Journalist Discusses Obama and Islamic State

Journalist Ned Parker has had a couple especially busy weeks as Reuters Bureau Chief in Baghdad.

He has written stories about Iraq’s parliament approving Haider al-Abadi as the new president; about three car bombings that killed nine people in the Shi’ite neighborhood of New Baghdad in Baghdad, and about U.S. air strikes launched against Islamic State insurgents near the Haditha Dam.

He also wrote a story chronicling Secretary of State John Kerry’s visit on Tuesday to Iraq and another detailing  how the the Islamic State is funded.

In the midst of this, Parker took time on Wednesday to discuss the situation in Iraq with various groups, including the Christian Reformed Church’s Office of Social Justice (OSJ), in an hour-long conference call.

He spoke from Baghdad on the same day that President Obama addressed the nation from the White House, laying out his strategy to combat the Islamic State — a group that has declared war on the U.S. and many countries in Europe and says it wants to create a modern-day caliphate, based on Islamic law, across the Middle East.

Peter Vander Meuelen, coordinator of OSJ, says his office participated in the conference call because it is interested in the conflict, given how Christian groups and other minorities have been killed and persecuted as a result of the fighting in Iraq.

In addition, OSJ is working to put together materials to send out to CRC congregations to use as part of the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church on Sunday, Nov. 9.

“Iraq is where a huge amount of persecution has happened over religion, including the death of many in the Chaldean Christian community and other minorities,” says Vander Meulen. 

“For Christians who care about life, we need to be there for the long haul whether we like it or not.”

President Obama, in his talk to the nation, said the U.S.  is committed to the ongoing effort to contain and wipe out the Islamic State. The U.S. has already begun the process through air strikes, which will now be expanded.

Similarly, some 1,000 Special Forces may be deployed to Iraq to serve as trainers to the Iraqi army.

Of Obama’s approach, Parker says: “I’m not sure what the solution is. The picture is quite dire. Much needs to happen in Iraq. But it can help with having expanded air strikes and trainers to contain the Islamic State.”

Parker’s presentation was sponsored by the New York City-based Council on Foreign Relations.

Parker says it is important to keep the Islamic State in perspective — and the U.S. seems to be doing this.

“There has been this tendency to get hysterical because they have done some barbaric things,” he said.

“There is this myth of their shock and awe on the ground when the truth is they hold small areas where they are fighting small groups. Not to minimize them, but they don’t control vast territories.”

So, stopping them won’t solve all of Iraq’s problems. In fact, use of bombs and violence can make things much worse.

“If the emphasis is only on fighting, we need to realize war only leads to greater radicalism and divisions,” he said. “The solution is to offer people help and hope.”

Anti-terrorism laws need to be changed and serious reconciliation efforts between Shia, Sunnis and Kurds need to be increased, he said.

Efforts need to be made to cut down on corruption in the government.

Also, work must be done to shore up Iraq’s infrastructure, creating jobs, especially by sharing and relying on oil revenues to do this.

“Iraq needs to create programs to build institutions that work,” said Parker.

Despite all of the warring factions and problems, he says, “most Iraqis have a strong sense of nationality, especially at times such as this. They want to live in peace.”

If you would like to learn more about materials that will be made available for  International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church on Sunday, Nov. 9, contact Paolo Fuentes, pfuentes.org, in the CRC’s Office of Social Justice.