Restoring Churches – And Hope – for Iraqi Christians

“After all these years, and with church restorations happening despite war, we say that Christian faith remains constant and stronger than all circumstances,” said Ismail, a believer from Iraq who survived the so-called Islamic State (IS) terrorist group.

In a recent episode of the SAT-7 ARABIC program You Are Not Alone, Ismail shared the harrowing story of how he experienced torture and witnessed the executions of many Christians at the hands of IS fighters during their takeover of large parts of Iraq in 2014 when he was only a teenager.

“After IS entered Nineveh, they arrested us and took us into a room where they forced us to change our religion at gunpoint. Later they took us into Mosul. We remained there until Mosul was liberated in 2016. We lived under IS rule for about two and a half years,” he said.

Years later, and thanks to the patience and perseverance of local believers, Ismail is now witnessing the restoration of churches in the region that were destroyed during the IS takeover.

“Hope Is Renewed”

Behind this work is Yohanna Youssef Towaya, Director of the Humanitarian Nineveh Relief Organization, who also spoke to You Are Not Alone. He said that several churches in Mosul have been restored, including Mar Toma Church, which is regarded as the oldest in the city, as well as centuries-old murals in Qaraqosh, the largest Christian town in Iraq.

“Every time we restore a church and people return to visit it, hope is renewed within us that Christianity still exists and that Christianity has been present in these regions continuously since its very beginnings, despite all persecutions,” Mr. Towaya said.

“This is not the first time Christians have been persecuted, yet we remain steadfast on this land and cannot abandon it. In the Nineveh Plain, when churches were restored, believers returned to them with peace of mind to preserve them once again.”

According to the European Center for Law and Justice, Christians in Iraq numbered 1.5 million at the beginning of the 2000s, but now only 140,000 remain.¹ The US-led war on Iraq in 2003 followed by IS occupation of many parts of the country – and the persecution that ensued – led to an exodus of Iraqi Christians.

“The Fear Has Lessened”

Ismail and his mother along with some other local Christians returned to their homes and renovated church, but he said that most Iraqi Christians have either left the area or emigrated abroad.

“Life today is relatively stable and safe, thank God. For years I could not sleep and suffered from nightmares. Now the fear has lessened, but I still cannot go to many areas because I do not feel safe,” Ismail told You Are Not Alone.

“There were moments when I thought it was the end – especially during liberation, when IS fighters were shooting at us from everywhere. I was 15 years old, carrying my sick mother while bullets were raining down. I cried out, ‘Jesus, save us.’ Not a single bullet touched us. That is the greatest miracle.”

Religious and community leaders in Iraq are working on breathing life into the areas left dead by IS and clearing the path for Iraqi Christians to return and restore the fabric of society once more to its former richness.

“We are Christians, and we are willing to sacrifice everything for our Christian faith. This is the strength that drives us to rebuild all churches, especially in Mosul, where today there are fewer than 100 Christian families. Despite this, we are determined to restore all churches, as Mosul alone contains more than 40 churches, most of them ancient and historic, bearing witness to the Christian faith,” Mr. Towaya said.

Inspiring Stories of Faith

SAT-7 has been amplifying stories of faith from Iraq for many years. Following the takeover of Qaraqosh by IS in 2014, SAT-7 spoke to a nine-year-old Christian girl, Myriam, in a camp for displaced people, asking her how she felt towards the perpetrators who had driven her and many others from their homes.

In an interview that went viral, Myriam movingly said, “I won’t do anything to them. I will only ask God to forgive them.” She said she felt sad about leaving her home but wasn’t angry at God, adding, “I thank Him because He provided for us.”

Five years later, Myriam’s family were able to return home, and in a follow-up SAT‑7 documentary, the teenager shared how her faith sustained her during years as a refugee. “God is always protecting you, and you can count on Him,” she said.

Source

¹ ECLJ