Visiting Iraqi Christians tell exiles to stay strong
Julie Szego; 28/6/08
Iraqi Christians George Eshaq and Romel Moshi bring a message of stubborn optimism to their exiled compatriots in Australia. “We tell them, ‘Keep your connection with your people back in Iraq’,” Mr Moshi says. “We hope and believe Iraq will be peaceful one day … and maybe then you can come back.” The two members of Iraq’s Assyrian Democratic Movement — a party representing the country’s Assyrian and Chaldean Catholic minorities that holds seats in the federal parliament — know they face an uphill battle selling this line. Despite their tiny numbers, since Saddam’s fall Iraqi Christians have found themselves at the front line of the battle for Iraq’s soul. Their religion makes them an easy target for Islamist fanatics, while insurgents have tended to single them out as “collaborators” with the US military. It is estimated that since the US-led war almost half of Iraq’s 1 million or so Christians have been forced to flee, with hundreds of thousands stranded in Syria and Jordan. Australia recently announced it would lift its refugee intake by 500 in the coming year and leaders from Melbourne’s Assyrian community, such as Wilson Kando and Valentine Aghajani, believe their people stand to benefit.
Tags: Christianity, Iraq, Terrorism, USA