Iraq. Shared Eid al Fitr celebrations in Mosul

Iraq. Shared Eid al Fitr celebrations in Mosul
Press release

Iraq. Shared Eid al Fitr celebrations in Mosul: Christian and Yezidi communities pay homage to the Muslim community.

Mosul, 4th June 2019 – During the celebrations of Islam’s second most important festivity, Iraqi minority communities involved in the initiatives of the Italian NGO Un Ponte Per…(UPP) by presenting members of the Muslim community with flowers and sweets after morning prayers.

Mosul, former Daesh stronghold is coming back to life through the celebration by local communities of religious festivities like Eid al Fitr, which this year fell between 5 and 6 June, which marks the holy fasting month of Ramadan.

The Nineveh Plain has always been a place of peaceful coexistence  of Christian, Muslim and ethnic-religious minority communities: a mosaic of civilisations threatened by the tensions, violence and fighting which started in 2014, when most of the area was occupied by Daesh, displacing thousands of people. But now, the Nineveh Plain is gradually coming back to life: the churches – many of which were desecrated – are being rebuilt; worshippers are returning to their mosques  to celebrate their festivities.

And it was here, outside Mosul’s largest mosque, that many young members of the Christian, Yezidi, Kaka’i and Shabak communities paid homage to this important event in the Muslim community, by presenting flowers and sweets to men, women and children after morning prayers.

These are young male and female Civil Society activists working on peace building projects with the Italian organisation Un Ponte Per…(UPP) which has been working in the area for more than 28 years. They have been active in the Nineveh Plain since 2016, when they established Youth Centres, with Conflict Prevention Teams .

These young men and women are active in their respective communities, are regularly up-dated on issues such as reconciliation, non-violence, peace journalism and dialogue, as they work towards a future where the country’s ethnic minorities can live together. Un Ponte Per supports many of their initiatives, such as this morning’s homage, as well as the ‘Peace Bus’ project which takes these young people to the remotest villages of the Nineveh area, where they encourage dialogue between minority communities through joint celebration of cultural festivities, gatherings and traditional meals.

This is a way to overcome the divisions and mistrust created by the war with a clear message from the next generation: diversity is a form of wealth, and the Iraqi people must recognise its importance.