Does the Holocaust hold lessons for Iraq’s shattered society?

STEVEN GRUZD

Nates was reacting to Dr Maria Rita Corticelli – who teaches European History and Genocide at a university in Erbil, located in semi-autonomous Kurdistan in northern Iraq – who spoke at the centre last week.

Italian-born Corticelli has been collecting testimonies and documenting atrocities against minorities in Iraq, including Christians, Kak’ais, Yezidis and Mandeans. She has found parallels with historical Jewish persecution, exile and suffering.

Corticelli said: “I would like to see the Holocaust experience taught in the Middle East. Most people think they are the only ones who suffer. The don’t know European history, the centuries of killing each other.”

While admitting that teaching Holocaust studies in Iraq would be difficult, she noted that her university has previously invited Israeli professors and was translating Hebrew Holocaust texts into Kurdish.

Though attacks on vulnerable populations by the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (the IS) have faded from the headlines, Corticelli believes that Iraq could learn much from the experiences and lessons of the Shoah, especially as survivors of these genocidal acts now lead efforts to inculcate tolerance and fight for human rights in Iraqi Kurdistan.

Iraq is no stranger to violent conflict. In the recent past we’ve seen it played out under the Ba’ath Party and Saddam Hussein, in the war with Iran (1980-1988), the First Gulf War (1991), and through Sunni-Shi’a conflict after the US-led invasion in 2003. Weak government has left a power vacuum, eagerly filled by al-Qaeda, ISIS and other radical Islamists.

Corticelli explains how hundreds of villages and holy places of minorities have been destroyed, and how populations have fled, facing the choices of conversion to Islam, exile or death. There are just 150 000 Christians left in Iraq, down from 300 000 four years ago.

The IS has sunk landmines to prevent the Kak’ai from rebuilding their devastated towns and fields. Some 6 000 Yezidis have been kidnapped, with women sold into marriage or sexual slavery, and children recruited as soldiers. The fate of 3 000 kidnapped Yezidis remains unknown. And, with many Mandeans having fled to Sweden, there are only 5 000 of them in Iraq today.

“Some minorities have been displaced six, seven times. It isn’t surprising that there is fear and hatred,” said Corticelli.

However, in contrast to growing intolerance in the rest of Iraq, the Kurdish regional government has, since 1991, tried to promote a secular, semi-autonomous state accepting of all religions. Minorities are represented in Parliament, permitted to join organisations and have input on laws. The regional government has been progressive and fought for women’s and children’s rights.

Corticelli has been working with civil society groups in Iraqi Kurdistan to document their experiences, engaging in peace-building and post-conflict reconstruction. She’s also held dialogues with imams and other religious leaders.

She speculated that Iraq might eventually break into separate states. “There is a very weak government in Baghdad. The central government can’t negotiate with the regions; it just retaliates. It closed airports in September 2017 after Kurdistan voted for independence in a referendum – yet these are its citizens.”

Nates said such discussions were vital as people seldom grapple with problems like this beyond South Africa or Africa. “As a second-generation Holocaust survivor [her father was saved by being on Oskar Schindler’s famous list, which helped spare the lives of 1 200 Jews who would have otherwise been sent to Auschwitz in Nazi-occupied Poland], it is my duty to learn about other genocides.”

Nates said she was keen to explore the idea of teaching the Holocaust in Iraq with universities. “We must continuously use the past to help those who suffered recently. They can rebuild, as we did. We can offer hope.”

The evening was supported by the Heinrich Böll Foundation, a think-tank for policy reforms and the promotion of democracy and human rights. A booklet by Corticelli titled Documenting Iraq: Genocide and Rebirth is available from the JHGC for a R50 donation.