EKD Press Releases
EU Must Support Iraqi Government in Humanitarian Crisis
EU Must Support Iraqi Government in Humanitarian Crisis
October 14, 2008
Recent reports about the killings of Christians in Iraq and a new wave of Christian refugees fleeing Mosul are seen by Martin Schindehütte, Bishop for Foreign Affairs of the Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD), as renewed evidence of the need for immediate action by the European Union. Iraqis fleeing primarily to Jordan and Syria are in urgent need of assistance precisely because their lives in their home country continue to be threatened for reasons of religion.
"The decision on the part of EU ministers of the interior to first examine the situation in the Near East rather than react hastily and in a manner ill-adapted to circumstances is, at first sight, comprehensible. Yet, this should not mean delaying or postponing urgently needed assistance at the expense of persons in dire need," Bishop Schindehütte warned. The situation of minorities and refugees in neighboring states is sufficiently documented and hundreds of thousands of refugees in countries bordering Iraq live in abject conditions. Their large number jeopardizes the stability of the host countries.
"It is perhaps conceivable that the Iraqi Prime Minister speaks out against the so-called resettlement of refugees, for example, in central or northern Europe. However, as long as the Iraqi government is unable to provide for the security of minorities, his wish cannot be regarded by EU countries as the overriding criterion," Schindehütte added.
As proof of the life-threatening situation of Christians in Iraq he pointed to the latest reports from the Mosul region indicating that last week at least seven Christians had been slain. This caused around 3,000 other Christians to flee the city. Under present conditions the return of refugees is illusory; allowing the precarious refugee situation in neighboring countries to endure is becoming increasingly irresponsible.
Bishop Schindehütte also insisted that churches intervene in favor of all vulnerable persons: "The EKD insists that all refugees be assisted, whatever their religion. It is, however, a fact that among the refugees most in need of protection there are many persons representing religious minorities, some of which are Christian." When the church advocates the admission of refugees from countries of first asylum, this almost always involves people who have been surviving for months or even years, often in the most heartrending conditions.
Hanover, October 14, 2008
Press Office of the EKD
Christof Vetter