Iraqi Christians require our help with urgency
I read the letter from Charles Knox (May 16) anent the fate of Iraqi Christians with great sadness. It’s a subject I have raised often to draw attention to the destitution suffered.
Some weeks ago I wrote of my friend William, a Christian from Mosul, who became a close friend when I lived in Iraq.
I spoke of my forlorn hope of returning to Iraq one day to apologise to his son.
If Mr Knox is correct and Christians are now between a rock and a hard place, to put it very crudely, or, as he put it, “targets for persecution” between Sunni fanatics on one hand and Shia zealots on the other, then I am bound to say that al Qaeda was introduced into Iraq by the coalition; a country where it had no presence until the invasion.
Similarly, Shia fanaticism is a direct outcome inflamed by that criminal act of illegal occupation. It, too, never manifested itself in the years I lived there.
We have a responsibility to all Iraqis, but if Mr Knox’s analysis is correct and Christians are being singled out for persecution, then we have a specific and urgent responsibility to them; we must be proactive in protecting them.
For once, let’s stop pussyfooting around and demand that western governments provide relief and refuge immediately.
Chris Walker, 21 /23 Main Street, West Kilbride.