June 17 marks the fifth anniversary of one of the darkest moments for
Mosul's Christians - the day they were told by the so-called Islamic
State to "convert, pay or die".
The ultimatum for Christians to convert to Islam, pay a "protection tax" or face death triggered a mass exodus out of the city.
Up
to half a million residents, including around 3,000 Christian families,
made the painful decision to leave their homes and their livelihoods in
search of safety elsewhere.
Many of them went to the city of Erbil in the Kurdish region of northern Iraq.
According
to Open Doors, only 25 Christian families stayed in Mosul, some because
they were too old, ill or disabled to flee; some because they
converted.
Just a few days after Mosul fell to IS, Open Doors
started providing support for the thousands of internally displaced
people (IDPs).
Working through local churches and partners, they
distributed tens of thousands of food and hygiene packages, financial
support for clothing and medicine, and Christian materials, including
Bibles.
They also supported churches in running vocational
training and trauma care. At the height of the operation, 86 people
were employed by Open Doors in the packing and distribution of the food
parcels.
"The devastation was huge," said Father Sam, a priest who
came to Erbil from Mosul, whose name has been changed for security
reasons.
"They were difficult days for me as a priest. To see this
huge number of displaced people scattered on the streets, sleeping in
churches, gardens and schools. I saw people with just their bags crying
in front of me. I felt powerless at times.
"I just encouraged people to stay in their faith and urged them to pray, despite the difficulties."
Creating
employment opportunities for the IDPs was a large part of Open Doors'
long-term response to the crisis, with microloans distributed through
churches and local partners to help families start businesses that would
give them a sustainable income.
With the help of these loans,
families were able to open up barber shops and start agricultural
ventures like small-scale farming and honey production.
The loans have helped those who fled regain a sense of worth and independence.
Nashwan
used to work as a stonecutter in Mosul before fleeing with his family
when ISIS came. He is now working at a stonecutting factory that was set
up using an Open Doors grant.
He is one of 50 full-time staff at
the factory, which cuts stones that are being used all across Iraq in
the reconstruction effort.
"I had worked for 20 years in stone-cutting, and suddenly I was unemployed," he said.
"I
had no means of caring for my wife and three children; they are
depending on my income. We worried about our future in this country,
especially as we saw so many other families migrate."
Factory overseer Yosef described how employment was an important factor for people in deciding whether to leave Iraq or stay.
"Most
organisations just distribute food and give people some money. They eat
it, they spend it and it's gone. This project offers long-term hope
since it guarantees people's salary for the future," he said.
"All these workers are now able to support their families. We hope this will give them a reason to stay in this country."
Even
though many towns and cities have been liberated from IS, the situation
remains very difficult, with many homes and businesses destroyed or in
need of significant repair.
Living costs are high and finding work
remains a challenge. The financial impact on the families is huge, with
many struggling to pay rent or buy medicine. Many children still
cannot attend school.
Even where schools, many are shortstaffed
and in a poor state of repair, needing even basic items like tables,
doors, windows and a heating system that works.
Hanging over the
heads of Christians is the additional fear that while IS might have lost
its grip, it has not disappeared. They worry that hundreds of former
IS fighters are simply taking their time to regroup and will strike
again.
Open Doors says that violence against Christians in Iraq
remains a problem, with attacks, abductions and murders still
occurring.
In 2018, Open Doors local church partners repaired
1,051 houses in Iraq, but in reality, many Christians have chosen to
remain in camps or other cities for now, too scared to return home.
Father Emanuel Klo told the human rights group that only about 50 to 70 families have returned to Mosul.
"They are all elderly people - no Christian families with children or teenagers have yet returned," he said.
"Establishing
a Christian school might attract Christians to return, or having a
hospital, and an area for Christians to live in."
Raeid, a former
lecturer at Mosul University, is staying in Erbil for now. He feels
that Mosul is simply too dangerous to return to.
But he remains thankful for the support he has received that has enabled him to survive through these challenging times.
"I
thank all the people who stood with us in our time of need. Your
support saved my family and saved Christianity from annihilation in
Iraq," he said.