Assyrian Christians who have decided to remain
in northern Iraq after their towns were liberated from the Islamic
State (ISIS) are now preparing for their third Christmas as refugees.
According to Juliana Taimoorazy of the Iraqi Christian Relief Council, the only people left in Nineveh are the soldiers and ministers, and they want to return and rebuild their homes come spring. Right now, most Assyrians are living as refugees either in Jordan or in the Kurdish region but they are wary of this arrangement because of the long-standing conflict between Kurds and Muslims, The Jerusalem Post details.
"We live on our knees," said Taimoorazy.
For Taimoorazy, Assyrians need a revival of patriotism. She also emphasized the necessity of establishing a separate province for the minorities so that they could have better protection from those seeking to attack them.
"We can make 'aliyah' to Nineveh; we need friends in high places, we need the pride of the language; like Eliezer Ben-Yehuda who revived spoken Hebrew," Taimoorazy suggested.
Meanwhile, in Qaraqosh, the Religious Freedom Coalition is planning to invite up to 6,000 refugee children to its Christmas for Refugees program 2016. The organization has been constantly supporting Christians who have been displaced from Iraq for more than 10 years now.
RFC's Christmas for Refugees program, which was first done in 2013, aims to provide food, medicine and spiritual assistance to Christian refugees who have not received help from Islamic charities. William J. Murry, the chairman of the organization, is reportedly doing his best to ensure that 100 percent of the aid goes to the displaced Iraqi believers.
During Christmas, RFC serves hot meals to displaced Christian children seeking refuge in Iraq, Jordan, and Lebanon. The program also includes plays and puppet shows featuring Christmas songs and stories from the Bible. Plus, each child is given a gift box containing soap, hygiene kits and other essential items.
For RFC, Christmas for Refugees is a way to provide refugee children temporary relief from the difficulties they face every day.
According to Juliana Taimoorazy of the Iraqi Christian Relief Council, the only people left in Nineveh are the soldiers and ministers, and they want to return and rebuild their homes come spring. Right now, most Assyrians are living as refugees either in Jordan or in the Kurdish region but they are wary of this arrangement because of the long-standing conflict between Kurds and Muslims, The Jerusalem Post details.
"We live on our knees," said Taimoorazy.
For Taimoorazy, Assyrians need a revival of patriotism. She also emphasized the necessity of establishing a separate province for the minorities so that they could have better protection from those seeking to attack them.
"We can make 'aliyah' to Nineveh; we need friends in high places, we need the pride of the language; like Eliezer Ben-Yehuda who revived spoken Hebrew," Taimoorazy suggested.
Meanwhile, in Qaraqosh, the Religious Freedom Coalition is planning to invite up to 6,000 refugee children to its Christmas for Refugees program 2016. The organization has been constantly supporting Christians who have been displaced from Iraq for more than 10 years now.
RFC's Christmas for Refugees program, which was first done in 2013, aims to provide food, medicine and spiritual assistance to Christian refugees who have not received help from Islamic charities. William J. Murry, the chairman of the organization, is reportedly doing his best to ensure that 100 percent of the aid goes to the displaced Iraqi believers.
During Christmas, RFC serves hot meals to displaced Christian children seeking refuge in Iraq, Jordan, and Lebanon. The program also includes plays and puppet shows featuring Christmas songs and stories from the Bible. Plus, each child is given a gift box containing soap, hygiene kits and other essential items.
For RFC, Christmas for Refugees is a way to provide refugee children temporary relief from the difficulties they face every day.