We will never return to our homes
On June 10th, the Islamic State occupied Iraq’s second largest city, Mosul, and the surrounding villages and towns on the Nineveh plain, home to one of the most ancient Christian populations on earth, the Christians of the Syriac Orthodox and other ancient churches. The entire Christian population of around 150,000 have now fled to the regions of Erbil and Dahuk in neighboring Kurdistan in northern Iraq, and are staying in the basements and gardens of churches or with friends and relatives.
The world-wide head of the Church, the Patriarch, has called on the United Nations to protect the ancient Christian homeland, but none of the Christians believe they will ever be able to return. They feel betrayed by their Muslim neighbors who reported on them to the Islamic State, and now they do not dare to go back.
The Christians have lived in the area since the first centuries of Christianity, but now think they can only survive if they leave their country.
Urgently, however, the displaced are in need of assistance with food and clean water, as well as shelter for the winter. Many of them live in tents not fit for winter, and in October night temperatures will sink to zero and in winter the snow can lie up to 1.5 meters. Mission East is mounting a big effort to assist as many of the displaced, Christians, Yezidis and others, as we possibly can.
Kim Hartzner, Managing Director
A large number of the displaced Christians come from the town of Mosul, home to ancient Christian seminaries and a Christian population that can trace their history back 1,700 years. Today, after Islamic State's occupation in June, there is not a single Christian left in Mosul. Like Nakar Potros to the left, they are now staying in church basements, gardens, with friends and relatives, or outside in unfinished buildings.
Nakar Potros tells her story, translated by Father Yusef:
"I worked in a bank in Mosul, and five years ago there was a persecution and someone knocked on the door and told my husband they would kill us. At that time we left Mosul and moved to Qaraqosh, east of Mosul, a Christian community.
A year ago, my husband hurt his leg after he fell down from a height, and therefore it was not easy for him to move around. On August 6th of this year, the Islamic State took over Qaraqosh, and now I and my children have come here to Erbil.
My husband, however, stayed behind in Qaraqosh. He thought things would only take a couple of days to change and told the rest of us to leave, so he stayed behind, and the rest of us are here.....
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