ROME, NOV. 26, 2007 (Zenit.org).- The bishop of Mosul, Iraq, said that in his city, like in other parts of the nation, there is an effort to force Christians and educated professionals to emigrate.
Bishop Faraj Raho, a member of the delegation that accompanied newly elevated Cardinal Emmanuel III Delly, Chaldean Patriarch of Baghdad, to Rome for Saturday's consistory, spoke with AsiaNews about the continuing conflict in Mosul.
"Unlike Baghdad, the situation in Mosul is not improving," said Bishop Raho. "It is apparent that U.S.-led coalition forces have begun 'cleaning up' the country in the south where the influence of Iran and Syria is strongest: Basra, Ramadi, Baquba and Baghdad. As the United States moves up, so do the terrorists, who are now concentrated in Mosul."
"In Mosul," he continued, "religious persecution is more noticeable than elsewhere, because the city is split along religious lines. Unlike Kirkuk, where divisions are ethnic with Kurds, Turkmen and Arabs vying for Christian support, the division between Muslims and Christians is sharper in Mosul."
The bishop said there is a move to empty the city of its Christian inhabitants, though he said "such a plan does not target Christians alone, but the intelligentsia and the professional class as well, Muslims included."
"However, if Christians are only 3% of the city's total population, they represent 35% of those with a higher education. Forcing these people to leave means preventing the country from rising again. It means fuelling ignorance, which is a support for terrorism," Bishop Raho explained.
He continued, "Such a plan is under way elsewhere in the country. Attacks target doctors, lawyers, professors, journalists. The plan is the brainchild of those who run international politics and Iraq's neighbors. No one wants a free and independent Iraq because it would be too strong. Together we would constitute a great intellectual and economic power. By keeping the country weak and divided, it is easier to dominate it."
And as Christmas approaches, Bishop Raho reported, "The main message of our prayers shall be peace […] which we have been trying to achieve despite threats and violence."
ZE07112604 - 2007-11-26