Heated controversy has erupted over a new constitution for Iraqi Kurdistan that could grant Christians a homeland in north Iraq.
The proposed constitution was condemned by 50 MPs in Iraq’s national parliament, ahead of a planned referendum on it in the autonomous Kurdish region on July 25th.
Iraqi MP Ossama al-Nujaifi spoke out against the constitution of Kurdistan as incompatible with the federal one, saying that it would give the Iraqi Kurdistan Parliament greater powers than the national one in Baghdad.
The charter attacked by Mr. al-Nujaifi as promoting Kurdish nationalism could also pave the way for a Christian homeland in the region, however. The controversial document formally recognizes the “Chaldean Syriac Assyrian” ethnic group, which many Christians belong to, as well as the right of autonomous rule in areas where one ethnic group forms the majority.
Speaking to Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) from Iraq, senior priest Fr. Bashar Warda said that the proposed constitution “would ensure that the minorities would have full rights – cultural, religious, and so on. Self autonomy would be granted – but only if they ask for it, it would not be automatically given.”
Yet the call for a Christian homeland is not universally supported by all Christians in Iraq. While groups such as the Assyrian Democratic Movement have pushed for a Christian territory in Kurdistan – seeing it as the “last hope” for the country’s persecuted Christians – others have feared that it will lead to isolationism.
Speaking to ACN in 2008, Archbishop Jean Sleiman, leader of Iraq’s 5,000-strong Latin-rite Catholic community, rejected any plan for a Christian enclave in the north, describing it “a ghetto.” Fr. Warda commented, “It varies from bishop to bishop, place to place, church to church. The attitude of the Syrian Church is different to the attitude of the Chaldean Church….You cannot rely on one voice to give you the decision of the Church – you cannot get one point of view that represents all Christians.”
Fr. Warda suggested the best way to resolve these differences of opinion was via the political process. He said, “The best place to discuss this is in the political arena. If the Church says we represent Christians, the politicians would say they are represented through elections, votes, etc. – the polls will decide.”
The new constitution was passed by the Kurdish parliament on June 24th, but has still to be ratified by public referendum later this month. The constitution also controversially names areas within Nineveh and Diyala provinces – as well as the oil-rich province of Kirkuk – as part of Kurdistan.
