BABIL'S CHRISTIAN FAMILIES ARE LOOKING FOR A SAVIOR

UNCLAS HILLAH 000068 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PHUM PINR IZ IR SUBJECT: BABIL'S CHRISTIAN FAMILIES ARE LOOKING FOR A SAVIOR ¶1. (U) This is a PRT Babil cable. ¶2. (SBU) Babil's Christian families are among the dwindling religious minorities in south central Iraq. Given the challenges they described during their July 7 meeting with Babil PRT at the Regional Embassy Office in al-Hillah, it is not surprising that other religious minorities reportedly residing in the province, (including Jews, Baha'i, and Sabian Mandaeanan) are unwilling to expose themselves to the PRT or the Muslim-dominated public. ¶3. (SBU) Babil's Christian community is diminutive and shrinking. There are approximately 55 families in the region (only 35 of those families in Babil province). That is a 78 percent decrease from the 250 families that lived in the region in 2003. The Christians reported that while public harassment and sectarian violence against them is rare, when applying to jobs or universities, they are frequently not accepted due to their lack of affiliation with a major religious political party such as the Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq (ISCI) or Hizb'al-Dawa. ¶4. (SBU) The Christians are primarily concerned with the dearth of employment opportunities commensurate with their levels of education. According to them, the lack of employment leads to the significant emigration of religious minorities. They are also worried over the lack of support from the Mon-Muslim Endowments Office in Baghdad, which provides operating funds to churches in Baghdad, Mosul, and Basra, but apparently neglects the church in Hillah. Currently, the endowment provides no financial support. Thus the church's electric bills have gone unpaid for nearly five years and there are no funds for the maintenance, renovation or improvement of the church. The only support received from the non-Muslim Endowments Office is a transient priest to conduct mass once every two to three months, if the Babil Christians can raise enough money to pay his way. The Christians currently rely on the local Shia endowment, which has provided four engineers to assess the church and even allocated money for renovations, however, none of the proposed renovations or improvements have come to fruition. ¶5. (SBU) Physical threats, although reportedly rare, come in various forms. Some members of their community allege that they were attacked and falsely accused by members of the Office of the Martyr Sadr of selling liquor. Another isolated incident occurred three years ago when a threat was made against the church and a Christian girl was kidnapped and forced to convert to Islam. The Christian women are reportedly so affected by the discrimination that they feel they must wear head scarves in public as a precautionary measure. Additionally, both men and women feel compelled to avoid publicly displaying any affiliation with Christianity, such as wearing a cross or crucifix pendant. YANAWAY