Assyrian Democratic Organization ADO
By Joseph Danavi
Nineveh – AINA — Abreast of recent religious-political scrutiny, Kirkuk Monsignor Archbishop Louis Sako and other religious pundits have heavily criticized any exclusivity of a province or region for the “Christians” or “Indigenous Assyrian” people of Iraq. It is indisputable to not only agree with their experience driven conclusions, but to actually formulate their analyses.
In order to uphold the full sovereignty and champion the stability of Iraq, it is pivotal to curb the growing sectarian or religious sentiments from fiddling with the autonomy of the state. Drawing borders around regions exclusive to a certain religion, ethnicity, or tribe spells pure and raw disaster while laying the groundwork for the ultimate fragmentation of Iraq into clusters of clashing hot sectarian zones.
In recent days, these same reports1 and testimonials from religious and news outlets that rightfully expose the dangers of ethnic and religious region carve-outs have irresponsibly shrouded an ally, the Nineveh Plains Administrative Area (NPAA) proposal, in much ambiguity. What Msgr. Sako asserts is in exact and precise accordance with what both the Iraq Sustainable Democracy Project and the Assyrian Democratic Movement have deduced in this proposal–a self-determination region contingent on geographic area without political, ethnic, or religious fidelities.
The NPAA stresses the importance of preserving and flourishing the anomalous trait of the Nineveh Plains as the peaceful crossroads of all fabrics of Iraqi life and culture. The small region of the Nineveh Plains is home to a thriving and communal population of Assyrian (also known as Chaldean and Syriac), Turkomen, Yezidis, Shabaks, Kurds, and Arabs. Within this northern triangle is a flickering symbol of the successes of the multi-pluralism of Iraq. This harmonious community must not be threatened with either ethnic or religious exclusivity, but braced with a democratic administrative unit that will be the sure indicator of and supporter for the success of universal Iraqi democracy and brotherhood.
The Church authorities in Iraq who have suffered the brunt of sectarian and religious waves of violence against the Indigenous Assyrian and Christian Iraqi minority, have heroically stated that it is “against the Christian Gospel” to create a haven purely for a distinct religion. It is agreed that the religions of a state must not be separated from the fabrics of the daily Iraqi life and placed in bordered ghettos. This is exactly why the NPAA does not incorporate neither religious nor ethnic qualifications for the geographic contingent administrative unit proposal.
The churches and their prelates in Iraq should remain part of the underlying and universal fabrics of Iraqi culture, and to preach and practice the Christian Gospel, while the political units strive for a more democratic and stable state with ethnic and religious pluralism as a basis for the new Iraq.
The NPAA not only is misrepresented in recent days by various media outlets partaking in knee-jerk analyses, but it is being criticized for qualities that are non-existent; it does not advocate for any ethnic or religious sanctuary. Within the vast pages of history, there is evidence ad infinitum to rule against any formation of an ethnic or religious inspired enclave. With that, the NPAA proposal integrates the successes and basis of democracy with the tolerance towards ethnic and religious diversity for a democratic region well within the rights of the Iraqi constitution.
An administrative unit that bolsters the unity and equality of Iraq’s minority and majority protected from the engulfing sectarian strife and the expanding northern Kurdification is the key to the success of Iraq’s democracy. This can only be accomplished when leaders and pundits partake in responsible journalism and careful analysis. In the end, the quest of an autonomous regions lies within the hearts and minds of the Nineveh Plains inhabitants. 1 AsiaNews June 11, June 9, June 9, June 8, June 7, June 6
