Iraqi-American Christians Rally for Representation
Tens of thousands of Iraqis throughout the United States are expected to go to the polling sites for the next two days before Iraq has its Election Day on Thursday for the general population.
Iraqi expatriates began casting ballots on Tuesday for the election of a full-term parliament in their homeland. Tens of thousands of Iraqis throughout the United States are expected to go to the polling sites for the next two days before Iraq has its Election Day on Thursday for the general population.
An estimated 240,000 Iraqi-Americans are eligible to cast out-of-country ballots at the eight available polling centers. Some show concern over the small Christian voice that could be left represented in Iraq's new government. Local Chaldeans from the Macomb County in Michigan are hoping to rally support from other Iraqi Christians around the world to ensure that they have representation in parliament.
Voter turnout in America, however, is not expected to be large as it was not in the January elections. The interim government that was elected then included one independent Christian representative and seven Christian-held seats associated with Muslim slates.
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"There are big hopes, but it's probably doubtful," said Martin Manna, director of the Farmington Hills-based Chaldean-American Chamber of Commerce, according to the Macomb Daily. "The reason for that is the Chaldean population in America has been here since the late 1960s. They've been assimilated, and they're disenchanted. They don't think they'll make a difference."
According to the U.S. Department of State, approximately 3 percent of the overall population in Iraq consists of Christians
