ERBIL, KRG, Iraq (North Press) – Syrian refugees, of the Christian community, have taken Erbil, the capital of Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRG), as a transit hoping to immigrate to Australia.
The families, fleeing the Islamic State (ISIS) and the Turkish-backed Syrian opposition factions, left their hometowns in Raqqa and Ras al-Ain (Sere Kaniye) among others in northeastern Syria.
Since the Syrian war began in 2011, the Christian families have endured persecution by either ISIS or the Turkish-backed opposition factions.
Sawsan Sa’do is a Christian woman from Sere Kaniye who is now a refugee in Erbil after displacement trips with her family among the Syrian areas of Sere Kaniye, Raqqa and Aleppo. Then, she immigrated to Erbil and is currently waiting her chance to be an asylum seeker in Australia.
Sere Kaniye, before and after
Sa’do recalls the year 2013 when the People’s Protection Units (YPG) liberated Sere Kaniye. “In my first visit to Sere Kaniye post liberation, I felt that fears of the Christian families calmed down a little bit and that life was back to normal again. The Kurds were always like our siblings. Then, Turkey occupied the city and panic regenerated.”
“I was born and lived in Sere Kaniye until the war started and the armed groups tightened control on the city,” Sa’do narrated to North Press.
“We were terrified. They threatened to kill us. They accused us of infidelity. We lost our calm days,” she said.
“We are currently searching for a country that may receive us. Therefore, we applied for an asylum in Australia and we await for the agreement,” she added.
Sa’do pointed out that following the Turkish invasion of Sere Kaniye in 2018, most of the Christian families fled and Christian people live the city any more.
Looking directly in the camera and starting to cry, Hasmik Hovnan, a Christian woman of Raqqa city said “let us re-start shooting the video”. She did not want her tears to be shown on public.
Hovnan, now in her sixties, wishes to live a safe life.
War ripped the Christian community
Hovnan is from Raqqa but lived in Aleppo. “Prior to the war, we did not differentiate between a Muslim and a Christian. But after the armed militants came, they expelled the Christians and threatened us with murder,” she said.
So, we came to Erbil when we heard we can travel to Australia and lead a safe life there, she added.
Waskin Kasheshiyan, a Christian man in his sixties who hails from Raqqa, said he never imagined to leave Syria. But reality was different. After ISIS entered Raqqa in 2014, ISIS so-called capital of the caliphate, Kasheshiyan immigrated to Erbil.
“Since then (ISIS entry into Raqqa), our lives changed completely. My family displaced to Aleppo and I stayed in Raqqa to preserve my job,” he said.
Two years after persecution imposed by ISIS, Kasheshiyan fled.
“ISIS imposed an annual tax on the Christian families estimated in 17 grams of gold. They forced us to attend religious lessons about Islam claiming Christianity is blasphemy. Therefore I displaced to Aleppo, my first sanctuary.”
The way to Aleppo was perilous. Kasheshiyan had to walk 30 km but he finally managed to do it.
Waiting to go to Australia
In a small room in Ain Kawa neighborhood in the middle of Erbil, Kasheshiyan is sitting on his sofa switching over TV channels hoping to find news saying “Australia is hosting Syrian refugees”.
Almost a year ago, Kasheshiyan immigrated to Erbil dreaming to go to Australia where he can live as a Christian safely, he described.
“The war destroyed my house and my income. Living and renting a house in Aleppo was too expensive. Fearful of being targeted because of being a Christian prompted me to come to Erbil and wait until the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) agrees my asylum application to Australia,” he said.
Dozens of Christian families coming from Syria are waiting for the UNHCR to make interviews with them and agree on their asylum application to Australia, which opened doors for Christians to move there to work and settle down. However, the coronavirus pandemic and the increase of asylum seekers to Australia prolonged waiting of some refugees.
A precise toll of the number of Christians present in Erbil is unavailable. However, they are estimated to be some dozens, which is a small figure compared to the number of the Syrian refugees, approximately 250,000, living in KRG.
During the Syrian war, violence against Christians escalated. The worst was in Aleppo city as only 70,000 out of 150,000 Christian people only remained, according to unofficial statistics published by media reports.