Iraq (MNN) — Religious minorities in Iraq have suffered greatly at the hands of ISIS, and as the year ends, communities hold out cautious hope for peace and rebuilding.
(Photo courtesy of 🌸🙌 في عین الله via Unsplash)
Hope and Rebuilding
Both Iraqi Christians and the Yazidis have faced persecution and suffering at the hands of ISIS. More about that here. Though COVID-19 continues to complicate the lives of everyone in the region, Samuel* of Redemptive Stories says that small improvements are emerging for Christians in some areas.
“There’s a lot of status quo, [and some] things are staying the same as they were. [In] other areas, you’re beginning to see some rebuilding, particularly areas that were hit hard by ISIS [and people] feel like now there’s enough peace for them to go back and begin to invest again,” Samuel says.
“We’ve seen churches being rebuilt in places that were hit hard by ISIS, particularly in the Nineveh Plain, which has been exciting. In one area that we visited, the church was completely damaged, and they’re hoping to have it ready for Easter.”
A Slow Process
A ruined old home in Shingal (Singar) following the war with the Islamic State. (Photo courtesy of Levi Clancy via Unsplash)
For the Yazidi population, which was displaced by ISIS, the Sinjar Deal signed in October offered hope that they would be able to return home, especially with refugee camps now closing. However, Samuel explains relocation could still take a while.
“This peace deal didn’t really involve the Yazidi tribes themselves. They just made decisions for them. Whenever you do that for a people group, it rarely comes out to be positive for [that group],” Samuel says.
“We are hearing reports of them going back [and] organizations working with them to do resettlement projects, but I was just there weeks ago, and the camps are still there. There doesn’t seem to be any push, particularly from the Kurdish government, to close them. The pressure is coming primarily from the Iraqi federal government to close the camps on that side, but the Yazidis are primarily located in the Kurdish camps.”
How to Help
With these situations in mind, please keep both Iraqi Christians and the Yazidis in your prayers.
“One of the big prayer requests is that the government’s in both of those areas, the Kurdish government and the Iraqi federal government, would begin to step toward a process which would allow for people to choose their own faith [and] to follow Jesus, even if their background isn’t Christian,” Samuel says.
Another way you can help is by giving to organizations working in this area.
“There are lots of wonderful organizations, Voice of the Martyrs, Samaritan’s Purse, MENA Collective, doing amazing things in the region [and] looking at doing some wonderful projects in 2021.”
*Name changed for security purposes
