Displaced Christians await Christmas amid wishes to return home

NINEWA / IraqiNews.com: Displaced Christians from the city of Mosul await Christmas and New Years celebrations amid wishes to return to their cities and celebrate with their families and friends. “We found security here in al-Hamadaniya district but we miss our Mosul so much, especially as Christmas is coming,” Misko Bahnam, an old woman in black and lives with her grand daughter, told IraqiNews.com. “We used to gather in Christmas, our families and neighbors, to celebrate,” she said. “I am so worried about my son who heads everyday for Mosul to work there and to inspect our house,” she also said. “I hope our lovely days come back again as we used to go to church during Christmas, I miss these days so much and I miss the family atmosphere also,” the 30-year-old grand daughter said. “We used to gather and prepare the finest food for the Christmas, but recently we have not gone to the church because of the bad security condition,” she added. For his part, Khaled Youssef, 40, told IraqiNews.com “When we were in Mosul , we know all people in the church despite they were coming from remote places, but now in al-Hamadaniya we do not know anyone.” “Yes here we can find security, but I find difficulty adapting with the country atmosphere; I lived in Mosul and suddenly found my self in a village and there is no job opportunity for me here,” he said. On the contrary, his mother, Katrina, said “I hope I live in a village, because when I go visit Mosul city I see and hear the terrified explosions.” “When we were in Mosul , we used to gather with our friends and relatives and make lunch, but now and because of our economic condition we cant do this nice and socials things,” she noted. Several Christian families have fled Mosul during the past weeks, while Iraqi security sources said that a few Christians were killed in separate incidents in the city, signaling an increase in the wave of attacks against religious communities in the northern volatile city. Mosul , the capital city of Ninewa , lies 405 km north of Baghdad . The original city of Mosul stands on the west bank of the Tigris River, opposite the ancient biblical city of Nineveh on the east bank, but the metropolitan area has now grown to encompass substantial areas on both banks, with five bridges linking the two sides. Despite having an amount of Kurdish population, it does not form part of the area controlled by the Kurdistan Regional Government Kurdistan RegionG). There are different communities in Mosul like Christians, Shiites and Kurds along with a Sunni majority. The fabric Muslin, long manufactured here, is named for this city. Another historically important product of the area is Mosul marble. The city is also a historic center for the Nestorian Christianity of the Assyrians, containing the tombs of several Old Testament prophets such as Jonah, Yunus in Arabic, and Nahum. SH (I)/SR 1