IRAQI ARCHBISHOP & LONDON BAND\u00a0<\/strong>AMPLIFY CRIES\u00a0<\/strong>OF MIDDLE-EAST PERSECUTED<\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong>London, United Kingdom \/ Monday 23rd\u00a0<\/sup>February \/ THE OOBERFUSE SHOW \/<\/strong><\/p>\n Archbishop Warda of Iraq (Erbil), in his recent visit to London, connected with local band ooberfuse to help highlight, through music, the plight of persecuted minorities in Iraq.\u00a0 In their musical collaboration, \u201cWe are One\u201d, Archbishop Warda prays the Lord\u2019s Prayer in the same ancient Aramaic dialect Jesus himself actually spoke. Listen to the track here:<\/strong><\/p>\n https:\/\/soundcloud.com\/ooberfuse\/ooberfuse-ft-archbishop-warda-of-iraq-we-are-one\/s-GmJ77<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n Archbishop Wardasays \u201cAfter so many years of persecution even music was persecuted. Music was at the service of the state always. Thank God things have started [to change]. So you should use music\u2026 When you come to Iraq please do sing the Our Father in Aramaic in your music<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n Archbishop Warda, who recently caught up with the band in London, chats to Ooberfuse in their latest free podcast The Ooberfuse Show<\/em> [Episode 002]<\/em> :\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n http:\/\/ooberfuse.libsyn.com<\/em><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n Cherrie, front-woman of the band says : \u201cIt\u2019s easy to become desensitised by the horror stories graphically depicted in the daily newspapers. Hearing Archbishop Warda speak about the relentless and hidden sufferings of persecuted minorities in Iraq is sobering and brings the gruesome reality closer to home.\u00a0 Our song with Archbishop Warda is our small way of saying that we stand united with those suffering in Iraq. We have not forgotten them. We belong to one common humanity \u201cif one member suffer, all the members suffer with it [1 Corinthians <\/em>12:26].\u201d<\/p>\n Hal, instrumentalist for the band, adds : \u201cThere is definitely a sacred power inherent in the strange sounding syllables and intonations of the ancient Aramaic dialect Jesus would have spoken. It is not surprising the state of Iraq has tried to neutralise the galvanising power of music! It was an honour and a profoundly humbling experience to chat with Archbishop Bashar. Only hours before he had been addressing a parliamentary audience in the House of Lords. It is one thing to read ancient scripture and hear recounted strange happenings in even stranger places like Nineveh many thousands of years ago. It is another thing altogether to realise that the same places provide the back drop to many of the Middle Eastern conflicts we read about every day in our newspapers. \u201c<\/p>\n You can download the podcast featuring Archbishop Warda of Iraq at www.ooberfuse.com<\/a> or subscribe via RSS or i-tunes. http:\/\/ooberfuse.libsyn.com<\/em><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n The single \u2018We are One\u2019 will be out on 1 March 2015. All proceeds will go to Iraqi Christians in Need and their work in Iraq.<\/strong><\/p>\n Bashar Matti Warda\u00a0<\/strong>(born 15 June 1969 in\u00a0Baghdad<\/a>,\u00a0Iraq<\/a>)is a\u00a0Chaldean Catholic cleric<\/a>\u00a0and the current\u00a0Archbishop of Erbil<\/a>, Iraq<\/a>. Warda joined the Chaldean\u00a0seminary<\/a>\u00a0Saint Peter\u00a0in Baghdad and was\u00a0ordained<\/a>\u00a0a priest in 1993. In 1995 he joined theRedemptorist order<\/a>\u00a0of\u00a0Flanders<\/a>\u00a0in\u00a0Belgium<\/a>. After receiving his doctorate at the\u00a0Catholic University of Louvain<\/a>\u00a0in 1999 he returned to Iraq. Warda was\u00a0apostolic administrator<\/a>\u00a0of the\u00a0Diocese of Zaku<\/a>\u00a0from July 2007 until its merger with the\u00a0Diocese of Amadiyah<\/a>\u00a0in June 2013. In 2009 the\u00a0Synod of Bishops<\/a>\u00a0of the\u00a0Chaldean Catholic Church<\/a>\u00a0elected him Archbishop of the Archeparchy of Erbil. After\u00a0Pope Benedict XVI<\/a>\u00a0gave his consent to this election in 2010 he was\u00a0consecrated<\/a>\u00a0on 3 July the same year.\u00a0<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n The Ooberfuse Show <\/em><\/strong>is a fortnightly podcast offering a peep behind the scenes of London band ooberfuse. As an audio diary, it gives listeners an insider\u2019s view into the band\u2019s music, old and new. \u00a0[http:\/\/ooberfuse.libsyn.com<\/a> ]<\/strong><\/p>\n Iraqi Christians In Need <\/em>(ICIN) <\/strong>was established to help the needy Iraqi Christians who as a result of the war have been suffering, displaced, destitute and persecuted. Some are strangers in their own country, others trapped abroad with no money and no help from the international community, facing a bleak future. Some refuges turn to desperate measures, such as selling their organs or even illegal activity to raise money. ICIN aims to help all Iraqi Christians in and outside Iraq in need of support by raising awareness of their plight and fundraising for their needs. [ http:\/\/www.icin.org.uk\/<\/a> <\/strong>]<\/p>\n