Last week Christian communities across the Middle East celebrated Christmas as they have done for centuries.
As we watch these celebrations in Cairo, Damascus, Istanbul, Tehran and elsewhere, and congratulate our Christian friends and neighbors, it is befitting to take a moment to reflect on the conditions of Iraqi Christians.
An estimated 1.2 million Christians lived in Iraq before the US invasion of that country in March 2003. It is now estimated that more than 800,000 of them have been forced to leave Iraq. The mass departure is a result of numerous attacks and intimidations of Christians by extremist militias as well as common criminals.
Unfortunately both Sunni and Shiite insurgents have participated in the intimidation and harassment of Christians. The first assaults came from Al-Qaeda and Sunni insurgents who bombed several churches in 2003 and 2004. When the Sunni-Shiite violence intensified both groups targeted the Christians in their neighborhoods and thousands were forced to leave their homes. Many have left the country for Syria and Jordan while others have taken refuge in the Kurdistan region.
The extremist militants associated with Mahdi army added to the suffering of Christian minorities by attacking their shops in Baghdad and Basrah, which they viewed as immoral.
They also demanded that Christian women wear the head scarf. The government of Iraq has so far been unable to end the intimidation of Christian Iraqis.
Christians of Iraq are one of the highly educated and skilful minorities in that country.
They include thousands of physicians, engineers and professional craftsmen whose talent will play an important role in reconstruction of Iraq after the current crisis. Their departure will result in a major loss of talent for Iraq. Equally important is their contribution to the cultural diversity of Iraq in the fields of music, literature and arts.
While the US forces and the government of Iraq must bear full responsibility for protection of Iraqi Christians, the regional governments that have influence over Iraq’s Shiite and Sunni communities must also intervene.
There is no doubt that Iran enjoys a strong influence over several Shiite groups including Muqtada Al-Sadr’s Mahdi Army. At the same time Saudi Arabia maintains a close relationship with Iraq’s Sunni community.
Iran and Saudi Arabia should both use their influence to alter the behavior of Sunni and Shiite Iraqis toward their Christian brothers and sisters.
In addition to putting economic and political pressure on Shiite groups, Iran should press for a cultural campaign against religious harassment of Christians.
Ayatollah Sistani has already spoken out against such harassments and called on the government of Iraq to protect the Christian community.
Unfortunately, he does not have much influence over the supporters of Moqtada Al-Sadr. Iran, on the other hand, can play a more effective role in raising the awareness of these groups about the need to respect and protect the Christian minorities.
Saudi Arabia can also play an equally important role in changing the attitude of Iraq’s Sunni community toward the Christians.
The departure of Iraqi Christians will not only be a loss for Iraq but it would reflect badly on the image of the Islamic world.
How can Muslim governments call for the protection of Muslim minorities in Western societies if they do not actively protect the religious minorities within their own region?
The need for protection of religious minorities, however, goes beyond the question of reciprocity. It is a moral duty that transcends national borders.
— Nader Habibi is the Henry J. Leir Chair in Economics of the Middle East at Brandeis University in Boston.
