I am very encouraged to read a report coming from The Assyrian International News Agency concerning Chris Hayes, who is the Australian Minister for Immigration and Citizenship, as once again, he is speaking out for religious minorities that are suffering persecution in Iraq.
International Christian Concern reported on Hayes concerns last year in May and again, this year in a speech Hayes delivered in the Australian Federal Parliament - here's some of what he said:
There are a number of credible reports that members of ethnic and religious minorities in Iraq are subject to continuous persecution, often to the point of death, within their own country. These include various Christian groups, the indigenous Assyrians, Mandaeans--the followers of John the Baptist--Chaldean Catholics, Syriacs and the other Aramaic speakers who have all called the geographic area known as Iraq home for the last 2,000 years. They all have a unique history within Iraq but, at the moment, they are all disproportionately represented amongst those who have fled Iraq since 2003. They are also disproportionately represented in the refugee numbers in Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey and Egypt. We see the numbers are truly astounding when we look at the figures associated with those who have fled Iraq due to persecution. The US State Department says that prior to 2003 Christian leaders estimated that there were somewhere between 800,000 and 1.4 million Christians across the various indigenous Assyrian groups, such as the Chaldeans, Syriacs and Armenians. Currently, according to the American State Department, the number is somewhere around 400,000. If you look at the Sabaen-Mandaean community--the community that follows the teaching of John the Baptist--you see the number is even more stark, with the current community numbering around 3,500--down from 60,000 in 2003.
We are thankful for MP Hayes stand with persecuted Christians. To read all of his remarks click here.