Christians flee ISIL menace to Kurdistan, perhaps permanent exiles
- 10 years ago
The yard of Mar Eliya Church in the city of Irbil in Iraqi Kurdistan has been converted into a camp for Christians, more than 200 families who escaped the extremist Islamic State movement (ISIL).
Christians in ever-greater number have been fleeing the northern city of Mosul, the second-largest in Iraq. Some say the country’s history has no precedent for it.
The French charity Fraternity in Iraq says that, since August, 120,000 Christians — but also Muslim Yazidis, Kakaïs and Shabaks — have fled ISIL, among them 18,000 children.
They became refugees when ISIL seized control of the area around Mosul on the 10th of June — helping themselves to everything that was left behind.
ISIL threatened the Christians with death unless they paid a tithe for their religion or embraced Islam within a month.
Refugee Soham Yakoub told us: “Every moment is suffering. We can’t sleep. It rained yesterday. The sound was like stones on the tent. My child said to me this morning he wants to go home. He
Christians in ever-greater number have been fleeing the northern city of Mosul, the second-largest in Iraq. Some say the country’s history has no precedent for it.
The French charity Fraternity in Iraq says that, since August, 120,000 Christians — but also Muslim Yazidis, Kakaïs and Shabaks — have fled ISIL, among them 18,000 children.
They became refugees when ISIL seized control of the area around Mosul on the 10th of June — helping themselves to everything that was left behind.
ISIL threatened the Christians with death unless they paid a tithe for their religion or embraced Islam within a month.
Refugee Soham Yakoub told us: “Every moment is suffering. We can’t sleep. It rained yesterday. The sound was like stones on the tent. My child said to me this morning he wants to go home. He