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THE RETURN

 

By Wiliam Stark

 

There’s really no hiding the fact that this is a Christian town,” I said to Dr. Rabee as we drove past the enormous cross that marks the entrance to Qeraqosh, once one of the largest Christian towns in northern Iraq.

“We loved living here because it is one of the few places where we were among our own people,” Dr. Rabee  explained. “This is what’s left.”

Surveying the Damage

As we drove further into town, the scars of war and years of ISIS occupation were everywhere. Homes and businesses were burned, looted, or both; spent bullet casings covered many of the streets; Christian icons were defaced; and in some instances, entire neighborhoods were leveled by airstrikes.

The extent of the damage was overwhelming. After a few minutes of driving, Dr. Rabee pulled over and we got out to walk among some of the Christian homes burned by ISIS. As I looked down the street, it seemed like every other home had been burned or damaged in some way. Few were left unmarked. Before traveling to Qeraqosh, I had read

reports about the destruction and had even seen pictures, but seeing the destruction firsthand was shocking. As we entered the first home, stepping over the charred plaster and broken glass, it was hard to imagine the building would ever be someone’s home again. “You can see they used some chemical to burn the houses,” Dr. Rabee said as he pointed to the burn marks on the wall and the bowl of some unidentified substance on the floor. “They did this to many houses as they were driven out of the town. But they were not able to burn all as it takes time and effort to do this sort of damage.”

 

Although Dr. Rabee was right about this point, the scale of the damage and the number of homes that had been burned, intentionally, was still terrible. It was obvious that ISIS did not want the Christians of Qeraqosh to return home. As we walked from house to house, the devastation of the homes burned by ISIS was only outdone by those completely leveled by airstrikes. “Would you like to visit some of the churches?” Dr. Rabee asked me. “You can see how ISIS used them while they were here.” As we got back into the car, I asked Dr. Rabee the question that is on so many people’s minds. “Are Christians going to come back to Qeraqosh?” “Yes,” Dr. Rabee simply replied. “As long as they are able to have three things: security water, and electricity. If they can get these things, many people will return.” As we drove to one of Qeraqosh’s churches, I contemplated Dr. Rabee’s answer. Are Christians really going to return to the battered remains of Qeraqosh? Will the government provide Christians with the things they need to feel safe and rebuild their lives? If not, who will step in? As these questions crossed my mind, the car stopped at the front gate of the church. “This used to be where my family worshiped,” Dr. Rabee said. After entering the church, we stepped into an inner courtyard covered in spent bullet casings, burned books, and numerous Christian statues and icons defaced in a variety of ways. Looking over the scene, I quickly noticed a distinct organization to the mess. “Looks like ISIS used this as a shooting range,” I pointed out to Dr. Rabee, who silently agreed, as he put his hand on what used to be a pulpit. “They must have used this inner courtyard as some training facility.”

Entering the church, the blackened and graffiti-covered walls, burned pews, and desecrated altars bore quick witness to the hatred of the building’s most recent occupants. It seemed like ISIS left nothing untouched. Every icon was defaced. Every cross was broken. Every book was burned. All that remained was a burned out shell that used to be a church.

 

Liberation from ISIS

“How was Qeraqosh retaken?” I asked Dr. Rabee. He thought for a moment and replied, “How about you ask the general about that.” “General?” I asked. “Yes, the general of the NPU,” Dr. Rabee said. “They were part of the forces that liberated Qeraqosh. He would be able to tell you how the town was retaken.” The Nineveh Plains Protection Unit, or NPU for short, is a Christian majority militia that the central government recognized in January 2015. Armed and trained by the central government, the NPU is mostly comprised of Christian internally displaced persons (IDPs) seeking to take their communities back from ISIS. Upon arriving at the NPU headquarters in Qeraqosh, I was quickly taken to the office of General Jwad Sekarya. Sitting behind his desk, smoking a cigarette, he offered me tea in the gruff, no nonsense way associated with old military men.

“The fight to retake Qeraqosh started on October 21, 2016,” General Sekarya told me. “The NPU were working in the area when the government forces started. We were called in to provide local knowledge and act as guides

for government units.” “We were able to retake the town in seven days,” General Sekarya reported. “When the

operation started, we saw ISIS start burning the homes. The speed of the operation helped limit the damage ISIS caused.” When I asked the general how his troops felt while retaking Qeraqosh, his answer was mixed.

“You could say it was the most shining day of our lives,” General Sekarya said. “But when we saw the damage, especially the burning of the homes, we were very sad. Still, we are a persecuted minority in Iraq, so many expected worse.” With Qeraqosh and many other Christian areas in the Nineveh Plains retaken, the NPU has shifted its focus to protecting these liberated towns. Stationed at checkpoints around these areas, the NPU is able to maintain control over who comes in and out.

Returning Home

As we left Qeraqosh, I began to reflect on the challenges facing the many Christians who intend to return to the town. There is no running water, electricity is spotty, many of the town’s buildings are damaged, and there is always the lurking fear that ISIS, or another group like it, could strike again. It was hard to imagine returning to a place like this. But that’s the truly astonishing thing about Qeraqosh and those who lived there. Instead of attempting to leave Iraq as refugees, many of the Christians are returning and taking on the challenge of rebuilding their lives and

their community. The last time I talked to Dr. Rabee, he happily reported that 37 Christian families had moved back to Qeraqosh with more returning every day. As I thought about these families returning to Qeraqosh, I remembered an interaction I had with an old Christian woman as Dr. Rabee and I were leaving the town. Walking down a deserted street, this old Christian woman had a look of joy and contentment that was in complete contrast to her surroundings marked by emptiness and destruction. When I asked her why she looked so happy, she replied, “I am back in my community and can breathe again.” When I asked her about the challenges of electricity and water, she laughed. “When I was young, we didn’t have electricity and running water. The important thing now is that we are

coming back to our homes and community.” Thinking back to this interaction and the news that more Christian families are returning to Qeraqosh, I am still amazed by their resilience. This is just one of the qualities this community possesses that I believe makes them an important part of the global Church deserving of our compassion and love.

Source:  ICC