conflicts of civilizations, cultures or religions. Why would we not mention, rather, the encounter between civilizations, cultures and religions to reach a better understanding and collaboration through dialogue?

Synode : Synthèse des interventions du 10 octobre (matin) Dixième Congrégation générale

Source: ZENIT

Nous publions ci-dessous les synthèses des discours des pères du synode sur l'Afrique, intervenus lors de la dixième Congrégation générale, samedi 10 octobre dans la matinée.

Mgr Youssef Ibrahim SARRAF, Évêque de Le Caire des Caldéens (ÉGYPTE)

Les Églises orientales et les Églises de l'Afrique du nord, et même de l'Éthiopie qui ont vécu la première phase de l'évangélisation de l'Afrique, portent encore aujourd'hui le témoignage de la vitalité chrétienne qu'elles puisent dans leurs racines apostoliques, notamment en Égypte et en Éthiopie et jusqu'au XVII siècle en Nubie. Il faut dire un grand mea maxima culpa parce que pour des raisons anthropologiques et historiques l'évangélisation de l'Afrique s'est arrêtée à la Nubie, à l'Éthiopie et à l'Afrique du nord. Ces églises de l'Afrique du nord et orientales n'ont elle pas aujourd'hui un rôle à jouer dans l'évangélisation et la missionarité de l'Église et aussi au service de la réconciliation, de la justice et de la paix en Afrique, comme le font les états politiques? Il serait opportun de parler de la présence et du rôle des Églises orientales et de celles de l'Afrique du nord pour qu'elles fleurissent dans la communion ecclésiale et ne pas être réduites seulement à des "Monumenta Archeologiae Christianae".- Toute l'Église universelle-Famille de Dieu devrait s'intéresser à l'Afrique et non seulement les Églises qui sont en Afrique. Il s'agit en effet du Synode des Évêques de l'Église universelle. Je me demande combien, en dehors de l'Afrique, ont lu "Ecclesia in Africa"?- On parle souvent de conflits de civilisations, de cultures ou de religions. Pourquoi ne parlerait-on pas plutôt de rencontre des civilisations, des cultures et des religions pour une meilleure entente et collaboration à travers le dialogue?

Intervenciones en el Sínodo de África (IX) Décima Congregación General, mañana del sábado 10 de octubre

Source: ZENIT

Ofrecemos a continuación los resúmenes de las intervenciones que se produjeron durante la décima Congregación General de la Asamblea del Sínodo sobre África, en la mañana del sábado 10 de octubre.

S. E. R. Mons. Youssef Ibrahim SARRAF, Obispo de El Cairo de los Caldeos (EGIPTO)

Las Iglesias Orientales y las Iglesias de África del Norte e incluso de Etiopía, que han vivido la primera fase de la evangelización de África llevan todavía hoy el testimonio de la vitalidad cristiana que poseen en sus raíces apostólicas, concretamente en Egipto y Etiopía y, hasta el s. XVII en Nubia. Hay que decir un gran "mea maxima culpa" porque, por razones antropológicas e históricas, la evangelización de África se ha parado en Nubia, Etiopía y África del Norte. Estas Iglesias nordafricanas y orientales ¿No tienen hoy una función en la evangelización y las misiones de la Iglesia, la reconciliación, la justicia y la paz en África como fundamento de los Estados políticos? Sería oportuno hablar de la presencia y la función de las Iglesias Orientales y las de África del Norte para que florezcan en la comunión eclesial y no sean reducidas simplemente a "Monumenta Archeologiae Cristianae".Toda la Iglesia Universal Familia de Dios debería interesarse por África, y no sólo las Iglesias que están en África. Se trata, en efecto, del Sínodo de los Obispos de la Iglesia Universal. Me pregunto cómo se ha leído fuera de África el Ecclesia in Africa.Se habla frecuentemente de conflictos de civilizaciones, de culturas o de religiones. ¿Por qué no hablar más bien, del encuentro de civilizaciones, de culturas, de religiones, para un mejor entendimiento y colaboración a través del diálogo?

Arcivescovo di Kirkuk: Da 1600 anni l'Iraq è un “Paese di martiri”

Fonte: Asianews

Da 1600 anni l’Iraq è “un Paese di martiri”, che trova nello “Spirito Santo e nell’Eucaristia” la forza di “testimoniare la fede” nonostante le persecuzioni. È quanto dichiara ad AsiaNews mons. Louis Sako, arcivescovo di Kirkuk, alla vigilia della settimana di celebrazioni per ricordare i 1600 anni dal massacro dei martiri irakeni. Una lunga serie passata e presente di violenze, che non hanno però interrotto “la storia sacra dei cristiani… e il loro cammino”.
Nel 409 d. C. centinaia di cristiani sono stati decapitati per la loro fede. “Fra loro – racconta mons. Sako – una vedova chiamata Scirin-Miskenta, con due figli, e il generale Tahmazgerd, che ha eseguito il decreto del re”, il quale aveva ordinato il massacro. “Vedendo la fede, la serenità e la fiducia della vedova – continua il prelato – Tahmzgerd si è convertito al cristianesimo” e per questo è stato “decapitato in seguito”. Verso il 470, per ricordare il massacro dei cristiani, il vescovo di Kirkuk Maruta “ha costruito un santuario” sulla collina in cui “sono stati sepolti i martiri”. La "chiesa Rossa", questo il nome dell’edificio, unisce cristiani e musulmani ed è oggi “il cimitero dei caldei”; le reliquie dei martiri, esposte sull’altare principale, sono da sempre meta di processioni dei fedeli.
Per celebrare l’anniversario del martirio, la diocesi ha organizzato una serie di eventi: domani, mercoledì, una giornata di digiuno per la pace; giovedì sono in programma gli inni dei martiri e una conferenza al Santuario, restaurato di recente; venerdì verrà celebrata la messa; sabato una recita, allestita dalla corale della cattedrale e della chiesa di San Giuseppe. All’insegna del motto “fedeli ai nostri padri nella fede”, i cristiani di Kirkuk vogliono “testimoniare la fede, l’amore, la fiducia e l’apertura”.
La storia delle violenze e delle persecuzioni contro i cristiani non è mai stata interrotta. Rapimenti, sequestri, omicidi mirati, famiglie in fuga sono la drammatica testimonianza di una “catena di martiri – sottolinea mons. Sako – che continua. Il nostro Paese è disseminato di santuari dei martiri che la gente visita senza sosta, è una spiritualità del martirio”. I cristiani trovano la forza di “rimanere fedeli” nello “Spirito Santo, ma anche nella liturgia, soprattutto l’Eucaristia”. “In ogni messa – aggiunge l’arcivescovo di Kirkuk – siamo chiamati a realizzare il sacrificio di Cristo nella nostra vita, secondo le sue parole: prendere, spezzare, dare… fate questo in memoria di me: sono la storia sacra dei cristiani… e il loro cammino”.

Archbishop of Kirkuk: for 1600 years, Iraq has been a "country of martyrs"

Source: Asianews

For 1600 years, Iraq has been "a country of martyrs", which finds in the “Holy Spirit and the Eucharist" the strength to bear witness to the faith “despite persecution”. So says Mgr. Louis Sako, archbishop of Kirkuk, on the eve of a week of celebrations to mark 1600 years since the massacre of Iraqi martyrs. A long series of past and present violence, but one which has not stopped "the sacred history of the Christians ... and their journey."
In 409 AD hundreds of Christians were beheaded for their faith. "Among them - said Msgr. Sako - a widow named Scirin-Miskenta, with two children, and general Tahmazgerd, who carried out the decree of the king, who ordered the massacre. Seeing their faith, serenity and the trust of the widow - continued the prelate - Tahmzgerd converted to Christianity" and as a result was "beheaded later." Around 470, to commemorate the massacre of Christians, the bishop of Kirkuk Maruta "built a sanctuary” on the hill where "the martyrs were buried”. The "Red Church", as it is called, junits Christians and Muslims and is now "the graveyard of the Chaldeans"; the relics of martyrs, custodied on the main altar, have always been a destination for the processions of the faithful.
To celebrate the anniversary of the martyrdom, the diocese has organized a series of events: on Wednesday, a day of fasting for peace; Thursday, hymns of the martyrs and a conference at the recently restored Sanctuary; on Friday Mass will be celebrated; on Saturday a play, staged by the choir of the cathedral and the church of St. Joseph. Under the slogan "true to our fathers in faith," Christians in Kirkuk want to "bear witness to the faith, love, trust and openness."
The history of violence and persecution against Christians has continued uninterrupted. Abductions, kidnappings, assassinations, fleeing families are the dramatic testimony of a "chain of martyrs - underlines Msgr. Sako - that continues. Our country is dotted with shrines to martyrs that people constantly visit, it is a spirituality of martyrdom". Christians find the strength to "remain faithful" in the "Holy Spirit, but also in the liturgy, especially the Eucharist." "In every Mass - added the archbishop of Kirkuk – we are called upon to make the sacrifice of Christ in our life, in his words; take, break, give ... Do this in memory of me: this is the sacred history of Christians and ... their journey”.

Iraq: Kirkuk, sciiti e sunniti esprimono solidarietà ai cristiani dopo le ultime violenze

Fonte: SIR

Questa mattina 30 capi delle tribù arabe sciite provenienti dal Sud dell’Iraq si sono recate a Kirkuk, insieme ad alcuni capi religiosi sunniti per esprimere alla comunità cristiana locale vicinanza e solidarietà dopo l’uccisione del 55enne infermiere cristiano, Imad Elia Abdul Karim, rapito il 3 ottobre. A rivelare la notizia al SIR è l’arcivescovo di Kirkuk, mons. Louis Sako. “I capi religiosi sciiti provenienti da località come Najef e Karbala e quelli sunniti ci hanno espresso tutta la loro solidarietà – dichiara mons. Sako - hanno condannato gli attacchi contro i cristiani e hanno lanciato un appello al governo perché protegga gli abitanti. Abbiamo anche ricevuto visite da parte di tante persone di Kirkuk”. Subito dopo la notizia del rapimento di Imad Elia mons. Sako aveva lanciato appelli alle autorità per chiederne la liberazione parlando anche di “situazione preoccupante per la comunità cristiana sempre più oggetto di minacce e violenza. I cristiani sono cittadini iracheni e come tali vogliono contribuire al bene del Paese”. Il clima di paura, alimentato da questo ultimo fatto tragico, sta spingendo molte famiglie cristiane a lasciare la città.

Iraq: Kirkuk, Shiites and Sunnites assure Christians of their solidarity after the latest violence

Source: SIR

Thirty leaders of Shiite Arab communities from Southern Iraq along with some Sunni religious chiefs have come to Kirkuk this morning to assure the local Christian community of their closeness and solidarity after the assassination of Imad Elia Abdul Karim, the 55-year-old Christian nurse who was kidnapped on 3 October. The news was relayed to the SIR by archbishop of Kirkuk Mgr Louis Sako. “Sunni and Shiite religious leaders coming from regions like Najef and Karbala have expressed us their sympathy condemning the attacks against Christians and urging the government to protect the inhabitants. Many people from Kirkuk have also come to visit us”. As soon as he heard the news of the kidnapping of Imad Elias, Mgr Sako appealed to the authorities asking for his liberation. He also called the situation of the Christian community in Iraq “worrying" for Christians more and more subject to threats and violence. Christians are Iraqi citizens and, as such, want to contribute to the well-being of the country." The fear fuelled by this tragic event is forcing many Christian families to flee the country.

Christians press for autonomy

Source: The National

Phil Sands, foreign correspondent

Sarkis Agajan at home in Erbil on August 8, 2009. Phil Sands / The National
A Kurdistan politician, dreaming of an independent region for Christians, offered free homes as they fled the violence in Baghdad after the US invasion. His secrecy about the plan, however, has raised the suspicion of his opponents, Phil Sands, foreign correspondent, reports.

Erbil, Iraq. When Sarkis Agajan was a child, he harboured a dream that one day there would be a corner of Muslim-dominated Iraq set aside for Christians. An independent area where they could rule themselves and, if necessary, be safe from their enemies.
With the country now gripped by instability, the reclusive 46-year-old believes there is a unique opportunity to push the controversial plan ahead.“We have been demanding autonomy from the last century, but the national and international circumstances meant it was something we couldn’t realise,” Mr Agajan said in a rare interview with The National at his opulent Erbil home. “Then in 2004 our people were displaced and that gave me the momentum and enthusiasm to go on.”
As sectarian violence engulfed post-Saddam Hussein Iraq, terrified Christian families began to flee from Baghdad, Basra and Mosul. Mr Agajan gave them an attractive alternative to leaving the country entirely: he offered to build for them each, free of charge, a new house in the predominantly Christian parts of northern Iraq where the security situation was less dire.The population of Christian villages had been dwindling since the 1950s, as residents moved abroad or to the big cities. The migration was accelerated, sometimes forcibly, under the Baathist regime, and Iraqi Christians began to assimilate into a national culture that was officially secular and, at street level, primarily Islamic.
It was a trend that alarmed Christian nationalists, stoking fears their religion and culture were withering away and would eventually disappear. In the carnage and bloodshed following the US-led invasion of 2003 however, Mr Agajan and his supporters saw a chance to reverse the tide and repopulate the villages.“The fact of Christians fleeing the country was closely linked to the idea of autonomy for our people,” he said. “You cannot have autonomy unless you have living villages, and you cannot have living villages unless someone wants to stay there."
“When we have our people on our land we will be in a better position to demand our rights.”After a series of bomb explosions outside churches in Baghdad in 2004, Mr Agajan, at the time deputy prime minister in the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), set up rehousing committees for Christians leaving the capital. They received the refugees in Kurdistan and began building homes for those who made a pledge to stay.
Since then, Mr Agajan said, 105 villages or compounds were rebuilt, and at least two settlements constructed, which accommodated 20,000 displaced Christians in Ninewah, Dohuk and Erbil provinces. It is these areas that Mr Agajan hopes will one day form an autonomous Christian land, although he admits the precise boundaries have not been defined, even in his mind.Key Christian villages are in the heart of disputed zones claimed both by Kurds and Arabs, putting the Christian autonomy project firmly in the centre of one of Iraq’s most divisive political issues. This year, the Kurdish authorities, in principle, recognised the right of Christian autonomy in areas under their administration. Baghdad has yet to do the same.
“It is really problematic to answer the question of borders,” Mr Agajan said. “Our people live in Ninewah province administered by Baghdad, and others are in Dohuk province, administered from Kurdistan.“The fate of our people in Ninewah hasn’t been settled, they are included in Article 140 [dealing with] disputed areas, but we will not wait anymore for that issue to be decided. We already have villages in the Kurdish areas where we can establish our autonomous institutions.
“We are not in a position to wait for the whole [Christian] area to be unified and then demand autonomy. We are demanding autonomy in both places. It is probable that the areas belonging to Ninewah will not be part of the KRG, but if we have a national right [to autonomy] within the Iraqi constitution then we will be in a position to establish autonomy in areas outside of the KRG as well.”Other details of what a future autonomous Christian area would look like remain similarly vague. There is talk of governmental institutions with independent budgets, a security force and police service, autonomous laws and elections that all Iraqi Christians can participate in and equal rights for non-Christians living in the autonomous zone. The Christian area would remain inside a federal Iraq. Such matters can be thrashed out at a future date, according to Mr Agajan. His opponents – many of whom are other Christians – insist that without clarity all talk of autonomy is empty.
The plan is highly contentious, even among Christians – some fear the creation of a religious ghetto – and Mr Agajan himself has been at the heart of the controversy. His opponents accuse him of being obsessively secretive, both personally and in his political designs.Millions of dollars have been pumped into rebuilding the villages but no one seems sure of exactly how much or where the money comes from, prompting speculation of varying plausibility: that the Vatican has been pouring in cash; that Mr Agajan uses his own money; that American and European donors are trying to divide and weaken Iraq via the Christians; that the Kurdish are buying Christian lands and loyalty as part of their own independence project, using Mr Agajan as a front.
Mr Agajan’s own explanation is more prosaic. As a powerful politician in the ruling Kurdistan Democratic Party, he was able to direct KRG money to projects of his choosing, and he chose the villages.“It’s all government money and as you know, whatever is spent in the KRG, there is auditing and follow up,” he said. He, however, declined to put even an approximate figure on how much had been spent to date. “It’s quite normal in eastern countries to mention the prime minister doing this project as if it’s his own money, even if it isn’t. People think it’s a personal project,” he said.
“I was deputy prime minister. They have the power to order projects to be held, that’s part of his powers. I enjoy this authority. When I have this authority why wouldn’t I use it for my own people. This is a natural right.”Open political allegiance to the Kurds is perhaps the major cause of suspicion about Mr Agajan’s motives and plans. Even some Christians who favour autonomy believe he is willingly working for – or being unwittingly manipulated by – Kurdish interests. The Kurds have made little secret of their belief that large areas of Ninewah belong to them, and a Kurd-funded Christian autonomous zone could end up as a proxy for Erbil, handing the Kurds de facto control of the territory they covet.
Whatever the outcomes of the autonomy project, Mr Agajan made it evident that his own motivations are religious. “I’m very religious,” Mr Agajan said. “For everything I do, I have instructions from the Holy Spirit. I never plan. It is Jesus Christ who plans things in me. Quite often when I plan something in my mind, the Holy Spirit will advise me not to do this. “Although this might be seen as something of a weakness for a politician, for me it is a power.”

Kirkuk, ucciso infermiere cristiano. Mons. Sako: situazione “preoccupante”

Fonte: Asianews

E’ stato ritrovato ucciso Imad Elia Abdul Karim, 55enne infermiere cristiano, rapito il 3 ottobre scorso davanti la sua abitazione, nel quartiere di Mualimin, a Kirkuk. Fonti locali riferiscono ad AsiaNews che ieri sera, verso le 11, la polizia ha ritrovato il cadavere dell’uomo “gettato” sulla strada fra il quartiere di Dumez e Asra Wa Mafqudin: è lo stesso luogo in cui sono stati uccisi, in passato, Aziz Risqo – un importante funzionario cristiano della città – e altre due donne. Da un primo referto medico, il corpo “presenta segni evidenti di torture”.
Ieri mons. Louis Sako, arcivescovo di Kirkuk, ha lanciato un appello alle autorità e ai giornali locali per la liberazione, definendo la situazione dei cristiani “preccupante” perché negli ultimi mesi sono sempre più “bersaglio di minacce, sequestri e omicidi”. Il rapimento è avvenuto la sera del 3 ottobre. Durante le concitate fasi dell’assalto, il gruppo – formato da tre persone – ha aperto il fuoco ferendo l’uomo, sposato e padre di due figli. Fonti locali spiegano che Imad Elia Abdulkarim stava riparando la sua automobile, quando è sopraggiunto un “gruppo di tre persone che ha sparato” all’indirizzo dell’uomo. Gli assalitori lo hanno sequestrato, facendo perdere le loro tracce.
“Imad – afferma un cristiano – è un uomo molto conosciuto nell’ambiente della sanità a Kirkuk”. All’origine del sequestro potrebbero esservi sia un’eventuale richiesta di denaro, oppure legami con l’attività professionale dell’uomo.
La comunità cristiana conferma il clima di “paura” per i numerosi casi di “sequestri e omicidi avvenuti quest’anno”. In seguito al rapimento del medico Samir Gorja, rivela una fonte locale, alcune famiglie “hanno lasciato la città. Il governo non fa nulla e i cristiani – denuncia – sono diventati un obiettivo” da colpire. Ieri pomeriggio l’arcidiocesi di Kirkuk aveva lanciato un appello per la liberazione dell’infermiere 55enne. In un messaggio a media e autorità cittadine, mons. Louis Sako confermava che “i cristiani sono un obiettivo delle violenze” e denuncia quanti “mirano a guadagni politici” o “approfittano di una mancanza di ordine” per perpetrare sequestri e chiedere “riscatti in denaro”. “Tutti sanno – ricordava il prelato – che i cristiani sono cittadini di questo Paese e di questa città; nessuno ha dubbi circa la loro devozione alla patria, la loro sincerità”. Egli parla di “atti contro cristiani che vogliono avere un ruolo nella ricostruzione della nazione”, di “una cultura dell’umiliazione che rifiutiamo con forza” e invita “le autorità governative, le persone oneste dell’Iraq e di Kirkuk a fare di tutto per proteggere i cittadini, chiunque essi siano”. Rinnovando la richiesta di “dialogo e cooperazione sincera”, mons. Sako chiedeva “ai rapitori di Imad Elia Abdul Karim di temere Dio” e di rilasciare l’ostaggio perché potesse “tornare alla famiglia e ai figli il più presto possibile”. Un appello che è rimasto inascoltato.(DS)

Kirkuk, a Christian nurse killed. Archbishop Sako: the situation is "worrying

Source: Asianews

Imad Elias Abdul Karim, 55 year-old Christian nurse who was kidnapped on 3 October in front of his home in the suburb of Mualimin in Kirkuk, has been found dead. Local sources tell AsiaNews that yesterday evening, at about 11, police found the body of man "thrown" on the road between the district and Dumez and Asra Mafqudin Wa: the same place where in the past Risq Aziz - a Christian and ranking official of the city - and two other women were killed. From an initial medical report, the body "has obvious signs of torture."
Yesterday, Msgr. Louis Sako, archbishop of Kirkuk, appealed to authorities and local papers for the man’s release, calling the situation of Christians "worrying" because in recent months they have increasingly become the "target of threats, kidnappings and assassinations." The attack took place on the evening of October 3. During the hectic assault, the group - made up of three people - opened fire, wounding the man, a husband and father of two children. Local sources state that Imad Elias Abdulkarim was on his way to his car when a "group of three people who shot" at the man appeared. The assailants kidnapped him, disappearing without trace.
"Imad - says a Christian – was well known in the health circles in Kirkuk”. Requests for a ransom or the man’s professional activity could be behind the seizure.
The Christian community confirms the climate of "fear" for the numerous cases of kidnappings and killings this year. "Following the kidnapping of Doctor Samir Gorj”, reveals a local source, “some families have left the city. The government does nothing and Christians – he complains - have become an easy target". Yesterday afternoon, the Archdiocese of Kirkuk had launched an appeal for the liberation of 55-year old nurse. In a message to the media and city officials, Msgr. Louis Sako confirmed that "Christians are a target of violence" and denounced those who "seek political gain" or are "taking advantage of a lack of order" to commit kidnapping and demand "ransom." "Everybody knows - the prelate recalled - that Christians are citizens of this country and this city and no one has any doubts about their devotion to their country or their sincerity." He speaks of "acts against Christians who want to have a role in rebuilding the nation," of "a culture of humiliation that we reject with force" and "calls on government authorities, the decent people of Iraq and Kirkuk, to do everything to protect all citizens, whoever they are". Renewing the call for "dialogue and sincere cooperation", Msgr. Sako asked “the kidnappers of Imad Elias Abdul Karim to fear God" and to release the hostage so he could "return to his family and children as soon as possible." An appeal that went unheard. (DS)

Jolie urges world not to forget Iraqi refugees

Source: AP

By Albert Aji (AP)

Damascus, Syria — Angelina Jolie met with Iraqi refugees in Syria on Friday and urged the world not to forget the plight of those among them who cannot return home because of the trauma they suffered and the country's instability.
Jolie visited Syria in her role as a goodwill ambassador for the United Nations' refugee agency, UNHCR, and was accompanied by her partner, Brad Pitt, the agency said.
Tens of thousands of Iraqi refugees have returned home from Syria and other neighboring countries over the past year, but many more are unable or unwilling to return to a country still shaken by violence.
"Most Iraqi refugees cannot return to Iraq in view of the severe trauma they experienced there, the uncertainty linked to the coming Iraqi elections, the security issues and the lack of basic services," a UNHCR statement quoted Jolie as saying. "They will, therefore, be in need of continued support from the international community."

Read the full article here

Out Of Iraq: The U.S. Legal Regime Governing Iraqi Refugee Resettlement

Source: Rutgers School of Law/Newark

By Jennifer Rikoski and Jonathan Finer

Rutgers Law Record

Since the U.S. invasion of Iraq in March 2003, an estimated 2 million Iraqis have fled to Syria, Jordan, Egypt, Turkey, and other neighboring countries, and another 2.7 million are "internally displaced," meaning uprooted from their homes, but still within Iraq. Many fled not during the invasion, but later, because of the sectarian violence that erupted across the country after the bombing of the Al-Askari mosque in Samarra in February 2006, leading to the Middle East's gravest humanitarian crisis since the Palestinian diaspora of 1948.
Syria hosts roughly 1.4 million Iraqi refugees, many of whom arrived before October 2007 when its virtually porous border with Iraq was closed. Jordan, which effectively closed its border in late 2006, is thought to host approximately 500,000 Iraqi refugees, a group that on average tends to be more affluent and well educated.

Most Iraqi refugees live in cramped apartments in Damascus and Amman, rather than in refugee camps. Although they have access to health care and public schools for their children, few have the right to work and they must survive off of savings or blackmarket labor, making permanent absorption into these countries untenable.
While the hope is that most can eventually return to Iraq, for many, repatriation is simply impossible any time soon. Those who worked with Americans, for example as interpreters, cooks, or building civil society in Iraq, are indelibly branded "traitors" for "collaborating with the invaders." Others, such as secular professionals and religious minorities like the Yezedi and Assyrian Christians, risk being killed by extremists that the Iraqi government tacitly supports or is unable to control. During the peak of sectarian fighting, many Iraqis' homes were destroyed or occupied, causing previously mixed neighborhoods to become increasingly homogeneous. Conditions remain particularly harsh for internally-displaced Iraqis, with many lacking drinkable water, food, and shelter. For many of these Iraqis, moving to a third country is the only realistic solution.
The three main paths for an Iraqi to immigrate to the United States are resettlement in the country as a refugee, asylum for those already within U.S. borders, and "special immigrant visas" for Iraqis who have worked for the U.S. government in Iraq. Fewer than 25,000 Iraqis have been provided a safe haven in the United States since the U.S. invasion: 19,910 Iraqis have arrived as refugees, just over one thousand have been granted asylum, and roughly another thousand have arrived on special immigrant visas. To its credit, the United States is finally reaching its resettlement targets. But many of these Iraqis have been in the pipeline for several years. And the United States could be far more generous in the number of Iraqis it admits.
This article explains, analyzes and critiques the U.S. resettlement program for Iraqi refugees. We describe U.S. policy toward Iraqi refugees and how it has evolved, international conventions and U.S. laws providing protection for Iraqi refugees, and the U.S. refugee admissions process. We then analyze current U.S. law, asserting that, although existing legal mechanisms are largely sufficient to help vast numbers of Iraqi refugees, an understaffed bureaucracy, a lengthy and unnecessarily cumbersome application process, and our relations with Syria impede our ability to carry out the law effectively. We recommend a bureaucratic surge, vigorous diplomacy with Syria, and bold White House leadership to help the most vulnerable Iraqis quickly reach a safe haven in the United States.

Read the full article here

Restoring Iraq's Healthcare System Requires Teamwork

Source: Networklobby through AINA

by John Stinson

I am a retired American Army officer. Since my retirement, I have been hired by both the private sector and federal government to act as an advisor to friendly foreign governments. I recently spent two years as a State Department civil servant living in Baghdad, where I worked with the Iraqi police, judges, courts, and the Ministries of Interior and Justice.
During that period, I consulted with people from many nations and I also came to know Iraqis who are Assyrians, the descendants of the people we read about in the Old Testament, whose capital city was Nineveh. Among other things, they gave us writing (cuneiforms), the first legal system (Hammurabi's code), and many of the original folk stories and knowledge we credit to the Greeks (Aesop's fables) or the Persians/Ottomans (Tales of the Arabian Nights).
Education and the pursuit of knowledge have been important throughout the whole history of the Assyrian people, traditionally given to start in 4750 B.C. Their education helped them prosper -- but it was also a source of contention even in modern times, including during the time of Saddam Hussein. Since the invasion of 2003, large numbers of doctors, lawyers, bankers, university professors and other educated professionals have been targeted by insurgents and are now refugees.
When I write about the Assyrian people I am talking about the ethnic group who trace their heritage back 6759 years to Ashur in Mesopotamia and includes the entire native, non-Arab peoples of the Tigris and Euphrates valleys. They may also be called Chaldeans and Syriacs depending on what part of the region they originated in and confessionally are Eastern Rite Catholics (Assyrians, Chaldeans, and Syriacs), Orthodox (Syriac) and members of the Assyrian Church of the East. The Assyrian Church of the East Patriarch resides in Chicago, The Chaldean Catholic Patriarch resides in Baghdad, Iraq and the Syriac Orthodox Patriarch is in Damascus, Syria. All these groups share a similar ethnic, cultural and religious background.

Iraqi Women Religious at Work
After I returned to the United States, I remained in contact with many of the friends and colleagues I met while in Iraq. In February of this year, one of the Americans contacted me. He was an advisor with one of the Provincial Reconstruction Teams at the same time I worked with the Iraqi Ministry of Justice. This friend had been asked by the Papal Nuncio for Iraq and Jordan to try to assist a group of Iraqi women religious.
These Sisters--the Dominican Sisters of St. Catherine of Siena in Iraq--had operated various institutions in central and northern Iraq for a long period of time. Since the First Gulf War in 1990/1991 and the sanctions imposed on Iraq by the United Nations, their capacity to provide healthcare and education had been severely tested. After the invasion of 2003, a number of their institutions were attacked and several Sisters injured.
Despite the dangers and hardships, these Sisters have availed themselves of every reasonable opportunity to serve God through service to neighbor, including healing and teaching in Baghdad, in Mosul, and in the refugee camps of Syria, Lebanon and Jordan.
The Prioress of this order is a 69-year-old Iraqi, Sister Maria Hanna. She has a deep and abiding faith in a merciful God, a profound love for her neighbors, and extraordinary hope for a better future. Her order is consecrated in the Eastern Rite of the Catholic Church and includes women of all the backgrounds which represent Iraq. Their spiritually is Dominican and they are part of the world-wide family of St. Dominic and St. Catherine of Siena.

Read the full article by clicking here