Is Iraq a Civil State or a Grand Mosque?
Why are Chaldeans, the Indigenous Iraqis, Treated as
Second-class Citizens in Their Own Homeland?
Dr. Amer Hanna Fatuhi
Preface
It is well known that the legal doctrine of
"separating religion from the state" is commonly attributed to the
third President of the United States, Thomas
Jefferson (Connecticut), 1802. This
is an undisputed fact, though it is a relative one.
The first to legislate the separation of religion from
the state nearly 4,360 years earlier was King Sargon
of Akkad, 2334-2279 BC—Akkadian by region and Chaldean by ethnicity—who
founded the first empire in history. He established numerous administrative
systems and traditions that unified and strengthened his empire. Among the most
important laws he enacted was the abolition of the position of "Ensi"
in the lands subject to Babylon—a role that had combined both religious and
civil authority. He confined the role of priests strictly to temples, while
assigning civil affairs to state officials. He was later followed by the just
king Hammurabi, who permanently abolished
the position of "Ensi."
The legislation of separating religion from the state
continued from the era of Sargon the Great through Hammurabi and the Babylonian
dynasties, up to Nebuchadnezzar II and the
period of the Chaldean revolts, which ended in 482 BC.
Furthermore, distinguishing between the duties of judges
and those previously assigned to local rulers contributed to ending the
dictatorship of local governors.
It is worth noting that although Sargon legislated the
separation between religious and secular authority—and more broadly between the
legislative authority, which derived its legitimacy from the gods, and the
executive authority, which derived its power from the king—Sargon, not Cyrus the Great as is (falsely) promoted by
Wikipedia and some academic institutions, was the first to establish the
"charter of human rights."
In order to promote justice and equality and to guarantee
the rights of citizens within his empire, Emperor Sargon emphasized in his
correspondence and annals the use of the term "citizens" (i.e., ṣalmat
qaqqadim, meaning “dark-headed people,” referring to hair color),
regardless of ethnicity or religion.
Moreover, the Babylonians did not consider the displaced
Jews to be slaves in Babylon, as is often claimed by those who glorify Cyrus;
rather, they were free citizens.
This is evidenced by the fact that Chaldean kings of
Babylon provided social assistance, including rations and free health services,
to the Jews who were unable to work, just as they did for Chaldeans within the Babylonian
kingdom.
Sagas also notes: " Chaldeans did not oppose the
Jewish religion; rather, some Chaldeans abandoned their ancient pagan beliefs
and embraced Judaism as a monotheistic faith."
Even more significant is the historical exhibition held
in Jerusalem in 2015, which displayed more
than one hundred Babylonian tablets confirming that the Jews of Babylon were
first-class citizens.
(See details in my book Chaldean Legacy, pp.
126–140, and The Jews of Babylon: Past and Present, p. 16, as
well as the references at the end of the article.)
So what happened that caused the indigenous Chaldeans to
fall from sovereignty and free citizens to becoming second-class citizens in
their own homeland?
I can summarize the reason in one phrase associated with
the year 636 AD: "Tala'a Al Badru 'Alayna / Islamic conquests and the
colonization of our homeland!"
How Long Will the Iraqi Government and the KRG
Continue This Blatant Double Standard, Saying One Thing While Doing Something
Else?
Islamist Egypt is considered one of the first Arab states
to formally and explicitly introduce the phrase “Islam is the religion of the
state” into its constitution, specifically in the 1923 Constitution (Article
149), following its independence from British protection.
It stated that "Islam is the religion of the state,
and Arabic is its official language," even though Egypt is a usurped
country taken from its indigenous Coptic Christians.
The same approach was imposed on Iraq’s 1925 Constitution
(then called the Basic Law), where the phrase "Islam is the official
religion of the state" was inserted in Article 13. It was later reaffirmed
in subsequent provisional constitutions, such as that of 1968.
The permanent Iraqi Constitution of 2005 states in
Article 2 that Islam is "the official religion of the state and a
fundamental source of legislation," while guaranteeing religious rights
for non-Muslims—wording that is vague and misleading, as contradicted by the
practices of Iraqi governments, particularly those aligned with the Iranian
Islamic Regime.
This clarifies why post-2003 governments insist on
confining the indigenous Chaldeans within the framework of quotas (a
"quota for Christians and another for non-Muslims"), while parties
representing Muslim components are a mixture of religious and ethnic groups,
such as Turkmen and Shabak.
For this reason as well, we see that the Iraqi flag
carries only the Pan-Arab colors (the colors of the Arab Revolt flag) and the
Islamic motto "Allahu Akbar," under whose banner more than seven
million Chaldean Christians were slaughtered after decades of the Muslim
conquest of Mesopotamia. Furthermore, Iraq’s constitution, quite brazenly,
discriminates against all non-Muslim Iraqis.
The question that every fair and decent Iraqi should ask
themselves is: Is Iraq a home in the sense of a (civil state), or a mosque (in
the sense of an Islamic caliphate state)?
Although
I am certain that this topic will be met with indifference, I believe that
speaking about it is necessary and essential. It is self-evident that our
generation (Iraqi-born) certainly lived through the Iraqi golden age, but that
did not come out of nowhere. The 1960s and 1970s came after decades of British
civilizational influence on Iraq, along with the arrival of a pragmatic king
who dealt rationally with the Iraqi citizens. As a result, we formed
friendships with Iraqis from various ethnic and religious backgrounds in an
environment that did not place negativity on such diversity. Rather, Iraqis at
that time treated each
other simply based on being citizens.
However,
that period was an exception, because since the Muslim conquerors colonized [Mesopotamia]
in 636, extremist Muslims have never ceased harming us—beginning with stripping
us of our national and ethnic identity, violating our sacred beliefs, and
treating us as second-class citizens (dhimmis). Even worse, the Muslim colonizers
spread misconceptions about Christians, portraying them as misguided, and about
Jews as being condemned and the source of evil in the world. From a scientific
perspective, especially in psychology, the oppressor accuses the oppressed of
the very faults that exist within the oppressor.
I
believe the time has come for Iraqis to reconsider the magnitude of the
falsehoods spread by Muslim colonizers, Arabized groups, and the pawns of the
neighboring force of evil, Iran, which is responsible for the destruction and
backwardness Iraq suffers from, along with Turkey, which dreams of reviving the
Ottoman Empire of decline and devastation.
I
know that the vast majority of Iraqi Christians (because of the Arab-Islamic
curricula and media spew) consume only Arabic television programs and news,
filled with subtle hostility toward the State of Israel (the only legitimate
and democratic state in the Middle East). Meanwhile, Israel is surrounded by
Islamic hostile countries that are, in reality, lands taken by force from their
indigenous populations.
Despite
this, Arab and Islamic media constantly speak about "occupation,"
while they themselves are the colonizers of our lands. The Shiite rulers, who
are affiliates of Iran and its proxy militias that violate Iraq and the Iraqi
people, do not believe in the Iraqi state in the first place, but rather in the
Islamic national caliphate and sectarian affiliation. Therefore, they plunder
all of Iraq’s wealth and give it to Iran, as Nouri al-Maliki did when he
donated five hundred billion dollars from the Iraqi budget (which they emptied)
to the Islamic regime in Iran.
On
the societal level, this rogue and authoritarian government squanders Iraq’s
wealth through financial programs distributed to the dissidents of the Rafha
camp, who do not even believe in Iraq to begin with. On the other hand, Iranian
Kurds receive 17% of Iraq’s treasury (noting that they use a large portion of
these funds to develop the region).
As
for us (the indigenous Chaldeans), we receive not a single cent from the wealth
of our homeland, because the focus of the colonizers, "Arabs, Kurds,
Turkeman, and Shabak," is only on how they could exploit Iraq’s wealth,
i.e., rich land, water, and sky.
Chaldeans
(the indigenous Iraqis) do not seek to establish a Chaldean kingdom or
republic, as this is unrealistic. Nor do the Chaldeans call for the expulsion
of Arabs, Kurds, or other non-indigenous Iraqi components, because that would
be an injustice equal to what we, the Chaldeans, have suffered for
centuries—and that is something that the Chaldeans reject.
Arabs,
Kurds, and others in Iraq are a reality, and we believe our homeland is
spacious enough for everyone. However, just as Native Americans have been
recognized as indigenous peoples—with a distinct status and rights supported by
human rights charters—so too do the Chaldeans, as the indigenous Iraqis, have
the right to be distinguished in the Iraqi constitution, once it is freed from radical
religious influences that have nothing to do with the concept of citizenship.
Our
recognition in the constitution and the guarantee of our historical rights are
all we aspire to without favor from anyone. This is 100% our legitimate right.
Whoever rejects this rightful claim lacks the ethics of citizenship and does
not deserve the honor of Iraqi citizenship.
Therefore,
I say to our good Muslim brothers and sisters and our home partners: let your
consciences guide you, and act according to justice—not according to religious
sentiment that views your partners in the home, especially the indigenous Iraqis
(Chaldeans), as dhimmis or second-class citizens, even though you live in the
Chaldeans’ ancestral homeland.
Finally,
I say to Iraqi Christians—especially the indigenous Chaldeans: when will you
realize that "a right is never lost as long as someone demands it"?
Re-examine your consciences, what the Bible affirms, and the truths of history and archaeology. Engage with the Kurds and the Shiite ruling forces as equals, and pursue our cause before the International Court of Justice at the due time.
References
Chaldean
Legacy, Fatuhi, Amer Hanna, US 2021
The Jews of
Babylon, Amer Hanna, US 2023
Ancient tablets
reveal life of Jews in Nebuchadnezzar's Babylon
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-israel-archaeology-babylon/ancient-tablets-reveal-life-of-jews-innebuchadnezzars-babylon-idUSKBN0L71EK20150203?fbclid=IwAR2YKn4VDF8ACnwhfaL2N4vog4Bksk3J9EBjOqDiaHO885iPb1rjXCEpejs
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