GUEST column Don’t
GUEST column Don’t blame Iraqis for war’s mistakes In his address to the nation on the fifth anniversary of the invasion of Iraq, President George W. Bush continued to justify the reasons for this war. The Iraqi-American community at large supported the administration’s sincerity at the outset, with the expectation that the conflict ultimately would turn Iraq into a true democracy with liberty, freedom of thought and freedom of religion. Unfortunately, President Bush, his administrators in Iraq and Iraqi allies who were placed in prominent positions, were totally inept and misunderstood the country’s political situation. They were outfoxed by the neighboring countries, which for some time were looking for opportunities to meddle in Iraq for their religious, political and geographical agendas. The major mistakes the American administration and director of reconstruction Paul Bremer’s Iraqi administration made were dismantling the Iraqi RAMSAY F. DASS GUEST COLUMNIST army and police, producing total chaos, looting and the burning of every governmental structure except the oil ministry, which the American troops protected. Another sign of failure was the corruption of the Department of Defense contractors, singularly or in collaboration with the Iraqiimposed administration. This led to a reduction and lack of electricity, gas, food, medicine and basic security. It took four years of occupation of Iraq to understand that part of the insurgency was a combination of true nationalistic Iraqis, laid-off soldiers and jobless Iraqis who were lured into it as a source of employment. After five years of invasion, there are few positive signs. There is freedom of press, multiple sources of information through national and international satellites, and a sort of democracy with elections. On the negative side, there was a rise of militants, religious fanatics, poor military and police training and sectarian sources of recruiting, and direct and indirect sources of interference by neighboring countries. We are puzzled with American opposition and politicians who try to justify withdrawing from Iraq or blame the failures of American policy on the Iraqi people. Since 1958, the American and British administrations have directly and indirectly interfered in Iraqi politics by supporting coups, counter-coups and revolutions — culminating in bringing Saddam Hussein and his Ba’ath Party to govern Iraq. It was the American administration and its allies that initially supported Saddam Hussein’s government. It was the American administration and its allies who imposed flight bans on Iraq that literally divided the country into ethnic zones — the north for the Kurds, the middle for the Sunnis and the south for the Shiites. The worst byproduct of this war is that all the progress Iraq was making since 1921 has turned backward, where women have lost their equality and have been forced to dress in middle century clothing to avoid persecution while minorities and ethnics are forced to emigrate or face murder, destruction of their holy places, kidnapping or forced conversions. The other byproduct was the systemic annihilation and emigration of the intellectuals, scientists and more than 2.5 million immigrant Iraqis — true wealth that Iraq cannot afford to lose at this time of rebuilding. Continuous smuggling of oil and other mineral resources has drained Iraq financially. Worse than that is the corruption that has become epidemic. But in the final analysis, we as Iraqi- Americans still feel optimistic that if Iraqis are left alone and foreign powers leave at a certain early date, the Iraqi people will rise like the phoenix from the ashes. It is a sweet and sad anniversary, and most of us are still optimistic that America has learned a lesson: You must do your homework regarding a country’s culture, religion and history before you contemplate an invasion. The end product of these five years of invasion is a dissemination, disinte- 10 CHALDEAN NEWS MAY 2008
in our VIEW gration, immigration and emigration, and diminished religious and civic rights, even though it is being protected officially by the Constitution. These endproducts are partly due to the fact that part of the blame rests on the Christian minorities and ethnics that are divided politically, culturally and religiously. These divisions have only produced one member of Parliament even though there should be between five and 10. However now, the coalition between the Chaldeans, Assyrians and Syriacs hopefully will produce a unified stance in the next elections and act positively as one voice. There is more to unite us than divide us. Ramsay F. Dass, MD, is director of the Iraqi-American Endowment Center in Oak Park. Letters to the editor are welcome. Please keep your letter to less than 500 words and include your city. The Chaldean News reserves the right to edit letters for clarity and length. Submit your letter via email to info@chaldeannews.com or mail to: The Chaldean News, Letters to the Editor, 30095 Northwestern Hwy., Suite 102, Farmington Hills, MI 48334 Pope Benedict confronts abuse, but more must be done Pope Benedict used his April trip to Washington, D.C. and New York to address the enduring pain caused to individuals who were abused by Catholic priests over the last 50 years. He took not only one but at least four different occasions to apologize to the victims, acknowledge the cover-up and ask for forgiveness. He also took an opportunity to personally meet with a group of victims. His handling of the issue was in stark contrast to his predecessor Pope John Paul II, who was not as proactive during the crisis in the American Catholic Church that became public during his tenure. Happily, the Chaldean Catholic Church was not tainted in the scandal. Pope Benedict’s openness and emphasis on the subject sends a notso-subtle message to the American Catholic Church to clean up its act in this regard. Early reports indicate that specific measures are being put in place to make sure that seminaries and rectories weed out pedophiles and other sexual predators from their ranks. These and other measures are needed to put some concrete actions to the Pope’s words. But discussion of this issue always raises a broader question: is the vow of celibacy among the Catholic ordained a realistic requirement in the modern age? Even if it can be argued in the affirmative, is it in the best interests of the Catholic Church? This is in no way meant to suggest that celibate priests are sexual predators or that celibacy itself is the problem. But the Pope himself acknowledged that the priesthood should not be used as safe harbor for homosexuality, for example. The socio-psychological aspects of celibacy are important considerations as well. Marriage, progeny and the family unit are well-established sources of stability and happiness. Is the commitment to celibacy and the associated sacrifices a deterrent to some who might otherwise consider the priesthood? The declining numbers of American priests suggest so. There are many, many good examples of married priests and pastors in orthodox and some Protestant denominations. These men (and in some cases women) lead parishes, minister to their congregation, perform sacraments and serve as leaders in their communities. They do so, in many cases, while serving as a husband and father as well. The Pope’s compassionate yet assertive confronting of the abuse issue will go a long way towards continuing the healing and preventing future tragedies. But let us go further in discussing these other very tough issues. The future of the Catholic Church may depend on it. MAY 2008 CHALDEAN NEWS 11
