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| President Barzani Receives Patriarch Louis Sako |
24.07.2014, Shwan Barzinji
BasNews, Erbil
Kurdistan Regional President Massoud Barzani has made an impassioned statement to all Iraqi Christians in the wake of their forced migration from Mosul. He tells Iraqi Christians not to think about immigration abroad, stating that the Kurdistan Region will stand against the terrorists and protect their land and lives.
According to a public statement given by the Presidency, Kurdistan Regional President Massoud Barzani received the Chaldean Patriarch of Babylon, Patriarch Louis Rapahael I Sako who was accompanied by a delegation of clergymen from the Nineveh plain and other parts of Iraq.
Barzani warmly welcomed the delegation on Wednesday and reiterated his support for the Christian community of Mosul who has recently been subjected to a number of acts of violence in the hands of the ISIS terrorists.
Barzani stated that the Kurdistan Region will continue to support the fleeing Christians and will utterly condemn the Islamic State of Iraq and Sham (ISIS) acts of terrorism against the Christians of the Nineveh plains. “We will all either die together or we will live together with dignity,” said Barzani.
Patriarch Sako and the accompanying delegation expressed their gratitude to Barzani and to the Kurdistan Region’s stance of support, praying to an end of the current crisis in Mosul.
Source: Barzani to Iraqi Christians: We will live and die together | BAS NEWS
23.07.2014, BasNews, Mosul
Eight priests of Mosul have showered great praise on to the Kurdistan Region for their part in helping the Christians of Mosul. The priests claim that no country offered assistance to the Christians in their time of flight, but the Kurds accepted them with open arms.
After settling in Ankawa Tuesday, Mosul priests led by Patrick Louis Rafael Sako released a statement announcing that with the help of the Kurdistan Region and the representative of Mosul Christians, a committee will be formed to supervise the affair of Christians’ situation in order to provide them more aid.
“We as priests are all shocked about the current situation in Mosul. People being killed or displaced just because of their religion background is most certainly a crime against humanity,” read the statement obtained by BasNews.
They asked the federal government of Iraq to take responsibility for the protection of Christians and all other ethnic and religious minorities to protect their rights and aid refugee families in time of need.
“We are expecting actions from [the Federal government of Iraq] to actually calm people down, not just releasing statements or condemning letters,” read the statement.
On Friday July 8, the Islamic State of Iraq and Sham (ISIS) militants forced the Christians in Mosul to either convert to Islam, pay exorbitant taxes to remain in the city, or flee within 24 hours. This threat of ISIS led all the Christian families to leave Mosul and move to the Kurdistan Region. The Kurds have so far been the only refuge that was stated its willingness to help the Christians.
In Mosul, there were over 30 churches full of the history of the Christians from the region. One, dating back nineteen centuries, was bombed by ISIS insurgents in their seemingly heartless attempt to wipe the Christians from the land.