Patriarchs of the Orient Deplore International, Arab 'Silence' over Christians' Persecution, Demand Fatwa against Takfiri Threat
The patriarchs of the Orient on Wednesday strongly deplored the Arab countries and the international community's “silence” over attacks against Christians in the Middle East, calling for issuing fatwas against takfirism and for stopping any support for terrorist groups.
“It has become known that attacks against Christians are taking a dangerous turn that threatens them, especially in Egypt, Syria and Iraq where they are victims of crimes and are forced to leave (their towns),” Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi's envoy Bishop Boulos Sayyah said after a meeting of Christian clerics of the Orient in Bkirki.
He elaborated: “The Christians of Iraq have been detained by Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant and are being driven out of their houses. The sanctity of their churches have been violated and their houses have been bombed. They amounted to 120,000 and now 60,000 are present in Erbil (the capital city of the autonomous Kurdish region in Iraq).”
But what is painful is the absence of a stance for Islamic authorities and the international community has not adopted a strict stance either, Sayyah stated.
“The international community is responsible for ISIL's growth and for terrorism and the Arabs must exert pressure on the financiers of these groups...We must stop extremist organizations and Arab countries cannot remain silent against ISIL.”
“We call for issuing a fatwa that forbids attacks against others,” the patriarchs declared.
They continued: “The international community must act and eradicate ISIL. This is required from the United Nations and the U.N. Security Council... This disaster requires also that the international community and the European Union cooperate with the Iraqi cabinet and authorities in Kurdistan to free the Nineveh province and assure the refugees' safe return to Mosul.”
They stressed that solutions to the alarming ISIL crisis must involve “dealing with the reasons that produced the miseries in the Middle East.”
“Harmony must be restored between the components of these countries and we must stop using terrorists, supporting them and arming them,” the patriarchs of the Orient stressed.
Sayyah considered that the “crises that have hit Syria and the Syrian bloodshed must be solved in dialogue and through a political solution.”
“Syrians have waited for a long time for international efforts (to end the crisis) but they have all failed,” he noted.
The conferees called for “supporting Christian presence (in the ME) for the sake of coexistence between cultures.”
They pointed out “Christians' promotion of the culture of pluralism, openness and respect.”
“Christians work on promoting religious freedoms and freedom of opinion and belief...Christians hold onto their lands and their freedoms. They also hold onto the Bible's values and according to them they deal with others (Muslims),” they said.
Islamic State militants in Iraq have been waging a campaign against minorities in Iraq. The extremist group gave Christians a choice between converting to Islam or persecution, sparking mass exodus in Iraq.
Pope Francis called earlier this month for collective action through the U.N. to "stop unjust aggression" in Iraq.
Many of Iraq's Christians have fled to the Kurdistan province.
The bishops thanked in their statement the province 's authorities and residents for welcoming the refugees and offering financial and moral support for them.
They also underscored the international community's “carelessness” towards the issue of kidnapped bishops Yohanna Ibrahim and Boulos Yaziji, who were abducted at the end of April 2013 reportedly near the rebel-held town of Kafr Dael near Aleppo in northern Syria.
Regarding the threat of ISIL in Lebanon, the bishops noted that they are “aware of the importance of the Lebanese political system that separates between the religion and the state, and which acknowledges religious freedoms.”
“We call on officials to protect Lebanon as a civil state in order for the country to become a civilized example in the East,” their statement said.
“We reject religious extremism in Lebanon. Lebanon is a country for all and not a country where there are different religious emirates.”
The statement also demanded “all political blocs to isolate the presidential elections from regional and international conflicts and to reach an accord regarding the election of a president as soon as possible.”
Wednesday's meeting at Bkirki was held in the presence of several foreign diplomats, including the American, British and Russian ambassadors to Lebanon, and the French and Chinese charges d'affaires.
United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon Derek Plumbly, who also took part in the meeting, said after the talks that he and his colleagues “were moved by what (they) heard” regarding the persecution of Christians in the ME.
“We emphasized in our different ways the importance of the Christian presence in the Middle East,” Plumbly revealed.
“This is not just a humanitarian issue and I know that I and my colleagues will all be reporting very carefully what they (the patriarchs) had to say.”
He continued: “The Secretary-General of the U.N. has repeatedly condemned the persecution of Christians and other minorities by ISIL in Iraq. Security Council members have spoken very clearly on the subject on 5 and 7 August and last week they unanimously adopted resolution 2170 which targets ISIL and other groups responsible for such atrocities.”
Plumbly went on to say that Security Council members have also “called on the international community to do all it can to alleviate the suffering of the populations affected.”
“The United Nations is now undertaking a massive relief operation in Iraq in addition to the assistance it is providing elsewhere in the region,” he said.
He also praised “coexistence and unity Lebanon presently enjoys” amid the regional turmoil.
This meeting is part of the initiative made by patriarchs to preserve the role of Christians in Iraq.
An Nahar newspaper reported earlier in the day that the patriarchs will send letters to the major powers on the importance of preserving the Orient's multiculturalism by protecting Christians.
They will tell the ambassadors that excuses of non-intervention in Iraq are not convincing, said the daily.
The letter states that the assault on Christians in the Orient is facing a similar fate in Lebanon by paralyzing the presidential elections, it said.
The international community has a partial responsibility in the paralysis given its influence on the local parties, the letter says.
Last week, al-Rahi headed a delegation from the patriarchs of the Orient to the Iraqi Kurdish region of Erbil.
S.D.B. / G.K.
H.K.
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