Iraqi Christians return to ransacked town with fear and hope
A wall damaged by bullets fired by Islamic State militants is seen inside a church yard in the town of Qaraqosh, south of Mosul, Iraq, April 12, 2017. REUTERS/Marko Djurica
Report Ad
Qaraqosh (Reuters) With Islamic State expelled, Iraqi Christians are trickling back to the ransacked town of Qaraqosh, beset by anxiety for their security and yet hopeful they can live in friendship with Muslims of all persuasions.
The town, about 20 km (12 miles) from the battlefront with Islamic State in the northern city of Mosul, shows why Christians have mixed feelings about the future of their ancient community.
In the desecrated churches of Qaraqosh, Christians are busy removing graffiti daubed by the Sunni Muslim militants during two and a half years of control – only for new slogans to have appeared, scrawled by Shi’ite members of the Iraqi forces fighting street to street with the jihadists in Mosul.
But nearby a shopkeeper is doing a brisk trade selling Dutch beer, Greek ouzo and several whisky brands to Christians, Sunnis, Shi’ites and Kurds alike, with this kind of commerce perhaps offering a glimpse of how Iraq’s fractured communities could again live together peacefully.
Encouraged by security checkpoints and patrols by a volunteer force, up to 10 Christian families have returned to what used to be the minority’s biggest community in Iraq until Islamic State seized it in 2014.
Iraqi forces pushed the group out of Qaraqosh in October, part of a six-month offensive to retake Mosul. But residents are worried that the Shi’ite slogans signal a new kind of sectarian division.
“Oh Hussein” is daubed in red on the wall of a church torched earlier by Islamic State, praising the hero of Shi’ite Muslims who was martyred 1,300 years ago.
“We are afraid of this, of tensions,” said Girgis Youssif, a church worker. “We want to live in peace and demand security,” said Youssif, who returned after fleeing to Erbil, about 60 km away in Iraqi Kurdistan.
Shi’ites in the Iraqi government forces and paramilitary groups, mostly from further south in the country, have scribbled such slogans on buildings all over Mosul too.
Soldiers have also hoisted the flag of Ali in the city and on their on military vehicles. Shi’ites regard Ali, the son-in-law of the Prophet Mohammed, and the prophet’s grandson Hussein as his true successors.
Two Shi’ite flags also fly over Qaraqosh.
Most Sunnis, who are the dominant community in Mosul, have shrugged off the Shi’ite slogans as the work of a handful of religious zealots but Christians take them as a signal that their future remains uncertain.
“Of course we are afraid of such signs,” said Matti Yashou Hatti, a photographer who still lives in Erbil with his family. “We need international protection.”
Those families who have returned to Qaraqosh – once home to 50,000 people – are trying to revive Christian life dating back two millennia. However, most stay only two or three days at a time to refurbish their looted and burnt homes.
“We want to come back but there is no water and power,” said Mazam Nesin, a Christian who works for a volunteer force based in Qaraqosh but has left his family behind in Erbil.
By contrast, displaced Muslims have been flocking back to markets in eastern Mosul since Islamic State’s ejection from that part of the city, despite the battle raging in the Old City across the Tigris river which is the militants’ last stronghold.
ALCOHOL SHOP
Numbers of Christians in Iraq have fallen from 1.5 million to a few hundred thousand since the violence which followed the 2003 toppling of Saddam Hussein. Many Baghdad residents who could not afford to go abroad went to Qaraqosh and other northern towns where security used to be better than in the capital, rocked by sectarian warfare after the U.S.-led invasion.
But with the arrival of Islamic State, residents abandoned their homes with some applying for asylum in Europe. Germany alone took in 130,000 Iraqis, among them many Christians, in 2015 and 2016. But most ended up in Erbil with relatives or in homes paid for by aid agencies.
Supermarkets and restaurants remain closed in Qaraqosh, with windows smashed and burnt furniture strewn across floors.
One of the few businesses to have reopened is Steve Ibrahim’s alcohol shop in the town center; in the absence of cafes it has become a meeting point for local people. “Business has been good so far. Everybody comes here to stock up,” said Ibrahim, who has just reopened the store with his father.
They lost everything when Islamic State, known by its enemies as Daesh, wrecked their business. Now they have invested about $400 to refurbish the shop – new tiles shine on the walls – and customers are coming from beyond the town and from across the communities.
“I sell drinks to Christians and Muslims alike,” he said. “Many people come from Mosul or other towns.”
ALSO IN WORLD NEWS
China says North Korea tension has to be stopped from reaching ‘irreversible’ stage
U.S.’mother of all bombs’ killed 36 Islamic State militants in Afghanistan
Many of Ibrahim’s customers ignore Islam’s forbidding of alcohol consumption. While he was talking, a Sunni Muslim from eastern Mosul drove up to buy a bottle of whisky and four cans of beer, packed in a black plastic bag to hide his purchase from the eyes of more religiously observant Muslims.
“You couldn’t drink during Daesh. I am glad this shop is open again,” said the man who gave his name only as Mohammed, shaking hands with Christians enjoying an afternoon beer. “I still only drink at home.”
Later a Shi’ite from a village south of Mosul arrived to pick up drinks. “I come here twice a week. It’s the only shop in the area,” he said, asking not to be named, before driving off.
Even Ibrahim comes every day from Erbil, bringing by car supplies and fuel for the generator to power the fridges filled with cold beer. Then he drives back at night.
Whether more Christians can live permanently in Qaraqosh depends on whether the security forces win their trust.
Army and police have tried to ease fears by stationing soldiers in front of churches, and even helping Christian volunteers to set up a massive cross at the town’s entrance.
On Palm Sunday last weekend, soldiers escorted a procession in preparation for Easter, Christianity’s most important festival, and provided chairs for worshippers during Mass.
Some Christian policemen joined in, singing “Hallelujah” with civilians. But walking along rows of burnt out homes and supermarkets, others were still afraid.
“The security measures are not sufficient,” said Hatti, the photographer. “We want security to surround the town.”
A wall damaged by bullets fired by Islamic State militants is seen inside a church yard in the town of Qaraqosh, south of Mosul, Iraq, April 12, 2017. REUTERS/Marko Djurica
Report Ad
Qaraqosh (Reuters) With Islamic State expelled, Iraqi Christians are trickling back to the ransacked town of Qaraqosh, beset by anxiety for their security and yet hopeful they can live in friendship with Muslims of all persuasions.
The town, about 20 km (12 miles) from the battlefront with Islamic State in the northern city of Mosul, shows why Christians have mixed feelings about the future of their ancient community.
In the desecrated churches of Qaraqosh, Christians are busy removing graffiti daubed by the Sunni Muslim militants during two and a half years of control – only for new slogans to have appeared, scrawled by Shi’ite members of the Iraqi forces fighting street to street with the jihadists in Mosul.
But nearby a shopkeeper is doing a brisk trade selling Dutch beer, Greek ouzo and several whisky brands to Christians, Sunnis, Shi’ites and Kurds alike, with this kind of commerce perhaps offering a glimpse of how Iraq’s fractured communities could again live together peacefully.
Encouraged by security checkpoints and patrols by a volunteer force, up to 10 Christian families have returned to what used to be the minority’s biggest community in Iraq until Islamic State seized it in 2014.
Iraqi forces pushed the group out of Qaraqosh in October, part of a six-month offensive to retake Mosul. But residents are worried that the Shi’ite slogans signal a new kind of sectarian division.
“Oh Hussein” is daubed in red on the wall of a church torched earlier by Islamic State, praising the hero of Shi’ite Muslims who was martyred 1,300 years ago.
“We are afraid of this, of tensions,” said Girgis Youssif, a church worker. “We want to live in peace and demand security,” said Youssif, who returned after fleeing to Erbil, about 60 km away in Iraqi Kurdistan.
Shi’ites in the Iraqi government forces and paramilitary groups, mostly from further south in the country, have scribbled such slogans on buildings all over Mosul too.
Soldiers have also hoisted the flag of Ali in the city and on their on military vehicles. Shi’ites regard Ali, the son-in-law of the Prophet Mohammed, and the prophet’s grandson Hussein as his true successors.
Two Shi’ite flags also fly over Qaraqosh.
Most Sunnis, who are the dominant community in Mosul, have shrugged off the Shi’ite slogans as the work of a handful of religious zealots but Christians take them as a signal that their future remains uncertain.
“Of course we are afraid of such signs,” said Matti Yashou Hatti, a photographer who still lives in Erbil with his family. “We need international protection.”
Those families who have returned to Qaraqosh – once home to 50,000 people – are trying to revive Christian life dating back two millennia. However, most stay only two or three days at a time to refurbish their looted and burnt homes.
“We want to come back but there is no water and power,” said Mazam Nesin, a Christian who works for a volunteer force based in Qaraqosh but has left his family behind in Erbil.
By contrast, displaced Muslims have been flocking back to markets in eastern Mosul since Islamic State’s ejection from that part of the city, despite the battle raging in the Old City across the Tigris river which is the militants’ last stronghold.
ALCOHOL SHOP
Numbers of Christians in Iraq have fallen from 1.5 million to a few hundred thousand since the violence which followed the 2003 toppling of Saddam Hussein. Many Baghdad residents who could not afford to go abroad went to Qaraqosh and other northern towns where security used to be better than in the capital, rocked by sectarian warfare after the U.S.-led invasion.
But with the arrival of Islamic State, residents abandoned their homes with some applying for asylum in Europe. Germany alone took in 130,000 Iraqis, among them many Christians, in 2015 and 2016. But most ended up in Erbil with relatives or in homes paid for by aid agencies.
Supermarkets and restaurants remain closed in Qaraqosh, with windows smashed and burnt furniture strewn across floors.
One of the few businesses to have reopened is Steve Ibrahim’s alcohol shop in the town center; in the absence of cafes it has become a meeting point for local people. “Business has been good so far. Everybody comes here to stock up,” said Ibrahim, who has just reopened the store with his father.
They lost everything when Islamic State, known by its enemies as Daesh, wrecked their business. Now they have invested about $400 to refurbish the shop – new tiles shine on the walls – and customers are coming from beyond the town and from across the communities.
“I sell drinks to Christians and Muslims alike,” he said. “Many people come from Mosul or other towns.”
ALSO IN WORLD NEWS
China says North Korea tension has to be stopped from reaching ‘irreversible’ stage
U.S.’mother of all bombs’ killed 36 Islamic State militants in Afghanistan
Many of Ibrahim’s customers ignore Islam’s forbidding of alcohol consumption. While he was talking, a Sunni Muslim from eastern Mosul drove up to buy a bottle of whisky and four cans of beer, packed in a black plastic bag to hide his purchase from the eyes of more religiously observant Muslims.
“You couldn’t drink during Daesh. I am glad this shop is open again,” said the man who gave his name only as Mohammed, shaking hands with Christians enjoying an afternoon beer. “I still only drink at home.”
Later a Shi’ite from a village south of Mosul arrived to pick up drinks. “I come here twice a week. It’s the only shop in the area,” he said, asking not to be named, before driving off.
Even Ibrahim comes every day from Erbil, bringing by car supplies and fuel for the generator to power the fridges filled with cold beer. Then he drives back at night.
Whether more Christians can live permanently in Qaraqosh depends on whether the security forces win their trust.
Army and police have tried to ease fears by stationing soldiers in front of churches, and even helping Christian volunteers to set up a massive cross at the town’s entrance.
On Palm Sunday last weekend, soldiers escorted a procession in preparation for Easter, Christianity’s most important festival, and provided chairs for worshippers during Mass.
Some Christian policemen joined in, singing “Hallelujah” with civilians. But walking along rows of burnt out homes and supermarkets, others were still afraid.
“The security measures are not sufficient,” said Hatti, the photographer. “We want security to surround the town.”
Today at 5:15 am by Rocky
» utube 11/21/24 MM&C MM&C News Reporting-Global Trade-Best Route in World-Purchase Power-Justice-Cen
Today at 5:08 am by Rocky
» Koger: The budget schedules have not reached us yet, and we will start the sessions as soon as they
Today at 5:06 am by Rocky
» MP calls for activating China's Belt and Road Initiative economy
Today at 5:03 am by Rocky
» Al-Baldawi: Political will controls the fate of the ministerial amendment
Today at 5:02 am by Rocky
» Al-Lami: US bases in Iraq represent a military arsenal to protect the entity
Today at 5:01 am by Rocky
» Iraq sends "identical" messages to international and Arab parties regarding Israeli threats
Today at 4:59 am by Rocky
» Iraqi parliament resumes sessions on Monday with 'important' laws
Today at 4:58 am by Rocky
» The Central Bank of Iraq sells more than $894 million in three days
Today at 4:56 am by Rocky
» With the participation of the private sector.. Iraq studies a project to establish a large medical c
Today at 4:55 am by Rocky
» OPEC Secretary General: Crude Oil and Natural Gas are 'Gifts from God'
Today at 4:53 am by Rocky
» How much did the census cost in Iraq?
Today at 4:52 am by Rocky
» Türkiye hints at “good news” regarding Kurdistan oil exports.. What about the development path?
Today at 4:51 am by Rocky
» Minister of Education: Project No. 1 has reached its final stages and new schools will be announced
Today at 4:45 am by Rocky
» With Al-Mashhadani's support... Parliamentary move to activate the oversight role during the upcomin
Today at 4:44 am by Rocky
» Israel sends messages to Iraq: An expected strike and no options for deterrence
Today at 4:43 am by Rocky
» A government bank in Karbala embezzles installment amounts paid by a number of borrowers
Today at 4:41 am by Rocky
» Iraqi government begins measures to prevent oil “smuggling” from Kurdistan
Today at 4:40 am by Rocky
» Iraq sends "identical" messages to international and Arab parties regarding Israeli threats
Today at 4:39 am by Rocky
» Al-Araji: The international coalition has great credit in helping Iraq defeat ISIS
Today at 4:38 am by Rocky
» Dollar price stability in Iraq
Today at 4:37 am by Rocky
» Trade announces a special application for the ration card that determines the mechanism for families
Today at 4:35 am by Rocky
» Iraqi exhibitions participate in the UFI conference in Germany
Today at 4:34 am by Rocky
» Industry: A plan to increase battery production and cover the needs of the local market
Today at 4:32 am by Rocky
» Health: We are studying the establishment of medical cities in Baghdad and the governorates with the
Today at 4:32 am by Rocky
» Foreign Minister: The government has taken internal and external steps regarding the threats of the
Today at 4:31 am by Rocky
» Immigration: Report to be submitted next month to curb illegal immigration
Today at 4:30 am by Rocky
» The Arab League will hold a meeting next Sunday to confront the threats of the Zionist entity, at th
Today at 4:29 am by Rocky
» Iraq comments on the threats of the Zionist entity
Today at 4:27 am by Rocky
» Al-Mandlawi: The International Court’s decision to arrest Netanyahu and his defense minister is a st
Today at 4:26 am by Rocky
» Supreme Census Authority: End of the second phase of the population census
Today at 4:24 am by Rocky
» An inside look at Iraq’s “fuel smuggling market”: New developments and smugglers “suffering”
Today at 4:21 am by Rocky
» Find out the dollar exchange rates in the Iraqi stock exchanges
Today at 4:20 am by Rocky
» New embezzlement operations revealed in a government bank in Karbala
Today at 4:19 am by Rocky
» Officially.. The Supreme Authority for Population Census sets the date for announcing the results
Today at 4:17 am by Rocky
» Prime Minister: It is hoped that the remaining 1,000 schools will be completed within two months - U
Today at 4:15 am by Rocky
» utube 11/19/24 MM&C Report-Census-Global Transparency-Budget-Trade-Banking-Delete the Ze
Yesterday at 5:00 am by Rocky
» Barzani: The relationship with Baghdad is good and no problem can be solved by force
Yesterday at 4:58 am by Rocky
» Al-Mashhadani: The international system today is “fluid and in crisis” and the Middle East crisis is
Yesterday at 4:57 am by Rocky
» Legal Center: Iraq is the fourth Arab country in child labor and there is a need to legislate a law
Yesterday at 4:56 am by Rocky
» Democratic: The new regional government is a coalition and one step away from negotiations to form i
Yesterday at 4:55 am by Rocky
» Parliament resumes its sessions next week... and clarification of the mechanism for extending its le
Yesterday at 4:54 am by Rocky
» A member of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan stresses the need to pass the Kurdistan budget law, whi
Yesterday at 4:52 am by Rocky
» Framework warns: Agreement with Washington will be at stake if Iraq is bombed
Yesterday at 4:48 am by Rocky
» Protecting Iraq is an American duty: Security agreements are not just ink on paper
Yesterday at 4:46 am by Rocky
» Moderate leaders...are they able to guide the path at a regional crossroads?
Yesterday at 4:45 am by Rocky
» Politician reveals political agreements to vote on personal status law
Yesterday at 4:42 am by Rocky
» US report shows the importance of the population census in Iraq: It will reshape this map
Yesterday at 4:40 am by Rocky
» Dollar-Dinar Exchange Rate Gap: Causes and Treatments
Yesterday at 4:30 am by Rocky
» The Fifth Forum for Peace and Security in the Middle East kicks off in Dohuk with the participation
Yesterday at 4:28 am by Rocky
» Planning for / Nina /: The census results will be announced at this time and we implemented the proj
Yesterday at 4:26 am by Rocky
» Former MP: Worrying circumstances accompanied the population census process in Basra
Yesterday at 4:25 am by Rocky
» MP Hassan Al-Asadi brings good news to a group of those covered by Article 140
Yesterday at 4:22 am by Rocky
» Economist: Total cost of general population census reached 951 billion dinars
Yesterday at 4:20 am by Rocky
» Israel's complaint against Iraq.. a prelude to an expected military action - Urgent
Yesterday at 4:19 am by Rocky
» Mahmoud Al-Mashhadani: What is happening today in the Middle East is a “vital area for the second Na
Yesterday at 4:18 am by Rocky
» The complex of forming the regional government is exacerbated by the adherence to the “old faces”
Yesterday at 4:16 am by Rocky
» Bitcoin hits new record
Yesterday at 4:12 am by Rocky
» Prime Minister's Advisor: National Development Plan 2024-2028 depends on census results
Yesterday at 4:10 am by Rocky
» Al-Abadi responds to Senator Lindsey Graham's statement: Incites new conflicts and wars
Yesterday at 4:08 am by Rocky
» War developments portend danger in Iraq.. Israeli threatening messages arrived via a regional state
Yesterday at 4:07 am by Rocky
» Controversy over Kurdish citizens entering Kirkuk before the population census.. What's the story?
Yesterday at 4:05 am by Rocky
» MP reveals date of passing general amnesty and personal status laws
Yesterday at 4:04 am by Rocky
» Economist: The census will lead to an increase in the share of some governorates in regional develop
Yesterday at 4:03 am by Rocky
» Al-Sudani directs to equip border forces with modern weapons and secure all their requirements
Yesterday at 3:59 am by Rocky
» Iraqi government: We are making great efforts to control the influence of factions inside Iraq
Yesterday at 3:57 am by Rocky
» utube 11/18/24 US President Donald Trump Statement About Iraqi Dinar New RateIraqi Dinar News
Thu 21 Nov 2024, 5:01 am by Rocky
» Mazhar Saleh: Population census is the basis for achieving optimal development
Thu 21 Nov 2024, 4:51 am by Rocky
» Setting the date for announcing the preliminary results of the population census
Thu 21 Nov 2024, 4:49 am by Rocky
» Kurdish MP: Population census will affect all governorates financially
Thu 21 Nov 2024, 4:48 am by Rocky
» Between Israeli accusations and Baghdad's position: Is Iraq heading towards an international confron
Thu 21 Nov 2024, 4:46 am by Rocky
» Al-Sudani renews his directives on the necessity of completing service projects within the previousl
Thu 21 Nov 2024, 4:44 am by Rocky
» Political movement calls on parliament to strike dens of corruption
Thu 21 Nov 2024, 4:42 am by Rocky
» MP criticizes the Foreign Ministry's performance towards the Turkish occupation
Thu 21 Nov 2024, 4:41 am by Rocky
» Parliamentary Economy Committee criticizes the government’s withdrawal of the Public-Private Partner
Thu 21 Nov 2024, 4:40 am by Rocky
» Before the vote... Washington moves its agendas to prevent the approval of the personal status law
Thu 21 Nov 2024, 4:39 am by Rocky
» Al-Maliki: The Zionist entity seeks to strike Iraq through its expansionist war
Thu 21 Nov 2024, 4:37 am by Rocky
» MP identifies 3 black images of the American role in the Middle East
Thu 21 Nov 2024, 4:36 am by Rocky
» Where is the Baghdad-Washington agreement? The Zionist entity provokes Iraq and threatens to bomb it
Thu 21 Nov 2024, 4:35 am by Rocky
» Durable goods are an open option for citizens.. Planning indicates a high response to the population
Thu 21 Nov 2024, 4:34 am by Rocky
» Parliamentary Legal: The regional government is trying to change the demographics of Kirkuk to regai
Thu 21 Nov 2024, 4:33 am by Rocky
» Arrest warrant issued for Anbar Council member for involvement in corruption and terrorism cases
Thu 21 Nov 2024, 4:32 am by Rocky
» Al-Sudani directs continued payment of wages to workers on a "daily wage" during the two days of the
Thu 21 Nov 2024, 4:29 am by Rocky
» What is the relationship between the population census and the national development plan? Al-Sudani’
Thu 21 Nov 2024, 4:28 am by Rocky
» Iraq's seaborne crude oil exports decline
Thu 21 Nov 2024, 4:26 am by Rocky
» Will the population increase the number of representatives in Iraq?
Thu 21 Nov 2024, 4:25 am by Rocky
» In cooperation with the United Nations Population Fund.. The first population census in Iraq in more
Thu 21 Nov 2024, 4:23 am by Rocky
» Jordanian company completes strategic submersible pumps project in Iraq
Thu 21 Nov 2024, 4:21 am by Rocky
» Rasool: The government is pursuing anyone involved in activities that threaten Iraq's security
Thu 21 Nov 2024, 4:19 am by Rocky
» US military creates air bridge from Iraq to Syria
Thu 21 Nov 2024, 4:16 am by Rocky
» Al-Sudani, Putin discuss Middle East issues amid unprecedented escalation of tension in the region
Thu 21 Nov 2024, 4:14 am by Rocky
» Know the secrets of the Iraqi house.. Baghdad demands that Washington deter Israel
Thu 21 Nov 2024, 4:13 am by Rocky
» On the second day of the curfew, Al-Sudani tours Baghdad and “meets citizens”
Thu 21 Nov 2024, 4:11 am by Rocky
» Planning: Slums are counted as a fact in the population census
Thu 21 Nov 2024, 4:10 am by Rocky
» Despite problems, Iraq and Turkey agree to increase trade exchange
Thu 21 Nov 2024, 4:09 am by Rocky
» Iraqi regions detect drones.. and Washington informs Baghdad of "exhausting" its pressure on the ent
Thu 21 Nov 2024, 4:04 am by Rocky
» Bitcoin breaks $97,000 barrier for the first time in its history
Thu 21 Nov 2024, 4:02 am by Rocky
» A difference of more than two million people: Iraqi or international estimates? Who will prove the a
Thu 21 Nov 2024, 4:01 am by Rocky
» In numbers.. UAE exports to Iraq grow significantly
Thu 21 Nov 2024, 3:59 am by Rocky