07.02.2017 Views

February 2017 Persecution Magazine (2 of 4)

Create successful ePaper yourself

Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.

WWW.PERSECUTION.ORG<br />

FEBRUARY <strong>2017</strong><br />

PERSECU ION<br />

COOKED!<br />

Turkey’s Islamist President<br />

Puts the Final Nail in<br />

the C<strong>of</strong>fin <strong>of</strong> 100 Years <strong>of</strong><br />

Democracy<br />

PERSECU ION.org<br />

INTERNATIONAL CHRISTIAN CONCERN


ICC Exclusive<br />

An Uncertain<br />

Future for<br />

Iraq’s Christians<br />

As ISIS is pushed back by coalition forces, many Christians are left<br />

looking towards a complex and uncertain future.<br />

By William Stark<br />

I<br />

was living with my husband and two<br />

sons when ISIS attacked Qeraqosh.<br />

We were lucky as we had sent our<br />

daughter out <strong>of</strong> the village a week<br />

earlier to be with her aunt.”<br />

Sana’a was speaking <strong>of</strong> that fateful<br />

day in 2014 when ISIS militants<br />

began their assault on Christian towns<br />

and villages across the Nineveh Plain,<br />

the homeland <strong>of</strong> Iraq’s Christians, to<br />

establish their caliphate in northern Iraq.<br />

“Our house was far from the center <strong>of</strong> the<br />

city,” Sana’a explained. “That’s why we didn’t<br />

know that ISIS occupied our city and why we<br />

didn’t try to flee right away. After three days,<br />

we realized that ISIS occupied our town. We<br />

tried to hide in our house, but three armed men<br />

broke the lock on the gate and then knocked<br />

down the door when we didn’t reply to their<br />

knocking. That was when the most terrible<br />

period <strong>of</strong> my life started.”<br />

Immediately, the armed men took the<br />

“<br />

Christian family to a local mosque where<br />

other Christian families were also gathered.<br />

The Christian men and women were then<br />

separated by the armed men they soon discovered<br />

were ISIS militants.<br />

“They told us that they would be releasing<br />

the elderly women,” Sana’a continued. “When<br />

they started separating us, I realized that this was<br />

the last time that I would see my husband and<br />

two sons. I wish that they would have left my<br />

youngest son with me at least. But they didn’t.<br />

When they forced [the elderly women] to leave<br />

the mosque, my youngest son waved his hand<br />

at me, telling me not to leave. I can’t forget my<br />

son waving his hand. I didn’t have [a] choice.”<br />

Over 200,000 Christians were forced to<br />

flee their homes, becoming either internally<br />

displaced people (IDPs) in Kurdistan or refugees<br />

abroad.<br />

Since ISIS captured international headlines<br />

over two years ago, many have questioned<br />

what the future holds for Iraq’s Christians.<br />

Often, this gets broken down into a simple<br />

dichotomy. Will the violence unleashed by<br />

ISIS cause Iraqi Christians to fade into the<br />

pages <strong>of</strong> history or will Iraqi Christians, now<br />

more visible on an international level, rebuild<br />

the towns and villages devastated by ISIS?<br />

Unfortunately, both the questions and the<br />

answers surrounding the uncertain future <strong>of</strong><br />

Iraq’s Christians are likely more complex.<br />

Despite its complexity, the future <strong>of</strong> Christianity<br />

in Iraq is one <strong>of</strong> the most important issues that<br />

must be answered for the Church today.<br />

Life as an IDP<br />

Truly, no one will be able to detail the full<br />

suffering endured by Christians during the<br />

initial stages <strong>of</strong> the crisis. Many were faced<br />

with life or death decisions, like Sana’a and<br />

her family, and were forced into IDP camps<br />

spread across northern Iraq.<br />

Those who were displaced were totally<br />

2 PERSECU ION.org<br />

FEBRUARY <strong>2017</strong><br />

INTERNATIONAL CHRISTIAN CONCERN


Hundreds <strong>of</strong> thousands <strong>of</strong> Iraqis have been displaced by ISIS; many Christian communities were afraid to move into IDP camps because<br />

<strong>of</strong> safety concerns, so they chose to live in tents on church properties or move into half-finished construction sites as seen above.<br />

dependent on aid from both the international<br />

community and local churches. The numbers<br />

<strong>of</strong> internal refugees were massive and little<br />

attention could be given beyond meeting their<br />

needs beyond basic survival.<br />

“After more than two years <strong>of</strong> displacement,<br />

we have noticed a difference in<br />

Christians’ situation,” Rabea Soran, an IDP<br />

camp manager in Erbil, told ICC. “Still, the<br />

situation doesn’t meet the minimum requirement<br />

<strong>of</strong> a suitable life.”<br />

“I can remember how Christians lived here<br />

PERSECU ION.org<br />

INTERNATIONAL CHRISTIAN CONCERN<br />

and there and everywhere in parks for several<br />

months,” Soran recalled. “Some <strong>of</strong> them were<br />

able to move to caravans, others to unfinished<br />

buildings during the first year.”<br />

Despite sheltering in Erbil for two years,<br />

many Christians still struggled to meet basic<br />

needs. “Christians couldn’t find good jobs in<br />

Kurdistan to support their families because the<br />

government was already overloaded because<br />

<strong>of</strong> the war,” Soran explained. “Also, the <strong>of</strong>ficial<br />

language here is Kurdish and no one speaks it,<br />

so it’s hard for Christian IDPs to communicate.”<br />

“Most Christian IDPs are completely<br />

dependent on the aid they get from churches<br />

and non-pr<strong>of</strong>its,” Soran continued. While<br />

that’s painful, their most haunting question<br />

is when and how they can get back to their<br />

homes and what life will be like after ISIS.<br />

A Fighter’s Perspective<br />

As many Christian IDPs look with uncertainty<br />

towards the future, there are some among<br />

them who are taking action in order to secure<br />

3


The entrance to a church ransacked by ISIS in Qeraqosh.<br />

their own vision <strong>of</strong> that uncertain future.<br />

Last October, the long anticipated operation<br />

to liberate Mosul and the other areas occupied<br />

by ISIS began. Christian militants among<br />

the IDPs participated in the operations that<br />

ultimately recaptured many <strong>of</strong> the homes and<br />

businesses formally seized by ISIS.<br />

“We attacked Qeraqsoh with the Iraqi army<br />

and Christian [militia] NPU,” Habib, a member<br />

<strong>of</strong> the Nineveh Plains Protection Units<br />

(NPU), told ICC. “ISIS didn’t put up much<br />

resistance and everyone thought that Qeraqosh<br />

had been recaptured.”<br />

“An experienced general commanded us to<br />

withdraw from part <strong>of</strong> Qeraqosh and saved<br />

many lives because ISIS started a heavy attack<br />

that night,” Habib said. “At 10:00 p.m., ISIS<br />

fighters started attacking from tunnels we<br />

discovered. These tunnels lead to Mosul. ISIS<br />

must have asked for support from Mosul and<br />

that’s why they didn’t resist at the beginning.<br />

The length <strong>of</strong> tunnel was 27 kilometers.”<br />

When the operation to liberate Mosul and<br />

the surrounding areas began, Christian militias<br />

insisted on participating in the fight, Habib<br />

explained to ICC. “After what happened in<br />

2003, both the Shia and Sunni Muslims and<br />

even the Kurds created their own militias. The<br />

Christians didn’t though. They had neither<br />

the arms or the political vision. There was<br />

no Christian militia until ISIS devastated the<br />

Christian villages, and then the Christian militias<br />

formed,” Habib said.<br />

Early in the morning <strong>of</strong> May 3, 2016, ISIS<br />

fighters launched a heavy attack on Telskuf,<br />

a Christian village near Alqosh, where Habib<br />

and other Christian militias were stationed.<br />

Similar to other Christian villages in the<br />

Nineveh Plain, Telskuf residents had deserted<br />

the village in the summer <strong>of</strong> 2014 when ISIS<br />

swept through the region. In late 2014, ISIS<br />

forces withdrew from the village, which was<br />

recaptured by the Kurdish Peshmerga and,<br />

more recently, guarded by Christian militias.<br />

“We were able to prove ourselves as<br />

Christian forces when ISIS attacked Telskuf,”<br />

Habib told ICC. “I saw that Christian women<br />

were kidnapped and no one hurried to help.<br />

“Most Christian<br />

IDPs are completely<br />

dependent on the<br />

aid they get from<br />

churches and nonpr<strong>of</strong>its.”<br />

– RABEA SORAN, IDP CAMP MANAGER<br />

IN ERBIL<br />

ISIS took everything and no one was able<br />

to push them back far from our families,<br />

region and belongings. That’s why I joined the<br />

Christian forces.”<br />

When asked about what the future holds for<br />

Iraq’s Christians, Habib explained that there is<br />

wide disagreement over what’s next. “Many<br />

say they will not go back without guarantees<br />

and restitution,” Habib said. “More than 60<br />

percent <strong>of</strong> homes are destroyed and burnt. My<br />

parents had nine homes; seven <strong>of</strong> them are<br />

destroyed.”<br />

For Habib, who has already risked his life to<br />

push back ISIS, the future is much clearer. “As<br />

soon as the government provides clean water<br />

and electricity in Qeraqosh, I will be living<br />

there again,” Habib stated with confidence.<br />

“Most people will not be doing the same.”<br />

A Community Destroyed<br />

Weeks after Qeraqosh was secured in<br />

October 2016, many displaced Christians<br />

began visiting the area once considered Iraq’s<br />

largest Christian town. Curious to see what<br />

remained, many were devastated to discover<br />

that they had lost everything. From homes,<br />

to places <strong>of</strong> worship, to vehicles, everything<br />

in Qeraqosh has been marred by ISIS and the<br />

battle to drive them out.<br />

For many Christian IDPs, the prospect <strong>of</strong><br />

4 PERSECU ION.org<br />

FEBRUARY <strong>2017</strong><br />

INTERNATIONAL CHRISTIAN CONCERN


“Our country is like<br />

this for Christians...<br />

It’s hard to live, it’s<br />

hard to leave and you<br />

don’t have any other<br />

comfortable choice.”<br />

– RAMI HEKMAT, CHRISTIAN RESIDENT<br />

OF QERAQOSH<br />

returning to these homes and trying to rebuild<br />

their communities in Iraq looks to be a daunting<br />

task. Furthermore, the Christian community <strong>of</strong><br />

many villages will forever be changed by the<br />

fact that many Christians fled Iraq as refugees.<br />

“I am happy that my two brothers arrived in<br />

Germany with their families because they went<br />

through the sea,” Rami Hekmat, a 28-year-old<br />

Christian from Qeraqosh, told ICC. “But at<br />

the same time, life will not be the same if my<br />

family goes back to Qeraqosh. I used to work<br />

with my brothers for many years, but because<br />

<strong>of</strong> ISIS they left. Moving back to Qeraqosh<br />

will never be the same.”<br />

“Our country is like this for Christians,”<br />

Hekmat concluded to ICC. “It’s hard to live,<br />

it’s hard to leave and you don’t have any other<br />

comfortable choice.”<br />

An Uncertain Leadership<br />

Even among the Christian leadership <strong>of</strong><br />

Iraq, there is uncertainty over what the future<br />

holds for their community.<br />

“Sure, we don’t want Christians to leave<br />

the country,” Archbishop Nicodemus, the<br />

Syriac-Orthodox Bishop <strong>of</strong> Mosul, told ICC.<br />

“Because immigration is another type <strong>of</strong><br />

death. It’s an unknown fate.”<br />

“We want Christians to stay, but only if they<br />

are given dignity.” Nicodemus continued. “In<br />

many ways, we are strangers in our homeland.<br />

We are minorities in this country, we have<br />

been killed and we have been robbed here.”<br />

“No one is sure what the future for<br />

Christians in Iraq is,” Pastor Malath <strong>of</strong><br />

Alliance International Church in Erbil simply<br />

told ICC.<br />

As Iraq’s Christians face this complex<br />

and uncertain future, ICC is committed to<br />

supporting this devastated community. To<br />

date, ICC has spent hundreds <strong>of</strong> thousands<br />

<strong>of</strong> dollars providing relief for those displaced<br />

and affected by ISIS. Looking forward, ICC<br />

will remain committed to helping rebuild<br />

the Christian communities <strong>of</strong> northern Iraq.<br />

Whether it be rebuilding homes, repairing<br />

churches, or restarting businesses, ICC is<br />

prepared to stand as one body with these<br />

Christian brothers and sisters.<br />

PERSECU ION.org<br />

INTERNATIONAL CHRISTIAN CONCERN<br />

Top: These Christians displaced by ISIS violence chose to live outside <strong>of</strong> IDP camps in a<br />

construction site that became an un<strong>of</strong>ficial Christian IDP camp.<br />

Middle: ICC staff follows a member <strong>of</strong> the liberation militia into one <strong>of</strong> the many tunnels<br />

ISIS dug throughout Qeraqosh.<br />

Bottom: Shops and businesses along a main street in Qeraqosh were burned by ISIS as they<br />

pulled out <strong>of</strong> the city. ISIS has left scars that will take many years to heal and rebuild.<br />

5


ICC’S<br />

THE BRIDGE<br />

THE ANNUAL CONFERENCE ON THE PERSECUTED CHURCH<br />

THE CHURCH, GOVERNMENT LEADERS, & NGOS<br />

UNITING TO BREAK THE CHAINS OF THE PERSECUTED<br />

MAY/JUNE <strong>2017</strong> - TBD<br />

Breaking the Chains <strong>of</strong><br />

North Korea<br />

At Saddleback Church<br />

Los Angeles, CA<br />

www.thepersecutionconference.org<br />

www.thepersecutionconference.org


“Imagine what the Church could do if it tore down<br />

the denominational, ideological, and societal fences<br />

that separate us. Imagine if the Church, leaders <strong>of</strong> the<br />

US government, and ministry leaders came together in<br />

unity against the persecutors with prayer and action.<br />

The Word tells us that the Lord commands a blessing<br />

where there is unity. In unity, we shall do what none<br />

<strong>of</strong> us could do separately. Together, we will tear<br />

down the gates <strong>of</strong> hell and break the chains<br />

to set the prisoners free.”<br />

Jeff King<br />

President<br />

ICC<br />

The Bridge is an annual<br />

conference for the persecuted<br />

Church where the Church, government<br />

leaders, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and<br />

ministries unite to break the chains <strong>of</strong> the persecuted.<br />

Join us at Saddleback Church in Los Angeles for<br />

The Bridge <strong>2017</strong>: NK-LA.<br />

For the latest info, visit:<br />

www.thepersecutionconference.org<br />

PERSECU ION.org<br />

INTERNATIONAL CHRISTIAN CONCERN<br />

7


You Can Help Today!<br />

PERSECU ION.org<br />

INTERNATIONAL CHRISTIAN CONCERN<br />

SEND DONATIONS TO:<br />

ICC<br />

PO BOX 8056<br />

SILVER SPRING, MD 20907<br />

OR ONLINE AT<br />

WWW.PERSECUTION.ORG<br />

OR BY PHONE<br />

800-ICC-5441<br />

GIVING TO ICC VIA<br />

YOUR WILL<br />

Provide now for a future gift to ICC<br />

by including a bequest provision in<br />

your will or revocable trust. If you<br />

would like more information on giving<br />

to ICC in this way, please give<br />

us a call at 1-800-ICC-5441.<br />

Black scorch marks<br />

cover a door <strong>of</strong> what<br />

was once a church<br />

in Qeraqosh, Iraq<br />

that ISIS burned as<br />

they were forced out.<br />

Keep Iraqi Christians<br />

in prayer during and<br />

after the battle for<br />

Mosul, Iraq.<br />

© Copyright <strong>2017</strong> ICC, Washington, D.C., USA.<br />

All rights reserved. Permission to reproduce all<br />

or part <strong>of</strong> this publication is granted provided<br />

attribution is given to ICC as the source.<br />

International Christian Concern (ICC) is a nonpr<strong>of</strong>it 501(c)(3) (all donations tax-deductible).<br />

ICC makes every effort to honor donor wishes in regards to gifts. Occasionally, situations<br />

arise where a project is no longer viable. ICC will then redirect those donated funds to the<br />

fund most similar to the donor’s original wishes. ICC uses 7.5 percent <strong>of</strong> each restricted<br />

donation to carry out the mission <strong>of</strong> its segregated funds.<br />

facebook.com/persecuted<br />

@persecutionnews

Hooray! Your file is uploaded and ready to be published.

Saved successfully!

Ooh no, something went wrong!