Learning to Serve in the Face of Terror: Faith and Leadership Amidst ISIS’s Devastation

On the tenth anniversary of the rise of ISIS, Common Home TV looks back with the release of its latest short documentary, "Learning to Serve in the Face of Terror," which focuses on the remarkable actions of Chaldean Catholic Archbishop Bashar Warda, CSsR, in response to the humanitarian crisis caused by the rise of ISIS in Iraq. The documentary is available as both a video and podcast.

ISIS’s invasion and capture of Mosul triggered one of the largest displacements of people in recent history. The documentary examines the critical period when thousands of Christians, Yazidis, and Muslims were forced to flee their homes to escape violence and persecution. As Erbil became a sanctuary for the displaced, Archbishop Warda leaned on his Catholic faith and Redemptorist charism to lead and provide essential aid, shelter, and hope to those in desperate need.

Reflecting on the rapid and unexpected takeover by ISIS, Archbishop Warda said, “It was a surprise to everyone. We knew the dangers of sectarian violence, but no one expected that one day the entire province of Mosul would be hijacked by ISIS in such a short time.” He added, “People walked for over 12 hours to reach safety because they were completely unprepared for what happened. We had to respond with whatever resources we had, offering help to all in need, regardless of their faith.”

"Learning to Serve in the Face of Terror" provides an in-depth look at how Archbishop Warda, faced with overwhelming challenges, mobilised resources to care for vulnerable communities. His leadership ensured that the displaced received both essential aid and spiritual support during their darkest hours, serving as a powerful testament to Catholic social teaching in action.

For those interested in the full visual experience, the video documentary is available on commonhome.tv.

Episode Transcript

(00:03):
On the 10th anniversary of the rise of ISIS, Common Home TV looks back with
the release of its latest short documentary,
Learning to Serve in the Face of Terror, which focuses on the remarkable actions
of Redemptorist Catholic Archbishop Bashar Warda, CSSR, in response to the humanitarian
crisis caused by the rise of ISIS in Iraq.
The documentary provides an in-depth look at how Archbishop Warda,

(00:26):
faced with overwhelming challenges, mobilized resources to care for vulnerable communities.
His leadership ensured that the displaced received both essential aid and spiritual
support during their darkest hours, serving as a powerful testament to Catholic
social teaching and action.
For this episode of Questions for the Modern World, we'll be playing the audio
from Learning to Serve in the Face of Terror, as Bashar presents a compelling narrative experience.

(00:51):
If you'd like to watch the video, please log on to commonhome.tv.
Well, the history of the Reductress in Iraq goes back to the late 50s,
beginning of the 60s of the last century.
Of course we we know that saint alphonse uh had in in his mind going to the

(01:13):
middle east where the christianity and to start a mission there because you
we know that the redemptorists are missionaries for the marginal marginalized people people.
However, in the late 50s, the late patriarch,

(01:33):
Paulus Sheikho, the Chaldean patriarch, asked the redemptors to come and help
in spreading the good news in the marginalized and forgotten,
villages in the northeast of Syria, and then from there to Iraq,
to Accra, to places where where really there was a need.

(01:56):
And we know, and everyone knows, that the vocation and the call and the charisma
of the Redemptorists is to respond to wherever there is a pastoral need,
wherever there is a poor, the poorness there.
I wanted to join the Redemptorists, and they said, no, we can't take someone
from the seminary, local seminary, to a Redemptorist mission.

(02:18):
I was ordained in 1993 to a Chaldean church as a priest, doing my compulsory
military service, then I renewed my request.
And there we are. The response was, yes, we could accept you.
And then I went to Ireland, did my novitiate there, and went back to Iraq in

(02:41):
late 1999 and started the work with the Redemptorists in Baghdad.
And then, yeah, continued until 2010. In 2010, I was elected the Chaldean Archbishop of Erbil.

(03:07):
To be honest, it was a surprise. It was a surprise to everyone.
Yes, we knew and we followed the danger of such sectarian violence because it
started in Baghdad in 2005,
but we never thought that one day the whole province of Mosul would be really

(03:27):
hijacked by ISIS in a short time.
And that's why everyone was surprised, not just me.
So people walked over 12 hours from Mosul to come because driving to Mosul is
just one hour it's not that far.
And that's why no one was prepared for that because we thought it would never

(03:53):
happen I mean this will not happen but we walked up and we saw So the massive destruction.
It started in Mosul in June, but we thought that's it.
I mean, it's just the city of Mosul, especially when it comes to the surrounding

(04:17):
area where we have the Nineveh Plain, where we have most of our historic villages.
We thought it would be secure, at least from the danger of ISIS.
But unfortunately, it was taken by surprise.
The Yazidis lived in, most of them lived in the north of Iraq,
what we call Kurdistan today.

(04:39):
They were a very close community, very, very close community.
Their beliefs is a mixture of Zoroastrian, Christian and Islam.
They took, and Jewish, they took elements of all of these religions and lived
closely and quite in close community.

(04:59):
Some of them, some of the people mistakenly, they thought that the Yazidis would
adore or worship devil, which is not true.
Most of them would be saying, no, avoid, avoid this, avoid devil,
avoid evilness and don't come closer to it.
Recently, they've been more open to and started to really introduce themselves and their culture.

(05:25):
And they say, no, we do believe in Allah, do believe in two ways,
good and evil of life. There are certain rules.
Still, there are lots of things to be said and open.
And I think some of the people get interested in their religion and their culture and try to show that.

(05:47):
Unfortunately, they've suffered a genocide in 2014.
When ISIS attacked them, because they are not the people of the book,
Jewish and Christians, according to Islam.
So they were subject to enslavement and killing.
They don't believe, I mean, those ISIS came with this idea. Those people worship devil.

(06:13):
So they were really killed. The men were killed.
Women were enslaved. And still a lot of women are missing today.
Day so yeah they I mean they they've
suffered a lot that's why we as a Christians and
people I mean in Kurdistan have have sympathized

(06:34):
a lot with them and we try whenever we found Yazidi families among the displaced
families in within the diocese they were part of the of the of the community
we who never said, well, you are Yazidis, no.
They were always included in the caring for the IDPs within church humanitarian programs.

(07:04):
Those who went to the mountain in the Sinjar, they were near the area north
of Kurdistan called Duhok.
They were near that part of the gold. So then they were stuck there,
but then there was a humanitarian road was open to them to camps in Dohuk.
But there were some hundreds of families living in an area of Bashika,

(07:28):
they were able to walk to Erbil, that's in the east of the country, east of Mosul.
So over 200 families were welcomed within the community of Erbil.
And they were, as I said, they were included in all our humanitarian programs.

(07:54):
It's their needs. There are people in need. That's it. You don't ask who you
are, where you come from, what you believe.
You need. You need something. That's something. You need help that I could do it for you.
And with me, you will get help from other communities.
And that's what happened. Those who approached my cathedral and my churches.

(08:18):
80% of them, they were not Chaldeans.
They were still Christians But from different rites Syriac Catholic,
Syriac Orthodox They were Muslims, Sunnis They were Yazidis Once they are in
need, that's it You don't have to ask Okay, where are you from?
Okay, get in No, that was never Not for me,

(08:40):
not for my Also my young people And my people who helped me Helping them No
one, no one at all have asked In fact, during three years of of helping and
working all of these humanitarian programs,
whether it was housing, school,
medical help, and food program, 70% were not Chaldeans.

(09:03):
Only 12% were Chaldeans, but the majority were Syrian Catholic,
Syrian Orthodox, Yazidis, and then Chaldeans.
So the people, the person, he is in need or she is in need, That's it.
That's the most important issue that we also take care of them.

(09:25):
I would say the phenomena of ISIS have made it possible for us to speak openly
and directly and honestly with Islamic scholars.
I used to tell them that ISIS is really a cancer within Islamic religion,

(09:47):
and they should be really honest about this, naming this disease,
this cancer, and try really to fight it, not by war, but by educating the young people,
about the danger of extremism within the Islam.

(10:07):
Since 2003, we are saying openly to our brothers and sisters Muslims,
there is something that you should address. There is a danger, there is a cancer.
And I think this open and honest dialogue would help Islam a lot.
This was not the case before ISIS. I mean, there was some kind of coolness,

(10:31):
being kind, gentle, not to hurt.
After that, we said, okay, everything is collapsed.
I mean, look to what ISIS have done to you as Sunnis.
Over 4 million Muslim IDPs, displaced people, families, not to mention the Shia,
not to mention the Christians.
So you have to really to address this. So I would say, sorry to say this,

(10:57):
the blessings, if I may say, of this phenomena was for the first time we could speak honestly.
Enough of diplomatic talks that sometimes would show that how gentle we are
with each other, which is still important,
a respectful dialogue, but an honest one.

(11:21):
If we don't face or if we don't engage in this dialogue, I think we will be wasting our time.
And that's what happened after 2003, being honest with our brothers and sisters, Muslims,
really to take the challenge and to face this cancer and try to really have a long-term treatment.

(11:48):
It's not about just cutting, but no, it's a treatment where lots of young people,
they do need to be educated about the danger of being.
Extremists in a way that they live their religion.
During the time of war and dispute and violence.

(12:09):
The mission of the Redemptors would be to go out and listen and watch and observe
the needs and try to understand what would be the response.
I would say it would be mistaking to go with with an agenda, to go with concept.

(12:30):
No, the first thing to do is just to be ready for that mission, to go,
be ready to listen, to watch, to observe, and reflect with God and ask what should be done.
I think that's, I do believe that's the most important approach.

(12:53):
It's just simple because if we start worrying about
what we should say what we should do We will never go back and go out and meet
the people who are in need But if we have just the courage just to go and face
it as it is It's not easy because the sometimes it's massive.

(13:13):
It's so violent It's beyond also the our capacity of work.
It's beyond what we are prepared to give
if we think and we start from
this position we'll never be a redemptorist once
ever be even a Christian we will
be hiding in our little chapel and saying the Our Father praying to God God

(13:36):
help them and God will be there with still okay but I'm there I need your help
so I think the courage to go out as poor as possible.
No thoughts, no agenda, no expectations, just to be poor like them.
I think we would find God's providence and He would show us the way.

(14:03):
My mission is to raise awareness about the suffering of the Christians and Yazidis
in Iraq, still being marginalized,
being forgotten, neglected because of the political disputes,
which is, I mean, the whole political process is not settled yet.

(14:24):
And you know all of the difficulties in the region when it comes to,
I mean, all of these political disputes between America and Iran,
Sunni and Shia, it's all affecting the region.
But the most suffering people would be the vulnerable communities, the minorities.
And that's why we have always to remind the world around us,

(14:46):
just be careful, just be patient, listen to the suffering, listening. We are there.
It's not over yet. And we still say, yes, ISIS have been defeated militarily,
but the state of Khalifa is still there, the mentality is still there.
The conditions which made ISIS so strong is still there.

(15:08):
So be careful not to forget the region and try to put some efforts in it.
So there is a political help needed to put
political pressure on the Iraqi government to
settle all of these issues but with it because
most of the area is not being
rebuilt and the rebuilding we

(15:30):
have today thank God over 8,000 families were
able to return to these historical and liberated villages but most of the rebuilding
is done by the church because of the help of the churches not I mean The Knights
of Columbus donated 2 million US dollars to build Karamles.

(15:51):
We have the German government and the Aid to the Church in Need.
The Knights of Malta are contributing, helping the rebuilding some of the houses.
The Hungarian government is doing the same and helping and building Teloskov.
There is much of the needs need to be really responded to. And that would help

(16:13):
because the infrastructure is really bad.
Life is not that easy in these countries.
Electricity, water supply, school, all of these needs.
So still, I think the mission of the Chaldean Church and my mission is to raise awareness.

(16:34):
We are still living in a difficult and challenging experience.
We need your help. We need your prayers. We need your support.