Christian leaders in Iraq have expressed doubts about Prime Minister Ali Falih al-Zaidi’s appeal for Christians living abroad to return to the country.
Syriac Orthodox Archbishop Nicodemus Daoud Matti Sharaf of Mosul, Kirkuk and the Kurdistan Region said al-Zaidi’s remarks acknowledged that Christians remain an integral part of their ancestral homeland.
Still, Sharaf argued in comments distributed by Syriac Press that Iraq must first confront the underlying factors that drove Christians to leave, including the absence of a separate electoral register for Christian representatives, widespread corruption, inadequate infrastructure and limited employment opportunities.
Nirij interviewed religious leaders, politicians, scholars and civil society representatives who said any broad return would require the restoration of confiscated property, stronger protections against discrimination and safeguards from religious extremism.
“Calling on Christians to return without addressing what forced them to emigrate will not produce any results,” Sharaf was quoted as saying.
Al-Zaidi discussed the return of displaced Christians during a meeting in Baghdad earlier this month with Chaldean Patriarch Paul III Nona, the head of Iraq’s Chaldean Catholic Church. The prime minister said his administration considers the issue a leading national priority.
According to the National Catholic Register, al-Zaidi said returning Christian families may be eligible for a government housing initiative under which more than 1 million families could receive residential land and a home.
Nona described al-Zaidi as a businessman before a politician and said Christians may consider returning once the economy improves and they regain confidence in the country’s future. However, he cautioned that many who fled Iraq “don’t have trust in this country” and “don’t have trust in their neighbors” because of their experiences during the Islamic State’s invasion more than a decade ago.
“I told the prime minister that we have to create a safe environment for people to come back, first to find a good opportunity for them to work and to live, and also to have a trust in their future,” Nona told the Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need.
The Iraqi prime minister also encouraged Christian business owners and investors in the diaspora to return and support reconstruction efforts, particularly in the education and healthcare sectors. Al-Zaidi described Christians as a vital part of Iraqi society and partners in building the nation, language that Nona said could help restore confidence in the country.
Civil society activists interviewed by Nirij said Christians who have obtained citizenship in other countries are unlikely to return in significant numbers in the near future. They argued that authorities should instead focus on improving employment opportunities and security for Christians who remained in Iraq.
Iraq’s Christian population has fallen dramatically since 2003, when it was estimated at approximately 1.5 million. Fewer than 250,000 Christians are believed to remain today following ISIS killings, mass displacement and the destruction of churches, homes and communities.
