Erbil (AsiaNews) - "We hope to return to Karamles, to return to our homes, take back our lives"; although many have chosen to flee persecution, "we cannot leave, we can not abandon Iraq: our roots are here." This is what Rami Sadik (pictured) said to AsiaNews. He is a young Christian student originally from Karamles, one of the cities that with Mosul has fallen into the hands of the militia of the Islamic State. A student of the Faculty of Sport Sciences, today he is among those who live in the refugee camp, "The eyes of Erbil" (Ayun Erbil), in the Christian neighborhood of Ankawa, in the northern Kurdish capital.
Last summer Rami, 22, along with family and friends abandoned hastily their homes to escape the Islamist group that has conquered parts of Iraq and Syria. He has not lost hope of being able to return to his homeland, because he is convinced that only thanks to the Christian minority in Iraq will have a future of peace and coexistence. Meanwhile, in the reception center, he promotes moments of play and education to the children of the refugees.
Here, below, the interview with AsiaNews:
Rami, how
would you judge the current situation and what future do you imagine for your
community?
I hope that
our area will be freed from the presence of the militia of the Islamic state
and made secure by the Peshmerga, so that we can return to our homes. Our roots
are here, in Iraq. We really hope to return to Karamles, because we have no
intention to leave the country. To return to our homes, to resume our lives ...
this is the best solution for all of us!
There
remain unresolved problems that cast a shadow on the future, starting from
school and work.
Yes, here in
Kurdistan we still face many difficulties, such as not being able to continue
our studies, to attend classes. The courses are different than ours, the
language is different, and this is certainly not a good prospect. This is also
one of the reasons why we really hope to be able to return to our land. We do
not want to remain here!
How many
people think like you?
I know
several people - some very closely - that have left. Many have wanted to leave
Iraq, because they failed to catch a glimpse of a future, a reasonable solution
that spurs them to turn back. They have preferred to leave. Among these are
also my friends who left for Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey, expecting to find relief
from their suffering.
Iraq seems
destined to empty itself and the Christian population to disappear.
This is the
point: day after day people can't take it anymore to support this situation.
They do not want to remain in the midst of this suffering and so decide to
leave. Every day that passes we lose a friend, a relative who is leaving. This
phenomenon, this exodus concerns especially the Christians of Iraq. Our people
are becoming every day more discouraged.
The return
to Karamles would instead be a source of hope?
Exactly, that
is what is best for us! All families of this center are hoping to return home,
to Karamles, because that is where we have our roots, there is our life, our
future. We cannot leave, we cannot abandon
Iraq. (BC-DS)