| Feb
05, 2008 |
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Iraqi
Christian refugees in Lebanon:
why did we forget them?
Interview to Mgr.
Michael Kassarji, Chaldean
bishop of Beirut
By Baghdadhope
In this historical period it
is not easy to be a Chaldean
Catholic bishop. Even if you
do not live in Iraq, the
epicentre of violence that
decimated the already small
Christian community now
fleeing to the four corners
of the earth. It is not, in
fact, even for
Mgr. Michel Kassarji,
the Chaldean bishop of the
diocese of Beirut, Lebanon,
since 2001.
In Rome for a few days,
Monsignor Kassarji agreed to
be interviewed by
Baghdadhope to
renew his appeals for help.
We reached him immediately
after his meeting with
Cardinal Leonardo Sandri,
Prefect of the Congregation
for Oriental Churches where
Monsignor Kassarji has again
pleaded the cause he
dedicated his life to: the
fate of thousands of Iraqi
Christians who in Lebanon
hoped to escape the threats,
the kidnappings, the
targeted killings, the bombs
that hit churches and that,
even when they don’t kill
anyone, by spreading terror
reach their aim: to delete
the Christian presence in
Iraq.
A cause that, as the bishop
underlines, "is not
charity, but duty. We do not
help these people for
charity, we 'are' these
people, our people who are
suffering in Iraq but also
in Lebanon."
CAN YOU TELL US
SOMETHING ABOUT THE
SITUATION OF IRAQI
CHRISTIANS IN LEBANON?
There are no
official estimates but
we could say that my
community has doubled in
number in recent years.
The escape of Iraqi
Christians had already
begun before the war of
2003, but it concerned
40 or 50 families. After
the war and everything
that followed it we
reached the number of
almost 5000 refugees.
Desperate people who
left everything behind
them to save their life,
who are now living in
poor conditions and whom
the church tries to
help.
WHERE DO THE PEOPLE
ASKING FOR YOUR HELP
COME FROM?
Most of them come
from Baghdad, although
for many of them the
first leg of the flight
was perhaps the north of
the country from which
they entered illegally
Syria and then Lebanon.
A river of people
marching towards life.
HOW’S THEIR LIFE IN
LEBANON?
Difficult. Lebanon
is a small country that
had to deal with this
human tide without being
prepared. According to
some figures reported to
me we are talking about
75,000 Iraqis on
Lebanese soil. They
arrive illegally by
paying huge figures to
whom helps them to cross
borders. They have no
home, work, welfare,
schools, rights. Once in
Lebanon their being
clandestines makes them
easy preys for the
illegal work market and
so, even when they work
as beasts all day long,
money is never
sufficient if we
consider that the rent
for a small house is $
400 per month, a huge
figure for them. Daily
concerns added to
anxiety for the future
and memories of the
recent, terrible past.
WHAT IS THE CHURCH DOING
TO HELP THESE PEOPLE?
Many things because
it’s a hard work, but it
is obviously too little
considering the needs.
We have many problems to
solve. One is the
school, for example.
Many Iraqi youth and
children with no permit
to stay cannot attend
public schools,
undermining in this way
their already uncertain
future. For those who
are forced to work
during the day we opened
an evening school, and
with regard to children
we pay, but only for 400
of them, the fees of
enrolment to private
Christian schools, the
only they can attend.
Another problem is
health because public
facilities don’t accept
illegal immigrants. For
this reason we have a
medical dispensary, but
it lacks necessary
equipments. During a
trip I recently made to
Switzerland an entire
dentist’s surgery has
been given to this
dispensary but we are
still waiting for its
arrival. The cost of
living in Lebanon,
furthermore, is high,
and for this reason the
Chaldean church every
month gives parcels of
food to the most needy.
A ration of oil, sugar,
condensed milk, tea and
legumes worth $ 22 that
not only fails to cover
the needs of a family,
but that, given the
scarcity of funds, goes
only to 500 people, a
very little number.
WHO IS HELPING YOU?
The problem of Iraqi
refugees in Lebanon, and
Christians in
particular, is
underestimated. Lebanon,
despite its problems, is
not considered a country
at war. For this reason,
and despite the goodwill
of a few, the aid is
insufficient. In
addition to this I want
to point out a way to
operate in the field of
aid that is not
particularly effective:
to send aids through
international
organizations means not
only a waste of money -
big organizations have
obviously operating
expenses to consider -
but also of human
resources and time. Why,
I ask, who wants to help
the Iraqi Christians
refugees in Lebanon does
not do it through us? We
do not have operating
expenses, we 'live' the
situation, we have
direct contact with
these people who come to
ask for help and whom we
visit. With $ 10000 and
with no operating
expenses, we are able to
distribute 455 monthly
food rations.
IT
IS SAID THAT LEBANON IS
FOR IRAQI CHRISTIANS
ONLY A COUNTRY WHERE
THEY CAN WAIT TO
EMIGRATE TOWARDS OTHER
CONTINENTS. IS IT TRUE
OR THOSE PEOPLE THINK
ABOUT THEIR GOING BACK
TO IRAQ?
Most of them would
like to go back to their
country. They are Iraqis
and proud of it. I do
not think, however, that
the conditions for their
going back are possible,
at least for now. It is
also true that many of
them dream of America or
Europe, but it is a
mistake, and our mission
is this: to convince
these people to stay in
Lebanon and give them
the opportunity to do
it. Lebanon is gradually
losing its Christian
component, and the
presence of the Iraqi
faithful could help to
rebalance the figures,
allowing them also to
remain in the Middle
East not loosing
completely their roots.
It is clear, however,
that these people cannot
live on tradition and
ancestral ties. For this
reason we are pursuing a
specific project. The
Maronite Church has
given us a big plot of
land on which we could
build houses for these
people helping them to
live there legally. The
problem however is, as
usual, money. We
calculated that to
accommodate one family
would cost from $ 15,000
to 20,000 for the house
(pre-fabricated) and $
1500 per year for the
residence permit, in
addition to daily
expenses until the
family is able to earn
its living by its work .
AN IMPORTANT
PROJECT…
Yes, a big
financial
commitment. We
think, however, that
it’s worth it, we
are certain of this.
These people have
already suffered too
much, now it’s time
for them to live in
peace.
IF SOMEONE WANTED TO
HELP IRAQI CHRISTIAN
REFUGEES IN LEBANON
HOW COULD HE DO, HOW
COULD HE GET
DIRECTLY TO YOU?
They could write
in English, French,
Italian and Arabic
to the Chaldean
Eparchy of Beirut at
chaldepiscopus@hotmail.com
and ask for
information on our
activities,
projects, and how to
help.
YOUR
LAST APPEAL?
My appeal is not to
forget the Chaldean
refugees in Lebanon.
The war is not only
bombs and armies but
also the terrible
struggle that these
Christians are
obliged to fight day
by day and that is
culpably forgotten
by the world. For
this reason I ask
everyone to help
them, not to forget
them, to spread the
news about their
status. Last year a
journalist of a
weekly magazine
called me
"The Flying Bishop"
with
reference to my
activities. It is
true. For this
reason, for the
projects I must, I
repeat, I must,
organize for these
people, I have to be
able to fly to them
with solutions to
their problems, but
I can only do it
with the support of
those who want and
can help me to help
them. "
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