Image: Will this refugee girl be able to return home? Christians and other minorities who had to flee Mosul are currently considering whether they can go home.
So far, the number of refugees from Mosul as a result of the ongoing offensive is limited. Fighting around the city has so far been limited and the coalition has seen the Islamic State lose momentum and retreat.
This is of course good news for Christians and other minorities who had to flee the Islamic State, but the question is whether all the displaced Christians and other minorities can actually return. Many Christians owned houses in Mosul, but can they live in them again, have others taken over their houses or have the jihadists destroyed them?
Many Christians owned houses in Mosul, but can they live in them again, have others taken over their houses or have the jihadists destroyed them?
It's questions like these that preoccupy many Iraqi Christians these days. If they come from Christian villages or Christian neighborhoods in major cities like Mosul or Qaraqosh, they are likely to be able to return, but if they come from areas where the inhabitants were mixed, they are less likely.
In such areas, Christian homeowners may have deeds to their properties, but will the police and courts be fair and ensure that the houses are occupied by their rightful owners? Corruption is rife in Iraq's police and judiciary, and in recent years there have unfortunately been many examples of property of Christians who have left the country being illegally taken over by others without the authorities intervening.
Some Christians from mixed areas are disappointed with their former Sunni neighbors. They seemed to coexist peacefully, but when ISIS forces took the city, their Sunni neighbors often sided with ISIS. They did not defend their Christian neighbors, but abandoned them. In such areas, some Christians find it a great challenge to try to re-engage with people they feel have abandoned them.
Some Christians will therefore try to stay in Kurdistan, the northeastern Kurdish-controlled part of Iraq, which has welcomed them and given them security. For some families, this is not the first time they have had to flee and settle in a new place in Iraq. For some, it's up to the third or fourth time in the last 30 years due to the various wars that have ravaged Iraq. Therefore, the current situation is not unfamiliar to them.
The Christians in Iraq therefore need our prayers, just as we can pray that Iraq's courts, police and other authorities will ensure justice for all its citizens. And perhaps, despite the persecution they have suffered, Christians, with the Bible's message of forgiveness and reconciliation, can help rebuild the divided and war-torn country.
You can help the displaced in Iraq
Want to lend a helping hand to those in need in Iraq? The lack of basic necessities is enormous. In children, there are signs of malnutrition.
- On average, it costs around 150 DKK to provide a refugee family with water, food, kitchenware, hygiene items and medicine for a week.
- On average, it costs around DKK 652 to ensure that a refugee family has water, food, kitchenware, hygiene items and medicine for a month.
Because of your support, people are getting food and medicine, clothing and whatever else they need. In addition, society will see that at a time like this, Christians are making a very positive contribution in Iraq - and that the Christians that the Islamic State is trying to eradicate are very much needed.
Thank you for providing relief to Iraqi Christians and enabling them to help their fellow human beings in need.
