Doreen Abi Raad
Special to The Daily Star

While many Christians in Lebanon and the Middle East may feel that their situation would improve by emigrating to a Western country, Latin-rite Archbishop Jean Sleiman of Baghdad believes that “Arab Christians have to be sure that God waits for them in the Middle East and not in other countries.”
“Christians of the Middle East have to be resigned to their mission in the Middle East,” Archbishop Sleiman said in a recent visit to his native Lebanon. He was appointed archbishop of Baghdad in 2001.
This area needs Christianity, he argued. “Otherwise, it will be a desert.”
As for the security problems in Iraq, Archbishop Sleiman opined, “I think the coalition forces are not police forces, and they have had to be like police. We still need police, tribunals and all the institutions of the state. It’s very dangerous for a society not to have these institutions.” He said that Iraqis are now living “in a political emptiness” and anarchy is dominating the situation.
“I think the role of the United Nations is a very important one,” Sleiman added. “But the United Nations without an agreement of nations will be very inefficient. It’s important that the United States and other countries, especially European countries, agree on a program for Iraq. And the United Nations is best suited to apply this program.”
When asked about the changes Iraq has experienced as a result of the war, Sleiman said: “Surely, people now can express their opinion, and they are demonstrating. It was prohibited before.”
But even though someone is free to speak out, it doesn’t mean they are informed enough to know what to say, he added. “After the war, freedom became a reality,” Sleiman said, “but that freedom has been alienated by the anarchy and violence.”
“If the new Iraq will respect human rights, I think everybody will feel very free and very protected,” he explained. “It’s important for Iraq to evolve and to understand that the common base of society is human rights.”
Commenting on the continuing number of US casualties, Sleiman said: “I understand the feeling of the American people, and I share it.” Recalling the US soldiers he sees buying candy for Iraqi children, he added: “They are good people, but now they are victims of a very complex situation. I am really sad when I hear that one soldier has been killed or one has been wounded. So I hope that the US can cooperate with other nations to change this situation.”