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Iraqi Catholics in U.S. See Continuing Challenges
in Their Homeland
June 18. 06
www.totalcatholic.com
Appointing members of rival sectarian factions to key positions
in Iraq's permanent government does not guarantee religious freedom,
security and long-term stability in the war-ravaged nation, according
to U.S. Iraqi Catholics.
Iraq's Parliament recently approved the appointments of a
Sunni Muslim as defense minister, and of two Shiites as ministers
of the interior and national security departments. Kurds, two
Christians and members of other groups also comprise the 39-member
Cabinet.
In the December 2005 election, Iraqis elected only three Christians
to the nation's 275-member Parliament. Christians comprise about
3 percent of the country's estimated 27 million population.
Some in Parliament favor amending the constitution, which
requires laws to conform to provisions of Islamic law. But fundamentalists
in the legislature want Islam to be the state religion, giving
"Muslim clerics the power to dictate law" and to veto
measures, said Bishop Sarhad Jammo of St. Peter the Apostle Eparchy,
based in El Cajon.
Robert Putrus of Escondido, who attends St. Peter's Chaldean
Cathedral in El Cajon, said Christians in Iraq would continue
to suffer if the constitution does not grant religious freedom.
Christian owners of businesses, such as liquor stores, have been
killed by radical Shiites bent on religious cleansing, he said.
In amending the constitution, the top priority for factions
in Parliament is protecting their own interests, not working
for religious freedom, according to Sam Kosa of St. Michael Chaldean
Catholic Church in El Cajon. "Kurds want to expand their
territory; Shiites want to follow Islamic law; and Sunnis want
more power," which they lost after former Iraqi President
Saddam Hussein's fall, he said.
Putrus said it is unlikely the constitution will be amended
to allow religious freedom. "There has been no separation
of church and state in Iraq before, during and after Saddam's
rule," he said.
The Iraqis interviewed foresee a lengthy struggle as the new
government strives to curb terrorism and bring long-term security
and stability to their homeland.
Putrus believes that representation of rival factions in the
government "will eventually mitigate the violence. Militia
members and terrorists pose the greatest threat to Iraq's security,"
he said. "Militias have allegiance to radical affiliations,
not to the country."
Putrus disagrees with Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's goal
of integrating militias into Iraq's security structure. The militias
should first be disbanded; then volunteers could join Iraq's
security forces, he said.
Kosa favors integrating militia members into Iraq's security
forces, but only those who are qualified, trained and loyal to
the government. He said the country's military and police forces
must be stabilized to curb terrorist attacks.
Bishop Jammo, on the other hand, said some militias were originally
formed to defend sections of cities that the government could
not secure. "Now the militias are fighting each other,"
he said, noting conflicts between anti-government Sunnis and
terrorists from Iran and Saudi Arabia.
The insurgents cannot be controlled until Iraq's army and
police force are independent and equipped by the U.S. military,
he said. Terrorist attacks also have crippled the country's infrastructure
and coalition construction projects, the bishop added. "There
is less electricity and running water available now than there
was four years ago."
Regarding the threat of civil war, Bishop Jammo said sectarian
violence could lead to such a conflict.
Kosa called the ongoing violence an "undeclared civil
war." Insurgents in Baghdad, Iraq, are fighting to cleanse
the area of rival factions. "It's neighbor against neighbor,"
he said. Iranians are supporting the Shiites, and Sunnis in Saudi
Arabia, Jordan and Syria are backing their counterparts in Iraq,
he added.
Those interviewed oppose partitioning Iraq to separate Shiites,
Sunnis and Kurds, which some U.S. military officers claim is
necessary to avoid a civil war. "Fragmenting the country
into independent regions would create anger and continuous fighting,"
Bishop Jammo said. He favors regional governments under a united
federation, which Iraq's Constitution allows.
The escalating violence has taken the lives of 2,500 U.S.
troops and, according to a number of media sources, between 38,000
and 42,000 civilians.
To control the violence, "trust needs to be built among
Shiites, Sunnis and Kurds," Kosa said. "If the constitution
is their standard, they will build that trust."
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