After years of strife, by 2014 it was reported that 90% of the Orthodox Christians of Iraq had been displaced. Most of them are still refugees and have been unable to return home. Still others who remained are leaving now. “Don’t Allow Christianity to Disappear from Iraq,” by Joe Lipuma, Juicy Ecumenism, September 12, 2024:

August marked the 10th anniversary of the ISIS genocide perpetrated on the Christians, and other minority communities, of Northern Iraq. For the Christians there, this occurred primarily in the Nineveh Plain, and in nearby cities such as Mosul.

In 2014, many of these families had only a few hours to flee their homes, taking precious little besides the clothes on their back, and whatever they could carry. Many retreated to nearby safe-haven cities further east, such as Erbil, the capital of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq.From there began a three-year displacement of despair and uncertainty. Many were assigned to displacement tent encampments, and fewer were taken in by local churches, eventually relocated to temporary housing. Others were taken in by relatives or by kind neighbors. Food and shelter were provided as best it could, mostly through the efforts of relief organizations. Work was sporadic and arduous, with many finding jobs as day workers, truck drivers, hotel workers, and the like. This became the norm for many Christian families for far longer than any had hoped and prayed.

After ISIS was defeated militarily in 2017, many displaced Christians were finally able to return to their homes. This, however, created a whole new hardship. Upon retreating, ISIS had burned the homes of Christians, destroyed and looted their businesses, and even poisoned their water wells. The returning Christian families had nothing; they were forced to start from scratch.

Compounding their efforts, the Iranian-backed militias, who were initially welcomed to fight the spread of ISIS, have remained, exerting their influence and exploiting the disputed territories claimed by both the Iraqi Central Government and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG). These territories, which include the Nineveh Plains, have been poorly funded by both sides, and are characterized by weak governance and inadequate security. Many of the returning minorities have reported harassment and corruption at checkpoints, with the militias demanding bribes and threatening local politicians, further thwarting the local economies. We encountered this uncomfortable situation first hand, in several ways; it creates anxiety and disruption for those trying to maintain a livelihood. To make matters worse, once the immediate crisis was over, many of the relief organizations ceased funding these communities, while much of the hard work was still ahead.

Since 2017, Stand With Iraqi Christians (SWIC), and other NGOs operating on the ground, have provided thousands of beneficiaries with family farm funding and small business grants to help get their lives and livelihoods back.  With our help and their unwavering faith, these families strive to re-establish their once-proud and flourishing communities.

Ten years hence, it’s been a long road back. Prior to the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003, the Christians of Iraq numbered more than 1.6 million. Today, by most recent counts, there are less than 165,000; that’s about a 90 percent decimation. The Christians modern-day Iraq are amongst the oldest Christian communities in the world, dating back to the 1st century, when the Apostle Thomas spread the Gospel throughout Mesopotamia. Even today, these Christian communities speak Aramaic, the native tongue of Jesus. As Christians, we can’t allow Christianity to disappear from Iraq, a land that is so rich in biblical history. More critically, as human beings, we can’t abide this suffering to continue….