In an inspiring show of interfaith cooperation, a group of 30 volunteers, mainly Muslims, are championing a clean-up operation in areas captured from ISIL militants in Iraq’s northern city of Mosul.
The young volunteers are clearing the debris of destroyed buildings in Mosul’s Drakziliya neighbourhood, on the left bank of the Tigris River, after Iraqi forces regained control over it.
The focus of their effort is the Chaldean church, dedicated to the Virgin Mary.
The church had been confiscated and chosen as the logistic base by the militiamen of ISIL . They plastered its building with writings, banners in an attempt to obliterate its Christian identity.
The volunteers are shown sweeping debris into wheelbarrows, trying their best to restore the church to its former shape as possible.
It is an inspiring example of how communities can come together, regardless of faith or religion, for a common good, and a brighter future, with peaceful religious co-existence in a city that has suffered a lot under ISIL.
Sources:
http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/mustafa-field-mbe/meet-the-young-muslim-vol_b_14952828.html
http://aleteia.org/blogs/deacon-greg-kandra/young-muslim-volunteers-help-repair-mosul-church-damaged-by-isis/