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Largest Ever Middle
Eastern Christian Conference In Washington, DC
By Jeremy Reynalds
Christians from the Middle East and
throughout the United States participated Friday in the "Middle
Eastern American Convention for Freedom and Democracy."
Organizers dubbed the event "the
largest Christian Middle Eastern American event ever organized
in the USA."
According to a press release issued
before the event to be stressed during the meeting was the importance
of assisting the nearly 2.5 million Assyrian Christians in Iraq
who have seen 40,000 of their own leave Iraq in recent days.
According to a press release by meeting
organizers, these individuals are being terrorized daily by radical
Moslem elements in the country in spite of strong support from
the Iraqi Government and multinational forces on the ground.
A convention spokesman said in a news
release, "In the space of a generation the non-Moslem population
of the Middle East has gone from nearly 20 percent to now under
two percent. The community not only wants to see democracy and
freedom come to the region, but to see the historic balance in
the Middle East restored (as) this imbalance is the true cause
of the problems in the Middle East.
"A Middle East with its original
and vibrant communities of Christians, Jews and many other non-Moslem
faiths aswell as those without faith," the spokesman added,
"is the only long term solution to the crisis in the Middle
East."
According to a spokesperson, "In
contrast to common understanding, Americans of Middle Eastern
descent are76 percent Christian, reflecting the continued persecution
of non-Moslems in the area. As a voting bloc they comprise a
large and vibrant community with deep roots in this country."
This convention was organized by a number
of Middle Eastern Christian Organizations including The Assyrian
American National Federation, U.S. Copts and the American Lebanese
Coalition. These groups, a press release stated, "want to
take the lead in stating clearly their position on the war on
terrorism, fanaticism and stand with those who love freedom and
democracy."
According to organizers, a major goal
for the meeting would be to "challenge organizations in
the U.S. who have been falsely claiming to exclusively represent
the opinions and aspirations of all those of Middle Eastern Ancestry
as Moslem. Only a small percentage actually are Moslem, with
the overwhelming majority of Americans of Middle Eastern Ancestry
in fact Christians, including Copts, Maronites, Assyrian Christians
and others. Modesto, California and Chicago, Illinois have large
concentrations of Assyrians."
The Convention planned to conclude with
a letter to President Bush and the U.S. Congress expressing support
for the position of Christians and other minorities in the Middle
East, as well as those who "favor freedom and reject terror."
Also on the agenda was a vote of thanks
to the families of the "1,000 brave young men and women
who gave their lives for the liberation of Iraq - something that
has not been said clearly by this community."
For additional information about the
convention and the issues addressed in this article, contact
jerry@specialguests.com, Dr. John Michael at 847-694-8989, Peter
BetBasoo of the Assyrian International News Agency at 773-575-5863,
Joseph Hag of Lebanese Christians at 305-542-6322, Michael Meunier
of the U.S. Copts Association at 703-930-0120 and Dr. Ron Michael
at 815-693-2981. Jeremy Reynalds is a freelance writer and the
founder and director of Joy Junction, New Mexico's largest emergency
homeless shelter. He has a master's degree in communication from
the University of New Mexico and is pursuing his PhD in intercultural
education at Biola University in Los Angeles. He is married with
five children and lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico. His work
can be viewed here and weekly at www.americasvoices.org. He may
be contacted by e-mail at reynalds@joyjunction.org
http://www.bushcountry.org/news/columnists/jreynalds/c_100204_jreynalds_middle_
eastern_Christian.htm
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