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
Raja Yeshua is a housewife from Mosul, married to Zeid, a music teacher. Here, with their three boys, Daniel (7), Stephen (3) and Martin (2). Raja tells the story of the family:
"We left Mosul because we were afraid of the Islamic State and how they treat people. And we had heard what they do to Christian families in Syria, and we were afraid of the killings, that our children should be kidnapped or that any other bad thing should happen to our family. We therefore decided to leave Mosul and first went to the town of Al-Qosh. But then the enemy also approached Al-Qosh, so we were afraid to stay there and came here to Erbil where we stay in the basement of this church.
All the Christians in Mosul have now left. Because they gave them three options: either they pay money, or they become Muslim or they leave Mosul. Then the Islamic State people erected checkpoints on the way out of town where they took all our money and gold and everything. The Christians all left Mosul without any money, gold or anything, only the clothes they were wearing.
I feel we have no hope for the future, because we are getting no help in resolving our future. We need homes and schools for our children - or else we need to leave this country.
Since 2003, this is the fourth migration for the Christians in Mosul. At 2-3 year intervals they have killed families or kidnapped someone or destroyed a church. Each time we left Mosul and afterwards returned to our homes and work. But now we can’t return. It is impossible.....
