DOOR TO THE EAST The difficult rebirth of Mosul after the jihadist nightmare

Monsignor Moussa speaks of a city that is struggling to get ahead, where the extemist ideology continues to permeate a part of today’s society. The memory of Christian houses marked with the letter “N”, today a source of pride and belonging. The visit of the Pope, seed of hope and reconstruction. Through education “we can combat ignorance.”

Milan () – A difficult road, a complex situation that is sometimes not an exaggeration to describe as “a nightmare”, a reconstruction that is struggling to take off and the fight against the extremist ideology that still permeates some sectors of society. This is how Msgr. Michaeel Najeeb Moussa, archbishop of Mosul since January 2019, described to the situation in the northern Iraqi metropolis these days, eight years since the great exodus of Christians began due to the advance of the Islamic State (IS, ex-Isis) militias. An escalation of death and destruction that lasted more than three years and ended with the liberation, after the offensive of the Iraqi army supported by US troops. Then the recovery process began, but it is a long and difficult road, full of challenges, also and above all for the Christian community, an original component of the region but today reduced to a small minority, as the prelate relates.

a real nightmare

“Eight years after the invasion of the Islamic State troops in Mosul, Sinjar and the Nineveh Plain – explains Bishop Moussa – Iraq continues to be a true nightmare for us. The jihadists who marched to the cry of ‘Allah Akhbar’ were defeated and their flags burned, but the ghost of their racist ideology is still anchored in the minds of a part of society, especially among people with less culture”. The rise of Daesh [acrónimo árabe de Isis] it brought one of the many signs of infamy, the houses of Christians marked with the letter “N” (Noun in Arabic) to mean “Nazarene”. “It is a humiliating expression – continues the prelate -, which the Koran uses to refer to the ‘heretical’ Christians in the Arabian Peninsula”. It is true that extremist and radical ideas do not characterize all of society “and the most enlightened Muslims reject these barbaric acts of Daesh against Christians, Yazidis and even Muslims of different inspiration”. However, adds the bishop, “that letter, a source of humiliation” has been transformed over the years “into a sign of pride and of glory for us, putting a cross on the letter”.

They are words that recall the terrible suffering and wounds that mark the recent history of Iraq and that take on greater value on the anniversary of the rise of the caliphate. The domination lasted until the summer of 2017 and was particularly violent, with executions in the public square, kidnappings and terror, added to the destruction of emblematic places such as the al-Nouri mosque and the church of Al-Saa (Our Lady of the hour). ). Two places of worship, Muslim and Christian, which today have become a symbol of rebirth thanks to a reconstruction project financed by UNESCO and the United Arab Emirates, as part of the program “Revive the spirit of Mosul by rebuilding its historical monuments”.

slow revival

“The return of Christians to Mosul – says the archbishop, who has been living permanently in the city for some time – remains minimal and timid. Because corruption is so entrenched in the government that it does not support the citizens in any way. There are no job opportunities, the infrastructure is degraded, 60% of the houses are still damaged, 28 churches were destroyed and only two are operational thanks to the efforts of the NGOs, which are also involved in the reconstruction of the houses. Now the 56 Christian families who, showing great courage, decided to return under the guidance of a priest and a single bishop, can live in them. The convents and monasteries, three of which date back to the 5th and 6th centuries, are still in ruins.

Monsignor Moussa knows very well the reality of Mosul, since he was born there in 1955 and was ordained a priest in 1987. He has a master’s degree in Catholic Theology and since 1990 he has held the position of director of the city’s Digital Center for Oriental Manuscripts, dealing with the conservation and digitization of more than 800 ancient manuscripts in Aramaic, Arabic and other languages, of thousands of centuries-old books and letters. When the Caliphate militias advanced, the prelate was forced to flee, first to the Nineveh plain and then to Iraqi Kurdistan, like tens of thousands of Christians. Precisely his tenacity to save this cultural heritage from the jihadist madness earned him the nomination for the 2020 Sakharov Prize. After rebuilding the archbishopric, the goal is to rebuild the social fabric, although the road is long and complicated.

signs of hope

The visit of Pope Francis in March 2021 marked a fundamental milestone for the city, because it showed the efforts of rebirth, unthinkable until a few years ago. The old pontiff who bows down and asks God for forgiveness for the violence unleashed in the square of the four churches in Mosul; the choral participation of Muslims, Christians, Yazidis and Sabeans, all dressed up, themselves, survivors of the uprooting, the shattered walls of the churches under reconstruction, where the monument to the martyrs and those who died in homicidal fury is blessed. They were symbolic expressions and gestures loaded with meaning. Seeds of hope, confirms the bishop, which are reflected in some initiatives that unite all the souls of the city. “A different and positive expectation is being established – continues Mgr. Moussa – among the different communities, because the ferocity of Daesh has triggered a reaction from citizens against violence and sectarianism. Everyone is working side by side to gradually rebuild or restore homes, and this is just one example among many of solidarity, also helped by associations and non-governmental organizations operating in the region.

The Archbishop of Mosul concludes with a reflection on his own mission “as a Daesh survivor”, as he usually defines himself, and future prospects. “I was born in Mosul, so I cannot be alone in the service of Christians. The bishop is a man of peace and reconciliation, a builder of bridges between people and different communities. Among our friends, the Muslim faithful are more numerous than the Christians themselves. They help us in the different projects by rebuilding the churches, participating in activities and celebrations, with an open heart and the desire to share. Despite the difficulties, Christians remain a strong and united reality, they want to remain in this martyred country, as witnesses of Christ in the world. Through education – Mgr. Moussa concludes – we can fight against ignorance and, through good will and tenacity, we can stop the hatred and aggressiveness of the fanatics”.

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