Baghdad, Jun. 6, 2007 (CWNews.com) - Iraqi Christians oppose a plan to create an "Assyrian ghetto" in northern Iraq as an enclave for Christians, according to an analysis by the AsiaNews service. The plan, however, has strong backing from some Iraqis living abroad, AsiaNews notes.
The proposal for a Christian enclave has gained backing because of the steady campaign of violence and intimidation aimed at the Christian minority in Iraq.
The AsiaNews analysis explains that the proposal to create an "Assyrian enclave" adjacent to Kurdistan has the backing of Christians in the US. The proposal could be on the agenda when President George W. Bush meets with Pope Benedict on June 8.
Last year the US bishops wrote to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to suggest the possibility of creating a new “administrative region” around Niniveh, to "provide Christians and other minorities with greater safety and offer more opportunity to control their own affairs.”
But Iraqi Christians are skeptical about a plan that would concentrate the Christian population in one area, providing a convenient target for Muslim extremists. Moreover, opponents told AsiaNews, the proposal “reduces Christians to an ethnic group and puts an end to the Church’s mission, which is that of working and witnessing the Gospel among nations.”