SW News: The Nineveh Bishops' Council representing a coalition of Catholic and Orthodox churches organized a protest this week to express the Christian minority's growing concern at the government's alleged inaction on their problems in Iraq. The Bishops led the protest in the historical town of Qaraqosh, part of the Al-Hamdaniya district east of Mosul voicing a series of demands to the Iraqi government.
Their main demands include the preservation of the historical and cultural identity of the Nineveh Plains, the adoption of a fair electoral law that guarantees equal representation of all Iraqi citizens, the legal protection against attacks on Christian religious symbols, the consolidation and clear leadership of the security forces to ensure regional stability and protect the interests of citizens.
Numerous dioceses, including those of the Syriac Catholic, Syriac Orthodox, Chaldean, and Assyrian Churches of the East, to name a few, are represented in the Council.
The Council in a statement highlighted the grievances pointing out the unequal treatment of Christian rights and demands. The statement indicated the community's mounting anxieties in the hope that the government will present real solutions, particularly following their return from being forcibly relocated.
The Bishops emphasized the need of maintaining respect for religious texts and symbols, vehemently denouncing any form of hostility directed towards these revered components of faith.
Elections in Iraq allocated seats to religious minorities, with five going to Christians and four to other groups including Yazidis and Sabaean Mandaeans. Minorities are permitted to run for the remaining 320 seats without representing their community, however, these seats are allocated among all governorates.
Cardinal Raphael Louis Sako, the Patriarch of Baghdad of the Chaldeans, had warned that Christians in Iraq are heading towards disappearance unless there is a change in the way of thinking in governmental, social, and economic policies at the opening of the Synod of the Chaldean Church. He called to build a democratic system based on citizenship and not on religious and ethnic affiliation. The head of the Chaldean Church said the “Islamic heritage in Iraq makes Christians second-class citizens and allows the usurpation of their property.”