Category: News

Armenian leader congratulates Karabakh on 13th anniversary of independence
Mediamax news agency
2 Sep 04
Yerevan, 2 September: “The experience and historical events of the last
years have confirmed the right choice made by the Karabakh people and
have proven that the establishment of Nagornyy Karabakh’s statehood
is an undeniable reality,” Armenian President Robert Kocharyan has
said in a congratulatory message to the president of the Nagornyy
Karabakh Republic [NKR], Arkadiy Gukasyan, on the occasion of the
13th anniversary of the NKR establishment celebrated today, Mediamax
has said.
“The reforms implemented in Nagornyy Karabakh, especially in the
economic sphere, and deepening of democracy will ensure a new level
of life. I am sure that the positive processes will continue and
will bring tangible results in the foreseeable future. The Armenian
authorities remain committed to the principles of a peaceful and
just settlement of the Nagornyy Karabakh problem,” the Armenian
president said.

Armenian Speaker calls for expansion of relations with Iran
IRNA web site, Tehran
2 Sep 04
Moscow, 2 September: Armenian National Assembly Chairman Artur
Bagdasaryan on Thursday [2 September] called for further expansion
of mutual cooperation between his country and Iran in various areas.
In a meeting with Iran’s ambassador to Yerevan, Ali Reza Haqiqiyan,
Bagdasaryan said the forthcoming visit by Iran’s President Mohammad
Khatami to Armenia is considered as a significant factor to promote
bilateral ties.
He also attached significance to Iran-Armenia mutual cooperation,
parliamentary relations and further communication between parliamentary
friendship groups of the two countries.
The Iranian diplomat, for his part, attached significance to
Khatami’s visit to Yerevan and parliamentary cooperation between the
two countries.
“The Republic of Armenia enjoys special status in Iranian foreign
policy. Tehran calls for strengthening stability and security and
economy of Armenia, said Haqiqiyan.
President Mohammad Khatami is scheduled to pay an official visit to
the Republic of Armenia in near future.

Armenian politician predicts dissolution of parliament, government
Aravot web site, Yerevan
30 Aug 04
If the ruling coalition does not strip opposition MPs of their
mandates, President Robert Kocharyan will dissolve the National
Assembly and sack the government, the leader of the Democratic Party of
Armenia, Aram Sarkisyan, has told the Aravot paper. The following is
an excerpt from report entitled “Stripping MPs of mandates is a trial
balloon” posted on Armenian newspaper Aravot web site on 30 August:
The leader of the Democratic Party believes that Armenia is just one
step away from an “authoritarian, criminal and oligarchic system”.
“The public is no longer protesting against injustice and
arbitrariness. Next the following will happen: Robert Kocharyan
will dissolve the government as he is fed up with infighting in the
coalition, the distribution of spheres according to party affiliation
and so on. We shall again return to the appointment of ministers on
the strength of their professional qualities.
“However, to do this, a formal reason is required. This move will
be possible if the coalition votes against stripping the opposition
MPs of their mandates. The situation will then become critical which
will provide grounds for dissolving the parliament. The next National
Assembly will represent a gathering of ‘cronies’ which suits Kocharyan
very well.
“If everybody in the country keeps silent when (a former head of the
Credit-Yerevan Bank) Levon Markos states that officials misappropriated
50m dollars, cites facts of corruption and accuses the defence
minister, yet nothing happens, this manifests that our society is
seriously ill and that those who have taken the responsibility for
ruling the country have turned us into idiots,” the DPA leader said.
At one point, when information was leaked that the National Assembly
and the government would be dissolved, the prime minister immediately
said that he would defect to the opposition and the speaker hinted at
the possibility of starting the process of impeaching the president. At
that time, Robert Kocharyan through his press secretary was compelled
to issue a statement that no changes were expected.
On the basis of what Aram Sarkisyan claims that Kocharyan, for fear
of losing his political support, can resort to the dissolution of
the legislative and executive bodies?
“[Prime Minister] Andranik Markaryan and [Speaker] Artur Bagdasaryan
made a big mistake by stating prematurely that they would switch
to the opposition if they were relieved of their posts. Kocharyan
started to think about how to neutralize a possible threat and decided
to bring the punitive bodies up to the level they are at present. To
the incumbent president, the notion of ‘political support’ is double
Dutch, he does not understand what it is. Why should he want political
support if he can simply use the services of oligarchs’ bodyguards?,”
Sarkisyan said.
Aram Sarkisyan did not rule out the possibility that not all the
opposition MPs will be stripped of their mandates at once, but rather
two or three of them, and the rest will be compelled to surrender
their powers. [Passage omitted.]
Speaking about the return of the opposition MPs to parliament,
Sarkisyan recalled that the reasons for the political boycott
had still not been removed: the amendments to law “On referendum”
are not being debated, those guilty of lawlessness have not been
brought to book, and the preliminary investigation into the criminal
case against the [opposition] Justice bloc has been extended for
another two months. “None of the points in the Council of Europe’s
resolution has been honoured,” the DPA leader said, adding: “If the
coalition in the course of negotiations assumes responsibility for
honouring these important conditions, we shall have reason to return
to parliament. However, I am convinced that nothing depends on the
coalition parties. Everything is at will of one man.”

Azeri government protests at Armenians’ participation in NATO’s Baku exercises
Bilik Dunyasi news agency
2 Sep 04
Baku, 2 September: The Azerbaijani government has lodged its protest
with NATO against the participation of Armenian officers in the
NATO field exercises “Cooperative Best Effort-2004” due in Baku from
13 to 26 September, Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov
has said. However, he stressed that NATO has the right to determine
participants in these exercises.
The head of the press service of the [Azerbaijani] Defence Ministry,
Col Ramiz Malikov, confirmed that official Baku’s protest had been
forwarded to the leadership of the North Atlantic alliance. But
Malikov did not rule out the participation of two Armenian officers
in the exercises.

Five Armenians hostage in Russian school siege
Public Television of Armenia, Yerevan
1 Sep 04
[Presenter] Terrorists continue to hold 354 hostages in a school in
[the North Ossetian town of] Beslan. There are 123 children among the
hostages. By 0600 Yerevan time [0100 gmt], gunshots had been heard
around the school. There are four Armenian children and one parent
among the hostages. The surname of one of the children is Kalashyan. It
is also known that one of the children is in the first form. The
“Aylur” news programme maintains permanent contact with the Armenian
diplomatic missions in Moscow and southern Russia. The head of the
general consulate of the Armenian embassy in southern Russia, Ararat
Gomtsyan, has offered the Russian Foreign Ministry his diplomatic
mission’s services to take part in the negotiations with the terrorist.
[Ararat Gomtstyan, by telephone] For two days now, the terrorists have
been holding 354 hostages in a school in the North Ossetian town of
Beslan in the Russian Federation and putting forward their demands.
There are about 32,000 residents in Beslan. The Armenian community
here is small – about 350-400 people. There is also an Armenian
community in Vladikavkaz. We have direct telephone contacts with their
representatives in order to get all information that comes from there
and also, we are working to do everything possible to resolve this
problem peacefully and to achieve final results.
We, the general consulate in North Ossetia [as heard] and the Armenian
embassy in Moscow led by our ambassador Mr Smbatyan, are working with
the law-enforcement agencies and the republic’s authorities, who are in
the town of Beslan, in order to learn and clarify the children’s and
their parents’ condition. There are four Armenian schoolchildren,
and one of them is in the first form. This is the preliminary
situation. We can say that the condition of the schoolchildren,
including the Armenian ones, is satisfactory. The negotiations are
under way. I would like to add that our republic’s president and our
policy strongly condemn any manifestation of terrorism everywhere. We
addressed the Russian Foreign Ministry and offered our support and
assistance in setting up a delegation of representatives from all the
diplomatic missions in North Ossetia and in holding negotiations and
resolving this problem peacefully. Our representative is in Beslan
at the moment and we maintain permanent telephone contact.

Azeri president in favour of continuing Karabakh talks
Trend news agency
2 Sep 04
Baku, 2 September, Trend correspondent I. Qasimli: “If I have not
refused the talks, it means that I hope they will bear fruit. I
do not intend to have talks for imitation and if I see there is
no result or benefit, Azerbaijan will be the first to interrupt
the talks”, Trend news agency quoted Azerbaijani President Ilham
Aliyev as telling journalists on 2 September on the significance of
the bilateral talks for the settlement of the Armenian-Azerbaijani
Nagornyy Karabakh conflict.
The head of state said that the talks should be continued at this
point. Aliyev noted that the parties have not reached any agreement,
however, the negotiations are proceeding on specific topics. “We
hope that these talks will yield results: Azerbaijan’s lands will
be liberated and its territorial integrity will be restored”, the
president stressed.

Azeri MP proposes parliament resolution to stop foreign visits to Karabakh
Ekho, Baku
1 Sep 04
Text of E. Faxri’s report by Azerbaijani newspaper Ekho on 1 September
headlined “The ‘NKR’ is attracting foreigners” and subheaded “They
do not believe it in Azerbaijan”
A total of 1,610 foreign nationals from more than 50 countries
were registered at the “foreign ministry” of the “Nagornyy Karabakh
Republic [NKR]” (here and after the inverted commas are inserted by
us) from the beginning of 2004 through late August this year. The
consular department of the NKR reports that citizens of the USA,
France, Russia, Iran, Canada, Germany, Syria, Australia, the UK,
Lebanon, Israel, Turkmenistan and other countries have visited the
“NKR”. The number of visitors to the “NKR” rises by the year, the
Armenian media quoted the “NKR foreign ministry” as saying.
This is not the first time that information of this type has been
circulated in the Armenian media. They believe in Azerbaijan that
these reports are unlikely to be accurate. For example, the Armenian
media recently reported that the “NKR” is of touristic interest
to foreign nationals, though the [Azerbaijani] Ministry of Sports,
Youth and Tourism has pointed to the fact that any country respecting
itself would never have touristic contacts with an unrecognized entity
which is not even a member of the World Tourism Organization. Besides,
expatriates are cautious and would prefer to relax in a more stable
region where they would not be exposed to danger. National experts
believe that this misinformation aims at proving to the public that
the “NKR” is living a “full-fledged life”.
Azerbaijani MPs think that if the myths about the visits to the “NKR”
are after all true, the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry should, of course,
issue an appropriate note. MP Zahid Oruc says the visits of foreign
nationals to the “NKR” without Azerbaijan’s official consent represent
a violation of the principles of international law – since the world
community has recognized Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity. The
parliamentarian is proposing that a fuss should be made about “NKR”
visits, as was the cases with the “chess tournament” in Xankandi and a
BBC employee’s visit. “We have to intensify the struggle against these
undesirable elements in the Karabakh issue.” The MP suggests that
the Milli Maclis [Azerbaijani parliament] should adopt a resolution
on visits by foreign citizens to unrecognized Nagornyy Karabakh. In
parallel, he thinks, the [Azerbaijani] Foreign Ministry should
notify international organizations of illegal visits by expatriates
to Karabakh.
Another MP Ramiz Ahmadov expressed quite a sharp position on this
issue. He said the figures by the “NKR foreign ministry” point to the
inaction of the Azerbaijani authorities. He noted that the Azerbaijani
government had many times raised objections against visits by foreign
nationals to the “NKR”. However, he went on to say, the governments
of these countries justify the visits of their citizens by the fact
that these visits are private. Meanwhile, the MP is convinced that
none of the foreign businessmen will invest in the “NKR” without
the permission of his government. “The governments of the countries
indicated in the report approve of the visits of their citizens to
Karabakh. Then, officials of these countries state that the visits
of their nationals are private.” The MP blames everything on the
Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry, which, as he put it, is not even trying
to “punish” the foreign citizens who visit Azerbaijan after this.
In turn, a member of the parliamentary commission on national security
and defence, Alimammad Nuriyev, noted that Azerbaijan should demand
explanations from the governments of the mentioned countries within
the framework of the UN. The MP thinks that the visits to the “NKR”
will continue as long as Baku restricts itself only to statements.
Commenting to Ekho on the information by the “NKR foreign ministry”,
the director of the centre for legal aid to migrants, Alovsat Aliyev,
stressed that the occupied lands of Azerbaijan attract people with
a predisposition to crime. He said that expatriates go to Karabakh
via Armenia and with the permission of the Armenian authorities. The
expert said that the countries whose citizens visit Karabakh should
realize that they are going to sour relations with Azerbaijan in
this way. He said the countries indicated in the report by the “NKR
foreign ministry” should take precautions and stop their citizens
from visiting Nagornyy Karabakh.

Azeri leader advises jailed pressure group members to appeal against sentence
ANS TV, Baku
2 Sep 04
[Presenter] The head of state, who is on a visit to Naxcivan
[Azerbaijani exclave], has commented in an interview with reporters
on the ruling of [Baku’s] Nasimi district court on the members of
the Karabakh Liberation Organization [KLO].
[Video of Aliyev, talking to reporters] Of course, as the president
I cannot intervene in the ruling of the court and I do not want to do
so. But as a citizen I believe that the punishment is not relevant to
what they did. This is an extremely severe punishment. As a citizen I
cannot support the verdict. I think that the next judicial instance
should reconsider the verdict. I would advise [the convicted KLO
members] to appeal against the ruling and I hope that the issue can
be settled in the next instance. At the same time, everybody should
be equal before the law and one should not idolize any organization
or person.
There are authoritative bodies and persons in Azerbaijan to deal with
the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagornyy Karabakh conflict: the president,
foreign minister, defence minister, other appropriate bodies. And we
know what is the way to struggle.

PRESS RELEASE
Eastern Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church of America
138 East 39th Street
New York, NY 10016
Tel: 212-689-7810
Fax: 212-689-7168
e-mail: [email protected]
Website:
Contact: Iris Papazian
CROSSROADS E-NEWSLETTER September 2, 2004
PASHALIAN FUND ANNOUNCES
2004 EDUCATIONAL GRANTS
The Pashalian Family Education Fund, which is part of the Prelacy
Endowment Fund, recently announced grants for 2004 totaling $12,750.00. The
awards were as follows:
St. Illuminator Armenian Day School, $2,500.00.
St. Stephen Armenian Elementary School (Massachusetts), $3,750.00.
St. Sarkis Suzanne & Hovsep Hagopian Saturday School, $1,500.00.
Armenian Sisters Academy (Pennsylvania), $1,000.00.
Siamanto Academy, $1,000.00.
St. Gregory of Datev Institute, $2,000.00.
The Pashalian Fund was created in 1992 in memory of John Pashalian by
his family and friends. Trustees of the Fund meet regularly to make the
disbursements from the Fund, which supports Armenian education in the United
States.
V. REV. FR. ANOUSHAVAN TANIELIAN
ATTENDS PRESIDENT BUSH PRAYER SERVICE
ON BEHALF OF THE PRELATE
Today, September 2, V. Rev. Fr. Anoushavan Tanielian, the Vicar General,
attended a Prayer Service at the Church of Our Savior, Park Avenue and 38th
Street in New York City. Archbishop Oshagan was invited to attend the
ecumenical gathering of religious leaders as an honored guest of President
and Mrs. Bush. His Eminence, who is returning from overseas tonight, asked
the Vicar General to attend on his behalf. Invited to the gathering were
representatives of various religious denominations and ethnic groups.
The Church of Our Savior is just a hop away from the Prelacy office,
which explains why the entire area was like an armed camp this morning,
including a bevy of helicopters overhead.
ARCHBISHOP OSHAGAN WILL OPEN
OLYMPIC GAMES IN CHICAGO
This weekend, His Eminence will be in the Midwest where on Monday, Labor
Day, he will officially open the Olympic games of the Armenian Youth
Federation. Beginning in the early 1930s, the AYF Olympics is now an
established tradition in Armenian American life. This year the weekend event
is being sponsored by the Chicago Ararat Chapter.
For those who are experiencing withdrawal symptoms after more than two
weeks of the International Olympics, we suggest heading to Chicago.
MID-WEST SEMINAR WILL TAKE PLACE
SEPTEMBER 18 IN DEARBORN, MICHIGAN
St. Sarkis Armenian Church, Dearborn, Michigan, is sponsoring a one-day
seminar on Critical Issues of Life & Faith: An Armenian Orthodox
Perspective, on Saturday, September 18, at the Church, 19300 Ford Road,
Dearborn, Michigan. The main speaker will be Dr. Vigen Guroian, Professor of
Theology and Ethics at Loyola College, Baltimore, Maryland. The program will
include the lecture, small group discussions, followed by group reports and
discussions. Topics to be discussed include Marriage, Reproductive
Technologies, Abortion, Suicide and Cremation.
This program is very similar to one that took place during the summer
at St. Mary of Providence Center in Elverson, Pennsylvania, sponsored by the
Armenian Religious Education Council (AREC) that was enthusiastically
received by the participants, who in their anonymous evaluation sheets
offered comments like: I really enjoyed the adult Christian education
program. The lectures were very insightful, thought provoking and even
controversial. Dr. Guroian is an exceptional lecturer and I learned a lot
from him.. It was a blessing to have such a prominent theologian lead the
seminar on contemporary moral and ethical issues. and [It] was fulfilling,
nourishing, and enlightening.
For information about the Midwest Seminar contact the Church office,
(313) 336-6200.
PILLARS OF THE PRELACY RECEPTIONS
IN RHODE ISLAND AND MASSACHUSETTS
The first two of several regional gatherings of the Pillars of the
Prelacy will take place next week.
On Friday, September 10, the Pastor and Board of Trustees of St.
Stephen Church in Watertown, Massachusetts, will host a reception and on
Sunday, September 12, the Pastor and Board of Trustees of Sts. Vartanantz
Church in Providence, Rhode Island, will host a reception.
The Pillars of the Prelacy is an annual giving program; all funds
raised support religious and educational programs.
For information about the Massachusetts gathering contact St. Stephen
Church, (617) 924-7562.
For information about the Rhode Island gathering contact Sts.
Vartanantz Church, (401) 831-6399.
V. REV. FR. SHAHE PANOSSIAN ARRIVES
TO SERVE NEW JERSEY PARISH
V. Rev. Fr. Shahe Panossian arrived in the United States early this week
to assume the pastorship of Sts. Vartanantz Church, Ridgefield, New Jersey,
where he will celebrate the Divine Liturgy this Sunday, September 8.
Hayr Shahe served parishes in the Eastern Prelacy for many years,
specifically in South Florida, Toronto and Glenview, Illinois.
For the past two years, at the behest of Catholicos Aram I, he has been
serving the Catholicate in Antelias, Lebanon. Most recently he was the
director of the Birds Nest Orphanage in Lebanon.
He was ordained a celibate priest in 1980. Besides his extensive
experience as a parish priest, Hayr Shahe has been a teacher and supervisor
at the Cilician Seminary in Antelias, as well as an administrator at the
Catholicate headquarters.
PRELACY BOOK FAIR IN OCTOBER
The Prelacy Bookstore will host its annual Book Fair on October 22, 23,
and 24, at Sts. Vartanantz Church, 461 Bergen Boulevard, Ridgefield, New
Jersey. Featured will be many new books as well as gift items some of which
are newly arrived from Armenia. We will be telling you more about this later
this month.
MANY PUBLIC AND PRIVATE SCHOOLS ARE OPEN;
SATURDAY AND SUNDAY SCHOOLS WILL OPEN SOON
Traditionally school has opened after Labor Day. But because Labor Day
is late this year, many public school districts have started the new term
this week.
There are several very good Armenian Day Schools here on the east coast
including: St. Stephens Elementary School, Watertown, Massachusetts; St.
Illuminators Day School in Woodside, New York; Holy Martyrs Day School in
Bayside, New York; Hovnanian School in New Milford, New Jersey; the Armenian
Sisters Academies in Lexington, Massachusetts and Radnor, Pennsylvania. They
all need and deserve our support.
The Saturday and Sunday schools in our parishes will be opening in the
coming weeks. Check with your local parish to find out the exact date and
time and make sure to enroll your children. It is a sacrifice of time and
effort, we know, but you will be happy and thankful you did.
Incidentally, as a side note, we use the term Saturday school
generically. Some of our parishes have their Armenian language schools on
other days of the week.
COUNCIL OF NICAEA
This Saturday, September 4, the Armenian Church remembers the Ecumenical
Council of Nicaea, the first such council. It was summoned by Emperor
Constantine in 325. Bishop Aristakes (son of Gregory the Illuminator)
attended as a representative of the Armenian Church. It was at this council
that the creed was first developed. The Nicene Creed (Havatamk) that we
recite in the Armenian Church during the Divine Liturgy after the reading of
the Gospel is the result of later development of the doctrine of the Holy
Trinity.
FAST OF THE EXHALTATION OF THE HOLY CROSS
This Sunday, September 5, ushers in the Fast leading to the Exaltation
of the Holy Cross (Khachveratz), which is on Sunday, September 12. Because
this is a Great or Tabernacle Feast, it is preceded by a week of abstinence.
BIRTH OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY
On Wednesday, September 8, the Armenian Church commemorates the birth of
the Blessed Virgin Mary. Her life is covered sparsely in the New Testament.
It is believed that she was the daughter of Anna and Joachim, a descendant
of David from the tribe of Judah.
LABOR DAY
And, of course, this Monday, September 6 is Labor Day, celebrated nation
wide in the United States and Canada. Labor Day, always the first Monday in
September, was created by the labor movement more than 120 years ago. It is
dedicated to the social and economic achievements of workers and their
contributions to the strength, prosperity, and well being of their country.
Through the years it has evolved into the unofficial end of summer marked
with family gatherings, picnics, and a final long weekend before the start
of school and the normal routine of life.
THE REPUBLICANS
Finally, can we leave you this week without saying a word or two about
the Republican Convention in New York City? Today is the final day and the
convention will come to an end tonight when President Bush delivers his
acceptance address.
From our vantage point, commuting from New Jersey to New York, the four
days were quite smooth. In fact, most of the time we kept wondering where
everyone went. The streets and roads were empty. One morning it was almost
comical to see the heavy police presence on the George Washington Bridge
with just a few cars crossing the span.
We at Crossroads are political junkies and we confess that we watched
both conventions, the Democrats in Boston and Republicans in New York City.
Listening to all of the rhetoric (and there is a lot) we were reminded
of a statement made by Adlai Stevenson in Fresno, California, in June of
1956: I am not an old experienced hand at politics. But I am now seasoned
enough to have learned that the hardest thing about any political campaign
is how to win without proving that you are unworthy of winning.
For all you youngsters out there, Adlai Stevenson was the Democratic
candidate for President in 1952 and 1956. His opponents labeled him an
Egghead, as though being intelligent was some sort of disease. His political
speeches were masterpieces in every way, content, thought, and syntax.
P.S. He lost.
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Christian Iraqis mourn lives lost in Iraq church bombings
By Lori Arnold
ChristianTimes.com
Sept 2 2004
CHRISTIAN EXAMINER
EL CAJON, Calif. — After years of brutal unrest in their homeland,
the Christian Chaldean population was rocked again Aug. 1 when 11
Iraqi citizens were killed during five orchestrated attacks on
Christian churches in Mosul and Baghdad. Dozens were wounded.
In response, nearly 100 people attended a memorial meeting Aug. 4 at
the Chaldean American Association center, north of the city’s
downtown. El Cajon, Calif. is home to the second largest Chaldean
community in the nation, behind Detroit.
The observance opened with prayers recited by a visiting priest and
several deacons. The acapella chants of mourning, offered in the
Chaldean language, eventually gave rise to impassioned condemnations
of the civilian attacks.
“The land is now filled with terrorists, criminals, guns and havoc,”
interpreter Sami Banarji quoted Hanna Qalabat as saying.
“The land where law was first established has become a land of
lawlessness.”
Qalabat, who asked for mercy for the “martyrs who died in the
churches,” said despite the bloodshed, their resolve for a free Iraq
should remain strong.
“We’ve got to continue to fight these gangsters, no matter what
happens,” he said.
A few minutes into the event, with the arrival of several contingents
of Muslims–there to show solidarity through their own calls for
peace–the conversation switched to Arabic.
Alan Zangana, program director for Kurdish Human Rights Watch, said
that any attack on a place of worship is condemned by all.
“The ones that executed these people, they say they are Muslims, but
the Muslims disown them,” he said.
In a news release issued there, Zangana said that his group “condemns
any evil act committed toward innocent civilians. Citizens of Iraq
view Chaldeans, Assyrians and Armenians as brothers and sisters and
respect one another’s worship places and these criminal acts are not
accepted by all Iraqis from all different faiths.”
The perpetrators of such attacks, he said, should be “punished and
brought to justice.”
A call for unity
Sheikh Saeed, from Al-Madina Al-Munawara Mosque in El Cajon, offered
his own prayers of peace for the dead and recuperation for the
injured.
“The Iraqi people are all united, regardless of ethnicity or
religion,” he said. “We are only one family. There is no animosity,
no hostility. All parties are trying to live in peace, but these
criminals are trying to divide that unity.”
His statement also contained a stern warning for the terrorists.
“The more you execute these activities the more we’re going to stand
united,” he said, challenging the terrorists to cite the passage in
the Koran that commands use such measures.
“Where were you criminals when Saddam Hussein was killing or
terrorizing the people?”
Fears fulfilled
The church bombings underscored fears long held by Iraqi Christians,
whose numbers are estimated at 750,000. With the country’s new
government still in its infancy, missionary and evangelism groups are
keeping a careful eye on the situation.
Many Christians, Open Doors officials said, are feeling increased
persecution from Muslims who view Christians as American
sympathizers.
Even before the church bombings, Christian businesses were being
targeted for attacks, including liquor stores and fashion and beauty
shops.
As a result, Open Doors USA has ceased all training sessions
scheduled in that country, although materials targeting teens and
children are still being supplied. A new education center is to help
church leaders get together, while offering English and computer
classes. A mobile medical clinic is also being organized in one
extremely dangerous Iraqi city.
In the days before the change of power, Open Doors issued an alert
asking Western Christians to pray for a peaceful transition.
“Pray for the violence to come to an end and that the transition of
power will be smooth,” said Dr. Carl Moeller, president of Open Doors
USA. “Pray that Iraqi Christians and other Christians working and
serving in Iraq will be kept safe. And pray that Christians will be
allowed to worship our Lord in freedom as a new government is formed
later this year.”
Fleeing Iraq
Still, many Iraqi Christians, fearful of imminent attacks and uneasy
about the government’s ability to protect them, have fled to
neighboring Jordan and Syria.
Wissam Sagman, an Iraqi Christian living in his native country, told
reporters that he had already attempted unsuccessfully to leave the
country, fearing his family would not be safe. The attacks confirmed
his fears, he said standing in his living room, wrecked from a car
bomb attack on an Armenian church across the street.
“These people, they love blood. They hate humanity. They hate us,”
Sagman told Associated Press. “They want all the Christians to
leave.”
Sagman said he will continue his quest to leave the country.
“I feel despair now,” he said. “Only despair.”
Looking forward
Despite the fear and unrest in the Middle East, Dr. Labib Sultan, of
the locally based Organization for Civil Society in Iraq, speaking at
the El Cajon memorial event, stressed his longing for a peaceful
Iraq.
“We hope that we have a good solid future tomorrow for Iraq to build
new rights, the rights and the freedom to work, the freedom of
prayer, the freedom of speech. We have been dependent on all these
rights for years and years,” Sultan said, according to the
translator.
“The same guns that attacked the Christians, attacked the Muslims and
they attacked the Kurds up north and Muslims in the south. They claim
they are Muslims. They are followers of Saddam. The only thing is the
time and place is different.”
While much of the local discussion focused on verbal condemnation,
one speaker encouraged action. Words alone, Saleem Ibrahim of the
American Middle-Easter Christian Association said, will not bring
lasting peace.
“Be ambassadors of peace,” he said. “When things are tough, things
get solved. So the time is right for things to be solved. Do positive
actions, it’s not enough to just come and talk. Terrorism will not go
away unless we plan and think and educate people.”
For Banarji, the translator, he said the presence of Muslims at the
meeting was a sign of hope.
“They said condolences and condemned the whole thing,” Banarji said.