Politics

In the heart of the Nineveh Plain province, the close-knit town of Bakhdida (also known as Qaraqosh) grapples with a devastating tragedy that left them searching for answers and healing. The horrific fire that engulfed the Al-Haitham wedding hall during the bride and groom’s slow dance on September 26, 2023, sent shockwaves through the town and beyond.

The unprecipitated yet coldly calculated terrorist attack by Hamas on innocent Israeli citizens, that also included Americans and other nationalities, has upended the fragile peace in the Middle East. Semi-neutral arbiters in the long simmering Palestinian - Israeli conflict have chosen sides—the United States lining up squarely and fully behind Israel—while countries like Egypt and Jordan, with their own peace treaties with Israel, are being forced to stand with the “Arab Street.”

We follow with pain and concern what is happening in the region, a fighting that ignores international law and targets the lives of innocent civilians, infrastructure, and even hospitals. These actions are shameful. Political officials in the region must realize that the solution is through courageous dialogue to achieve peace and justice, and not through weapons that destroy life and quarantine.

In the blistering heat of summer, Iraq’s infrastructure and institutions have managed to stay intact through another year. Its struggles with water, climate, electricity, and sectarianism preclude the country from making a significant economic recovery 20 years after the United States invaded its borders. Christian minorities often bear the brunt of Iraq’s various crises, which seem to compound rather than resolve. In late August, Iraq’s Federal Supreme Court heaved another hardship on its Christian communities by officially upholding a ban on the importation, manufacturing, and sale of alcoholic beverages.

Diya Butros Sliwa, a Chaldean political activist, lives in Erbil, Iraq, but he gives talks around the world on human rights. He visited North America recently where he gave talks and interviews in Michigan, in Canada, and he also plans to travel to Washington, DC. His goal is to bring awareness to the status of the rights of religious and national minorities in Iraq and Kurdistan.

Since 2014, confiscating and seizing of property has become increasingly prevalent in Iraq, with thousands of homes and properties being sold without their owners’ knowledge. Armed militias have undertaken these land-grabs, seizing property in Baghdad, Basra, Kirkuk, the Nineveh Province, and Kurdistan Region, supported by Islamist parties that have been at the helm of power since 2003, in coordination with several public land registry officials.

It was mid-July when Iraqi President Abdul Latif Rashid revoked a decree that gave state recognition to His Beatitude Mar Louis Raphaël Sako, the Patriarch of the Chaldean Church. The decree had given recognition to the patriarch’s appointment by the Holy See as head of the Chaldean Church “in Iraq and the world” and thus, “responsible for the assets of the Church.” Why did Rashid do that, and what does it mean for Iraq’s dwindling Christian population?

Legislators in the Michigan House of Representatives have introduced two bipartisan bills to amend Public Act 58, which is widely referred to as the liquor code. After months of advocacy and planning by the Chaldean American Chamber of Commerce (CACC) on behalf of the Chaldean community’s liquor store and supermarket owners, the bills can finally be considered by elected representatives.

For centuries, Christian communities in Iraq have served as soft targets for other groups to conquer. The evidence is laid out in history books, generational memories, and the stories of constant immigration that leads to today’s diaspora.

Rep. Slotkin, whose 7th congressional district includes Lansing and extends as far East as South Lyon, introduced the resolution to address various Christian communities and call for Iraq to create an ongoing fund dedicated to rebuilding their towns.

Chamber member Jennifer McManus of Fagan McManus PC in Royal Oak was sworn in as president-elect of the Michigan Association for Justice (a statewide pro-justice trial lawyer organization) on May 6, 2023. McManus is a tireless supporter of the underdog and a champion of justice and fair play in the courtroom. She has previously served on the board of the Chaldean American Chamber of Commerce and is part of the Chaldean Women’s Committee.

The history of alcohol in Iraq stretches thousands of years, back to the invention of beer in ancient Mesopotamia. Their ruins are full of hundreds of clay tablets that record the methods and means of making and drinking beer; some even depict drink councils. Cups and vessels for drinking and manufacturing wine are also frequently found among the artifacts.

The Iraqi constitution guarantees “personal, religious and cultural freedom,” protestors say to a law that prohibits the sale of alcohol in the country say the law violates the constitution.

Seven state representatives visited the Chaldean Community Foundation on February 13 to learn about the daily services that the CCF provides to 40,000 clients annually. Leadership shared with them priorities for the CCF and the Chaldean American Chamber of Commerce (CACC), which includes increasing funding for both the multicultural line and from the Department of Education for the CCF, and supporting upcoming bills on lottery and liquor commissions for the CACC. Both organizations are focused on providing more affordable housing.

The Patriarch of Baghdad, Cardinal Louis Raphaël Sako, warned that “future generations will be without faith” unless Churches overcome their differences to address the reality of life in the region.

Division brought us to the point of near extinction. Every generation before ours focused on our differences and ignored our similarities. On December 16, 2022, we reached a turning point. Four names, four flags, and five patriarchs united under a single identity: Suraye.