Janet Chismar
Senior Editor for Faith

On Sunday, Jan. 30, Iraq will hold an historic and pivotal national election. Not only is the future of the troubled country at stake, so are the lives of Iraq's minority Christian population. An estimated 800,000 believers are being marginalized and many have fled the country because of the increased violence. Dr. Carl Moeller, president/CEO of Open Doors USA, spoke with Crosswalk.com this week about the election and ramifications for Christians in Iraq ­ and how U.S. Christians can pray.

Chismar: Can you describe the current situation for Christians in Iraq?

Moeller: It's really a fluid situation and unfortunately, increasingly violent against Christians in Iraq. There are things going on there that would shock you and shock almost anyone if they understood it. The Christian community there, about 15 years ago, was 1.5 million people. Today it numbers around 700,000, with about 30 to 40,000 Christians a month fleeing the country ­ to Syria, to Jordan. It's a desperate situation for most Christians in Iraq.

Chismar: Can you explain to our readers why Christians are fleeing?

 
Moeller:  Wouldn't you flee if your church was being bombed and you risked your life just by going to church on Sunday morning? I can't put myself in their position. Mentally, it's almost impossible to think about. Yet, we know that God has called out a remnant of believers in Iraq to remain, to remain strong. The Bible says in Revelation 3:2, "Wake up and strengthen what remains and is about to die." That's the Christian's mission.

Chismar: How do Christians view the election on Jan. 30?

Moeller: I think Christians are probably the number one minority group in Iraq that is embracing the prospect of true democracy. The downside for most Christians in Iraq is that there is no free, multi-religion Iraq in the near future. The great fear Christians have is that an extreme Muslim leader will be elected, and then what position will the Christians be in? I do believe Christians are hopeful and the more influence that the United States can have on that democracy ­ for being a religiously pluralistic society ­ it will benefit Iraqi Christians. But I think there's a great fear still, a great weight. We don't know what is actually going to occur.

Chismar: Do you think Christians will turn out to vote, considering the violence?

Moeller: According to the people that we're working and talking with there, yes. Christians are going to vote. They have to. They have to have their voice heard. And it's the only chance we have politically as Christians to have any representation in a new Iraqi government.

Chismar: Is it true that if Christians fail to win seats in the new Assembly, they will have no say in the drafting of the country's permanent constitution? 

Moeller: This is one of the great concerns we have right now. As the political process moves forward ­ again, you have to remember out of 30 to 40 million people in Iraq ­ there's less than three quarters of a million Christians ­ so it's an extreme minority position. Without overemphasizing it, it's just very hard to get any sort of political representation for the Christian viewpoint. Still, Christians have to make their voices, whatever amount of voice they have remaining politically, heard in Iraq. They are going to come out; they are supporting those candidates that are promoting religious pluralism. But those are distinctively minority voices, unfortunately.

Chismar: How do Christians view the presence of U.S. troops in Iraq?

Moeller: That's a tale of several months! The U.S. forces were viewed with great enthusiasm, certainly for the first 12 months of the U.S.-led liberation of Iraq. Actually, there was evidence of a great spiritual revival going on during much of the second half of 2003 and the early part of 2004. Churches were open; people were turning to Christ. But now they are telling us that much of that openness has largely stopped, due to the bombing and due to the fear that is being spread through this increased terrorism against Christians in particular. Many churches have indeed stopped meeting because of the fear factor involved.

But I would say this ­ it is very important for us to remember that Christians there do support the United States. They do support the democracy movement that is going on. The frank reality, though, is there is a mixed message now because these extremists are using the connection between Christians in Iraq and Christianity in the West as a political tool. They are painting ancient Iraqi Christian churches as tools of the West, when in fact they're not. They are indigenous Iraqi citizens and they are no way working for the Western government. They are simply spreading hope and peace.

Chismar:  Do you think Sharia law will ever be implemented in Iraq?

Moeller: We pray not. In every place that Sharia law has been imposed on a Christian minority, whether it's in Nigeria or Sudan, there are incredible repercussions on a human level. People are forced to become less than citizens ­ to become less than human ­ by some estimates of the impact. Sharia law is Islamic courts dictating justice for the entire country. We know Islamic law has no regard for the Christian viewpoint. In places like Pakistan, Christian testimony in a court is counted as less than half of a Muslim man's testimony. So this is a severe prospect ­ if Sharia law were to be instituted in Iraq, Christian rights would be almost nonexistent. For women, it would be even worse. You need only look at extreme examples of Sharia law ­ the Taliban and places in Iran where human rights, women's rights and Christian rights are being completely ignored.

Chismar: How can Christians in the West support our brothers and sisters in Iraq?

Moeller: We really want to mobilize the U.S. to pray. That's what our brothers and sisters in Iraq are most asking us to do. We can't vote in the Iraqi elections. And there's no political process or solution that will be viable in the long run. There is only really a spiritual solution that will effect lasting change in Iraq. We can also get involved by being on the front lines ­ mobilizing support on the U.S. side ­ for those Christian elements in Iraq that are standing for real freedom, real pluralism, real religious tolerance in the new Iraqi government. The United States will continue to have a great deal of influence for quite some time. We need to mobilize everything we can in the U.S. to keep underscoring the rights and liberties of the Iraqi Christians to be protected.

Our website, at www.opendoorsusa.org, will always have the latest updates on that role that American citizens can play in standing with their brothers and sisters in Iraq. Imagine what it's like. We need to pray that those Christians facing that type of daily pressure of bombing and violence will not flee but will stay strong ­ stay as a force for peace ­ salt and light in the Iraqi society.

An estimated 200 million Christians worldwide suffer interrogation, arrest and even death for their faith in Christ, with another 200 to 400 million facing discrimination and alienation. Open Doors, celebrating 50 years of service to the Persecuted Church in 2005, serves and strengthens the Persecuted Church in the world's most difficult areas through Bible and Christian literature distribution, leadership training and assistance, Christian community development and prayer and presence ministry. To partner with Open Doors, call toll free at 888-5-BIBLE-5 (524-2535) or go to their USA web site at www.odusa.org. To request a complimentary six-month subscription to their monthly newsletter Frontline Faith, call 888-5-BIBLE-5 or register on-line.

PHOTO by Baptist Press: An Iraqi man reads an Arabic version of the Bible during a worship service held at St. George's Memorial Church. Photo by Jim Veneman.