QARAQOSH / IRBIL / MEXICO CITY: On a recent afternoon, Salah Hadi applied a coat of cement on a large ceramic slab and carefully pressed it into place. The home of the 51-year-old man in the northern Iraqi city of Qaraqosh is still black with soot after he knocked down Daesh militants in 2014. But with long ancestral ties to the city, Hadi wants to destroy the repair.
“I came back to Qaraqosh in 2017 after the war was over,” Hadi told Arab News as he stepped back to make sure the new tiles were level. “The city was full of debris and destruction. There were remnants of war. Most of the houses were set on fire. “
The arrival of Pope Francis has given the Christian people of the ruler of Nineveh an opportunity for spiritual renewal, but also a moment for a sad reflection on recent events.
“The Daesh period was a time of pain and hardship,” Hadi said. “Every community in Iraq was hurt by the Daesh attack.” What happened at the time of Daesh was sad, but it must be told. “
Nawyiyl Al-Qisitawmana, the priest at St. The Syrian Catholic Church of John the Baptist in Qaraqosh, says the attack of Daesh could have been avoided if the government had protected them. (Mahamad Ameen Abdul Al-Jawad)
On August 6-7, 2014, Daesh militants stormed Qaraqosh, exterminating the city’s 45,000 Christians, tearing up crosses, burning ancient texts and undermining its valuable religious architecture, including Church of the Concept without Thought, which Daesh turned into a burning realm.
A month earlier, the militants had taken control of nearby Mosul and declared their self-styled caliphate the de-facto capital. Daesh went on to capture the ancestral homes of the ethno-religious minorities in Iraq, including Yazidi’s home country of Sinjar.
Those who could not escape the group’s electronic progress had to turn to its warm explanation of Islam or be put to death. Others were sold as slaves.
Since the U.S.-led invasion in 2003, Iraq’s Christian population had fallen from about 1.5 million to about 350,000-450,000 in 2014. With many now choosing to flee abroad, the their numbers have declined further.
With his wife and three stranded children, Hadi escaped the attack to the nearby city of Irbil, the capital of the semi-independent Kurdistan region of Iraq. After a short stay with the family, they moved to a mobile camp at a local church in Ankawa, a Christian district in the north of the city.
“Some families were late to leave. Daesh took them to Mosul, ”Hadi said. “We thought it would only last a few days and we would be back in our home. But it was much longer. “
Hadi’s neighbor, Sharabil Noah, also fled to Irbil to escape the attack of Daesh. There he and his family rented a house until they felt it was safe enough to return.
“We didn’t take our belongings when we left. We thought it would be just a few days and we would be back home, ”the 52-year-old told Arab News, a large cross hanging on the living room wall above his head.
“When we returned, the city was destroyed. It was a ghost town full of stray dogs. There was no water, no electricity, no infrastructure. It’s all gone. “
Salah Hadi wants to rebuild his home in the city where his family has lived for generations. (Mahamad Ameen Abdul Al-Jawad)
Although he has struggled to find work, Noah wants to rebuild his life in Qaraqosh. “This is the land of our ancestors. We will not leave him, ”he said.
There is a deep sense of bitterness among many Iraqi Christians who believe that the government in Baghdad had neglected them, allowed sectarian hatred to gather, and abandoned them to the audacity at the hands of Daesh.
“What happened in 2014 could have been avoided if there had been real protection from the government,” said Father Nawyiyl Al-Qisitawmana, the pastor at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Qaraqosh told Arab News. A large wall of Francis takes pride in the nave of the church, blue sky.
“Iraq has suffered from wars for many years, especially during the time of Al-Qaeda and Daesh. Muslims, Christians, Yazidis and Sabeans are all harassed in Iraq, ”said the 70-year-old.
“The pope’s visit will direct the world’s attention to Iraq. The world will know what happened in Iraq when the pope visits the places destroyed by Daesh.
“The world will feel the suffering of the Iraqis.” This visit will bring hope to all Iraqis, not just Christians. The pope is visiting the people of Iraq to encourage them to stay in Iraq and live in peace and freedom. ”
Sharabi Noah, who wants to rebuild his life in Qaraqosh. (Mahamad Ameen Abdul Al-Jawad)
Francis was expected to arrive in Irbil on Sunday before making his helicopter journey to Mosul. There he planned to pray in the Square of the Four Churches – Syro-Catholic, Syrian Orthodox, Armenian Orthodox and Caldean – to honor the victims of Daesh and the fierce battle to reclaim the city.
Before returning to Irbil, to hold a mass at the Franso Hariri Stadium, Francis was expected to stop at Qaraqosh. Well before he visited, the streets were decorated with flags welcoming him.
“A visit with the pope is always great for any country, but here it is more special,” Joseph Hanna, who is part of the local committee that receives the pope, told Arab News.
“It’s not just about rebuilding. The pope ‘s visit to the Christian denominations represents moral support for the people and is a great testament to the fact that life is beginning to return. “
Hanna, 45, was particularly pleased to see Francis visit Najaf to meet Grand Ayatollah Ali Al-Sistani, the spiritual leader of Iraqi Shiite Muslims – the first face-to-face meeting between a Catholic pontiff and a Shiite ayatollah. “I think it’s a great message of peace and harmony,” he said.
Indeed, a demonstration of intimacy from Al-Sistani could now provide some measure of protection for persecuted Christians from Shiite militias that have frightened Christian families and prevented many from returning home.
A member of the Nineveh Plain Defense Units (NPU), a small Christian militia charged with defending the predominantly Christian city of Qaraqosh, returns to his uncle’s home in the city in 2017. (AFP / Photo File)
Noah wants security guarantees to prevent further persecution. “I would like to have an international defense here that assures Christians that they can live here, where their rights are granted and where Christians who have left are allowed to return,” he said.
“The pope’s visit lifts the spirit of Christians in Iraq and tells them that there are people who care for them out there. I hope this visit will strengthen the relationships between the communities here. “
With the help of aid agencies, life is returning to normal in Qaraqosh. Hadi, for one, is confident that better times lie ahead. “It’s sad what happened to Iraq,” he said, building more cement by using a trowel to lay another tile. “We need to stand together and be united in this country, so that we can rebuild.”
There is a clear realization that the period of sectarian conflict that has plagued Iraq since 2003 has passed and that the country can only move forward if it embraces the multi – confessed identity.
“Daesh feels like a distant memory that’s gone now,” Hadi said, shaking his hands. “We forgot about them.” It’s over. “