The situation of Iraqi Christians is worse than being reported and nothing is being done to help, the British pastor of one of the largest churches in Iraq has told the US Government’s special religious freedom commission.
“The situation is more than desperate,” said the Rev Canon Andrew White, vicar of the 1,300-membered St George’s Anglican Church in Baghdad. “The Coalition has failed the Christians. We have done nothing to support the Christian community or the increase Christian suffering.”On Wednesday, Canon White provided a first-hand, in-depth witness of the current situation of Christians on the grounds in Iraq to the US Commission on International Religious Freedom – a bi-partisan US government task force responsible for monitoring religious freedom in the world.
The USCIRF hearing was the first of its kind, set up after the Iraq Study Group and representatives of Iraq’s minority communities urged the commission to provide a platform where testimonies of Iraq’s religious minorities could be heard.
Canon White, who noted that his church members are not only Anglicans but Christians from many different denominations, reported that within only the last month, 36 of his own congregants have been kidnapped. To date, only one has been returned after the church gathered the money for his ransom.
Moreover, Canon White and other Iraqi witnesses spoke about the situation in the city of Dora where over the past few months all Christians have been forced to abandon their homes and flee after receiving systematic death threats. In addition, almost all the churches in Dora have been bombed and burnt.
“Violence against all Christians are increasing all the time,” emphasised Canon White.
He reported that the aggression against Christians resulted from the fact that they are not Muslim, are considered to belong to a Western religion, and are seen as being close to or even part of the Coalition.
“One of the major problems faced by the Christians is their link to the Coalition,” said Canon White.
Yet so far, “the Coalition has failed the Christians,” he said.
“Nothing has been provided as far as I have known,” said the Anglican vicar. “None of the Christians I have seen has ever received any help. We have huge needs.”
Canon White called on the international community to provide Christians and other minorities security, food and water, and the ability to worship.
