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DEARBORN, Michigan — Speaking to a gathering of the Chaldean community in Dearborn, Michigan, the Chief of Staff to Kurdish President Masoud Barzani highlighted the cooperation between different groups in the region as being a strength.
"Kurdistan doesn't belong only to the Kurds," said Dr. Fuad Hussein. "Being diverse doesn't mean that you are not united."
He said that in the shared fight against ISIS, co-existence ideology embraced by Kurds will prevail.
"It is a fight for principles. It is a fight for the land. It is a fight for ideas. It is a fight against terrorists, so gradually we are going to win the fight,” Hussein said.
"They were trying to attack Kurdistan and attack everything that has to do with Kurds. They were also trying to attack Christians and destroy everything that has to do with Christians. They destroyed churches, (just) as they destroyed mosques.”
The Kurdistan Region is sheltering around 1.8 million internally displaced persons and refugees. Many of the displaced come from the Nineveh Plains, from where entire communities of Chaldeans, Assyrians and Syriacs fled in 2014 after hearing about ISIS atrocities committed against Yezidis in Shingal.
“They destroyed churches there. We rebuilt churches in Erbil. That was a challenge, but it is part of our beliefs. Part of our principles. We want to build a multi-ethnic, multi-religious, multi-cultural society. We believe in that,” Hussein said.
"We believe that Kurdistan belongs to Christians, belongs to Kurds, belongs to Turkmen, and belongs to Arabs who live there. So it belongs to all people who lived in Kurdistan.”
Hussein, as part of the Iraqi delegation, attended meetings in Washington, D.C., last week hosted by the US Department of State and attended by 68 members of the international coalition to defeat ISIS.
"Kurdistan doesn't belong only to the Kurds," said Dr. Fuad Hussein. "Being diverse doesn't mean that you are not united."
He said that in the shared fight against ISIS, co-existence ideology embraced by Kurds will prevail.
"It is a fight for principles. It is a fight for the land. It is a fight for ideas. It is a fight against terrorists, so gradually we are going to win the fight,” Hussein said.
"They were trying to attack Kurdistan and attack everything that has to do with Kurds. They were also trying to attack Christians and destroy everything that has to do with Christians. They destroyed churches, (just) as they destroyed mosques.”
The Kurdistan Region is sheltering around 1.8 million internally displaced persons and refugees. Many of the displaced come from the Nineveh Plains, from where entire communities of Chaldeans, Assyrians and Syriacs fled in 2014 after hearing about ISIS atrocities committed against Yezidis in Shingal.
“They destroyed churches there. We rebuilt churches in Erbil. That was a challenge, but it is part of our beliefs. Part of our principles. We want to build a multi-ethnic, multi-religious, multi-cultural society. We believe in that,” Hussein said.
"We believe that Kurdistan belongs to Christians, belongs to Kurds, belongs to Turkmen, and belongs to Arabs who live there. So it belongs to all people who lived in Kurdistan.”
Hussein, as part of the Iraqi delegation, attended meetings in Washington, D.C., last week hosted by the US Department of State and attended by 68 members of the international coalition to defeat ISIS.
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