The War on Terrorism has been going on for three years now and the prediction that this war was going to go on for many years is true. Really nobody can end this war until the terrorists have been thoroughly defeated. There may be some truces and quiet periods, but the war will flare up again and again, each time with more devastating results. I think that this war was destined to happen, given the overwhelming growth of religious intolerance in the Muslim World.
I believe that the Liberation of Iraq will go down in history as the greatest war ever waged against the enemies of civilization and President George Bush as the greatest President of the United States of America. However, George Bush is the exception. There will come American Presidents who will not honor this great achievement in freedom, and so the Christian World must prepare for those decades when the US will reverse the progress made in the War on Terror.
The Christians of Mesopotamian origin must be even more prepared for this transition and the new reality that will emerge. The handwriting is already on the wall as there have been many murders of Christians in Muslim countries on account of the publication of cartoons by Western papers. Embassies can be replaced but Eastern Christianity cannot be replaced, because Western Christianity cannot produce another generation of Christians that worship in the language Jesus spoke. Once this authentic Christianity dies out, there will be no way of reviving it.
Since the authentic Christianity that is based on the original Scriptures is the only force for peace in the Middle East, it is necessary for the Christians in the Middle East to clarify their position to the Muslim World, namely that the Western churches consider the Church of the East as a heretical form of Christianity that needs to be reformed and brought in line with Western Christianity for it to be considered true Christianity. In fact, the Church of the East Christians in the Middle East should ask the Muslims to protect their form of Christianity for the sake of peace. Christianity will survive better in the Muslim World if the Christians in the East remain under the protection of their ancient churches.
The Liberation of Iraq has been carried out mostly for the benefit of the Muslims. Nobody has emphasized the rights of the Christians to worship in their Churches anyway, and given the fact that the Church of the East Christianity is considered as heretical by the Western churches, it should be possible to appeal to the Muslim governments for the protection of the Eastern Christians living under Islamic regimes.
The publishing of cartoons ridiculing the Islamic faith and the Prophet Muhammad is irresponsible, because it has lead to the murder of Christians in the Middle East. The families of those Christians who are murdered because of these cartoons should take their case to the international courts and the United Nations. Freedom of the Press is one thing, but inciting the Muslims against Eastern Christians living in their homelands is another.
The Church of the East members should appeal to their relatives around the world and ask them to publicize their situation to Western governments. While people are free to join whatever church they wish to join in the West, Mesopotamian Christians should consider returning to their ancient faith and stay out of Western controversies dealing with freedom of religion and the freedom of the press.
Feb. 14, 2006