On Sunday, Jan. 30, Iraq will hold an historic and pivotal national election. Not only is the future of the troubled country at stake, so are the lives of Iraq's minority Christian population. An estimated 800,000 believers are being marginalized and many have fled the country because of the increased violence. Dr. Carl Moeller, president/CEO of Open Doors USA, spoke with Crosswalk.com this week about the election and ramifications for Christians in Iraq.
"We really want to mobilize the U.S. to pray," says Moeller. "That's what our brothers and sisters in Iraq are most asking us to do. We can't vote in the Iraqi elections. And really, there's no political process or solution that will be viable in the long run." According to Moeller, only a spiritual solution that will effect lasting change in Iraq.
Unfortunately, due to increased violence in recent months, Christians in Iraq are fleeing the country in droves. Moeller notes that 15 years ago, the Christian population was 1.5 million. Today, he says, it numbers around 700,000. Some 30- to 40,000 Christians are escaping to Syria or Jordan each month.
"Wouldn't you flee if your church was being bombed and you risked your life just by going to church on Sunday morning?" Moeller asks. "Mentally, it's almost impossible to think about. Yet, we know that God has called out a remnant of believers in Iraq to remain, and to remain strong. The Bible says in Revelation 3:2, 'Wake up and strengthen what remains and is about to die.' That's the Christian's mission."
For those that remain, this Sunday's election will likely spell the difference between freedom and oppression. "The great fear Christians have," explains Moeller, "is that an extreme Muslim leader will be elected. Then what position will the Christians be in?" Turning out to vote is, therefore, crucial for the Christian population.
Local sources have told Open Doors that Christians do plan to vote. "They have to," Moeller adds. "They have to have their voice heard. It's the only chance they have politically to have any representation in a new Iraqi government."
If Christians fail to win seats in the new Assembly, they will have no say in drafting the country's permanent constitution. "This is one of the great concerns we have right now," says Moeller. "You have to remember out of 30 to 40 million people in Iraq, there are less than three quarters of a million Christians. So it's an extreme minority position."
According to Moeller, it's crucial for Iraqi Christians to make their voices heard, "whatever amount of voice they have remaining politically." They will vote and support candidates promoting religious pluralism, he adds. "But those are distinctively minority voices, unfortunately."
A key issue is the implementation of Sharia law in Iraq. "We pray it won't ever happen," Moeller says. "In every place that Sharia law has been imposed on a Christian minority, whether it's in Nigeria or Sudan, there are incredible repercussions on a human level. People are forced to become less than citizens - to become less than human."
Under Sharia law, Islamic courts would dictate justice for the entire country. "We know Islamic law has no regard for the Christian viewpoint," Moeller explains. "In places like Pakistan, Christian testimony in a court is counted as less than half of a Muslim man's testimony. So this is a severe prospect, and for women, it would be even worse. You need only look at extreme examples of Sharia law - the Taliban and places in Iran where human rights, women's rights and Christian rights are being completely ignored."
In the mean time, are U.S. forces in Iraq helping or hurting the Christian cause? Moeller says emotions are mixed right now because extremists are using the connection between Christians in Iraq and Christianity in the West as a political tool. "They are painting ancient Iraqi Christian churches as tools of the West, when in fact they're not. They are indigenous Iraqi citizens and they are no way working for the Western government. They are simply spreading hope and peace."
For the first 12 months of the U.S.-led liberation of Iraq, U.S. forces were viewed with great enthusiasm, according to Open Doors' sources. Evidence pointed to a spiritual revival during much of the second half of 2003 and the early part of 2004. Churches were open; people were turning to Christ.
"But now, due to the bombing and due to the fear that is being spread through this increased terrorism against Christians," Moeller says, "they are telling us that much of the openness to Christ has ended. Many churches have indeed stopped meeting because of the fear factor involved. There are things going on there that would shock you and shock almost anyone if they understood it."
Christians in the United States can help by mobilizing support for Christian candidates in Iraq "that are standing for real freedom, real pluralism, real religious tolerance in the new Iraqi government," says Moeller. The United States will continue to have a great deal of influence for quite some time. "We need to keep underscoring that the rights and liberties of the Iraqi Christians must be protected."
Imagine what it's like, Moeller adds. "We need to pray that those Christians facing the daily pressure of bombing and violence will not flee but will stay strong - stay as a force for peace - salt and light in the Iraqi society."
For the latest updates on the role that American Christians can play in standing with their brothers and sisters in Iraq, visit the Open Doors website at www.opendoorsusa.org.
PHOTO by Baptist Press: An Iraqi man reads an Arabic version of the Bible during a worship service held at St. George's Memorial Church. Photo by Jim Veneman.
