On Friday, Pope Francis will conduct his first foreign visit since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic – to Iraq.
The pontiff's multi-city tour will take him to the capital, Baghdad, and Erbil, as well as to the holy city of Najaf, where he will meet Grand Ayatollah Ali Al Sistani. He will also travel to the town of Qaraqosh, whose Christians were forcibly exiled when ISIS militants invaded the Nineveh plains and declared their so-called caliphate in 2014. In keeping with his focus on interfaith dialogue, the Pope will travel to Nasiriya for an interreligious meeting at the Plain of Ur, believed to be the birthplace of the prophet Abraham. It is his first foray to the Middle East since signing the Declaration of Fraternity in Abu Dhabi with Grand Imam of Al Azhar Mosque in Egypt, Dr Ahmed Al Tayeb, in 2019.
The visit is laced with both great symbolism and great danger. The entire Vatican delegation travelling with the Pope has been vaccinated against the coronavirus, which is raging throughout Iraq at the moment and, two weeks ago, forced another national lockdown (over 700,000 cases of the virus have been recorded over the past year). From a security standpoint, while Iraq is much safer than it was when ISIS was rampaging throughout the country, it has continued to endure confrontations between various Iran-backed militias and the US, in addition to occasional terrorist bombings. The events and masses that the Pope will hold will be an enormous challenge to secure.
The statue of the Virgin Mary at the Syriac Catholic Church of the Immaculate Conception, or Al-Tahira Al-Kubra church, in the predominantly Christian town of Qaraqosh in Iraq. AFP
A nun adds a coat of paint to the crucifix at the Immaculate Mary Convent in Qaraqosh, in preparation for the visit of Pope Francis in March. AFP
Policemen stand guard as maintenance work is carried out at the Church of the Immaculate Conception in Qaraqosh before the Pope's visit. EPA
A fighter from the Nineveh Plain Protection Units, an Assyrian Christian militia, stands guard outside the Church of the Immaculate Conception in Qaraqosh. AFP
Iraqi and Vatican flags and a picture of Pope Francis in Qaraqosh, about 30 kilometres east of Mosul in northern Iraq. EPA
A sign welcoming Pope Francis hangs outside the Syriac Catholic Church of St Thomas in Qaraqosh. AFP
Father Ammar Yako, head of the Church of the Immaculate Conception, walks past a poster of Pope Francis days before his historic visit to Iraq. Getty
Workers prepare a path at the Church of the Immaculate Conception in Qaraqosh, Iraq. AFP
Iraqi men print a banner of Pope Francis and Shiite cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani at a factory in Najaf, before the first papal visit to Iraq. AFP
Municipal workers pave the road outside the Chaldean Catholic Church of St Joseph in preparation for the Pope's visit to Baghdad. AFP
Members of a Christian choir rehearse at the Chaldean Catholic Church of St Joseph before the visit of Pope Francis. AFP
Workers prepare Franso Hariri Stadium in Erbil for the arrival of Pope Francis. AFP
A stage has been set up at Franso Hariri Stadium in preparation for the papal visit to Iraq. AFP
A poster of Pope Francis on the wall of the Chaldean Catholic Church of St Joseph in Baghdad. AFP
Al Tahera Syriac Catholic Church in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul, which was severely damaged by ISIS in 2017. Pope Francis is expected to pray there during his March visit. AFP
Al Tahera Syriac Catholic Church in Mosul was damaged by ISIS as the extremists were forced out of the city. AFP
The Chaldean Catholic Church of St Joseph in Iraq's capital Baghdad. The Pope will visit the city in March. AFP
Inside the Chaldean Catholic Church of St Joseph in Baghdad. AFP
Workers at Franso Hariri Stadium in Erbil, the capital of Iraq's northern autonomous Kurdish region. The Pope will hold a Mass at the stadium in March. AFP
Workers finalise preparations for the Pope's visit to Franso Hariri Stadium in Erbil. AFP
Pope Francis will hold a Mass at Franso Hariri Stadium in Erbil, the capital of Iraq's northern autonomous Kurdish region. AFP
The visit is also crucial to building on the Abu Dhabi declaration, after a year of pandemic, but is also an important signal of support for Christians of the East, many of whom fled in the course of ISIS's reign of terror in Iraq and Syria, forced to abandon ancestral homelands, their houses of worship defaced or destroyed. I interviewed Iraqi Chaldeans in 2014 in Beirut, where a few thousand had sought refuge, and few I met wanted to stay in the Middle East, traumatised by the betrayal of some of their neighbours, who had found common cause with the militants. They hoped Lebanon would be a stopover to safer shores in Europe or North America.
I am particularly struck, however, by one element of the Pope’s itinerary, and that is his planned visit to Hosh Al Bieaa (Church Square) in Mosul, to recite a “prayer of suffrage” for victims of ISIS. Mosul was the crown jewel of the so-called caliphate, and its most populous city. The city was fully liberated after a gruelling, months-long battle in July 2017, but not before ISIS committed numerous atrocities against its citizens and numerous civilians were killed in the crossfire.
In addition to the Christians who were exiled from or killed in Iraq, ISIS claimed victims of multiple faiths and denominations. They slaughtered Shia civilians and army cadets, enslaved, killed and raped Yazidis and tortured and murdered Sunnis. Yet for all the pain and suffering visited upon the Middle East’s peoples, one key element is often lacking in the cultural conversation: a simple acknowledgment of this suffering.
Justice has, of course, been elusive for a long time in the region. Nobody has or will pay for their part in some of the bloodiest conflicts of the last century or even the last decade in Syria, Libya, Yemen and elsewhere, notwithstanding individual cases of prosecutions in some European countries.
Christian volunteers hold Iraqi and Vatican flags as they decorate streets ahead of the planned visit of Pope Francis, in Qaraqosh, Iraq. Reuters
Choir members practise at St Joseph Chaldean Cathedral, where Pope Francis will hold a mass, in Baghdad. Reuters
Workers at St Joseph Chaldean Cathedral. The visit from March 5 to 8 will be the first trip abroad by Pope Francis since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic. Reuters
People practise hymns that will be played during the Mass to be held by the pontiff in Erbil, Iraq. Reuters
The visit will also be the first time Iraq welcomes the sovereign of the Vatican City. Reuters
A soldier passes the entrance of St Joseph Chaldean Cathedral, where Pope Francis will hold Mass. Reuters
From about 1.5 million Christians prior to the US-led invasion, only an estimated 250,000 remain in the country today.. Reuters
But in the absence of that kind of accountability and transitional justice, what source of succour is there for victims and their families who seek closure and a simple affirmation of their pain? When was the last time a government or individual in the region acknowledged and apologised for their role in perpetrating a crime against their fellow citizens? Where are the memorials for the victims of torture in Syria’s dungeons, the refugees who drowned in the Mediterranean, those who died in Lebanon’s suicide bombings in the mid-2010s, the people killed or displaced by the various militias in Iraq, the Palestinians who died in various Israeli offensives over the past 20 years or the Libyans and Yemenis killed by their countrymen or agents of foreign powers? The government in Lebanon is so adamantly opposed to any kind of reckoning with the recent cataclysmic explosion in Beirut that, rather than find some way to help those who were rendered homeless by it or lost their loved ones in it, it is instead actively undermining the judicial investigation.
If you think even this simple acknowledgment is of no value, consider how much pain Turkey’s refusal to recognise the mass killing of Armenians continues to elicit a century later. Arguments over the label of “genocide” ignore the suffering of victims and their families, while failing to address the crimes of the past.
I don’t know why we are so reluctant to acknowledge the wounds of our fellow human beings. Perhaps it flies in the face of the heroic resistance narrative or our masculine and patriarchal self-image, or because acknowledging past mistakes may create a moral or legal imperative to act to lift the distress of citizens (what a novel concept) when the region’s powerful can instead hide behind exhortations to steadfastness and resilience. Or perhaps they fear that acknowledging the sins of the past will reopen wounds they thought cauterised.
But if the past traumatic decade has taught us anything, it should have taught us that these wounds are rarely closed. When papered over, they simply continue to fester below the surface, ready to rage again.
Kareem Shaheen is a veteran Middle East correspondent in Canada and a columnist for The National
New UK refugee system
A new “core protection” for refugees moving from permanent to a more basic, temporary protection
Shortened leave to remain - refugees will receive 30 months instead of five years
A longer path to settlement with no indefinite settled status until a refugee has spent 20 years in Britain
To encourage refugees to integrate the government will encourage them to out of the core protection route wherever possible.
Under core protection there will be no automatic right to family reunion
Refugees will have a reduced right to public funds
Gender equality in the workplace still 200 years away
It will take centuries to achieve gender parity in workplaces around the globe, according to a December report from the World Economic Forum.
The WEF study said there had been some improvements in wage equality in 2018 compared to 2017, when the global gender gap widened for the first time in a decade.
But it warned that these were offset by declining representation of women in politics, coupled with greater inequality in their access to health and education.
At current rates, the global gender gap across a range of areas will not close for another 108 years, while it is expected to take 202 years to close the workplace gap, WEF found.
The Geneva-based organisation's annual report tracked disparities between the sexes in 149 countries across four areas: education, health, economic opportunity and political empowerment.
After years of advances in education, health and political representation, women registered setbacks in all three areas this year, WEF said.
Only in the area of economic opportunity did the gender gap narrow somewhat, although there is not much to celebrate, with the global wage gap narrowing to nearly 51 per cent.
And the number of women in leadership roles has risen to 34 per cent globally, WEF said.
At the same time, the report showed there are now proportionately fewer women than men participating in the workforce, suggesting that automation is having a disproportionate impact on jobs traditionally performed by women.
And women are significantly under-represented in growing areas of employment that require science, technology, engineering and mathematics skills, WEF said.
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Keep it fun and engaging
Stuart Ritchie, director of wealth advice at AES International, says children cannot learn something overnight, so it helps to have a fun routine that keeps them engaged and interested.
“I explain to my daughter that the money I draw from an ATM or the money on my bank card doesn’t just magically appear – it’s money I have earned from my job. I show her how this works by giving her little chores around the house so she can earn pocket money,” says Mr Ritchie.
His daughter is allowed to spend half of her pocket money, while the other half goes into a bank account. When this money hits a certain milestone, Mr Ritchie rewards his daughter with a small lump sum.
He also recommends books that teach the importance of money management for children, such as The Squirrel Manifesto by Ric Edelman and Jean Edelman.
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
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Business Insights
As per the document, there are six filing options, including choosing to report on a realisation basis and transitional rules for pre-tax period gains or losses.
SMEs with revenue below Dh3 million per annum can opt for transitional relief until 2026, treating them as having no taxable income.
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Daniella Weiss and Nachala Described as 'the grandmother of the settler movement', she has encouraged the expansion of settlements for decades. The 79 year old leads radical settler movement Nachala, whose aim is for Israel to annex Gaza and the occupied West Bank, where it helps settlers built outposts.
Harel Libi & Libi Construction and Infrastructure Libi has been involved in threatening and perpetuating acts of aggression and violence against Palestinians. His firm has provided logistical and financial support for the establishment of illegal outposts.
Zohar Sabah Runs a settler outpost named Zohar’s Farm and has previously faced charges of violence against Palestinians. He was indicted by Israel’s State Attorney’s Office in September for allegedly participating in a violent attack against Palestinians and activists in the West Bank village of Muarrajat.
Coco’s Farm and Neria’s Farm These are illegal outposts in the West Bank, which are at the vanguard of the settler movement. According to the UK, they are associated with people who have been involved in enabling, inciting, promoting or providing support for activities that amount to “serious abuse”.
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Hoffenheim v Hertha Berlin (4.30pm)
Fortuna Dusseldorf v Paderborn (4.30pm)
Augsburg v Wolfsburg (4.30pm)
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Sunday, May 17
Cologne v Mainz (4.30pm),
Union Berlin v Bayern Munich (7pm)
You can donate to several registered charities through a “donation catalogue”. The use of the donation is quite specific, such as buying a fan for a poor family in Niger for Dh130.
The site has an e-donation service accepting debit card, credit card or e-Dirham, an electronic payment tool developed by the Ministry of Finance and First Abu Dhabi Bank.
You can donate online or order Smiles n’ Stuff products handcrafted by Al Noor students. The centre publishes a wish list of extras needed, starting at Dh500.
Beit Al Khair Society has the motto “From – and to – the UAE,” with donations going towards the neediest in the country. Its website has a list of physical donation sites, but people can also contribute money by SMS, bank transfer and through the hotline 800-22554.
Dar Al Ber Society, which has charity projects in 39 countries, accept cash payments, money transfers or SMS donations. Its donation hotline is 800-79.
Dubai Cares provides several options for individuals and companies to donate, including online, through banks, at retail outlets, via phone and by purchasing Dubai Cares branded merchandise. It is currently running a campaign called Bookings 2030, which allows people to help change the future of six underprivileged children and young people.
Those who travel on Emirates have undoubtedly seen the little donation envelopes in the seat pockets. But the foundation also accepts donations online and in the form of Skywards Miles. Donated miles are used to sponsor travel for doctors, surgeons, engineers and other professionals volunteering on humanitarian missions around the world.
On the Emirates Red Crescent website you can choose between 35 different purposes for your donation, such as providing food for fasters, supporting debtors and contributing to a refugee women fund. It also has a list of bank accounts for each donation type.
Gulf for Good raises funds for partner charity projects through challenges, like climbing Kilimanjaro and cycling through Thailand. This year’s projects are in partnership with Street Child Nepal, Larchfield Kids, the Foundation for African Empowerment and SOS Children's Villages. Since 2001, the organisation has raised more than $3.5 million (Dh12.8m) in support of over 50 children’s charities.
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum launched the Noor Dubai Foundation a decade ago with the aim of eliminating all forms of preventable blindness globally. You can donate Dh50 to support mobile eye camps by texting the word “Noor” to 4565 (Etisalat) or 4849 (du).
The bairaq is a competition for the best herd of 50 camels, named for the banner its winner takes home
Namoos - a word of congratulations reserved for falconry competitions, camel races and camel pageants. It best translates as 'the pride of victory' - and for competitors, it is priceless
