Iraq: Living for two years under the occupation of the Islamic State

ACN News: By Jaco Klamer
Two months ago Ismail fled the Iraqi city of Mosul with his mother Jandark Behnam Mansour Nassi (55), after they had to survive under the terror of IS for over two years. Ismail and Jandark now live in Erbil, in the Iraqi Kurdish Autonomous Region. Below is their story.

“My mother and I were at home in Bartella, one of the Christian villages in the Nineveh Plain” says Ismail. “When we woke up one August morning, the city had been taken by IS. We tried to get away, but we were robbed by the Jihadists, captured and taken to Mosul.”
“I was very afraid,” says his mother Jandark, a widow. “Our names were written down, and we had no idea where we were and what would happen to us. We were completely shut off from the outside world. Shortly after, we received permission to return to Bartella, but at a check point we had to convert to Islam and when we refused, they hit us. My son was put in prison. He was only fourteen years old.”

(Ismail and Jandark now live in Erbil, in the Iraqi Kurdish Autonomous Region © Aid to the Church in Need/Jaco Klamer)

“I was put in the prison of Bartella,” confirms Ismail. “One day a Shiite was shot right in front of me. The terrorists told me: ‘If you do not convert to Islam, we will shoot you as well’. That is when I converted to Islam. From that time on, we concealed that we were Christians.”
Ismail was released and, with his mother, dragged from pillar to post: from Bartella, to multiple neighbourhoods in Mosul, and to the small village Bazwaya, just steps away from Mosul.
“We received a paper from IS stating that we were Muslims,” continues Ismail. “That way, I could go on the street in Mosul, but on the streets, you could not be sure of your life. Once, I was beaten up because my trousers were too long.”
“Once, when I was going to the mosque with the Jihadists early in the morning, our path was blocked. Suddenly we were passed by men in orange suits, held at gunpoint by a group of IS children. The children executed them with pleasure.”
“Another time I ran into a big crowd on the street. There was a woman; her hands and feet were tied. The IS terrorists drew a circle around her. If she got out of the circle, she would live, but that was impossible because she was tied. While her relatives were crying and begging for a pardon, the Jihadists threw stones at her until she died.”

“IS made me go to a correctional camp. I had to grow out my hair and grow my beard. My mother got a black, concealing robe, but was not allowed to go on the streets. IS warriors wanted me to marry, so I would be one of them. I objected, stating that I was too young: fifteen years. They were not impressed, because even boys of thirteen were married. The terrorists wanted me to join them. They were convinced: ‘our state will survive everything.’”

“My son was forced by IS to practice Islam and I was tortured for not knowing anything about Islam and the Koran,” says his mother, Jandark. “Yes, I am embarrassed for having had to profess Islam,” affirms Ismail.
“IS warriors made me pray,” says Ismail. “I received a prayer rug on which I could call upon Allah. Men were obligated to pray in the mosque on Friday. Anyone who would walk on the streets during the Friday prayer would be beaten. In the mosque, we were told that Assyrians were evil and that Christians did not believe in the right way. My mother should have to pray at home but she did not pray to Allah.”
“Then the IS warriors found my necklace with a cross, a sign that I am a Christian. The Jihadists beat me and I had to study the Koran for a month. I was hit whenever I could not answer their questions the way they wanted me to, and my mother was stung with long needles because she had not studied anything from the Koran.”

“One day we heard that Qaragosh – another Christian village in the Nineveh plain occupied by ISIS – had been freed, and that the liberation troops had chased the Jihadists out of Bartella. Soon after that the air attacks on Mosul started, and many people fled. IS also fled and, in the hurry, even leaving some weapons. However, they did take people with them on their way through Mosul, including my mother and me. For three days, we were under the control of a Jihadist.”

“When the terrorists grew too busy with the battle, they abandoned us. Again, we heard about the advancing army. We took a taxi to the front, heading towards our freedom, but Jihadists blocked us. Later, we tried to escape again. On our way, we ended up at the front: IS snipers tried to shoot us. We ran for cover into a house. After hours of fighting, my mother and I were able to leave the house, waving a white flag. Soldiers of the Iraqi liberation army welcomed us. We were free!”

The Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need has supported with more than $33 million the Christian refugees in Erbil and Baghdad since the outbreak of the crisis in August 2014. Among the most important projects are the food program for IDP families from Mosul and the Nineveh Plain, which benefits up to 13,000 families, and the rental program for approximately 1,800 Christian IDP families in Kurdistan.

Editor’s Notes

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