Chaldean Community in USA to Invest in Destroyed Areas in Iraq

Washington DC, USA

The Chaldean American Chamber of Commerce is considering investing in the Nineveh Plains of northern Iraq, a region where a large portion of the population are Christians and saw massive destruction following the brutal arrival of the Islamic State (ISIS) in 2014.

Martin Manna, who heads the Chamber of Commerce, told Rudaw that “these are our ancestor’s lands. This is important for us to invest in places where we have quite a large population.

“This is likely the best place in all of Iraq and we want to maintain our identity, our culture, our language in this region.”

In 2014, more than 14,500 Christians lived on the Nineveh Plains. When ISIS attacked the Christian towns and villages, 90 percent of Christians fled to the Kurdistan Region, seeing it as a safe haven that would protect them from the reign of terror that ISIS brought upon them, particularly towards religious minorities.

So returning home is dangerous, job opportunities are on the low, and few services have been restored to the region. These are the key factors that few people have returned to these areas. They have either started a new life in the Kurdistan Region or moved abroad in search of a better life.

Manna said that they have a “very wealthy community here in the United States and there is no better province or region... for our community to invest in.”

Iraq’s Christian community has been devastated in the past two decades. Following the US-led invasion in 2003, sectarian warfare prompted followers of Iraq’s multiple Christian denominations to flee, and attacks by ISIS in 2014 hit minority communities especially hard.

Fewer than 300,000 Christians remain in Iraq today, but not all live in a permanent place they can call home.

– Rudaw