The story below originally appeared in Rudaw on December 26th, 2015. The Kurdish Project is partnering with Rudaw and other media outlets to publish stories and news. Want to contribute? Reach out to us at admin@localhost.
Undeterred by War, Santa Claus Visits Kurdistan
by Rudaw
The war with ISIS may be keeping some tourists out, but it’s not enough to stop Santa Claus from coming to the Kurdish regions.
#Erbil #Kurdistan #Christmas #eve ISIS can’t even touch our spirit of love and coexistence pic.twitter.com/m0lCvUd3GE
— Darbaz Dara Mohammed (@Darbazdara) December 25, 2015
Iraqi Kurdistan is the Kurdish-governed enclave in northern Iraq where some five million Kurds are tied to Iraq on the map, but a world away in how they practice their Sunni Muslim religion – or how they let Christians and others practice theirs.
Defending Christians From Daesh
To the north the Kurdistan Region’s own Peshmerga forces face ISIS across a lengthy border that is more than 1,000 kilometers long, dotted with dozens of Christian towns, villages and hamlets where ISIS has tried to scratch out some of the oldest footsteps of Christianity.
#Christian celebrate #Christmas in #Kirkuk, the city which is being protected by #Peshmerga forces, south #Kurdistan pic.twitter.com/Rddvm3VcRK
— Omed Xoshnaw (@omed_xoshnaw) December 25, 2015
To the south is the rest of Iraq, where the Christian community has become decimated by migration and killing, since getting caught in the crossfire of the sectarian Shiite-Sunni fighting and becoming targets of al-Qaeda attacks since the 2003 US invasion of Iraq.
This year, with Christmas falling two days after the birthday of Islam’s Prophet Mohammed, Baghdad’s Shiite-dominated government held Christmas celebrations in a sign of brotherhood with Christians.
For six nights, there are fireworks illuminating the Tigris river that cuts across Baghdad, and a 25-meter Christmas tree adorns the Zawraa public park.
In Zayuna camp, in the east of the city, children listened to Christmas carols and danced with Santa Claus to Iraqi songs.
Celebrations in Rojava
The Western Kurdish region in Syria, also known as Rojava, took part in Christmas celebrations. Some took to Twitter, posting photos of the festivities.
Christmas celebration in Qamishli -Rojava – Kurdistan… #Rojava #Kurdistan pic.twitter.com/gqpRIQ07mP
— Stella (@Stellina_25) December 25, 2015
Providing Shelter to Refugees & IDPs
But many for whom the events were staged – Baghdad’s Christians – have moved on, either taking shelter in the Kurdistan region or going abroad.
Iraq’s Christian population has dropped from 1.3 million people in the 1997 census to about 650,000 now, according to community officials in Iraq.
By some estimates, 95 percent of Iraq’s Christians now shelter in the Kurdistan Region, whose own population of five million remains hospitable but straining under the economic strains of some 2 million refugees from Syria and Iraq.
Here, Muslims, Christians and Yezidis – another religious community devastated by ISIS – worship freely, as do others.
Happy Christmas to F. Immanuel & all at Ainkawa2 camp #Erbil, home to some of 1000s who fled Ninewa from Daesh pic.twitter.com/HIG3AR6PXO
— Angus McKee (@AngusMcKeeFCO) December 24, 2015
Hotels Celebrate Christmas
This Christmas in Ainkawa, Erbil’s traditionally Christian quarter, the Royal Hotel warns forgetful parents through its website not to forget that “Our Santa awaits your kids.”
The Rotana is offering “lavish international buffets in a unique festive ambiance with talented Christmas carol singers that are responsible to entice your night.”
And its website promises to have Santa doing the Salsa on the dance floor with its “Latin American Band.”
Remembering Those Who Sacrificed All
But this has been a year of war for Iraq’s Kurds, who are holding up one of the most important frontlines in a conflict that is a World War in all but name alone.
Since ISIS attacked Erbil in 2014 and pulled the Kurds into the war, more than 1,300 Peshmerga have died defending the frontlines, and over 5,000 have been wounded. Some have been Christians.
Ewed Qais Nheli, the only Christian Peshmerga to hold the rank of brigadier, told Rudaw this month that there had been dozens of Christian dead and hundreds wounded among the Peshmerga.
Due to that reason, says the Dohuk Sheraton in Kurdistan’s third-largest city Christmas celebrations this year will be more somber.
“Dear friends,” the hotel announces on its website: “With our deepest respect and heartfelt compassion to the entire Kurdistan region and especially to the Peshmerga fighters that had sacrificed their lives for their country please kindly be informed that a large scale Christmas and New Year’s Eve event will not be organized.
[To read more, visit Rudaw]
