This is Mosul Eye, a Twitter account run by Omar Mohammed. Here, he showed the world the atrocities committed by ISIS during its rise in the Middle East.
To document what he saw he had to camouflage himself, and move cautiously among ISIS militants so as not to be discovered. He would later post everything he witnessed on social media accounts and an anonymous blog.
OMAR MOHAMMED
Mosul Eye
“I have seen how they destroyed the churches, the historical sites, how they executed people, how they looted the houses of the Christian people in Mosul, how they deported them... I've seen all of these horrors. And how they enslave Yazidis, how they executed people on a daily basis, how they threw people off of high buildings. I mean, I never imagined that this would happen in reality but it did happen and those images stay with me every day, every night.”
One of the bloodiest moments of the fighting was the retaking of Mosul from ISIS in 2017. Local authorities claim there are still corpses under the rubble there. The pope followed the situation closely.
POPE FRANCIS
“My thoughts go out to those trapped in the western neighborhoods of Mosul.”
Omar is not a Christian, but ever since the war ended he has said a visit from Pope Francis to Mosul would be groundbreaking. It’s one of the cities hardest hit by the war, and Omar says the pope’s presence could help heal the deep wounds that remain open among its residents. That’s why, when he heard the news that the papal visit would finally happen, he couldn’t contain himself.
OMAR MOHAMMED
Mosul Eye
“I couldn’t help but cry. I cried like a child because I didn’t believe it. This is happening! And…I’m not a religious person, I’m a spiritual person, yes, but I believe that my prayers have been heard.”
Omar hopes that Pope Francis' trip will offer another opportunity for reconciliation. For him, this involves making minorities feel welcome, and not only Christians.
OMAR MOHAMMED
Mosul Eye
“I hope this visit will lead the Iraqi government to rethink its position regarding the Jewish population and to give them fair representation in Iraq again because we need not only diversity. We also need inclusion. Without inclusion we cannot maintain our diversity.” 08,18
The pope will be in Mosul on Sunday, March 7th, a special day in which he will also visit Erbil and Qaraqosh—two of the cities where Christians are trying to rebuild their lives after the devastation left behind by ISIS.
In Mosul, residents expect a day filled with emotion, since it is here where Pope Francis will pray for the casualties of the war.
Javier Romero
