07/03/2019 Iraq (International Christian Concern) – Iraqi Christian government workers have expressed frustration at the Central Government’s choice to exclude them and Yazadis from permanent general manager positions.
The Iraqi Government has struggled to cohesively form since the 2003 invasion. Temporary general manager positions were assigned to various departments, and some religious minorities took these positions. For years, they have been working in these positions without formal assignment.
However, there was a recent parliamentary decision that during the month of June, all of these issues would be settled. Some Christians who have worked as temporary general managers were surprised to see that they were excluded from a permanent position.
One such Christian woman was working as a general manager for seven years in the Ministry of Transportation. She told ICC how, “I was assigned to be General Manager, I am the most experienced, active employee and qualified among all the GM at the Ministry of Transportation. I was shocked when the names came and my name wasn’t there… result was we have to join the corrupted parties to get such position, getting such position need party support.”
“Out of 5,000 general managers position, there is no one Christian,” she continued.
Religious minorities in Iraq suffer from exclusion in government, which prevents them from making their voices heard unless they align themselves with one of Iraq’s many Islamist parties. As a result, religious minorities are often unable to affect positive change within Iraq towards religious freedom.
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