Tolerance of the Kurds
From James Blount
Sir: Charles Moore worries, with some justification, about the vulnerability of Christians in such places as Iraq (The Spectator’s Notes, 3 June). He would have been pleased, though, to have met, as I did a week ago, the head of the security agency of one of the three governorates that loosely form the current Kurdistan Region of Iraq. Proudly displayed behind the desk of this devout and influential Muslim was a recent photograph of the Pope, which bore inscriptions thanking the officer for his interventions on behalf of Christian communities inside and outside the Kurdish-administered territories and offering various Marian blessings.
While this evidence of the reach of the Holy See is impressive, more reassuring still is the confirmation that the Kurdistan Region, almost the only success story of this troubled war of liberation, remains not only a haven of tolerance and sense but also a proactive force for good beyond its de facto borders.
I should add that at lunch a few days later, with a Kurdish family of some standing, one of the more distinguished and cherished guests was a Kurdish Jew.
James Blount
Erbil, Kurdistan Region, Iraq
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