As the U.S. move closer to blacklisting Iraq for violating religious freedom, will the next President be forced into a humiliating public admission?
One of the West’s newest and most vulnerable allies could end up embarrassing both the Bush administration and their pro-democracy supporters if Iraq is blacklisted by a U.S. religious freedom watchdog.
It would mark the culmination of a frustrating time for the country who are still experiencing fighting, suicide bombers and threats to their stability in a region which has more recently been dominated by perceived threats from Iran.
The Situation
Since 2004, over 40 Christian churches and institutions have been bombed, with about 10 of them bombed within a span of two weeks earlier this year, according to the Chaldean Assyrian Syriac Council of America. Moreover, of the 45 Chaldean priests in Baghdad, less than half remain and the others have been killed, kidnapped or have fled the country.
U.S. Commissioner, Nina Shea, cited religious minorities which have been forced out of Iraq, which added to the dwindling number of religious groups. Even the major religions aren’t safe and Christians are thought to make up around 40% of the refugees fleeing the country, with widespread persecution, including the bombing of churches and the murder of priests, forcing hundreds of thousands to flee.This has resulted in the Christian population having halved in just five years.
The Report
Recent accounts suggest that the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) are divided over keeping Iraq on its “watchlist” or moving it to the “Country of Particular Concern” (CPC) blacklist.
Countries currently on the blacklist include North Korea, China and Iran as those which have “engaged in or tolerated systematic and egregious” violations of religious freedom or belief.
Future Action
Five years after the United States waged war on Iraq saying it wanted to free the people from the tyranny of Saddam Hussein, ethnic and religious tensions threaten to rip the country apart.
Blacklisting Iraq could also prompt the US to impose sanctions on Baghdad as required by Federal law, which could include withholding foreign aid.
Conclusion
The 10-man Commission are monitoring the situation in Iraq, but any movement towards demoting them to the CPC blacklist should sound the warning bells even louder than they’re already ringing.
While the opposition to the war in Iraq has died down, this will only highlight the continuing problems which exist and which the U.S. and British governments are keeping from the general public.
The next few months are crucial and while the current situation is an embarrassment, any further developments in the wrong direction could be a disaster, both for pro-democracy western governments and for the existence of religions in Iraq.
