A spokesman for the Voice of Martyrs has expressed cautious optimism for the future of Christians and evangelism in Iraq.

Last week, the Iraqi Parliament elected Kurdish leader Jalal Talabani as the nation’s interim president. He is the first Kurd to become president of Iraq as well as becoming the first non-Arab president of any Arab state.

Talabani, 71, is a long-time politician who has promised to represent all ethnic and religious groups, according to the Associated Press.

He promised to reach out to all sectors in working "to find a new Iraq, free of sectarian and ethnic persecution, free of hegemony and oppression."

Voice of the Martyrs spokesman Todd Nettleton said it was interesting that Kurds, like Talabani, are a minority in the nation.

For Nettletone, this could mean that "Iraq's minority peoples are going to be given freedom, are going to be given a voice," according to Mission News Network.

With the new constitution set to be finalised on 15th August, Nettleton said he would take a "watch and see" attitude to see what it would mean for religious freedom and Christians.

In terms of evangelism, he said that evangelical Christians "are really determined to make this a time of great ministry (and a) time of great growth" for the church.

"I saw some videos from one of our teams handing out Bibles on the street and people were flocking to them. In times of war, in times of upheaval, people are asking questions of an eternal nature," Nettleton said.





Francis Helguero
Ecumenical Press