5 April 2008
Christian Persecution in Iraq
Posted by Joy Bischoff under: World Affairs .
Many people were hoping that our presence in Iraq would bring about a better climate for Christians. After the Second World War, Christianity gained a lot of ground in Japan and we hoped that history would repeat itself. The reality has turned out differently and with the prophecies of the coming Armageddon, this shouldn’t be a big surprise but it is disappointing.
An advocate for Iraq’s displaced Christians
By David Zucchino, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
April 4, 2008SAN DIEGO — The immigration lawyer and his client sat huddled at the defense bench in federal court, whispering in a foreign tongue.
Robert DeKelaita, born and baptized Christian in Iraq and raised in the U.S., is a solidly built man who dwarfed his slender client, a frightened young Iraqi named Yousif Ibrahim. DeKelaita murmured assurances in a modern version of Aramaic, the language spoken by Jesus.
Ibrahim, 23, a Christian, had been jailed as a “deportable/inadmissible alien” since he walked across the U.S.-Mexico border at San Ysidro in May. Except for a phony Polish passport and a copy of his baptismal certificate, he arrived with only the clothes on his back.
Minutes later, DeKelaita described how Ibrahim’s father had been burned to death in his home by Muslim insurgents in Iraq in January 2007 — because he was a Christian working for the U.N, and because another son had served in the U.S. armed forces.
“Your honor, he cannot go back to Iraq. . . . He has established credible fear” of persecution, DeKelaita told the immigration judge.
The judge set a new hearing, giving DeKelaita more time to prove his case. DeKelaita whispered again to Ibrahim in Aramaic, promising that he would be a free man soon.
Over the last decade, DeKelaita has obtained asylum for hundreds of Iraqi Christians threatened with deportation. He travels the U.S. to counsel distraught, uprooted men and women who have fled religious persecution in Iraq.
But each new grant of asylum leaves DeKelaita feeling conflicted; his efforts inadvertently contribute to the slow dissolution of the once-vibrant Christian community in Iraq…
Repressed under Saddam Hussein, Iraq’s Christian population has been decimated since the U.S.-led invasion in 2003. Muslim extremists have murdered priests and burned churches and Christian-owned shops and homes. Priests in Iraq estimate that fewer than 500,000 Christians remain, about a third of the number as before 2003.
On March 13, the body of the archbishop of Mosul, Paulos Faraj Rahho, was recovered, two weeks after he was kidnapped while leaving Mass. The slaying prompted Iraqi Christians to consider worshiping in secret; church services have also been attacked. Christian leaders say some Christians have been abducted and killed after refusing to convert to Islam.
“No group was happier than Christians when Saddam fell,” DeKelaita said. “But no group is more disappointed with the way things played out.”…
In November, Ibrahim was granted asylum and released. He lives with his sister outside Chicago and is looking for work. He can apply for a green card, and permanent residency, in a year.For DeKelaita, it was a bittersweet victory.
“I wish he could go back to his homeland,” he said, “and prosper.”
3 Comments so far...
Mac Says:
5 April 2008 at 8:59 am.
It’s darn hard for these Christian Iraqis whose lives are in danger to stay in the USA and it is so easy for Mexicans.
Benjamin Says:
5 April 2008 at 10:23 am.
I have to admit I was one who was really counting on things changing in Iraq. I figured it would be like Japan and talked about that with friends and family. Maybe something will change but it doesn’t look very promising at the moment. The gospel has to preached to all the world before the Lord comes again so something has to happen.
Matt Says:
5 April 2008 at 1:21 pm.
I have huge admiration for Arabs who become Christians, especially those who were once Muslims. This is the kind of courage we saw in the early church back at the time of the apostles.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.