London (AsiaNews) – “The plot” to attack the cathedral “had been in preparation for a long time, considering the weapons and ammunition found in the cathedral . . . these take a long time to stockpile,” said Fr Youssef Thomas Mirkis, a Dominican clergyman. The result is that it “is clear now is that they [Christians] will all leave Iraq,” said Pius Kasha, vicar of Iraq’s Syriac Catholic Church. Both quotes are in an editorial signed by Tariq Alhomayed, editor of the London-based pan-Arabic daily Al Sharq Al Awsat.

In his article, he asks a question, namely “What has been done since 2008, rather than 2003, by the Iraqi government to protect an Iraqi component from repression and organized violence?”, and answers it: “Unfortunately, [. . .] nothing!”

For Alhomayed, al-Qaeda is obviously to blame. The terrorist group has in fact not hesitated in carrying out massacred and committing atrocities, but for him the issue is what Iraqi authorities have done to defend Iraq’s Christians, for “Iraqi Christians remain targets in public”’ despite being “outspoken in their demand for government protection”.

Since 2008, Iraqi Christians have turned to the Churches (rather the government) for protection against violence, at least the half that is still left in the country.

Without self-defence militias, Christians have turned to church buildings that are guarded by security personnel.  He wonders though, “how did the terrorists get in” in the latest incident.

In his view, targeting “minorities, including Iraqi Christians, means the disintegration of Iraq”. It “is an infringement upon its cultural and political composition. We must ensure that minorities are not excluded on sectarian or ethnic grounds, for this will open the gates of hell. [. . .] We must also ensure that tomorrow, the same events do not occur but with Lebanon’s Christians, God forbid. Therefore we say: protect the Christians in our region, in order to protect the virtue of co-existence.”