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06/23/2022 Iraq (International Christian Concern) The Islamic State, during its rampage in Iraq, ravaged many Christian historical sites. Among these sites was the Syriac Orthodox Mar Thomas Church in Mosul. Recently, however, archeological workers restoring this church discovered some one dozen ancient relics and parchments connected to several saints. Reportedly, the relics included manuscripts in Syriac and Aramaic as well as six stone containers wrought with Aramaic inscriptions. Some relics found in the church relate to Saint Theodore, Saint Simon, Mor Gabriel, Saint Simeon, and other well-known figures.

The Syriac Orthodox Mar Thomas Church dates back to the 7th century CE and is thought to have been built on the site where the Apostle Thomas lived while in Mosul. The conflict against the Islamic State was not the first time the church has seen the carnage of war in its extensive history. Significantly, the church was damaged by the Persians and by the Ottoman Empire in an 18th-centuryconflict between the two; the damage was so extensive that the church needed to be essentially rebuilt. The current effort to repair the damage done by ISIS in the battle of Mosul over 4 years ago began last year in 2021. The International Alliance for the Protection of Heritage in Conflict Areas, collaborating with the Iraqi government, put $328,000 towards the project.

The discovery of the hidden relics at this church is another encouraging development in the broad effort to restore and protect Christian cultural heritage in Iraq after the damage done by the Islamic State. Other ongoing efforts to renovate historic sites in Iraq include UNESCOs restoration plan, Reviving the Spirit of Mosul, which has allocated over $100 million towards restoration projects. Perhaps workers will uncover more undiscovered pieces of history as they sort through the archeological remains of Christianitys long history in Iraq.

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New Relics Discovered in ISIS Ravaged Church in Iraq - International Christian Concern

EATONTOWN A planned park in Eatontown will honor the memory of a borough native who died in the Iraq War almost two decades ago.

During a recent meeting, members of the Borough Council passed a resolution naming and dedicating the parcel for a planned park on the former Fort Monmouth property as the Capt. James M. Gurbisz Memorial Park.

Gurbisz was serving in the U.S. Army when he was killed supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom on Nov. 4, 2005, according to information posted on njrunforthefallen.org

The website states Gurbisz was a platoon leader of the 26th Forward Support Battalion, 2nd Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division (who) was killed in Baghdad along with SPC Dustin Allan Yancey during a scouting mission in Baghdad. A 1998 graduate from Monmouth Regional High School, Tinton Falls, he was a star athlete and scholar. Graduated with a degree in mechanical engineering from West Point in 2002, the first graduating class following the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States.

Gurbisz is buried at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia.

As noted in the councils resolution, Eatontown acquired a 4.6-acre parcel on the former Fort Monmouth from the Fort Monmouth Economic Revitalization Authority in March. Municipal officials intend to develop the parcel into a park.

The property has previously been known as the Eatontown Parks Parcel and the Nicodemus Gate Parcel. The property will officially be named the Capt. James M. Gurbisz Memorial Park when it opens to the public.

According to the resolution, Gurbisz was the son of a Vietnam War veteran and frequently visited Fort Monmouth at an early age. Gurbisz was killed in Baghdad in 2005 when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle.

The Borough of Eatontown wishes to honor the memory of Capt. James M. Gurbisz with a lasting legacy in the borough and ensure his name and sacrifice are never forgotten, municipal officials wrote in the resolution. The ultimate sacrifice paid by Capt. Gurbisz (is) a debt which can never be repaid.

In other business, council members approved the payment of additional funds to Frank Lurch Demolition Co. for demolition work and asbestos removal at the site that will become the Capt. James M. Gurbisz Memorial Park.

The company was previously awarded a contract to demolish several buildings at the site. After starting work, the contractor discovered an additional area of asbestos that required remediation. The funds for the removal of the additional asbestos are in an amount not to exceed $6,750.

Finally, council members authorized T&M Associates, the boroughs engineering firm, to explore the availability of state funding options that could be used to pay for flooding mitigation work associated with flooding at Wampum Brook, according to a resolution.

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Eatontown park will be named in honor of soldier killed in Iraq - centraljersey.com

This year, World Refugee Day reminds us that every person has a right to seek safety whoever they are, wherever they come from and whenever they are forced to flee conflict or persecution.In Iraq and especially in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI), we commend the people and authorities for the welcome extended to some 300,000 Syrian, Iranian, Turkish and other refugees and asylum-seekers of which over 90 percent live in the KRI.Today, as Iraq is recovering from years of armed violence and internal displacements due to the fight against ISIL (Daesh), UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, stands with refugees and communities who have been hosting them as the country heads towards stability and prosperity.UNHCR praises the authorities in Iraq, particularly in KRI, for providing healthcare and soon education to the refugees through their public systems, and for having allowed them to fend for themselves by getting jobs. Funding for humanitarian emergency responses around the world is being overstretched, as partners must address the needs of the 100 million people who have been forced to leave their homes, most recently in Ethiopia, Afghanistan, and Ukraine. Nonetheless,UNHCR remains committed to supporting the Iraqi and KRI authorities and people in their efforts to help refugees restore their lives with dignity. Today, on World Refugee Day, we celebrate the generosity that the authorities and people in Iraq, especially in the KRI, have demonstrated even during their own adversity: they have opened their doors and hearts to shelter and protect those displaced from neighboring countries and their own sisters and brothers who fled ISIL (Daesh) violence. Seeing today in Erbil how so many refugees have been able to resume dignified lives is a testament to their resilience, but also to the hospitality of their hosts. UNHCR remains committed to working together with the authorities and the international community to support host communities and refugees alike. On this day, it is also important to reiterate the importance of keeping borders open to allow safe passage to those who flee violence and persecution - whoever they are, wherever they come from, and whenever they are forced to flee, we must be prepared to welcome them, like Iraq and the KRI has done in particular in relation to Syrian refugees. said Jean-Nicolas Beuze, Representative of UNHCR in Iraq.Durable solutions for those who were forced to flee must be sought, especially in protracted situations and until the time refugees can go home in safety and dignity. In Iraq, UNHCR is investing in existing public services to strengthen their capacity to serve both host and displaced communities through readily accessible interventions of high quality. Ultimately, it is to the benefit of all that refugees become more self-reliant and engage in the local economy so that they no longer depend on humanitarian assistance and contribute to the communities that welcomed them.

The UN response in Iraq in relation to Iraqi families displaced by ISIL, many of whom have now returned home, is transitioning from a humanitarian response into one rooted in a development framework, working hand in hand with relevant public institutions. It is critical that refugees and asylum-seekers are not left behind while the country moves towards the achievement of sustainable development goals, leaving behind years of a daunting humanitarian crisis.By welcoming refugees, Iraq and the KRI have allowed those forced to flee to rebuild their lives free from discrimination and away from armed violence, providing them space to rebuild their lives in safety. UNHCR is committed to standing with the authorities and people in Iraq, including KRI, until long-term solutions are achieved.

[FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT:]

Firas Al-Khateeb, Spokesman and Communication Officer

Baghdad, Iraq +964 780 918 9700 khateeb@unhcr.org

Shaza Shekfeh, Associate Communication Officer

Erbil, Iraq +964 770 494 6384 shekfehs@unhcr.org

Rasheed Rasheed, Senior Communications Associate

Dohuk, Iraq +964 750 713 0014 rasheedr@unhcr.org

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On World Refugee Day: Everyone has the right to seek safety - Iraq - ReliefWeb

Faezeh Rafsanjani, the daughter of late Iranian president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, revealed that her father sought an end to the Iran-Iraq war.

He proposed ending the war to then supreme leader Khomeini, but he refused, she revealed in an interview to Asharq television.

Moreover, she revealed that her father sought openness towards Saudi Arabia and backed restoring Irans relations with the United States.

He did not oppose ties with any country, except for Israel, she added.

Rafsanjani, who is a member of the reformist Executives of Construction Party, slammed the ruling conservatives in Iran, saying they are not seeking a nuclear deal with the West because they are actually benefitting from it.

She noted how many conservatives often slam the US and European countries, while their children purse an education in the West.

She doubted that a nuclear deal would be reached during the term of US President Joe Biden, noting that the Iranians and Americans were awaiting the outcome of the US Midterm elections.

Rafsanjanis father had pursued reform in Iran and sought openness with neighboring countries and the West.

His daughter called on her country to be open to the world because few Iranians really support being closed off from it.

Continued here:
Faezeh Rafsanjani: My Father Tried to Convince Khomeini to End War with Iraq - Asharq Al-awsat - English

Iraq temporarily closed Baghdad airport Monday as choking clouds of dust blanketed the capital, the latest crippling sandstorm in a country that has warned climate change poses an "existential threat".

It was the tenth such storm since mid-April to hit Iraq, which has been battered by intense droughts, soil degradation, high temperatures and low rainfall linked to climate change.

Earlier this month, to mark World Environment Day, President Barham Saleh warned that tackling climate change "must become a national priority for Iraq as it is an existential threat to the future of our generations to come".

The sun eventually reappeared on Monday afternoon, after a thick white dust had covered Baghdad and surrounding areas through the morning, with visibility slashed to a few hundred metres (yards).

Officials at Baghdad airport announced the temporary suspension of flights, before they were restarted at around 10:30 am (0730 GMT).

In Najaf, a Shiite holy city in central Iraq, the airport briefly suspended operations in the morning before reopening a few hours later when the dust passed.

Airports have been forced to suspend flights several times due to sandstorms in recent weeks.

In May, sandstorms sent thousands of people to hospital with respiratory problems, and left one person dead.

Iraq, which is entering the scorching summer season when temperatures at times surpass 50 degrees Celsius (122 Fahrenheit), is ranked by the United Nations as one of the world's five most vulnerable nations to climate change and desertification.

The environment ministry has warned that over the next two decades Iraq could endure an average of 272 days of sandstorms per year, rising to above 300 by 2050.

The World Bank warned in November that Iraq could suffer a 20 percent drop in water resources by 2050 due to climate change.

Water shortages have been exacerbated by the building of upstream dams in neighbouring Turkey and Iran.

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Iraq swept by tenth sandstorm in weeks - Al-Monitor