“What is so special about the Nineveh Plains?”
That’s a question many people might have about this region of Iraq, a place Open Doors partners have been living in and working for decades. It’s where ISIS invaded and set up their caliphate in the mid-2010s. And it’s where, through your many gifts and prayers over the last decade, Christians have begun to rebuild and restore the Christian presence in Iraq.
But why here?
The answer is steeped in history and Christian identity. This area, northeast of the city of Mosul, is home to the majority of Iraqi Christians. The ancient city of Nineveh—known to Christians as the place where God sent Jonah—was in this part of the world. Churches, monasteries and church facilities have become part of the fabric of these areas; some of these buildings date back to the fourth century. Most of the Christians in the Nineveh Plains speak different dialects of Aramaic, which is the language that Jesus spoke.
After Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein’s regime was toppled in 2003, Christians came to the Nineveh Plains in droves. They hoped they could find a place of safety there. In 2014, it was estimated that the population of the
region was 40% Christian.
But then ISIS attacked.
Displacement and trauma
ISIS attacked Mosul in June 2014. By August, they began to infiltrate the Nineveh Plains, seeking to eliminate anyone who didn’t hold to their radical interpretation of Islam.
“In the very early morning of August 6, 2014, [the Kurdish army, an autonomous military force in northern Iraq] were bombing ISIS fighters who were a few kilometers away from Qaraqosh,” recalls Fadi* who was 20 at the time and from the city of Qaraqosh, one of the larger communities in the Nineveh Plains, traditionally home to a significant Christian community.
“ISIS shot back later that morning with mortars, and one of them fell in a neighborhood, killing two children and one lady. This fatal incident was an alarming message to the people, and soon many started leaving the city. The situation changed quickly when [Kurdish] forces withdrew in the early morning of August 7. During their withdrawal, anyone who had a weapon shot bullets into the air to wake people up so they could flee.”
People left their homes with almost nothing except the clothes on their back, identity documents and their valuables. They all faced an unknown future. ISIS militants took the Christians who remained in the Nineveh Plain as captives. Some of them are still missing today. Others were sent to the Kurdistan region. Few were found alive.
Some villages in the Nineveh Plains were inhabited by Muslims. Some of these residents also fled—but some joined ISIS fighters. After the Christians had left, some of those villagers joined ISIS in looting the abandoned houses, stores and shops. All crosses on churches and monasteries were taken down, and some church buildings were used to store ammunition—one Christian community in Qaraqosh was repurposed as a shooting range.
At the time, Open Doors’ local partner organization didn’t have a lot of experience in humanitarian relief work. Open Doors’ focus was on training and the distribution of Christian books to empower and strengthen the church. But with such a huge number of Christians being displaced, our partners found themselves suddenly responsible for doing relief work, providing help to over 15,000 displaced families (around 60,000 people) in cooperation with other humanitarian organizations.
“The situation was not easy for anyone, and the organization did its best to support the people and help the churches,” explains Shifaa*, a representative of an Open Doors local partner. “We distributed Bibles to over 25,000 Christians because they had all left their Bibles behind. The Bibles brought people closer to God and helped them stand strong and firm in their faith through those horrible and difficult days of displacement.”
The organization also provided trauma counseling to the displaced people who needed it. “We brought in specialists to have one-on-one sessions with religious leaders as well as people who were severely traumatized,” Shifaa says.
"For two-and-a-half years, we provided 15,000 families with food baskets every month."
Shifaa, Open Doors partner, Iraq
The support for displaced believers went on for years as ISIS continued to inflict brutal violence in the region. “During the winter, we provided blankets, heaters and [warm clothes],” Shifaa remembers. “For two-and-a-half years, we provided 15,000 families (around 60,000 people) with food baskets every month. We also gave health support to sick people.
“Our goal was to stand beside the church in solidarity with people in their suffering,” she continues. “We tried to be their voice and we showed them that they’re not alone as other Christians around the globe cared about them, as we are all connected as the one Body of Christ.”
Eventually, in 2017, the Nineveh Plains were liberated from the terror of ISIS. But the damage was done. The number of Christians in Iraq in early 2003 was around 1.5 million; there are less than 200,000 now. Of those, an estimated 50,000 are now living in the Nineveh Plains, most of them in Qaraqosh (around 25,000).
As Christians began to return home, they were confronted with the devastation left behind. There was a real possibility that the ancient Christian presence in Iraq would die.
But God had other plans.
Rebuilding and restoration—thanks to you
“After the liberation, the towns started slowly rebuilding,” Shifaa says. “Since the start of rehabilitation in 2017, [Open Doors’ local partner] has contributed to the rebuilding of 2,283 houses. The organization continues to offer trauma healing sessions, and we even opened a trauma healing center in Qaraqosh. The organization aimed to help the churches to function as centers of hope in a holistic approach.”
The economy and infrastructure had also been devastated. Through partners, Open Doors helped people get back on their feet and stay in the Nineveh Plains through microloan projects. Your support of Open Doors and your prayers for your sisters and brothers have helped the remnant of God’s people remain in Iraq.
"You helped us, stood by us, your support was encouraging."
Farah, microloan recipient, Iraq
“The words 'thank you' are too little,” says Farah, a hairstylist in the region who was helped by a microloan. “You helped us, stood by us, your support was encouraging. It enabled me to restart my business, to stand back on my feet. Without the help of you, surely it would have been very difficult to return and impossible to rebuild my salon and go back to business.”
Rivan, a young man in his early 30s who runs a farm who was also helped by a microloan echoes this gratitude. “Taking the microloan helped increase the success of the project where it made things easier for me to buy different machines which facilitated the job and made it faster,” he says. “It helped develop my work, and my income has increased.”
Ten years after this massive displacement, the destructive rule of ISIS and an uncertain future, the Christians of the Nineveh Plains have seen how, through your support, life was brought back to the area. The resilience, loyalty and the faith of the Christians who chose to return and remain in that area—despite all they endured, despite the ongoing persecution—is evidence of their faith in God and their strong connection to the land.
Although Christians had to start from zero, when you visit the Nineveh Plains, you can still see the happiness and the hope in their eyes. That is what makes the Nineveh Plains a very special place. The Christian presence in Iraq has not been destroyed—and by God’s grace, it never will.
