The Chaldean church has lived in fear since Iraq’s destabilization caused by Saddam Hussein’s removal from power.  The Chaldean church is a Christian sect, formerly known as Nestorians. They originated from Babylon, or modern day Iraq, and were recently united with the Catholic Church.  Reports show that over 1,000 Christian families have fled Baghdad, and more than 35,000 Christians have fled the country, with many fleeing to Syria. The Christians have been under attack since August 2004, when many Iraqi Christian churches were bombed.
        Christian missionaries have been the most targeted. The BBC reported a website about a Korean Christian worker who was executed because he was an “infidel pig.”  His crime was that he “studied Christian theology and was hoping to become a missionary in the Arab World.” Although the foreign missionaries may have been most targeted, the Iraqi Christian Church has also been attacked.
On June 3, 2007, Gunmen entered the Chaldean Church and demanded those inside to immediately convert to Islam. Father Ragheed Ganni and three of his deacons were killed in his church, because they refused to obey the gunmen.  On June 6, 2007, Father Hani and five of his male students were kidnapped. The six men were walking to a minor seminary in northern Baghdad. The next day four out of five of the boys were released by the kidnappers. The perpetrators seem to be common criminals. They sent a ransom note to Patriarch Emmanuel III Delly demanding money for setting free the captured priest and the remaining student.
        This is not the first occurrence of a priest being kidnapped. In October, the Pope remarked that some of teachings of Islam were “evil” and “inhuman” and that the religion spread by the sword. In response to the pope’s remarks about Islam being a violent religion, a Christian priest was kidnapped and ransomed for $350,000. He was later beheaded.
        The Chaldean church has been targeted and have suffered at the hands of their aggressors. Many have been forced to flee their homes to seek safety. The few who have remained live in fear of attack.

Al-Jazeera. Iraq priest ‘killed over speech’. 13 August 2006.
AsiaNewsit.com. Four Christians abducted yesterday are released. 7 June 2007.
AsiaNewsit.com. Chaldean Priest captured in Baghdad. 6 June 2007.
BBC News. Analysis:Iraq’s Christians under attack. 2 August 2004.
BosLifeNetwork. Iraq Priest remains kidnapped, as thousands flee. 15 June 2007.
New Advent. Chaldean Christians.

On Thursday, June 14, the Palestinian president, Abbas, declared a state of emergency and dismissed the Palestinian coalitional government.  Currently, an interim government, mostly Fatah loyalists is in place.  Abbas states that he intends to call for elections once the in-fighting ceases.  Abbas declared a state of emergency as a result of heavy gun-fights and militant operations between the armed branches of Hamas and Fatah in Gaza. 

After a day of fighting, where Hamas fighters seized control of key Fatah security, military, and intelligence compounds, Hamas virtually controls the Gaza Strip.  In the past week, violence between the two groups caused over 100 deaths, sparking international outcry over the present humanitarian crisis.  In a recent statement, Human Rights Watch criticized both Hamas and Fatah militants for serious violations of international humanitarian law.

Human Rights Watch stated that “both Fatah and Hamas military forces have summarily executed captives, killed people not involved in hostilities, and engaged in gun battles with one another inside and near Palestinian hospitals.”  It continued to cite specific incidents where militants violated international humanitarian law; including:

• June 9 (Gaza-Israel border) – Armed members of the Islamic Jihad and Fatah’s Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade used a vehicle with a “TV” insignia to attack Israeli troops.
• June 10 (Gaza City) – Hamas militants captured Muhammad Swairki, a cook for Abbas’s presidential guards, and threw him off a 15 story high-rise.
• June 10 (Gaza City) – Fatah militants captured Muhammad al-Ra’fati, a Hamas supporter, and threw him off a high-rise.
• June 11 (Beit Lahiya) – Hamas fighters entered the home of Jamal Abu al-Jadiyan and then executed him in the street.
• June 11 (Gaza City) – In retaliation to the death of Yasir Bakar, Fatah gunmen began firing mortars and rocket-propelled grenades at Shifa Hospital, drawing Hamas fire from inside the building, killing one Hamas and one Fatah fighter.
• June 11 (Beit Hanun) – At a hospital in Beit Hanun, three family members with ties to Fatah, `Id al-Masri and his sons, Farij and Ibrahim, were killed.  The three were being treated at the hospital for injuries sustained earlier.

In addition, there have been reports of other violations of humanitarian law.  On June 14, it is reported that after Hamas fighters gained control of the Preventative Security and Gaza’s intelligence headquarters, Hamas executed captured Fatah fighters.  Also, many fighters position themselves on rooftops of high-rises, government buildings, and even hospitals.  Residents of the buildings are forced to remain inside buildings where many of which have their water and electricity cut-off. 

Fighting has even jeopardized the safety of hospital in the territory.  On June 11, a hospital in northern Gaza shut down after three people were killed.  Then, on June 12, the European Hospital’s roof, in Khan Yunis, was used as a part of an assault, causing the hospital to send home all nonessential staff.  A nurse at Al Quds Hospital complains that the hospital has no electricity, water, or blood units, limiting its ability to treat the injured.

Also, Hamas listed several members of Fatah accused of collaborating with Israel.  Hamas declared that collaborators are traitors and will be dealt with in due time.  For instance, Hamas militants captured and publicly executed Samih Madhun, a top commander of the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, Fatah’s armed military group.  Also, Hamas threatened that Muhammad Dahlan, the head of Fatah’s security in Gaza, will be killed if he returns to Gaza.

The fighting, though concentrated in Gaza, has spilled over into the Fatah dominated West Bank.  Fatah militants and supporters targeted Hamas supporters for acts of retaliation.  Many of the victims are not involved in the fighting, but attacked based on their membership in Hamas.  Businesses owned by Hamas supporters were also targets for violence and acts of retaliation.

On Wednesday, June 13, over a thousand non-violent protesters marched through Gaza City urging an end to the in-fighting.  Armed militants fired on the peaceful protesters, killing one protester and injuring 14 others.

Palestinians and the international community are concerned about the implications of the most recent increase violence.  Some predict that the Palestinian Authority will split into a Hamas controlled Gaza and a Fatah controlled West Bank.  This possibility raises several questions and concerns about the future of a Palestinian state.

For more information please see:
BBC:
“Abbas sacks Hamas led government”  14 June 2007. 

“Hamas hails ‘liberation’ of Gaza”  14 June 2007. 

“Coping with the Gaza fighting”  14 June 2007. 

“Gaza residents under fire”  14 June 2007. 

“Hamas battles for control of Gaza”  13 June 2007. 

“Hamas launches new Gaza attacks”  12 June 2007. 

Al Jazeera:
“Abbas sacks Palestinian government”  14 June 2007. 

“Hamas defies Palestinian President”  14 June 2007. 

“Hamas pounds Gaza security bases”  13 June 2007. 

London Times:
“‘There will be no dialogue with Fatah, only the sword and the rifle’”  15 June 2007.

“President Fortress falls in the face of Hamas onslaught” 15 June 2007. 

“Fatah militants turn on leader who ‘left them to fight without orders’” 15 June 2007.
“Analysis: the future is bleak for Abbas” 14 June 2007. 

“Gaza lurches towards Islamist mini-state”  14 June 2007. 

ABC News:
“Hamas seizing control of Gaza Strip”  14 June 2007.

“Abbas orders elite guard to attack Hamas”  14 June 2007. 

“It’s Civil War, Palestinians Factions Agree”  13 June 2007. 

“Hospitals become battleground in Gaza”  12 June 2007. 

CNN:
“Hamas claims full control of Gaza”  14 June 2007. 

“Palestinian fighting ‘will burn all of us,’ official says”  13 June 2007.   

“Militants throw rivals off high-rise Gaza buildings”  10 June 2007.

Human Rights Watch:  “Gaza: Armed Palestinian Groups Commit Grave Crimes”  13 June 2007. 

The Economist: “Conflict in Gaza”  13 June 2007. 

Time: “What happens after Hamas wins?”  13 June 2007.

     Egyptian voters were denied the ability to vote in areas where the government perceived strong support for the Muslim Brotherhood. The polls were guarded by police who stopped Egyptians from voting for the opposition. This weakened the government’s assertion that the constitutional changes in March were implemented to strengthen democracy.

    The voters were denied access to vote in Awseem. Police officers armed with automatic rifles blockaded the locked entrance. Voters were told that the polling places were closed, or that the election occurred the following the day. Others were physically beaten by police, and one man was killed in the election violence.

    The purpose of the government’s action was to deny the Muslim Brotherhood from gaining parliamentary seats. In the past few months, over 800 of the Muslim Brotherhood have been questioned or arrested by the government. The government’s fear is that if the Muslim Brotherhood gain power then they will transform the nation into a Muslim nation with Sharia law.

    These actions by the government weaken its claim that the constitutional changes in March strengthened democracy by halting the emergency powers. The changes stripped authority from the judicial branch. This has strengthened the president and the legislature. It gave the government the power to bar Egyptians from voting for the Muslim Brotherhood, because of the perceived terrorist threat.

    As expected, the Muslim Brotherhood, which previously was a leading opposition party, did not win a single seat in the preliminary results.

Washington Post. Egyptian Voters Impeded in Opposition Strongholds. 12 June 2007.
Pittsburgh  Tribune-Review. Violence Spoils Egyptian elections. 12 June 2007.
Los Angeles Times. Egypt’s dissidents held down by law. 13 June 2007.
Monsters and Critics News. Egypt’s ruling party sweeps Shura election contest. 13 June 2007.

Egyptian voters were denied the ability to vote in areas where the government perceived strong support for the Muslim Brotherhood. The polls were guarded by police who stopped Egyptians from voting for the opposition. This weakened the government’s assertion that the constitutional changes in March were implemented to strengthen democracy.

Since April 21, 2007, ninety thousand Afghan refugees have been forcibly removed from Iran.  As a result of Iran’s toughened stance on illegal immigrants, thousands of Afghanis, mostly men, have been arrested and put on buses to Herat, Afghanistan.  While most of the deportees were single men, almost 22,000 have been families.  Some have been separated from their spouses and children, and in some cases, some children have been deported alone.

Afghanis comprise the second largest refugee group in the world. Millions left their home during the Soviet invasion and more left Afghanistan during the Taliban regime that followed.  Since 2001 and the fall of the Taliban, 3.5 million Afghans repatriated and returned home.  The UN High Commissioner for Refugees described three ways refugees are returning from Iran.  First, voluntary repatriation; where registered refugees are given a repatriation package ($100 (US)/person or $500 (US)/family of five) to facilitate the relocation process. Second, spontaneous return; where unregistered (and therefore illegal) refugees chose to return to Afghanistan.  They are given time to gain proper certification to return.  The third method is deportation; where illegal refugees are forced to return.

Since 2002, 860,000 refugees have left Iran and returned to Afghanistan.  However, 915,000 Afghani refugees still reside in Iran. Some entered illegally.  Some entered with a visa that has now expired.  Some are legal refugees who lack the proper papers and therefore are deemed illegal by the Iranian government.

Beginning on April 21, Iran began its new two pronged strategy to decrease the number of Afghani refugees. The first prong is to provide incentives, such as repatriation packages or facilitating illegal refugees in getting the proper return papers, to encourage refugees to return.  The second prong is to crack down on illegal immigrants by arresting and deporting them. 

Iran and Pakistan are homes of largest population of Afghani refugees. Currently, Iran spends approximately $7 billion a year to support their Afghani refugee population.  While the UN agrees that Iran has the right to address the matter of illegal immigrants in their countries, but appeals that it is done in a humane manner.

For more information please see:

BBC:  “Expelled from Iran – Refugee Misery”  8 June 2007.

UNHCR:  “Return to Afghanistan”  30 May 2007.