The city of Mosul and the Nineveh Plains may already be free from the presence of ISIS, but the military defeat does not necessarily mean a return to normalcy. Two minorities in Iraq know this all too well: Christians and Yazidis, who are the victims of an ethnic cleansing perpetrated by the jihadists.
The fate of both communities is still to be discovered after spending three years as refugees in Iraqi Kurdistan and other areas. They would like to return to their homes but they must do so in a special way.
BREEN TAHSIN
Prince Tahsin Saeed Bek's son
“The governor of Nineveh has called for a governmental, political solution in order to keep all members of society as they were, most importantly, Christians and Yazidis.' 'We will return if there is a solution at the political level.”
This solution at the governmental, political level should be translated into protection offered by the International Community so the Yazidis will not become victims of crime again, explains Prince Breen Tahsin, son of the prince of the Yazidí community. However, it does not seem like this petition has been heeded.
BREEN TAHSIN
Prince Tahsin Saeed Bek's son
“We have asked, and I myself have asked, for the same international protection at various times. We have asked for it again and again. For this, we have gone to the United States and the White House, but for what it seems, they cannot do it. We hope that they can obtain it because, without this protection, we are losing more confidence each time.”
One of the first world leaders who requested an intervention on behalf of this religious minority was Pope Francis. In January 2015, he met with Prince Tahsin Saeed Bek and his supreme spiritual leader, Skeikh Kato, at the Vatican. The young Prince Breen Tahsin also had the opportunity to experience the pope's closeness to the Yazidí people.
BREEN TAHSIN
Prince Tahsin Saeed Bek's son
“My father met with the pope and they talked for an hour. He was very cooperative with us. He told us that every time he helped the Christians, he would help the Yazidis. And 4 months ago we talked for about ten minutes and he said the same thing to me. But this is a political, regional and international issue for which a political solution must also be found.”
In 2014, jihadists assassinated dozens of men and children and enslaved Yazidi women, many of whom have been used as sex slaves and savagely tortured. It is estimated that ISIS was able to kidnap nearly 15,000 and that it still retains some 3,000 in the territories it still controls in Iraq and Syria.
