"Dear passengers, our plane has touched down in Amman, you are safe." That's what happened a year ago when a Royal Jordanian airliner landed at Amman International Airport, carrying the first batch of the Iraqis from Mosul and other areas of Iraqi Nineveh who left their homeland, their properties, and their history to come to this beloved homeland, sharing with its citizens their security and stability.
A year ago has passed. Based on the statistics, some 8,000 displaced Iraqis have arrived in Jordan. They managed, at least, to preserve their faith and their lives.
What shall we say with the elapse of the first anniversary?
Many thanks go to the Jordan King, government and people. This is the first time that we receive people displaced because of their faith. This measure indicates the permanent and historic defense of the Christian Arab identity, which is a major component of the Jordanian homeland as is the case with other Arab communities. As the Arab constitutions guarantee the freedom of worship as well as holding religious rituals, Jordan sets a sublime example in the preservation of this right and this freedom not only to its indigenous citizens but rather to those whose future was undermined in their homelands and consequently sought refuge in Jordan.
Many thanks also go to the Jordanian churches that welcomed the displaced brethren in their classes and schools, and provided them with spiritual, humane and material support. From this premise, it is worthy to mention Jordan Caritas (or love) which has incessantly provided all possible effort and financial support, in collaboration with national and Church institutions, to grantee a decent life for the displaced. The services provided did help preserve the displaced families by providing them with daily aid, health services, as well as curricular and extracurricular courses.
Upon visiting the displaced Iraqis, the question that arises is "what comes next?'' The question raised by journalists is "where will the train take you in the future?
There is actually no decisive answer, as most of the answers are hypothetical. So long the conflagration continues particularly in Syria and Iraq, we are unable to talk about the future of these brethren. Despite the difficulties and the long dark tunnel that lies ahead, everything is in the hands of the almighty God--the master of the universe, of the creation, of history and of the future.
On the first anniversary of the arrival of displaced people of Mosul in Jordan, prayers had earlier been held in Fuheis thanking God for the blessing of life, paying tribute to Jordan for its hospitality, and hoping that the future will be brighter than ever. During the prayers, the representative of His Holiness Pope Francis, Archbishop Nunzio Galantino stressed that the Italian Bishops’ Conference would provide free education for the children of all the Iraqi families for this scholastic year.
All we can do is extend a humanitarian helping hand and pray for an end to the current political tunnel. We only trust God.
