Iraq

Happy Yezidi New Year!

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This week it was the Yezidi New Year, known as Sere Sal, which means “Head of the Year”. It’s celebrated on a particular Wednesday of April, known as Red Wednesday. This day commemorates the Wednesday that Melek Taus, one of the central figures of the Yezidi religion, first came to earth millions of years ago in order to calm the planet’s quaking and spread his peacock colors throughout the world.

Below are photos from this week’s Yezidi New Year celebration in Sinjar, Iraq, close to the Iraqi-Syrian border.

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Photo credits: Allt om Irak Facebookpage

The Liberation Might be Close – and Then?

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IS are being pushed further and further, and many are already celebrating the victory over one of the worst terrorist organisations – at least one of the worst who’s been able to show it off so cleverly online – this decade.

What will happen after IS might finally succumb in Iraq and  its scattered members go on the run to avoid being tortured by the general army’s forces? What will happen after its European members will go back to their respective countries and plan terrorist attacks back home?

This is what needs to happen:

Iraqi government needs to include minorities in their politics. They need to take safety measures so that  minorities can live under the same conditions as the majority population.

Public schools needs to receive sufficient funding and teachers so that all children get a substantial education.

The national army and police needs to be trained so that they don’t repeat the human rights abuses that has been conducted towards civilians.

Otherwise, the same constellation, or a new one, will pop up sooner or later. And the celebrations will be silenced for good.

Happy Assyrian New Year!

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Yesterday it was the Assyrian New Year, the year of 6766. Happy Assyrian New Year, everyone!

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The Iraqi and the Assyrian flag

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Girls in traditional Assyrian dresses

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Photo credits: Tourism in Iraq and Assyrian National National Library

 

 

Travel to Kurdistan

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Despite the ongoing threat from Daesh, Kurdistan is trying to hold the fort. Many Kurds I know try to keep up the vibes by sharing positive photos and news from their country.

Travel to Kurdistan is a beautiful Facebook page with one clear aim in mind.

Wanna go somewhere exciting? Somewhere different? Try Iraqi Kurdistan next time. here’s a few reasons why (all captions, when there are, are from the Travel to Kurdistan’s page):

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“Zaxo, Kurdistan”

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“Our colourful flag must wave in all weather and at all time to survive.”

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Photo credits: Travel to Kurdistan’s Facebook page

Christmas in Baghdad

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Christmas Eve yesterday in Baghdad, Iraq. The photos are from the Iraqi photographer Ahmad Mousa, founder of the @everydayiraq project. The captions are the original ones from Ahmad Mousa’s Facebookpage.

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Iraqi Christian girls light candles on Christmas Eve at a church in Baghdad

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‪Christmas mass in ‪Baghdad, at Our Lady of Salvation church

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Christmas mass in Baghdad, Iraq

“Iraqis and Iraqis Only Will Own This Land”

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Iraq doesn’t belong to IS, Iraq never did. Don’t get fooled by the news.

If you follow anti-IS activists online you see plenty of resistance everyday, resistance that rarely make headlines in the Western news. The lack of international recognition for these activists is a reason I share these news on this web page.

This is Tourism in Iraq‘s, the page I have written about on previous occasions, latest, subtle, response to the so-called Islamic State, in form of a Facebook status update:

“Iraq is the cradle of civilization with great history and magical beauty. lraqis and Iraqis only own this land.”

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Photo credit: Tourism in Iraq