THE
P RTAL
October 2018
Page 20
Aid to the Church in Need
Christians in Iraq:
“They shall rebuild the ruined cities and inhabit them” (Amos 9:14)
Murcadha O’Flaherty reports
A
lthough they will never forget the destruction that Daesh (ISIS) brought to their towns
and villages in Iraq, the Christians are committed to rebuilding their lives and damaged homes in the
Nineveh Plains. Speaking of the suffering Christians endured at the hands of the Islamist extremists, 63-year-
old Musa told catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need: “I will never forget what Daesh did to us.” The
approaching militants forced him to flee his home in Qaraqosh city in the middle of the night with his wife
and six children and seek refuge in Erbil in August 2014. Until that night, it had been the largest Christian
city in Iraq. Their home remained under Daesh control for nearly three years.
Musa and his family lived on the
streets of Erbil and slept rough for the
first few days. Although 120,000 refugee
Christians arrived in a short space
of time, the local church managed to
find temporary shelter from them in a
classroom with 25 other refugees. For
the next few years they shared a small
flat with another family. Although Musa
was a car mechanic, he could not find
any work in Ozal City, a settlement near
Erbil. His wife worked as a teacher of
Aramaic, but her wages were very low.
Because many families could not afford
the rent on their own, Aid to the Church
in Need assisted thousands of Christian families like
Musa’s by paying the rent.
Musa and his daughter, Miray back in their home in Qaraqosh
but without houses to live in, everything is nothing.”
Fortunately, in Musa’s house the damage was not great,
although windows and doors had to be replaced and
Returning to his looted and damaged home in the rooms repainted. His family replaced the furniture
November 2017, Musa said, “I was shocked when themselves. With the house habitable again, Musa said,
I saw our city again for the first time. So much was “I am deeply grateful to the benefactors for their help.
destroyed. It was particularly devastating to find our We would not have been able to return home without
house completely empty. Everything had been stolen.” their help.”
With many other families struggling to rebuild their
Musa’s daughter, Miray, had her medical studies
community, he added, “As difficult as it is here, anyone
who comes from Qaraqosh, as my ancestors and I do, disrupted by Daesh’s arrival in 2014, but she was able
to resume them in Erbil. Despite setbacks, she remains
will always come back here.”
thankful for the community spirit she experience
Through the Nineveh Reconstruction Centre, ACN during her time in exile. She said, “I thanked God that
is helping Christians return home to Qaraqosh. the people opened up to one another. Before, it was
Overseeing the technical aspects is 60-year-old all about material things - larger houses, more money.
engineer Sabah Zakaria, he said, “When I first came I hope that the people have realised that life is about
back in March of 2017 after Qaraqosh was liberated, more than that.” Now working as a nurse at the local
everything was either destroyed or damaged. That hospital, she added, “I felt very clearly that God was
was very, very sad to see. But even then it was clear to with us.”
me that the damage could be repaired.” With families
Aid to the Church in Need - www.acnuk.org
returning, he added, “It is a huge joy to see our beautiful
contact: [email protected] or call 020 8642 8668
city come to life again. Houses are not everything,