Ezra Levant from the Rebel. Media I'm here in Northern Iraq in the small town of
Mangesh I am in the yard of a church you can see the church down there with a cross on the on the gate
There's about 50
temporary Cabins they call them Caravans
Here that's just the phrase they use their small self-contained units about 50 families
Literally in the backyard of a church
And they've been here since isis drove the Christians out of the plains of nineveh where there were lots of little all
Christian Towns, this is not a united nations refugee camp
It's a Christian camp because of the Christians of course have no place in un refugee camps
They're persecuted by the muslim refugees there
So that's where I am you may have seen me say that before but I have a new thought a reflection on
The last couple of days we've seen the persecuted people in Northern Iraq
Especially the Christians also some you Yazidis another religious minority
But over the last couple of days we've spent time with righteous
Muslims
Kurdish
Muslims who protect
Christians we met the other day with a brigadier a general
whose job was to stop the islamic state repel them from the Christian Towns and
Defend the Christian Towns
We met with the Muslim Peshmerga troops including the counter-Terrorist forces and today
We met with the Muslim Kurd. Who's the head of the tribe in the region? That's a phrase he uses
Who told us a great length that what he has done and will do to?
protect the religious minority of Christians
This town is an interesting town. It's about 60/40 Muslim Christian the mayor is a Christian
But there's great harmony between the Christians and Muslims now
How can this be how can there be places of harmony like this town of mangesh?
Short miles from where the islamic state used the quran as their authority to commit a genocide against Christians
Well, I think the kurds have it right in the same way that the is smiling' Muslims
Have a right another liberal progressive
Egalitarian denomination of Islam and here's the thing and I talked to the tribal chief about this at lunch today
For Kurdish muslims at least those that we've met and those in the peshmerga and this tribal leader
their primary identity is not
Religious it's not from the text of the quran itself
It's a form of civic nationalism, and we talked about what the elements of that are
language they speak Kurdish
geography they're from a proto country they call Kurdistan a
history a shared history of being beat up by other nations of certain Rivalries with the turks with the
with other groups
So there's a language as a history. There's a culture. I'm not talking about religion. There's a geography there's a
history and a story a story they want to keep writing I
Think that's the definition of Civic Nationalism, and it said it
subordinates
Religious identity both Christians and Muslims we've spoken to in this
By cultural or by religious town of mangesh
Ascribe to that same Kurdish nationalism now there are issues that arrived with?
Arise with Kurdish nationalism and any other nationalism
Especially those in this Tinderbox of a region where you know race and religion are still so hot
But I put it to you that in this
Dangerous neighborhood where the quran is being used as a doctrine of war and genocide?
The Kurdish approach to religion the Kurdish approach to Islam that it is subordinate to a civic nationalism
That Kurdish approach is the best approach as we go through Kurdistan. We're constantly asked what we think of
Kurdish independence on September 25th. They're gonna have a referendum to that effect. Well as I spend more time here
My resolve is strengthened. Yes. I want an
Independent Kurdistan even though that will break up the country in the region and cause other
Untold consequences, I want that because I prefer a Kurdish civic nationalism
to the religious fascist nationalism inherent in the islamic state the
islamic Republic of Iran
the
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and other theocratic countries in this neighborhood, so yeah
Civic Nationalism if you wonder what it looks like that's Kurdistan for the rebel dot media. I'm Ezra Levant
I'm here in the northern Iraqi town of Mangesh which is about 60% Muslim 40% Christian
We're studying the genocide against Christians in Iraq if you want to learn more about our journalism and our humanitarian mission
Go to save the Christians.com