Former Iraqi MP Joseph Sylawa: The Christian Community In Iraq Has No Problem With Normalization With Israel; In The Future, Iraq Could Have A Christian, Yazidi, Or Jewish Prime Minister

Former Iraqi MP Joseph Sylawa spoke about the Christian community in Iraq in a March 1, 2024 interview that aired on Al-Rabiaa TV (Iraq). He said that it is possible that Iraq might have a Christian prime minister in the future. Sylawa added that it could even have a Yazidi or Jewish prime minister. He said that if the Iraqi state wishes to normalize ties with Israel, the Christian community would have no problem with this. Sylawa added: "People today should coexist in peace." He said that during Saddam Hussein’s time, Palestinians in Iraq were treated well and given employment and university placements, while Iraqis who opposed his regime were not.

Interviewer: "Can a Christian become Iraqi prime minster in the future?"

Joseph Sylawa: "Yes. It's possible. Of course, it's possible."

Interviewer: "How can this happen?"

Sylawa: "It will happen after the wise people wake up."

Interviewer: "But it is possible."

Sylawa: "Of course. The Iraqi constitution does not prevent this."

Interviewer: "Are you hoping for a Christian prime minister?"

Sylawa: "Personally, I hope that the president of Iraq, the Iraqi prime minister, or the parliament speaker will be a Christian, a Yazidi, or Sabean. In the distant future, they may even be Iraqi Jews."

Interviewer: "Don't the Christians in Iraq have a problem with normalization with the Israeli entity?"

Sylawa: "Their problem may not be related to the notion of a state. It depends on whether the state wants this or not."

Interviewer: "But as a community, you do not have a problem with this?"

Sylawa: "As a community, we do not have a problem with this."

Interviewer: "You have no problem with normalization?"

Sylawa: "No.

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Sylawa: "People today should coexist in peace, harmony, and security. Let me tell you something else, now we are crying over Palestine, but what about our own country?

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Sylawa: "I remember full well, that the Palestinian students had salaries, they had a place at the university, and some of them even manned checkpoints in Baghdad."

Interviewer: "What does this have to do with anything?"

Sylawa: "At the same time, Iraqis who did not support the [Saddam] regime encountered obstacles when trying to enroll in a university, were imprisoned, banned, and so on."