The Wounded Memory of Iraq's Christians

At the beginning of the last century, Christians, especially Assyrians, suffered greatly under Ottoman rule, which sought to impose the Ottoman identity and exercise control over them through the policies of Turkification, which promoted Turkish culture and language as the official governing ideology of the state at the expense of other cultures. The Ottomans committed genocide against Assyrians as well as Armenians, Yazidis, and others, causing them to migrate from the region and forcing them to avoid expressing their cultural, religious, and linguistic identity for fear of being killed and exterminated.

In May 1915, Haydar Pasha, then deputy governor of Mosul, was given the authority to invade the Hakkari region on the Iraqi-Iranian-Turkish border. Talaat Pasha, Turkey's interior minister at the time, ordered the Assyrians to be expelled or exterminated. The Ottomans used the Kurds to carry out their plan to exterminate the Christians. Between 250,000 and 350,000 Assyrians were killed between 1915 and 1918, wiping out more than half of the Assyrian community.

The repression of Assyrians continued after World War I. In 1933, the Iraqi army, led by General Bakr Sidqi, targeted more than 60 Assyrian villages, killing more than 3,000 people in what is known as the “Simele Massacre”. This massacre caused a real threat to the Assyrian presence in the region, resulting in a massive migration of Assyrians. The massacre embodied an intellectual and historical continuity with the earlier and more famous genocide against minorities, the Armenian Genocide of 1915. This slow attrition dynamic was complemented a hundred years later, in 2015, by the terrorist organization IS, which bore the hallmarks of the same intellectual and mental continuity.

The IS targeted minorities, including Christians, and committed the most heinous atrocities against them, including displacement, killing, captivity, and the destruction of churches and monasteries. The organization imposed harsh choices on Christians: Convert to Islam, flee, or die. Women and girls were the most vulnerable victims, as was the case for Yazidis and other minorities, who were repeatedly subjected to sexual violence and forced marriages.

These tragic events left Christians deeply wounded and distrustful of their Kurdish brothers and neighbors who collaborated with the Ottomans to exterminate them. The tragic events of 2014 sadly renewed the painful memories of a hundred years ago and deepened the unhealed wounds. Many Yazidis and Christians have lost faith in their Sunni Muslim and Kurdish neighbors and see what happened to them as very similar to what happened to them at the beginning of the last century. This hostile environment created a climate of fear, silence to avoid harm, and mistrust of their Muslim neighbors and brothers as enemies who want to harm and exterminate them.

In an interview with Global Voices, Saad Salloum, a professor of political science at Mustansiriya University and a defender of minority rights in Iraq, noted that “the Simele massacre deepened the spirit of mistrust between Assyrians and their Kurdish and Arab neighbors, and highlighted that trust has never returned, especially since repression has not stopped”.

In the face of this great danger posed by the IS scheme in this region, not only to Christians but also to other minorities such as the Yazidis, Professor Joseph Yacoub, UNESCO Chair on Memory, Cultures and Multiculturalism, comments: “In this dark political context, and in an attempt to find a solution to the discrimination suffered by minorities, the best possible solution is to grant them full citizenship in the long term”, he says. “Citizenship should be enshrined in the constitution of the countries where minorities reside, so that they are directly protected by law and the idea of embracing them by society and the state is no longer a questionable political favor or assistance”, he says.

“History in the Middle East did not begin in the seventh century AD but goes back to an earlier period, and Christians did not come to the Levant during the Crusades or the colonial period, they are not guests in the region but have been there for two thousand years”, he concludes.

Nearly a century after the Armenian Genocide, the region has seen a new wave of violence in Iraq, this time at the hands of the Islamic State (IS). Despite the nearly 100-year gap between the two events, they have reopened deep wounds in the memory of Christian communities in the Middle East, a memory that bears the scars of centuries of persecution and violence.

All these crimes against Iraqi Christians forced hundreds of thousands of them to leave their homeland and their land in order to search for a safe country that would guarantee a secure future for their children. The statistics of Christian emigration in Iraq are very frightening. In 2003, the number of Christians in the country was estimated at one and a half million, but today the number of Christians does not exceed 200,000.

The Struggle for Survival and the Rescue of Constructive Memory

While the memory of the Armenian Genocide has become increasingly recognized, although some countries such as Turkey continue to deny or minimize the magnitude of these events, contemporary persecutions, such as those committed by IS, remain less visible on the international stage. The wounded memory of Christians in the Middle East, renewed by the events of 2014, highlights the importance of recognizing and protecting religious minorities in regions that remain unstable.

Today, the struggle for the physical and cultural survival of Christians in the Middle East is accompanied by a struggle to recognize their history. The Armenian genocide and IS violence are reminders that peace is still fragile for these communities, and that it is essential to preserve their memory and suffering to ensure that such tragedies are not repeated in the future.

Healing the wounded memory of Christians in the Middle East requires a holistic approach that addresses the historical, political, social, and religious aspects that have contributed to these wounds. The following are some possible solutions that can contribute to addressing this tragic memory and promoting a better future for Christians in the region:

1. Recognition and Historical Justice

• Recognize the genocide and hold those responsible for modern crimes accountable: The Armenian Genocide and other massacres of Christians in the Middle East must be fully recognized. Recognizing these crimes is a first step towards healing and reconciliation. States and international institutions should push for official recognition of these events on a large scale. Justice is not only to bring perpetrators to justice, but also to send a clear message that such crimes will not go unpunished.

2. Community Reconciliation and Religious Tolerance

• Promote interfaith dialogue: Religious and political institutions should play a greater role in promoting dialogue between different religious communities in the Middle East, in order to build a society based on mutual understanding and respect. Dialogue between Muslim and Christian religious leaders can contribute to healing historical wounds and easing tensions.
• Educational programs that promote tolerance: School curricula in the region should adopt educational programs that promote tolerance and religious diversity. Removing negative stereotypes about minorities in textbooks and focusing on peaceful coexistence between different communities can help change mindsets in the long run.

3. Supporting the Christian presence in the Middle East

• Provide economic and social support: Christians in Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and Jordan are suffering from the effects of wars and economic conflicts. They should be provided with economic and humanitarian assistance to ensure that they remain in their countries and do not emigrate. Supporting the rebuilding of Christian communities devastated by war and conflict can help stabilize their presence in the region.
• Protect the rights of minorities: Constitutions and legislation in Middle Eastern countries should ensure that the rights of religious minorities, including Christians, are protected. Christians should enjoy equal rights to citizenship, religious freedom and freedom of expression, without discrimination.

4. Preservation of Cultural and Religious Heritage

• Reconstruct historical sites: The destruction of churches, monasteries and Christian historical sites in Iraq and Syria has left a cultural void. Supporting the reconstruction of these sites is an important step in preserving the region's Christian heritage and in strengthening their identity.
• Celebrate Christian heritage: Encouraging public celebrations of Eastern Christian heritage, whether through festivals or cultural events, can contribute to rekindling a sense of pride in historical identity.

5. International Community Support

• Supportive international intervention: The international community, including the United Nations and non-governmental organizations, should play a greater role in protecting religious minorities in the Middle East by putting pressure on governments to promote minority rights and protection.
• Grant asylum and assistance to displaced persons: Support should be provided to displaced Christians who have been forced to leave their countries due to violence and persecution. Providing asylum and humanitarian assistance to those who need protection abroad can help alleviate their suffering.

6. Dialogue with the Diaspora

• The role of the diaspora in outreach and reconciliation: Christian communities living in the diaspora have an important role to play in remembering and promoting human rights issues. Through their institutions and communities, they can be an influential voice in supporting Christians in the Middle East and pushing for the recognition of violations and the rebuilding of Christian communities.

7. Focus on the New Generation

• Youth empowerment: Empowering Christian youth in the Middle East through education and employment opportunities can contribute to building a stable future for them in their countries. Paying attention to economic and social development projects targeting Christian communities can help strengthen ties to their countries and prevent their migration.

Conclusion

Addressing the historical wounds of Christians in the Middle East requires a joint effort at the local and international levels. By acknowledging the past, promoting religious understanding, and supporting their rights to survival, Christians in the Middle East can live in peace and dignity. Preserving the memory of their suffering is an essential step to ensure that history is not repeated, and a brighter future is realized for all.

Fr. Ameer Jaje