ISIL announced that the western bank of Mosul is (Dar Al-Islam) (the land of the believers) and the eastern bank is (Dar Al-Kufr) (the land of the infidals), and anyone trues to cross to the eastern bank will be considered a “Kafir” (an infidal) and death is what one would face trying to cross. Mosulis risk a lot to cross to the eastern bank where the liberated areas are, and the cost they pay is too high.
The cost to cross is death, and staying at the western bank means death too. Families tried to cross over through the narrow passage that is less than a meter wide of the collapsed fifth bridge, but their attempt cost them their lives; ISIL killed the family’s father and took his wife and children just because they tried to flee ISIL.
Those who live on the western bank of Mosul are living death in every moment, where there is no water,no power, no food, no fuel, and no peace.
Mosul is now torn down on the middle of both its sides. Those who stayed on the eastern bank are living under ISIL’s mortar shells and snipers, and those who live on the western bank are seiged, trying everything to escape death with no success.
They lost the last string of hope, and the last string to safety and peace.
I know what Life is every time I talk to my mother. For instance, I know she is happy when I look into her eyes, even if she stays silent, I see her eyes rediant and filled with joy. Same way I know when she is sad, even if she smiles.
I called my mother today to check on her, and every time I talk to her she tells me she is fine, even though I know that it is not true. She knows that I am far now and safe, but still, she keeps on telling me to look out for myself and to be safe.
Today, and for the first time, my mother said a word that made me believe that she has lost the last string of patience, and lost all her power to carry on .. that is when she said “I wish I could die”!
For my mother to say this it means, without a doubt, that any possibility to hold on is exhausted, and the situation has reached limits beyond her ability to bare. For her to say this means that no God in heaven nor on earth, no sacred book, divine or pagan, can give my mother any consolation. And for the first time, I tell my mother that she is a believer, and keep her faith in God and she replues: “I wish I died before all of this”!
In the times of war, all what people think about is missiles, bombs, magic plans to end the war, and that is because, without a doubt, war is what occupies society’s mind at this point in time, but very small portion of society that thinks that civility is the essential element even at war. What is the value of war if it was not for establishing and maintaining peace?
To use a military weapon to spread peace is to substantiate the idea of the strength of civility and a tribute to patriotism. Not only that, but also to deliver written letters from iraqi sister cities to Mosul that will be preserved in history. ISIL has always bet on tge rest of Iraq is an enemy of Mosul. Today, this myth ISIL set is broken. Today, people of Najaf, Basra, Karbala, and Babil write to the people of Mosul. The ancient cities of Iraq are getting together for their own glory once again.
As I am away from my city, my mother tells me that a letter was dropped in out hime, signed by “Ali Kadhim” from Najaf reads: “I love Mosul because it represents Iraq’s history”. My mother tells me that such a letter came as a cool breeze of air in a helpless situation.
This is a pure civil experience, Iraqis where the sky carries their written letters to drop them over Mosul like rain, with love and peace.
People know the cost of everything, but only few of people know the value if things. ISIL was trying to cut Mosul of all its ties with the rest of Iraq, but they didn’t know that we have the sky to ourselves.
There is no safe place for ISIL to hide and the whole Earth is a safe place for the Mosulis, because their home is in the hearts of their fellow Iraqis, and where else is safer to them than Iraqis’ hearts?
Thank you the people of Babil, Karbala, and Najaf. Thank you the people of Basra, Kufa and Samawa. Thank you to all of you. Big thank you from the bottom of my heart.
Because of your words, my mom began to smile again and feel safe after her sadness and fear.
During war times and peace times, women are the major victims among all social groups. She is called an orphan once she loses her father, or bereaved of her child, or if she loses her husband, she would be called a widow, and oftentimes, she loses a brother too.
But who sheds some light on her issues?
Since the invasion of Mosul by ISIL, the Mosuli woman issue has become one of the most sensitive and critical issues as thousands of Mosuli women are suffering under the rule of ISIL, hundreds of the Yazidi Mosuli women suffered ISIL’s brutal violence against them, as well as the Christian women were forced to depart their homes, and thousands of women are at the displacement camps, all of them are Mosulis.
Therefore, a group of Mosuli women formed a page dedicated to the Mosuli women titled “Women of Mosul”, to tell the world about the poor Mosuli and the challenges she faced and still facing, and to understand and study her social status now and post-ISIL future. This page is led by an elite members of the educated Mosuli women. Engineers, professors, teachers, interpreters and translators, and well educated women of Mosul, grouped up to represent the Mosuli women and their view of this ongoing war and the women’s role in it.
This valuable group will have a great role to play in the future of Mosul, and I encourage every Mosuli women rights enthusiast to check out this page.
Mosul Eye called to establish a women’s cell that is dedicated to the issues of the women of Mosul, and this page was the response to this call. https://www.facebook.com/WomenOfMosul/
Neighborhoods included in this tour: Al-Muharibin Al-Qudamaa and Al-Zuhur
Date: December 13th, 2016
Mosul Eye person: Musab Walid
Purpose of the tour: Relief campaign
For immediate release
Report on the joint relief campaign to Al-Muharibin Al-Qudamaa and Al-Zuhur neighborhoods by Mosul Eye and Al-Lamsa Al-insaniya (Human Touch) and Ahallna teams
1- The relief caravan started moving at 12:00pm heading to Mosul from Erbil.
2- The number of cargo trucks participated in this caravan was 4 trucks, carrying about 3000 packs of bottled water, 600 food packages, and 1000 bread bags.
3- As our caravan was passing through the liberated areas from Erbil to Mosul, we noticed the amount of devastation and destruction along the road to Mosul because of the battles. Also, towns like Bartalla, are almost empty of its residents.
4- We arrived around 3:00pm to Mosul and went to Al-Zuhur neighborhood, where a new healthcare and relief centers were established. We were the first relief caravan arriving to the center.
5- Along the road from Al-Samah neighborhood to our destination at Al-Zuhur neighborhood, people tell us much in need they are and demand to distribute the relief at their neighborhood.
6- As soon as we arrived, a large crowd of people gathered around us, some even came from neighboring areas. Because we arrived a little late, we did not give away the relief packages, instead, we handed it over to the local relief committee to distribute it fairly by them.
7- The committee and the volunteers unloaded the aid to the center’s storage.
8- we finished our duty there at around 5:00 pm and went to another warehouse on our way back to Erbil close to Bartalla to store what was left of water packs as the storage at the relief center at Al-Zuhur neighborhood got full and couldn’t store the rest of water there. We arrived to Erbil around 8:00 pm.
Our sincere regards to you all,
Today, 12/12/2016, I was on a field trip to Mosul, covered the following:
1- I talked to Lieutenant general Abdulwahab Al-Saadi and I presented myself as Mosul Eye team, and he ordered a military vehicle belongs to ICTS for our transportation from Gugjali around 9:00 AM.
2- The vehicle drove us to the operation command center at Al-Samah neighborhood and there I met with Lie. General Al-Saadi who welcomed us very gracefully.
3- I informed Lie. Al-Saadi about the goals of my trip, that first is about estimating the medical and medication needs of Al-Samah health care center (Al-Arkan), and second, to film the liberated neighborhoods with a VR Camera for the first time in Mosul. We agreed to perform the filming during the daily military tour.
4- I went to the health care center in a military vehicle and asked the staff to provide us with a list of the supplies they need and the amount that covers them for a month hoping to be able to provide them with the supplies they need. We agreed to finish their list in 4 hours (around 2:00 pm).
5- During my visit to Al-Samah health care center, I noticed the number of patients is overwhelming and the available medical staff is not enough to cover the overwhelming number of patients.
6- The medical staff complained about the non-medical aid is been distributed at the center and obstructing the medical staff from attending the patients adequately. I discussed the matter with the deputy governor Mr. Hassan Al-Allaf who said that this is a temporary set and the issue is already resolved by transferring the distribution center to a different location. The staff also complained about the lack of support from the ministry of health and Nainawa’s health department.
7- The medical staff requested urgently an ambulance vehicle, yet, my doubts are that they are requesting the ambulance for their own transportation more than using it to transport patients. I have not witnessed any need to transport any patients at their center. Also, Dr. Asad’s tongue slipped when he said “it is not logical that we go back and forth to the center and we have no vehicle to transport us!” And that’s the secret behind their insistence. (We arranged with Lie. Al-Saadi to provide them with a vehicle by tomorrow).
8- The military tour was cancelled after our trip to the health center because of the lieutenant’s conference attendance. The tour was postpond to tomorrow.
9- I noticed a shortage in everything the center is required to have for patients’ treatment. There is no dental care equipment, no immunization shots, no lab equipment, no guase and no seringes available at the center. The entire situation was filmed where the staff demanded Nainawa’s health department and the ministry of health to fulfill the shortage. I also received a list of the supplies and equipment needed for the center to operate without the amount required to cover their needs for a month.
10- I noticed a significant difference between Al-Samah neighborhood and Gugjali. Life in Gugjali is almost back to normal where the market is open and functioning, normal traffic, even wholesale market is open and operating and life is getting back to its normal track. On the contrary, at Al-Samah neighborhood, I noticed people are lining up for very long hours waiting for relief that may take long hours to arrive to the relief distribution center, or may not arrive at times. I recognize that as a negative difference between two neighboring liberated areas.
11- The residents and the medical staff, alike, do not recognize to whom they direct their demands to, for instance, they demanded their salaries to be paid. I clarified to them that we do not represent any governmental entity, but I promised to make their voices heard. I passed their demands to Hassan Al-Allaf who I happened to meet with him suddenly near the command center.
12- I finished my tour around 2:30 pm and left to Erbil after that.
We will post the pictures and video tomorrow and there will be another tour and an interview of Al-Saadi with Mosul Eye.
I hope that this message finds you at your best of health,
I am writing to you about a nation being crushed by wars, dying everyday on the hands of a guerilla group claiming they carry the faith, invaded my city and destroyed it into ruins, they killed the human being, and displaced the rest, and a great number of my people are captives under their rule, while others are out in the open, nothing covers them of cold or rain.
Your Excellency Pope Francis,
I didn’t write to the King of Mecca, instead, I am writing to you, for I know you never returned a man’s hands empty, and the unjust finds their justice on your hands. We do not forget how the holy father his Holiness Pope Benedict XV during the first world war when he drew his holy care to Mosul and sent his Apostolic Curte to Mosul to honor the people and thanking them for their role in establishing peace.
I am writing to you, asking you and wishing that you call to assist in treating our wounded, sheltering our displaced and your help in sending the necessary medical and humanitarian assistance to them.
We are confident that your Holiness will respond to our plea, and our plea will reach you, and we are hoping that you will help what is left of my people that was torn by wars.
I’m writing today and I am away from Mosul, away from my love. I was compelled to leave my beloved city, and I have no idea if I will ever go back one day, maybe not .. but I left behind me a city that death has hijacked its soul and people.
I left my city seeking the old wisdom, in the hope’s to find a cure to cure whas is damaged of its soul.
The last scene my eyes lied on was a corpse hanging of a power pole.
I tried to lool behind me to have my last glimpse of the city, but I didn’t dare to look back .. I was telling myself that this maybe the last time and I want to save the last scene of the city in my eyes
Yes, I am safe now, but my heart and soul are back in Mosul.
This is how we challenge the caliphate and its preachers!
When the Islamic State came and invaded our Mosul, they brought all the destruction with them, and they said “we came to you with the death and slaughter”
But, see what we brought to you?
The Bicycles to challenge the caliphate
I challenged ISIL once by listening to violinist Itzhak Perlman at the heart of Mosul, and that was a great hit to them, but now, another challenge of a different kind … A friend of mine, went to Mosul today and rude a bicycle challenging the caliph, the caliphate and the Islamic State.
My friend Jumana Mumtaz , went to Mosul, wearing her jeans, riding a bicycle, in a statement to declare to the caliphate that “we will not allow Mosul to become the land of the caliphate, we will play music, sing, and celebrate in Mosul, and will not allow you to kill our dreams”
