Shi’ite and sunnis shelter each other

Hanan Muhammad is from a very conservative Sunni family, and she and her four children live in a predominantly Sunni neighbourhood of Baghdad. But as sectarian violence rages across Iraq, Muhammad is sheltering her Shi’ite neighbours in her home. “We have lived beside each other for years, and now because of this ridiculous sectarian violence, other people want them to leave our Sunni neighbourhood,” Muhammad said. “But they do not have anywhere to go. So I’ll help them, giving them my home, food and friendship as much as necessary.” Hundreds of Iraqis who oppose the ongoing sectarian violence have found ways to help each other, according to a spokesman for the Baghdad-based Iraq Aid Association (IAA). “Some families shelter their neighbours, others give aid assistance like food supplies for those displaced, and even doctors offer their services for free as a way to help those innocent victims of the ongoing violence,” said Fatah Ahmed, spokesman for IAA. Hanan Muhammad has harboured her neighbours for nearly two months. Their children do not go to school and the parents quit their jobs because threats at their workplaces and in the neighbourhood have become so frequent they cannot leave Muhammad’s residence. Muhammad, a widow, is their sole means of support. “When my husband died three years ago, these neighbours gave me complete support,” Muhammad said. “I cannot leave them now in this very difficult time.” She has a government job, and her salary is stretched to cover the needs of both families. “We had to decrease the quality of our food to make it cheaper,” Muhammad said, “but I am sure that God will recompense me in the future.” Sectarian attacks in Iraq have spread across the country. According to the Ministry of Displacement and Migration, an estimated 160,000 Iraqis have become internally displaced since an attack on a Shi’ite shrine in February led to this current cycle of violence. Even with the month-old Reconciliation Plan in place, the situation has worsened with at least 70 people being killed every day in Iraq. Most of these deaths are sectarian, according to statistics from the public information office of the Ministry of Interior. Iraqis know they risk their own safety when they take action to help fellow citizens. “My father was hiding a Sunni family in our home because they were old friends, and they did not have anywhere to go after their neighbours forced them out of their home,” said Youssera Ali, 23, a Shi’ite resident of Baghdad. “When an armed militia discovered what my father was doing, they killed him. And when those friends tried to run away, they killed all four members of their family,” Ali said. Despite the danger, Iraqis continue to shelter their friends and neighbours. “We know the risks we run by keeping such families with us, but we have to think it through. If we turn our back on them, for sure if one day we need help, we are going to receive the same treatment,” said Khalid Hassan, 34, a Shi’ite originally from Basra. He has hosted four Sunni friends in his house in a Shi’ite neighbourhood of Baghdad for nearly two months, ever since they began getting anonymous threats accusing them of terrorism. “We cannot forget those who were our friends during good times,” Hassan said. “They are good people and are not involved with terrorism. But in my neighbourhood, just being Sunni is enough for you to be accused of insurgency. And I cannot leave them without protection in this sensitive time.” Those sheltered by their neighbours or relatives are glad to have the protection, but they worry about how long the situation will last. “We are very thankful for the help that our friend is giving to us,” said Adnan Abdul-Zahra, 39, who is being sheltered by his neighbour. “They try to do everything possible to make us feel comfortable and secure in this house.” But, he added: “It is hard when you feel you have become a prisoner inside a house and you cannot do anything to help, even concerning money, because we lost everything when we were forced to leave our home.” As often happens in conflicts, children bear the brunt of the suffering. Nearly half of Iraq’s displaced people are children, who suffer from lack of health care and education. Many live in improvised camps, mosques, abandoned schools and government buildings. “I miss my school,” said Ahmed al-Huri, 12, whose family is being sheltered by a neighbour. “Since my father received a threat, my brothers and I had to stop going to our lessons. The doctor said that my health is not good, but even going to have medical treatment is complicated. My family is scared to leave our friend’s house for any reason.” Although tensions are high outside the walls, within these homes religious differences don’t matter. “Before, we never discussed religious differences, and we never killed someone because his beliefs were different from ours,” said Ali Jaffer, 53, a father of five who is accomodating his Sunni neighbour’s family. “What is happening in Iraq now is unacceptable. Our country is for Iraqis, no matter what their ethnicity or religion.” Jaffer has been sheltering six people in addition to his own family for more than three months. “It is hard to have all those people depending on me,” he said. “But I am happy to do that. Sectarian violence will not take us to peace - but friendship will.” AS/LS/ED