Abdulahad Afram Sawa, 69, General Secretary of the Chaldean Democratic Party in Kurdistan and twice a former Iraqi MP sat down with Rudaw on Tuesday to discuss the obstacles his community faces in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region as well as around the world. The Chaldeans are a Christian sect with their own distinct language and beliefs.Sawa believes Chaldeans like himself see independence for the Kurdistan Region as a form of protection. He adds that some 35 million Kurds in the four parts of Kurdistan remain stateless and this is due to problems after World War I. He is encouraging Chaldeans in diaspora to vote in the September 25 referendum, while acknowledging that the Christians in Kurdistan have not yet reached a“full-fledged democracy.” He is of the opinion that many Chaldeans who sought shelter from ISIS in the Kurdistan Region would like to stay.The native of Duhok has resided there most of his life. He also previously held the position as Deputy Minister of Health and Social Affairs for the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG). He studied at the University of Baghdad receiving his Bachelors of Arts in Kurdish Language. Sawa said that he took a break from university in 1974 to take part in the Kurdish Revolution but returned to university and graduated in 1975.The Chaldeans are an ancient community. Their original country used to be in the area from Babylon to Yemen between the years3,000-2,000 years BCE. Now the Chaldeans are spread mostly throughout the Kurdistan Region and Iraq.Chaldeans in Kurdistan have a certain freedom to practice our religion but as others minorities here, our community in Kurdistan has not yet reached a level of full-fledged democracy, so it’s not uncommon that we sometimes encounter problems.

What about discrimination?

I would like that my community goes and votes for independence in the referendum, like other Kurds.





Not these days. It’s not like it used to be. But if we [Chaldeans] and even other Kurds don’t have freedom of speech, freedom to work or the freedom to be integrated it would be possible that there would be problems.I had a number in 1992, but now as the government decided to open the doors for others to immigrate here, the number increased and isn’t like before. In the year 1992 there were 28,000 Chaldeans, but now there may be up to 150,000.Most of them are in Baghdad, after that Nineveh and here in Erbil and Duhok after that, in Sulaimani in Kurdistan and Iraq. But as far as other countries, there are more than 250,000 in the US, and there are also Chaldean communities in Australia and in European countries, so they are spread around the world.The Chaldeans in general are a very open community. We have good relations with people all over Kurdistan and even the ones in Iraq gave good relations with Arabs and Turks. In Kurdistan we are even more integrated with our brothers no matter if they are Muslims or Yezidis.Me as a politician, I look at things differently. I am interested in history, so that’s why I have knowledge about the situation inKurdistan and around Kurdistan. This area of Kurdistan was not a part of Iraq before WWI, I can’t say for sure but I believe that the Kurdish population is about 35 million so the Kurds have the right to have their own country. Other countries that have a lower population have their own country, but Kurdistan wasn’t made a country because of a certain problem after WWI and became divided. And this referendum is a good opportunity for the Kurdish people to know what will happen to them, will they become a country or stay like this, and be spread around Iraq, Iran, Syria, Turkey and Russia.Chaldeans have lived here for about 2,000-3,000 years. My father, my grandfather lived here and the same way I want to protect myself, I have to try to protect others as well. Kurds want their own country and we as Chaldeans in Kurdistan are for independence.We are in contact. But as I said before Chaldeans are spread around, so the way of thinking of a Chaldean who lives in Kurdistan is different than a Chaldean that has lived in Jordan. But the Chaldeans in Kurdistan are different, because it’s their home and they have lived with Kurdish people for years. So they have to protect the Kurdish people the way they want to protect themselves.

The flag of the Chaldean Christians.