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| Iraq | ||
| New Iraqi cardinal calls for release of Aziz | ||
| 2007-12-24 | ||
BAGHDAD - The spiritual leader of IraqÂ’s Catholics, elevated to the rank of cardinal last month, called on US forces to free Saddam HusseinÂ’s ailing former deputy prime minister Tareq Aziz if there was no evidence against him.
In an interview with Reuters on the eve of Christmas, Emmanuel III Delly, the Chaldean patriarch of Baghdad, also called for religious freedom in Muslim Iraq, where many Christians have been kidnapped, killed or forced to flee. ‘We have no freedom of religion in Iraq but hopefully that will become the case one day because the Lord created us free and everyone should have freedom of religion,’ he said. ‘In terms of Tareq Aziz, who has worked so long for Iraq and I am sure still wants good things for Iraq, we have to demand the release of all those who were captured and which have no evidence against them ... as soon as possible,’ Delly said. Delly, a critic of the U.S.-led invasion in 2003, said he had tried to visit Aziz, but his request had been turned down. Iraqi prosecutors say Aziz could face charges in connection with the crushing of the Shia Muslim uprising after the 1991 Gulf War in which tens of thousands died.
Christians make up about 3 percent of Iraq’s 27 million people, according to the US State Department’s latest report on international religious freedom. According to a 1987 census there were 1.4 million Christians living in Iraq, but now there may be fewer than 1 million. A number of Christian clergy have been kidnapped or killed in Iraq, churches bombed or forced to take down their crosses and Christians forced to flee their homes. At his guarded compound in western Baghdad, Delly, wearing his cardinal’s red robes and a black hat, preached brotherly love in a land where sectarian violence between Sunni and Shia Muslims has killed tens of thousands. ‘Love between all brothers is present, but they must love each other more and more, they need to work together in one mind and one heart for the prosperity of Iraq,’ he said, sitting next to a colourfully decorated Christmas tree. Delly said all Iraqis had suffered equally in the sectarian violence that has ravaged the country, toning down previous criticism of Iraq’s Shia Islamist leaders, whom he accused in May of staying silent while Christians were persecuted. ‘There are absolutely no violations against Christians because they are Christians. This is something that is against Iraq and Iraqis. There are many Christians who were forced to flee Iraq but an even greater number of our Muslim brothers too.’ He said five Christian churches in the southern Baghdad district of Doura, a Sunni militant stronghold, were still closed. Christians there were told to convert, flee or be killed, the US State Department report said. ‘God willing, (the Christians) will return,’ Delly said. | ||
| Posted by:Steve White |
| #5 Lots and lots of people, even some here, have been critical about my stance that Christians in Saddam's Iraq were part and parcel of his criminal gang. Here's something that seems to support my contention that much of what the very active Christian propaganda machine complains about is just retaliation for past crimes. |
| Posted by: Chuck Simmins 2007-12-24 15:08 |
| #4 Like the Mafia, Saddam didn't let anyone close to him unless the guy's hands were bloody. Frequently you had to kill someone very close to you to prove your allegiance to Saddam. Just the fact that he was in the cabinet is proof of murder. Al |
| Posted by: Frozen Al 2007-12-24 10:47 |
| #3 I'll gladly trade Aziz for Red al-Douri. How about it, Tariq? |
| Posted by: doc 2007-12-24 09:47 |
| #2 Anything other than hanging Aziz would be perceived as preferrential treatment because he is a christian, a very bad move. Besides, he deserves it. |
| Posted by: phil_b 2007-12-24 06:56 |
| #1 Aziz is no Christian. Burn him |
| Posted by: Frank G 2007-12-24 04:26 |