ASIA/IRAQ - New appeal from Chaldean Patriarchate about changes in the law regarding Islamization of minors

Baghdad (Agenzia Fides) – A new letter-appeal has been addressed to representatives of the Iraqi parliament by the Catholic Chaldean Patriarch of Babylon, Louis Raphael I, to convince them to overcome resistance to the already approved change in the law which at present foresees automatic changing to the Islamic religion of all minor children, should one non-Muslim parent convert to Islam.
In the letter published by the official communications media of the Chaldean Patriarchate , and sent to Fides, the Patriarch affirms that children, Christian, Sabei, Mandei or Yazidi have no wish to become Muslims should one parent convert to Islam, and he quotes the articles of the Constitution which affirm and safeguard equality of all citizens, as in article 37/2 ("The state guarantees the protection of the individual person from coercion intellectual, political or religious") and article 42 ("every person must enjoy freedom of thought, conscience and belief "). The letter from the Patriarchate quotes the Koran, "there exists no obligation in religion".
"Christians – writes the Primate of the Chaldean Church “participate in Muslim rites such as come Ashura and the anniversary of the birth of the Prophet Mahomet , and several churches in the west have opened their doors to assist Muslim refugees allowing them to hold their religious rites in churches. (…). We hope Muslims will behave in the same way towards us, because Islam is a religion of mercy and forgiveness".
The request to the members of the Iraqi parliament is simply to allow minors to retain the religion received at birth, until they come of age when in all freedom and they may choose according to conscience. According to Baghdadhope website, this new intervention by the Chaldean Patriarch is inspired by the fact that some MPs asked the opinion of Ayatollah Schiit Ali Al Sistani on the change in the law, already passed by Parliament. With his letter, the Patriarch implicitly intends to underline that decisions already finalised cannot be altered, even if Sistani were to express a negative opinion regarding the change in the law. (GV) (Agenzia Fides 3/12/2015).

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