WALES-ARMENIA SOLIDARITY APPEAL TO HELP THE ARMENIANS OF IRAQ (PAREGAMUTIUN WALES-HAYASTAN)
AZG Armenian Daily
28/10/2008
Armenians of Iraq
Dear Friend,
Today we launch a world-wide appeal to give financial and other help
to the Armenians of Mosul and Baghdad who have had to flee for their
lives.(this last week following the killing of 15 Christians in Mosul
and previously) . This follows my visit to the Armenian community of
Havrest and Zeikho on friday of last week and the Chaldean Church in
Dohuk on Saturday.
On Thursday, I had visited the Municipality of Ankawa, an entirely
Christian town just outside Erebil. It was there that the Head of the
Municipality informed me of what had happened to Christians in Mosul
the previous week. I met the KRG Foreign Minister and thanked him
for the assistance given to fleeing Christians of the Arab-controlled
Mosul city, and asked him to ensure their protection
On Friday, in Zako, Father Miran Yousif Murad showed me around the
Armenian Church, built in 1923 by Genocide Survivors and introduced
me to several who had previously fled to Zakho from Mosul. He agreed
to accept any money collected in Europe and America to help the local
refugees from Mosul and from Baghdad.
He took me to a village called Havrest, built for the Armenians
by the Kurdish Regional Government. With me was Jwan Taher Ahmed a
journalist who represents the Dohuk Governate. About 60 local people
came to meet us and we sat outside the school. When I asked what are
the main problems, their spokesman replied that they are helping the
refugees arriving this week by sharing them around people’s homes. The
refugees receive nothing only the help of themselves for several
weeks or months. Later they are given about 40 dollars per month by
the Kurdish government, as well as enough diesel to run generators
to provide electricity for 3 hours per day Financial help for three
problems would be most welcome
1 the new refugees who receive nothing yet from the government
2 There are presently 9 children who need to travel to the High School
in Dohuk.
They would like 12,000 dollars to buy a van to carry them to school. I
was impressed by their willingness to help others even though their
own situation was not flourishing. Surely, throughout the world we can
raise 12, 000 dollars for the vehicle, and some more to help the newly
arrived refugees? When I asked them do you receive help from Europe or
America they said that they had no contacts there. The van can also be
used to carry people to see the doctor and to take people to hospital
3 I was afterwards taken to the home of a family who showed us her
two-year old daughter (more details, names etc. will follow about
them). She has two holes in her heart and when they lived in Baghdad,
a German doctor was going to take her to Germany with a humanitarian
organization to have the required heart operation. Unfortunately,
the doctor fled Baghdad because of the terrorism and then they also
fled, loosing the chance of this operation.
Can anyone help by persuading the US, UK, French or Armenian government
to provide a 6 month visa for the mother and daughter, please? Does
anyone know of Humanitarian organizations who could help them? Can
you put us in touch with every Armenian heart specialist that you
know of? Father Miran will provide more details very soon.
On Saturday in Dohuk, I was taken by translator Kamal Hussain Mawlood
to meet the members of the Chaldean Syriac Assyrian Assembly, including
Jameel Zaito, the chairman. They include all but one of the Christian
political parties, and they confirmed the truth of the news of killings
and flight of Christians from Mosul. I met a brave lady, Ms Basima
Issa Salman, a Christian Member on the Nineveh Council, who had been
threatened with assassination 13 times. She gave me copies of the
letters, which had been posted, into the houses of Christians, ordering
them to leave, and threatening to kill them in the name of Islam.