- Title: Only Christian in Iraq's Khanaqin finds comfort in deserted church
- Date: 1st March 2020
- Summary: KHANAQIN, IRAQ (FEBRUARY 17, 2020) (REUTERS) ANNUNCIATION CHURCH VARIOUS OF LAST CHRISTIAN WOMAN LIVING IN CITY OF KHANAQIN, MARIAM ISHAAQ, WALKING TO CHURCH ISHAAQ ENTERING CHURCH AND DRAWING CROSS SIGN ISHAAQ WALKING TO STAND IN FRONT OF CROSS AT DESERTED AND DAMAGED CHURCH VARIOUS OF ISHAAQ REPEATING PRAYER AT CHURCH CROSS HANGING ON CHURCH WALL (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) IRAQI CHRISTIAN WOMAN LIVING IN KHANAQIN, MARIAM ISHAAQ, SAYING: "There were so many Christians here. There were about 200 Christian families, but they migrated during the Iraq-Iran war. Some of them left to Erbil, some others to Amadiya city, and some others to Europe. So I'm the only one who remained here. My husband is from Khanaqin and I cannot leave this church because I'm really attached to it.'' VARIOUS OF ISHAAQ LIGHTING CANDLE AT CHURCH ISHAAQ WALKING AROUND DAMAGED CHURCH (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) IRAQI CHRISTIAN WOMAN LIVING IN KHANAQIN, MARIAM ISHAAQ, SAYING: "My husband is from Khanaqin. He is a Muslim. We live in Khanaqin and I'm happy here, people like and respect me. There is no difference between us; I have my religion and he has his religion." ISHAAQ WALKING AROUND CHURCH SIGN READING (Arabic/English): "ANNUNCIATION CHURCH - BUILT IN 1950 DURING THE REIGN OF H.M.KING FAISAL II & H.H.POPE PIUS XII & H.B.THE CHALDEAN PATRIARCH JOSEPH VII OF BABYLON" ISHAAQ AT CHURCH (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) IRAQI CHRISTIAN WOMAN LIVING IN KHANAQIN, MARIAM ISHAAQ, SAYING: "I have many memories of praying at this church, celebrating holidays and weddings, as well as making colourful eggs and giving them out to people, even to Muslim residents of Khanaqin -- they all used to come join us." VARIOUS OF ISHAAQ WALKING IN STREET ISHAAQ BUYING FRUIT ISHAAQ TALKING TO SHOP OWNER ISHAAQ WALKING TO KHANAQIN MAYOR'S OFFICE SIGN READING IN (Arabic/English/Kurdish): "KHANAQIN MAYOR OFFICE" VARIOUS OF ISHAAQ TALKING WITH KHANAQIN MAYOR, DULAIR HASSAN (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) KHANAQIN MAYOR, DULAIR HASSAN, SAYING: "Our sister Maria (Mariam Ishaaq) is the only remaining Christian living in Khanaqin. She is a dear sister and we are proud and honoured to have her here among us. We hope our Christian brothers, who previously lived in Khanaqin, would return to this city, so that the beautiful fabric of this city could be restored."
- Embargoed: 15th March 2020 14:26
- Keywords: Chirstians Iraq Iraq war Iraq-Iran war Islamic State Khanaqin U.S.-led invasion of Iraq
- Location: KHANAQIN, IRAQ
- City: KHANAQIN, IRAQ
- Country: Iraq
- Topics: Human-Led Feature,Human-Led Stories
- Reuters ID: LVA001C37Z2VP
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Mariam Ishaaq is the only remaining Christian in the Iraqi northern city of Khanaqin, and for her, no church would ever match the rundown, damaged and deserted one in the city.
Surviving decades of violence, including Iraq-Iran war, U.S.-led invasion of Iraq and the Islamic State insurgency that forced many fellow Iraqi Christians to flee, Ishaaq says she is not going anywhere.
There were nearly 200 Christian families living in the city, but all started to flee after the Iraq-Iran war in the 1980s. With the U.S.-led invasion of the country and the subsequent Islamic State onslaught, Ishaaq is the church's only visitor.
Married to a Muslim and living among her Muslim neighbours, Ishaaq says there are no plans to leave the city.
Christian areas were ravaged by Islamic State militants after they seized vast swaths of the country in 2014. The areas were recaptured by U.S.-backed Iraq forces in 2017.
Faced with a choice to convert, pay a tax or die, many Christians in the Nineveh Plains chose to flee. Most sought refuge in nearby towns and cities, but many sought permanent asylum abroad.
Iraq's Christian population has shrunk from 1.5 million to about 400,000 since the U.S.-led invasion in 2003.
Christianity in Iraq dates back to the first century of the Christian era, when the apostles Thomas and Thaddeus are believed to have preached the Gospel on the fertile flood plains of the rivers Tigris and Euphrates.
Iraq is home to many different eastern rite churches, both Catholic and Orthodox, traditionally a sign of the country's ethnic and religious diversity.
(Production: Saman Mahmood, Maher Nazeh, Mohammed Katfan) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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