03/11/2024 Iraq (International Christian Concern) – Danny and his family used to live in Mosul before 2007. He had a barbershop which he owned with his friend. When the situation began to deteriorate in Mosul, with cases of killings, kidnappings, and extortion by unknown parties against Christians, he decided to leave and move to Qaraqosh where he opened his own barbershop. He continued working there until 2014 when ISIS occupied Mosul and the Nineveh Plains. “The invasion of ISIS into Qaraqosh was a shock to me. I thought I had escaped from Mosul 14 years ago, but the explosions caught up with me. Where do I go now?”
“When I entered Erbil, I felt safe. I told my family, ‘Today, I have been reborn,’” said Danny. They slept in tents in the church garden like so many. “The displacement period was difficult for me because I used to be a shop owner. But now I work as an employee in a shop. The barbers in the shop sometimes treated me like an unwanted displaced person, but I remained patient and said, ‘May God forgive them.’
“I returned and saw that Qaraqosh was destroyed. My shop was robbed, and our apartment was stolen, even the doors. But it doesn’t matter as long as we have returned.”
ICC helped Danny reopen his barber shop back to its former glory.
“Everything you have done for me, ICC, I will never forget, and my family will never forget. You have revived hope within me. Thank you! I don’t know what to say; you are the peace dove to Qaraqosh. My daily income will improve thanks to you. I will pay for my daughter’s medical treatment from my own earnings, and I won’t borrow from anyone anymore,” said Danny.
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