Archbishop Najeeb: In ISIS-scarred Northern Iraq, a ‘return to humanity’

In June 2014, Mosul and the Nineveh Plains in northern Iraq were captured by the Islamic State group. The terrorists left a trail of destruction behind them and a quarter of the population, mainly Christians and Yazidis, fled the city.

Despite the liberation of the city three years later, the memory remains painful. Ten years later, the struggle is still not quite over for the inhabitants of the region.

Despite lingering fears, some residents are returning. The Chaldean Archbishop of Mosul, who welcomed a pope to the city for the first time in history in March 2021, spoke to Vatican News about the renewed hope in this Mesopotamian city, a historic symbol of peace and coexistence, at the crossroads of cultures and religions.

Interview with Mgr Michaeel Najeeb, Chaldean Archbishop of Mosul (Iraq)

Q: Ten years later, what are the lingering wounds and scars from the Battle of Mosul?

A: Since the liberation of the Nineveh Plain from the jihadists, the return of Christian families to Mosul has been cautious, although it is quite significant in the Nineveh Plain. This catastrophe has affected all the inhabitants, not just the Christians. Those who remained in Mosul during the ISIS period have also paid a heavy price.

Today, a real change is happening. After the liberation, people began to breathe more easily, and the infrastructure of Mosul and the Nineveh Plain was restored, as well as order in the streets, construction work and, above all, security. People can walk around at midnight, at two or three in the morning without any problems. There is no overwhelming crime. There are small problems around Mosul in general, but they are minor. The lack of work is more pressing. With unemployment and the lack of income, many people turn to violence. We still deplore the ideological vestiges.

What’s stopping families from coming back?

There are many obstacles, but it is primarily a financial issue. People have lost almost everything. They were stripped when they were forced to leave Mosul and the Nineveh Plains, with only the bare minimum of clothing. Everything they had was looted. These people have to start from scratch.

Despite all the progress in security and infrastructure, people remain worried and hesitant. They tell me their uncertainties: “Monsignor, we cannot return to Mosul or the Nineveh Plain without guarantees.” But no one can give guarantees. Not even the Church, which has also lost everything. Families cannot reinvest in society without support, especially from the government.

The government has only just begun to timidly restore a few churches and houses, compensating a little, but it is still not enough. From the beginning, since the liberation of the Nineveh Plain, we have relied on French NGOs such as L’Œuvre d’Orient, European or American ones such as USAID, to support both the populations and the reconstruction of homes, by helping with the work.

Beyond the financial aspect, the obstacle lies in the lack of confidence in the future. Some say that if they managed to escape with their children and without material goods the first time, who will guarantee that they will not lose their children this time?

What spiritual and pastoral vitality emerges from the ruins of a society?

A tree cannot be saved without its roots. Roots give life. In one of our Chaldean villages, famous for its vineyards, about thirty kilometers from Mosul, after the liberation at the end of 2016, there was no more life. All the plantations and houses burned. The embers were still glowing. A field of ruins, without birds, without bees, without flora and without fauna. Everything was dead. Today, the village is renewed, there are trees, vineyards, houses and shops. Life is returning.

I have seen that faith, even among children, adults and adolescents, has strengthened and increased. Pastoral activities have grown enormously thanks to NGOs that have also supported spiritual and pastoral life. This has been a sign of hope for four years.

We also celebrate Muslim holidays together. We no longer think in terms of labels and categories as we did in the past, in the days of ISIS or Al-Qaeda: “This one is Christian, that one is Muslim, that one is Yazidi.” Everyone lives in brotherhood and mutual respect.

In the four years that I have been in Mosul, we have never heard of any harm done by our Muslim neighbors. On the contrary, even in the mosques, on Fridays, when they preach, they no longer use words that hurt or humiliate us, such as “infidels,” “polytheists,” “those who do not respect the law,” “Christians will all go to hell.” Those who harm Christians are condemned by law.

Even houses inhabited by members of Al-Qaeda or ISIS and their supporters have been “liberated” by the government. Trust is gradually being restored. After all, heritage and art unite us. Young people are making a significant contribution. They are planting trees in the streets, volunteers are cleaning the streets. Not everything is rosy. The harmful ideology of ISIS and Al-Qaeda persists in some minds, but it is gradually being addressed.

Following the Pope’s historic trip in 2021, what small steps do you see in interreligious dialogue with Muslims?

In the East, it is always a monologue (laughs). The one who speaks, and whom the others must listen to, is generally the strongest. The word “dialogue” is rather a European Cartesian concept. Here, we are used to the strongest: the dominant religion must speak, the others must be silent or at most listen, give their opinion without it being directly opposed to the dominant one. The state religion is Islam, period. Despite this, there are reciprocal visits, meetings, sometimes even jokes between us, mullahs, bishops and priests, without offending each other. We can tell each other the truth and share our ideas without someone pulling out a pistol or a Kalashnikov. There is this openness because the law punishes those who harm others. This annoys extremists. Of course, a real dialogue that would change concepts and ways of life does not exist. For example, there is no religious freedom like in Europe or even in Lebanon, which is much more advanced than other Arab countries in terms of religious freedom and expression.

Can Mosul reconnect with its historic vocation of peace and religious coexistence?

Mosul is the city of Jonah, the city that gave the world many prophets. Today, many Muslims, Christians, Yazidis, Shabaks, are returning to their own history to highlight it. Assyriology in linguistic, historical, architectural terms is coming back to the forefront. The walls of Nineveh, for example, have begun to be restored. Young people at the university are attracted by the symbols of the Assyrian and Babylonian empires, by the images of this ancient Mesopotamia, the cradle of writing and humanity. This is beautifully manifested through art, monuments and urban planning. Statues are being reinstalled in the streets, people are talking about King Nebuchadnezzar again, which was unthinkable some time ago because of accusations of idolatry.

We see fewer and fewer people who are ideologically closed. I walk down the street in my red and black archbishop’s robe, people greet me, we have tea, we talk freely without any humiliation or violence.

How do you explain this significant improvement in dialogue and fraternity?

“When you see death, you accept evil or illness,” says one of our proverbs. People have seen so much evil in the acts of ISIS, even against Islam itself, and Islam has paid a high price because of these criminals, that there is a return to humanity. The visit of the Holy Father is not unrelated to this. The Pope’s visit to Mosul broke down prejudices against Christians. We saw thousands of young children, adults, university students, in the streets with the Vatican flag and the Iraqi flag, it was very touching. People threw candy at the Pope, at his car. No one has forgotten this visit. The city was so prepared, paved, taken care of for the Pope’s visit that people say they hope the Pope comes every year to encourage us to work better. Others wish for a president like the Pope for Iraq.

This has changed mentalities a lot, even if on the ground we still need solidarity because a lot of infrastructure has been demolished. I call on governments and NGOs not to forget Iraq in the midst of all the conflicts in the world, even if there is Ukraine, Palestine, the Holy Land, Yemen…

The above is an English translation of an interview conducted in French. You can find the French text, as well as an audio recording, here.