The 33-year-old Hanna was speaking during an event held recently as part of “Solidarity Day with the Displaced”. He spoke of “a near death experience”, at the hands of terrorists back home, and his determination not return to Iraq until terrorism is eradicated.
“Iraq is in my heart forever, but there is no going back. The government watched us being kicked out of our homes... and still didn’t do anything,” said Hanna.
The one-day event was organised by the Catholic Centre for Research and Media, the Royal Institute for Inter-Faith Studies (RIIFS), Caritas Jordan, and Our Lady of Peace Centre. It hosted Christian priests, around 100 Iraqi refugees and media representatives.
Father Rifat Bader, director of the Catholic Centre for Research and Media, said at the ceremony that humanity is a decision and a choice, which Jordan chooses to embrace.
“The Kingdom’s churches of all denominations and organisations are doing their best to provide for the Iraqi Christian refugees, a stand that reflects the love of God in action, and solidarity between us [Jordanians],” Bader told the Jordan Times on the sidelines of the event.
However, Deputy Jamil Nimri advised the Iraqis to keep waiting for the moment when they can return to Iraq.
He described the Islamic State (IS) terrorist group, which drove Christians from Mosul in June, as the “worst phenomenon the Middle East has ever faced”.
He told The Jordan Times that the fight against IS should also be “part of our way of thinking, schools curricula, and culture”.
Father Hanna Kildani, secretary general of the Christian Schools Association, said what has been recently practised against Iraqi Christians and other religious communities was aggression at its worst.
Commenting on a recent speech by His Majesty King Abdullah, the Christian leader said: “I am proud of His Majesty’s statement confirming that Christians are the origin of the land, though our existence has faced numerous threats.”
He added that peace must prevail amongst Muslims in order for Christians to live in peace, encouraging Christians in Jordan not to fear the future.
Deputising for RIIFS Director Michel Hamarneh, Marwan Al Husayni,  the centre’s media strategist, said that worshipping one God is what connects humans, and “from this point communities should emerge and work towards harmony.”
Yazan Haddadin, Iraqi programme coordinator at Caritas Jordan, said Caritas around the Kingdom aids thousands of Iraqis on a daily basis, providing them with basic needs.
They need more than that.
“I just want to go home,” said six-year-old Iraqi refugee Anmar, moving closer to his father Yasser Yousef, an engineer.
“I love Iraq, but Iraq does not love me,” he said, lamenting his government’s failure to defend those targeted by IS. 
“Nothing is more painful than being ripped from everything you love,” his father said.