Iraq moving towards division, says bishop of Kirkuk
Mgr Louis Sako voices his concerns over
the growing split between Shiites, Sunnis and Kurds. A divided Iraq
will not have peace but may confine Christians in their own ghetto.
Kirkuk
(AsiaNews) – As the effects of Sunni-Shia clashes and Saddam
Hussein’s execution gather momentum,
Iraq is moving towards a terrible division with
the US doing nothing to stop it, says
Mgr Louis Sako, Chaldean Archbishop of Kirkuk.
“Internet sites and papers are already
publishing the new political maps with the Kurdish north, the Shia
south and the Sunni centre,” he said. The real problem lies in
multiethnic areas like Kirkuk and the Church.
For Mgr Sako, natural gas-rich Kirkuk is a time-bomb, “a
source of dangerous tensions”.
For Christians there is the danger of ending
up in a regional ghetto, when the best solution would be to
guarantee freedom of religion to everyone in every part of the
country.
Mgr Sako, what kind of Iraq do you see
emerging this year?
Iraq
is sliding towards division. Ongoing clashes show that and the
Americans are doing nothing to stop that. The north is Kurdish (Kurdistan),
the south is Shia (Shiastan), and the centre is occupied by Sunnis (Sunnistan).
Internet sites and papers are already publishing the new political
maps! This will have serious consequences for neighbouring countries
like Turkey, Syria and Iran, where the
local Kurdish population is demanding autonomy or independence but
where local governments are opposed. The division of Iraq is not a
solution and will not bring peace and stability.
What are the
consequences for the country of Saddam’s and his right-hand men’s
execution?
The tragic and disgraceful execution of former
President Saddam Hussein has widened the Sunni-Shia divide. For
Sunnis Shia
Iran is the main cause of
their marginalisation and for what is happening in Iraq. Shiites
have taken power but the current government has failed to achieve
the desired reconciliation or to ensure peace.
In 2007 a referendum in expected to be
held that might result in Kirkuk
joining either
Kurdistan or a Sunni province. Some observers
are of the opinion that this might a time-bomb…
Huge interests and dangerous tensions
gravitate around Kirkul. The city is not homogeneous, nor ethnically
uniform. Residents are Muslim, Christian, Kakai, Kurdish, Arab,
Turkmen, Chaldeans, Assyrians and Armenians. Will it be an
independent political and administrative entity? Annexed by Kurdistan? Or by the neighbouring Sunni province? Everyone
is waiting for the referendum which won’t be easy to pull off.
On January 13 rebels shot dead two businessmen
and blew up a Shia mosque under construction in the Nida
neighbourhood, on the city’s east side. There are thieves or people
who just demand money without carrying out kidnappings. Five
Christian families have paid a ransom; others are planning to move
to the north or to Syria. Things are going from bad to
worse and the population is living in fear and uncertainty, not
knowing where they will live!
What place will there be
for Christians in
Iraq?
Christians are confronted with increasing
difficulties. For some time, some people have been thinking of
gathering them in a specific area, the Nineveh plain. They would have their own
territory, but to be viable the idea of a protected zone, a safe
haven, which is viewed sympathetically by the Kurds and even the
Americans, needs an end to the violence and remains in any event a
dangerous plan. The Nineveh plain is largely
surrounded by Arabs and Christians would serve as a useful and
undefended buffer zone between Arabs and Kurds. In my opinion it
would be preferable to work at the constitutional level and each
area to guarantee religious freedom and equal rights for believers
of all faiths throughout the land, including Christians who can be
found everywhere.
