Romy Haber
A new tragedy in Iraq orchestrated by Iranian puppets: Louis Raphael Sako, the head of the Chaldean Church worldwide and an appointed Cardinal by Pope Francis, is the target of another dirty political game.
A Decree Withdrawn, A Cardinal Undermined
The Iraqi President Abdul Latif Rashid revoked a decree that recognized Sako as the head of the Chaldean Church, both in Iraq and globally. This decree had previously given Sako the legal authority to protect the assets of Christians and the local church. Its withdrawal, influenced by the pro-Iran Babylon Movement, was a strategic move aimed at undermining Sako's authority and the church's influence.
The Babylon Movement: A Threat Cloaked in Deception
The Babylon Movement and its leader Rayan AlKaldani have a deeply troubling history and a disturbing present. The group has been accused of severe human rights abuses. It is implicated in looting homes, unlawfully seizing and selling agricultural land, and engaging in intimidation, extortion, and harassment of women. AlKaldani has been suspected of stealing properties owned by Christians and stealing artifacts from monasteries and homes. And despite the group's claim to represent the Christian community, the Babylon Movement is said to recruit its members from Shia communities.
The end goal of this Iranian puppet group is to reduce the remaining Christians in Iraq to a subservient status, known as dhimmis in Islamic law.
The Puppet Show: A Strategy to Erode Minority Power
This situation underscores a worrying trend in the Middle East: the use of puppet politicians and counterfeit representatives to undermine the power and independence of minority groups. Sako has publicly expressed his concerns about Kaldani's threat to the Christian communities in Iraq and has threatened to take him to an international court for human rights abuses against Christians.
Persecution is like an evil chameleon, it changes its colors and forms to suit its cruel intentions. For the Christians of Iraq, the face of persecution has been manifold and merciless. They have been subjected to direct violence and massacres, their history stained with the blood of genocides committed with both traditional and modern weapons. Yet, not all tragedies are swift and brutal; some are slow, insidious, and cloaked in the guise of legality. A few strokes of a pen, a few decrees signed and sealed, can set in motion a chain of events that slowly erodes the rights and freedoms of a community. These slow tragedies, while less visible, are no less devastating, gradually stripping away the layers of security, dignity, and identity until the community stands bare and vulnerable, a shadow of its former self.
A Call for Autonomy and Help
Days after the president of Iraq revoked this decree, Cardinal Louis Raphael Sako announced he is withdrawing from the patriarchal residence in Baghdad to one of the monasteries in the Kurdistan Region.
His move to Kurdistan is more than a change of address. It is a symbol of resistance and a quest for safety. The message is clear: The Iraqi central government and the Iranian puppets cannot protect Christians. On the contrary, they are harassing the head of their church.
However, Kurdistan cannot be expected to be the home of Christians. The idealized idea of it being a safe haven for all minorities not just Kurds should be taken with a grain of a salt. The safety of Iraqi Christians can only be guaranteed when they have their autonomous local governance.
However, until that happens, the head of the Chaldean Church and Chaldean Christians should not be left to face the current challenges alone. The Holy See should step in and provide the necessary support to Cardinal Sako and the Christian community in Iraq. In 2021, in his papal visit to Iraq, Pope Francis and Grand Ayatollah Sistani called for unity. Unfortunately, some parties and actors are not familiar with this concept. To them, minorities are only allowed to exist as “second class citizens”: controlled and oppressed.