The Minorities of the Middle East should stay in their homeland

Dr. Evangelos Venetis

Head of the Middle East Research Project

Hellenic Foundation for European and Foreign Policy - ELIAMEP

Well, it seems that the long expected clash of civilizations seems is just being unfolded before our eyes! For a century the Christians of the Middle East have been shrinking in terms of population and geography due to various events, e.g. the genocide of Armenians, Greeks and Assyro-Chaldaeans by the Young Turks, the exile of Christians, especially Muslims in occupied Palestine by Israel etc. Today in Syria and Iraq, the fate and future of Christianity, the Yezidis and other minority religions are put into question the actions by the Sunni Islamic Wahabis (wrongly termed “jihadists” by international media) of the Islamic State, otherwise Caliphate. The ongoing persecution of Christians, the Yezidis, the Shiites and the Kurds reveal the inability of the governments of these areas to protect their citizens. It is a clear manifestation of cultural conflict between East and West with the existing extremism constituting only skirmishes in a war that has just begun.

In this context it is crucial for minorities to remain in their homeland in order to ensure the continuity of their presence as a vital sign of cultural diversity and tolerance. The initiative of the French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius to invite Christians of Iraq to emigrate to France is undoubtedly an act of humanity and should both be applauded. However,this act sets a precedent in view of depopulating the Middle East of its minorities; thus the French initiative could be amended. The invited guests must have a temporary presence in Europe until the restoration of security and geopolitical stability of Iraq and the region. As for other minority populations in Iraq, the international community should praise the Iraqi government for accommodating and protecting Christians and Yezidis in the Shiite and Kurdish provinces of Iraq. The international community needs also to support the Iraqi government in this project by providing resources and expertise to establish immigration centers as temporary residence in the above districts. Thus they can keep the minorities in the natural and cultural environment ensuring cultural continuity in space and time.

If the international community does not cooperate politically with the governments of the Middle Eastern for the active and effective protection of minorities in these countries, then this war will be long with an unpredictable outcome. If the international community does not create a fund aiming to implement this initiative, it will be the first time in two thousand years that Christianity and other religions could be eradicated terms of numbers from the geographical and cultural context that gave birth to them. And if that happens, then we will talk about the creation of a new, this time cultural, war between Islam and the West. Then the Middle East would lose its multiculturalism and would acquire a cultural worldview of lack of tolerance leading eventually to the full clash of civilizations.