ERBIL, Iraq — Half a year after losing everything, displaced Christians are asking where their place is in the world. Should they wait out the bloodbath in the Middle East, or should they abandon a region some say betrayed them long ago and seek out a new life elsewhere?
On June 4, 2014, after pushing through parts of northeast Syria and Iraq, Islamic extremists ISIS invaded Mosul, gaining control of the city in five days and sending all Christians fleeing for their lives. Two months later ISIS pushed further south to the cities of Qaraqosh, Karemlesh and Bartella — setting off another wave of displaced people.
While ISIS fighters have raped, beheaded and threatened non-Muslims, Iraqi Christian refugee Douglas Bazi said Islamic groups often try to portray themselves as separate from “radical” Islamists. He said much of what they believe and their desire to harm Christians is the same.
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