KRP Statement on Mosul Attacks against Christians

KRP: Christian Community Central to Iraqi Social Fabric: Any Insinuation Aimed at Kurds Nonsensical

(PRWEB) November 1, 2008 -- The Kurdistan Region Presidency (http://www.krp.org) (KRP) strongly rejects any insinuation that Kurdish authorities are neglecting the seriousness of attacks against the Christian community in Mosul, Iraq, which lies outside of the Kurdistan Region.

The KRP has a proven history of acknowledging the important role that Iraqi Christian groups play in the Kurdistan Region, leading many Christians to flee violence in the rest of the Iraq for the safe haven offered them in the Kurdistan Region. However, while Christians in the Kurdistan Region have enjoyed the peace and security offered to all our people, it is a fact that the city of Mosul and surrounding areas where recent attacks on Christians have taken place is a hotbed for terrorist activities. Unfortunately, terrorists in Mosul have successfully claimed victims from nearly all Iraqi social groups, including Arabs, Kurds, Yezidi Kurds, Christians, and Turkomen.

Top Coalition officials have repeatedly acknowledged Mosul as the last haven for the detestable terrorism that once plagued Iraq. When attacks against Christians began, Kurdistan Region President Masoud Barzani (http://www.krp.org/MasoudBarzani) immediately promised to send aid in a variety of forms in order to ensure those fleeing the danger would be as comfortable as possible in these difficult times and welcomed those forced from their homes into the safety of the Kurdistan Region.

The KRP is fully, unwaveringly committed to an Iraq where minority groups never have to fear their own state. Having suffered through the genocidal campaigns of the former Ba'athist regime, the Kurds of Iraq are determined to never allow such atrocities to be perpetrated against their fellow citizens again. Iraqi Christians are an indispensable part of Iraq's social fabric and hold critical roles in politics, business, and civil society in the Kurdistan Region. Any insinuation that the government of the Kurdistan Region would overlook violence against this invaluable community is ludicrous and nonsensical.

This fact was acknowledged recently by Bishop Raban of St. Joseph's Church in Ainkawa, Iraq, who strongly denounced these accusations and stated, "Allegations that Kurds are behind the attacks on Christians in Mosul are nonsensical. We Christians live in peace and harmony with our fellow Kurds in Kurdistan."

Entire Christian communities driven by terrorist attacks in places like Basra and Baghdad have been freely reconstructed in the Kurdistan Region. While churches are being attacked and destroyed in other parts of Iraq, many churches have been constructed in the Kurdistan Region and just outside the capital of the Region, the predominantly Christian community of Ainkawa has grown exponentially. President Barzani is determined to see this community continue to flourish and will continue his unwavering support for minority rights in the new Iraq. Terrorist attacks aimed at any group will not be tolerated or allowed to drive a wedge between those communities bravely committed to a tolerant, pluralistic Iraq. This is the future that the KRP and its officials are determined to protect.

Over the last 5 years, more than 2,000 Christian families have fled Mosul to safe areas under the control of Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG). More than 20,000 Kurdish families from Mosul and surrounding areas have likewise been forced to flee other parts of Iraq for the peaceful and prosperous Kurdistan Region. In addition to Christians, around 2,750 Kurds and more than 700 Yezidi Kurds have been killed by terrorists in the Mosul area.

For interviews or comments related to this press release, please contact:

Karim Zibari

Director of Communications

Kurdistan Region Presidency

Erbil, Iraq

Tel: 00964 750 4985500

Fax: 0044 207 900 2888

Email: diwan(at)krp.org

www.krp.org

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