Life for Christians in Iraq is uncertain. Though many have returned to their homes in the Nineveh Plains, in other towns families have once again been forced to flee violence – this time due to clashes between the Iraqi
Christians and other minorities in Iraq need a voice if they are to stay in their homelands. Hope for the Middle East is a seven-year campaign, uniting the global church to ensure every person in the Middle East – no matter what their faith – has a home, a future and a voice.
Life for Christians in Iraq is uncertain. Though many have returned to their homes in the Nineveh Plains, in other towns families have once again been forced to flee violence – this time due to clashes between the Iraqi and Kurdish forces. And conflicting news on the ground is leading to even more uncertainty.
But according to local church leader Poulos, the Christian community is ‘used to this situation’, having witnessed many wars and conflicts. And they are resilient. “Despite the uncertainties, most people would rather be at home than still displaced and living in camps,” he says.
Over the last couple of weeks, fighting between Iraqi and Kurdish forces in predominantly-Christian towns in the Nineveh Plains has caused families to flee their homes. An estimated 900 families left the towns of Bakufa, Batnaya and Telskuf on Wednesday (25 October), moving further north to villages around Al Qosh.
“This is a huge drawback and disappointment for the whole Christian community,” said a spokesperson for Open Doors. “During the time of displacement, Open Doors had supported a refugee camp through a local partner. Over the past months the camp had emptied down to only two families living there still. Now all the 40 caravans are filled again with families from those three villages that were hit.”
Two boys were injured in the attack. It is not known how serious their condition is. “That two children of only 12 and 14 got wounded by this eruption of violence is making an especially deep impression on the Christians,” said Open Doors spokesperson. “We pray they will be okay.”
The recent Kurdish independence referendum has brought more uncertainty to the Nineveh Plains, which is a disputed area. Christians are again living in fear of violence and the possibility of civil war, which could further drain the region of Christians.
The Open Doors spokesperson added that the latest fighting was ‘all the more disappointing because the Kurds have said they will freeze the results of the referendum and start dialogue to prevent it ending up in a war’.
Amazingly, despite the instability in Iraq, Mosul University’s first academic year since the city’s hard-fought liberation has started – and around 30 Christians have resumed their studies. Buses are now ferrying students from Erbil to Mosul each day. Two minibuses are even running from Bartella, a village receiving support from Open Doors partners, transporting 29 students to University.
Nearby, four girls have moved to the village of Karamles and are receiving education in Mosul, thanks to the help of Open Doors partner, church leader Thabet. “They asked me if the church of Karamles could help in providing a house where they could stay while going to Mosul to continue their education,” he said.
Thabet is pleased to see Christian students returning to Mosul, especially as many Christians do not wish to return due to security concerns. While he recognises their hesitation, he would like to see more of a Christian presence in the city: “If I receive permission, I would like to go and hold a service or a prayer meeting in one of the churches in Mosul.”
Despite all the instability, hundreds of families are still returning to the Nineveh Plains, where more homes are being rebuilt each day. In Bartella, 11 schools are waiting to reopen and families have been registering their children in anticipation. One teacher said told us, “There is one school in another village close to Bartella. The children are all Muslims, but the staff are all Christians. The school wasn’t damaged, so the team went back to teach there. ‘Wow, you returned to us?’ they said. They had doubted that the teachers would return there after all that the so-called Islamic State had done.”
The news from Iraq is mixed. Stories of hope and resilience are intertwined with further security concerns and disappointments. Church leaders are determined to stay and rebuild their communities, but experts are warning that more violence could drive the last of the Christians out of the region.
That’s why Open Doors has launched the Hope for the Middle East petition – calling upon governments around the world and the UN to ensure that Christians and other minorities enjoy the right to equal citizenship, dignified living conditions and a prominent role in reconciling and rebuilding society.
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