Father Shafiq Abu Zeid, Oxford University: Christians in Iraq Were Much Better Off under Saddam

The following are excerpts from an interview with Father Shafiq Abu Zeid of Oxford University, which aired on ANB TV on January 4, 2010.

Father Shafiq Abu Zeid: We are very worried about our future and our fate. I recently participated in a discussion. I rebuked a friend for always saying that by maintaining contacts with the Israelis, Bachir Gemayel brought a catastrophe upon the Christians, who have been persecuted for this. I had a clear answer for him. What contacts with the Israelis did the Iraqi Christians have to warrant such disasters? I always say that the situation of the Christians in the region is misinterpreted.

Unfortunately, the Arab mentality, which prevails especially among our Muslim brothers, catches fire very quickly, like dry wood. The West, and people with vested interests, exploits this flammable mentality, and we pay the price. This holds true not only for the Christian minority, but also for Muslim minorities, like the Druze, the Alaouites, the Kurds, and so on.

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In Iraq, there is no comparison between the days of Saddam and today. The Christians were much better off in the days of Saddam. Therefore, with regard to the pan-Arab ideology of Abd Al-Nasser and Saddam – we were definitely better off.