Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Iraq, Ján Kubiš took up the problems facing post-ISIL Iraq, urging tolerance and support for previously persecuted communities.
“Iraq needs all its components, all its ethnic and religious groups, to rebuild in the post-Da’esh period and prosper in the future as a stable and united country,” he said.
“Iraq draws its strength from its cultural and religious diversity, and its rich history. This treasure should be protected and nurtured by the government and the people of Iraq.”
His statement came after a rash of violence including the murder of three Christian family members, the stabbing death of a member of the Sabean Mandaean community and the kidnapping of another.
“Iraq draws its strength from its cultural and religious diversity, and its rich history. This treasure should be protected and nurtured by the government and the people of Iraq,” Kubiš said. “There is no place for intolerance and discrimination, for targeting and suppressing minorities,” he added, urging the government to support and protect Yezidi, Christians, Shabak, Sabean Mandaeans, and other minorities.
Christians are an ancient Iraqi community dating back to the early days of Christianity. The Christian population has dwindled from an estimated 1.3 million in the 1980s to some 400,000 today.
Millions of Iraqis have been displaced since the rise of ISIL and the battle to oust the terrorists.
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