Before the ravages of the Islamic state, about 100,000 Christians lived in Mosul. Today, the city's historic ethnic religious mosaic has been destroyed, due to political opposites and instability, Christian refugees have not been able to return. In the nearby towns and villages of Ninevezele, the situation is slightly lighter. Two years after the return of IS, nearly half of the population has returned and more than a third of the homes and churches that have been vandalized have been rebuilt and renovated.

Before the ravages of the Islamic state, about 100,000 Christians lived in Mosul. Today, the city's historic ethnic religious mosaic has been destroyed, due to political opposites and instability, Christian refugees have not been able to return. In the nearby towns and villages of Ninevezele, the situation is slightly lighter. Two years after the return of IS, nearly half of the population has returned and more than a third of the homes and churches that have been vandalized have been rebuilt and renovated.




At the same time, concern among the population is significant. When I visited this summer, Mosul and Ninevety, both returning refugees and political representatives and church leaders spoke of a deep sense of betrayal. The memory of how Christian populations of 2014 were disarmed by Kurdish peshmerga and then left for their destiny is alive. The disappointment that both Iraqi and Kurdish militants gave up and flew when IS terrorists went to attack means that clear security guarantees are required for Christians to dare to return to their historic hometown.

Among the people, hopes that future security can be built using UN missions and blue helmets. At the same time, both financial resources and political will in the rest of the world are lacking for such efforts. The realistic, instead, is to make political efforts by the Iraqi government to implement an earlier decision on political autonomy for the Nineveenth World War. Within the framework of self-government, Christian communities and Jezides would be able to build their own social institutions and protection forces. It would also enable targeted international support for education and public services, which is a prerequisite for economic development.

Support for political autonomy is central, at the same time it is clear that long-term solutions and a safe future for Iraq's Christians can not be built as long as Islamism poisons hearts and brains. In order to change attitudes, to counter violence-violent extremism and to prevent ethnorous cleansing, extensive international efforts are required. The European Union, all its member states, together with the United States, have the opportunity to make a difference, it can be through political support for a process where the basic is:

 ✝️Righteousness for Victims of Genocide. Individuals, regardless of nationality, who are responsible for abuse and oppression must be brought to justice. This is a prerequisite for reconciliation and for the victims of the genocide to receive the exile they are entitled to.
✝️ Training program for the young generation. Knowledge breaks down prejudices and counteracts delusions. Education provides the conditions for work and thus resistance to radicalization and extremism.
✝️ Civil Rights, regardless of religion. It may be about the right of young people to choose education without being harassed, but also to open up auditing of land transactions aimed at changing the ethnic composition of a society.
✝️ Measures against resentment and hatred. Social media, as well as extreme religious leaders, are increasingly contributing to radicalization and polarizing messages. Through intensified interreligious dialogue, society's support is increased to Muslim representatives who act against Islamism. "
https://www.svd.se/svenska-politiker-har-svikit-folkmordets-offer